What is Agility?
In short, agility is a form of training that increases a dog’s confidence, reaction times and general maneuverability. Agility training can be used for fun, for competition or as a way to help hone your dog’s learning skills, both for family pets and working dogs. Agility courses usually consist of jumps, tunnels, walkways, and other small obstacles. If you’ve ever watched dog shows, you perhaps have a loose idea of what makes up a standard agility course. They’re designed to mimic obstacles a dog might face in the environment around them Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a Cruft’s participant or fan though and you don’t need a pure breed to take part in agility lessons. Classes tend to be open to all, and you can find classes for any level. It builds wonderful teamwork between you, as you both get better and better. It can be a lot of fun playing and exercising with your dog and is a great fitness workout together you might look forward to. It can be quite addictive but in the best way.
Why Teach Your Dog Agility Skills?
Not all dogs will be suitable for or enjoy agility classes. Working dogs, such as collies, terriers, German shepherds & some others will relish them. Physiologically speaking, dogs are meant to exercise outdoors for multiple hours a day and this is why they can be so restless & frustrated when kept indoors. Even if you exercise your dog for a couple of hours a day, it’s likely going to be at a leisurely walk with occasional sprints for playing fetch. This isn’t going to be pushing your dog’s limits and your dog may prone to being restless and agitated at home, possibly overreactive or even destructive. However, if you opt to take your dog to agility classes it will have multiple advantages. Agility classes can help build a stronger bond between you and your pet and provide ample ways to train your dog towards better behavior and attitude. It’ll help expend some of your dog’s energy in a way that challenges it via combining accuracy navigating obstacles and the need for speed. Your dog will also become more confident in general agility courses & it will fulfill your dog’s natural hunting and chasing needs. As a side effect, you will also get in more shape as well, as you will have to move around the course, instructing your dog.
Agility Classes in Sheffield
Boney Fido Dogs offers a ten pound taster session for you to try out before you commit to a longer, more expensive course. The only requirements needed for the agility taster session are that your dog is comfortable around strangers, isn’t aggressive toward other dogs and comes when called. Please note that the agility foundation registration fee is eighty-five pounds. People and Dogs offer a course called Parkour for Dogs which is essentially the same thing as an agility course, though with more improvised obstacles and is more free-style. The five week course costs seventy-five pounds and is perfect for dogs with some knowledge of agility already. Sheffield Dog Training offers agility courses to dogs who have already completed two terms of classes at Sheffield Dog Training. They have more traditional obstacles like the A-frame and weave poles. The class is held once a fortnight for a total of seven classes. Rother Valley Country Park Dog Agility is a little out of the way, just under thirty minutes drive from Sheffield’s center, but this club specializes in agility training. They offer courses for beginners, advanced and young trainers. Dogs are expected to be over nine months old in order to begin agility classes. Another benefit to traveling a little out of the way is the cost: annual membership is only ten pounds, and each session itself is very cheap. One pound for trainer and fifty pence for each dog the trainer brings. For a two hour class, this is an absolute bargain! Best Behaviour K9 provides agility courses for family pet dogs as well as service and working animals. Their focus is more on strengthening the bond between you and your dog more than focussing on competitions. That said, their courses are roughly divided into sports agility and service/working agility. The latter classes aimed at service and working dogs provide the practical skills these dogs will need to help their owners such as integrating heelwork as well as having good control of your dog at all times. To take part in these classes your dog must either have completed a basic obedience course at Best Behaviour K9 or be willing to undergo a pre-course assessment.
