If your dog
suffers from anxiety, we want to draw your attention to a potential treatment you may have never considered. Agility training for dogs may just be the ticket to helping your pup become more confident, tolerant, and generally, less anxious overall.
Today, we’ll help you understand agility sports a little bit better and reveal exactly why they’re showing so much efficacy in
treating anxiety in dogs. Then, we’ll give you a few tips to help you practice agility-like exercises at home and tell you how to get help if you want to take your dog’s agility training to the next level.
What Is Agility Training?
Canine agility sports, usually just referred to as “agility,” is a type of sporting activity for dogs that involves a handler guiding their dog through a series of obstacles and pathways. The handler’s role is to run alongside the dog and encourage him through each of the obstacles in a specific pattern or style, all without either party breaking or moving the obstacles in question.
Canine agility is similar to
equine jumping in that most agility sports take place in a ring and include obstacles the animal must jump over. But in the canine version, the obstacles are often much more varied and intricate. Common obstacles include
spread jumps made from simple raised poles, raised hoops, small tables the dog must climb up on and pause, pipe tunnels, weaving poles, seesaws, and ramps.
In competitive agility sports, dogs must be able to work off-leash in front of many distractions, all without the encouragement of treats or food. But that doesn’t mean your dog can’t get involved in agility sports if he isn’t yet ready. Later in the article, we’ll tell you how to get started right at home.
How Agility Training Helps Treat Anxiety in Dogs
Primarily, anxiety is a product of too much adrenaline in the body. Exactly what causes those adrenaline bursts varies from dog to dog; for some, it’s a traumatic past, for others, it’s idiopathic. Still others just seem to be born with nervous temperaments, while a small portion only experience anxiety in certain situations (for example, social scenarios).
There’s a significant amount research to show that agility training has special benefits for dogs with anxiety. Next, we’ll outline a few of the biggest and most supported benefits dogs glean from the sport.
Burning Energy
Firstly, agility training allows the dog to burn off excess energy and focus their attention on specific goals, rather than their anxiety. For dogs that tend to hyper-focus or become obsessed with certain behaviors or items out of anxiety, this has a very obvious and direct benefit.
Boosting Confidence
Some dogs seem to benefit more from agility training than from the actual agility course itself. The positive reinforcement and
canine skills development boosts their confidence and encourages them to behave positively, rather than acting out negative behaviors to self-soothe.
Building the Bond of Trust and Guidance
There is also evidence that the bond between handler and dog grows through agility training. When you work with your dog to develop his skills in agility, he must constantly look to you for guidance. This may help him to develop more trust in you, and thus, give him a place to look to for guidance when he is experiencing anxiety. That increased focus also serves him well in non-agility environments because it distracts him from the world around him – including anxiety triggers.
Improving Emotion Regulation
For dogs that experience anxiety as a result of
overstimulation or overexcitement, agility training may help them to better manage their stimulation levels by improving focus and emotional regulation.
This
article from the AKC gives the example of the seesaw obstacle. Dogs must place their initial foot in a very specific location in order to step onto it safely. In order to focus enough to achieve that goal, they need to manage their excitement, focus in on the obstacle, and really engage their brain to make it work. This is great practice for impulse management in the real world.
Conquering New Situations and Fears
Agility also represents facing new situations, and for a dog who is anxious, this may give them a unique opportunity to learn to face their fears. As he conquers each new obstacle successfully, he’ll feel better about himself and his ability to face his fears. Again, this is about building confidence and skills so that your dog has a “mental toolbox” at the ready any time he experiences negative emotions.
Getting Started in Dog Agility Training
You don’t need to be prepared to step into the competitive ring for your dog to enjoy the benefits of canine agility. In fact, you don’t even need to consider competing or leave the house! You can start with basic agility obstacle courses in your living room, backyard, or local dog park.
Start by honing your dog’s skills in basic training areas – sit, stay, come, heel, etc. Then, gradually teach your dog to jump over or move around simple objects, like pillows, logs, or even just large rocks. Feel free to use treats or praise as a motivator in the early days – it’s considered a distraction in competition, but if you’re not competing, it’s just fine.
Once your dog seems to have the hang of it, look into buying a basic canine agility starter kit.
These options represent some of the more in-depth kits on the market, but there’s plenty available on sites like Amazon and eBay. If you aren’t sure which is best, speak with a trainer or your breeder – they’ll be happy to help provide guidance.
Continue your dog’s training, teaching them a single obstacle at a time until they have it down pat. Remember that endurance is also an issue; your dog may only be able to train for a few minutes at first without getting winded. With enough practice, her endurance will grow. It’s up to you to judge that endurance;
never push your dog or refuse rest when it’s needed as your dog may experience injuries.
Agility Training Must-Knows for Dog Parents
Some dogs just seem naturally inclined to succeed in agility sports. Quite often, it’s the sporting dog breeds like
Vizslas, Golden Retrievers, or Shelties who do best, but any dog can succeed if he or she puts in enough time. If you decide that your dog is well-suited to agility training, it’s time to see a trainer for a more in-depth assessment.
Seeing a trainer before entering the competitive sphere is important for a few different reasons. Firstly, competitive agility sports are very demanding on your dog’s body and mind; they require significant focus and extensive training sessions on a regular basis. A trainer can run your dog through a series of assessments to determine whether he’s healthy and capable of handling more serious forms of agility, including the competitive sphere.
Most importantly, don’t feel like you
always need to be highly competitive. Agility training should be fun for both you and your dog; if neither of you are enjoying it, it might not be the right activity for the two of you. There’s a whole world of options out there for exercise, fun, and even treating anxiety issues.
