The Home Run Dog Park has a custom made agility course for owners to train their dogs with. When the dog park was created, the Battle Creek Area Association of REALTOR’s provided a special grant for the agility equipment. This equipment included hill climbs, bridge climbs, a walking beam, training platforms, jump bars and tunnels.
The hill climbs are peaked ramps that form an upside down V, which dogs can go up and down on. The bridge climb is a platform they can walk up and down a ramp to. The walking beam is used to train your dogs to walk in balance as they cross.
The training platforms are used to train dogs to sit and stay. It is a tool used by dog training schools to help owners train a dog to remain in place using the ‘stay’ or ‘place’ commands. The ‘place’ command helps the dog associate the platform with the place they must stay at until instructed that they can leave it. The dog owners can also train the dog to ‘Go to their place’ and have the dog walk over and sit on the platform. This is a helpful training method, as when one gets home with their dog, they can transfer the concept of the ‘place’ to a rug or dog bed. So when company comes over, if you do not want your dog jumping or bothering guests, you can give them the ‘place’ command and have them go sit or lay down on their rug or dog bed.
The jump bars are common on agility courses, and are often used for dog show training competitions. The tunnels have a dual use, as the dogs can run through them or climb the hill over them for fun. We will also be adding some jump hoops later on, where dogs can be trained to jump through a metal hoop. The center section of the large dog area was left open for running, and throwing balls and frisbees as well.
The wooden agility equipment was custom made by volunteers over several weekends in creation of the park, and they are constructed of pressure treated lumber and composite all-weather decking material.
The agility equipment at the Home Run Dog Park is a mixture of training tools, exercise equipment and fun for your dog. When visiting the park, spend some time working with your dog on any of the equipment you desire.
We do ask that people not climb on top of the equipment, as they were designed for dogs. Additionally, we do not want people climbing on top of the earthen hills over the tunnels to allow time for the grass to grow and the soil to settle. It is okay for dogs to be on the hills or equipment, as that is what they were designed for.
Thank you, and enjoy the dog park!
