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Through the tunnel, over the jumps, and around the weave poles 鈥� the canine obstacle course known as dog agility is fun to watch and even more fun to do.
Both purebred and mixed breed dogs are welcome, but they must be at least 15 months of age to compete. Should you wait until your dog is that age before introducing them to the sport? No way! Even young dogs can benefit from age-appropriate agility training and preparation. Read on for how you can get your puppy ready to jump into dog agility.
Enjoy the Advantages of Training Your Puppy
As long as you choose agility prep activities that are appropriate for your puppy鈥檚 age, you and your dog will reap the benefits. 鈥淚t is really a huge advantage to introduce puppies to foundation exercises and low-level equipment. By the time they are mature enough to try the full-height obstacles, they are like, 鈥楾his is no big deal. I already know this,'鈥� explains Penny Leigh, Program Manager and a longtime agility competitor.
Carrie DeYoung, Director of Agility for the American Kennel Club, agrees that there are many benefits to early agility training. 鈥淭hese behaviors quickly transfer when puppies are old enough to work on real equipment. Plus, you will have built a bond and taught them how to learn.聽If you do that you can teach them anything!聽And they are excited to try whatever you ask.鈥�
Build Confidence
Participating in agility boosts a dog鈥檚 confidence, which is particularly important for young puppies. A large component of socializing a puppy is helping them become comfortable with everything the world has to offer. Leigh says agility training can help. 鈥淲hen a puppy conquers a or walks across a low board, it boosts confidence, so the puppy thinks, 鈥榃ow, I did that!鈥欌��
She also recommends owners avoid telling their puppy 鈥渘o.鈥� Instead, reward the positive behaviors you want and ignore the negative ones you don鈥檛. 鈥淔or hesitant puppies, take things slowly, never force them to do anything that they are afraid of, and use a lot of positive reinforcement to encourage them.鈥�
Teach Self-Control
Of course, all this self-confidence will be a boost on the agility field as your dog will need to run the course off-leash and use independent skills to succeed. One of those skills is self-control. Leigh explains that the super-fast, charged up dogs racing across the agility course in mere seconds may not seem to have self-control. 鈥淏ut they do have control 鈥� start-line stays, the ability to complete all the and hit all the contact zones. This takes a lot of self-control when the dog is also running at top speed.鈥�
Teaching any puppy self-control is a great idea, and for future agility dogs, it鈥檚 essential. One of the first impulse-control drills Leigh teaches her own puppies is what she calls the 鈥渟low treats鈥� exercise. She trains the puppy to wait for permission before taking things. 鈥淚 want them to learn that they cannot just snatch a out of my hand 鈥� they wait until I release them to take it. I then move this exercise to toys so they can work with me even if a toy is on the ground near them 鈥� until I release them to the toy.鈥�
Another good impulse-control exercise is teaching your puppy to go to their or to rest until they鈥檙e released. This is a great behavior to take on the road to classes or competitions later. Leigh also recommends crate games. 鈥淧uppies learn to love going in their crates and not to bolt out of their crates as soon as the door is opened,鈥� she explains.
Introduce New Surfaces
Introducing any puppy to new surfaces is an important part of socialization, but for the agility dog to-be, it鈥檚 critical. 鈥淭hey will be executing teeters that move and bang, as well as running across dog walks, through tunnels that may have a strange feel to their feet, and lying down on a table that can have various surfaces,鈥� Leigh explains.
