Americans love their pets. It has been estimated the vast number of American households are home to at least one pet animal. Many people around the nation love dogs and have at least one. People who have pets, care about them deeply and go to great lengths to ensure they live healthy and happy lives. For a number of them, buying dog agility equipment kits is a big part of that. Here are some tips to get the most from the dog agility equipment kits on the market today:
- Consider the words you will use. Like many other things in today's world, the lingo is important. When working with a dog and training them to use dog park agility equipment, you need to decide how you will communicate with your canine companion. Experts say that dogs can learn about 165 words. Having said that, keeping your commands concise will help your dog learn the commands and be able to follow them. The specific words you use are up to you but you have to be consistent with your words. For instance, some people like to train their pets using languages other than English. That is fine as long as you always use the same words for your commands.
- Make a plan for your dog's activity. Any plan you create is not something that has to be followed to the letter. Having a good plan to use dog agility equipment kits can help you stay focused on your overall goals to improve your dog's agility. Your plan of action may include warming up by taking a walk to the dog park fire hydrant and back or around a local playground and then include some training on their agility specifically.
- Never omit the warm-up portion of your sessions. As with people, warming up is an important part of any training session. This gets the blood pumping and can help prevent injuries. For dogs, you can get your dog more focused by working off some of their excess energy.
- Start out slow. After you have looked over dog agility equipment kits, your plan needs to include a slow start to your training. Teach them to use one or two pieces of equipment. As they learn how to use agility pieces, introduce more into your routine. Remember to be consistent with the commands and verbiage you use while training your dog.
- Start with accuracy work and then move to speed. When you start out working with your dog, the first goal is to teach your dog on how to use the equipment. After your dog has mastered the use of the equipment you can move on to working on how fast they can use it. If you are doing this to get your dog ready for a competition, you need to make sure they can run a full course both quickly and accurately.
- Remember, dogs are social animals. When your dog sees other dogs out at the dog park or if you are in a competition, he or she is going to want to interact with them. The dogs that work best with agility testing are very energetic but also outgoing. Whenever you expect your dog to be around other dogs, people, and noise, you have to take some time to properly get them ready. For some dogs, getting them socialized takes more work and some practice.
- Keep it all fun. When you start out looking at dog agility equipment kits, you should never lose sight of the fun your dog can have. Whether you are training your dog for their own health or if you are working on training your dog to compete, your dog will only do well with this if he or she is having some fun. You should also have a good time. When you are out with your dog, if you are not enjoying it, you are not doing it right. Even when you are doing something fun, you may not love every moment but if it is a chore to do, you may want to rethink your options.
Working with your dog on any kind of training helps both of you have fun and get more healthy exercise.