K9 Corps Agility Dog Training at Dogwood Acres is a great place to learn the sport of Agility, or just come to have fun and build a better relationship with your dog!
Like our trials, training here at Dogwood Acres is very different from what you will find just about everywhere else in the area. Most of our lessons are private – that way we can tailor the content to your dog’s needs and focus on making every day a ‘moving forward’ experience. Dogs are social creatures and need interaction too, so we work to coordinate lessons from time to time and help your dog understand that this is ‘shared space’ and that it’s OK for other dogs to play here. We are constantly looking for how to best prepare you and your teammate for event weekends here on the grounds.
We want you and your dog to HAVE FUN while learning the necessary skills to play this great game. With fun in mind, we do not allow medieval torture devices (like prong collars, shock collars, or choke-chains) on the grounds. We are big fans of shaping behaviors and positive reinforcement of “what you want” from the dog. We play games with your dog to teach them desired behavior and we reward every success while avoiding the use of corrections so your dog’s spirit can remain high. After a couple of lessons, just about every dog we know starts getting anxious (happy anxious – not apprehensive) on the way to the next play day at the field! We want this to be the “happiest place on earth” for you and your K9 companion.
Because safety is of primary concern, there are some things we just won’t allow… like training “on leash” or with a collar on your dog. You do NOT want to see a dog hanging from their collar on a piece of equipment. It’s the scariest thing imaginable and freeing the animal from such a situation can be really injurious to the human who is trying to help. If you can avoid such an incident, why wouldn’t you? Our rings are fully fenced and we select all equipment with safety as the highest priority.
We understand this is an activity that you participate in to relieve stress, get some exercise, and enjoy your dog. The goal at every lesson is to see you in the drive, headed home with a happy dog and a smile on your face. Every trip here should be encouraging for both of you!
Interested in getting started? Please use the Contact Us! page to send an e-mail. Lessons can be booked to suit your schedule. A complete calendar of activities on the property can be found here.