If you are considering agility training for your dog… then to avoid injuries it is of vital importance that you join a club which can help your dog to perform their round without injuring him or herself.

Within your club they will work to improve the jumping style of all the dogs, and have training days from jumping experts… this can be a vital assistance, don’t miss it!

There has been a worldwide discussion raging with regard to jump height, and the bearing this has on jumping style, and thereby on injuries.

Statistics have been used to try to prove both the theory that the higher the dog jumps, the safer it is, as they are travelling more slowly and have to be more precise in regard to the take off point, and the opposite theory… that it is safer for the dog to jump over lower obstacles. But, as always with statistics… the saying goes… there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Let us hope that some progress can be made to resolve this argument in the safest way possible for the competitors… the brilliant dogs who give so much entertainment and pleasure to spectators the world over.

Evidently there is a tendency for anterior cruciate ligament injuries to occur in some dogs. Not only is this an excruciatingly painful injury for your pet, but in a large dog, it means an operation at a specialist vets where they have to break the dogs leg, alter the angle of the bone, and plate it. This will in all probability be a very expensive operation, and most probably be a career ending injury.

It will mean six weeks of room confinement, with only trips to the garden on a lead for toilet purposes. Of course it will be difficult for them to move and stand at first… later they will become extremely bored! Boredom will apply especially to dogs who were pursuing active and enjoyable sports prior to their injuries.

It is a subject which we have had personal experience of… not from doing agility, but because of our rescue dogs mistreatment as a pup and young dog. He has had to have both back legs done. It is definitely an injury to be avoided if at all possible! Although he is fine now his movement sideways at the back is not A1… there is a slight lack of strength there, and he is nervous of other dogs rushing about and bumping into him.

Perhaps this is a good place to mention insurance! Hopefully you have pet insurance yourself, but, as with ALL insurance, do check out the exclusions. Exclusions may well apply for dogs who take part in sports like Agility and Flyball. Insurers, on the whole, do manage to wangle themselves out of paying with boring regularity!

Also do check that your club has the proper insurance for canine clubs and societies… ask about it, ask about injuries, mention cruciate ligament injuries – the cost of this operation is steep! Also make sure you, yourself, are fit and injury free and ready to begin this exciting new form of exercise [and fun] with your pet.

Another TIP which comes to mind with this talk of injuries, is, if your pet has to take tablets… find a way it can be enjoyable for them.

We had one dog who absolutely loved Marmite, he would take any tablet as long as it was covered in his favourite Marmite! Now we have a pet with thyroid trouble which means tablets daily… he isn’t a Marmite fan, but we found he would take the tablets when covered in butter.

Although we can’t quite believe it ourselves… he is brand specific [he will ignore all the hard packet butters which are used for cake making] but more than this… he is a bit like that old advert ‘You can’t tell Stork from Butter’!

He can tell the difference between Lurpak in tubs and Morrisons own Danish Style butter… they both come in similar tubs. There was a period when the Morrisons brand wasn’t in store… and he just did not rush for the Lurpak in his normal manner. As soon as we got a tub of the Morrisons again he was there like a rocket for his tablets in the old manner. Even licking out the empty tubs was done without the enthusiasm when we had Lurpak. Secretly, I must admit I tend to agree with him… but we are still totally amazed!

By: Jay S

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