Clean Run - April 2018 - 5

How Much Do We Risk?
By Sarah Stremming

My young boy-dog Felix debuted in agility at 26 months of
age. He wasn't ready for all the classes so we played in three:
Snooker, Gamblers, and Jumpers. I agonized over when to
enter him. I worked diligently over months to prepare him
emotionally for what is required of our dogs in this game
we love. Some could argue (reasonably) that I am too obsessive; too particular. They'd say I should worry less and go
with the flow a little more. They wouldn't be wrong; perfectionism is my affliction and fear is my go-to emotion. But
let me explain something, if I may.
Entering my dogs in agility trials isn't the only place I am
cautious. I am terrified of dog-child interactions. Not just
my dogs; not just children I personally know. Any time a
child's face is within striking distance of a dog's mouth I get
nervous. I am liberal in my use of management tools regarding dogs and kids; basket muzzles, ex-pens, crates, and
hyper-vigilance abound. This anxiety stems from my experiences; both professional and personal. I just take the "better safe than sorry" ideal as far as I can whenever a child's
face or a dog's life are involved.
My apprehension about entering Felix (or any young dog-
he is not unique here) is not unlike my stress about dogs
and children. It stems from experiences in my competitive
life and my professional one. I have made about every mistake in the book in dog agility and I now make my living
helping competitors to undo the messes we create when we
enter a dog that is inadequately trained, prepared, or supported. I appear overly cautious, even ridiculously so, to so
many people because by and large dogs are incredible; they
put up with a lot of garbage from humans (especially tiny
humans: see above). There is no one more grateful or aware
of that fact than I am. So in deciding to enter Felix I considered these questions.

and intense social pressure is no small task. He tugs and
eats ringside. He can lie down and chomp a ball while other
dogs are running. He can visit people or dogs with normal
social skills. After his debut, I am still happy with these answers-and that's important because stuff can change!
Is my dog confident in his execution of the equipment?
This is why Felix wasn't entered in all classes. I also got
some information from him about spread jumps. I allowed
him to run past them if he chose, and added them to my
training list for the coming weeks.
Am I confident that I can be a good handler to my dog?
Consider the classes you are entering. Starters Jumpers is
one thing, but what about Grand Prix or Biathlon? I will
not enter my dog in these tougher tournaments (though he
runs tough sequences in practice) until I am certain I will
not be over-facing us as a team.
Does my dog understand how to sequence in the absence
of classic reinforcers?
This step is often skipped by agility trainers. Dogs love agility so they often run just fine without obvious presence of
cookies or toys; but so many dogs learn early on that the
ring is absent of the good stuff-and this is a dangerous
lesson indeed. I had showed Felix the process of leashing
up and then running to reinforcement before trialing, and
now that he has two trials under his belt he is very familiar
with this routine.
After our first trial I evaluated and decided we were not quite
ready to dive in headfirst, but that we could dip the other foot
in the water. Constantly evaluating, never taking my young
dog's emotional state for granted, we continue on.

Is my dog comfortable in the trial environment?
Since Felix was a baby this has been high on my priority list.
Helping a Border Collie, or any other highly sensitive dog,
to feel safe in an environment wrought with chaos, noise,

Sarah Stremming

Sarah Stremming owns and operates The Cognitive Canine, offering online private instruction, worldwide seminars, and online courses to the sport dog community
with a special focus on behavior problems in agility dogs. She is a Fenzi Dog Sports Academy instructor and a graduate of the Learning and Living With Animals course.
Sarah resides in Washington State where she shares her life with her partner, four Border Collies, one Australian Shepherd, and far too many chickens. Her spare time is
spent playing agility, hiking in the woods, and attempting to stay upright on a paddleboard. You can reach her via her website www.thecognitivecanine.com and her
Facebook page, www.facebook.com/thecognitivecanine
April 18 | Clean Run

http://www.thecognitivecanine.com http://www.facebook.com/thecognitivecanine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - April 2018