Big Dogs Can Learn Dog Agility Dexterity

We often talk about all the benefits of using the ladder in both foundation work as well as conditioning work. However, if you have a really large dog, the spacing of the rungs may to a bit tight for their natural stride. We don’t want you to lose out on the benefits of ladder work so here are some tips to get your big dog stepping high.

Due to the length of stride on a larger dog you will want to adjust the distance of your “ladder rugs” to fit their natural walk and jog stride. You can use jump bars or weave poles on the ground to start then raise them with slightly crushed soda cans laid on their side. You can adjust the height with jump standards or other objects, just remember you don’t want them higher than the hock and most times knee height is fine.

You can also use cavalettis if you want a system that stays in place and can be used for other purposes and dogs. Just because you have a larger dog doesn’t mean you cannot capitolize on all the benefits ladder work brings to the dog agility training table.