I understand that as your dog becomes more confident as as we become better handlers, that the dog’s speed will often increase. But aside from that, or in addition to that, can speed and drive be trained/encouraged? Thanks for your help! An Agility Student

Dear Agility Student,
Yes, speed and drive can be trained and encouraged! Reward the fastest performances highly, and give lesser rewards for not-so-quick but still-good work. Your dog will catch on, unless they are VERY ‘soft’. Another trick is to speed up yourself! If you’re running, suddenly agility is WAY more fun. Be careful not to outrun your dog too far when they’re not ready for it- I’ve done that with mine and it makes him bail off the side of an A-frame – SO dangerous.

You can also try varying your rewards – maybe different kinds of snacks, or new toys mixed in sometimes will get your dog revved!

This is a hard question, and different for every agility learner.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you choose what you want to buy, borrow, or practice in class.

Does my dog have difficulty with this? If so, why? Would more interaction with the obstacle help? If so, it might be beneficial to purchase one. If your dog has issues with wrapping jumps, it would probably benefit from at home practice. Weaves especially need to be practiced at home, in my experience.

Do I have room? Chances are, you can’t fit an entire dogwalk in your back yard. There are ways around that, using benches or a contact trainer to help your dog learn contact behavior, and steady footing on planks.

Is it something my dog enjoys? I think it’s a good idea to have an obstacle your dog absolutely adores on hand, to use as a reward, or just for a quick five minute practice pick me up. It’s a lot of fun to be able to go outside (or in the basement or barn or wherever) and do a five minute tunnel training day. The dogs get so excited!