Week 8

[Day 52] Degility in everyday life - mastering obstacles together

October 1, 2024

Time to read 6 min

Basic obedience: Day 52 of 56

This video and training is part of the Grunge Obedience Concept, a structured programme to promote obedience and the bond between humans and dogs. The concept is carefully didactic and methodical to ensure that each exercise builds on the previous one for maximum effectiveness. It is crucial that you carry out the training in the intended order to achieve the best possible results for your dog.

Obstacle exercises are not only a popular dog sport, but also a great way to encourage your dog in everyday life. While the well-known agility often focuses on speed and precision, degility offers a calmer and less stressful alternative. It's not about competition or pressure to perform, but about controlled movements that improve your dog's body awareness and strengthen their relationship with you.

Day 52 of the training plan is all about degility. You will learn how to use everyday obstacles in the city and in nature to give your dog a physical and mental workout. This not only trains your dog's balance and coordination, but also boosts their self-confidence. Overcoming obstacles together also strengthens your communication and co-operation.

In this blog, you will find out why degility is ideal for dogs of all ages, what benefits it offers and how you can create an exciting course with simple exercises - without any expensive equipment.

Goal: Mastering obstacles together with your guidance

Equipment: Treats, Collar, Leash

Location: Where you find an obstacle

Duration: Individual course stations during the walk

Trainingsplan Download

The advantages of degility

Degility is a wonderful way to train your dog in a stress-free and playful way. Unlike agility, where speed and precision take centre stage, degility focuses on calmness, trust and deliberate movements. This makes this type of training particularly versatile and suitable for dogs of all breeds, ages and fitness levels.

A major advantage of degility is the promotion of body coordination and balance. Exercises such as balancing on narrow surfaces or crossing obstacles help your dog to use its body more consciously. These exercises not only strengthen the muscles, but also improve body awareness. This is a gentle and effective training method for young dogs that are still developing and older dogs that can no longer be as physically active.

Degility also makes a significant contribution to boosting self-confidence. Your dog masters new obstacles step by step and gains a valuable sense of achievement in the process. This is a way for insecure dogs in particular to gain confidence in themselves and their environment. They learn to accept unfamiliar situations and reduce their fears through these positive experiences.

Another advantage is the exercise without the pressure to perform. Degility allows your dog to learn at his own pace. Without time constraints or competition, he can concentrate fully on the exercises while you support him with positive reinforcement. This stress-free approach ensures that your dog is not only physically but also mentally challenged without being overwhelmed.

Last but not least, degility also strengthens the human-dog bond. Working together on a course, overcoming challenges and celebrating small successes promotes your communication and co-operation. Your dog learns to trust you and rely on you while you recognise his progress and accompany him along the way. These positive experiences together will go a long way towards deepening your relationship.

Degility offers a varied and holistic activity that not only encourages your dog, but also helps you both grow as a team.

ℹ Why degility encourages dogs

Degility is based on the natural joy of movement and the innate abilities of dogs. But there is much more to these playful exercises than just entertainment - they fulfil important functions that promote both your dog's physical health and mental development.

Dogs naturally have a great urge to move and curiosity, which they need to fulfil both physically and mentally. Obstacles such as tree trunks, benches or slalom courses cater to precisely these needs by offering your dog a challenge that is both exciting and solvable. Body coordination exercises in particular - such as balancing or purposefully crossing obstacles - not only strengthen your dog's muscles, but also his motor skills. This is essential to promote agility and balance.

Degility also has a major impact on your dog's emotional stability. Mastering new tasks and dealing with unfamiliar situations boosts self-confidence. Insecure or cautious dogs in particular benefit from the small successes they experience during training. When your dog overcomes an obstacle with your guidance, he not only learns to rely on you, but also that he can overcome challenges himself.

Benefits of resting exercises for dogs and humans

Degility can be wonderfully integrated into everyday life, because you can find obstacles almost everywhere - whether in the city, in the park or on a walk in the forest. With a little creativity, you can use your surroundings to offer your dog a varied and exciting training session.

Easy to find obstacles

There are many objects in everyday life that are perfect for degility. A park bench becomes a balancing area, a fallen tree trunk a training device for jumps or coordination exercises. Even small steps, low walls or a pile of leaves can serve as obstacles. It is important that you adapt the obstacles to your dog's abilities - surfaces that are too high or unsafe should be avoided to prevent injuries or excessive demands.

Exercises for everyday life

You can use everyday obstacles to teach your dog different movement sequences:

Balancing: Slowly lead your dog over a park bench or tree trunk. This trains his balance and body coordination.
Jumping: Let your dog jump over small branches, tree trunks or other low obstacles.
Crawl under: Use benches or branches that your dog can crawl under. This requires concentration and skill.
Slalom: Lead your dog in a zigzag around trees, posts or lampposts. This trains his agility and alertness.
Place front paws on the ground: Have your dog place his front paws on a raised object such as a stone or a step. This exercise strengthens his muscles and trains his posture.

Flexibility and variety

The great advantage of degility in everyday life is that you can adapt the exercises flexibly. Every walk offers new opportunities to vary the obstacles and personalise the challenge. Your dog stays motivated because the environment always offers new stimuli and you experience exciting adventures together.

Trainingsplan Download

You'll find the perfect equipment with us

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Summary

Degility is a versatile method suitable for everyday use to keep your dog physically and mentally challenged. Unlike agility, the focus here is not on speed or competition, but on control, cooperation and the joy of training together. Your dog learns to master new obstacles, train his balance and become more aware of his movements - a valuable experience for dogs of all ages and fitness levels.

The use of everyday obstacles in particular makes degility so practical and flexible. Whether it's a park bench, tree trunk or step - with a little creativity, you can turn any walk into an exciting degility session. This not only strengthens your dog's body coordination and self-confidence, but also the bond between you.

Over the next few days, you can look forward to more exciting ideas on how to keep your dog occupied and encouraged in a meaningful way. Degility is just one building block in a holistic training plan that will show you how versatile and enriching working with your dog can be.

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Australian Shepherd lies next to owner and looks at her

[Day 51] Dawdling - rest exercises as mental exercise for your dog

The authors: Paulina & Lui

Paulina and Lui are the heart and soul behind Vitomalia [Dogstraining & Store]. Her journey in dog training began with the adoption of her first list dog, Vito. This experience sparked her deep interest in teaching other dog owners about dog behaviour and training. Initially this was just a hobby, but with the adoption of the American Pitbull Amalia, who had been relinquished several times due to severe behavioural problems, her passion developed into a true vocation. Amalia's particular behavioural challenges intensified her interest in dog training and behavioural therapy. This turning point led Paulina and Lui to leave their original career paths, undergo intensive further training and dedicate themselves fully to the subject of dog training. Their work with human-dog teams also revealed a gap in the dog market: there was a lack of safe, high-quality dog accessories specifically for medium-sized and large breeds.

From this realisation, Vitomalia [Dogstraining & Store] was born, a combination of their commitment to professional dog training and the need for quality dog accessories. Paulina and Lui bring their personal experience, extensive knowledge and passion for dogs to every product to help human-dog teams live together.