The Best Shoes for Dog Agility Training

Dog agility is one of the most exciting things that you can do with your dog! It is fun, it is fast! You love it, your dog loves it, the crowd loves it... and if you can win! For most competitors it is just a matter of getting a better round than last time, or finally getting that first clear round.

I remember how I threw away a clear round and a possible win, just because I didn't wear the proper shoes. Actually I was not prepared at all, I was not planning on entering. I just went to the show as a spectator, but a friend of mine asked me to run with her dog. I had shoes on that wanted to fall off of my feet when I started to run. I lost time trying to not loose my shoes, and then at one of the very last obstacles the dog lost points, but it was all my fault.

I realised there and then had I had my correct agility shoes on, we could have had a win. Do not make the same mistake I did. It is better to buy the best shoes for dog agility and to wear it when training and when competing. Remember you must always train as if it is a competition and compete as if it is training. What I mean by that is, try to do the training as best you can and when you compete, have fun.

Wearing the right shoes will give you a great advantage, you do not have to be afraid of slipping especially when competing indoors or outdoors after or in rainy conditions.

I found this website where you can find the very best agility shoes, CleanRun. They also sell other agility clothes, training tools, videos, DVDs, books and more.

Where to buy agility equipment?

Dog agility is such great fun that most of us want to have some agility equipment at home to practice more often. Yes, I know you can make it yourself, it is possible. BUT, remember, your dog's safety comes first. So you need to have well constructed equipment. You do not want your dog to get injured just because you wanted to save some money. Rather buy one or two pieces of equipment per month.

There are many places (online and off-line) where you can buy equipment from, but I found that at Affordable Agility you will find everything you need at AFFORDABLE Prices.

They have the following agility equipment

Pause Tables
Also pause table and contact trainer combo

Jumps
Adjustable bar jumps, wings, tire jumps, long jumps, travel jump set, window jump, etc.

Agility Tunnels and chutes with accessories

Weave poles ( now also a set you won't find anywhere else! It is versatile, full-fledged competition or practice weave pole set that easily converts into a channel weave set or a 2x2 weave set.)

See-saws with different variasions

A-frames and dog walks

They also stock dog agility practice equipment and not just equipment for competitions.

Then they also have:
Unusual obstacles like Cavalettis and ladders etc.
Agility course accessories like cones, equipment bags, tabs etc
Books, videos and DVD on dog agility training
Travel gear and other interesting stuff.

To view all the equipment and other products at Affordable Agility, just click on their name or on their banner.

Border Collies in Sync

It is absolutely amazing how similar these 2 Border Collies are in their nature and personalities and even in their movement. Well, they are brother and sister but from different litters. It is really interesting. I just wonder how much of the similarity is in the genes and how much comes from the sister (1 year old) copying the brother.

Look at this action shot for instance: both hind legs of both dogs are in the air in more or less the same position. The front legs also are in similar positions. And this is only one of the many pics I have of them showing such similarities. Not even to mention my daily observations of them. It is like one dog having a permanent mirror next to him.

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Border Collie with 6 Feet?

When I took this pic today of my 2 Border Collies, my timing was just perfect. It looks like one dog with 4 front legs and 2 back legs. The two collies' back legs were in the exact same position. These two are brother and sister and always run together.

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Training a puppy to heel

Many new puppy owners ask the question: "When can I start training a puppy to heel?" Many new puppy owners put the collar and leash on the puppy and just expect the puppy to be happy about that and to walk with them in the heel position immediately. Before you can even start to train the puppy to heal, you should put the collar on so that the puppy can get used to that. That first step can be taken immediately when you the puppy. They get used to it very quickly.

Then a few days later you can attach the leash. Make sure it is very thin and light-weighted one. Let the puppy also just get used to it. Do not pick it up as yet. Let him drag it around, while playing with him and treating him often. Take it off after a few minutes.

