• 21Jul

  Overwhelming Obstacles

  Inspirational No Comments

  Many obstacles in life look overwhelming. Many of them are overwhelming if looked at as a whole, and so often we just back away from them because, well… it’s too big! It’s too hard! There’s no way we can do it!

  Our dogs see some obstacles this way as well. Too big an A-frame, the tunnel is too long, the pause table is too high and I have to sit too still and I just can’t do that.

  Take the obstacle apart, for you, and your dog. Make it smaller, change the angle, or break up the steps. For you- don’t try to clean the garage all in one day if it’s piled high in rubbish. Break it down into sections and take one a day. For your dog, start it low, start it slow, and build towards the finish. It’s easier to start slowly than to go too quickly and end with a behavior you didn’t want.

  Nothing’s too big, too long, or too hard if you’re willing to take it easy and keep at it! Your dog will go with you, and between the two of you…

  There’s not a whole lot you can’t accomplish.

  

  Tags: dog training, Inspirational

• 14Jul

  Blowing Bubbles

  Dog Agility Training, Interesting and Funny 5 Comments

  I can’t have a puppy pool in my yard according to the rules. That’s disappointing, and downright heartbreaking when my hose-phobic dogs are both lying flat on their sides in the 97-degree shade, puffing like little locomotives. It’s too hot to run. It’s too hot to play. It’s too hot to even want to eat!

  I solved that problem with my good friend, under-the-bed storage Tupperware! I filled it with water and then the dogs started to play! It’s not nearly big enough for them to wade in, but they stand in it up to their ankles and the look of relief is adorable.

  Quick is not satisfied with standing in the water. He has to dig in it, and blow bubbles. He loves to blow bubbles! He blows them, runs around the yard at full speed, and then comes back to blow more!

  Heres’ a video link to training your dog to blow bubbles. I’m lucky- Quick does it naturally! I could put a cue to it, but I’m not sure I want to.  Can your dog blow bubbles?  What does your dog like to do in water?

  Are you new to the Agility Fusion Blog?
  If so, welcome!  Here you will enjoy daily tips and interesting news on the subject of agility, dog ownership, and life!  Not only that, but every month we have a contest to win a gift certificate or an obstacle!  Become a member today!  Simply enter your email address here.  You will then be able  to participate in the contests, and will get priority notification of contests and other AgilityFusion news. How fun is that!  Click here for more info. and to sign up.

  

  Tags: dog training, simply funny, videos

• 18Jun

  Frustrations and Furies

  Dog Training (General) No Comments

  My collie mix, Quick, is given to temper tantrums of truly toddler proportions. He throws himself on the ground (literally) and flails his front paws, yodeling at the top of his lungs.  If it weren’t so frustrating, it’d be hilarious!  This, after I went to grab his collar to bring him inside when he didn’t wanna come! Oh, the cruelty and horror of bringing a dog in on a –5 degree night when they want to play!

  He’s given to this behavior when he doesn’t understand in training, too, and it can be intensely frustrating for me! I’m very lucky he and I get along as well as we do. It’s rare I make him that frustrated that he literally shuts down and tantrums. I’ve done it a few times, and it’s hard to get him back! I’ve found what works best is speaking in a gentle, firm tone (not too low) and tell him to lie down, spin, or shake. Those are his absolute favoritest tricks EVER.  Once he has some success, he tries learning again.

  How do you snap your dog out of a funk? What works best for your dog?

  

  Tags: dog training

• 24May

  Week 3: And there’s the hitch

  Dog Agility Training 8 Comments

  This was the week that no one wanted to cooperate.

  Seriously. All of the dogs were twitchy, irritable, and uncooperative. While they  perked up when they got to play with their favoritest thing EVAR, (the buja board) they immediately de-perked when it was taken away. Quick’s continued love affair with the board is amusing. He goes up onto his back legs and pounces the board, his tail tippy wagging and his ears all perked.

  Quick barked in his crate when his bestest friend Phoebe was out. (She is his herding buddy.) I had to give him Mr. Squeaky to keep him quiet (best two dollars I ever spent!) and gave him treats for lying down and being quiet.  I do not want a cage barker! I’m saving up for another collapsible cage, since they managed to find where it was stored and chewed a hole in it.  Evil dogs!

  He committed unforgivable sins during restrained recalls. Quick has a sensitive neck on the best of days, and long fur is easily pulled in the hunt for his collar. He snapped at the trainer, ran away, and pooped in the corner of the ring! Oh yes, humiliation, thy name is me. I really have to work with him on that. I have no idea how to start desensitizing him to people grabbing his fur, though! I believe I’ll just clip a leash tab to his collar at all times when he’s out and about. Poor guy’s going to have so much going on! Leash tab, halti, collar, leash…

  I found out his release word is not as strong as I thought. We’re going to be practicing with breakfast for a while! The trainer thinks ‘okay’ is a word we use too much for it to be a very good release word, but I personally have never had problems with it. Any thoughts?

  On the plus side, he did fantastic on shadow handling around objects! We set up some jump standards and went through and around and by, using hands to direct the dogs away from us. He was a little dream for that, as usual! He loves to work off-leash, in any setting.

  

  Tags: agility beginners, agility training, dog training

• 14May

  Treat Training

  Dog Training (General) 7 Comments

  Agility is a game- and most games have motivators!  Toys and treats and praise all work very well for most dogs, but what kind of treats are best?

  Treats should be small or breakable, soft, smelly, and made out of quality ingredients. A crunchy, grainy treat will leave crumbs on the course and distract your dog and the dogs behind them as well! A treat should be a taste, not a meal. One lick or bite and it’s gone!You can use bigger, crunchier treats as ‘jackpots’ at home, though! I use a medium-large biscuit at the bottom of contacts to reinforce my dogs’ nose touch.

  I also work very hard to keep my dogs’ treats ‘mixed up’ so he doesn’t get bored, although I can’t see Quick EVER getting bored with his yummy liver treats! (evil dog broke into the stash of them and ate them all- who knew large amounts of liver caused huge amounts of flatulence in dogs?) Put a mix in your treat bag so your dog won’t know if he’s getting a bit of dried fruit, or a bit of liver, or some potato chip. (don’t judge me! Nova’ll do anything for potato chips.)  Pretend you’re a slot machine- your dog does what he wants, and maybe he wins the treat, maybe he doesn’t.  It keeps them interested longer! (When training a new behavior, it’s best to treat every time.)

  What’s your dogs’ favorite treat that works well for agility? I keep hearing hot dogs are the best, but I can’t stand the smell myself so the dogs don’t get them.

  

  Tags: agility training, dog products, dog training

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