Local Agility

Agility is a popular dog sport for both recreational fun and serious competition. It requires specialized equipment and a lot of training, so most dog owners in the Chicago area seek area agility training classes. There are dozens of agility training facilities around Chicago to choose from. To pick the one that's best for you and your dog it is helpful to understand what makes a good agility campus.

Indoor/Outdoor

The question of whether to attend classes held indoors or outdoors is a difficult on in Chicago. The weather in the northern Illinois region is hot in the summer, but bitter and snowy in the winter. If you pick a training class in the Chicago area that only conducts classes outside there will be a good portion of the year that you cannot train. On the other hand, most agility competitions hold their events outdoors because of the large equipment and big course space required. So it is a good idea to get your dog used to running outside where distractions are different than they are inside. The best of all situations is a training facility with both indoor and outdoor training areas.

Equipment

Familiarize yourself with the type of equipment required in agility classes so you know what you are looking at when you visit a facility. Leave your dog at home to make the first trip to inspect the grounds. At the very least the training facility needs an "A" frame, several jumps, a dog walk, a tire jump, weave poles, a tunnel, and a pause box. The bigger pieces are items it is hard for all but the most enthusiastic owner with a lot of space can have at home. They are also the hardest to train dogs to accomplish correctly, so be sure they are there. When you look at the training arena check each piece of equipment for general condition. It is okay if it looks used, but it should be sturdy and not splintered, rusty, or broken in any way.

Instructors

Choose your facility based on condition and location, but that is only half of the equation. The instructor is a vital part of the class. When you look at all of the Chicago agility instructors consider their past accomplishments and what they are currently training for with their own dogs. Shy away from trainers who teach, but don't do. Agility seems like all fun and games, but it is serious business that takes good training techniques to get a top performing dog, and to avoid injury to you or your dog. Even if you only want to go to a Chicago agility training course for the fun, you have to do it right.

Class Size

Of course the facility with the best training area, top notch equipment, and great trainers is going to be in high demand. However, an overcrowded class could mean you won't get much actual training time. Most Chicago agility classes are group style classes, but only one dog can be running the course at a time. Find out how classes are broken down. Do they split up the groups so there are a couple of dogs at each obstacle and rotate around the course? Or do they have each dog run the course individually which would make very small class sizes mandatory.

Location

Last, but not least take into consideration where in the Chicago area the classes are located in regards to your home. While in theory it shouldn't matter if you have to drive a bit to get to the best facility, after awhile a longer drive becomes an excuse to skip a training session when the day is tiring and you are beat. If necessary, sign up to a class nearby, and find out if you can attend the longer distance facility on an occasional basis if you so desire.