Clean Run Magazine - May 2008 - 14

such as, “He stopped short of his contact!” Or, “He left the contact early,” or, “He left the start line early,” or, “He ran off course into the tunnel.” Use whatever scenario your team needs to practice. You then have to practice your behavior immediately upon hearing the scenario. You may need to start your emergency plan or you may need to do absolutely nothing except continue running and smiling. in the wood shed, in Egypt. I find that most people have not fully trained their dogs before entering them in their first trial. That is okay, as long as they keep their expectations low and don’t take their frustration out on their dogs. © DOGHOUSE ARTS Check for Physical Problems Dogs that are slow, refuse equipment, or hurry so fast they wipe out could have an underlying physical problem that cannot be solved with further training. Always monitor the physical condition of your dog. I encourage all my students to have regular veterinarian and chiropractic care for their dogs and to keep them at the correct body weight. swimming and hiking are essential. But go even further than that. After a clean bill of health from a knowledgeable sports performance veterinarian, enlist the help of a qualified canine physical therapist to help target your dog’s physically weak areas with specific exercises. If all of this has been continually monitored and the dog is fine, then address the issues with the proper application of operant conditioning. Any type of negative punishment (removal of an anticipated reinforcer) should be first administered in training, not at an actual trial. Removing a dog from the course when he finds the next obstacle reinforcing is like denying a crack addict a hit. Unless he understands why he is being removed and he understands what behavior he must perform to have access to the rest of the course (the hit of crack), you will only create more frustration and confusion in your dog. If a dog is not addicted to agility, maybe because he wasn’t reinforced enough for each individual part of the behavior chain we call a course, I would never consider removing the dog for any “wrongdoing.” For dogs with emotional issues, such as fear or stress, not even a disapproving look from the human team member should be administered during trialing or even in training. Do remember that if your team is making the same mistakes over and over again in trialing you should address the problems with proper application of operant conditioning in training, with you doing more mental and physical rehearsal than actual training with your dog. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” —Colin Powell D A WORD ABOUT TRIALING “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” —Bill Copeland Trialing gives you an opportunity to test your team’s carefully executed training plans and all that mental and physical rehearsal you did. It gives you a measuring stick of where you stand in regards to your goals. Even if your goal is to have fun with your dog, your dog will have more enjoyment by having a human teammate who is a skilled trainer and handler, so there is less confusion. Many people believe that some sort of correction should be administered when the dog does something “wrong” when trialing. Unless your dog understands why he is being walked or carried out of the ring, any type of correction should be left out © PHOTOGRAPHY BY LESLEY Next, consider whether your dog is fit enough to deliver the performance you desire. Balance, strength, and coordination are needed for both speed and accuracy. Regular regimens of work on a balance disc or theraball, along with cross-conditioning, such as Moe teaches using operant conditioning for both team members. She got involved in competitive agility seven years ago and has put USDAA and AKC titles on four different breeds. She currently instructs for Power Paws Agility in San Jose, California (www.powerpawsagility.com) and lectured at Clean Run Instructor Camp 20072008. She is available for agility workshops, seminars, and video consultation. Moe can be reached at RXBehave@comcast.net 14 Clean Run | May 08

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Clean Run Magazine - May 2008

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