AG380 Agility Drills - Get a Responsive Dog!

Does your dog have a tendency to ignore your commands on course? Or "blow you off"?

Course Details

Does your dog have a tendency to ignore your commands on course? Or "blow you off"?

Do you feel you need clarity in the information you are giving to your dog?

Is your dog a tunnel sucker? How do you fix it?

In this class we will focus on drills that will create a dog that is responsive. So you have obstacle and handler focus instantly when asked. No more wondering IF your dog will respond. You will also learn how your dog got to be non responsive, so you can prevent future issues.

We will work on timing, but most importantly, test your dogs responsiveness and what to do when things go wrong.

There will be 3 levels of drills: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

Teaching Approach

Lectures are released in one batch on the first day of each week. They are a combination if written lectures (bullet points/steps) and video demonstrations.

As you are working through these drills, you will be required to step towards obstacles and move away from obstacles. The ability to throw rewards if needed is also an advantage. While the lectures assume an able-bodied handler and a dog who is interested in food or toys, Loretta is highly flexible for students at the Gold Level and will also try to accomodate as much as possible for Silver. Loretta is happy to make adjustments based on the team's needs. Please ask for modifications if needed.

Feedback is provided using a timestamp, and description of what is being talked about in the video submission. An example of this is below:

0:35 when you stepped forwad with your right foot, your foot was not pointing to the jump, but it was turned 90 degrees. That is why your dog did not send to the jump. Please rotate your foot clockwise (to the right) approx 6 inches so it is facing the jump bar.

0:55 here you did a LOVELY job moving off that forward send. That is just how I want it to look! WELL DONE!

This class will have a Teacher's Assistant (TA) available in the Facebook study group to help the Bronze and Silver students! Directions for joining that Facebook group will be in the classroom after you register.

Syllabus

Week 1: What are the issues with a non responsive dog?

Identifying Goals

Testing responsiveness

Drills for responsiveness

Week 2: Handler Focus

Issues with Handler Focus? Does your dog have any?

How to work on Handler Focus

How to PREVENT these issues.

Drills for Handler Focus

Week 3: Obstacle Focus

What is a "case of the Yeah yeah's"?? Does your dog have it?

Issues with Obstacle Focus

How to work on Obstacle Focus

How to PREVENT these issues.

Drills for Obstacle focus

Week 4: Transitioning from Handler to Obstacle focus

What happens during this transition

Drills to work on Handler to Obstacle focus

What if my dogs does this??

Week 5: The dreaded discriminations

Tunnel sucking

Jump Grabbing

WHY?

Week 6: Putting in all together.

Working on your transitions for flawless execution.

Upping the Ante, tough transitions.

Prerequisites & Supplies

You will need 6 jumps, and 1 tunnel. Courses will be in a 60 x 60 area.Your dog needs to be able to sequence at least 5 obstacles.

Sample Lecture

TUNNEL SUCK:

Can you hear that sound? That is the sound of the tunnel suck, drawing your dog into a tunnel, ANY tunnel, a tunnel 30 feet away from you, even a tunnel in another field!

Why does this happen? There are many factors to tunnel suck. But first, please understand this one thing...

Tunnel suckers are MADE, not born :) Yes...I said it. They are created...

However, in our defense (mine included as I have had one in the past!) tunnels can be pretty darn self rewarding for many dogs.

Why is that?

Tunnels are easy for many dogs, if they are not easy for your dog, you probably don't have a tunnel sucker :)
It is hard to fault tunnels, no jumps to worry about knocking, no contacts, no weaves to get...
RUNNING, tunnels are all about running.
The act of doing a tunnel can be very stress relieving.

Common misconceptions about tunnel suckers:

They are naughty dogs-not exactly, they are doing what they THINK is what is needed, or they are stressed.
You cannot reward a dog with tunnels or you will make a tunnel sucker, again false. My dogs are all rewarded with tunnels a LOT...and they do not tunnel suck.
The dog is blowing me off...again it all comes down to what they believe is the right thing to do.

So, let's get back to tunnel suck factors:

Unsure of what to do when presented with a puzzle involving the tunnel.
Late commands causeing the dog to have to "guess".
The dog is stressed and using tunnels as a stress reliever. Think like comfort food when you are stressed.
You are blocking the line to the correct end of the tunnel.
The dog cannot see the tunnel opening.
The dog has an extreme value for the tunnel and we need to work on value for other things.
The dog is so obstacle focused they are not keeping the handler in their peripheral vision, only focusing forward.

Next we will talk about common things we do as handlers/trainers that contribute to tunnel suck!

Instructors

Loretta Mueller

Faculty

Loretta Mueller (she/her) has been involved in agility since 2003 with her first rescue dog, Ace. Since then she has been involved in a variety of dog training activities including USBCHA herding, competitive obedience, rally obedience, and service dog training. In 2007, Loretta...

Registration

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