Clean Run Magazine - January 2007 - 31

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recommend pulling your dog out of the weaves for a missed entry. Pulling
him out at that point is just rehearsing popping out of poles while
weaving. entering wrong he would prefer not to weave at all. I use a set
of three or four poles for entry work from every obstacle, especially from
a tunnel or chute for speed. Using only a few poles allows me to reinforce
my dog for a correct entry immediately rather than waiting for him to
complete a set of 12. I train every possible angle and distance to the
weaves. Placement of reinforcement is very important. I always reinforce
right after the last pole. Misses entry but continues weaving down the
line Because our timing is not perfect as handlers, I do not recommend
pulling your dog out of the weaves for a missed entry. By the time we
register that the dog missed the entry, he is already weaving. Pulling him
out at that point is just rehearsing popping out of poles while weaving.
Let the dog ﬁnish that set of poles and then go back to the beginning.
Do entry work for this problem. Makes entry but pops out later down the
line S i n c e the entry was correct, don’t make the dog do it again.
Get him back into the poles as fast as possible anywhere along the line so
that he can rehearse ﬁnishing the complete set. Rachel Sanders showed me
this method and it has worked wonders with my students. Because I put such
a strong foundation on my latest dog, I feel conﬁdent that she is going
to do her job. I don’t change how I handle just to help her nail a
difﬁcult weave entry. That frees my mind to focus on the course and
doing my best as a handler. © MATTALLISONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM If you truly
believe that your mental state has nothing to do with the problem then it
boils down to a training issue. Here is a short list of common weave
faults and suggestions for ﬁxing them: Misses weaves altogether with no
attempt to weave Revisit entry work. Speed might be the issue and perhaps
your dog is not properly checking his own stride to ﬁnd the entry.
Rather than Karen de Wit Weaving is one of the most complex behaviors for
agility dogs to learn—it’s just not natural. Once a dog has gained
some competence at weaving, there are many variables that continue to
challenge him, such as type of poles, pole color and decoration, base
width and color, extra speed and excitement associated with competition,
presence of the judge, ring surface, and weather conditions. You need to
analyze the dog’s performance accurately at home and at class. Analyze
weave entries, accuracy, and speed with as many different variables as you
can and ensure they are 90% accurate before you contemplate entering a
trial. Once you start to compete, continue with the analysis in
competition and train accordingly. Analysis may help you identify some
areas you have not adequately trained. If accuracy remains when other
factors change, you will have success in a competition environment. Be
honest when you analyze just how good your dog’s weave performance is.
Does the dog have 90% reliability in training when entering from all
different angles around a clock face? Does the reliability remain when he
does the weaves as part of a six-obstacle sequence? What about when
someone pretends to be the judge? Can your dog weave regardless of your
own position January 07 | Clean Run Karen, from Upper Hutt on New
Zealand’s North Island, has competed and instructed in agility since
1987. Holding CAP I and CAP II qualiﬁcations, she teaches with her
husband, Peter, both at home and around the country. She has trained four
dogs and both her current dogs are N.Z. agility champions. With friends,
she has recently started a grooming and training facility, Paws in the
City. Contact Karen via email at kpdewit@xtra.co.nz or through her website
at www.pawsinthecity.co.nz. and body language? Can he remain in the weaves
with other obstacles close by? If you have not tried all these things and
more, go and practice until he is competent. How do you react to incorrect
performance? Do you start the weaves again or just put him back in where he
made the mistake? Reward dogs only for complete weave performances. Putting
him in the last few poles and then rewarding does not set a good background
for a reliable 12-pole weave. You may create a chained behavior that he
repeats on a regular basis, which is certainly not what you want. You can
try to “add hype” and to excite the dog in training but often it is
hard to reproduce those heady competition feelings. The extra excitement
and speed that many dogs exhibit in a trial may be reduced slightly when
competing by getting your dog’s attention as you approach the weaves to
change his focus to the handler and slow him down a little. You can use
his name and a handling move such as a reverse ﬂow pivot. This increased
concentration may help him get his entry and stay in the poles. If he makes
a mistake in the weave poles at a competition you should correct the whole
set. If he cannot do so you should Does the dog have 90% reliability in
consider leaving the ring. Analyze what training when entering from all
different angles around a clock face? you think was the reason, then go
practice more. 31 © CLEAN RUN Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid
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Clean Run Magazine - January 2007

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