Malta’s first dog park with agility hurdles opened in May. Although this was great news for dog owners, my concern immediately was the safety of the dogs in the hands of owners who have no clue as to what they are doing with the hurdles.
Having practised agility with my dogs at a competitive level abroad, I was aware that there are certain strict rules in agility training that many people are not aware unless they take first lessons with a proper coach.
On October 21, I went to the dog park in Ta’ Qali for the first time with my dog. My fears were not unfounded. I saw many dangerous situations when it came to untrained people dragging their dogs through the hound hoops, hurdle jumps, hound hurdles, agility swing and the dog walk ramps.
One woman climbed on the swing herself, her dog behind being hit in the head with the swing as it suddenly went up under the owner’s weight. All the owners seemed to be unaware of the rule that the dog must first be taught to slow down at the end of the swing and to wait until the swing slowly goes down.
Instead, everyone was letting their dog run through the swing with high speed, the dog ending up jumping from heights as the swing crashed down.
There was a family who brought their small dog with a muzzle in to the park. It was evident that it was terrified of other dogs, and yet the owner was forcefully dragging the dog along the park and occasionally jerking violently from its lead. Indeed the mother of the family said that in two years the dog had never been in touch with other dogs prior to this. What was more worrying was that in the heat of the day the dog was wearing a very tight muzzle which made it unable to release heat by panting (or even to drink water).
In other countries the kennel clubs organise supervised agility training with a proper coach. I would encourage dog owners to at least research online about agility training before going to the park clueless. Many dogs love agility but only when they are in the hands of an owner who knows what they are doing and without the danger of injury.
My best tip would be to encourage and reward your dog with treats, do not use force in any circumstances, and don’t make your dog do hurdles that you yourself are not sure how to use them. And if your dog doesn’t enjoy agility, don’t force it into anything – go for a nice walk in the park instead.