agility training

Top 5 agility skills to develop - answers by AI

As you know, AI tools are everywhere: ChatGPT, Copilot, Dall-e and thousands of others. Translate and generate text, generate images or videos or music, or all of it combined. Many tools are based on the basic idea of going through massive amount of data (like the public internet) and then providing answers based on that.

I wanted to test few simple Copilot prompts - basically simply ask one AI tool to answer questions as an agility coach.

Additionally this image above is generated by the prompt: “Please create a photo of an agility trainer training an agility dog“.

But let’s see how Copilot answers as an agility coach!

What are the Top 5 agility skills to develop with your dog?

As a dog agility trainer, I’d focus on developing the following top 5 agility skills with your dog:

  1. Jumping: This fundamental skill involves teaching your dog to jump over hurdles of varying heights and lengths. 

  2. Tunnel Navigation: Tunnels can be intimidating for dogs at first, but they’re a thrilling part of agility training. 

  3. Weave Poles: Weaving through poles requires precision and coordination.

  4. A-Frame: The A-frame is a large obstacle that dogs must climb up and down.

  5. Dog Walk: This skill involves walking on a narrow plank elevated off the ground. 

Remember, the foundation of all these skills is building a strong connection with your dog and making training a fun and rewarding experience. Happy training!

Okay. Does this sound reasonable?

I wanted to know more, so I asked this additional question:



Why did you choose these 5 topics as the most important agility skills?

The five agility skills I mentioned are considered foundational for several reasons:

  1. Jumping is a core component of agility competitions and is one of the first obstacles that dogs learn. It helps in developing coordination and athleticism.

  2. Tunnel Navigation is crucial because it tests a dog’s ability to follow commands through an obstacle where they can’t see their handler, fostering trust and focus.

  3. Weave Poles are a unique challenge that no other canine sport offers. They require dogs to move in a way that’s not natural to them, which demonstrates their training and flexibility.

  4. The A-Frame is a test of a dog’s confidence and teaches them to navigate height and incline, which is important for their overall agility abilities.

  5. The Dog Walk teaches precision and careful movement, as the dog must stay on a narrow path, which is excellent for developing balance and control.

These skills are not only essential for competition but also for ensuring that the dog enjoys a full range of motion and mental stimulation. They also help to strengthen the bond between the dog and the handler, as they must work closely together to navigate the courses successfully.

Okay, I think we got more precise answers this time.

Bonus question: why do you like agility? List 3 reasons.

While I don’t have personal experiences or preferences, I can share three reasons why agility is often enjoyed by trainers and their dogs:

  1. Bonding: Agility training strengthens the bond between a dog and its handler. It requires trust, communication, and teamwork, which can deepen the relationship.

  2. Mental Stimulation: Agility courses are like puzzles that dogs get to solve. They provide mental stimulation which is just as important as physical exercise for a dog’s overall well-being.

  3. Physical Fitness: Agility is a great way to keep dogs physically fit. It involves running, jumping, and navigating various obstacles, which can help maintain a healthy weight and improve overall health.

These aspects make agility a rewarding and enjoyable activity for both dogs and their handlers.

OK, sounds good. Do you agree with these? Could there be any interesting use cases for utilising ChatGPT or similar tool with agility?

Even with all the information in the world any AI cannot (yet?) enjoy the actual act of training and competing with a dog in agility.

6 things I learned from COVID19 from the perspective of dogs and agility

6 things I learned from COVID19 from the perspective of dogs and agility

I believe COVID19 has hurt dog agility quite a lot. There have been long periods of time without training and competitions and the world is full of young dogs that haven’t been able to get used to other dogs, different people and situations freely. No, this is not a huge problem if we think about all the people who have died or suffered from a health or financial perspective. However, the problem exists. And I didn’t even mention trainers who have lost their income or agility clubs who have struggled to keep their heads above the water. However, here are 6 things I have learned when struggling with the crisis.

Basic static fitness exercises by Imke Nie-wöhner

Basic static fitness exercises by Imke Nie-wöhner

As you know, agility requires a lot of strength from a dog for it to be able to control its body when performing obstacles and to be able to turn, collect and speed up efficiently and safely. So it goes without saying that fitness training benefits the dog in its agility career.

Imke Nie-wöhner, a vet from Germany, who offers many courses on dog fitness has built a training entity for you and your dog!

How to make sure your training is of high quality -an interview with Petra Malin

Without quality, training can get us confused and frustrated because it doesn’t lead where we want it to lead. And in the end, it eats up motivation. Has this ever happened to you?

We interviewed Petra Malin, a Finnish agility competitor, and coach, who has very different dogs herself. She has a miniature pinscher Manu and an Australian kelpie Teuvo. The experience with her own dogs and coaching others has given her a clear view of what is important in agility training - if you want to progress - and that is quality. 

The journey together is much more important than any agility results in the world

The journey together is much more important than any agility results in the world

“Teamwork and the ability to perform at my own and my dog’s highest level is my actual goal. If we perform at our best and we manage to put all the training together in a run, my goal is reached. If that also results in winning, that’s of course extra fun, but it’s actually just a bonus.” Read Jenny Damm’s views on agility, her goals and what kind of challenges she has had with her own dogs.