The next day you can do the same. After a while you can pick up the lead and encourage the puppy to follow you. If he does, click and treat. Just repeat that in a playfull manner for a few minutes. If you continue this exercise every day for a few weeks, by the time your puppy is old enough to go to dog training school for his puppy classes (about 10 weeks old) then he will already have a head start and will be very fast to learn how to heal next to you.

Finding the "right" agility dog

If you want to do agility, not just for fun, but also to compete in competitions, then you want the "right" dog.

You have to look at the following characteristics

• Energy - the willingness to run - You will probably be better of with a dog with a high energy level. He must be willing to run with you even when it is hot. Agility is a very fast and active sport. Although it is not always the fastest dog that wins, it will be to your advantage if your dog can cover ground very fast. If your dog is a trotter and not a runner, you will have to work extra hard to encourage him to run.
• Wanting to please you - Agility requires teamwork and your dog needs to be willing to work with and for you. It requires excellent focus from the dog to be aware of every body signal that you send out. Some breeds are more independant and like to think for themselves, where as some dogs might seem to be unwilling to work untill you start training them.
• Prey drive - If your dog has prey drive (the desire to chase something that moves) you can have a winner. You want a dog that is more interested in chasing you than in sniffing around.
• The Confident dog - Most dogs will gain confidence while training agility. I have seen many dogs growing in confidence, but it takes extra confidence to learn to perform each obstacle well and without fear as well as handling the environment of trials.
• Trust other people - Your dog should trust you, but he should also trust other people. He will have to interact with many different people during classes and at trials. You do not want a dog that stops in the middle of a course to bark at the judge.
• Socialized with other dogs - At training classes and at trials there are always many other dogs around, therefor your dog needs to be well socialized with other dogs. You should be in control of your dog at all times. If your dog is not so friendly towards other dogs, he should always be on lead except when it is his turn to run.
• Health, age and weight - As mentioned before, your dog should be in perfect health and not over-weight. There is tremedous pressure on the dog's joints when he performs the obstacles and it is very bad for him if he has to carry extra weight around.
  

Once you have your dog, you can immediately start training him. The traditional training methods were based on correcting undesired behaviours, whereas positive reinforcement is based on reinforcing desired behaviours. All agility training must be correction free. If you are going to base your agility training on corrections, you are going to slow your dog down. When he makes a mistake, pretend it did not happen, and try again, giving the signals or commands more clearly. Every desired behaviour should be rewarded using verbal praise together with either a treat or a toy. I use the clicker with all of my training and I encourage others in my classes to also use it.

How to become your dog’s Alpha dog

The domesticated dog has descended from the wolf and has over the years allowed mankind to tame it. The problem is that each and every dog, even your most beautiful miniature French Poodle, still has some wolf in him. Dogs have instincts that are so engraved into them and we do not always realise just how much these affect their behaviours. Many, if not most, dog behaviour problems could have been prevented, had we better understood how their "wolf" instincts work.

Dog behaviour training is necessary to resolve problems such as dominant aggression, separation anxiety, jumping up on visitors, fear aggression and pulling on the lead. These can all be traced back to the owner’s lack of knowledge of pack hierarchy or his ignorance towards it. What many people do not fully understand is that the only human language that a dog can understand is body language. Dogs can not understand words. They can learn by repetition and through association that the sound of a certain spoken word means that they should perform a certain action that will most probably earn them a reward.

Without realising it you as owner many times just assume that the dog knows that you are the top dog. You do not realise that through your body language you have actually made the dog the leader. The dog, on the other hand, now has to act as the leader. For him you are his subordinate, for example:

• the dog is chewing on a bone, you want to take the bone from him – he growls and snaps
  
• you take the dog for a walk, he is the leader and the leader must be in front to protect his pack so he pulls on the lead.
  

