General training for agility.

Working from both sides of the handler should be encouraged early in agility training. Dogs should never get the idea that the owner should be in any particular position relative to the obstacles, they should be shown that the handler could be on either side when the dog is asked to perform an obstacle. If the dogs are not trained to work on any particular side in the beginning they usually do not show a preference for the handlers position relative to the obstacle. Katie Greer

Guard the dog's enthusiasm for agility carefully. Slow is a four letter word - slowing a dog down in order to gain control is a temporary fix which will only add problems later. In order to make the standard course time in the upper classes a dog will need to be confident and capable of working through the course briskly. Take the time to work through the control issues with speed and you will be rewarded for your patience.

In their haste to get out and run a course some handlers may push a dog through basic training faster than the dog is capable of coping. This can damage any confidence a dog may have with performing obstacles. In the learning stage a dog cannot be "wrong" because they do not yet know what it is that they are to do. Bring the dog around to perform the obstacle again without comment, and if need be show them what it is you want. Every dog differs in the amount of time it may take to provide them with the proper foundation of training that will allow them to go on and perform agility with confidence and speed. Katie Greer

To motivate a less than enthusiastic dog you will need to find what makes the dog happiest. Toys are best as rewards, but treats work well for many. Training may need to be backed up to an earlier level in order to instill confidence thereby regaining speed. Re-train each obstacle individually until you have the speed that you would like to see. This may mean taking a break from trials for a while so that the dog can work through this without pressure.

Race the dog through the obstacle and reward for any display of speed by playing with the dog and toy, or by treating. Avoid cheering and verbal commentary, it often appears to the dog that it is being praised for the performance it is giving. If the handler is happy it sees little reason to speed up. Allow the dog to have the responsibility for performing the obstacle. If it is slow, then a quiet word of praise is in order for just having done it. When the dog shows more speed than it had, praise in a most excited way. Show the dog which of the performances pleases you most. 

Restrained recalls work well for many. Have a spotter hold the dog and move away toward the obstacle. Call the dog a few times and when it is really excited about leaving this person to rejoin the handler they should let go. Dogs often put on a burst of speed which can then be rewarded.

Sequence work may need to be more direct and straight forward to keep the dog happily performing. Start with only 2 obstacles and reward for the fastest performance. A stop watch comes in handy when you up the stakes on speed. Gradually add an obstacle to the sequence in later sessions. Katie Greer

With dogs that lack confidence, try to ignore it and don't make an issue of it. There's plenty of time to put it all together. The most important thing is to keep the dog happy. They may just need a little more time. If they're confident on the dog walk, concentrate on that, keep it upbeat and reward like crazy. Do the things he does well, then give the teeter another shot. They often act quite differently the next time they see what ever it was that unnerved them in a previous class. Be sure that you approach each new training session with confidence you want your dog to have..."Today we're going to do it!" Katie Greer

Sometimes when our dogs are experiencing a real hang up on a piece of equipment like this or the weave pole entry, it is best to just quit on the obstacle for awhile, and I mean awhile as in several weeks, then come back to it fresh.  This lets some latent learning take effect as well as diminishing the negative feelings the dog may be experiencing about a particular obstacle.  Sometimes over-training on an obstacle can make the dog less than enthusiastic about its performance.  In the horse world it is
not uncommon for horses to be "laid off" for the entire winter season, but they rarely lose their ability to understand leg commands and negotiate a jump when they resume training in the Spring. Karen Mast

As dogs begin to be proficient at individual obstacle training the owners can then begin to add jogging around the obstacles with the dog on lead. As the owner approaches an obstacle they should call come and praise when the dog ignores the obstacle in front of it and comes to the owner. If the dog should ignore the come command and focus on the obstacle the owner can pop the lead gently and then when the dog comes in praise and reward the dog. It is not important what caused the dog to come, only that it does come when called and calls off the obstacle ahead. This is an excellent warm up exercise to perform before obstacle training begins at any level. Katie Greer

After the course is cleared from the walk-through, I then begin a mental exercise 

that the Olympic downhill skiers and bobsledders use, call visualizing the course.  

I go off by myself (usually somewhere I can still see the course for reference) and 

then close my eyes and take myself to the start of the course (mentally, of course). 

