Agility In the early sixties, at a police dog training school near London, England, a rookie handler and his dog, on their first day of training, stood watching trained dogs go through the agility course. After they had gone, and having arrived early, the rookie decided to try the course on his own, because as we all know any dog can jump. After looking around to see that no one was watching, he walked over to the three foot hurdles. As he ran towards the hurdles and yelled Up, the dog firmly planted his feet on the jump and stopped. The handler, assuming the dog would jump (after all why wouldnt he) kept running but came to an abrupt halt as the leash tightened. He slipped and landed flat on his back. As he lay there with the dog standing over him, licking his face, he heard a voice say, Retrograde step, Bill. He knew at once it was the Chief Instructor because that was his favorite saying and he called everyone Bill. The rookie believed this was his first and last day as a handler. The instructor said, All dogs can jump but we teach them to do it when we tell them, and thats one of the reasons youre here. The point of this story is DONT RUN BEFORE YOU CAN WALK. We have to understand why we teach the dogs to jump when we want them to and not when they want to: SAFETY: We do not want a dog to walk up to any fence or wall and immediately jump over or up on to it as you may not know what is on the other side. CONFIDENCE: To instill confidence into the dog to surmount any obstacle that it may encounter while working the street. Before starting a dog in agility, I like to warm the dog up first by doing obedience. I dont want to take a dog who has been lying in his kennel or police vehicle for some time and immediately start to jump it and take a chance of pulling a muscle or causing some other injury. Also, by working obedience first, which a lot of dogs dont like, I can reward them with something most dogs do like, agility. When starting your agility, make sure you never get ahead of you dog, especially when you start the catwalk, A frame, or vertical six foot wall. A dog may fall back or slip so you must always be there to catch him. It could possibly need a slip or fall on any one piece of apparatus to put the dog in fear of surmounting that obstacle again, which would mean your training could suffer. If this ever does happen, go right back to the basics. STARTING A DOG IN AGILITY: MOTIVATE MOTIVATE MOTIVATE HURDLES: Command UP During basic training, I always use a six foot leash. So, with the dog on the six foot leash, on dead ring (non-choke), with my right hand holding the end of the leash and my left hand about one and a half feet from the release clip, I fast walk towards an eighteen inch high hurdle. Always aim the dog for the center of the hurdle so you can block him for attempting to go around and he is conditioned to go over the center. As you reach the point for the dog to jump, give the command UP. As the dog lands on the other side, lavish him with praise. You can also go over the jump with the dog (at the low height), but I do not recommend this. I have seen too many handlers hit the hurdle and fall, either hurting themselves or making the dog balk. If the dog balks at the hurdle, go through the same procedure but this time, exert slight upward pressure with your left hand on the leash. If this does not work, then use your motivational toy (kong or ball) and place it on the other side of the hurdle and go through the same procedure. Once you have the dog consistently going over the hurdle at this height, start going up until the dog is consistent at the three foot height and is going over all the different hurdles (board, picket, chain link, bush, window, etc.). BROAD JUMP: Command UP As my standard calls for the dog to leap eight feet, I use five boards which go from a height of three inches to twelve inches. Using the first two boards, at about twelve inches apart, I again walk at a fast pace towards the boards, with the dog going to the center. The command UP is given and when the dog successfully completes the jump, it is to be praised. This should be continued until the dog is leaping the full eight feet. It should be remembered that when you are doing the full eight feet, your leash is only six feet so, as you approach the jump and the dog jumps, you must let go of the leash. If you dont, you could inadvertently give the dog a correction and cause him to balk at the jump. It is also possible that the drag on the leash could cause the dog to start cutting to his right, cutting the corner of the last board. It is, therefore, important that when training for this jump, you go past the end board so as not to allow the dog to cut back towards you. This can cause the cross jumping. One way to stop this is to put another handler at the right corner of the last board or, if not a handler, a chair will suffice. Another common problem is the dog, once off leash, walking through the boards. This gives everyone else a good laugh, especially when the dog does not knock any boards