Right here at OneMind Canine we’re obsessed with turning on a regular basis moments along with your canine into enjoyable, mini-training periods. Good canine coaching shouldn’t be an occasion however quite a way of life. It ought to happen day by day and be woven into your on a regular basis actions along with your canine. One of the vital enjoyable and thrilling methods to do that is thru agility basis coaching! You would possibly assume canine agility is for tremendous athletic folks and canines reminiscent of Border collies and Shelties. However we’re right here to indicate you that agility is for everybody and might be finished anyplace!
Right now, we’ll be introducing you to the tremendous enjoyable and addictive recreation that’s canine agility, and protecting subjects like what’s canine agility, how on a regular basis play can flip into studying with OneMind Canine, and a few suggestions that can assist you get began.
Let’s dive proper in with a bit about our philosophy!
The OneMind Canine Strategy to Agility
Each single lesson at OneMind Canine is taught from the canine’s perspective. We consider people have a lot to be taught from their pets, and we love serving to them uncover the magic behind studying to speak naturally with their canines. While you give attention to speaking in a approach your canine inherently understands, canine coaching turns into SO a lot simpler!
We educate folks, not canines, as a result of canines already perceive our methodology!
How did we handle to crack the code on canine language? It’s all due to Tekla, our founder’s Border Collie who misplaced her listening to because of sudden onset deafness. Because of this, her proprietor needed to discover new methods to speak and practice together with her finest pal who additionally occurred to be a champion agility canine.
Our founder, Janita Leinonen from Finland, started to review Tekla and different canines. She initially wished to higher perceive her finest pal, however she wound up discovering life-changing information that has helped hundreds of homeowners all over the world.
Janita realized that canines all converse and perceive a shared language that human beings can be taught, too. As we prefer to put it, a deaf canine taught us the right way to hear.
Don’t fear — you gained’t need to learn to bark or howl. We’ve translated “canine discuss” into easy actions and ideas that make coaching enjoyable for canines and straightforward for his or her homeowners.
This strategy is illustrated finest in our Basis for Agility program, which helps handlers and canines of all ages bond via this wonderful sport. Let’s look extra intently at what canine agility is and the way it all bought began.
What’s agility all about?
When folks hear “agility,” they have a tendency to consider obstacles and complex programs. Nevertheless it’s actually a lot greater than that! Sure, agility is a sport, however at its core, it’s a incredible method to have enjoyable and bond along with your canine.
You by no means have to depart your front room or yard to expertise the enjoyment of agility along with your canine! In reality, we provide loads of recommendations on the right way to make DIY agility obstacles and programs proper within the consolation of your house.
From our standpoint, agility is all about having a powerful connection and seamless communication along with your canine. There’s nothing else on the planet prefer it!
Anybody who needs to be taught can expertise this magical reference to their canine — even with out obstacles!
How did canine agility begin?
The historical past of agility remains to be comparatively quick. It started within the Nineteen Seventies in England, the place it started as an illustration sport. The primary time anybody ever noticed an agility trial was throughout the Crufts Canine Present in 1978.
Inside a number of years, agility was declared an official canine sport, and it’s continued to develop and obtain worldwide recognition.
Whereas competing generally is a blast, this submit isn’t about prepping your pup to earn any trophies. As an alternative, we need to present you the way enjoyable agility is and why it’s such a tremendous approach of connecting along with your canine.
Coaching From the Canine’s Perspective
For us, agility is a lot greater than a sport. It’s a celebration of the connection canines can kind with their homeowners. When it lastly “clicks,” you and your canine really feel like two souls and one unified thoughts.
It doesn’t matter what agility appears to be like like for you and your canine, we wish you to know that you simply can expertise that magical connection. The OneMind Canine strategy has been particularly designed to give attention to serving to handlers of all backgrounds and expertise ranges uncover this incomparable feeling for themselves and their canines.
Right here’s a video of one among our on-line college students who began agility foundations in her lounge room via our Foundation for Agility program!
Agility Is for Each Canine and Individual
Many individuals assume their canine can’t do agility due to its age, dimension, or breed, however that could be a large agility fable! In reality, puppies as younger as 12 weeks outdated can begin studying the fundamentals, no obstacles required.
Even in the event you’re simply in your front room, agility is an interactive expertise that helps you and your canine talk like by no means earlier than. Our total program relies round making canine agility accessible to each canine and individual on the market.
