Every dog has his day, and National Dog Day is August 26th! Our pups are just as much a member of the family as anyone else, and there’s nothing more doggone fun than celebrating the pure love and loyalty of our fur babies. Here’s a little bit about National Dog Day from the National Dog Day website:

National Dog Day is celebrated August 26th annually and was founded in 2004 by Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal Advocate, Colleen Paige, also the founder of National Puppy Day, National Mutt Day and National Cat Day and many more philanthropic days to bring attention to the plight of animals and encourage adoption. The date of August 26th is significant, as it’s the date that Colleen’s family adopted her first dog “Sheltie” when Colleen was 10 years old.

National Dog Day celebrates all dogs, mixed breed and pure. Our mission is to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year and acknowledges family dogs and dogs that work selflessly each day to save lives, keep us safe and bring comfort.

For National Dog Day, we decided to celebrate Roxy! She is a retired seeing-eye dog who gave birth to a couple of pups who went on to become seeing eye guides, just like their mom. She is a kind and gentle black lab who is a great listener! We put Roxy in front of the camera for the day as the model for our Blue Agility Dog Tunnel and let’s just say – Roxy’s still got it!

Blue Agility Dog Tunnel 3’ Tunnel and 8’ Chute

These institutional strength dog-training chutes are made to be durable and easy to use while training your pup for physical activity, dog competitions or even simple obedience. One end of the 3′ X 24″ 600/300 Polyester Taffeta tunnel even has a Velcro lip to easily attach the 8′ 190 T Polyester Taffeta Rip/stop training chute. It collapses down for easy storage, and is completely portable with its own carrying case and handles. And since dogs can be unpredictable, these can easily be cleaned with a damp cloth and mild soap. Who’s a good girl?

While you sign your dog up for agility classes, it could also be helpful to keep up the training at home with this chute. Great care is taken while constructing our tunnels, because the size of the dog can have an effect on the training courses. If a dog is small, they can get tangled (and therefore trapped) inside, which could make them fear the agility course. Nobody likes doing something they don’t want to do – agility should be done willingly and with plenty of enthusiasm! We take pride in taking all of this into consideration and making sure that the agility experience is enjoyable for all dogs.

The importance of dog agility

Dogs are high energy and love to play, but just how important is it to make sure they’re getting their exercise? Think about dogs like humans – if we are stuck inside all day with no cell phones, no TV and no opposable thumbs, things might get pretty boring and could lead to destructive behavior. That is the same with dogs! They need to stay not only physically stimulated with walks and constant play, but they need mental stimulation as well.

Dogs love to figure things out and problem solve tasks such as puzzles, and they also love mastering commands to earn treats and affection. Dogs who learn basic obedience and agility are also much calmer in the long run, since they are able to get out all their stimulation during class and play.

Not only is it great exercise and stimulation, but it strengthens the bond between you and your dog according to celebrity dog trainer Cesar Millan:

Agility courses are set up so that dogs would not be able to complete them without the help of the handler. As the dog must rely on the verbal and hand instructions from the handler in order to navigate the course, the trust between owner and dog will be increased. Helping your dog to pass through agility obstacles will help reinforce basic obedience commands, improve dog/owner communication, and ultimately help to improve your dog’s behavior outside of the agility course.

Also according to Cesar Millan, agility also fulfills your dog’s natural instincts:

In the wild, dogs are natural hunters, chasing and running after a variety of prey. While in pursuit of food, dogs must often follow rabbits and foxes through a forest and navigate through a variety of barriers. Their natural instincts involve jumping over fallen logs, climbing up steep slopes, and squeezing through bushes and vegetation. Since the end goal is to catch up with prey, time is of the essence and the faster a dog runs, the better their chances of ending up with a satisfying meal. Agility courses are designed to mimic these types of natural scenarios and fulfill the hunting and chasing desires of your dog.

Let us know!

Tell us all about your fur baby (or babies) that you will be celebrating this week! Do they know how to do tricks and other agility tasks? Let us know in the comments below, and have a great National Dog Day!