Running around an agility course is great fun, but it's hard work and your furry friend definitely needs to be in top shape in order to compete in dog agility. Here are a few tips that will help you keep Fido in great condition and ready to hit the agility obstacles at a moment's notice.
One way to keep a pet fit and healthy is to control their diet carefully. One look into those soulful eyes and it can be difficult to resist give your dog a nibble of this or that, but animals can gain weight quickly making it harder to exercise. Even an extra pound or two can make a big difference. Spend some time discussing food with your veterinarian and come up with good options for your dog to keep their weight on track and provide plenty of good nutrition.
Every dog is different individually as well as different by breed and size. All of this must be taken into consideration when choosing activities. For instance, while all dogs love a good walk, some also will enjoy a long run with their person. For instance, a Boxer or an English setter or Huskie might excel at running. On the other end of the spectrum, a small dog such as Shih Tzu or a Yorkshire terrier might wear out quickly from this type of vigorous exercise. For those who are just walkers, stick to local parks, flat beach trails and easy hikes for exercise.
You don't have to leave the house, however, to enjoy some activity. Pull out a tug toy and wrestle with your pet for a while. Throw a toy and have your pet retrieve it, or hide the toy for a rousing game of hide and seek. Dogs love all of these activities and tugging and fetch are great ways to teach obedience skills that translate well on the agility course. You can teach your pet to fetch or to stop tugging using verbal commands as well as visual signals.
Obviously, you will be spending a great deal of time learning how to tackle each of the agility obstacles and this provides plenty of good, stimulating exercise. All you need is some quality agility equipment to get started, and you can purchase just about everything you need online from sites such as Carlson Agility. They have a huge variety of agility equipment, including agility jumps, agility dog walks, pause tables, agility a-frames, tunnels, chutes, teeters, weaves and much more.
Setting up an agility course in your yard can be tricky if space is limited, so you also might consider purchasing some of Carlson Agility's mini agility obstacles. They sell everything from mini jumps to mini teeters and much more. These miniature obstacles are idea for puppy training and agility training for smaller dogs.
One way to keep a pet fit and healthy is to control their diet carefully. One look into those soulful eyes and it can be difficult to resist give your dog a nibble of this or that, but animals can gain weight quickly making it harder to exercise. Even an extra pound or two can make a big difference. Spend some time discussing food with your veterinarian and come up with good options for your dog to keep their weight on track and provide plenty of good nutrition.
Every dog is different individually as well as different by breed and size. All of this must be taken into consideration when choosing activities. For instance, while all dogs love a good walk, some also will enjoy a long run with their person. For instance, a Boxer or an English setter or Huskie might excel at running. On the other end of the spectrum, a small dog such as Shih Tzu or a Yorkshire terrier might wear out quickly from this type of vigorous exercise. For those who are just walkers, stick to local parks, flat beach trails and easy hikes for exercise.
You don't have to leave the house, however, to enjoy some activity. Pull out a tug toy and wrestle with your pet for a while. Throw a toy and have your pet retrieve it, or hide the toy for a rousing game of hide and seek. Dogs love all of these activities and tugging and fetch are great ways to teach obedience skills that translate well on the agility course. You can teach your pet to fetch or to stop tugging using verbal commands as well as visual signals.
Obviously, you will be spending a great deal of time learning how to tackle each of the agility obstacles and this provides plenty of good, stimulating exercise. All you need is some quality agility equipment to get started, and you can purchase just about everything you need online from sites such as Carlson Agility. They have a huge variety of agility equipment, including agility jumps, agility dog walks, pause tables, agility a-frames, tunnels, chutes, teeters, weaves and much more.
Setting up an agility course in your yard can be tricky if space is limited, so you also might consider purchasing some of Carlson Agility's mini agility obstacles. They sell everything from mini jumps to mini teeters and much more. These miniature obstacles are idea for puppy training and agility training for smaller dogs.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys dog agility training. To find an agility equipment for dogs, or to discover further about training equipment for dog agility jumps, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com website today.
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