Clean Run Magazine - March 2008 - 38

Newcomers to the sport of agility want Before even pre-agility, a basic manners to see their dog fly through tunnels, group class is a good starting point.This glide over jumps, navigate the teeter, class gives the dog some experience at and clamber up the A-frame. They learning how to learn in the presence often don’t understand the amount of of other dogs and people. A dog that training that goes into preparing a dog has never attended a group class of any to compete. They sometimes assume kind will be overwhelmed by the level of that because the dog can do it, that activity in any agility class, let alone what he will. actually goes on at a trial. And, because dogs will be off leash both in classes and Dog owners who call or visit a training at agility trials, they must be friendly center are often disappointed to By Mandy Book and Cheryl S. Smith toward other dogs and people. discover that in many introductory classes, they won’t even see equipment, let alone play on So what are these skills so essential that you have to delay it. Or they may find a class that allows them to go straight working on equipment to learn them? Below are the onto equipment, where they almost always experience recommended minimum skills you and your teammate need problems getting their dog to work with them. Those that to learn, and the extra behaviors that will come in handy if spend the time to build up basic skills learn why pre-training, you’re willing to teach them.You can work on these skills in before ever introducing equipment, is useful far beyond the a pre-agility class, or if you don’t have such a class available, immediate goal of agility competition. on your own. Pre-Agility: Laying the Foundation, Part 1 Handler Education You need to get some firsthand experience with this sport of agility. Go to a trial without your dog. Watch all levels of competition, beginners as well as top competitors. Also watch what dogs are doing when they aren’t in the ring. Check out handlers’ pre-run routines—what they do with their dogs and when they do it. Look at what handlers do with their dogs after a run. Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t, both in competition, and in the handler’s relationship with the dog. Is the dog enjoying the work, or barely getting through it? Watching a trial also gives you a really good idea of how much fun, and work, is involved in competing. It can inspire you if the training seems daunting, or bring you back to reality you if you thought it was a cakewalk. Ask questions about anything you’re not sure about—many people will be happy to help you understand. 38 me. That’s a start, but often ” not enough to keep a dog working in a field full of other options. You need to have a variety of ways to reward and motivate your dog. If your dog is food motivated, that’s great, but you’ll also want to teach him to love toys. If he’s totally focused on toys, you’ll want him to be keen for treats, too. Both will be useful in your training, and at different points in the training process. An easy way to get started is to use “Grandma’s Rule” to get the dog interested in something else. Remember how you had to eat your vegetables before you got dessert? You can do the same © MATTALLISONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Volunteer at an agility trial. Some jobs will keep you in the ring watching run after run. You’ll have a chance to get the inside scoop on what the judge is looking at. Other jobs may have you going from ring to scoring table over and over. There are jobs to do before, during, and after a trial. Whatever your volunteer duties, you can learn a lot. Trials are run on volunteer steam. Ultimately, if you’ll be competing, you should be interested in and willing to support the sport in some way. with your dog by having him take a treat before he runs in the yard for a minute or gets to play briefly with a toy. If treats are his favorite, have him touch or bite a toy before he gets a goodie. Gradually build up to more interaction with the toy before he gets the treat. Your dog also needs to see you as a source of fun. He probably knows how to play, but may not know how to play with you. Will your dog tug with you? Tug is the most popular game in agility and a great training tool. It allows you to reward your off-leash dog for being close to you and can be a great motivator for a sluggish dog. Many instructors won’t even work with handler/dog teams that don’t know how to play tug. For more help, Clean Run offers the Tug-NTreat, with directions, to get your chowhound playing tug with you. Want more of a challenge? Teach the dog to play only with his own toy, with you. Clean Run | March 08 Motivation and Play Why should your dog work for you? This is an elementary question many beginners don’t even ask. You may think the dog will do it “because he likes it” or “because he loves © ALISSA BEHN / PET PERSONALITIES
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Clean Run Magazine - March 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - March 2008
