How to Train Your Australian Shepherd Dog to Run Agility

Start by familiarizing your Aussie with what the clicker means. Every time the clicking sound is made, your dog should receive a treat or reward. Don’t ask anything else from him while you’re doing this, just click and reward to get him associated.

Let your dog wander around the course you set up while clicking and rewarding for any positive exploration.

Each obstacle will require a separate training session. Take some time to familiarize your Aussie with one obstacle before moving on to the next one.

Every time your Aussie makes the appropriate behavior around or within the obstacle, click and reward. This includes things like jumping over hurdles, investigating the tunnels, or taking tentative steps on a balance beam, seesaw, or ramp. Clicking and rewarding for these things will create a positive association with the obstacle and the behavior required to navigate it.

Adding commands like ‘jump’, ‘over’, ‘weave’, or ‘through’ can help your dog associate certain behaviors with their appropriate obstacles. Remember to click and reward for progression through each obstacle.

Once your Aussie is comfortable with each obstacle, start asking him to do one after the other in succession. For example, through a tunnel and out into a jump over a hurdle. This combination is common in agility courses. Search for other combinations while clicking and rewarding for a successful completion of both obstacles together.

Look up some courses that have been used in past agility competitions and learn them together with your dog. Click with each successful obstacle completed within the routine while saving a large reward for a completed course.

Start with smaller courses to get your Aussie used to multiple obstacles in a row and eventually progress to longer courses as he gets adjusted to watching you for guidance.

Some dogs are lured by treats and others may be lured by fun toys. Find something your Aussie really wants and use that to get her through the learning process.

Decide which obstacle you’d like to start with first. Learning one at a time will help your dog focus without getting overwhelmed.

Hold the lure close to your Aussie’s nose to start with and then pull it back and towards the obstacle. Reward for any positive behavior towards the obstacle at first to build a good association with it.

Using the lure, show your dog what you’d like from her. If it’s a jump, hold the lure over and on the other side of the jump to encourage her to go over. For tunnels, hold the lure in the exit side while encouraging your dog to go through. Use the same procedure for each new obstacle she will learn while putting a name to each one such as ‘jump’, ‘weave’, or ‘chute’.

Before trying to increase your speed, your Aussie needs to know how to complete each obstacle. Using the lure to keep at a slow and even pace through each obstacle, rewarding with the lure for progress. Use the verbal command for the obstacle when she succeeds.

Add more obstacles to your dog’s training over time, using the lure to guide her through each obstacle in succession. Reward for multiple obstacles completed in a row as she starts doing individual obstacles reliably.

Once your Aussie can perform each obstacle, use the lure to guide her through them at a much quicker pace. Stay quick on your feet as you’ll need to stay ahead of her movements to provide proper guidance.

Set up a pretend competition course and familiarize your Aussie with the entirety of the set of obstacles. Run through it multiple times, using the lure to guide her through the sequence and offer the reward only when the course is complete in its entirety.

Some obstacles will require you to be some distance away from your Aussie to guide him through it. A longer leash will allow you this distance while still being able to keep in contact with your dog.

Focusing on one obstacle at a time, making each one as easy to complete as possible. This means lowering jumps, keeping tunnel lengths short, and using fewer weaving poles. Set your Aussie up for success from the start.

With a hold on his leash, lead your Aussie through the first obstacle, rewarding with plenty of praise when he makes his way over or through it. Use a treat for further reinforcement if necessary.

Come up with a name for each obstacle or use a verbal command to differentiate them for your dog. Use these verbal cues when he succeeds at the obstacle and praise enthusiastically.

Using the leash, guide him through each type of obstacle, praising and rewarding as you increase the height of the jumps, lengthen the tunnels, and add more weaving poles into the mix.

Once your Aussie has a handle on each individual obstacle, guide him through a few at a time, saving your praise and reward for the very end of the set.

If your Aussie shows confidence in each obstacle, you can remove the leash and guide him through with your verbal cues and commands. Always be ready with the next cue in the sequence, as your dog will move quickly. If he shows hesitation, decrease the difficulty of the obstacles and let him try again, praising with successful completion of the obstacles as he rebuilds his confidence.