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Archive for December 31st, 2008

Okay, so you’ve decided you want to do some agility training with your dog. That’s great! You’ve seen some competitions, know you need some dog agility equipment, and decide to go to the pet store looking for some of the standard training items such as a tunnel. When you get there what you find is there are a lot of options to choose from but you really have no idea which one would suit you and Fido best. Not so great.

Well fortunately, here is some information that can help. This is the information you need to know how to select an agility tunnel.

Tunnels come in several different types. The basic selection for competition comes in 10 ft, 12 ft, 15 ft, and 20 ft lengths. They can be 4 inch pitch or 6 inch pitch. The Pitch refers to the amount of space between the metal that structures the tunnel inside. It can be heat sealed or sewed. Sewed is better for a hot climate like Az. The rip stop industrial strength fabric is very durable. The sun can actually make a heat sealed one fall apart after a while.

Various Agility venues have different requirements for the pitch. AKC, and USDAA, for instance requires 4 inch pitch. The pitch lends durability, stability, and weight to a tunnel. The heaviest weight may be required when hundreds of dogs are running through one, but for your own training needs at home to practice, a 6 inch pitch will usually work just fine. It really depends on your level of competition and the wishes of your trainer for you and your dog.

All sizes of tunnels are used on an agility course. You need longer ones to do a U or L shaped tunnel. You also may bend them underneath other pieces of contact equipment like an A frame or dog walk to teach the dog to discriminate between two obstacles. Most dogs find tunnels really tempting, so it is a distraction of sorts.

There are also collapsed tunnels or they are also referred to as Chutes. These are attached to a barrel and clamped on to form a flat or collapsed tunnel which is usually more challenging for the dog and it also takes longer to get through. You should never leave a chute unattended in your back yard as a dog can get tangled in one and there may be dire results of injury or worse. It is only to be used with handler supervision. Most dogs like these with practice.

If a person is in a puppy class or has a young dog and they want to do some back yard fun training, a practice tunnel made of light weight nylon type material is available for this type of activity. It is less expensive and easy to transport or store.

In order to stabilize your tunnel, you should ideally have tunnel weights or fasteners that look like straps on both ends and possibly the middle to keep it from moving or pitching when a fast dog runs through it. Milk jugs filled with sand and a rope or cord may have the same effect if you don’t want to immediately purchase tunnel bags, but that is what they are designed for-to keep your tunnel stable.

Tunnels can be a multitude of colors. You can mix and match and have fun making your course colorful.

Now a trip to the pet store to purchase dog agility training equipment won’t be so overwhelming since you know how to select an agility tunnel.

A German shepherd dog (GSD dog) is a type of dog in which cleaning and grooming can be done in very simple steps that can be done in your house. It does not require surgical or other complex ways in order to be cleaned. Just apply regular brushings and occasional baths will do all the tricks.

Grooming is a very important factor when it comes to taking care of your GSD dog. Without much effort, this might lead to several skin rashes to your GSD and may lead to spot baldness.

There are several steps in order to take good care of your GSD dog. One of which is a constant brushing. GSD dogs sheds big clumps of furs almost in every year. Brushing helps lessen the piled up furs that clings onto your dog which can contribute to the suffocation of your dog’s skin to several kinds of skin rashes. Daily or weekly brushings can help minimize furs that will scatter around your house, instead of one time fur eradication.

In grooming, always start with the head. Whenever you feel like using sharp razor blades for grooming, be very careful as this may injure your pet. The use of shedding rakes is the best way to remove furs as this helps massage your dog’s skin and distribute oils for a healthier skin.

As to bathing your dog, always use a shampoo that is made specifically for dogs. This is to maintain the moisture to the skin and prevent drying. Bathing may only be done during flea seasons when it is necessary. Cover ears with cotton to prevent water from entering ear canals for ear infections prevention. When it comes to nails, don’t trim nails too short as it would lead to bleeding which can be very painful.