Dog Agility Training for Your Puppy

You may be asking, "When can I start agility training with my new puppy?" You can start immediately, with certain recommendations. Puppies are always learning, so every time you are with your pup you can be playing and socializing with agility in mind. Always remember, if you can control your puppies environment, you can teach and train the behaviors you want, left on their own, even in a fenced yard, puppies will learn and develop behaviors that later we may want or need to extinguish.

Expose your puppy to different surfaces. One of the first behaviors we teach our pups is "Box" or "Table". This behavior transfers to the agility pause table. Lure pup up on a low pause table, treat them on the table. You can call the pause table anything you want. (If I was starting over I would name the pause table "Box" instead of "Table" for my dogs because on the agility course there is the potential to have too many "T" words, i.e. tunnel, tire, table, and teeter. The problem is I am also a creature of habit, and under pressure revert back to my default words, "table" would be one of them.)

Teach your pup to "Box", meaning to get up on a variety of obstacles. In our training field we use "Box" for upside down kennel tops, the bottom of barrels turned upside down, bird crates, and more. Be creative with your pup, get them to get up on all kinds of surfaces, exposing them to different shapes, sizes, and textures. Once your pup is comfortable getting up on a "Box", then you can begin to ask them to sit on the box also.

You can also begin to use Buja boards for motion training. Buja boards are generally made from plywood, 36" x 36" with a painted surface or covered surface. On the underside, there is a 2x4 box where a partially deflated ball is placed. This enables the Buja board to rock gently. At first you can reward your pup for getting one paw on the board, then reward for two feet and eventually all four. Depending on your pups temperament will determine how fast they get comfortable on the Buja Board.

Perch training can also be started with young pups. The Perch is generally a 1'x1' wood surface that is raised by 2"x4"'s underneath. So the Perch is about four inches in height. The Perch helps teach pups rearend awareness. Again, you can reward your pup for getting one front paw on the perch and then the other. Perch training is mostly used with just the front paws on the Perch.

These are just a few behaviors you can teach your young pup. Exposure to a variety of surfaces and heights will help your pup build confidence in his future agility training.

About the author:

Brad Carlson is a dog trainer at Agility by Carlson. For more training details, visit our website at http://www.carlson-agility.com/

Written By: Brad Carlson


The Canadian Press

Hot dogs spark 'patriotism' row in US
Expressindia.com, India - 10 hours ago
Washington, August 28: A campaign to ban hot dogs from school menus has sparked a 'patriotism' row in the United States, where the meat is considered an ...
Hot dogs spark patriotism row in US Telegraph.co.uk
Hot Dogs Cause Cancer, Says Ad Aimed at Kids findingDulcinea
Hot Dog Attack Ad Raises Questions KWTX
Canton Repository (subscription)
all 114 news articles

Richt: Dogs in title talk to stay
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 58 minutes ago
... he said, when he talks to recruits in Georgia and, perhaps more importantly, in other states nowadays, they’re usually pretty interested in the Dogs. ...

ABC News

Diogenes on "The dogs are barking, just keep going"
Independent, UK - 6 hours ago
If you hear dogs, keep going. If you see torches in the woods, just keep going. If they shout at you, keep going. Don’t ever stop, just keep going. ...
Video: Biden Says Trust Obama's Judgement AssociatedPress
Day 3 of the donkeys: 'I was in it for you Hillary' Kansas City Star
Rocky start in Denver Edmonton Sun
Washington Post - 411mania.com
all 7,317 news articles

Dog Flu Diet and Diseases

Sterile Feral volunteers help dogs seized from West Virginia puppy ...
Rome News-Tribune, GA - 9 hours ago
The rescue was necessitated after Whispering Oak Kennel’s owner surrendered 1000 purebred dogs that were suffering from neglect. Jane Berry hugs a dachshund ...
Video: Raw Video: 1,000 Dogs Rescued From W.Va. Kennel AssociatedPress
Help Needed With Dogs Seized at Puppy Mill WTRF
Va. Beach SPCA to care for 100 dogs from alleged puppy mill WVEC.com (subscription)
The Associated Press - HNN Huntingtonnews.net
all 136 news articles

The Associated Press

Watchdogs Question ‘Blue Dog’ Ethics In Light of Business ...
CQPolitics.com, DC - 13 hours ago
By Alan K. Ota, CQ Staff House “Blue Dog” Democrats are drawing attention at this week’s convention by partying with lobbyists and keeping presidential ...
AT&T Throws ‘Exclusive Party’ For Blue Dog Democrats Who Helped ... Think Progress
AT&T has high profile presence at Dem convention The Associated Press
AT&T’s lavish spending at convention stirs ire of watchdogs and ... The Hill
Salon
all 132 news articles