While daily walks and lively games of fetch can provide your furry friend with some fun and exercise, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of zipping around an agility dog course. If you’ve been toying with the idea of trying agility, we can teach you how to build a dog agility course and provide you with competition-quality dog agility equipment to fill up your course. Here are some tips to help you get started.
1. Start Small
There’s no reason to purchase every conceivable piece of dog agility equipment in the early stages. We recommend purchasing a dog agility starter kit that includes just a few pieces of agility equipment.
We offer several starter kits, and each one contains at least three pieces of equipment. The easiest dog agility set we offer is Kit C, which includes two single jumps and a pause table. The pause table is a great obstacle to use when teaching agility skills, and dog jumps are the most plentiful obstacles on any competition course. Jumps also are fairly easy to teach.
However, we also have some fun options, including Kit B, which includes a single jump, a pause table, weaves and a tire jump. Kit F is a lot of fun, as well, and includes a dog agility teeter, weaves and a tire jump. If you love starting off with a challenge, Kit F contains two of the most difficult obstacles for dogs to master – the teeter and the weave poles.
2. Use Quality
Dog Agility EquipmentWhether you opt to purchase equipment from Carlson Agility or another source, it’s always best to select high-quality equipment. While cheap equipment might be tempting, it’s often unsafe, and safety should be the most important consideration you make. All of our equipment is handmade and built using the highest quality components to ensure durability and safety.
If you are wondering how to build an agility dog course to competition standards, you will need to include the following obstacles:
- Pause Table
- Dog Weave Poles
- Dog Agility Teeter
- Agility Dog Walk
- Dog Agility A Frame
- Dog Tunnel
- Dog Agility Tire Jump
- Dog Agility Jumps
When it comes to jumps, there will be one tire jump and then anywhere from about eight to 12 jumps. These could include double jumps, triple jumps, panel jumps and wing jumps. When you get started, it’s best to simply use single jumps at low heights, but as your dog progresses in their ability, you can add some of these more complicated jumps.
3. Choose The Right Location
A flat, open area is the ideal place to set up a course, and it’s always best to set up on grass or soft ground to reduce the risk of injury. Hard concrete or other hard or uneven surfaces are not good options.
You also need a big enough space so that your dog can safely navigate each piece of agility equipment. Here’s a helpful guideline – the American Kennel Club (AKC) sets the following minimums for their different agility classes:
- Novice – 5,000 square feet
- Open – 6,500 square feet
- Masters – 8,000 square feet
The higher the agility class, the more space that is needed to ensure safety, as these highly skilled dogs are very fast. If you don’t have 5,000 square feet, it’s best to reduce the number of obstacles on your course. Keep in mind, a smaller breed might be able to successfully navigate a smaller course, but larger and faster dogs definitely need as much space as possible.
4. Safety, Accuracy, Speed
When you are just getting started, the main goal should be safety (and having fun). Safety is always crucial, but during the early days of training, your dog is going to be working all of their muscles more than they would on a walk or playing a game of tug or fetch. So to keep their bodies safe, start out slowly and begin each session with warm-up exercises and end with a cool down.
Once your dog has mastered all of the agility obstacles, you can begin to work on speed. To earn a clean run on an agility course, a dog and handler will be assessed both for accuracy and speed, but you don’t need to worry about speed until your dog is competent with all obstacles.
5. Mix It Up
Once your dog has mastered all of the agility skills, it’s best to mix up the obstacle order every time you practice. If you plan to complete, you will never know what the course configuration will be like until you arrive, so you have to be prepared for just about anything.
Your dog is meant to rely on your cues and commands and not to memorize a specific course. If you aren’t quite sure how to set up multiple course options, there are many great templates online that will help you arrange obstacles so that they are just like what you will find at a competition.
Can Any Dog Do Agility?
Teaching your dog agility skills can be a wonderful way to spend time together and provide much-needed exercise, but before you set up a course and start purchasing agility dog training equipment, it’s smart to gauge whether or not this sport is the best fit for your dog.
Just about any healthy dog can participate in agility competition, including mixed-breed dogs. Even dogs that are deaf or blind can enjoy agility, and deaf dogs or mildly visually impaired dogs can even successfully compete at dog agility trials.
Your dog’s size usually is not a factor either, and for smaller dogs, you simply reduce the height of jumps and use mini agility equipment to ensure safety. Additionally, all breeds, including mixed breeds, also can compete, so this is truly a sport for all dogs.
In general, your dog’s health and temperament are the two biggest indicators as to whether or not dog agility is a good fit. For instance, if your dog has issues such as hip displacement or joint issues, agility is not a good option. Dogs with heart or breathing issues also should not try agility. If your dog is obese, dog obstacles such as dog jumps, as well as the general exertion of running around an agility dog course, could be too much for an overweight dog. Agility is great source of exercise, but it’s best for your dog to lose some weight first before attempting to run about a full agility course. For any dog, it’s always best to consult your veterinarian before beginning any dog sport or new form of exercise.
Temperament is another factor. For instance, some breeds tend to be a bit stubborn, such as our sweet Shih Tzu friends. Reactive dogs or aggressive dogs also might not be the best fit for competition. However, these dogs could benefit from obedience training and backyard agility.
Training can reduce aggression and reactivity and strengthen the trust and bond between you and your dog. Still, aggressive dogs should not compete at dog agility trials. Dog agility skills are performed off-leash, and these events include many dogs and people, which can be a bad mix with a reactive dog. Again, it’s best for these dogs to enjoy solo backyard training.
Get Started With Dog Agility!
At Carlson Agility, not only can we provide tips on how to build a dog agility course, but we also have everything you might need to set up your agility dog course. This includes full-size and mini agility equipment, as well as helpful agility training tools such as a wobble board and weave guide wires. Shop online today, and if you have any questions about our products, don’t hesitate to contact us at any time.
