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Possibly one of the most difficult and yet thoroughly rewarding dog show contests is dog agility competitions. With the event judged on speed and accuracy obstacles have to be overcome as quickly and efficiently as possible.

All dogs large and small compete in these competitions and their placement is based on the weight and height category. The placements of the obstacles are designed to be complicated because it is not only the dog that is judged but how well the handler leads the animal through it.

The agility competition has dogs clearing several major obstacles. They are: Contact, Tunnels, Jumps and Miscellaneous obstacles. Training the dog to clear most obstacles will indeed have its benefits come race day. Handlers are generally given a map of the obstacle course prior to the day of the competition. Training the dog to respond to this map will not work well; the map is basically to teach the handler where to call the dog.

Training a dog to maneuver through obstacles does not have to be as difficult as it sounds. The easiest method is to get the dog’s favorite toy or treat and throw it through a tunnel for tunnel training or to have the dog jump a small hurdle to come to you and get a treat. You typically do not want to bore the dog so it is best to keep the initial training limited to a few minutes per day.

There can be hundreds of different distractions around a dog agility competition course so it is imperative that there is clear communication between handler and dog. There are no room for mistakes as an incorrect or misunderstood call can cause the dog to run off course.

The handler and dog do not come into contact with one another during any stage of the agility contest and so its extremely important the handler, who may not neccessarily be the owner, knows exactly how to get the dog to perform to simple commands in order to get thru the various obstacles.

Much like a coach feels pride at watching an athlete succeed in a competition after having put in all the neccessary hours of training, so too will the handler feel about a dog that succeeds in an agility contest.