WORKING SERVICE DOGS

Why Agility and Obstacle Courses.

Handlers and Working Service dogs working together makes for growth in stability.
The handler learns to communicate on multiple surfaces and in a myriad of positions with his dog. This is a place to teach obedience as well as endurance and while it must be safe, it must be also be challenging.

It is important to start the dogs in the Working Service Training as pups.
Keeping the courses simple for the pup we can teach him plutz and basic commands at different intervals on the course.
They start out clumsy. We can assist them over the more difficult parts of the course. By gradually adding stress to our training we are thus promoting confidence and stability.

Pups should be worked around other dogs of all ages. These pups should learn to sit and plutz with other dogs passing him and working around him.

We work the other dogs around the pups. We do bite work, with the adult dogs around the pups, while the pups are doing their obedience work on the field.
Adult dogs can be plutzed on the field in a stay position while other dogs work around and over them.
Pups and dogs should be worked in rain, sun, and wind and in all types of inclement weather conditions. Weather only adds to the stress, which is needed to maintain a high level of work.

The obstacle courses are not only used to get the dog used to surfaces and textures, it is also a forum from which to enhance K-9 communication.
All obedience work from puppy-hood up should be taught while on the course. In this way the stress of the obedience work, which is an unnatural act for the dog, will be relieved by the stress of the obstacle.
The act of the obedience, instead of applying stress, will actually remove it and by bringing calmness to the dog when he is being obedient you also calm the handler when stress hits.

Remember that the greatest obstacle you and your dog will ever face is you.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Phone Number: 905-562-3095
Fax Number: 905-562-4242

United States Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 13
Main Post Office
Niagara Falls, NewYork
14302-0013

Canadian Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 106
Wellandport, ON, Canada
LOR 2J0

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All the articles and written information on this site are the property of Mike McConnery, owner and founder of Baden K-9. Any thing on this web site is the original work and used with permission.
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© Baden K-9, December, l999-2002.
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