# Teeter Question



## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I want to get a teeter so Swizzle can practice at home. Should I just get the base and buy and paint a board or is it better to spend a little more and get the whole thing? Can anyone recommend a good video or training technique?


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## rubymom (Apr 24, 2010)

Good question! I am currently looking to purchase a teeter for backyard practice with Ruby! I feel like painting and surfacing a board might end up being a homemade disaster ! Hope to get some input here!


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

We had a homemade one, and ended up buying a "real" one from someone local who makes them. Aluminum frame. It was an investment, but we do Agility seriously and we wanted something good.

The training we've done is the method of setting up the seesaw with a table at either end, changing the heights gradually so that the tip of the getter gradually gets more and more. Always ensure the dog *runs* through the pivot point. I had an end behavior established from the beginning, as well.

Good luck! Take it slow and build every step carefully. The seesaw is an obstacle many dogs struggle with.

--Q


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

If you want to compete in agility invest in a real see saw so that your dog learns to run one that will be similar to those used in trials.

Quossum's suggested method of teaching it is very sound. This is how I taught it to Lily. She has no fear of it and has never fallen off or bailed out. Her only recent problem with it was an unsafe exit off it at a trial. She was having such a grand time that she sprung off it when it hit the ground. The trial photographer caught her about 18" above the end of the board while it was on the ground. I didn't see her do it since I had gone ahead of her, but I am sure I got faulted for it (the judge was behind me). I was horrified when I saw the picture. We have spent much time on reinforcing two on two off stopped see saw exits since then.


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## Jility (Jul 6, 2011)

Yes, I would invest in a real teeter from a good equipment maker. I would also make sure that the base is fully adjustable for training!
We have 9 dogs and have trained 7 of them to do teeters (of the two we haven’t trained on the teeter; one came trained and the other is a puppy). There are many methods for training a teeter from starting with the teeter on the lowest position, to holding up the end of the teeter while you dog runs up to get a treat, to my favorite, using a specially made table that is as high as the highest teeter setting and slowly lowering the table. We use another table about half the height for the dog to get off form the high table. Somebody already mentioned the Susan Garrett method of using two tables to train the teeter (also a good way).
Our dogs never see a full teeter until they are WELL over a year old. They will do some “end behavior” exercises like jumping on the end of a low teeter into a 2 on 2 off position, banging down the teeter, etc. We spend months and months doing end behavior work, getting the dog comfortable running across a plank between two tables and working on a wobble board before the dog is allowed on a real teeter.
In agility, foundation is everything! We have 18 agility championships (AKC and USDAA) among our standard Poodles and have learned over the years that without a great foundation, nothing will work well in the end. Our dogs don’t learn to weave until they are 16 -18 months old. They don’t jump until they are 15 months old and the NEVER EVER see contacts until they have perfected the end behavior and are at least 14 months old! We spend months and months building their foundation away from contacts before they are allowed on the real thing. Our current youngsters just turned three last month and they have yet to compete in standard classes with contacts. Both are in excellent jumpers, but because they are a bit cautious (littermates) we have taken our time with them and it is paying off!
Below is a video done a few weeks ago of my young standard bitch from my MACH 2 female. She was petrified of the teeter and dog walk at first and I took more than two years to train her! It was worth it!
Take your time and make sure your dog is happy and confident at each step before you move on to the next step!





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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Jility....Totally impressed! To all of you doing agility with your dogs.....WOW!!!!! Wish I were healthy enough to do it too.........!


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks for all the great advice. I am going for the real deal. I am going to try and get one at the Thanksgiving Cluster at Springfield, Mass. I will get an adjustable. This is a scary obstacle. Swizzle is only 6 pounds so he will have to go almost to the end of the board before it starts to lower. Swizzle is just starting to learn this so 
I really appreciate the training advice and thanks for the great video. You sound just like my agility teacher Jilty, she really stresses foundation. The next thing to buy will be weave poles.


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## Jility (Jul 6, 2011)

If your dog is only 6 pounds, you do not want to do a 2 on 2 off. You want the little ones to ride the teeter down and land in a 4 on position. With a light dog like that, the preferred method is to hold up the teeter and have the dog drive to the end. Then you FEED FEED FEED and continue to feed while the dog remains at the very end of the board. Once the dog is comfortable with that, you start dropping it from a little off the ground and slowly drop from a higher place. Make sure your little one is OK with it before you move on! Continue to have it jump on the end of a lowered teeter to be comfortable to slam it down. You can put a chair under the low end to raise the other end off the ground just a little.
I hope that helps.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Thank you Jility, that sound like what my teacher is having us do. She did say Swizzle needs all 4 on the board. He does the 2 on 2 for the A frame and the dog walk. I saw a u tube where the dog slams the teeter to the ground. We have not done that but perhaps that will be the next step. So far he is at the end of the board getting fed and it is starting to get dropped a little. I wish there was a video like Garrett's 2 x 2 weaves. I am Leary about u tube and I don't want to do something stupid and mess him up.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Jility is right about being very slow and steady with training the see saw. Go in baby steps. Once a dog has had a bad experience on this piece of equipment it is really hard to get them back on it. I know some people who have reall problems with it.


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## Catriona (Nov 16, 2012)

Wow... after reading this I feel very lucky! Ollie has loved the seesaw since the word go! Started with getting him to walk on and manually lowering it slowly and high reward at the end, then letting him use his body weight to do it in a walk. After a couple of lessons he was running on full speed!

Cloth tunnels on the other hand are apparently impossible!


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## rubymom (Apr 24, 2010)

Go figure! Ruby has loved the tunnels (open, closed, straight, angled, u shaped) from day 1! But the teeter is gonna take more time and baby steps! Just want her to trust and learn to have fun!


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## Catriona (Nov 16, 2012)

normal open tunnels at any angle are fine... but the fact that he actually has to PUSH his way through is just not happening! If it's lifted up a tiny amount at the end so he can see a little bit of light then it's easy, and he'll also follow another dog through... but doing the work all by himself is just too hard! LOL

We will get there eventually


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Be patient with that. It will come. As easy as tunnels seem like they should be from our perspective, they have been vexing to Lily off and on. If she doesn't think about it far enough in advance, she ends up at the tunnel entrance, looking over the top of it and then she doesn't seem to realize she has to duck her head down (only a problem for a standard).


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