I know, I keep saying this, but this one is especially great because of all the NEW things that have never been offered on Affordable Agility until now. Some of them will only be available for this sale, and will not be carried again. Like… the Doggie Raw-hide Bone Advent Calendar! Every day in December you pluck off a little bone and give it to your dog! Even the background tree is edible. Plus, of course, lots of agility obstacles and accessories, and new books and videos too (including the Agility Course Books, Record Books, and more.) You can view all the great stuff here.
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20Nov
Tags: Affordable Agility News
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20Nov
A blog member sent me an interesting question this week. She asked,”My dog is having trouble clearing the triple jump at AKC trials. He takes off too soon and hits the top bar with his front feet as he starts to descend prior to clearing all the bars. Any suggestions?”
Here are just a couple thoughts on the subject, and as for the rest, I am asking the ‘community’ to share their opinion to make this a collective response!
- If you don’t own a Triple Jump at home, it sounds like it would be a good idea. They are very ubiquitous in trials. For an affordable practice version click here. I am not trying to push a sale on these, but your dog needs more work understanding the jumping principle of a triple, and it will be hard to teach him if all you have is class time, and of course impossible once you hit a trial.
- Though it might look a little awkward, you can also improvise by placing 3 regular bar jumps close together.
- Assuming you have a triple jump, the next thought is… are the height adjustments adjusted properly for your dog? Triple jumps have a certain set-up for the 3 bars that is hard to explain in mere words, but basically your dog has to jump equally as long as he does tall. This is accomplished by an ascending (‘uphill’) spread pattern. If your dog is in the 24″ jump division, for example, he is not only going to be jumping 24″ in height, but the length of his jump (from the first bar in front, to the last bar in the back) will also be 24″. The middle bar falls at the halfway point.
- Your dog’s perception. Squint and stare at a triple and try to see what your dog sees. When looking straight on a Triple Jump, the bars can look like they are a regular bar jump, with one bar stacked over the other. If your dog sees it this way, he will jump high over the first bar (which is near the ground) thinking he is jumping over the tallest bar in the back at the same time, thus hitting the back bar because he is not leaping long enough. I believe some dogs have different depth perceptions than others, and also, if you have a dog with long hair in the face, it is important, at least for safety reasons, to keep it trimmed for agility.
- One idea is that you could start with (and I’d do this with beginner dogs who have never done a triple before) is to lower the height of the bars. This may seem like going back to ‘baby steps’, but by doing this your dog can visually see upon approach (and while jumping over it) that the bars are spread. When they are placed too high (that is, adjusted for his jump height division) your dog doesn’t see this until it’s too late. So again, if your dog is a 24″ jumper, then start by placing the back bar at just 12″ high, the front bar 12″ apart from it and just 2″ from the ground, and the middle bar inbetween these measurements. If this proves to be successful, you can then start inching the bars up in future training sessions.
Ok, everyone, I know this is NOT all the ideas that can be offered on this subject, sooo…. come on friends and trainers…what else can Kathy do?
- If you don’t own a Triple Jump at home, it sounds like it would be a good idea. They are very ubiquitous in trials. For an affordable practice version click here. I am not trying to push a sale on these, but your dog needs more work understanding the jumping principle of a triple, and it will be hard to teach him if all you have is class time, and of course impossible once you hit a trial.
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19Nov
The dog is man’s best friend. But we are not always our dog’s best friend. Sometimes our dogs go absolutely nuts when they see other dogs. He may be the best behaved, nicest dog when he is around you and your friends. But let another canine come into the picture and he doesn’t even remember who you are! You feel like you are nothing but a food dispenser to him anymore!The heart of this problem is your dog’s socialization. He simply hasn’t been around enough other dogs in various situations to choose you over a canine companion. If you aren’t a dog breeder, you should spay or neuter your pet. Keeping your dog reproductively intact will keep him wanting to seek out other dogs, either for mating or for showing who is dominant. Spaying/neutering will help your dog be more interested in you than in other canines.
You’ll need to exposure your dog to other dogs in a variety of situations so that he may be accustomed to being around other dogs. A great place to start is with obedience training classes. Look in your local yellow pages, ask your veterinarian or talk to employees at your local pet food supermarket to get information about classes near you. Teaching your dog obedience in a group setting will not only get him accustomed to other dogs but will strengthen the bond between the two of you. And he’ll learn to be better behaved as well!
Once you and your dog have some basic obedience under your belts and you know your dog is friendly with other people and animals, you can take him to other locations for socialization. You may want to go to the local dog park. Or talk to some friends from your dog class about arranging a “play date”. There are even some businesses that offer “doggie day care” that will give your dog an opportunity to interact with other dogs.
Once your dog has been socialized with other dogs, he won’t be so frantic when he sees another one of his own kind. He will be much more willing to focus on you when you are doing fun and interesting things like learning obedience or playing at agility.
