There are few moments in which dog owners and dogs bond together as greatly as they do in agility training sessions and competitions. These situations are especially recommended not only to teach your dog certain type of rules, or to take him high in the road to excellence, but also, and especially, to start feeling a connection with the animal that is hard to put in words and that goes far beyond daily care. As you surely know, there are numerous editorials and publishers that have released several collections for different audiences and that are meant to adjust to different interests and needs. One of them is the interesting and greatly reviewed Excelling at Dog Agility, which consists of three books: Book 1 – Obstacle Training, Book 2 – Sequence Training and Book 3: Advanced Skills Training, all of them written by Jane Simmons Moake and published by Flashpaws Productions from 2000 to 2005. Some of the most important subjects you will find in them are weave poles, obstacle training principles, jumps, turns, obedience, reliability, commands and many other things. Agility Training: the Fun Sport for All Dogs is another great and accessible option by the same author. Published by Howell Book House in 1992 and consisting of two hundred and fifty pages, this is a great choice if you want to have an easy to read and general book about such competitions and how to act to have good results. You also have the interesting Having Fun with Agility, by Margaret H. Bonham and published by the same editorial as the last one in 2004. This is clearly one of the newest options in terms of agility competitions and through its almost two hundred pages you will find all kinds of information such as the basic rules, having fun at the games, obstacles and tests and a super useful section in which you will learn about the nutrition and health a dog needs to perform in these competitions. A respectable option for beginners and for those who are interested in starting to perform in dog agility competitions but don’t know how is Introduction to Dog Agility, by the same author and published by Barron’s Educational Series in 2000. In this book, readers will learn about the competition itself, how to evaluate and condition your dog’s fitness for the competition, training methods and of course, the obstacles and sections of the competition, all in a very easy to follow language and with an understandable vocabulary. Finally, another recommendable book is Agility dog training for all breeds, a good option for all readers and dog owners written by Charles L. Kramer and printed by Cascade Press in 1987, with a general analysis of these competitions and useful data for anyone who wants to participate in them. To begin practicing and learning about dog agility competitions, there is no better thing than to get one of these books and start reading all they have got to tell you. Give them a chance and you will love taking part of these ceremonies and bonding with your dog so greatly. |