down, but it really frustrates the handler. Take a six foot long broom handle and have someone hold it across, and about twelve inches above the first board. You will usually find if done often enough that the problem is cured. CRAWL OR TUNNEL: Command THROUGH Whether you use the U.S.P.C.A. standard crawl or something else (small drainage pipe), we are teaching the dog to go through or under any obstacle when commanded THROUGH or CRAWL or UNDER. For this purpose, I will use the U.S.P.C.A. standard crawl. In this exercise, I use the motivational toy, the Kong. I will have the dog brought up to the entrance of the crawl and have the handler put their hand on the ground, patting it. This brings the dogs head down to investigate. At the same time, another handler will be at the other end of the crawl attracting the dog by showing the Kong. The dogs handler will command the dog THROUGH. The handler will go to the other end and as soon as the dog exits and gets the kong, lavish praise on the dog. This should be continued until the dog is going through on command without the Kong reward. Another way of teaching this is to have an experienced dog take a line through the crawl. Hook the new dog up to one end and have another handler on the other end. The dogs handler will again pat the ground at the entrance and command THROUGH. The other handler will gently pull on the line as the dog is encouraged through. Once the dog exits, again lavish praise on him. This should be continued until the dog is going through without the aid of the line. A FRAME OR SIX FOOT VERTICAL WALL: Command UP While the U.S.P.C.A. standard calls for the dog to surmount the A frame, I would recommend that you train your dog also on the six foot vertical wall. I can only speak for my part of the country, but the majority of backyard fences are six foot vertical. There are not many fences shaped like an A frame. Teaching the A frame begins after the dog has been taught the hurdles. In starting, follow the same procedure as the hurdles, but you must motivate the dog to surmount this obstacle. Have another person hold his reward (Kong) on top of the A frame. The handler brings the dog forward at a fast pace and at the jump point, gives the command UP and with the left hand assists with slight upward pressure on the leash. As the dog reaches the top, the helper should put the kong down onto the platform to bring the dog down to it. You must be sure, in this exercise, to not get ahead of the dog as this is one obstacle that the dog could fall back from and possibly injure itself. SIX FOOT VERTICAL WALL The dog cannot be expected to clear this height so it is taught to scale it. This is done by the dog jumping to the height of roughly five feet and scrambling up the rest of the way. To accomplish this, you utilize the dogs speed and the dogs strength. There is a four foot high landing platform on the other side of the wall. The wall is solid and flat up to four feet, then six inch boards are inserted to the height you require. Once the dog is going over the four foot height, then add a six inch board until you eventually reach six feet. You will find the dog has learned to scramble. Do not let the dog take long runs at the A frame or the wall as you may find the dog will hit the center of the obstacle and fall back because his forward speed cannot be checked to go upwards. A good rule is that the height of the obstacle is also the distance to sit the dog from it. Once again, do not get ahead of the dog in this exercise as this is the one, more than any other, where the dog could fall, so be there for him. Another exercise to assist the dog in going over the wall or any obstacle over five feet is to teach the dog to use your back as a platform to leap from. Start this by having another person down on all fours and do the same procedure you used to start the hurdles. Once the dog is going over with no problems, have the assistant come up to a height of about four feet. Have the dog jump up onto their back and then jump off. At this point, you do not want the dog to jump over an obstacle, you just want it to get used to the slight movement as he pushes off from the back and lands. Next, go to the wall and have the height at five feet. Have your assistant brace himself in a bent over position against the wall. Using your leash to guide the dog, go forward and command UP. Praise the dog when it lands on the other side and reward it with a kong or ball. Once the dog is consistently going over with the assistant against the wall, it is time to change places and you, the handler, go against the wall. For the first few times, you may need your assistant to hold onto the dogs leash. You, the handler, give the dog the command UP and at the same time pat your back and encourage the dog up. When the dog is using you as a step off consistently, without the help of your assistant, start adding to the height of the obstacle. Once you have perfected this exercise, you will be surprised how much you will utilize this method on the street. One thing