PRACTICALLY TRAINING: The NotSo-Simple Tunnel © MATT ALLISON PHOTOGRAPHY By Sandy Rogers I used to think that tunnels were the most carefree obstacle of them all. They sure are the easiest obstacle to train, but I no longer underestimate the handling of tunnels. They have tricked me one too many times! * Refusals: Dogs that pull off of the tunnel and do not take it after it was cued. * Weak directional cues: Dogs that turn the wrong way when they come out of the tunnel. This past year my articles have often referred to my belief that routine handling done in sequence and course work can naturally undermine some of our training fundamentals. Tunnel handling might take the cake when it comes to this theory because it's easy to get sloppy when handling tunnels. Sloppy handling will result in these unwanted results: Learning how to handle and direct your dog in and around tunnels properly is more important than ever, as clever course designers often use tricky tunnel challenges. The key is to develop a cueing system around the tunnels and then strengthen it, as opposed to undermining it, during training sessions and sequence and course work. * Tunnel suckers: Dogs that take the Tunnel Suckers tunnel when you don't want them to or that take the wrong end of the tunnel. "Tunnel suckers" is one of my least favorite labels for agility dogs. It implies that the dogs have some sort of affliction. I have had my share of dogs that were harder to get control over around tunnels than other dogs I have owned, but that is all it was. It just took more work; just like some dogs need more work on their poles some need more help with jumping, and some with contacts. Every dog gets to have his own weak link in this life. Dogs that end up in tunnels when they should not need more control training around the tunnels. I have not met a dog labeled "tunnel sucker" that had the skills on board that I'm going to address here. Heel Work Merely having the dog stick to your leg whenever you want is a secret weapon skill. Easier said than done, I know, but so worth the work! I use the © KATY ROBERTSON Jigs about to exit the tunnel clearly showing he knows which way to go as he exits. 30 Clean Run | June 19