I imagine EXACTLY where and how I wanted Maggie to be at the start and where I will be standing.  Then I start the course. The entire time I am mentally going through the course (and I have to admit you will see me spinning around and giving hand signals alone off the side lines) it is with me WATCHING Maggie as she goes thru the course and how I will be in relation to her. This really helps with reality on the course because (at least for me) I have found taking my eyes off her is usually the start of a disaster.  If I have already gone over all my crosses, and turns and imagined always having my beady eye on her and exactly  where I believe there will be problem with her and a HERE will be needed, my timing on the course is much improved.

If I stay focused, even with my eyes closed I can exactly visualize all the 20 or so obstacles and exactly what they look like (say red teeter, blue double, brick jump weave) in the correct order, and where I need to be, and Maggie needs to be.  I usually have a poor memory and this method takes a huge stress off me because I don't feel I am letting my dog down by not keeping up my end of the deal. Jennifer Kavanaugh

I have been greatly appreciative of the GOOD posts recently supporting the actual "training" of the agility dog as opposed to just somehow getting the dog to do something. There has been some really good comments on the list worth reading over again and remembering. Dogs must not only be shown what you want but also they must be very clear as to what is not acceptable. Dogs with a clear idea of expectations perform very happily and freely as there is no doubt in their mind how to play the game.

Personally, if I have a young dog that not just makes green dog errors or I make handling errors but actually makes the decision to do something other than what I want I stop right there and excuse myself. I don't care if I might have passed or not. The dogs picture of "working" for me in the agility environment is the most important thing in the beginning.

Part of not really training attitude, the obstacles, space between the obstacles, etc. is that many people now who enjoying agility did not come into the sport with a "dog training" background. Sometimes the actual "how to" of dog training is missed in agility classes that are aimed at the sport of agility. I would highly recommend "Smart Trainers, Brilliant Dogs" by Janet Lewis as an excellent progression of how dogs learn and are trained based on how they learn.

If your "teamwork" isn't what it should be and your dog isn't responsive or dependable you may very well benefit by going back to some basic training that will put you together as a team first. Then, the agility requirements will be something you learn in addition to your already focused and responsive dog's knowledge. Claudia Frank

With more and more people coming into agility, instructors need a method of determining which teams are prepared to enter into group classes. The team will have far more fun in their agility endeavors if they already have some basic obedience (team work) preparation before they begin. This will also raise the comfort level of the existing members as you bring new dogs into the practice sessions.

Agility training is often held in very close proximity to other dogs and handlers; manners are an absolute must from our canine friends! They must be neither people or dog aggressive.

This assessment isn't at all hard to pass and is only intended to see if the "team" has some basics of team work which is so helpful before beginning agility training.

Use a 1 - 5 scale to determine the level of responsiveness. Those who don't pass are asked to take a basic obedience class, or further socialize their dog and then revisit for a later agility beginners class. Those that are iffy are given home work assignments before they return to the class.

The first exercise is a sit or down at the handler's option. You're just looking for some prior experience in training from the team. The handler should have been working on something prior to coming for agility training.

The 2nd exercise is a come-fore. With the dog on leash the handler moves out until the dog is at the end of the leash ahead of the handler. The handler then calls "come" and backs up. Once again, you're looking for the level of responsiveness of the dog to the handler. That helps to determine the placement of the students in their class. Dog/handler teams can be placed into a class relative to their experience.

The the assessment team (usually 3 members) invites the dog to visit and pets the dog if it will allow the contact. Since so much of beginner training involves a helper who holds the dog it is important to know if the dog will accept such handling. A reserved or tentative dog is acceptable, one that growls or is overtly fearful is excused. The handler is asked to further socialize the dog or enroll in a local obedience class.

Then divide the students into 2 groups. The dogs are placed in the off-side position (not heel side). The two groups are lined up facing each other and with the dogs on the inside path and the handlers on the outside path they then jog toward each other so that the dogs pass by each other. Then send them by each other. The curious dog, or the inviting to play dogs are not faulted. The dog that growls or lunges at another is asked to be further socialized or join a local obedience class and to revisit for a later beginner agility class.

