Clean Run Magazine - April 2006 - 31

I'm just starting my mini dog in agility. Will this process be different
from training a big dog? Are there specific training and handling
techniques that I should know about, or should all my training techniques
be modified for my small dog? Kimberly Sisak My goal is for the dog to be
completely unaware of the pivot point and blast to the end of the plank.
Also, I shape the dog to Kimberly is a five-time national agility champion
and member of the 2006 USDAA bang a wobble board or teeter plank with his
paw. The dog gets COURTESY OF KIMBERLY SISAK and 2004 AKC World Teams. She
is the first positive reinforcement each time he makes the board bang.
Soon handler to sweep both the USDAA Grand the loud noise equates to a fun
game. Additionally, I expose my Prix World Championship and Steeplechase
mini dogs to many different teeters before they ever compete. Championship
with two different dogs Devo The last thing I want is for my dog to have a
negative experience in 2005 and Phoebe in 2004 . Kimberly can in the early
stages of competition. I have seen many mini dogs be contacted at:
maddashagility@juno.com, www.maddashagility.com. develop long-term fear
and avoidance of the teeter because they There is a real danger of
discriminating too much based on the were not adequately prepared or had a
bad experience. Teeters dog's size alone. I want my mini dogs to have a
big performance, vary in weight and rate of speed at which they drop.
Train your so I never treat them as dainty and diminutive. Most of my mini
dog to maintain criteria on both fast and slow dropping training methods
are similar, and often identical, to what I teach teeters. my big-dog
students. Development of drive and a strong work ethic must be your
number-one priority in training a mini dog. Since many are Mike Murphy
bred as lap dwellers, it is crucial to build drive and a rock-solid Mike,
a 2004 and 2006 World Team member, working relationship before any formal
agility training begins. competes with Bailey and Darby who were This can
mean the difference between a hot rod and a mini dog COURTESY OF MIKE
MURPHY the first Jack Russell Terriers in Pennsylvania that barely trots
around the course. I teach games to rev the to achieve an ADCH. In 2005,
Mike and Bailey dog up: playing tug, restrained recalls, and verbal cues
to elicit became the only pair to win three USDAA excitement. I never
coax, lure, or cheerlead my dogs to perform, Regional Championships in the
same year. or push them onto full-sized equipment before they are ready. I
Contact him at darbymurphy@yahoo.com. want speed, understanding, and
confidence at every stage of the When training a small dog I try to stay
consistent with the training process before I progress to the next step.
If my mini dog techniques and philosophies used by open-dog handlers. I
attend has a setback or becomes hesitant in training, I might change class
and take private lessons from people who all run open dogs. my training
criteria, but I expect the dog to dust himself off and I use just a few
different handling and training techniques for rebound on his own accord.
My motto is: If you want your mini small dogs. to play like the big dogs,
you must treat him like one! In training, I do not pamper my small dog.
For example, when Despite the best executed training plans, almost all
mini dogs the tunnel is shortened some people are concerned their dog will
will, in my experience, have a setback on the teeter at some not like the
footing or get caught due to the large ridges. I allow point. While it is
easy for a big dog to learn to slide past the the dog to make the
adjustment. A good friend and instructor pivot point and bang the teeter
in a fraction of a second, a mini taught me that if there is something out
of the norm, do dog must learn to tolerate a much longer ride to the
ground. not make handling adjustments to help the dog overcome the For
exceptionally driven dogs, the wait can be an agonizing difference. If the
handler makes adjustments, the dog then needs battle of patience. Other
dogs might be fearful of the upcoming to overcome the out of the norm
change and also figure out movement past the pivot point or the harsh
concussion that why the handler is being different. Now the dog has two
things awaits them upon landing. to work instead of just one. I allow the
dog to work through the I never rush any dog onto a fully upright teeter.
Confidence is problem as if it were any other training opportunity.
critical for success and mini-dog handlers need to be even more I also use
my feet more often than I see most open-dog handlers. methodical and
patient when teaching this obstacle. First, I get In situations where I
need to block a gap or get the dog past a the dog used to movement by
playing games on a wobble board, contact to get him into a tunnel, I use
my foot and leg to draw which will also help to teach a mini dog to shift
his weight into the line for the dog. An 11 dog can see the handler's
entire the rear to gain control and stability. I also do restrained
recalls body, but when the dog is very close to the handler and driving
across a teeter plank propped between two tables, adding subtle forward,
the handler's feet are the first thing he sees. motion by dropping one
side of the table's height gradually. | April 06 Clean Run 31
http://www.maddashagility.com
Clean Run Magazine - April 2006

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