Clean Run - August 2010 - 76

By Sassie Joiris, photos by author

Besides being a simple way to work on suppleness and flexibility, teaching a figure eight and weaving through your legs can also be used to start teaching directional cues. Both figure eights and weaving through legs are tricks that can be done in crowded spaces, so they can be used to keep your dog’s focus and enthusiasm at agility trials while waiting to go to the start line. There are obvious size constraints: If you’re on the shorter side and your dog is on the taller side, this might not be the easiest trick to teach. Although, since most tall dogs do learn to duck, it’s just a bit more challenging for both human and canine members of the team to learn. At the opposite end of the spectrum, it helps tremendously to use a long wooden spoon, a spatula, or other similar item as a target stick rather than your hands with really small dogs so that you don’t have to fold yourself in half while teaching the tricks. For small dogs that follow a target stick, use a reward that will stick to the target. Small amounts of peanut butter, spray cheese, liverwurst, and the like all work well. For larger dogs either use very small tasty treats the dog can swallow easily without much chewing or a single larger treat the dog can nibble on while you hold it. String cheese, beef jerky, and some hot dogs work well for this. With small dogs spread a thin layer of the sticky treat onto both sides of the target stick along the bottom inch or so of the target. Spreading a big thin layer makes the treat last longer than a small thick glob. With bigger dogs, have several small treats in each hand or one bigger treat for the dog to nibble on in each hand.

Tricks

Agility

for

If you’re using a big treat or a baited target stick, allow the dog to nibble and lick at the treat while you lure him between your legs. If the dog seems nervous going between your legs, repeat this step several times until the dog is comfortable before going on to the next step. Step 2 Once your dog is comfortable with this step, start again, but this time lure the dog around the back of your leg and reward.

Start from the beginning again and bring the dog all the way around your leg and reward.

Figure Eight
Step 1 To start, stand with your legs spread widely enough so the dog can comfortably go between them. Bring one hand between your legs from behind, lure the dog between your legs, and reward if you’re using small treats.
76 Clean Run | August 10



Clean Run - August 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - August 2010

Clean Run - August 2010
Contents
Editorializing: For the Love of My Dog
Tip of the Month
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Backyard Dogs
What’s My Plan?
Train to Maintain: The Table
Work That Line! Basic Training for Distance Classes
Competition Preparation: It’s All in the Mind, Part 2
Challenges at CR Central
Deciding When to Take a Break from Trialing to Retrain
Can You Handle It?
The Surrogate Agility Dog
Tips for NADAC Weavers and Weave Pole Training
Pup Psych 101: Reinforcement Revisited
A Practical Guide to Getting on the Ball
Skill of the Month
It’s Your Turn! Cue #5: The Push-through
Tricks for Agility: Figure Eight and Weaving Through Legs
Nested Courses for a Small Universe
Clean Run - August 2010 - Clean Run - August 2010
Clean Run - August 2010 - 2
Clean Run - August 2010 - Contents
Clean Run - August 2010 - 4
Clean Run - August 2010 - Editorializing: For the Love of My Dog
Clean Run - August 2010 - Tip of the Month
Clean Run - August 2010 - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Clean Run - August 2010 - Backyard Dogs
Clean Run - August 2010 - 9
Clean Run - August 2010 - What’s My Plan?
Clean Run - August 2010 - 11
Clean Run - August 2010 - 12
Clean Run - August 2010 - 13
Clean Run - August 2010 - 14
Clean Run - August 2010 - 15
Clean Run - August 2010 - 16
Clean Run - August 2010 - 17
Clean Run - August 2010 - 18
Clean Run - August 2010 - Train to Maintain: The Table
Clean Run - August 2010 - 20
Clean Run - August 2010 - 21
Clean Run - August 2010 - 22
Clean Run - August 2010 - 23
Clean Run - August 2010 - Work That Line! Basic Training for Distance Classes
Clean Run - August 2010 - 25
Clean Run - August 2010 - 26
Clean Run - August 2010 - 27
Clean Run - August 2010 - 28
Clean Run - August 2010 - 29
Clean Run - August 2010 - Competition Preparation: It’s All in the Mind, Part 2
Clean Run - August 2010 - 31
Clean Run - August 2010 - 32
Clean Run - August 2010 - 33
Clean Run - August 2010 - Challenges at CR Central
Clean Run - August 2010 - 35
Clean Run - August 2010 - 36
Clean Run - August 2010 - 37
Clean Run - August 2010 - Deciding When to Take a Break from Trialing to Retrain
Clean Run - August 2010 - 39
Clean Run - August 2010 - 40
Clean Run - August 2010 - 41
Clean Run - August 2010 - 42
Clean Run - August 2010 - 43
Clean Run - August 2010 - Can You Handle It?
Clean Run - August 2010 - 45
Clean Run - August 2010 - 46
Clean Run - August 2010 - The Surrogate Agility Dog
Clean Run - August 2010 - 48
Clean Run - August 2010 - 49
Clean Run - August 2010 - 50
Clean Run - August 2010 - Tips for NADAC Weavers and Weave Pole Training
Clean Run - August 2010 - 52
Clean Run - August 2010 - 53
Clean Run - August 2010 - 54
Clean Run - August 2010 - 55
Clean Run - August 2010 - Pup Psych 101: Reinforcement Revisited
Clean Run - August 2010 - 57
Clean Run - August 2010 - 58
Clean Run - August 2010 - 59
Clean Run - August 2010 - 60
Clean Run - August 2010 - 61
Clean Run - August 2010 - 62
Clean Run - August 2010 - A Practical Guide to Getting on the Ball
Clean Run - August 2010 - 64
Clean Run - August 2010 - 65
Clean Run - August 2010 - 66
Clean Run - August 2010 - Skill of the Month
Clean Run - August 2010 - 68
Clean Run - August 2010 - 69
Clean Run - August 2010 - It’s Your Turn! Cue #5: The Push-through
Clean Run - August 2010 - 71
Clean Run - August 2010 - 72
Clean Run - August 2010 - 73
Clean Run - August 2010 - 74
Clean Run - August 2010 - 75
Clean Run - August 2010 - Tricks for Agility: Figure Eight and Weaving Through Legs
Clean Run - August 2010 - 77
Clean Run - August 2010 - 78
Clean Run - August 2010 - 79
Clean Run - August 2010 - 80
Clean Run - August 2010 - Nested Courses for a Small Universe
Clean Run - August 2010 - 82
Clean Run - August 2010 - 83
Clean Run - August 2010 - 84
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