While dogs adore running through agility courses, speeding through weaves, jumping through tires and navigating teeter totters and a-frames, the pause table is probably not the favorite part of the agility course for any dog. However, not only is this table a big part of competition, the pause table can be used to teach a variety of important obedience behaviors.
For the uninitiated, a pause table is a dog agility obstacle that is found in all agility competitions. The dog must jump onto this elevated table and then follow the owner or trainer commands and sit, stay and go down. They must sit or stay down for a number of seconds before they can get up, jump off the table and continue through the weaves, jumps and other obstacles. They are not supposed to move until they have received a signal from their owner.
One important side note is that all of the competing dogs run the course leash-free and receive no treats or incentives for doing the obstacles on the course. This means that the level of obedience with the dogs is extremely high. When you stop and think about it, who wouldn't want their dog to follow a variety of commands at any time even when not wearing a leash? Obedience training not only makes life easier for you, it also keeps your pet safe and secure in many situations.
In general, puppies should not use agility equipment, not only because they are simply too small, but also because they can hurt their developing bodies. However, you can use a pause box or a very low table to teach obedience skills with a puppy. Once a puppy is weaned, you can begin teaching basic obedience commands. The puppy will be easier to deal with and you will forge a stronger bond.
Once the animal successfully can sit and stay on the pause table for five seconds, you can make it a bit more difficult by putting some distance between you and your dog. Keep in mind that treats are never allowed in competition and vocal commands often are not allowed either, so the dog needs to learn to sit and stay and go down based on signals. You can continue to increase the distance as your dog becomes more and more comfortable.
This training is not just a fantastic way to teach obedience and distance training; there is another reason why the pause table is a great agility obstacle. Without a pause during the course, dogs can lose focus easily and lose points because they have skipped something or because they are going too fast or they don't handle an obstacle with a high level of precision. By pausing and taking a quick break, they regain their focus. If you are ready to purchase a pause table or any type of dog training equipment, check out the products at Carlson Agility. They have everything from dog tunnels and chutes, all kinds of dog agility jumps, teeter-totters, agility dog walks and everything else you need to get started.
For the uninitiated, a pause table is a dog agility obstacle that is found in all agility competitions. The dog must jump onto this elevated table and then follow the owner or trainer commands and sit, stay and go down. They must sit or stay down for a number of seconds before they can get up, jump off the table and continue through the weaves, jumps and other obstacles. They are not supposed to move until they have received a signal from their owner.
One important side note is that all of the competing dogs run the course leash-free and receive no treats or incentives for doing the obstacles on the course. This means that the level of obedience with the dogs is extremely high. When you stop and think about it, who wouldn't want their dog to follow a variety of commands at any time even when not wearing a leash? Obedience training not only makes life easier for you, it also keeps your pet safe and secure in many situations.
In general, puppies should not use agility equipment, not only because they are simply too small, but also because they can hurt their developing bodies. However, you can use a pause box or a very low table to teach obedience skills with a puppy. Once a puppy is weaned, you can begin teaching basic obedience commands. The puppy will be easier to deal with and you will forge a stronger bond.
Once the animal successfully can sit and stay on the pause table for five seconds, you can make it a bit more difficult by putting some distance between you and your dog. Keep in mind that treats are never allowed in competition and vocal commands often are not allowed either, so the dog needs to learn to sit and stay and go down based on signals. You can continue to increase the distance as your dog becomes more and more comfortable.
This training is not just a fantastic way to teach obedience and distance training; there is another reason why the pause table is a great agility obstacle. Without a pause during the course, dogs can lose focus easily and lose points because they have skipped something or because they are going too fast or they don't handle an obstacle with a high level of precision. By pausing and taking a quick break, they regain their focus. If you are ready to purchase a pause table or any type of dog training equipment, check out the products at Carlson Agility. They have everything from dog tunnels and chutes, all kinds of dog agility jumps, teeter-totters, agility dog walks and everything else you need to get started.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys dog agility training. To find an agility equipment for dogs, or to find additional agility dog training equipment such as obedience jumps, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com website today.
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