Give your pup a serious confidence-boost during their daycare, boarding, or private boarding stay with our Confidence Course!
Confidence Course: What's Included?
Confidence courses for dogs come in all shapes and sizes. We use the same course for dogs of all sizes, from our tiny tots to our rowdy rompers, but adjust the height and difficulty to be the perfect fit for your pup. Our confidence course includes:
- Weave Poles
- Hoop Jumps
- A-Frame Bridges
The combination of these three challenges provides great mental and physical stimulation for your pup. Your dog will encounter new textures, shapes, and challenges with this course, which can provide more mental stimulation than a long walk in the park! Trust us, they'll be ready for nap time and glowing with confidence (and from yummy training treats) by the time they're done with their confidence course day.
Weave Poles: What Are They, and Why Are They Awesome?
Weave poles are a staple for confidence courses, and for our dog show fans out there, provide quite a spectacle during agility events. The weave poles are plastic, flexible poles that are affixed to a base that can be moved to become more or less challenging, and give the dogs an obstacle to work around. Weave poles provide behavioral, cognitive, and physical benefits for the dogs who learn to use them. Even if your pup isn't sprinting through the poles, the tight turns required work unique muscle groups in your dog's body, improving coordination, flexibility, and can improve cardiovascular health and strength over time. The weave poles are a great boost for your dog's problem-solving skills. You can watch their confidence grow from the timidity of their first try to the pride of their increased speed and coordination.
Hoop Jumps: Why the Hoop? And Should I Worry about Joint Pain?
Many confidence courses include jumps, but not all include the hoop jump. We like the hoop because it asks your pup to jump through, not just over, an obstacle. This increases the physical and mental agility required, and gives your dog a great confidence boost when they nail it! The tougher the puzzle, the more rewarding the success. Like all jumps, the hoop jump provides great physical exercise, especially as we continually raise the level of the jump! Your pup will learn precision and timing safely, and without risking injury. We do not typically recommend agility courses for senior dogs or dogs with joint issues. We also build up our jumps carefully, allowing your pup to build the muscle and mental stamina needed to jump higher each time--rather than starting with a higher jump on our first go. Our professional trainers lead this exercise carefully, and tailor it to each pup based on their confidence, skill, size, and physical ability.
A-Frame Bridges: What Are They, and Why Do We Use Them?
The a-frame bridge is a two-sided and adjustable bridge made of sturdy material, which can be sharpened to a more acute angle, or lowered to a more shallow slope. Your pup will hop up one side and down the other, with the unique shape providing a safe yet challenging obstacle. As the depth of the a-frame bridge increases, your pup will need to adjust their ascension and descension to nail the landing. Many dogs are hesitant when faced with an obstacle like the a-frame, which provides height, incline, and descent obstacles to overcome. First, we'll help your pup get brave, moving up and over that a-shape until they're back on solid ground. Once they're comfortable with the ascent and descent, we'll increase the angle. The a-frame bridge builds confidence, especially for dogs who are more anxious or hesitant. We love to see them master it!
Can a Dog Enjoy a Confidence Course More than Once?
This is a good question! Especially for some of our smarter, higher-energy breeds, once they've nailed the weave poles, it may feel like they don't have much further to go! Our confidence courses build confidence every time your pup spends time there. We can adjust the hoop jump to be higher, providing a more difficult challenge, shrink the space between weave poles, and adjust the angle of our a-frame bridge to give your pup a greater challenge. Whether it's your pup's first visit to the course or their fifth, they'll get the same confidence boost and enrichment every time.
Who is the Confidence Course Good For?
If you're ever unsure which add-ons your dog will enjoy, leave it to us! Our professional trainers will get to know your pup's temperament, and can recommend the add-ons most likely to provide a challenge, while also honoring what your pup does best. We typically recommend the Confidence Course for dogs who are curious, yet cautious. These pups may tiptoe across the a-frame bridge at first, but will grow their confidence as they increase their speed and adapt to the unique environment. We always send a report card for this add-on, so you can see your pup's mind working as they adapt and overcome. It's a wonderful way to enrich your dog's stay with us at Kim's K-9.
Which Dogs Can Participate?
The Confidence Course Add-On is available to dogs in our Daycare, Boarding, or Solo Enrichment Boarding programs. It is particularly good for pups enjoying a solo stay in our private kennel program, which prevents dog-to-dog contact for dogs who are to old to enjoy group play, too anxious, are dog-reactive, or are not yet neutered. This one-on-one activity provides excellent enrichment time with our professional staff, giving them all of the mental, physical, and social stimulation they need to feel truly satisfied and relaxed. To learn more about our Confidence Course, our add-ons, or our solo boarding program, message us to speak to one of our professional trainers today!