How to restore the hierarchy and establish yourself as alpha dog:
1. If your puppy play bite your hand or arm, take hold of him with both hands and put him in a submissive position down on his side and growl at him with a loud low tone voice. Use just enough force to hold him in that position for a few seconds. Obviously how stronger, older and more dominant the dog is, the more strength you will have to use.
2. You must always be the one who initiates play and who ends the game. You may never let your dog make that decision.
3. Never allow the dog to go through a doorway first. You are the leader and you must go first.
4. When you feed the dog, you must eat something and make sure he sees you, before you put down his food.
5. When you leave the house for any reason, leave without making a fuss. In fact you should totally ignore your dog. Ignore means no words, no eye contact, no touching and hugging.
6. When you arrive back home you should again totally ignore your dog. The first few times he might still be jumping up. Just turn your back on him and don’t even push him off or say "off", because that in itself, is attention. When he has settled down, then you call him and give attention.
7. Once in a while, for the better part of the day, fasten your dog to yourself with his lead so he has to follow you wherever you go.
8. Teach your puppy the "chill" command. Again, put your puppy on his side and give the command. He will most probably resist that, just press a little harder, growling at him every time he tries to get up. Gently run your one hand over his body, speaking softly to him. You will start noticing that his body relaxes. Keep him in that position for 10 to 20 minutes. This is a good exercise to do while watching TV.
9. The more dominant the dog is, the lower it should be. In other words, keep him off the couches and off the beds. The more dominant dog should not even be allowed in your bedroom.

If every new dog or puppy owner would follow these simple guidelines, the behaviour problems mentioned can be prevented. These guidelines should also be followed by owners with dogs already displaying these problems. The guidelines should not only be followed one day a week at the dog training school, but everyday at home. The duration of the restoration process will depend on the individual dog, the compliance of the owner as well as the severity of the problem, but even the most severe cases can be resolved by following these rules.

Basics of Dog Training

Basics of Dog Training

For Dog parents, or for that matter, all dog owners, it is essential you know certain basic factors that determine your relationship with your Dog and can go a long way in training him effectively.

Before you begin training your Dog, it is absolutely essential that you build a loving bond with him. This is important as it helps you to understand his needs and instincts and also allows your Dog to have complete trust in you.

Know more about Dog care from this free mini course

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How To Bond With Your Dog

Building a bond with your Dog is the first and the most crucial step involved in training him successfully. As soon as you bring your Dog home, you must first try to develop a caring and loving relationship with him in order to win his trust and confidence.

When Dogs are secure in the knowledge that they belong to the family, they are more likely to respond better to their owners' training commands. Just like with any relationship, there must be mutual trust and respect between you and your Dog.

Trust takes time to develop and respect comes from defining boundaries and treating any breach of those boundaries with firmness and fairness.

Without enforceable limitations, respect can’t be developed. And when there is no respect, building a bond with your Dog is almost impossible.

4 Golden Rules To Building A Relationship With Your Dog :

• Spend quality time together;

• Take him out in the world and experience life together;

• Establish and promote a level of mutual respect; and

• Develop a way of communicating to understand each other's needs.

Building a bond with your Dog will not only help you manage him better but will also make your Dog calm, quiet and an extremely well-adjusted pet.

Love Your Dog and He Will Love You back

Once you're succesful in building a bond with your Dog, you can rest assured that training him and teaching him new and clever tricks will be a cakewalk.

Learn how to bond with your Dog with this free mini course.

How Your Dog Learns...

Your Dog's learning period can be divided into five phases:

The Teaching Phase - This is the phase where you must physically demonstrate to your Dog exactly what you want him to do.

The Practicing Phase - Practice makes Perfect. Once a lesson is learnt, practice with your Dog what you have just taught him.

The Generalizing Phase - Here you must continue practicing with your Dog in different locations and in an environment with a few distractions. You can take your Dog out for a walk, or to a nearby park and command him to practice whatever you've taught him.

Practicing the learned lessons in multiple locations and in the presence of small distractions will help him learn and retain lessons better .

