Dogs love to play, and, to be honest, so do we. Both agility and flyball are great ways to have fun with your dog and create an even deeper bond.
For this post, we put together some information about what agility and flyball, are and how you can get your dog involved.
Agility
This is a popular sport for dogs where you, as the handler, coach your dog through a variety of obstacles on a course. Quickness and accuracy are of utmost importance but there are also benefits for your dog to this training.
Natural instincts: Dogs are natural born hunters and love to run after a variety of prey whether that’s a rabbit or a tennis ball. They’ve been known to climb up steep slopes, crawl through bushes and vegetation and, the faster they get to their target, the sooner they eat. These courses mimic the natural scenarios of hunting and chasing.
Exercise: Running through a course is great exercise for your dog, especially since that course is in a contained area and you won’t have to worry about your dog running off. Agility strengthens muscles, improves coordination and increases focus.
Human fitness: You will also get fit running alongside your dog through the agility course.
Bonding: Your dog can’t complete an agility course without you. She will rely on verbal cues and hand motions to be able to navigate the course properly. She will trust you to tell her where to go and your bond will deepen.
Flyball
Flyball is a team sport where dogs race against each other to get to the end of a course, hit a box that releases a tennis ball, catch it and run back as fast as they can to you.
Dogs run over a series of hurdles to get to the tennis ball filled box and it is frequently done as a relay with two teams of four dogs in a match race.
Flyball started back in the 1960s and 1970s as a dog hurdle race. The height of the hurdles is determined by the smallest dog on the team which is also called the “height dog.”
If your dog loves to run, fetch a tennis ball and run back then flyball may be the perfect sport for the two of you. Check out local flyball teams in your area.
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
