Your Dog Needs Dog Agility In Their Life And Here's Why

Unlock the Secrets to Successful Dog Agility: A Q&A with Kelly, Your Trusted Pet Sitter at Floofs and Friends, and Experienced Agility Enthusiast

If you're a dog owner looking to enhance your furry friend’s agility skills, you're in the right place. Today, we’re sitting down with Kelly, an experienced pet sitter with a passion for dog agility training. Kelly’s unique blend of expertise in both caring for dogs and guiding them through agility training makes her the perfect person to share valuable insights on how to get the most out of beginning your dog’s agility journey. Let’s dive into the world of dog agility with Kelly!

What is Dog Agility?

• "Dog agility is a canine sport where an owner or handler and their dog have to work together to navigate a course of obstacles, so this usually consists of jumps, weaves, tunnels, contact equipment like your A-frame, dog walk or see-saw. On occasion, there is the supplementary obstacles like a wall jump, tire jump, a long jump. The layout and what obstacles are included in a course depends on what type of course it is; so if it is an agility course, it will have all three of the contact equipment [listed above], and if it is a jumping course, that usually has just jumps, tunnels and weaves. There's other elements too like: time fault and out, and power and speed which are extra games.

  The point of the course is to complete it correctly in the order it was desired be set out as quickly as possible. If you were to complete a course correctly e.g. no knocking a jump down, no springing of of the contact, then that's called a clear round. However, if you don't you will be given faults and in some cases elimination."

What experience have you had in the world of dog agility?

• "I have been doing agility since about eleven years old. I used to run my neighbours dog which is how I got into it. When I was thirteen, I got my own dog and we ran together until I was eighteen, and since going to university she is now a senior dog so I don't run her anymore."

How old should a dog be to start agility training?

• "This question is very broad and there is no one answer. It will greatly depend on the individual dog, especially considering how big the breed is. The larger a dog breed is, then the longer it will take for them to grow and develop so they will need more time before they can start any impact exercise. You can however start doing foundation training like conditioning and skill based work at home that won't include jumping and quick turns etc. Generally dogs start official agility training at one years old"

What are the basic skills a dog needs for agility training?

• "They will learn along the way as they start. They will begin on the lowest jumps and they won't be going through the weaves properly, instead they will usually run a straight line past the weaves, and then you start to incorporate the turns. Essentially, it starts from zero so you don't actually need a skill set before you start, unless you want to do some at-home conditioning in preparation. So this could entail proprioception, coordination (making sure they know where to put their feet), basic strength (core especially) and basic fitness. You need to be careful not to overdo these things whilst they are still under a year old, because you could be at risk of doing more harm than good."

How can I tell if my dog is suitable for agility?

• "If you have a dog that just isn't interested or doesn't care or isn't food or toy orientated then that probably isn't going to change from my experience of seeing people, even competitively, bring their dog consistently to shows and the dog just doesn't care. Some dogs would just rather do their own thing or sit in the car! I knew some owners that treated their dogs so well but when it came to training, they would have to encourage their dog to jump over every single jump, spend ages saying everything under the sun as enthusiastically as possible just to try and get their dog through each obstacle. As fun as it is to watch, the dog just didn't want to do it and it those situations you need to think, one, what the point of you doing it is and is this actually becoming detrimental to the dog (it should be fun for both you AND the dog) and two, are they trying to tell you they don't want to because something hurts not just from a mental perspective but from a physical perspective too."

What are the benefits for both the owner and the dog?

• "Firstly bonding together. It takes really good communication to be successful at agility and you need to be in tune with each other and it takes a lot of work to be successful. Our dogs pick up on the smallest of cues and could lead to going wrong; my feet pointing the wrong way or my shoulders were turned too far away from her which pulled her off the jump.

  Another benefit is fitness. It's only a 30 second sprint but without any exercise experience then you could both struggle.

  Lastly, socialisation for both you and your dog with a likeminded community.

What are common concerns about dog agility and why owners may think it won't be good for their dog?

• "Injury for both the owner and the dog, which could lead to expensive recovery time too. Reactivity and anxiousness in your dog would be something the owner would have to work on as they have to be comfortable with other dogs as it can be a high stress environment. You have loud noises and announcements over a Tannoy, lots of other dogs moving around and barking; even just to be there let alone the queuing with other dogs and the course itself, it can be a very overwhelming thing if your dog isn't prepared. Especially with a lot of Covid dogs now reaching adulthood, reactivity is going to be something that owners will struggle more with."

What should I use to practice agility at home?

• "You can buy your own agility equipment depending on your finances, facilities and space (garden) if you wanted to. However it's probably much cheaper to rent a field with a setup or just to go training a couple times a week. This way you will have a trainer watch you and give you tips as well as use their equipment, so it probably works out better to do that. You can create your own equipment, but you need to be very careful with any contact equipment. Make sure it's non-stick, you don't want a risk of splinters, slips an falls etc. It's best to keep to just conditioning and strength building rather than skill based training at home."

How do you introduce your dog to agility and what are some good first steps to take?

• "The best thing you can do is find well recommended trainer and they will talk you through the whole process. If they are a good trainer they will start from scratch and they will build it up depending on your dogs requirements, what they take to, what they understand and what they struggle with. There's not much you need to worry about in preparation."

We hope you found Kelly's insights on dog agility training helpful and inspiring! If you’re ever in need of a pet sitter who understands the ins and outs of dog agility, Kelly is here to help with both care and training!