In the past, every agility organization would include tunnels and chutes on their courses. These days, you will still find the tunnel, but the collapsible chute is becoming less and less common.
The Collapsible Chute
There are several major organizations that sponsor agility competitions throughout the year. This includes the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA), the American Kennel Club (AKC), the United Kennel Club (UKC), the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC) and Canine Performance Events (CPE).
All of these organizations have eliminated the collapsible chute as part of their competition courses. This obstacle was removed because of the risk of injury to the dogs, as a few of our furry friends would get caught or tangled coming out of the chute and pull or strain muscles.
So, should you avoid using the chute? While you probably won’t find a collapsible chute on the competition course, it still can be fun for home training. Because it’s collapsible and dogs cannot see through it, it can be a good tool for confidence training and some dogs really love the chute. Plus, if a dog can handle the chute, they definitely can handle the tunnel, so sometimes people like to start out with the chute and move on to tunnels later.
If your dog enjoys the chute, there’s no reason to eliminate it from your backyard training. Just ensure that your dog isn’t wearing a collar or any other item that could get snagged on the chute and decrease the speed while going through the chute to prevent injury.
The Tunnel
Of course, the tunnel is still a part of all of these major organizations’ courses, so you definitely will want one of these for backyard training. The tunnel, of course, is not collapsible and dogs can see through the tunnel to the other side.
If your pooch is a bit hesitant at first about using the tunnel, consider having a person sit at either end of the tunnel. The first person gently coaxes the dog into the tunnel, while the person at the other end coaxes them through the tunnel. Often using a treat is a great way to entice a dog through the tunnel.
It usually doesn’t take long for dogs to get used to zipping through a tunnel with confidence, but if you dog is a bit uncertain, just be patient and encouraging. Eventually, the fear will subside.
In addition to teaching your dog how to go through the tunnel, you also will need to practice exiting the tunnel at moving on to the next obstacle. Every course is different. Sometimes you might have to exit to the right, sometimes to the left, perhaps even straight ahead.
You just never know what you will encounter on an agility course as far as arrangement goes. You will know the types of obstacles and usually the number of obstacles, but not the arrangement. This is why it is crucial to practice turns diligently and set up your backyard course in many different configurations.
Beyond Dog Tunnels & Chutes
Of course, dog agility is about much more than just dog tunnels and chutes. You also need to learn how to tackle multiple types of jumps, as well as the a-frame, the dog walk, the teeter, the pause table and the weaves.
It all can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but we recommend that you just start out by purchase a few pieces of equipment and gradually adding more items. You might start out with a couple of jumps and a tunnel or perhaps a pause table, a tunnel and a jump. We have several starter kits for your consideration, and these include just three or four items.
Start out slowly and teach one piece of equipment at a time. Once your dog has mastered that first piece of equipment, teach the next one and then teach your dog to do one obstacle followed by another. For instance, perhaps you teach them to handle a single jump and then a tunnel. Then your dog can do a mini course with a jump, tunnel and back to the jump.
Then you might add the teeter or a-frame and teach a series that includes jump, tunnel, a-frame, jump. Be sure to mix it up and try a new combination from time to time. Work on accuracy first and then once you have all of your equipment and your dog is proficient on each piece of equipment, you can start working on speed.
If you need any type of equipment, including jumps, contact equipment, dog tunnels and chutes, we have everything you might need. We also have mini agility equipment for small dogs and puppy training, including a mini collapsible chute. The full-size tunnel is perfect for dogs of all sizes and ages, so a mini version of this obstacle is not necessary for training.
