How To Have A Happy Dog

There are a few essential commands that you should make an effort to teach your dog. Even if you teach him nothing else, he should return to you as soon as you call his name, be able to sit on command, lie down, walk to heel and be able to walk on calmly when he is off the lead.

This level of basic training will give you the confidence that you can control your dog in any situation. A happy dog loves learning something new: the mental stimulation helps to keep life interesting for him, and he too will gain confidence from his training.

Happy Dog Tip

If you have a toy breed, don’t think he is too cute to bother with obedience training. Toy breeds can be highly intelligent dogs and they enjoy learning quite complicated commands and tricks.

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Agility is a fantastic sport for dogs and owners of all ages to enjoy. It is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, Western Europe and the USA. Using voice and hand signals, handlers are timed as they instruct their dogs to negotiate a series of obstacles such as tunnels, jumps and ramps.

If you’ve done some basic obedience work with your dog, you can take this to another level by having a go at agility training.

Can any dog do it?

Any dog - cross-breed, mongrel or pedigree - can take part provided he is over 12 months old, and is reasonably fir and healthy. Before starting any agility training, have a chat with your vet to ensure your dog is physically capable as the sport involves running at speed, jumping hurdles, balancing and negotiating various obstacles.

There are elementary, starter and novice classes available for dogs of all sizes including minis (dogs under 38 cm (15 in) high at the withers). There are also classes for young handlers, seniors and disabled participants.

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