There is then one final phase for the team to pass. Off lead the dog and handler then jog around the park with the handler darting to and fro, clapping and calling the dog to join in the fun and follow the handler around. Often you have to demonstrate this portion.

What you're looking for here is responsiveness to the handler once again, but also the ability of the handler to call the dog off the general membership and their dogs if the dog decides maybe that group over there looks more interesting than the handler. You can do this assessment while there is a class or two already underway so the invitation to join another group is strong.

Remember, this dog has already passed the static people or dog aggression phase of the test before being allowed off lead. That way if the handler is not able to call the dog off you won't experience an accident if it bounds into the crowd ignoring the calls of its handler. This type of assessment should help to keep your classes peaceful and full of fun for everyone! Katie Greer (This article was used on the old Agility-l website circca 1994)

What to do indoors........

Touch a target plate
Run to a target plate, increase distance as much room as you have
Left, right directionals
Touch flat hand target (just learned the usefulness of this in the Barb
Davis seminar this past weekend - 'here', flat hand)
Small ramp down from couch, work on contacts
Create a motivating toy (Susan Garrett, Clean Run)
1-2-3 Game (Susan Garrett, Clean Run)
Go out around a chair or wastebasket (start of teaching an 'out')
Pause table 'down' (use couch or bed)
Make indoor set of weave poles, teach entries, angles
Find it games (transfer later to 'find your tunnel' when the tunnel might
be hard to see at first - teaches him to *look* for something)
Hand pivots, follow shoulders, side switches while walking

All those depend on how much room you have of course but those are some
things to think about. Helix Fairweather

*All* the Excellent courses at the Hounds For The Holidays were GREAT COURSES!!!!  They were *handlers courses*.  By this I mean....there were no HARD call offs with NO Handler options.  If you were in the right place at the right time with good body language you and your dog were successful.  This means that YOU have to know your dog.

I sat and watched on Saturday's Excellent Standard Course....how dog after dog failed at obstacle #3.  It was a jump...jump ...tunnel set up.  If you lead out past to jump #2 and directed your dog to correct tunnel entrance....it was a piece of cake.

Unfortunately...LOTS... of handlers chose to run this line up and the dogs sucked into the wrong tunnel entrance.  I couldn't believe after watching dog upon dog fail this *test*...that subsequent handlers wouldn't see the futility in this approach.

There were other areas of other courses that needed a diligent thought process.  Like how can I straighten out this approach. IF the handler thought it out, the dog did well.

Courses are like puzzles.  You have to have the right directions to complete and all the little tricks in your bag to do the right job.  Most of the handlers that I saw fail the courses
did not have the *tricks* to the course figured out or either they did not have the dog trained well enough to handle the courses.  This of course is EXCELLENT Dog Agility.  You have to be able to handle the courses.  And I would like to add that ALL the courses at the Hounds For The Holidays were appropriate for this level....

So my suggestion is.....you have to train for things.... If we fail on a course...you better believe I will set it up in training as soon as I can....

In agility....there is never an end to the training and proofing process....but it is always much more fun to do... Cindy Brick

You are correct.  The absence of the reward is the correction. From the other stuff you wrote it sounded like you had the right idea. Perhaps you were asking for more before the dog was ready to move on.  When my dog starts goofing up I usually figure I did something wrong, so I back track and start over somewhere in the training to try and see where things fell apart. Sometimes I figure it out and sometimes the dog just needed some remedial work. Of course I have to mention that you have to be using a motivator that your dog is crazy about and for some dogs you have to mix it up a bit. I like to switch back and forth between food and toys. Also, short and sweet is another key. Always quit before the dog is tired of what you're doing. The hard one for me is to get something just right and then wanting to do it just one more time. Lynn Haughwout 

I think that this approach works with some dogs but not with all.  My main problem with it, is that I see it used inappropriately all the time.  I see handlers dropping their dogs, excusing themselves and carrying the poor dog off the course when 50-75% of the time (or more), it was the handler that made the error!  I saw a handler recently down this poor dog and carry her off after the handler had clearly cut the dog off on a mistimed rear cross which resulted in pushing the dog off course.  What, pray tell, did the dog
learn from that experience, perhaps that her handler is an idiot.  I wanted to run out on the course and down the handler and carry her out of the ring! Kent Mahan

Last fall, Nancy Gyes recommended an exercise to me that has been quite helpful in sharpening my focus.  If you want to try it you'll need to get a group of friends to help.  It should help them with their focus, too.

