If you and your dog have already mastered the basics of sit, stay and come and you want to learn even more, agility training for dogs is a good way to build on what you have already learned.
Your dog will get an excellent workout, since there is a lot of running and jumping involved.
And the communication between you will greatly improve as you work together to learn the agility course and improve your time.
The agility training course consists of a series of physical and mental challenges for the dog.
There is a set course which includes a variety of obstacles like weave poles that the dog must weave in and out of, a tunnel he must run through, a narrow beam he must walk across, a suspended tire he must jump through,a ramp he must climb up and then down and a few others.
You and your dog can usually attend at least beginning agility classes just for the fun and exercise.
But many people, and dogs, enjoy it so much that they choose to compete.
Although private training is available, usually the classes are given in groups.
This is because if you and your dog are going to compete, you will be in the agility ring with other people and dogs, and all of the dogs will be off lead, so everyone must know how to get along.
The group agility classes provide good practice for the competition ring.
For beginning agility classes, the obstacles are set up using minimum heights and difficulty levels.
But the challenge increases as your dog advances to intermediate and advanced levels of agility training--the narrow beams are higher off of the ground, the ramps get higher and steeper--the course becomes more challenging overall.
But your dog will be able to progress gradually at his own pace.
It is always important to keep the training fun.
Some of the equipment may seem strange to your dog, and he might feel intimidated.
Not all dogs are comfortable running through tunnels or down steep ramps.
But that is part of the challenge and the training opportunity.
As the trainer, you must learn how to motivate your dog to try new and scary maneuvers.
You must learn how to help him overcome his fears and build confidence.
In the process you learn a lot about yourself as a trainer, and even more about how your dog thinks and responds.
And your dog learns to look to you for direction and encouragement.
Training in agility will improve the communication between you and your dog to a level that you never could have imagined without it.