Agility training is so much fun, but it can become frustrating when you are running into the same problem again and again. You just want to fix it, but you don’t know how, so you just ignore it and keep running the course. Every single time your dog is getting more used to performing that mistake and they will eventually accept it as ‘good’. Well, we have identified some of the most common roadblocks that you can run into with your training, and we are letting you know just how to solve them!
Refusing the tunnel
Almost every breed of dog will run into this problem and it’s a common one. If you get a new tunnel for your course for the very first time and try to use it, your dog will most likely either stop at the entrance or run around it. It may sound weird but the least likely thing that they will do is go through it.
Yep, with all the dogs running through tunnels on posters, advertisements, cartoons etc. you will think that this is not true, but it is. Imagine you were put in the situation where someone put a dark, enclosed, scary tunnel in front of you, what would you do? Probably refuse.
Well dogs would view this obstacle in the same way, they would be unsure and afraid to go inside. Your job is to introduce them to it slowly and get them used to it and there’s a simple way to do this. To effectively introduce your dog to an agility tunnel, we recommend investing in the right kind. You want a tunnel that can easily fold up small (still with a hole in the middle) and when you are using it, unfold again.
Solution: So, when you are starting off your tunnel command training, what you want to do is fold it up. Make your tunnel about 50 centimetres long so that you can easily put your arm through and reach out the other side. This way, your dog can easily see the other side and you can lure them through with a treat. And that’s exactly what you are going to do! Get them to come through the tunnel all the way to the other side and reward them with lots of praise and a treat. Even though it has been turned into a short tunnel, they have successfully completed this command!
Practice this a few times and gradually unfold the tunnel a bit more over time. Make sure to not rush this and just slowly progress until you reach the tunnel’s full length
Going around the jumps
Dogs going around the agility jump instead of over is an easy problem to fix, but unless you know how to solve it, it can become very frustrating. What would this problem look like? Well, you and your dog would be in action, ready to go over the jump and then just as you approach it (or you ask them to go over it), they go around.
Solution: To fix this you want to first assess your actual obstacle, is the bar of the jump set too high for a beginning dog? If you are just teaching your dog this command for the first time, then you should probably set it to approximately the height of their hock or a bit lower. Don’t rush into this command – start small and progress. You also should never get your pooch to jump too high anyway because this can be a big risk of injury.
If your bar was too high and you lowered it, try again. If you still run into the same roadblock, try our actual fix.
What you want to do is put one side of the jump up against a wall. This will prevent your dog from going around that way. Then you want to be on the other side, so if they try to go around on the way that’s not against the wall, you will be there to stop them. Doing this will most likely ensure that they go over it and not around.
Once your dog is no longer going around (even with the jump not against a wall), you can then start raising it a little higher. Make sure to keep it safe and not put the jump too high, especially if you have a puppy. If you have a puppy, then keep the height small until they are older and always consult your veterinarian before attempting something extreme.
Contact Area Training
You may not classify contact areas as a roadblock; however, it is a usual part of agility training that can be challenging for some trainers and dogs. To cut it simple, contact obstacles in agility courses have ‘contact zones’ that are normally painted yellow (this may differ), to not get a fault your dog must touch at least one part of a paw in this yellow zone on the obstacle.
It sounds simple, but it’s not. When coming off equipment like an A-Frame they can get very excited or just urgent to get off, so they literally just jump off onto the ground from the middle of the obstacle. This Is not allowed. And so, trainers take precaution to make sure their dogs touch the contact zone.
There are many ways to teach this, but we will focus on two main methods. We won’t necessarily say one method is better than the other, but we do recommend starting off with a targeting method.
Targeting is used everywhere in dog training and is such a useful thing to get your dog to do. Many commands and tricks base of this and it is easy to teach. You basically want them to touch your target with something like their paw, nose etc (up to you!). Most commonly the target would be your hand, but some people also like to use a stick.
So first you want to teach your targeting command. You should get it consistent where you can frequently ask your dog to ‘touch’ or ‘target’ and they touch your target. Now you want to transfer this command to your contact obstacle – for the example we will pretend we are using an A-Frame.
So basically, you get your dog to run up the A-Frame and when they are coming down you want to gesture them to slow down. This might be like putting your hand in front of them (always ready to take it away if they don’t slow). Then (pretending you taught the target as your hand) you want to give them the verbal cue of ‘touch’ or ‘target’. By this time, your dog would be at the bottom of the A-Frame, and you have gotten them to a brief halt. They target your hand and straight after that you continue running again to the next obstacle with them.
This is what it would look like in action. But not for all dogs; for some, stopping to a complete (but very brief) halt at the end of the A-Frame would just die down their excitement, they would become distracted, bored, disengaged and just no longer interested.
That is why, our second alternative would suit some dogs better. And it is simpler to explain. All you need to do is simply put a hoop, or a ring (like a hula hoop) at the bottom of the A-Frame. This would prevent them from just jumping off because a ring is in the way and so instead, they must run off.
