It's not enough to buy or build agility equipment you have to know use it
Dog agility is a great way to build a relationship with your dog while having fun. It is fast, exciting and requires a lot of hard work to get right. Whether you are interested in dog agility as a form of recreation or want to enter serious competition, doing it right is important to achieve the best communication between you and your dog.
Dog Agility
Dog agility is an obstacle course that you guide your dog through using only hand and voice signals. It was originally developed by the armed forces to train dogs for combat missions, and then used in police training for much the same purpose. In the mid to late 1970s, dog agility took hold in the civilian world as a way to exercise, train, and bond owners with pets. Competitions also sprung up within the major dog registries. In 1986, the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) and in 1993 the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC) were started to break away from registries and allow all dogs regardless of background to compete in agility competitions.
Control
When moving through each obstacle, absolute control is necessary. Dogs should be well-schooled in obedience since all agility movements are done off leash. While training, it is permitted to touch or hold your dog or their collar, but in competition it is strictly forbidden.
Pauses
The pause box is the ultimate example of control and obedience. It is usually in the middle of the course. At the point, the dog has been running at top speed and must come to a sudden and complete stop when commanded inside the marked area. This area is marked by tape, hose, or other materials on the ground. A "pause table" that the dog jumps on and remains until released by your command is another version of the pause box.
Contacts
The moving exercises in agility have equipment that must be walked, run, or jumped over. The equipment that is walked or run over has yellow sections at the entry and exit portions of the equipment. Your dog's front paws must come in contact with the yellow areas. This is much more difficult than seems as your dog will be instinctually prone to jumping on or off the equipment. The contact zones provide further proof of extreme control and how well your dog is trained. Agility equipment that is jumped over does not have contact zones, but must not be knocked over or points are taken away from the dog's performance.
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