One of the puppies from last spring's litter got into trouble during her agility class. Apparently as she exited a tunnel she ran across the floor and attacked another puppy (or maybe more than one puppy?). The owners asked me to talk about that and also how to deal with noises - vis a vis Haloween and maybe Fourth of July and/or thunderstorms etc.
I love this photo that Christine Vowles photo shopped for me so I'm using it again - because it's their mom!! (She removed the handler's legs, feet and the leash from the original photo.)
First - agility: - At less than a year old puppies should NOT be in a regular agility class. Their bones need to have the end joints closed (or fused). In other words, growth has to have stopped.They can damage the tender ends of still growing bones by
excessive running and jumping.
I shudder involuntarily when I see someone running with a dog - especially a puppy. The puppy is not running because it loves the idea, it is running because its owner is encouraging it to run. That can be very damaging to its skeleton, especially its hips. Normally puppies (and kids) play until they are tired and then stop - often collapsing in a heap and falling asleep where they stop. Puppies have a pack animal mentality. If asked to do something (like staying up with mom or dad while running), they will do so to their own detriment. Even adult dogs do not run and run and run. They run in short bursts and then stop.
If the puppy was in a
puppy agility class, that's another story altogether. In a puppy agility class the puppies do not really "jump" nor do they work on full-sized equipment. There is less stress on their growing skeletons. In a good class, the exercise is only for a short time, maybe ten or fifteen minutes.
Anyone who has had toddlers, human toddlers, knows that they get very grumpy when they are tired or hungry. Know your puppy and do not let it get hungry or tired. Make sure it is pacing itself. Yes, puppies should not be fed a meal, at least a full normal meal, before going to class BUT while it is in class use lots of treats as rewards for good behaviors to satisfy its hunger. That also teaches them the connection between doing a task and getting a reward. Remember "conditioning" from psychology classes?
I teach two agility classes on Wednesday mornings - a beginner class and a more advanced class. Our dogs are mature; some are several years old but all are at least a year old. Many are mixed breeds (A friend from England calls mixed breed dogs "Bitsers" - you know a bit of this and a bit of that. That's so much better than Mutt, isn't it?) and of various sizes but we have dogs like Irish Setters, Dalmatians, terriers, and Goldens too.
In the introductory class they are leashed all the time. We might let them run through a tunnel with the leash trailing behind them but we try very hard to collect them from the other end of the tunnel and reward immediately. Until we know that our dogs will return to us when we call them, we do not let them run willy nilly. That would be asking for trouble. It is very exciting and fun for dogs to do agility. They love it. Even so - - - - there are rules and the dogs must learn them.
We work very hard to get reliable "stays". They are not good when we start but by the fourth or fifth week, we can leave our dogs (leashes dangling and ready to be grabbed quickly if necessary) on a stay or a wait, and walk 25 - 30 feet or so away and call them to us. Until you can do that with your dog reliably every time, your dog should be attached to you by its leash. Would you leave your toddler alone to explore?
Simple question:
How do you get your dog to look you in the face/eyes and watch you - pay attention to you? Simple.
Hold a treat up by your mouth. Be sure it's a treat your dog loves. If your dog does not love the treat, it will be harder to train it. Try different treats until you find some it likes. My dogs like pea-sized pieces of low fat hot dogs and low fat string cheese. I keep them in a zip-lock baggy in the freezer so they don't spoil and take them out to train with. I like to use hot dogs and string cheese because then I don't mind putting them in my mouth. (Wait.) Don't use kibble. That's not fair. The treat should be special and tasty. It should also be easy to chew. One or two chews and a swallow and they are ready for the next trick or task.
Please don't use dry, crumbly treats that leave small pieces all over the floor. These are too tempting, and therefore distracting, to the other dogs that are also in training. If you drop a treat on the floor, please pick it up for the same reasons: - distracting and tempting to other dogs. Their handlers will appreciate the extra effort. (No one minds picking up toys or treats or even cleaning up accidents their own dogs have but somehow cleaning up messes left behind by others is not pleasant.)
To begin with use your dog's name. Call him/her. As soon as it looks at you - AS SOON AS IT LOOKS AT YOU - give it the treat that it can see by your mouth. Have someone walk by and try and distract it. Call its name again. And again, as soon as it looks at your face - the treat held up by your mouth - reward it. The reward must be immediate. Do not fumble in your bait bag for the reward after you call its name. It will NOT learn to watch your face. It will learn to watch your bait bag.
