Clean Run Magazine - December 2007 - 63

Case Study: Teeter Trouble By Deborah Jones, Ph.D., photos by Nathan Gabriel Finnigan Description Finnigan is a 20-month-old male neutered Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. His mother was rescued from a puppy mill while pregnant with his litter. So, while he was not born in a puppy mill, he was the product of one. His owner obtained him at 10 weeks old from Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue. The rescue group recommended him as a possible agility prospect. His owner describes him as a dog that has high energy and can easily become overstimulated. She also describes him as very smart and very loving. While he is a hard worker, he barks a lot during training (and in many other situations as well). She also describes him as “relatively immature.” He has earned Level 1 titles in CPE and Teacup Agility. Presenting Problem Finnigan’s owner wrote to the Clean Run email discussion group looking for advice after he had a bad experience on the teeter at one of his first trials. According to his owner, “He did nicely on the teeter but when going to do his two-on/two-off his left leg slid down the corner of the teeter. I didn’t notice that at the time. I did notice that he released himself and looked back at the teeter when he ran off.” After the run she noticed a small scrape on the inside of his leg. Watching a videotape of the run showed that he got the scrape from the teeter. On the next run he ran out of the ring when put on a start-line stay, but did return when called. He also displayed avoidance of not only the teeter, but also the dogwalk and the weaves. History Finnigan began a puppy agility class at 10 weeks of age. He loves food and his owner has used clicker training for many agility behaviors. She states that he is smart and learns very quickly. Group classes can be overly stimulating for him, and he barks a lot during classes. In connection to teeter performance his owner states that “Finny has always been a little apprehensive on the teeter. The noise and the motion both frightened him. Finny was fearless, so this was very puzzling to me. He learned it slowly but safely.” In initial teeter training Finnigan was taught to go to the pivot point and wait for a treat. Previous Episodes Before the incident that prompted her email to the Clean Run list, Finnigan had experienced other problems with the teeter. According to Finnigan’s owner, “His first main issue came at one of his first trials. We had trained the teeter with a two-on/two-off [contact behavior] and he was flying and slid off the teeter. Realizing that he missed his contact, he stepped back to put a foot back on it. Since the teeter was going up it promptly hit him in the rear as he was backing up. This terrified him and he ran off staring back at the teeter.” She then states that he “came back from this incident with some coaxing and training at class.” She continues on to say that he “was still rather leery of the teeter and was never comfortable after that doing a two-on/two-off.” December 07 | Clean Run 63

Clean Run Magazine - December 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - December 2007