Dog Agility: Training And Nutrition
Every day it is more common to share a sporting hobby with your dog, something that benefits both of you and helps to strengthen the bonds. Canine agility, or agility , is one of the most demanding disciplines you can practice with your pet, but one of the most rewarding.
The physical activity that takes place in this sport is very intense and soon you will be in good shape, especially your dog. Long hours of training are very important to achieve satisfactory results, but nutrition is still a relevant factor, and we must prepare the animal for these exercise sessions, although for him it is just a game.
canine agility training
For your dog to enjoy the practice of canine agility, regular training must be carried out in specialized centers with canine educators. A professional is able to bring out the best performance of the animal much sooner and in a more fun way, as it will never be stimulated with physical punishment.
It is important to ensure that animals under a year and a half do not perform this type of activity, as their bones and joints are not 100% formed and can be seriously injured. Until this age, the animal must learn by playing and with moderate activities.
Avoid as much as possible training outside the canine club, since the famous dog parks that have been implemented in many cities are not prepared for the specific practice of canine agility, but for the animals to play and socialize. Lack of padded surfaces and rigid obstacles can hurt animals’ joints.
In order for the dog to engage in this discipline and enjoy it, he must be educated with rewards, never with punishments or reprimands. The only thing you can do with these punishments is to make the dog not want to practice and get distracted by everything around him.
As you can imagine, getting the dog to do the exercises takes many hours and effort, and no one can get him to mend one exercise after another right from the start. For the animal to get used to the different exercises, it is necessary to work them separately, then propose that they be practiced in sequence.
Another thing we must take into account is not to insist too much on the same exercise. If the dog gets tired of trying it without success, the tendency is for him to become distracted and lose interest. Stay calm and everything will be fine.
Nutrition
To perform canine agility, also called agility , the animal must have a diet slightly different from that of a more sedentary dog. For the dog to feel with enough energy and for his muscles to function as they should, the diet must meet a series of requirements:
- The first thing is that the typical dog food is not as complete a food as they say, and will not provide the animal with the quantity and quality of nutrients it needs.
- Introduce natural foods: right after including raw and natural foods in the diet of a dog that practices canine agility, we will be able to notice the difference in their physical strength and performance. The occurrence of oral diseases is reduced and the animal appears happier and more active.
- Include foods with a high level of protein and fat content, if possible animal fat. Foods with fish residues are very good because they include omega 3 fatty acids and favor the animal’s recovery.
In no case should we give our dogs calcium supplements to strengthen their bones, since an excess of this mineral can have very negative effects and lead to long-term damage.
It is also not advisable to feed the dog foods known to be high in energy, as they often contain high levels of fat, which would cause the animal to gain weight. To carry out a sport activity, the best allies to give your pet energy are carbohydrates.
