Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 16

Kathy Lofthouse Since your Beagle seems to love agility, you are off to a good start! Now you need to do all that you can to keep him happy, keen, and in the game. You also need to decide that you will not develop into a nag who seems to want to stop his fun. This would cause him to want to sniff even more. The horse farm would probably present an interesting array of smells to any dog, regardless of breed. To keep a dog engrossed in agility while in an aromatic environment such as a horse farm, you first need to build his desire to run with you in a less distracting environment. If your dog is not already keen and well-versed in obstacles and running sequences with gusto, try engaging a good private trainer, who uses positive methods, to help you develop the desired attitude in your dog. If you have no access to a good trainer, however, you are in the right place with the depth of information about developing Since 1988, Kathy has competed successfully in USDAA and AKC to tournament and championship levels. Kathy enjoys introducing a variety of dogs to agility in a positive way and is also available to help resolve problems. Contact Kathy at runjumpweave@prodigy.net or visit www.runjumpweave.com. a motivated agility partner readily available in Clean Run magazine. To develop your dog’s desire, first ensure that you have a hungry dog and use some top-notch treats, such as leftover steak or chicken. Heat the treats to generate as much “nose appeal” as possible. Arrive at your class early with your hungry dog. Show him the treats you have and let him have a good smell, but don’t let him have any. In fact, put them away as if they are your last meal and you are not prepared to share. After your little display of unattainable treats, let him sniff about on leash, actually encouraging him to check out all the horse-farm smells. Tell him how exciting it all must be. Once he has sufficiently checked things out, put him away in his crate, walk the first short sequence, and get out the really good treats. This is where a bit of play-acting comes in because you want to show your classmates the treats in front of your dog and tease your dog a little about how delectable the goodies are. Once you have his attention you can get him out and rush over to the agility sequence in a very excited manner. Your goal should be doing short sequences at first, gradually building up to five obstacles, after which you should reward him dramatically, sincerely, and profusely with some yummy treats. Then immediately run him back to his crate while you prepare for the next set. By allowing the dog to do what comes naturally (checking out the environment) before beginning the fun and rewarding agility sequences, you can prevent the common scenario of negative reinforcement and nagging by the handler that can cause a dog to develop the opinion that you are a little stressful to be around. That stress would lead any dog to concentrate even harder on sniffing and he might even run off to avoid you. 16 Clean Run | November 08
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Clean Run Magazine - November 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - November 2008
