Are you and your dog bored of always going on the same walks? Do you both want to experience something a little more exciting? Then agility might be just the thing for you! Agility is a modern dog sport that can help to improve communication between you and your dog and is particularly ideal for outdoor fun in the summer.
Agility training challenges dogs to complete an obstacle course in a certain amount of time. Originally developed as a gap-filler at Crufts, this new dog sport now has a large following worldwide, with many smaller club competitions running alongside county and even national championships.
Agility offers dogs and their owners plenty of fun and physical activity, while also building up trust between them. It also aims to improve the owner’s communication with their dog using body language. The rules state that dogs must complete the course without a lead or collar. Instead, owners must guide their dog using only spoken signals and body language. Physical contact is not allowed.
Agility demands a high level of skill from both dog and owner. The obstacles that can make up an agility course are extremely varied, including everything from tunnels and seesaws to hoops, slalom poles and even wheelbarrows!
Agility is great fun for large dog breeds that love to run, such as Huskies, but of course other dog breeds can take part too. In fact, agility is suitable for absolutely any dog that enjoys new challenges. That’s because agility is really just about having fun and doing something a bit different. The most important thing is that your dog has to be keen to give it a go.
If this has inspired you to try out agility training, why not set up your own mini agility course in the garden? You can find a wide range of obstacles, such as slalom poles, hoops and tunnels, in the zooplus shop.