Set up your equipment in a pattern with lots of options.
The first person makes up a course (quickly, can't dwell on it forever).
Everyone walks it ONCE.
Everyone runs the course ONCE with the person making it up going first.
The next person makes up a course.
Everyone walks it ONCE.
Everyone runs the course ONCE with the person making it up going first.
(Actually, we added the part about the person making it up having to go first!)
Continue until everyone has had a turn or two or three (depending on the size of
your group).

This makes everyone think fast, and really concentrate.  If you are always the one designing the exercises for your practice sessions, it gives you a chance to run things you didn't have to invent yourself.  It is also lots of fun.  You can turn it into a friendly game of "my dog can do this, let's see you try and do it better".  And for those that do well in practice but melt down at a trial, it puts a little more pressure on you in practice, so the trials seem easier (where you usually get to walk the course more than once).

On days that we aren't feeling that creative, we borrow the "Thursday Night at Power Paws" exercises out of the Clean Run magazine.  But we still take turns having one person quickly choose an exercise and tell the rest of us what it is, we walk it once and run it once.  Same benefits to the handler's focus. Thanks Nancy!  We're having a good time. Nancy Ballerstedt

My favourite way to teach turns is onto a toy. The dog should know to grab and let go on cue BTW!!! You find where the dog normally lands and place yourself there, hold the toy at chest height and give the jump cue and then the grab cue. The dog should grab the toy before he lands. Most dogs love this and throw themselves into the game with great enthusiasm. If they knock the pole, I generally move out a bit further to give them a little more room, until they can manage. When they can do this well you begin to lower the toy to ground level and then gradually work back to the wing of the jump. Little by little you can see the dogs learning how to turn in the air. I do one side at a time, as most dogs have a side that they will naturally turn to. I think that the skills are quite different and don't like to confuse the issue. When they can jump into the toy from beside the
wing you start to move even further round until the dog is almost "shaving the paint" off the wing. This also teaches the body language; low is come through the gap up straight is go on/jump from that side. Generally takes about 6 months to teach it at 2ft 6ins, should be quicker for lower heights. Jo Sermon

When you say she will wait at home, that's great!! Its a starting place. I'd now suggest that you push it a little. Can she wait with a ball going past her? Can she wait whilst you run past her? What is your cue for release and are you consistent with it? What do you do if she breaks a wait? Can you leave her and then walk around a jump? Can she wait
outside a local supermarket? School at home time? The training needs to be
pushed a little further, until little by little you teach the concept that wait always means wait, no matter where you are, what you are doing, or what's going on around you.

If she won't wait at class I think that you're being a little unfair expecting her to do so at a trial. Is there no-one who can help you with this at club? Try having someone holding her whilst you set her up, walk round the first jump and then release her AWAY from the equipment. Do this 5 times for every time that you actually go over the equipment. There's generally bags of time whilst others are having their turn. Make sure that
you leave her in a positive manner, don't hestitate or fiddle about as this generally winds dogs up! Have you asked for help? I'm sure that most people have faced this at sometime or another and understand what's involved. Jo Sermon

Since he liked the rawhide baseball, try this food-based tug toy. Get a large pig's ear or cow ear -- pick out the thickest one you can find. Take a 1/4" drill and drill a whole near one of the sides -- not too close though. Put a piece of rope through the hole and tie the two ends together. I usually use about 24" of rope. If you're worried about your hands, you can cut a 4" piece of pipe insulation and tape it around the rope so that you have a handle opposite the ear.

I've had a couple people use this very successfully. Tugging with the ear and a minute or so of chewing after a good run. At the end of the day, the dog gets the whole thing if you like. Monica Percival

I have heard over and over about how this nipping is 'caused' by frustration.  I have a rescue bc, one of three living in my house, and the only one that leaps and nips and yes,  caused many a bruise on  my upper arm during his initial months with us.  Also bit hard at the feet. Ii also have a rescue Dal doing the same thing.   You know what?  They do it when they're excited. They do it when first coming out of kennel or crate.  They nip and bark and leap out of energy and excitement.  And it has to be redirected. Period.

