Let’s face it, 2020 has not exactly been the greatest year on record. It’s hard not be a bit stressed out but spending quality time with your dog has been shown to decrease stress and it helps strengthen the bond between dog and human. While daily walks are always a good idea, there’s never been a better time to dive into the world of dog agility, which can be a perfect pandemic-safe activity, and here’s why.
- Exercise Improves Your Mood
That daily walk is great exercise for both of you, but dog agility provides you with exercise and it can be far more interesting that just cruising around the neighborhood day after day. Dogs love zipping through agility tunnels, soaring over agility jumps and navigating those weave poles. It’s an amazing source of exercise for dogs because it gets the blood pumping, but it also engages their minds.
However, if you thought that dog agility just provides a dog with activity, watch a few videos online of agility competitions and you’ll see that the handler gets a pretty good workout as well. After 20 minutes of intense agility practice, you’ll notice that you are more relaxed and less stressed out. It’s good to get outside, move around and tear yourself away from the news of the day, which is usually troubling at best these days.
- Dog Agility Is Socially Distant
Finding fun socially distant activities can be challenging, but you can set up some dog agility equipment in your backyard and enjoy a daily dose of exercise and fun without even having to wear a mask. After all, it’s just you and your furry friend. Even when you head out for a neighborhood walk, you often need to wear a mask. So, agility can serve as a perfect, mask-free and socially distanced activity.
- Dog Agility & Dog Training Go Hand In Hand
If your dog isn’t quite as obedient as you’ d like, dog agility can serve as a great way to improve obedience skills. You can use dog agility equipment, such as the pause table to teach your dog to sit, stay and lay down.
Just grab some small nutritious treats and start working on the basic commands. You will want to create a verbal cue as well as a hand signal. Many handlers use only non-verbal cues on the agility course and dogs are perfectly capable of learning both types of instructions.
If the pause table doesn’t get your heart thumping with exciting, set up one or two additional pieces of dog agility equipment. You might opt for a couple of jumps or perhaps a tire jump and a teeter or maybe a tunnel and a jump. Spend a few minutes using the “fun” agility obstacles and then spend a few minutes using the pause table. You can work on obedience and agility skills during the same workout session.
Just keep the sessions short, typically no longer than 20 minutes or so. Dogs tend to lose focus quickly, so short training sessions are best. You could always schedule a 10 or 15-minute session in the morning and another one later in the day. During the warm summer months, it is highly recommended that you stick with early morning and twilight times so that your pooch doesn’t get overheated. Always keep summer sessions short and have some water on hand.
- Build That Bond
How do you build a great bond with your dog? Spending quality time teaching your furry friend some new tricks is a fantastic way to improve your bond. Every time they complete an agility skill correctly, heap on the praise. Dogs love to please, and they are enthusiastic learners, so agility is the perfect activity for them.
When you teach them with patience and enthusiasm, this increases their trust of you, which makes the bond even more special. A dog that trusts his human companions is a happy dog, and don’t all dogs deserve to be happy? They give us so much and ask for so little in return.
Through obedience and agility training, dogs learn what their human companions expect in terms of discipline and behavior. When a dog understands these expectations, they are happier and more content. It’s really the same with humans. For instance, when a human understands the expectations their boss has for them and can meet those expectations, the job experience is more positive.
Of course, our relationship with our dogs is certainly more significant and special than a work relationship, but all relationships are basically the same. Shower your dog with kindness and respect with a splash of patient discipline, and you will have a fantastic relationship with your dog.
- Fix Common Dog “Issues”
If you have a dog that scratches up furniture or destroys items in your home, these can be signs that your dog is bored or stressed out. While you love your dog, your probably don’t love these types of behaviors. Dog agility training often can help solve some of these issues.
For one thing, dogs need exercise and agility provides a full-body workout and provides a good deal of mental stimulus. If you take two daily walks and engage in a session of dog agility every day, you should see a reduction in destructive behavior simply because your dog will be tired and content.
And, again, agility and obedience training help your dog better understand the expectations and rules of the household. Dogs don’t want to be disobedient; they simply don’t always understand what proper behavior entails. Teach them what you expect, and they will be happy to follow the rules. Dogs only want to please their human companions and receive love in return.
Other Ways To Strengthen That Bond
While using dog agility equipment is one of the most exciting ways to strengthen your human-dog bond, we have a few other ideas, as well, including:
- Daily Grooming – Some dogs love being brushed more than others, but usually, if you are gentle, most dogs will come to enjoy a daily brush or groom. It’s also the best way to keep their coat in great shape.
- Create A Daily Schedule – Dogs and children thrive with a set daily schedule, so create a daily plan that helps your dog know what to expect and that’s easy for you to handle, as well. This is an especially great option if you have a new puppy or have adopted a rescue dog. Keep walk times, dog agility training times and mealtimes consistent and your new addition will be feeling comfortable in your household very quickly.
- Be Consistent – This is one of the most important keys to training and reinforcing positive behavior and it’s especially important with a new dog. Be consistent with the house rules and with the commands that you use and make certain that everyone in the house is on the same page.
- Always Make Time for Play – Even on days when you don’t have time for dog agility, spend a few minutes playing tug or fetch or just rolling around on the floor with your dog and being silly. This will be good for both of you to let off some steam and just play.
Doris Day once remarked, “I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.” These days are troubling, and a dog is the perfect companion for these times and dog agility is a perfect, safe activity for these times as well.
If you’d like to get started with dog agility, we have every piece of dog agility equipment you might need, including mini agility equipment for smaller dogs or perhaps indoor training as well as handy dog agility kits. All of our dog agility obstacles are handmade from quality components. If you have any questions about our equipment, don’t hesitate to send us an email at any time.
