Learning Center!
Introduction to Agility
Can my dog do agility?
Baby steps in training
Basic Do's and Don'ts
Overview of the obstacles
Training Tips for each obstacle
What to Call Each Obstacle
Help with dogs that are slow, scared, stubborn and crazy!
Joining a class
Entering a competition
General Rules
The organizations
Groups, discussion boards etc.
Training Tips for each obstacle
1) Bar Jump:
Using an adjustable jump, lower the bar all the way to the ground or just a fewinches above. Hold your dog's leash and simply walk him over the jump. If heseems hesitant, let him sniff the jump to get used to it (something you may needto do for every obstacle if your dog is particularly timid) and guide him slowlywith a treat. Give lots of praise and a treat when he gets to the other side.Slowly raise the bar over time, but not too high where your dog is knocking thebar. You can put the bar at your dog's regulation jump height later on as hedevelops a love for the jump. It is also important not to make puppies jump toohigh, as their joints are still forming.
2) Tunnel:
If you are able to scrunch your tunnel up, this is one way tointroduce it to your dog. Attach a long leash to your dog and have him sit onone end (or have a friend hold him). Go to the other side of the tunnel and callyour dog through, gently guiding him with the leash. If necessary, reach yourhand out to show that you placed a treat on the ground. (Don't put food in thetunnel as you don't want to encourage your dog to ever stop in a tunnel tosniff). Give him a hug and a treat on the other side. Do this at least a fewtimes. Next you can encourage him to enter the tunnel on his own while you"run-by" the tunnel, clapping and talking to your dog along the way.Then you can lengthen the tunnel and eventually curve it too, both to the leftand right.
3) Weave Poles:
While many dogs make the weaves look easy, training them is not anovernight project., Every trainer will recommend having a set at home even ifyou never have any other obstacles in your backyard. Practice frequently forshort intervals and always on a positive note. (television commercial breaks area perfect time for a quick lesson!)
There are a few popular training methods for getting your dog to master theweaves. With all of them, do not rush the process! If you find your dog weavesgreat one day, then the "pops" out of the poles the next, it's time totake some baby steps backwards. One training method is called the "WireMethod", where wires are clipped onto the upright poles to make a channelpath for the dog to follow. At first you place the wires at your dog's eyelevel, or at a place that will discourage him from going under or over them.Gradually you will raise the wires out of your dog's line of sight until theyare taken off altogether. A similar method called the "Chute Method"uses chicken-wire mesh gates to form a path. Another method is called the"Channel Method", which requires a special weave set that is like 2sets, side by side, in a parallel offset fashion. They start off far apart, soat first your dog is running down a channel, and not weaving at all. When youbring the poles closer together, your dog will start weaving a little. A similarmethod is called the "Slanted-Pole" method (popularized by theWeave-a-matic Weave Pole sets). The poles are fixed to a straight base, but canbe slanted in an alternating "parted waters" fashion. This allows yourdog to run down a path without weaving at first, and as the poles pull closertogether, he begins to weave. One final method, and of course the cheapest, isto keep the poles upright, and guide your dog in and out with a leash, treats,and gently guiding him with your legs and body language.
With all these methods, you should start on 6 poles and add more poles onlyafter your dog masters the 6. Your dog must ALWAYS enter at the right side ofthe first pole. It's not as difficult when your dog is heeling on your leftside, but entering the right pole can be more of a challenge when your dog isrunning on your right. The challenge is to get him to do this consistently, andyou may want to spend a little time on just entrance training, giving a treatjust after the first pole, when he does it right.
If your dog occasionally "pops" out of a pole, or skips one ormore, don't reward him at the end. Simply take his leash or collar and say"oopsie, let's try it again", and take him back to the beginning. Takefriendly to him, as he most likely tried to please you and knows something iswrong in that he didn't get a treat. Start again more slowly, guiding him withyour hand and knees as necessary to make sure he doesn't skip a pole again. Ifhe does, then you will need to take some baby steps backwards, either holdinghis leash when he goes through, or slanting the poles more/lowering the wires(whatever method you used). Just try not to let him make any mistakes more thantwice in a row or it might become a habit. As soon as he does it successfully,go especially crazy with the praise and treats.
