Other Training for Agility

[DogGoneGood]

Introduction to Dog Agility
Margaret H. Bonham

Chapter 4: Training

Tools of Training:

Collars

All national agility clubs ban training type collars from competitions and some local clubs do not allow them even in practice. If a dog slips and falls, the collar could catch on a piece of equipment and severely injure the dog. Most agility clubs allow flat collars without tags.

If your dog is not reliable without a slip-type collar, look for training facilities that allow you to use them at first. Eventually, you will graduate to a flat collar.

I use a flat collar without tags that I call Kiana's agility collar when Kiana is at a trial. Some handlers run their dogs naked, that is, without a collar. Either way, this requires you to have some off leash control of your dog. Many agility trials are held outdoors with very little, if any, fencing. Ace should be able to jump the fence, so if your dog does not have a solid off-leash recall, start working on it.

Positive Reinforcement Tools

Positive reinforcement aids are anything that rewards the dog. This includes food and toys, but can also include gimmicks that give jackpot rewards. One such item is a food tube - a piece of clear plastic tubing that is slit down the center and capped at both ends. You twist the tube to fill with goodies or to reward the dog. There are commercial versions of jackpot rewarding items - most obedience mail-order catalogues carry them.

Include anything that will reward your dog. That reward is often food such as biscuits, treats, hot dogs, cheese, lunch meat, or whatever your dog really loves. The reward can also be squeaky toys, tennis balls, sticks, flying discs, or whatever your dog enjoys. Kiana, for example, finds food tubes and other gimmicks boring, but loves treats. Food or praise has not motivated other dogs I've owned. Your job, as an owner, is to be your dog's coach and motivator. Keep trying new combinations until something works.

Keep your food and toys hidden while you practice and only give as a reward. Otherwise, you will have a dog focused on the reward and not on the training. Use food as a lure only in the beginning and only to coax a reluctant dog onto an obstacle. I've made the mistake of using treats to lure Kiana through weave poles only to find that she focused on the food and not on the weave poles.

Many use bait pouches similar to the ones the conformation people use to hold their treats. If you are never planning to compete, you can use one. Dogs are very observant and will know when you are carrying food and not if you wear a bait bag. Wear clothing with pockets to keep the treats in, but be certain to keep your laundry away from your dog's reach or you may find pockets chewed through.

Leashes, Tabs, and Other Devices

When you are first working your dog, you will most likely have it on a leash for control. Use only a good latigo leather leash - chain and webbed leashes are unsuitable for training. Chain leashes do not allow good control over the dog and webbed leashes will cut into your hands. Be certain that your leash is long enough or short enough so that if you drop it (when a dog goes through a tunnel, for example), the dog's feet will not catch in the loop. Eventually, you won't be holding the leash very much. Instead, you will let it drag or drape it over your dog's back, providing some reassurance that you still have control if there is an emergency. Eventually, your dog will graduate to a tab.

A tab is a shortened leash that is anywhere from six to twelve inches in length and is knotted at the end. Trainers often use tabs as the next step to off-leash work. The dog wears the tab all the time while performing the obstacles and working off leash. The tab is long enough so that the handler can grab it and control the dog, but is short enough to give the feeling of off-leash work.

Another type of leash you might find useful are thin long lines. Some are made from parachute cord and others from thin wire or fishing line. These help when you are having problems with off-leash work. Suppose Ace discovers that once he is off leash, he is now free to act up. He starts running over to the A-frame, then the tunnel, then the chute, and then back to the A-frame, when all he was supposed to do was jump! You can change this by hooking up his normal leash and the thin long line to his collar and then taking the normal leash off. Work Ace as you would until he starts acting up. Then you can reel him in with a Here! command. Ace comes (reluctantly) and you put him in a sit. Then you praise him. Problem solved.

Commands Your Dog Should Know:

Your dog should have some obedience before you start training him in agility. The pause table and pause box require that you sit or down your dog for five seconds, demonstrating that you have control over your dog. Your dog should be able to come when called, especially off leash. These are the commands your dog must learn before it can start in agility: Watch, Come (off-leash recall), Sit, Down, Stay, and OK. If your dog does not know these commands or isn't very good at them, you should start working your dog now.

You may notice I have not included heel, and other obedience commands. This is a book on agility, not on obedience. Agility does not require heeling on or off leash, nor does it require perfect sits or downs. You can use as many commands or hand signals as you like and not get penalized. This enables you to work with your dog without worrying if an extra come or sit will hurt you. It is up to the judge's discretion on whether or not you are in control of your dog. Judges are usually lenient in the amount of commands and hand signals and will not qualify (NQ) a handler and his dog only in extreme cases.

The Golden Rules of Dog Training

• Never get angry at your dog. Agility was your idea, not his. If you feel yourself becoming angry or frustrated at Ace - stop training. Take a time out. Play with your dog, take a walk, or read a book. Don't take your frustration out on your canine partner.
  
• Become a person your dog will respect. Don't yell and scream when he does something wrong. Don't wheedle and cajole him to obey a command. Corrections and praise should be swift and meaningful to the dog.
  
• Always reward your dog for coming to you. Never punish a dog when it runs away and then comes back or you will be punishing the dog for coming back.
  
• Never force a frightened dog to do something. You will most likely get bit.
  
• Before you can teach a command, you must first have your dog's attention. Always precede the command with your dog's name, such as "Ace, come!" Don't say, "Come, Ace!" Ace is likely to have not heard the command before you got his attention.
  
• Say the command once and don't yell. Ace is not deaf. If he is, you'd better be teaching him with hand signals instead.
  
• Don't repeat the command. By repeating commands, you'll be teaching Ace taht he needs not obey you the first time. Sometimes with the command come, a dog may need some extra positive encouragement. Once the dog learns the command, the command doesn't need to be repeated unless there is a long time between when the command is given and when the action needs to be performed. (More on this in later chapters).
  
• Choose one command and stick with it. Don't say "Ace, jump!" on one jump and then "Ace, over!" on another jump.
  
• Once Ace learns commands and you have his attention, use only the agility command. So instead of "Ace, tire!" you should say "tire!"
  
• Choose one-word commands that don't sound like each other. Sit down and lie down are perfect examples of what will confuse your dog. Use sit for sit down and down for lie down.
  
• Don't use down for off. Down should mean lie down. Off should mean four paws on the ground.
  
• Never give a command that you cannot enforce. It's not funny hearing someone say to a dog that won't listen: "Fido, come! Fido, get over here! OK, Fido, don't come." This shows an obvious lack of control.
  
• Always enforce a command. Let's say Ace is not reliable off leash. Keep Ace on a long line until he becomes reliable. If Ace doesn't sit after you tell him to sit, make him sit. If Ace doesn't touch the contact zone of an obstacle, make Ace perform the obstacle again and make him sit on the contact zone.
  
• Always reward good behavior.
  
• Always set your dog up for success and never allow your dog to make a mistake. This is easier than it sounds. Think through what you are training Ace for and what possible responses he can have. Be prepared for them. Remember: It is easier to teach good habits than it is to unlearn bad ones.
  
• Always end a training session on a positive note.
  
• Have fun. (If neither of you are having fun, why bother?)
  
• Take time to play. Ace needs some play time with you to release stress and excess energy. Have fun with your dog.
  

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