Dogs and trainers involved in dog agility training need to have a very close working relationship. People who handle dogs in dog agility training competitively are among the most experienced and skilled people you'll find in both dog training and behavior. Dog agility training is a sport; the trainer and dog must work together to get through an obstacle course within a time limit. There are no leashes allowed the trainer must instruct the dog through their voice and hand signals. Read more...

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Like equestrian sports (especially steeplechases), dogs have to negotiate a challenging course of obstacles to complete a dog agility training event.

Dog agility training events take place frequently in the United States and European countries. Many people turn out to see the handlers and their dogs move through the obstacles. Usually the participants and the spectators are very interested in the progress of each of the contestants.

In a dog agility training event, the excitement often comes from the competition between the entrants. A national organization conducts many of the dog agility training events in the United States. The dogs and their handlers usually have to face heavy competition before qualifying for the final events.

Dog Agility Training Aims To Handle Obstacles

A lot of the excitement of dog agility training comes from watching the animals make their way through these tough obstacle courses; there is a lot of variation in the types of obstacles used on these courses. The obstacles are designed to present a challenge, but not to be so tough that the dogs or trainers are at risk of injuring themselves during the competition.

The obstacles are like those used in the equestrian sports in that they are designed to fall if the dogs touch them. This keeps the risk of injury to an absolute minimum and makes sure that the dogs and trainers are well prepared to negotiate the obstacles without touching them to try to score the most possible points.

The competitions provide challenges for different levels of talent, so all of the dogs and handlers in any competition are evenly matched in a good event. The dogs and handlers in the beginning competitions have courses that are much easier than those for experienced dogs and handlers.

The handlers command the dogs as they both move through the course, and the more experienced dogs perform with great skill. The dogs in each competition are similar in size so the competition is fair for all of those involved. The dogs involved in these competitions come from different breeds, and these dogs do not need to be purebred dogs.

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