Things You'll Need:
- targets (tupperware lids)
- flat ladder
- basic jumps or jump bars
- a wood plank textured with play sand and painted
- play tunnel - can be purchased at most toy stores
- stick-in-the-ground poles
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Step 1
Your first class will be very basic and may not include any agility obstacles. You will want to teach the students how to target train their dog, which will come in handy in future sessions. Use the tupperware lids, treats and clicker for this session. Ask that the students work on this at home as well.
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Step 2
Most dogs aren't aware of their hind end...they know they have one, but generally aren't as efficient with it as they are with their front end. This is where the ladder comes into play. Lay the ladder on the ground and have the dogs walk through it first (to their target), then have them run through it. This will teach them that they do indeed have 4 legs and they all need to be working together.
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Step 3
Transfer the ladder to jump bars. Place a series of jump bars on the ground and have the owners run their dogs over the bars (to their target, of course). Don't have them use a command yet. At this point, these are simply bars on the ground...not jumps.
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Step 4
Introduce the tunnel. Most dogs LOVE the tunnel and take to it without a problem. Start with the tunnel as squished up as you can get it...so it's only about 3 feet long. You (the instructor) should hold the dog on one side while the owner (and the target) are on the other side. At this point, they should just call the dog through...no command (i.e. "tunnel" or "through") yet.
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Step 5
Introduce the plank. There are 3 planks in agility...the dog walk, the a-frame and the teeter. The a-frame is a much wider plank, but once the dogs get used to a smaller plank, the a-frame is relatively easy to teach. Have the owners walk their dog over the plank to their target. Again, don't have the owners give this a command as this is not a typical obstacle in agility. Just have them tell their dogs to "walk on" or something similar.
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Step 6
Finally, introduce the weave poles using the stick-in-the-ground poles. There are two things you want to do here...first, stick them in the ground so that you create a chute or a channel for the dogs to run through. You'll eventually (and slowly) bring the poles closer together until they are in a straight line. Secondly, you'll want to have just two poles up. Have the owners send their dog through those poles, clicking and treating each time they go through successfully.
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Step 7
Once they get the hang of these steps, you can move forward with the actual obstacles themselves. Always remember to tell your owners to take it slow!