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4) Tire Jump:
Training the tire jump is similar to training the regular bar jump.The trickier part of it is to get your dog confident to jump through a narrowopening. Go slow and lower the tire all the way to the ground to start. Tapinside the tire to encourage your dog to go through, or have a friend hold yourdog on one side while you are on the other and gently guide him through the tirewith the leash. When he is confidently doing this, try walking along side as hejumps through the tire. As always, greet him on the other side with all thesilliness and excitement you can muster. Don't rush the process of raising thetire or your dog might run underneath, and never treat your dog if he does this.If you recently raised the height, lower it back to where you were and startagain. Then raise it after he is doing good at that height. However when yourdog is used to jumping the tire at full height, don't allow your dog to jump ata lower height (like in a training class). After a while your dog will start to"memorize" what's necessary to get through the tire accurately. If yousurprise him with a lower height he might miss the opening and hurt himself.
5) Closed Tunnel:
It's best to teach this obstacle after your dog is confidentlygoing through the regular open tunnel, both straight and curved. When teachingthe closed tunnel, roll back the fabric chute until it is only about 3-4 feetlong. Train your dog to go through the same way as the tunnel, making sure yourdog sees you through the chute. (you will need a friend to hold your dog if hedoesn't stay well). When your dog sucessfully runs through the chute, slowlystart to lower the chute on his back so he feels it. Then you can lower italmost all the way, but stay at the exit to greet him. Soon you should be ableto send your dog inside while you run along. It is important as you begin tolengthen the chute, and especially to full length, that you cheerfully talk yourdog through the chute. It's dark in there and your voice will help assure himthat everything will come out okay in the end! Also, this is a great obstacle topractice in the rain, as it will feel different to a dog when the chute issoaked. Many handlers wait until it rains at a trial, and are surprised at howtheir dogs react to wet obstacles!
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6) Pause Table:
Thekey to the pause table is to get your dog to like the table, not jumping off. Hewill need to sit and stay on it for 5 seconds, and to a dog who was enjoying afast run, the table can be an unwelcome interruption. Start by lowering thetable as much as you can. Run with your dog up to the table (holding his leash)and when you get to the table, say "table" or another word (just notthe same word you use for a jump) and tap the table. When your dog jumps up,give him a treat. Spend about 5-10 loving on him. Then repeat a few times. Thenyou are ready to teach him to sit on the table and give the treat then. Don'trelease your dog immediately. Count out 5 seconds then say "okay!" or"let's go!" then lead him off. Don't treat him when he jumps off thetable. You want him to love the table, so he doesn't "slide off" whenarriving to it. You will also want to teach your dog to lie down on the table aswell. The organizations have different rules on this, including AKC, whosejudges will surprise you with one or the other at a trial. Eventually when yourdog successfully stays on the table for 5 seconds, practice walking away fromyour dog, standing farther and farther away from the table as you count to 5.You can release your dog from wherever you are standing. This will give you a"lead-out" to the next obstacle.
The "Pause Box" is an obstacle used in advanced UKC andoccasionally in USDAA. It is similar in concept to the pause table, except it isa square made of pipe that lays on the ground. Your dog must walk inside and sitor lay down without having his feet inside the boundary. With this obstacle, a"tuck" command is helpful.
7) Teeter Totter:
Also called the See-saw, this is one of the more difficult obstacles for dogs tobecome confident on. To them it looks like a dogwalk plank, except they should(if the teeter is built right) be able to see a part of the base extending oneach side in the center. This helps the dog (in addition to you telling the dogit is a "Teeter") to remember to slow down on this obstacle. Tointroduce your dog to this obstacle, it is best if you can lower the plank, andslowly raise it. But if you don't have an adjustable teeter, you really need tohave a friend on the other side, to help steady and guide your dog over theplank. Hold the leash tightly close to the neck, and guide his nose low to theplank with a treat. Stop in the middle, and have your friend use their free handto keep the plank from falling too fast. Edge your dog inch by inch, tellingyour dog to wait, while the plank slowly moves down. It will be a bit awkward atfirst, and if it helps, a third person can control the plank. As your dog getsmore confident, allow your dog to control the pivot, and not you. But stillguide the board down so it doesn't "bang". Soon you should be able tolet the board hit harder. It is also important that your dog pauses and waits atthe top of the plank, after controlling the pivot. This will prevent losingpoints on future "fly-offs", a common problem, in which dogs jump tothe bottom and off the plank before the plank hits the ground.
