People usually train their dog in obedience commands, small tricks, and housetraining but they often overlook giving dogs agility training. Dog agility training is a sport where the handler leads the dog through obstacles like tunnels, tire jumps, and weave poles. Agility training is becoming more popular for household dogs. Here are some reasons as to how agility training can benefit your furry friend.
Benefits of Agility Training
Some people may be asking if my dog isn’t in dog competitions or shows why do they need agility training? Agility training can also be very beneficial for all dogs! Here’s why:
Exercises Dog’s Natural Instincts
Good Source of Exercise
Improves Dog/Owner Communication
Strengthens Dog/Owner Bond
Exercises Dog’s Natural Instincts
Dog’s aren’t meant to just sit at home in a house or an apartment all day. House dogs do not get the same opportunity that wild dogs do. Wild dogs are hunters who run after other wildlife and chase their prey. Agility training helps dogs exercise their natural instincts since agility training was originally designed to do just that.
Good Source of Exercise
Agility training is a great way to get your dog and even yourself to exercise more! Agility training consists of running through obstacles over and over until your dog becomes familiar with the trick. This training can help get rid of excess energy your dog has so that later in the night they’ll stay more relaxed rather than running around the house with excess energy. This works well for dogs living in small apartments or the city since they aren’t able to run around as much as dogs with bigger houses and yards to play in.
Improves Dog/Owner Communication
Just as any type of training, agility training helps an owner communicate with their dog on another level. Agility training requires verbal and physical communication during each obstacle which is essentially helping you grow communication with your dog. Making sure you train your dog on speed, direction, and success while doing agility training will force a different type of communication with your dog then you are used to.
Strengthens Dog/Owner Bond
Same as communication, agility training helps strengthen the bond between you and your dog. During agility training obstacles, the dog often has to rely on you to lead them through the course while you are relying on the dog to actually do the course. Depending on each other will increase communication and trust which will ultimately strengthen the bond as well.
Although agility training isn’t absolutely necessary, you can see that it definitely has benefits for both you and your dog. Agility training can result in your dog being happier and healthier as well as improving your bond and communication. Leader of the Pack offers agility training courses as well as other training courses for your dog. Fill out a form on our website or give us a call at 617-296-1711 to inquire more about our services and to get started!