The Testing Phase - Once you're sure that your Dog has achieved almost 90% success....he responds correctly almost every time you give a command, you must start testing his accuracy in newer locations with a lot of distractions.

Example: Take him to the local shopping mall and ask him to obey your command. He may not come up with the correct response the very first time you do this, but you must not lose hope.

The idea is to test your Dog to see how he responds in an environment which is new to him. Set-up a situation where you are in control of the environment and your Dog.

There are only 2 possibilities:

• Your Dog succeeds!!! (Trumpets please!)

• In case your Dog fails, re-examine the situation. Review and/or change your training. Then try testing again.

Keep on testing until he succeeds. Follow the rule of the 3 Ps – patience, persistence, praise.

Internalizing Phase - Finally, comes the extremely rewarding phase where your Dog does everything he is taught to do even without your commands.

Remember:

• Never scold your Dog if he fails. It's not his fault. You have failed as a trainer!

• You must be patient and persistent for your efforts to show rewards.

• Appreciate and love your Dog when he does it right! A little encouragement will work wonders for your Dog.

• Dog Training is easy when you do it right.

Learn how to train your Dog better with this free mini course.

Copyright (c) 2009 TrainPetDog.com

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How to train a dog not to bark at the neighbours’ dog

Dianne asked me the question: how can she train her Labrador Retriever not to constantly bark at the neighbours’ dog through the fence. Her other problem is that when she walks with her dog in the street, he almost pulls her off her feet to get to and bark at every dog in the neighbourhood. These are problems that many people have to deal with with their dogs.

Let’s first address the first problem: how to get a dog to stop barking at the neighbours’ dog through the fence. That is a common problem because most dogs that live in a fenced area consider that area their property and they need to protect it from anyone passing by, from dogs to postmen. It is not uncommon for dogs, big and small, to run up and down the fence barking at everyone. Now if the neighbours’ dog does the same, it will be more difficult to teach your dog not to do that.
First of all there are some practical things that you can do to make the whole process easier. These might be expensive, but it might also increase the value of your property. If there is a see-through fence, consider building a brick wall or vibacrete wall between your property and that of the neighbour. He might be willing to pay half of the cost. If the dogs do not see each other all the time, they won’t bark at each other all the time. Also consider putting in a doggy door so your dog have access to your house or garage all the time. I have that at my house and I find that the dogs enjoy my company much more than the neighbours’ dog. When I go out, they just lie in the house sleeping and waiting for me to return.
If you have done the above, you have set up your dog for success by reducing his exposure to the neighbours’ dog. Even if you have not done that, you can try the following to train him not to bark at the other dog. Get your clicker ready, get a lot of yummy treats ready and put your dog on a lead. Walk with your dog to the fence. The moment he starts pulling you and starts barking, turn around. You can call his name and "Come", you don’t have to, but the moment he turns around to follow you and stops barking, click and give him a treat. Repeat that many times. It will take many sessions and many repetitions, but Retrievers are quick learners and normally they love food.
When you find you can walk with him right up to the fence without him pulling or barking, it is time to put him on a long lead. Walk with him in the yard. The moment he starts running to the fence, call him. If he turns around, click and treat him when he gets to you. If not, pull him in, let him sit in front of you, get his attention, click and treat. Repeat these exercises every day and be consistent. When you start out with this training, do not even call him when he is off lead and you know the chances are that he will not respond to your call. When you have done the training and he consistently comes to you when he is on the long lead when you call him, you can test him when he is off lead. When he does come to you, even with the neighbours’ dog barking, click and give a big bonus and make a big fuss.
The same procedure can be followed when you walk in the street with him. When he starts pulling, do not carry on in the same direction trying to pull him back. Immediately change direction, because if you carry on in the same direction, the dog is still winning, but if you change direction, he will soon realise that you are in control. Then reward him for following you in the new direction. Do not worry if you do not even make it to the end of the block the first day. Just be consistent and success will follow.
Visit my website for more info on basic obedience and clicker training.