Caroline Joe and Dash During Advanced Agility Class

April 6, 2019

Caroline Joe and Dash completed Beginner Obedience, Intermediate Obedience, Beginner Agility, Intermediate Agility, and Intermediate Agility-2 classes with CPT.  Now, they are in their second 8-week session of Advanced Agility class.

Agility class has helped to improve the bond between Caroline and Dash.  Just as importantly, agility has done wonders to improve Dash’s off-leash attentiveness, obedience, and general confidence.  Done correctly, agility is really off-leash obedience through a sequence of obstacles.

The mini-course in this video is a challenging master-level course that includes multiple crosses and changes in direction.  Yet, Caroline and Dash complete the sequence accurately and at high-speed.

Caroline has not determined whether she and Dash will enter AKC, USDAA, or NADAC dog agility competitions or simply progress for the personal benefits and mutual joy her and Dash experience from agility participation.  Nevertheless, Caroline plans to continue enrolling in CPT’s Advanced Agility class for a long time.

CPT’s Agility Class Program

If you wish to improve the bond between you and your dog, your dog’s athleticism, your dog’s confidence, or the reliability and responsiveness of your dog’s off-leash obedience, we highly recommend enrolling in a CPT agility class.

Prerequisites include beginner obedience, although intermediate obedience is preferred.  Alternatively, an equivalent, such as private instruction or board training may substitute for the group class requirement.  In addition, your dog must be absolutely housebroken, have proficient off-leash obedience in an environment that contains multiple people and dogs, and not have a history of aggression to persons or dogs.

Dogs that lack the obedience or temperament requirements may still take agility via private instruction.  Nevertheless, to maintain the integrity of the equipment, we still enforce the housebreaking stipulation.  Private agility instruction is also appropriate for persons wishing customized or accelerated instruction or for group class students who need one or two private appointments to make up for missed class meetings or to fix problems.

Beginner Agility introduces dogs to the various agility obstacles:  broad jump, single-bar jump, double-bar jump, triple-bar jump, tire jump, pause table, open tunnel, a-frame, dog walk, teeter, and weave poles.  At the conclusion of Beginner Agility class dogs should be proficient in all the preceding obstacles, except the teeter and weaves, which require more time.

Intermediate Agility teaches handlers the mechanics and communication techniques required to navigate their dog through a series of obstacles.  In addition, we obtain competency in the teeter and weaves during Intermediate Agility.

Advanced Agility teaches handlers how to navigate their dog through courses of increasing complexity.  After several sessions of Advanced Agility human and canine students should be ready to enter competitions and achieve titles.  Otherwise, they should continue the course simply to have fun and experience the multifarious training benefits.

To enroll in a CPT agility class or to schedule a private agility appointment, please contact the CPT office by phone at 404-236-2150.

Sandy Springs, GA

Atlanta, GA