Please keep in mind with this, competitions do not put rings at the bottom of A-Frames, so if you ever are thinking about entering one, you should not be relying on a hula hoop for your contact zones. We also highly encourage to choose a soft material (like soft plastic) for the ring just encase your pooch does jump into it.
Now our ring training method will not work as well for some contact obstacles (like Seesaws and Pause Tables), we do highly recommend trying out the targeting method first because not only is it useful in contact training but also different advanced obedience and trick dog tricks.
Scared Of Heights?
This roadblock will usually come with your dog’s personality. When we say, ‘Scared of Heights?’ We are referring mainly to A-Frames and Dog Walks; Seesaws are a completely different topic.
So, you’ll often see 3 types of dogs:
- The ones that zoom up and down the A-Frame in a heartbeat
- The ones that casually walk up and down it like they are at a fashion show.
- They ones who will set a paw on it and then decide they are done.
And that last one is what we are addressing here. We won’t necessarily call this a ‘problem’ because you can’t blame your dog for not wanting to walk up this incredibly high looking plank (in their eyes). We would instead say it is a complication, hurdle or obstacle (no not an agility obstacle). And yes, we did just look up the word ‘problem’ in a thesaurus to find something that better fits. So, to save you the confusion, we will use complication.
Anyway, your dog could have this fear for many reasons but the two guesses that would make the most sense would be:
- They have had a bad experience with A-Frames or heights in the past.
- They are just genuinely scared of heights.
If they have had a really bad experience in the past, we would highly encourage that you let them sit the obstacle out and focus on all the other aspects of Agility. You must remember, agility should be about the fun, you don’t want your dog to have a bad time. Then, if they have a small fear of heights there is something that you could do to try and introduce them to this obstacle.
To do this, you will need access to an A-Frame. Most A-Frames have an adjustable height, they can be super short or super tall – up to you. And this is what you’ll be adjusting. What you want to do is start small, put the A-Frame on its lowest setting and start from there, encouraging your dog along the way.
Don’t rush this, just add a little bit of height each week and eventually you will be where you wanted to start! If you are having trouble getting your dog used to it even on the lowest height, just even reward them for setting a paw on it.
It doesn’t need to be all four paws running across the obstacle straight away. If you just can’t get it and your dog is just way to terrified, please don’t force this obstacle and just let them focus on some different ones. You can still do agility even if you can’t do A-Frames!
Now you may have been wondering since we started this section a few paragraphs ago: Why are Seesaws a whole different topic? Well sure, if you’re lucky you can get your dog to do them with this training, but seesaws are a whole another challenge for your pooch. Not only are they high but once they step foot over the middle, it suddenly drops down. That can be a very scary thing for dogs and can require other training to get used to.
Too Slow…
Imagine you were in the situation where you were ready and pumped to go but your dog was just happily trotting and walking around the course. With you putting a lot of energy and effort into running this, it could become very frustrating.
Well, the first thing we would say is: don’t express your frustration to your dog! Don’t groan, shout or even sigh at them because it can easily get you and your dog less motivated, not happy and just turn the course into a not enjoyable experience.
Now how to get your dog going faster? Well first, keep in mind that if your dog is tired or worn out then that is obviously the problem, you need to let them have a rest and try again when they are energized another day.
Otherwise, there are a few training drills you can do to get your dog excited and ready and learn to run fast with you on an agility course. First you want to try some Send Out Practice. For this you will need a partner.
Basically, you are going to hold your dog with you. Then your friend will grab some high value rewards and let your dog sniff them. They will then walk away so that your dog can still see them and is excited to go.
You will need a release command that you would also use on an agility course, for example ‘Go!’. Then get your dog excited and when you’re ready say your verbal cue and release them, they should go straight towards the treats! Repeat this a few times so that your pooch knows what the command means.
Our next drill is super self-explanatory and very simple. You are basically going to get your dog excited and just run around with them, make sure you incorporate your verbal cue every now and again so that over time they associate it with running.
The final technique you can use just before you run a course. You want to get your dog excited! Get them ready and waiting to start! Give them a little play with the toy and exercise them a bit to warm them up. Make sure you don’t get your dog way too excited that they are at risk of injury but make sure you both are hyped up and ready to start running! If your dog is not stretched, lazy, sleepy and tired then you will not start well!
Keep Practicing!
This is not a roadblock you will come across in agility, merely an important reminder to keep practicing! If you perform these strategies to solve your problems just once, they won’t make a difference. Training in agility does take time but you will get there!
And the most important thing- Have fun!!
Notes
- Don’t push your dog to do anything that they don’t want to do
- Never jump your dog too high, agility does pose a lot of risks but if taken into precaution it can be a safe sport
- Have fun! Agility isn’t about being the fastest, it’s about having fun and bonding with your dog