Dog Agility Training - Problem solving
Dog Agility
Training - Problem solving
You will
undoubtedly encounter a few problems throughout the course of your involvement
in agility. The most important thing to do is to first recognize there
is a problem, and then begin at once to implement proper training to correct
it. Some of the most common problems seen in agility are:
- Late
commands come when your dog has passed you up on the course and you
end up giving him a command after he has already performed the skill.
Of course, this is a prescription for frustration and failure. If this
is becoming a problem for you, ask someone to videotape you and then
study the performance to see where the problem is. It can often be corrected
by switching to hand signals, as they are faster.
- Corrections
do sometimes need to be made, despite the frequent advice to never use
"No" in agility training situations. However, do save it for really
bad situations, where you absolutely never want the dog to do whatever
he did again. But don't ever correct your dog for getting messed up
in training, or doing the wrong obstacle. And don't break off the run
if he messes up. That's as bad as shouting, "No," and will give him
the impression that he's a bad dog. Always keep it fun and positive.
- Barking
and/or jumping at handler is a frustrating behavior, and not well understood.
Some dogs just will bark because it's their nature, or they're excited,
and some just because. It's probably not worth worrying about unless
it's causing your dog to lose focus. If you feel that's the case, a
few things you can try to reduce barking are to stop talking so much
yourself, and limit your speech to necessary commands. Using hand signals,
again, is a good way to help your dog focus. If the dog jumps up, and
especially if he nips, the best approach is to grab him by the scruff,
stop the action, and ignore him completely until he calms down. If he
nips your hands, you can also try spraying them with bitter apple.
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