• 14Jun

  Trial and Error

  Dog Agility Training No Comments

  I don’t know about anybody else, but I learn through trial and error.  So does my dog! (That’s not to say I set him up to fail; sometimes things  just happen!)

  The learning isn’t in the error, though.  The learning is in how you recover from that error and correct it.  For instance, when I was young in 4-H, when I made an error with my dog I would immediately overcompensate and start drilling her.  Now that I’m older (much older!) I sit back and laugh first, and then figure out where the error occurred, and how to work on fixing it.  Let your mistakes be moments to learn, not get frustrated.

  Remember! you’re not behind anybody. You’re right where you are, and that’s a good place to be, and a good place to move forward from.  Your dog’s all ready to go!
• 12Jun

  Keepin’ cool

  Contests 9 Comments

  This contest is for an Affordable Agility Doggie Drencher!  Our most popular water obstacle, this fun item will give you and your dog hours of enjoyment.  To enter this contest, comment below answering this question;

  Everybody has a not-so-good day sometimes, and dogs just love to go zooming when we’re distracted!  How do you keep your cool?

  How to enter this contest:
  

  If you have never done so before, you must first register your email address on this blog. We will then notify you if you are a winner of this contest. You only need to do this once, and you will be good for all future monthly contests (and get priority notification of when they occur)!

  Scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your comment/answer. Or, if there is no box, click on the “comments” in the upper right corner.

  Good luck! The winner will be chosen on/around July 31st and notified via email.

   
• 11Jun

  Contact Training

  Dog Agility Training No Comments

  Contact training is a necessary step in agility, both for your dogs’ safety and your sanity.  Stopping on a contact can give you enough time to catch up, lead out, or find where you are on course!   Training contact stops should be fun and rewarding for your dog, using a target to learn the behavior, and then fading the target.  Pay attention to your dogs.  Dogs may learn this behavior at different rates. It’s important not to bore them by drilling them in contacts, and it’s also important they feel that contacts are fun.

  REMEMBER: keep sessions very, very short, 1-2 minutes at most, since dogs burn out quickly on targets.

  • Shape the dog to target with his nose or paw, whichever you prefer.  Many handlers prefer the nose since it seems clearer to the dog that they MUST stop.  Reward repetitive touches, or ‘holding’ the touch.  Build value for touching enthusiastically!
  • Practice targeting on stairs, and then fade the target itself, thus leaving your dog with a nose touch to ground behavior. Use any stairs you can, in different settings. Keep sessions short and highly rewarding.
  • Begin practicing the targeting on contact behavior, again beginning with the target so your dog ‘gets it’, and then fading the target, leaving the dog with a nose touch to ground. Keep sessions short and highly rewarding! If at any time your dog’s behavior deteriorates, go back a bit in training, and work your way back up.  Never take a good contact stop for granted.
  • After the dogs are used to contact training, start them on proofing – so they know to stick it no matter WHAT you do!

  If you prefer not to train a 2on2off for any reason, these contact zoners will help your dog learn not to ‘fly off’.

  Tags: agility training

• 07Jun

  Scooter!

  Dog Agility Training, Dog Training (General) No Comments

  My dog ‘scoots’ their bum at the start line.  He never quite breaks his stay, but it’s close!!! What can I do? I’m afraid he will break his stay someday and go rocketing off course.

  Well, the first thing you need to do is realize that scooting is breaking a stay.  A stay means remain where you are, don’t move until released, right? Scooting is moving, so the dog isn’t staying.

  Next, think about why your dog is breaking his stay.  Is it rewarding for him? You bet!!!! each… little… scoot… gets him that much closer to the two joys of his life – you, and agility.

  Now, there are two options; work on a running start with your dog, or retrain the stay.  Maybe use a totally different command, since this one’s now meaning ‘scoot forward’ for him.  I like ‘wait’, personally.  Train the new word as an entirely new concept, with treats, rewards, and fun. Don’t compromise his stay behaviors, though. You don’t want him to move out of position at all.  If he does, don’t let him have his reward.  Train your boy that the only way to get to his agility is to wait.  He’ll get it, I promise!
• 05Jun

  Are Festivals Fun for Fido?

  Dog Training (General) 3 Comments

  Over the long weekend I went to a few festivals/craft show/markets.  They were lovely – festive, fun, bright colors, loud noises, and food! Oh, the food. There was a teem of people, and many, many dogs.  I sat down to enjoy my food and people watch, which ended up being dog watching.

  First, allow me to say I love my dogs, and I like to take them with me when I go places, but I’m not sure festivals like this (designed for people, not pets, though there were no ‘no pets’ signs that I saw) are always the best idea for dogs.  I saw a few dogs who were having a lovely time (loose leash, gentle eyes, seemingly unstressed) but I saw far more stressed out, lunging, hauling, panting, drooling, yelping dogs who didn’t seem to be having quite so much fun.  Their owners seemed pretty annoyed too.

  This made me wonder, how many of us actually take our dogs to festivals or open markets?  Is it a good idea? (Quick note, I think this is great for puppy socialization, but for that I would sit down, not walk around. Pups are squishable in such a throng!) What are your thoughts? I’m not sure I’ve made my mind up yet about it…

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