If you want to truly unleash your dog’s potential, creating a backyard dog agility course is a fantastic idea. Our range of competition-quality dog agility equipment is ideal whether you are training a future agility champion or simply enhancing your dog’s fitness and coordination. Let’s dive in and take a look at how Carlson Agility can help you build the ultimate dog playground.
Is Agility Right For Your Dog?
Before you purchase your first piece of equipment, it’s a good idea to determine whether or not your dog is a good fit for the world of agility. In general, most healthy dogs with good energy levels are a good match for agility, but it’s wise to consult with your dog’s veterinarian first to ensure that their body is up for the challenge.
Another good idea would be to take an agility class or two at your local agility training center. If your dog has a blast at the agility training facility, chances are this is a good fit. Keep in mind, that even if you don’t participate in agility competitions, this sport has many benefits. Agility is an excellent source of exercise and training can improve obedience skills as well as build trust between you and your dog.
Types of Agility Equipment
In general, every agility organization builds dog agility courses with the same type of equipment. Here’s a quick look at what you will encounter on most dog obstacle courses, and we do have all of these items available at Carlson Agility.
Jumps are the most numerous item on any dog agility course and there are even special agility competitions called “Jumpers” that focus solely on jumps, with perhaps a tunnel or two in the mix. A good backyard agility course will have several jumps including a tire jump as well as a single and double jump and perhaps even a triple jump.
Ah, the dreaded weave poles – so fun to watch, but kind of tricky to teach. A set of agility weave poles will be a component of just about any standard dog agility course. When it comes to training this tricky obstacle, we recommend using our weave pole guides, which will help your dog better understand how to move in and out through this obstacle.
The Pause Table
While the weaves often are the most complicated to teach, the pause table tends to be fairly easy, although it’s not as exciting as jumps, tunnels and other fun obstacles. Still, dogs must sit, stay and lay down on this table, so it’s a great first obstacle to teach as you can boost obedience skills and teach agility concurrently.
The Dog Tunnel
Tunnels are fun for dogs, but some dogs are a bit hesitant to learn how to run through these obstacles. To encourage your dog, you can shorten up the tunnel at first and/or have a trusted buddy at either end of the tunnel and coax your dog through with the promise of a tasty treat. Before you know it, they will be zipping through the tunnel with ease and enthusiasm.
The Dog Walk
The dog walk can be a little intimidating because of the height, but it is easier to teach (usually) than the a-frame and teeter. We recommend using our training hoops to ensure that your dog doesn’t simply leap up on the dog walk.
You will notice that many obstacles feature two different colors, and this is done to indicate where the dog’s paws much touch as they enter and exit the obstacle. Training hoops can help them enter at the correct point rather than higher up on the obstacle.
Once your dog has mastered the dog walk, the a-frame can be a good next obstacle to teach. This one is a bit more intimidating than the dog walk as there is no flat plank at the top to stand on.
It requires a good deal of core strength to climb to the top and then dash down, ensuring that the paws make contact with the bottom of the a-frame. Training hoops can be helpful for this obstacle, as well, and we have these for sale at Carlson Agility.
The Teeter-Totter
The dog agility teeter is an exciting obstacle to watch, but it can be a bit tricky to teach because of the movement. We recommend guiding your dog onto this obstacle and slowly teaching how to move their paws in order to tilt the teeter. This definitely takes some time and some patience, but standing beside them at first allays fears and ensures that your dog is safe until they have gained confidence.
Additional Dog Training Equipment
Conditioning is a huge part of this dog sport, and we have several helpful training tools that can help strengthen your dog’s core and help them improve their agility skills in general.
For instance, our buja board can be used to help improve balance and stability as well as reduce their motion sensitivity. This device also is known as a wobble board, and it includes a plywood board wrapped in rugged outdoor turf. You simply place the board on a partially or fully inflated soccer ball or basketball and train your dog or puppy to hold steady on the board.
A perch is another helpful training tool that looks deceptively simple, but this small wood device helps to enhance a dog’s rear-end awareness, which is a crucial aspect of agility performance. This is a dog’s ability to know and control where their back legs are and how they are moving. We also have a wooden plank ideal for the two-foot-off, two-foot-on training method.
Our dog training ladder is another handy tool that helps build confidence and body awareness. By moving forward and backward through the rungs, your dog will build front-end and rear-end awareness.
If you aren’t quite sure which piece of dog training equipment to purchase first, we suggest opting for a dog agility set, and we have several options. For instance, we have kits with two jumps and a tunnel, as well as kits with a jump, tire jump, pause table and weaves. Simply select the kit that includes the obstacles you wish to train first and you will be all set for some fun backyard training.
Order Dog Agility Equipment OnlineWith our secure online ordering system, it’s easy to purchase any piece of agility equipment you might need. All of our items are handmade using the finest components and are meant to last for years. If you have any questions about any of our dog agility course equipment, please feel free to contact us at any time.
