# Obstacle course?



## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Just curious if anyone has done obstacle course training? I am thinking of taking a class on this with my dog.

This shows some of the obstacle course they use:
TOPS Kennel - Info | Facebook


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## DFrost (Oct 29, 2006)

Most police dog certifications require an obstacle course of some sort. Usually an assortment of jumps, a tunnel to crawl through etc. 

DFrost


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

That looks AWESOME!


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Yeah, I think it would be a good class for my GSD. I'm hoping to be able to take their next class which starts in July.
I also asked them if they had any videos of the course, so hopefully they'll be adding some to their Facebook page soon!


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

Any training that you do with a dog is good training. The more they learn, the more they are capable of learning.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Andaka said:


> Any training that you do with a dog is good training. The more they learn, the more they are capable of learning.


Well if that's the case, then by now my dog should be a genius! :wild:


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## jturcotte (Oct 6, 2010)

I work for TOPS and have trained all 3 levels of the obstacle course. It is unlike any obstacle or agility course anywhere else in the world. It cannot even be compared to any other course. The course becomes increasinly difficult and if not done correctly a dog can easily injure themselves. Dogs must learn to work slowly and methodically in order to complete the course correctly and safely. The goal of the course is to address every fear that dogs tend to have. If a dog successfully completes all 3 levels there is virtually nothing they can't do. It is a ton of fun to train and you will inevitably learn an incredible amount about your dog and how dogs think. It is also a great bonding experience for you and your dog as your dog will learn to have complete trust in you even when it appears that you are putting your dog in what they perceive to be a dangerous situation. This is by no means a good video, it was just a video my husband and I made for ourselves of his dog at the time (this dog is now a working police k9) if you go to about the 3:10 mark he is working him on a few of the obstacles on level 2 and 3, he was just beginning to learn these obstacles. I do have a video of my old GSD completely doing all 3 courses but it's on VHS so there is no way to post it ;-) Hope this gives you a better understanding of it. Good luck and have fun!


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