# Need some Agility advice.



## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Wow, sounds like Flip is really getting the hang of this agility thing!

The whole energy thing is a tough one. Our first PWD once racked up over 50 faults when he was a young dog because he completely (joyfully) made up his own course! It was hilarious for me as an observer, although I think my mom as the competitor found it less funny.

Anyway, we often have to get our guys running out some of their energy before we compete. They like retrieving balls or frisbees, so we do about 10 to 15 minutes running just to bring their levels down slightly. Sounds like Flip might benefit from something like that. It all depends on the dog of course. A couple of our dogs needed to be brought up and made excited for agility. But the high energy dogs need to be brought down a little and helped to focus.


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

Ooh, good call.
We (either of us!) haven't been getting the usual amount of exercise we need because it's like freaking -15 here. I am a cold wimp.


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## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

Sounds like you and Flip are doing well..Sounds like he is doing well on the high value items..items he gets a lot of treats for working on contacts or weaves..I know if Flyer sees a contact he'll run right over to do his 4 on contact so he gets a treat.

We think jumps and tunnels are easier to learn so we don't treat them as often so they are not as high value to the dog..but when you think about it over 80% of agility is jumping and tunnels so they should have a high value placed on them..

A couple of exercises we do..

for jumps-when teaching the jump I use a method taught at a Barb Davis Seminar.. I stand or kneel by the jump without a bar..have my treats ready and I look at the jump not saying anything and as the dog looks at the jump I tell them yes or click if the dog is clicker trained and treat..working until the dog is going through the jump standards treating every time the dog is going through..then I'll do the same thing standing up(if I was kneeling)..then add a bar..all the time I am standing right next to the jump standard..I am not luring the dog(except for maybe the 1st couple of times) or even giving a command I am letting the dog choose to go over the jump because that is what he is going to get the reward for..once the dog is going over the jump easily and readily with me standing there I then take a step back and do the same thing..I still have not given a name to the obstacle I'm just looking at it and when the dog sees me looking at it he should be taking the jump..again as he is readily doing the jump I will change my position again..either a step back or too the side..while doing this the dog may be taking the one jump a hundred times (okay not all in one session but over several sessions) getting a treat for just jumping thus building high value into the jump.

Kind of hard to explain all the steps but hope that gives you the idea..

For the tunnel..I want high drive into the tunnel and high drive out of the tunnel..again I would just start working with a tunnel no other obstacles..I might start very close to the tunnel entrance have one finger in my dogs collar to do a restrained hold and start to rev him up and as soon as he can feel the restrained collar I release it so he is drving into the tunnel..as he is showing me the drive into the tunnel I was slowly backup a step at a time so he is driving in from further back..and I might vary my position relative to the tunnel so it's not always a straight drive into the tunnel..

I also want drive out of the tunnel so I will stand facing away from the tunnel exit and as the dog comes out I will run away with the treat so he has to come running to me for the treat or if you have a toy motivated dog (Flyer has often chosen a toy over a treat) I will still run away throwing the toy ahead of me so the dog still has to come by me to get the toy..only after my dog is driving both into and out of the tunnel would I start to add one obstacle at a time..

One of things I have been told and I try to tell my students is we don't treat our dogs enough especially on the things we think they should know. 

Hope some of this makes some sense to you


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

debjen: That makes a LOT of sense, thank you for giving me a different perspective.

I'm also certain I don't treat enough...I am still trying to find that special high value treat for him too.

Do you know if Barb Davis has any training dvds or anything?


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## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

I believe Barb has some on training running contacts, I don't know if she has any about jumping..I looked at her website and I didn't see anything listed..but here is her website

http://www.strideaheadagility.com/

I don't know if you belong to a club that puts on seminars but I love her seminars I always learn something new at her seminars (I've been to 4 I think)..and if you have a working position she really works with you and your dog and your issues ... at our clubs last seminar (3rd one for our club) she really worked our butts off because she knew many of us by then and knew what we could do..and I was crazy enough to work both of my cavs..LOL

Luckily my cavs love anything but for those particular high value treats I use chicken or a food tube filled with canned ID (they think it is wonderful LOL) and a can of Evangers (different flavors) mixed together. These are great..I mix the cans and can fill about 3 or 4 food tubes stick them in the freezer and pull out as needed.

This is the food tube we use

http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?f...roduct_id=1355&ParentCat=320&string=food tube


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

Great info, thank you again, so so much!

I have a Gulpy, and I am the envy of my classes, everyone wants one. Hahaha


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## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

Okay what is a Gulpy?


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

This thingy, I saw it on the Clean Run site:
http://www.arcatapet.com/fullsize/11897.jpg


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## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

okay..I've got a couple of those ... our club gave them out as handler gifts at our trial one year.


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## Alicia (Oct 23, 2009)

Thanks so much for the good info debjen! It will
help Grace and I in a big way!!


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

Alicia said:


> Thanks so much for the good info debjen! It will
> help Grace and I in a big way!!


Alicia! How is it going for you and Grace, btw??


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## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

Alicia said:


> Thanks so much for the good info debjen! It will
> help Grace and I in a big way!!


Your welcome..this dang agility stuff is soooooo darn addicting...for 8 years I just had one dog and as he was getting ready to retire I wanted another dog to start training..somehow in the last 4 years I've added 3 dogs ..of course the last 2 weren't planned but I can't imagine our family without them.


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

I agree on the agility thing being addicting!
It's so much fun though, for me and Flip.


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## Alicia (Oct 23, 2009)

Thanks for asking taxtell....Grace and I are having so much fun. She loves the A-frame, but did her own little run on the teeter-totter and now is afraid of putting more than two feet on it! lol. She was soo proud of herself until the other side came down with a thud...lol it kind of took the wind out of her sails for the rest of the class. We are still working on hand signals and her following my turns. We missed a class and fell a little behind, but all in all we are having a blast. I really love watching her have so much fun!!


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## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

Have you done the bang game with Grace on the teeter..it should help build her confidence back ton the teeter.


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