Neither of these particular dogs do it in the agility environment.  They are busy working.  they are focused.  they also (the BC, especially) have tug toys and leashes to direct the excitement onto.  they do not nip at me in the agility environment, except occasionally the BC slips/regresses and tries to dive onto my feet at the finish line - we re-direct to his waiting leash and then run to get a toy - delaying the celebration a bit.  He is a very focused and wonderful agility partner .  I have been working with him for  two years.

At home,  I absolutely put a stop to it.  It hurts.  It is disrespectful.  It causes both of them to NOT be placed, (among other issues) -  my gain!  I turn away, I block with my hands, I tell them to 'get a toy' and they do.  They are excited, not biting out of aggression, but it must stop.  I have scruffed both of them, and got  through  to them, so now it is enough that I catch them BEFORE they are biting, and send them on the mission seeking a toy.
Having something in the mouth helps their excited oral behavior. And then they are praised and get the attention they want, with the toy/game.  Substituting a toy or game or some other behavior is important - they need something to do - preferably something active! DO NOT allow these handlers to excuse it because the dog is excited/frustrated/whatever. Teach an incompatible behavior, teach a 'sit for self control' (Clothier) - teach something, but DO NOT excuse and allow the behavior.  In a Rottweiller, in a Bull Terrier, we don't cut them much slack.  Neither should we in these herding breeds.  It has to be, so to speak nipped in  the bud.  An immediate time out - a 'game over' - some immediate and calm response that clearly indicates the behavior is unacceptable.  Getting excited and raising the voice only adds to the dogs' inability to
control itself, so keeping it understated and resolute is the way to go. And yes, the handler needs to get her act together, perhaps rehearsing the sequence or moves without the dogs until she is ready to get the dog and MOVE.  when she has the dog out, it really is necessary to give it her full attention.  And that is really hard for beginners.  But she can walk the sequence and run it without her dog until she's ready to give the dog what it needs.

If this response seems a little strong, it is because I see too many dogs allowed to be out of control under the guise of it being the excitement of the sport.  Excitement is wonderful, when  focused and positive, but not when it becomes loss of control exhibited by biting. The dog and handler both need to learn focus and containment to be successful, and this sure is a good place to start.  IMO. Linda Sable

Some thoughts on the differences between Mini dogs and their larger cousins....

A scrunched up pipe tunnel presents a whole other aspect to training since the small paws drop in-between the "ribs" of the tunnel, rather than running across the top of the ribs. The little ones actually do better with a straight stretched out tunnel, or use the barrel of the chute tunnel to start them out. Better footing. Since the dogs are small, tunnels usually aren't a problem, but often times trainers use methods applying to large
dogs on the wee ones, which includes "squishing" the pipe tunnel to its shortest distance as an introduction.

The teeter and A-frame are notable. With the A-frame expect to take longer to put it to full height, the wee ones need a good amount of confidence and momentum to make it to the top. Larger dogs can handle the rise of the A-frame much sooner. In the US, USDAA uses a 6' 3" A-frame for all dogs, so the wee ones experience a tremendous climb. It's my understanding that the UK uses the 5' 6" A-frame for mini classes so this shouldn't pose quite the problem as it can here. The AKC program uses 5' 6" for all dogs, it's easiest on the wee ones of agility.

On the teeter a toy dog will have to run straight out to the end of the plank, then ride it down at full height much like an elevator in a tall building. It depends upon the weight of the dog, a heavy bodied short dog or a member of the Toy dog group? The heavier bodied dogs can be trained much like their larger cousins to find their pivot point. A member of the toy group will find itself completely in the contact zone before the plank moves earthward. Those which are food motivated will "stick" the teeter contact while eating a soft squishy type of food smashed onto the board itself, and munch away while riding the board to the ground. After having been introduced to the fact that this particular plank moves from beneath them. It is also helpful to use a table under the up side board so that the drop is shorter than it would be if it dropped clear to the ground. Teeters which have been built to accommodate various heights also benefit the toy dog
breeds while they learn.

