Weave Poles | Dog Gone Good Training Forum!

Weave Poles Aug 18, 2008 1:39:42 GMT -5

Quote

Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 1:39:42 GMT -5

WEAVE POLES:

The weave poles are a set of poles (usually made out of PVC pipe) set in a row with spaces between which the dog must weave in and out of. This can be a very difficult obstacle to teach a dog because it is something a dog does not do naturally. However, many dogs, one they take to it, take to it well. If you go watch an Agility trial you will see some dogs (specifically Border Collies) that whiz through the poles with amazing speed and accuracy. Many will even bark with excitement!

Goleta Valley Dog Club

Agility Association of Canada Rules and Regulations V 1.0.1
APPENDIX C
Obstacle Construction Standards

Weave Poles:
The weave poles consist of round plastic poles approximately three-quarter inches (3/4 in.) outside diameter and between three feet (3 ft.) and four feet (4 ft.) tall. They are positioned in a straight line and spaced at intervals of eighteen inches to twenty-one inches (18 in. to 21 in.), on centre, apart. A minimum of five (5) and a maximum of twelve (12) poles are used. All weave poles must be capped for safety reasons.

The poles shall be marked with a contrasting colour so that fifty percent (50%) of the pole is light coloured by striping or banding and are held upright by semi-rigid or rigid cups/supports permitting the poles to stay upright if bumped by the dog while rapidly weaving through the line of poles. The "Weave-A-Matic" style of weave poles is acceptable. If the poles are supported by a continuous base extending the full length of the poles, the base support shall be no higher than one haf inch (1/2 in.) and no wider than three inches (3 in.). Base supports shall always be constructed so as not to interfere with the dog. Stick-in-ground poles are acceptable where ground conditions permit. The poles must stand upright. Weave poles may be staked.

Training on the Weave Poles

Weave Poles Aug 18, 2008 1:40:23 GMT -5

Quote

Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 1:40:23 GMT -5

Training on the Weave Poles:

There are several different methods of training a dog to weave through the Weave Poles. If you ask any Agility trainer or club they will probably each give you their own style and opinion on how to train weave poles. There are no wrong ways to train, just some are easier on some dogs than others. How you train your dog on the weave poles will really depend on your dog. Try which ever method you choose and if it doesn't seem to work, simply try another!

You can buy or make "aids" that help teach your dog how to weave through the poles. These are generally a wire guide that sits on every other pole. When attaching these guids keep in mind that the dog always enters on the right side of the poles (the dogs left) and weaves from there. This is what the outcome of these wire guides should look like;

Personally I prefer a method which doesn't start the dog off weaving right away. Instead it slowly gets the dog to form his body to weave and is an easy transition. Whichever method you choose, it's best to always start out with 5 or 6 poles rather than the full 12. You can add 12 in later once your dog has gained the confidence needed on the 5 or 6 poles.

Using the method I use, you will be using 6 poles, but not in a straight line. Break them up to be one straight line of 3 and another of 3. Put one set of 3 on the left and the other on the right.
You should have a gap between the two sets of poles around a foot and a half wide, (or depending on your dogs size) you want to make sure there is an adiquate amount of space between the dog and the poles.
Start by brining the dog through this straight line, getting him use to the sight of the poles around him.
Once your dog is comfrotable with that (and it should take no time at all), you can start moving the poles in closer. In order to accomplish the full affect you will need to stager the poles, like so;

Keep bringing the two sets of 3 closer and closer together at your dogs own pace. You want him to be comfortably moving between the poles each time you move them closer together.
Eventually you will have your dog begin to weave through them, but with slight spacing at an angle, as shown below;

Keep practicing with this slight weave until your dog is weaving fluidly. Keep slowly moving the poles closer and closer until you have your dog weaving straight, as shown below;

And there you have it! Your dog is weaving like a pro!

It is very important to move the poles at your dogs pace; if you move them too quickly you are bound to have a dog that makes more mistakes.

If your dog does make mistakes there are several reasons for this. Making a mistake will consist of entering on the wrong side of the poles and/or missing poles. If your dog does this it could mean he was trained to quickly on them, and/or it could also mean he's just getting lazy. If your dog makes a mistake simply pull him out of the line, tell him "no..." bring him back to the start and give your weave command (you can choose whatever command you wish to use as long as it's something you can easily remember... I personally just use "weave"). Dogs also are very keen on watching our body language, as you will surely learn when you get into Dog Agility. I've found it's easier to eliminate mistakes with my dogs by moving my hands in and out in a patter that's basically like guiding the dog through the poles.

Another way of teaching your dog to weave is without either wire guides or spacing the poles apart. Set up a set of 6 poles and simply guide your dog through the poles by holding the bulk of your leash down low in front of his face and gently pulling him through the poles. I've found this method can take twice as long to teach a dog and you have to be VERY coordinated to do this without getting your leash and/or arms wrapped around the poles! If you get your leash wrapped or have any kind of problems like this it WILL affect how your dog is learning.

Whichever method you choose, it is always important to go slowly and smoothly when training on the weave poles. Start slowly with six poles and once you've found your dog understand what you are asking him to do keep practicing on the 6 poles. You can take your time perfecting speed and technique BEFORE moving on to 12 poles. Once you do move on to the 12 set don't do it too fast. Some dogs will pop out after 6 if they were moved too quickly onto 12. Instead add another pole one at a time until your dog becomes accustomed to weaving through more poles.

Good Luck, and Have Fun!