Preparing your puppy for these obstacles is easy. For example, put crinkly tarps on the ground and encourage your puppy to walk, then run, across them. Teach them to climb different types of stairs, such as wooden, carpeted, or open-backed. Have your dog walk across various floors, including slick and slippery ones. Always introduce your puppy to these new surfaces slowly and use lots of positive reinforcement and high-value treats. Leigh advises, 鈥淚f your puppy balks, never force the issue. Go back and start very slow, perhaps with your puppy just smelling the surface, then touching with one paw, and so forth.鈥�
Don鈥檛 forget about moving surfaces too. Although you can work up to a , you can start simpler. DeYoung suggests teaching your puppy to put their front paws up on something like a stockpot. (Later you can add a underneath to teach them to get used to movement.) She also adds a cue to the behavior. 鈥淲ith this I teach the word 鈥榝eet,鈥� so now my boy will put his feet up on anything if I point it out and say 鈥榝eet鈥� 鈥� makes for some fun pictures!鈥�
Teach Basic Behaviors
Future agility dogs need to know basic obedience behaviors like sit, down, and stay. These are particularly valuable for the start line and pause table. But there are some other basics to consider too. For example, DeYoung suggests playing recall games, like round-robin recalls where several people stand in a circle and take turns calling the dog. You could also use restrained recalls, where one person holds the dog while you run away and ask them to come.
Teaching directional cues like right and left is another useful foundation behavior. As is the 鈥渇ollow-me game,鈥� where you encourage your dog to stick to your side no matter where or how fast you walk (teach for both your right and left sides). DeYoung also recommends training your puppy to move out away from you and circle around an object like a before returning.
Leigh suggests teaching your puppy to nose target (sticking their nose on a particular location), both on your open hand and on a physical target, like a clear piece of plastic. Targeting allows you to position your puppy by placing the target where you want, such as in the contact zone at the end of an obstacle. You can also move your puppy by moving the target, such as teaching them to spin in a circle by circling your hand. She also plays a lot of motivational games like tug-of-war with her puppies. 鈥淚 like to get my puppies tugging on a toy and then teach them to release the toy to me, which results in them immediately getting the toy back to play.鈥�
Include Trick Training
According to Leigh, 鈥淎gility is really just a series of tricks. So, introducing trick training to puppies is a great way to start building an agility foundation. Plus, it develops confidence and is fun for the puppy and the owner.鈥� She starts with tricks like spin in a circle (which is also how she introduces right and left), weave through her legs, and sit pretty (although not for an extended time in puppies). She also teaches back up because it鈥檚 an excellent way to develop rear-end awareness. This is an important agility skill when traveling across obstacles like the dog walk at high speed.
DeYoung agrees. She believes that tricks aren鈥檛 only fun, they can also be taught quickly. Plus, they can be used as stress relievers and a way to gain your dog鈥檚 focus when they鈥檙e old enough to compete. Additionally, she advises, 鈥淕et your puppy out into new environments and have him practice the tricks you are teaching. Home improvement and pet stores are great for this, as well as the homes and yards of family and friends.鈥� But be careful you don鈥檛 let strangers or unfamiliar dogs overwhelm your puppy. The point is to teach them to want to learn and to enjoy being with you.
Enroll in a Puppy Agility Class
There is so much to learn before your dog hits the 15-month mark, so why not get the help of a professional. Many training facilities offer agility classes tailored to puppies. Leigh recommends them along with puppy kindergarten classes. 鈥淚 would just make sure that the class is using foundation equipment (wobble boards, low walk planks, tunnels) and other equipment that is small and puppy-size and that it concentrates on flat-work and focus exercises.鈥�
DeYoung agrees that the class should be all about groundwork and games. 鈥淭hey should not be weaving, jumping, or working full-size equipment. So much training can be done with one jump without a jump bar or just two weave poles (or cones) to teach them to run through in the same direction they will enter weave poles.鈥�
Put Your Puppy鈥檚 Safety First
DeYoung says you can start preparing your puppy for agility as soon as you bring them home. Puppies learn incredibly quickly, and it鈥檚 fun to watch them pick up new things. Just be sure to put safety first. If you have any concerns about what your puppy can handle, speak to your veterinarian.
Leigh鈥檚 motto is to keep it low and slow. She explains, 鈥淧uppies鈥� growth plates are still open, so it is crucial that they don鈥檛 jump full height or climb on full-height contacts and do closed weaves before they are mature. You want your dog鈥檚 career to last as long as possible and that means keeping them physically safe and sound.鈥