Excelling at Dog Agility - Book 1: Obstacle Training (Updated Second Edition) [Hardcover]

Jane Simmons-Moake (Author)

Book Description

Series: Excelling at Dog Agility | Publication Date: October 8, 2005

This book provides detailed, step-by-step instructions for training your dog to master each agility obstacle with safety, fun, and competitive excellence in mind. It includes important principles for building a happy and successful working relationship with your dog, as well as a solid foundation for all of your agility training. The focus is placed upon setting high standards from the start so that no retraining will be necessary later down the road.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Build a Canine Library -Must-Have Books and DVDs
by Stephanie Horan

Excelling at Dog Agility Series
These three books provide step-by-step instructions for the agility enthusiast, from beginning to advanced levels of competition. Simmons-Moake emphasizes building a solid foundation so that correcting errors and retraining won t be necessary. Setting a high standard together with consistent and clear communication with your dog is important in developing a great working relationship so that your dog becomes fast and reliable. Detailed lesson plans are given for training classes, and a very useful problem-solving appendix gives in-depth answers to many common questions. --Dog World Magazine January, 2008

About the Author

Jane Simmons-Moake is one of the world's foremost agility trainers. A top-winning competitor, veteran judge, and award-winning author, Jane runs one fo the nation's most successful agility training organizations, FlashPaws Agility Training Center in Houston, Texas.

A popular seminar leader in the U.S. and abroad, Jane has also competed internationally as a member of the 1996 and 1997 U.S. World Championship Agility Teams, and was the 20" National Champion at he 2006 AKC Agility Invitational.

Jane's unique background cpombines over 20 years of competitive dog trainng success in a wide range of dog sports with M.S. and Ed.S. degrees in Instructional Technology - the study of designing training programs that really work. As a result, Jane's books and videos have long been considered by many to be "the bible" of serious agility enthusiasts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: FlashPaws Productions; 2nd edition (October 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967492904
• ISBN-13: 978-0967492902
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have book for agility enthusiasts and neophytes alike, October 25, 2000

By 

"seradkins" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Excelling at Dog Agility - Book 1: Obstacle Training (Updated Second Edition) (Hardcover)

This book is an ideal starting point for anyone wanting to learn about the wonderful sport of dog agility and how to train their dog to compete in the agility ring. In addition, it can help the experienced agility handler train their beginning dog the right way from the start, helping to ensure success.

This book is written as a companion to Simmons-Moake's award-winning set of videos on agility training (which are also excellent), but you do not need the videos to enjoy the book. There are pictures and diagrams, and the book is well-organized into easy to understand sections. The author breaks down the art of training agility into simple concepts, which she reemphasizes and builds on throughout the book. Simmons-Moake clearly understands how dogs learn, and encourages positive, motivational methods to teach dogs how to perform each agility obstacle correctly and to enhance the dog-handler relationship.

I highly recommend this book! Agility is an addicting sport, one of the most fun things you can enjoy with your dog, and this book is a great way to learn about it.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Raising the bar for agility books!, January 2, 2004

By 

Amanda Eaton "Jack Russells rule!!!" (Custer Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Excelling at Dog Agility - Book 1: Obstacle Training (Updated Second Edition) (Hardcover)

Masterfully worded with wonderful illustrations and diagrams, Jane Simmons-Moake has created one of the best books on dog agility training I've seen. This book covers obstacle training for all of the AKC/NADAC/USDAA equipment, focusing on excellence and doing things "the right way" from the beginning. Each obstacle is presented in an easy-to-read, step by step format. She provides tips for those who have troubles teaching a particular obstacle, and has special sections on fixing dropped bars and missed contacts. Not only does she show you how to train the obstacle, but also how to work from a distance with control and confidence... from the beginning! Many trainers leave distance training until the basics have been mastered, but this book allows even the novice agility enthusiast to get a competitive edge early on. Her method will produce consistent and satisfying results! Included in the beginning of the book is also a chapter on equipment and getting started. A brilliant read from start to finish! I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in agility, from the "newbie" to the seasoned competitor!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the beginner, January 5, 2007

By 

Heather Luedecke (NW, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Excelling at Dog Agility - Book 1: Obstacle Training (Updated Second Edition) (Hardcover)

I thought it would be fun to teach my italian greyhound some agility, so I picked up the entire series by Simmons Moake. She give excellent instruction on teaching your dog each obstacle, and how to properly approach and preform the obstacle the right way from the beginning. This book might not be appropriat for those with little patience (of the trainer or the dog), because she focuses of doing one obstacle till it is preformed appropriately from all directions at speed. She does not go into doing series until the next book. So, if you are just interested in having fun in the yard with your dog - this might not be the right book for you. If you could go on to competition and you and your dog want to feel confident in preforming a course I highly suggest picking up this series.