I'm attaching some photos of my dogs "watching" me while they do agility, obedience, or rally.
Photos were taken by Cathi Winkles photography and used with permission. Doesn't she take wonderful photos? Clicking on photos enlarges them. Do you think these dogs are watching me because they love me? I wish. (Maybe.)
After it has learned its name, yes, that is what you have been teaching it. (It's always surprising to me how few dogs know their own name. Their heads should snap as they turn to look at you when you call their name.) After it has learned its name, you are ready for the next step - - now try the same thing and use the expression, "Watch Me!". Treat by your mouth, say, "Watch Me!" and reward immediately - no fumbling in your bait bag. Practice this at home with family members providing light attempts at distraction. By your next class your dog should be ready to watch you every time you say its name or "Watch Me!". If it doesn't turn and look at you, you need to practice more.
People always ask me "when" I stop using treats. Never! If your employer stopped paying you, would you continue to work? You can gradually diminish the number of times you reward for correct behaviors but not yet. Not for many months. Make sure they understand the relationship between learning new tasks and getting the rewards. Once they have learned HOW to learn, it will easier to teach new tricks. I still reward Kata who is almost eleven. Not every time. And not predictably. All of my dogs get treats when they "work". They don't all like the same kinds of treats so I keep a mixture in the freezer and in my bait bag.
Here's the "Wait" - Experienced handlers often keep the treats in their mouths. That's why I suggest human-friendly treats. They spit them out to their dogs. That may sound gross but it frees up a hand. No one ever told you that you really need at least three hands to train your dog, did they? You do. Dogs, with experience, will be able to catch your treat if you can aim. You practice spitting while they practice catching. I practice by tossing popcorn, then treats, then I move to spitting. If that sounds too gross, don't do it, OK? But watch experienced handlers. It's actually pretty neat. It also makes for a great human-canine bond. If you can accomplish this successfully, you will be officially 'bonded'.
I do not like, by the way, bait bags with a draw string closure. It's too hard to get into the bag and treats can spill out. You can buy cotton carpenters' aprons at Home Depot for about $1.00. They work fine and you can wash them. You can also buy bait bags at any pet store.
If your dog has a favorite squeaker toy that will fit in your back pocket, take it to class with you and use it. It's your dog. You are adults. You get to do what you want. Really. If your instructor wants you to do something you don't want to do, you can decline. Really.
Just be nice about it.
If your dog is barking a lot in class while the instructor is talking - I hope they don't go on and on and on - sit on the floor with your dog and practice its tricks (using rewards, of course). Give it commands like sit, down, stand, roll over, etc. Your dog will love being the center of your attention and everyone will be able to hear - so will you.
Honestly, I do not think dogs are ready for agility until they have had lots of obedience training. The better they are at obedience, the better they will be at agility. You want control over your dog so it doesn't get the 'zanies' and run around the training building. That's a recipe for disaster. Keep your dog leashed until it will willingly stay with you. And then keep it leashed in case another dog tempts it or attacks it. At less than a year old, they are probably not reliably obedience trained. Yet.
Second - noises: - Again, it's conditioning. Start as soon as you can with your puppy/dog to get it used to loud or sudden noises.
My dogs love thunderstorms. When there is thunder and lightening, they want to go out and run in the rain. How did they get that way? I'm not sure. Maybe it's partly because they are descended from herding dogs. In Iceland. Outside. 24/7/365.
I also never coddled them when it was noisy outside. I did the opposite. I rewarded them with treats - from my frozen bait bag. Thunder? Here's a treat. Firecrackers? A treat. Kids bouncing a ball against a backboard. Treat. Loud parties next door. Treats. Of course they have to be quiet before they get a treat. It doesn't take long until they figure things out. Dogs are problem solvers. They love a challenge.
Have some treats ready and bang (gently at first) a couple of pans together and reward immediately.
Have the treat ready. Make noises and reward with a treat or a toy. Drop something noisy on the floor. Start with softer noises and move up to louder ones - - over time. Reward immediately.
Hello! They figure out when you're going to go to class. They watch your behaviors before you leave and can predict when and where you're going. Can't they? They know when you start to prepare their dinner. Get ready for bed. Let them out one last time before bed time. When you're going to have company. Etc.
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