Keep in mind, the principle focus is for agility to be FUN! It doesn’t matter how your kind appears to be like or what your format is. All you want is to give attention to you and your canine’s bond and making it straightforward in your canine to know the aim of the train. Doing so helps you give them extra confidence and psychological stimulation, which has large advantages in different components of their life.
Is your canine bored of the identical outdated toys? Agility is a enjoyable recreation for them that at all times feels new and thrilling!
Questioning the right way to tire out a excessive power pet? We’ve bought you coated! Agility engages their minds and our bodies equally.
Keep in mind, you don’t need to be an skilled coach or athlete, and your canine doesn’t have to be something apart from the wonderful pooch it’s proper now. Simply take a look at Tekla: She was a deaf Border Collie who nonetheless realized to compete in agility trials, and she or he cherished each minute of it!
You Don’t Must Be Younger and Athletic to Love Agility
We simply need to emphasize that once we say agility is for all, we actually imply it! There are not any particular necessities to be handler, and you’ll modify agility to fit your bodily wants and skills.
There are junior handlers not but out of elementary faculty, and handlers simply getting began of their 70s!
Even in the event you aren’t a lot of a runner, or you may have restricted mobility, you might be profitable. Distance agility dealing with teaches you the right way to lead your canine efficiently with out having to maintain up with their tempo on the course.
So, if in case you have any reservations about agility due to age or bodily skill, please maintain an open thoughts. We promise that yow will discover an agility methodology and elegance that’s protected and enjoyable for you and your canine.
Right here is one among our founders, having a “lazy day” and displaying that you simply don’t have to be an athlete to do agility:
3 Issues to Think about Earlier than You Begin
Now, let’s wrap up by protecting the three largest factors to contemplate earlier than you begin coaching your canine in agility. Consider these as a useful guidelines to get you and your pup ready for all of the awesomeness that lies forward.
1. Have you ever coated the fundamentals?
Essentially the most important requirement for agility is a connection along with your canine. Even in the event you’ve not too long ago added your four-legged pal to the household, it’s good to be taught what they love and the right way to encourage them, particularly when canines and different individuals are round.
It’s okay in the event you’re simply attending to know one another. Work on fundamental abilities coaching, like recall and sit, so you may be taught to belief one another.
You’ll be able to take into account your self prepared for agility coaching when:
- Your canine commonly checks in with you (particularly on walks)
- They constantly come whenever you name their identify
- They keep targeted on you whenever you ask
Not fairly there but? No downside. Try our Puppy Basics program to learn to cowl these important abilities from the canine’s perspective. It’s straightforward, enjoyable, and units you up for a lifetime of happiness along with your pooch.
2. Can your canine bodily carry out agility safely?
Our Agility Foundations course requires no obstacles to get began, so that you gained’t have to fret about them safely tackling jumps or weaving via poles. It’s the proper approach for all canines to begin agility coaching immediately. Nonetheless, in the event you do determine to introduce obstacles down the observe, you’ll need to be certain that your canine is in good bodily kind beforehand.
We advocate taking your canine to the vet for a basic security verify to ensure they’ll safely bounce, weave, and sort out ramps with out situation.
Additionally, bear in mind to maintain your canine’s psychological health in thoughts, too. Hold periods quick—5 or 10 minutes is simply advantageous at first! Make it possible for your canine is at all times excited and having enjoyable. When their consideration wanes and so they’re now not engaged, it’s time to wrap up and take a look at once more later.
3. Have you learnt the place you’ll practice?
Coaching at dwelling with on-line assist is a tremendous method to begin educating your canine agility. Our Foundation for Agility program is totally self-paced and on-demand, so you may practice every time it’s handy for you.
Should you’d prefer to compete in agility sooner or later, then you definately’ll ultimately want to affix a neighborhood agility membership, head right down to the park with some obstacles or discover a coaching coach close to you. Your canine will want loads of follow to get used to performing agility open air and round so many individuals and different pets.
There’s no rush, although. Begin precisely the place you might be, have enjoyable, and use essentially the most accessible assets you may have out there to you as we speak.
Should you determine to join a OneMind Canine subscription, you’ll additionally get entry to customized video suggestions from our trainers. We’re generally instructed that with the ability to share movies helps take the guesswork and frustration so many newcomers expertise. We’re right here to assist you!