Good luck and have fun!
To read more problem dog help tips, go here.
~Thank you to Amy Sugars
Tags: dog safety & health, dog training
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18Nov
Want to go WHERE?
No matter how big your dog may be, he may become a scaredy-cat in certain situations. He may be afraid of loud noises or new situations or strange items in the back yard. Sometimes you may not realize that your handsome dog is actually quaking inside. Many dogs become fearful when in a crowded place such as at an agility trial. Here are a few clues that your buddy is afraid…
He may need to be coaxed through crowds and when he does move; he walks slowly and looks around frequently.
He may cling to your legs.
He may cower in his crate and not want to come out.
He may shy away from people who may want to pet him.
He may refuse to take treats from you.
It will take some time to turn a scaredy-cat dog into a happy-go-lucky boy in crowds but fortunately it can be done. One thing you may want to do is take your dog to obedience classes. You can find a local class by checking out the yellow pages or talking to your veterinarian. Obedience lessons will give your boy something to focus on while he is around other people and dogs. The lessons will give him confidence. But the key to overcoming his fear of crowds is socialization. You need to get your dog in as many different situations as you can so that he can learn to be comfortable wherever you take him. You’ll want to start small and just do a little at a time. You don’t want to overwhelm him and make him more afraid. Start by walking your dog in a park or a local school where children are playing and there is some noise. Don’t take your dog right into the thick of things but walk him on the periphery. Play a game with him to distract him. Practice your obedience lessons. Give him lots of praise and treats to make it a very pleasant experience for him. Once you feel he is relaxed in that situation, you can move to the next step. Take him to a pet store that allows dogs and have the employees greet him and give him treats. This is a good way to meet strangers on a limited basis so it is not too much for him to handle. Next you can walk him along the sidewalks at your local strip mall, near a busy store. Don’t approach strangers as they may be afraid of dogs. But if people are interested in meeting your dog, have them pet him. Have treats ready to give to these kind strangers to feed to your dog. Gradually go to different areas with increasing activity, noise and crowd levels. Soon your dog will be stepping out with his head held high, ready to greet the world.One word of caution, don’t take any dogs but especially scaredy-cat dogs to any outings where there might be fireworks or other loud, unexpected noises. Also be sure to keep your dog on leash at all times. You don’t want him to bolt away from you.
Have fun and good luck!
For more help with dog issues, go here!
~Thank you to Amy Sugars
Tags: dog safety & health, dog training
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17Nov
We all have met the zany out-of-control dog. Unfortunately she is often our dog! Sometimes you may not realize that you have a zany dog until you experience certain situations. For example, your dog may be perfectly behaved while on a leash or in your backyard but when she goes to a friend’s house or to an agility trial, she runs all around and won’t listen to a word you say. She goes visiting other dogs and people, sniffs everything and anything and generally ignores you. In addition to being frustrating, this can be a potentially dangerous situation because you may not be able to get to your dog if she puts herself in harm’s way.The first thing you need to do to curb your dog’s zaniness is to teach her a reliable recall. That is, she MUST come immediately whenever you call her. First your dog needs to understand the command “Come” or “Here”. Once you are sure she knows the recall, you can start insuring that she will always respond to the command. To do this, start by having your dog on a long line (10 or 20 ft) in the backyard. Let her wander around and think you aren’t paying her a lick of attention. Walk over to the end of the long line and call your dog to you. If she ignores you, pick up the long line and reel her into you. Say “Come” in a happy voice and give her lots of praise when she comes to you. You never ever want to punish her when she comes to you because then she won’t want to come to you the next time. Also, never give the “Come” command when you can’t reinforce it. This will just teach her that you don’t really mean what you say.
Once your dog is coming to you reliably in the controlled location of your backyard, it is time to take her to another location. It may be as simple as the front yard, where there isn’t a fence and there are the distractions of the neighbors. Again, use the long line to reinforce the recall. Gradually increase the complexity of the location where you practice your recall until your dog is reliably returning to you whenever you call her. If you have problems in any one location, you may need to go back to a less stressful, less complex location and work your way back up.
In addition to training a reliable recall command, you should also work on getting your dog’s attention. There are many methods for teaching attention by using treats or a clicker. Your local dog trainer can help you with this. There are also a number of books you can buy or borrow that explain how to get and keep your dog’s attention.
Finally, the one sure-fire method of keeping your dog from becoming out of control is to be the most interesting thing in her life. If you are going for a walk and she is pulling to go in her own direction, turn and go the other way. She will want to come with you. Walk briskly so that she has to work to keep up with you. This will help keep her from wandering and will also help your waist line! There are many ways to keep yourself interesting to your dog. After all, they really love us and want to be with us!
Good luck!
To read more problem dog help tips, go here.
~Thank you to Amy SugarsTags: dog safety & health, dog training
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