How to Teach a Dog Focus and Attention in Agility Courses

Agility courses are where a dog demonstrates his agile nature to overcome obstacles. The handler is given a specific amount of time to lead the dog, off leash, through a course of jumps, tunnels and other obstacles. Success in agility requires proper training and good teamwork between the dog and the handler. Train the dog to focus on both the obstacles and on you, the trainer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Socialize your dog with other dogs and people so that they do not provide a distraction for the dog when you bring her to a competition. Your dog needs to be able to stay focused on you even when there are a lot of other animals, people and commotion.

2. Start training your dog in an area that is free from distractions. After the dog has mastered the basics then introduce distractions by moving to an area that has other animals and people present and continue your agility training.

3. Teach the dog a basic hand touch exercise. Call the dog to you and extend your hand. When the dog touches your hand with his nose give him a treat to reinforce the behavior. It is a good idea to start every training period with a hand touch exercise so you know you have his full attention.

4. Use a leash to lead your dog to the various obstacles on the course when you first begin. As your training progresses, remove the leash.

5. Reward your dog with a treat each time she completes the instructed obstacles and returns to you. Start with one obstacle and then a return to you and progress to adding more obstacles before returning to you.

Tips & Warnings

• Always remain patient and consistent when training your dog. Use positive reinforcement and keep the agility training fun.