What are the obstacles for dog agility courses?
Doyle Conroy
2025-07-13 02:16:23
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: 7
A dog agility course consists of 14-20 obstacles. The course must consist of four standard obstacles and the rest can be of the judge’s choosing. The obstacles can be in any order the judge likes. The 4 Standard Dog Agility Course Obstacles include A-Frame, Tunnel, Seesaw, and Weave Poles. Additionally, other dog agility course obstacles include Dog Walks, Jump Configurations, Pause Tables and Pause Boxes, Sway Planks and Bridges, and Hoop Jumps. Agility courses come in all types of configurations and difficulty levels. They are also built for different height and skill level dogs.
Arne Koch
2025-07-13 01:29:18
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: 8
Dogs do what works. If they’re ALWAYS rewarded for the contact or a complex trick and RARELY rewarded for the tunnel or sit, they are going to default to the behavior that gets the reward. Too often, we only reward the dog for the things that are challenging – the perfect contact performance, a confident teeter, a beautiful sit pretty, or fast and flowing weave poles. Remember that jumps and tunnels make up a significant portion of agility courses. Don’t forget to intermittently reward the fun/easy behaviors or the dog will default to a behavior that “pays” better. Maintain their value by remembering to reward them regularly. If they were in any other sequence that wasn’t a discrimination, he would go through them. Her dog wasn’t afraid of tunnels. When she asked him to sit, he sat pretty, waved, or did his “cover” trick with his paw over his eye. Neither of them could figure out why their dogs wouldn’t do this simple behavior.
Werner O'Conner
2025-07-12 22:23:55
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: 5
Tunnel exits can make or break your run. Dogs anticipate what comes next while still in the tunnel, based on what they saw before entering. Your motion and position play a huge role in determining their exit line. Modern dog agility courses are often designed with multiple options for the dog after the tunnel. Knowing how to affect your dog’s line after the tunnel is a key element of success as courses become more complex. Dogs respond to your handling cues and body language more than the course layout. Today’s agility courses demand advanced skills like independent backside sends, forward sends, layering, and speed into collection. When a skill is lacking, going back to foundations is almost always the answer.
Violet Jaskolski
2025-07-12 21:16:23
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: 11
Contact obstacles require precision, speed, and excellent communication between the handler and dog. There are typically three main contact obstacles in agility: The A-Frame: Two ramps joined at the top, forming an “A” shape. Dogs run up one side and down the other. The Dogwalk: A raised plank with ramps at either end. Dogs run up one ramp, across the plank, and down the other. The SeeSaw: A long plank balanced on a central pivot. The dog runs up one end, causing it to tip to the ground after they have crossed the pivot point. Contact obstacles are strategically placed throughout an agility course, often requiring dogs to approach them at different angles and speeds.
For a clear run, at least one paw of the dog must touch within the contact zone as they descend off the Dog Walk or A-Frame, and at least one paw must touch the contact zone at either end of the SeeSaw. Failure to do so results in a fault. This rule ensures the dog maintains control and prevents them from leaping off the obstacle, minimizing the risk of injury.
Dogs need a variety of skills to excel on contact equipment: Speed and Agility: To approach and traverse the obstacles efficiently. Balance and Coordination: Crucial for navigating the ramps, plank, and the moving SeeSaw. Body Awareness: Understanding their body position to ensure they hit the contact zone. Focus and Obedience: To listen to the handler’s cues and maintain focus despite the excitement of the course. Confidence: To tackle the elevated and sometimes moving surfaces without hesitation. Impulse Control: To resist the urge to jump off before hitting the contact zone.
Brycen Gusikowski
2025-07-12 20:57:02
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: 8
The obstacles that make up this agility course are made of high density polyethylene, recycled plastic posts and galvanised screws.
They withstand temperature changes and are easy to clean.
The hoop jumps: The dog must jump through the hole from either side.
The weave poles: The dog must perform the slalom exercise without jumping over any gate, leaving the first post on the left when entering and the last post on the right when leaving.
The climbing: The dog must climb to the first platform, walk and stop at each of the round platforms.
The springboards: The dog must go up on the trampolines located at different heights, and once up on the second or third trampoline, he must jump to the ground.
The see-saw: The dog must cross the entire platform by swinging under its own weight.
The zig zag hurdles: The dog must jump the fences in a zig zag pattern, stopping on the ground before jumping to the next fence.
The gate: The dog must run under the arch without touching it.
The walls Jump: The dog must jump over both walls without touching them and without stopping.
Roslyn Franecki
2025-07-12 20:56:34
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: 9
There are many types of obstacles that make up an agility course. The A-Frame, Dog Walk, See Saw and Table are known as contact obstacles. These require the dog to come in contact with the yellow painted area of the obstacles in order to score. There are several different types of jump and hurdles found in an agility course. Jump heights are modified for different size groupings of dogs. A typical jump is made of PVC pipes and may or may not have wings on the side. Hurdles are jumps with a solid wall as part of the jump which may be made of wood panels or blocks. A broad jump, or long jump, requires the dog to jump over a longer area with wooden slats underneath to denote the area to cover. Tunnels are set up in different configurations with the tunnel laid out completely straight or curved in forming a J or C shape. A dog must navigate through six to 12 weave poles which are 24 inches apart.
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