Now that you’ve found a great agility class, it’s time to get the supplies you’ll need to be ready for the fun! The more prepared you are, the more you’ll be able to focus on learning with your dog.
What to Do Before Class:
•Make treats more meaningful: Reduce the amount of your dog’s meal before class to increase their food drive while around group class distractions.
•Take the edge off: Lightly exercise your dog before class. You don’t want to exhaust them with a long walk or game of fetch beforehand — they still need energy to learn and interact — but you do want to take the edge off a bit before class.
“Poop” ’em out: Make sure to take your dog out for a potty break right before class begins to ensure their bladder and bowels are empty.
What to Do After Class:
•Potty break: Give your dog a potty break right after class ends. They’ve had a lot of treats and maybe drank a lot of water too.
•Rest is best: Allow your dog time to rest their brain a while. Class is very stimulating, and their brain needs a chance to decompress. Let them chill out for a while after class so their brains can absorb everything they’ve learned.
What to Bring To Class:
•Bag or pouch: Have a treat bag or pouch to store your dog’s treats in – this makes giving them their reward faster and prevents your clothes from smelling like dog food. The fewer things you have to hold in your hands the better.
•Small treats: Stock up on training treats that you know your dog will work for. Make sure they are pea-sized or smaller, so your dog doesn’t have to pause too long to chew (or risk choking) and doesn’t get too full, too quickly. You might even want to bring a few different flavors or kinds of treats with you to provide a variety in your dog’s rewards, which increases focus around distractions
•Water bowl: Bring a portable water bowl for your dog to give them refreshment throughout class. Having a personal water bowl also helps prevent the spread of germs between dogs in class.
•Fitted collar: Make sure your dog’s collar is the right fit. Too tight and your dog can’t breathe properly, too loose and they might slip their collar during class or get caught on a piece of agility equipment. Collars should be loose enough to fit one to two fingers between it and your dog’s neck.
•Leash: Find a leash that you feel comfortable holding. Make sure the leash is the right size for your dog. Avoid retractable or chain leashes – these are unsafe in an agility class environment and hard to hold comfortably while training.
•Special toy: If your dog loves toys, bring their special tug toy to class to use as a reward. This is a toy that your dog does not have access to all the time, only when training. This makes the value of the toy higher!
•Poop bags!: Make sure to have poop bags handy – the excitement of class can cause some dogs to have potty accidents, and you want to be able to help clean those up quickly and easily.
Ensure your dog is up-to-date on their recommended vaccine schedule to keep them healthy.
Last but not least, make sure to bring your positive attitude — you and your dog will have a great time and learn a lot together!