Training tips
Teaching your dog to do contacts properly on the dog walk, a-frame and seesaw is an important part of your agility career. You don't want those nasty faults for missing contacts, and jumping off too early can be dangerous for your dog.
You can follow Pamela's journey as she trains her dog Toby to do running contacts using the mat method. Just go to this playlist on Facebook!
TRAINING ETIQUETTE
Run As One Dog Agility Club
February 2016
For your own dog's and other dogs' safety, please make sure your dog is appropriately vaccinated against parvovirus, distemper, leptospirosis and hepatitis. A vaccination against kennel cough is also recommended. Additionally, make sure your dog is wormed on a regular basis.
Please bring a lead, even if your dog is very obedient, as training in the obstacles is best done on a lead to avoid mistakes and disappointments in the long run. Keep your dog on the lead between rounds. Having several dogs off the lead at the same time can be a security risk and can cause unnecessary fights and disruptions.
We must keep the training area clean; this cannot be stressed enough. Keeping the area and equipment free of smells is in everybody’s interest as smells will distract dogs during training and thus cause frustration for the owners. If you have plans to start competing in agility, you also need to make sure that your dog does not get used to doing his business in the ring as this will lead to immediate elimination at a show. We must also respect the kind people who let us use their premises for training. So please bring poop bags, and do not leave them lying around when you go home. Drop them in one of the bins provided or bring them with you and dispose of them in a suitable manner.
Do help out with setting up the equipment and clearing up afterwards. Although your trainer may have specific courses designed for the class and knows where the obstacles should go, this does not mean that they do not require help. Likewise, everybody wants to go home soon after the class, but the more hands there are to carry, the quicker we all get to go. Luckily, most of our equipment can now remain in the arena, but please do not assume that your help is not required.
Do not bring a bitch in heat to training. It may seem obvious, but it will cause frustration for other dog owners and the smells are hard to get rid of.
Do not train with a sick or injured dog. If your dog is not well, he will not be able to perform well and will probably not enjoy the training. What’s worse, the sickness may be contagious.
Please respect other dogs and owners and give them room to perform their runs. Do not train unsupervised, especially if you are new to the sport, as bad habits learned in the beginning can be very hard to mend later. Be courteous and friendly to your fellow handlers. Do help beginners and answer their questions, but be careful not to put them down with your advice.