Part One:
The key to Agility success and training is having fun doing the foundation exercises, they are a fundamental part of your agility training and if worked on correctly will help you lay good solid skills so when you start obstacle training and sequencing in higher classes or even competing, you can achieve success easily without the worry of will my dog keep his sit stay, will he keep his focus on me. It can help the less motivated dog to become more confident in his surroundings and at the same time build his desire to work with you and add value to his agility training.
The following are a few fun skills that you should be working on with your dogs at home, at the park, at training, when visiting friend’s places and any other place you can think of that could be distracting to your dog. When I am raising a new puppy, these are the first skills that they learn and have lots of fun with, building a solid relationship so when we start obstacle training I already have a good number of skills that my dog can do which will help the transition to obstacle training, sequencing and competing much easier.
Skill One: Working through distractions
A dog that can work through distractions and learn to focus on the handler will be far easier to train obstacles when time comes. Distractions can include, other dogs working, their best playmate playing, ignoring the toy/food reward until released to it, a car going past, the sound of a squeaky toy, his favorite person, the list could be endless.
Some simple exercises you can do to achieve this include:
Playing tug with your dog far enough away from the distraction so he will play and slowly build on getting closer to what ever it is that distracts him.
· Paying Attention to the handler, can you build your dogs attention on you for up to 10sec or even longer.
· Maintaining self control when their dinner is placed on the ground before being released to get it.
· If you have older dogs at home can your new puppy/dog maintain a sit stay whilst the other dog has been released to eat his dinner.
· Can your new puppy/dog perform simple tricks he has learned in new environments with success.
Can he hold a sit stay whilst his tuggy or food is being played with by you or dropped on the ground.
Skill Two: Building Drive
Building Drive or motivation in the agility dog will help build your dogs desire to work for you and give him the confidence he needs when faced with new skills. Building Drive is fun and puppies/dogs love the games that go with it.
· If you have a dog that likes toys, restrain him by the collar snake the toy on the ground away from him, if he puts even the slightest pressure on the collar release him to get the toy.
· The same can be done with food, restrain him by the collar have a real yummy treat tease him with it a little under his nose but just out of reach once he strains on the collar release him to the reward
· With puppies I play the chase me game for a reward, can be toy, food or just ruffing/loving up. Push the puppy back and run when they chase you and catch you reward them, push them back again and run. It is fun and puppies love it. With smaller breed puppies initially have them chase your hand on the ground…
Skill Three: Shaping Games
“Teach your dog to learn and you can teach him anything”- Susan Garrett
If your dog is Operant and willing to offer behaviors, then you can teach him anything. By having the skills to shape behaviors rather than luring them, you will set a great foundation for your dog when the time comes to teach agility obstacles, and your dogs knowledge will be stronger and they will have a far better understanding of what their job is and their learning will be much more efficient.
The actual behavior you are teaching may look faster with luring but, when you remove the lure and test the dogs understanding the dog may not be able to perform the desired behavior. Shaping also builds value for the obstacle you are teaching because the value of the reward transfers to whatever obstacle it is that you are working on.
Shaping also helps dogs learn to fail which will help them work through their mistakes and will reduce the likely hood of them shutting down when things get a bit tough, or when you up the anti and ask for more before the reward is offered. This will also then carry over to when you are training obstacles and the dog offers the incorrect response i.e.… wrong weave entry so you with hold the reward and ask for them to try again.
When shaping a dog you are breaking the end behavior down into small sections and rewarding for each of these, when you are training your dog to shape a new behavior it should be done in a distraction free environment to give your dog every opportunity to succeed. You should have highly rewarding treats and keep the sessions short.
Before you start any sessions of shaping with your dog you should set a Criteria of what it is you want the dog to achieve before it gets a click and reward. Once you have set yourself this criterion never waver from it, as you will be giving the dog mixed signals as to what it is he has to do in order to get a reward.
Criteria is a useful tool for all aspects of your training regime, as you are the one to set the rules of the game so therefore it is up to you to stick to the rules whilst in training.
Some Shaping Games that you can play with your dog include:
· Back up
· Nose touches to hand
· Getting in a box
· Putting back feet only in box
· Putting front right or left foot in box
· Get on a stool/chair
· Putting back foot on a brick/can
· Targeting a target stick/wiffle ball
· Pick up odd items, remote control, hat, shoes, their toys
· Putting toys in a box
· Getting them into smaller boxes/containers
· Going around different objects both to the left and right
· Going into their Crates or onto a Mat
· Shaping Tricks; Beg, Sit, Drop, Roll Over, Shake Hands, Bow
· Spin around to the left and right
Happy Training!!!
Allison Britton
Agility Instructor
Suncoast Fundogs
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