As for handling.... the small dogs tend to be more aware of where their handlers feet are. They don't care to be stepped on! They often "push" away from their handlers lower body easier than their larger cousins. Handlers of mini dogs should be aware of the position of their feet, knees, or hips in relation to where they wish their dogs to go as opposed to their upper torso.

There's a little bit from one who started out with large dogs, and ended up with a wee one to top it all off! Katie Greer

I had to teach this one to one of my dogs, and it worked pretty well (when I remember to actually use the command!). This isn't my original idea, but something passed on from a friend passed on from another friend, probably originally from a seminar somewhere or a combination of methods, so I don't take any credit for inventing it. What I did was to set up jumps very close together, so close that the dog had to 'bounce' jump them (no stride in between) and had to really shorten the stride to make all the jumps. For instance, for my 20" BC who jumps 20", I set the jumps to 16" at first (later at full height) and put them about four feet apart, five or six jumps in a row. I first had to walk through with him to get him to understand it wasn't some new kind of strange broad jump (he did try to clear the whole thing in one leap the first time!). Then I just had him bounce jump his way down the row, then back again. Instead of my normal 'over' command to let him start, I used 'easy'. I wanted easy to mean 'watch out, tight stuff coming up but keep going the way you're going', and not 'slow down and turn back and look at me'. When he was consistently doing well with this, I started him farther back (about 15 feet back, instead of only a couple feet from the first jump), to give him the option to take a good running start but letting him learn to use his own judgment and response to my 'easy' command to rate his pace back. Then I started him over another jump about 15 feet away to make the pace change a more conscience effort on his part. Then two jumps 15-20 feet apart leading into the tight section, and so on. When he was getting pretty
good at this, I changed the picture a little bit. I put the tight jumps in a grid, like a series of connected jumping boxes, so that when he took the first jump he had the option of going straight, or of turning left or right 90 degrees, then whichever jump I sent him over he again was in the middle of a box with an option of three different ways to go. I started him back over the two 'fast' jumps, gave him his 'easy' approaching the jumping grid, then it was 'easy get out easy come in, easy go' etc. We'd maneuver through the
tight grid a different way each time, so he was really forced to rate his pace back and cue into what I was telling him. As he got better at it, I varied the jump spacing, until a lot of the time they were more like what we'd see on a tight part of a course at a trial (about 10-12 feet apart), but even with the extra room the turns kept him collected. When I remember to use it on course it works really well for us. Even for those places where the
spacing may not be so tight, when I use 'easy' I see him collect himself a bit and he sort of 'floats' over the jumps instead of hurtling over them like an unguided missile. I also use the 'easy' when I'm calling him over a series of jumps for a start, so I get this floaty kind of jump and less chance of bars coming down in his rush to get to me. We also do (in reference to your question) use it on occasion for the weave poles, especially when the footing is bad and I'm worried he'll slip past the entry or make the entry and miss
the second pole. You'd have to really be paying attention to notice if he slows down or not with 'easy' for the weaves, but there is a definite difference in the way he carries himself, so I can see that he's concentrating on the entry and not just running. Diana Antlitz  

If it's important that she play with toys with you in addition to working for food, then you'll have to work harder at building the toy motivation. You can work with the stuffable toys with food in them, for example, as an occasional alternative to just treats. You can also use food as the reward for playing with you with a toy. Tug for a few seconds, get a cookie. Tug for longer, get a cookie. That process can make playing with the toy more and more motivating for the dog until eventually, it's as exciting as the food.

If it really doesn't matter to you what motivates the dog, then I don't think you need to panic about having the dog work for treats alone. There are certainly many fine agility dogs that are trained predominantly, or even solely, with food.

What I do recommend with the food, however, is that you get it off your person early in the training process. For example, I will start by dropping my bait bag on the ground near to where we are training (you can put it on a chair or something if you're dog is completely unable to think with the bag on the ground!). When I want to reward, we run to the bait bag together. I progressively work to having the bait bag very far away from the training area (on the porch, for example) to simulate what will happen at a show -- we run the course and then we go back to the tent for cookies. Monica Percival

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