CONTACT ZONE TIPS: In the beginning your dog won't have any problem makingthe contacts, but watch out, unless your dog is small, it most likely willbecome a problem later. Don't let missed contact zones become a habit. If yourdog seems to have difficulty making the contact zones, you can use "honers",either chicken wire mesh gates, wire hoops, or even simple orange cones, to markthe sides better. Many trainers also encourage you to teach your dog to"target", which is to have your dog stop just at the bottom of thecontact zone (with his feet still on the plank), wait for your treat (or click,if clicker training), then release your dog to the next obstacle. Most peoplewith fast and large dogs would benefit from teaching their dog this command. Itis important to be consistent with target training, however. Another method isto teach your dog to slow down with the "easy" command.
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8) Dog Walk:
When training the dogwalk it is important to keep your dog steady with a tighthold on his leash. It is best to have another person on the other side, to keepyour dog from falling off. It will also help your dog feel more safe. If you canlower the height, this is also ideal. Use your hand (and the treat) to keep yourdog's focus on the board in front of him. Your friend can help pat the board afoot or so ahead, to encourage your dog to walk ahead, and give your dogencouragement along the way. At the bottom, make sure your dog does not jump offthe side too early, but walks all the way to the bottom, touching the yellowcontact zones. Give your treat at the bottom, when your dog's feet touch thegrass. If your dog is having trouble with making the contact zone, see the tipabove, under the Teeter-Totter.
9) A-frame:
You can train a puppy on the A-frame, providing you lower it to theground or slightly inclined. Remember: it is for the dog only. If you or yourchildren walk over it, the chain will most likely break. Raise the A-frame asyour dog gets more confident. Don't worry about speed over this obstacle, asdogs will naturally get a good running start and will come down fast enough.Safety should be your biggest concern, and that your dog hits the yellow contactzones. Note: in AKC agility, your dog has to touch the contact zone on thedownward side only (allowing for a big dog to leap and skip the upside).
10) Other Obstacles:
There are other obstacles used in agility, such as the "Broad Jump",which is a jump that lays flat to the ground, and consists of a varying amountof boards (depending on your dog's jump height). The amount of boards useddepend on your dog's height. This jump is similar to obedience jumps. There isalso a "Double Jump" and "Triple Jump" used in the sport,which is a bar jump that has more than one bar for your dog to jump across, sonot only is your dog jumping in height, but also in breadth. One other jump iscalled a "Panel Jump", which is like a wall that your dog jump over,with removable planks, to adjust for height. It is also the same kind of jumpused in obedience training work. Other obstacles used in UKC or USDAA is the"Cross-Over", which is similar to the dogwalk, except in the shape ofa cross, so that your dog has to come to the center, and then change directions(whichever direction you tell him). In other words, there are 4 possible planksto enter, and 3 possible planks to exit (3, because your dog wouldn't turnaround and exit the same way he came). There is also the "Sway Bridge"and "Sway Plank", which are two obstacles in which you definitely wantyour dog to take it easy on. Slow and patient training is required, a helper,and lots and lots of treats and encouraging words. If you have ever walked arope sway bridge, you know how it feels! UKC has two additional obstacles uniqueto them. The "Hoop Tunnel" is like a tunnel skeleton, without thematerial. So your dog could, if it wanted to, exit the tunnel along the way. The"Crawl Tunnel" is a short squatty tunnel, that causes your dog tocrawl at a slower pace.
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Dog agility training tips for each obstacle. 4) Tire Jump: Training the tire jump is similar to training the regular bar jump.
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