Weave Poles
Weave poles are standard in most agility courses, and are probably one of the training items you’ll want to pick up. The dog is expected to weave in and out of the poles which are set up in a line without making mistakes.

Agility Jumps
These are like horse jumps, although obviously a lot smaller! They are also sometimes called hurdles. You can get many different types, so it’s probably best to start with the more basic ones that have a single bar and then work your way up to the multiple bar jumps. These are fantastic for training your dog in agility.

A Dog Seesaw
The name is self explanatory and these can be a fun addition to your dogs agility training. Your dog must get used to the seesaw if it is going to be entered in competitions, so it’s vital to have one of these at home to practice on. If you have a smaller dog then they might have to learn the difficult technique of “riding down” the seesaw, which definitely requires a lot of practice!

Tunnels and Chutes
These are often included in dog agility courses so practicing with them is a good idea. Sometimes dogs don’t take to these straight away, but most of the time they love it once they get used to it.

There are other more complicated types dog agility training equipment, but these are the ones you’ll have to practice with if you want your dog to do well in competitions. I don’t suggest buying them all at once though, as this can add up to quite a sum of money. Unless you’re absolutely sure you and your dog will be training in agility for a long time to come you could try making your own weave poles and jumps to start with. Once you have gained some confidence and know it is a hobby you want to pursue then purchasing the real thing would be a good idea. Just make sure that any homemade obstacles are safe for you and the dog!

Dog agility training can be a wonderful way to bond with your pet as well as keeping both you and the dog fit and healthy. If you haven’t started already, I highly recommend starting agility training today. It’s a lot of fun!

Expose your puppy to different surfaces. One of the first behaviors we teach our pups is "Box" or "Table". This behavior transfers to the agility pause table. Lure pup up on a low pause table, treat them on the table. You can call the pause table anything you want. (If I was starting over I would name the pause table "Box" instead of "Table" for my dogs because on the agility course there is the potential to have too many "T" words, i.e. tunnel, tire, table, and teeter. The problem is I am also a creature of habit, and under pressure revert back to my default words, "table" would be one of them.)

Teach your pup to "Box", meaning to get up on a variety of obstacles. In our training field we use "Box" for upside down kennel tops, the bottom of barrels turned upside down, bird crates, and more. Be creative with your pup, get them to get up on all kinds of surfaces, exposing them to different shapes, sizes, and textures. Once your pup is comfortable getting up on a "Box", then you can begin to ask them to sit on the box also.

You can also begin to use Buja boards for motion training. Buja boards are generally made from plywood, 36" x 36" with a painted surface or covered surface. On the underside, there is a 2×4 box where a partially deflated ball is placed. This enables the Buja board to rock gently. At first you can reward your pup for getting one paw on the board, then reward for two feet and eventually all four. Depending on your pups temperament will determine how fast they get comfortable on the Buja Board.

Perch training can also be started with young pups. The Perch is generally a 1′x1′ wood surface that is raised by 2"x4"’s underneath. So the Perch is about four inches in height. The Perch helps teach pups rearend awareness. Again, you can reward your pup for getting one front paw on the perch and then the other. Perch training is mostly used with just the front paws on the Perch.

These are just a few behaviors you can teach your young pup. Exposure to a variety of surfaces and heights will help your pup build confidence in his future agility training.

By: Brad Carlson

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Brad Carlson is a dog trainer at Agility by Carlson. For more training details, visit our website at www.carlson-agility.com/