The Agility Gym

03/27/2023

03/24/2023

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03/23/2023

Be gentle with your young dogs. Nothing strenuous until those growth plates are closed…

03/20/2023

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Score 5% off all dog sport decals & tees today! canineaesthete.etsy.com

03/20/2023

Great website! Check out their other posts.

TRIGGER STACKING – WHEN BEHAVIOUR HAPPENS “OUT OF THE BLUE”
We’ve all had those days when nothing seems to go right and one frustrating thing after another happens, leaving us feeling wound up, stressed and ready to explode at the next unsuspecting person who dares to ask us something. This “unsuspecting” person may think we have a serious behaviour problem or need anger management coaching, when the truth is that we’ve just had a really bad day and don’t usually behave like this at all.

Dogs are no different and a behaviour that seems completely out of character or happens “out of the blue” is often caused by “trigger stacking”.

A trigger may be anything that increases a dog’s stress levels and has a negative impact on their emotional, mental or physical state. These may be small things that we may not even notice or seem insignificant to us, but they are all adding to an increasing “stack” of things that may end in a “trigger”.

When stress levels reach a certain point, the next stressful event, however small, may cause a reaction that is completely unexpected.

Instead of just focusing on a particular behaviour and seeing it as a problem that needs to be prevented, take a step backwards, look at the bigger picture, look at events, circumstances or environmental factors that may have played a role in causing that particular behaviour.

Being aware of potential stressors and allowing your dog time to decompress, relax and unwind can often make all the difference between “normal behaviour” and a behaviour that seems completely out of character.

03/20/2023

Our final course, for the week of March 20th.

03/17/2023

03/17/2023

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03/17/2023

Watch streaming live today and all weekend free on the AKC TV free app…

Watch the 2023 National Agility Championship, March 17th - 19th only on AKC.tv

03/17/2023

So very true.
And sometimes the most difficult ones have the most to teach us.

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03/14/2023

At every trial...

03/14/2023

03/13/2023

Our course for the week of March 13th. Week 5 of our final session.

03/05/2023

Our course for the week of March 6th.
Week 4 of Session 2.

03/03/2023

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The Best Online Dog Training!

03/02/2023

FIVE local Dairy Queen Stores are donating all proceeds from their Pup Cup sales in March and April to the Dog Pound. GO GET PUP CUPS!

02/26/2023

Our course for the week of February 27th.
Week 3 of Session 2.

02/24/2023

And don’t forget to learn from the lessons that your dog teaches you…

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02/24/2023

The trainer teaches you the skills to train your dog…

It might sound odd to say a dog trainer won’t train your dog but it’s true. The only person who can do that is you.

You are the person your dog spends the vast majority of their time with. You are the person they have most interaction with. Who sets the boundaries, who has the opportunity to consistently reinforce behaviours, who chooses the environments your dog is exposed to, who has control over your dog's day to day life & experiences.

When you go to a weekly training class or have a weekly session your trainer isn’t really teaching your dog….they are teaching 𝘺𝘰𝘶 how to teach your dog. And your success will be determined by whether you take what you learn and implement it on a daily basis. Because even if you see your trainer or attend your class religiously every single week, week in week out, that still amounts to a tiny proportion of your dog's life ( just 0.6% of their week if the training session lasts 1 hour).

Your trainer's job is to give you the understanding, skills and confidence that will allow you to effectively teach your dog and to support and guide you through the process.

Your job is to put what you learn into practice.

02/21/2023

Is your dog at a healthy weight?

Many of you know we are huge proponents of keeping your pets lean and fit. Unfortunately (particularly in the States), many people don't know what a lean dog is supposed to look like. Owners of healthy, lean dogs are always being told their dogs are "too skinny" when in fact they are not. We are just used to seeing overweight dogs and think that's normal.

Here's one of our favorite visual comparisons from malnourished (too thin) to obese. The middle two pics are healthy lean dogs. From the side, you should see a nice tuck behind their ribs and a noticeable hourglass waist when looking down on their back. And for some short coat dogs, yes seeing one or two ribs is OK!

Keeping your dogs at the low end of their healthy weight range will not only help their joints and prevent disease, studies have shown that dogs which are kept at a lean weight, live two years longer than overweight dogs!

📷 Thanks Midwest Canines for this great visual. ♥️