Agility Training
What is Agility?
In our country, Agility is one of the fastest growing dog sports. Not only is it great physically exercise for both you and your dog, but it’s great mental exercise too. The skills needed for a successful Agility team rely on a deeper relationship between you and your dog. Not to mention, what a point of pride it is when you see your dog doing things that a good majority of other dogs can’t currently do! Not to mention, it’s a sport that all breeds/mixed breeds and sizes can thrive!
In Agility, you direct and guide your dog through a set of obstacles within a specific time limit. Because of the communication aspect of Agility, it’s generally recommended that you complete Basic Obedience so that you develop a solid foundation of cues and focus. Typically, Agility courses have around 14-20 obstacles for your dog to navigate. Those obstacles can include jumps of various sizes and shapes, seesaws where your dog will walk/run over an uneven platform, weave poles to zig-zag through, tunnels to go through, and pause tables on which your dog will need to pause movement for a specific amount of time. In order to navigate the specially designed courses, your dog will rely on your direction and body language to figure out where to go and what to do.
How do you know if Agility is right for your dog?
- Are they energetic?
- Do they have a good amount of focus?
- Do they love to play and take direction?
- Do they get along well with other dogs?
If your answer is yes to the above questions, your dog may be a great fit!
Just remember that training for Agility doesn’t only have to do with your dog - you’re also a vital part of this process. You don’t need to be an all-out runner to take part in the sport with your dog, but you do need to work hard alongside your canine companion and develop great communication to be a solid team!
If interested in training and practicing this sport at home, we at The Clever Canine have a travel set of Agility equipment to bring to our clients to teach the basics of Agility, and to loan if needed. Get in Contact with us to get started and head over to our Dog Training Pricing page for information on the packages that will work best for you!
Agility Training - one of the best workouts for your pup!
Trick Training
What is Trick Training?
Trick Training is exactly as it sounds - teaching your dog tricks! These can be simple one-step tricks or more advanced multi-step tricks that require a lot more work, time, and development. If you can teach your dog to sit, you can also teach your dog to close doors, pick up items, or even a handstand - it just takes a lot more knowledge in how to break things down and how to progress what they already know!
With Trick Training, you’re not just building the bond with your dog every time you work on and complete training for a specific trick, but there are many other things happening at that same time:
- Mental Stimulation: This leads to less stress and anxiety for your dog. Mental stimulation plays a huge role in the amount of energy a dog can have. Think of it this way - you’re in school, cramming for a last minute test and you spend a good chunk of time studying - you’re likely pretty drained after all of that thinking and remembering. It’s the same for dogs when learning new things.
- Physical Exercise: This also plays an obviously huge role in reducing stress and anxiety for your dog. Simply put, the more activity your dog gets, the more content they are.
- Communication: You’re developing deeper communication with your dog, which leads to a more fine-tuned relationship and better response to cues overall.
- Trust: You’re building trust with your dog, which helps deepen your bond and also helps with better response to cues across the board.
- Fun: Dogs love to train when there are rewards involved, but more importantly they love training in short spurts. Trick Training is ideal for short spurts of training, making them fun for everyone involved.
- Bragging Rights: This one’s pretty obvious - who doesn’t love showing their dog off to friends and family? I can’t tell you how many times Jackson (to the right) has greeted strangers with a wave. I don’t think I need to explain the types of responses he would get for doing so.
Ready to get started on your next fun challenge? Let Us Know!
Meet Jackson, a trickster like no other - shown here doing his favorite trick: the wave!