Clean Run Magazine - December 2009 - 11

I Wish I’d Known When I Started Agility By Terry VanHook When you take the leash off of your pup, instead of saying “Go Play,” you should be saying “Come Play!” When the leash comes off, the fun starts with chasing mom or the toy she has. It is so important to practice handling on the flat. It may be tremendous fun for you to have your dog do an obstacle like a jump (figure eights over one jump or sends to a table you have in your backyard) over and over. But drilling your dog on any obstacle can lead to your dog’s disliking that obstacle and even things associated with performing the obstacle. It is the handler’s job to make the game of agility fun for the dog. Always try to think of ways to make being on the agility field fun. Mix things up. You want your dog to think training is playing. Train as you trial. Trial as you train. Put excitement in your voice. Be quick and fast in your movements when you practice if that is what you want at trials. Praise your dog often. Look for places to let your dog know he’s doing a good job. Your dog is not plotting against you when he takes the wrong jump. He is not thinking: My handler wants me to go over that jump; so, I’m going over this one. More than likely, how you handled the sequence caused the error. Don’t be a slave to the sequence. If you forget the course, make a wrong turn, or your dog takes a different jump from the one you wanted, make up a new sequence. Circle around and come back to the place of the error while you learn to think on your feet. (Thanks to Stuart Mah for this tip.) Building your dog’s confidence is a priority. Each time you stop and slump your shoulders or act disappointed, you bring your dog down with you. He is constantly trying to figure out what you want him to do and he is reading your actions. If you are learning a new handling maneuver, practice it without your dog first. You | Clean Run want your dog to drive to the next obstacle; not hesitate and have to look back at you one more time, just to make sure this is what you really want him to do. Keep training sessions short. Try taking 12 treats out and when those are gone, the session is over. Do a sequence; then play tug or ball. Leave your dog wanting to do more. Getting a Q is not always the most important objective. Set goals for each of your runs: I want my dog to like being at this trial surrounded by noise and people and dogs. I want my dog to come off the course happy and thinking he did great. I want to handle this course so my dog does that serpentine, or hits his contacts, or nails the weave pole entrance. D Terry is owned by four Schipperkes, Andy, Tip, Franke, and Alfie, and one rescue Pomeranian Lucy. She teaches agility and CU classes (based on Control Unleashed, a book by Leslie McDevitt) at the Kentucky Humane Society in Louisville, Kentucky, and competes in AKC, CPE, and TDAA. 5 6 December 09

Clean Run Magazine - December 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - December 2009