• 23Nov

  Reader Question

  Dog Agility Training, Dog Training (General) No Comments

  Pat asked; I have two questions. 1. the only obstacle that I am having a problem with is my ECS coming down the teeter. She hesitates at the top and needs to be coaxed down. How can I get her to just keep going?

  2. Would more than basic obedience be bad for us when we are doing agility? Some say being that you train the dog on the left side, they could have a harder time learning the right side of you.

  For the teeter I suggest rewarding at the end of the plank. In class we usually put duct tape on the end and then smear some spray cheese or peanut butter on the end. It may be that she doesn’t like the motion or noise – if so, take a step back in your teeter training and reward speed and pivot and sound as you do so. (Also, keep an eye out for the holiday sales at AffordableAgility (or call and ask us we’d love to help!– we’re getting in a new product for a limited time only, JUST for teeter training!)

  I personally love basic obedience – and advanced obedience. However, I do suggest making sure you learn to work off both sides. I do not think that this is confusing for the dog, since I use a different command for heeling off my left and heeling off my right (a really good trick to have in your repertoire!) and I use no verbal commands, just hand signals for handling agility – I point to the side he’s supposed to be on. So far, it’s worked out well for us, and I do like that he’s a bit more manageable outside the agility ring than some other agility dogs I know. I do use only positive methods to teach him, however, no matter what we’re learning, from herding to obedience to agility!

  

  Tags: Affordable Agility News, agility training

• 16Nov

  Love the Dog You’re With

  Dog Training (General), Inspirational No Comments

  Having goals for your dog and your relationship is a good thing.  Without them, you’ll never get anywhere! No matter what your goal is, remember that it’s your goal. Your dog’s goals are much different and run more along the lines of ‘enjoy time with you’, ‘eat a lot of cookies’, ‘play a lot of tug’, and the ultimate, ‘catch that squirrel!’

  Sometimes we can benefit from those simple lessons our dogs teach us; that even though goals are wonderful worthwhile objects, we need to take a moment and just love the dog we’re with.  Don’t let your long-term goals spoil your enjoyment of the time you get to spend with your dog.  They love you even if they do pop out on the third weave every time! They wouldn’t trade you for the world, all the cookies in creation, or some quality time with the squirrel.

  Love the dogs you’re with, and take them with you towards your goals.

  

  Tags: agility training, dog training

• 02Nov

  Treat Emergency!

  Dog Training (General) No Comments

  What do you do when you’re almost ready for agility class, and you realize you’re out of dog treats? I found myself in this situation a few weeks ago, due to poor planning on my part.  I had some Charlie Bears, but no really good delicious treats (he likes them doesn’t LOVE them).   Here are some quick fixes that might help you and your dogs in this predicament!

  • Cheese – if your dog isn’t lactose intolerant, string cheese can really save the day!
  • Leftover meat – do you have any lunch meat or leftovers that will serve for some puppy snackage?
  • Cereal – nothing too sugary or sticky!
  • Peanut butter sandwich- make the sandwich carefully, and then press the halves together so they won’t come apart, then snip it into small pieces with very sharp kitchen shears.  You can also make this with a single piece of bread, by rolling it up onto itself and snipping it into pinwheels.

  Can you think of any other quick treat fixes?

  

  Tags: agility games/classes

• 14Sep

  A Spoonful of Sugar…

  Dog Training (General) 1 Comment

  Helps the medicine go down!  While that may not be true for dogs, it does help to put the pill in something so they’ll gobble it down instead of wrestling with the dog and a pill gun.

  Giving pills to my big Newfy mix Nova is actually pretty easy – toss her about five liver snaps and cheese cubes, then the pill in a cheese cube, then quickly another liver snap or three.  She’s so eager to catch them all, she doesn’t even notice that there was a pill in that cheese cube!

  For dogs who aren’t as catch-happy, a pill in a cheese cube, or peanut butter can work just as well.  Once you get past that stage however, medicating dogs can be dicey!  Ask your veterinarian if there is any way to get the pill in a treat form – like heartworm medicine, almost! – or if you can open the capsule and mix it into something else.  Make sure you ask your vet before opening any capsules. Often medication is on a ‘timed release’, so the capsule is an important part of the process.

  What’s your trick for pills?

  

  Tags: dog safety & health

• 03Aug

  So, You Want An Agility Dog?

  Dog Agility Training, Dog Training (General), Inspirational 5 Comments

  So, you want an agility dog? Don’t we all?

  But what should you be looking for in a future agility partner? Drive! Stamina! Great body! Brilliant brains!

  You should be looking for a family pet. Look for a dog you can live with! If you buy a dog that has awesome drive and is trainable and fast, but you can’t stand their constant pestering for a ball to be tossed, you’ve cheated yourself and your dog. Look for a breed or type you like, a dog you won’t mind walking every day, playing with all the time, and listening to it bark sometimes. If you like tiny dogs, big dogs, or long dogs, get one! They can do agility if they’re healthy and happy, just like any other dog. You may have to change the way you train, but what’s life without challenges? While you may not have a future world team member, you’ll have YOUR team member… which matters more?

  You should be looking for a healthy animal. While some health conditions are fixable (puppy has sneezes, oh noes!) some simply aren’t. Choose a healthy animal, from a reputable breeder or shelter.

  Yes, I said shelter. While there are valid arguments about shelter puppies’ uncertain parentage and affinities, see point one. You’re not looking for a champion first and foremost- you’re looking for a friend. If a puppy or young dog is healthy, it can do agility. Some people want purebreds, and that’s okay!  But for those of you who have it in your heart to take a mystery mutt… often, you will be repaid in triplicate (to make up for the forms you fill out in triplicate). I know I have been.

  A Smart Puppy. There are so many books that have detailed aptitude tests in them that I really feel it superfluous to go over aptitude testing here in this blog, but consider testing your puppies’ intelligence. Definitely test his willingness to interact with you! If the dog is happy to come to you when you happy voice at him, and looks up at you, then the chances of you having a future team-mate squirming in front of you are high!

  There is no ‘perfect’ dog. There are many great, wonderful, awesome dogs, but perfection doesn’t exist in this world. Find a great, wonderful, awesome dog, and love them. They already love you!

  Drive, stamina, good joints… all of those things are necessary in your dog. You can ‘train’ drive, and you can build stamina, but if your dog simply isn’t physically capable, then you probably can not do agility, at least not competitively.  Your vet will help you decide.  The good news is, though… if you chose your dog because you liked them, because they were a dog you wanted to work with and be a teammate with… it might not matter so much as you think. You can still enjoy breakfast, long walks, and good talks with them.

  How did you meet your agility partner?  How’d you know agility was for you?

  

  Tags: dog safety & health

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