to remember when starting this exercise is to have your assistant wear a thick old coat to prevent getting his back covered with scratches. Im sure your spouses will be asking about them if you dont wear something protective. CAT WALK: Command CLIMB The object of this exercise is to teach the dog to climb a ladder in the safest, easiest way. Before attempting to put your dog up your U.S.P.C.A. standard Cat Walk, make sure you have had your dog in and outside buildings getting him used to climbing stairs. At my training center, we have two sets of cat walks. One has the ladder rungs blocked in so the dog cannot see through and the other is the standard cat walk. This greatly assists the dog in gaining confidence to climb stairs. Of course, you dont have to have two, you can take twelve inch wide by six foot long planks of wood and make it removable. When starting this exercise, always have another person assist you. This person should be on the left side of the ladder with you on the right side. This is to prevent the dog from jumping off or falling and injuring itself. Start with the dog at the bottom of the ladder, this is not an exercise you want the dog to take a run at. You want the dog to climb it, not jump it. the handler should take the dog by the leash close to the collar. Give the command CLIMB and encourage the dog to do so by patting the rungs of the ladder. You may find the dog will put his front feet up on the second or third rung but wont bring his back feet up. The handler of the assistant, depending on the temperament of the dog, will then lift one back foot onto the ladder and then the other back foot. You may have to do this all the way up the ladder. You can also use the dogs toy to motivate the dog to climb. Once you have the dog climbing the ladder, crossing the platform and going down the ramp, it is then time to teach the dog to stand when it reaches the platform. Once again, remember never get ahead of the dog in this exercise. Be there, ready to catch the dog in case of a fall. I was disappointed when the U.S.P.C.A. took the obedience (distance control) out of the cat walk. In case some of the readers were not handlers at that time, the dog had to be put into the stand as they are now while the handler went to the recall point and put your dog in the sit or down, by hand or voice, prior to recalling the dog. Now we have the whole cat walk widened. This was done, supposedly, for safety reasons. At the first trials I judged where the new equipment was used, three dogs fell from the ladder. So, I do not agree with the change because, as I see it, it is training, not width, that ensures safety. We have now covered all the agility equipment that you and your dog have to be proficient in to meet the U.S.P.C.A. standard. Do not stop there. Be inventive, create new obstacles that you feel may be helpful to you when working the street. The following are a few suggestions: While walking the street with your dog, how many times have you walked over metal gratings covering underground heating, etc. You have probably found that your dog balks at this or tries to walk around it. Also, metal fire escape stairs. To get your dog used to these obstacles, get your best unit scrounger to visit your Works Department. They usually have old gratings and even old metal staircases lying around that you can utilize. Also, large used oil drums, you need about ten. Stack them into a pyramid. Glue rubber matting on the parts the dog climbs on. This is to reduce the chances of slipping and injury. Another exercise you may find useful is the simple art of picking up your dog. With your left arm across the front of the shoulders and chest, your right arm behind the rear legs, lift. Practice carrying the dog around. You may have to pick him up at some time to put the dog over an obstacle. Dont stop there, prop a ladder against a wall and with the dog in the position I have described, you will be able to hold onto the ladder and cradle the dog at the same time. Dont attempt to go all the way up the ladder the first time. Go up three rungs, then come back down. Continue slowly, building until you can climb to the top and back down safely and easily. This can greatly enhance the trust your dog has in you. Just because you have a dog that is very good at agility on the training field, do not be surprised when you are operational on the street and you send your dog to apprehend a suspect who goes over a four foot fence, that your dog runs up and down along the fence looking for a way to get to the suspect. If you have not, in training, practiced apprehension over a fence, then this is likely what your dog will do. Practice this exercise in training. Start with the quarry wearing an exposed sleeve and utilize your three foot hurdles and your six foot leash. Have the quarry standing just the other side of the hurdle with you and your dog about six feet back from your side. The quarry should start jumping around and become aggressive. The handler should motivate the dog by yelling. When the handler feels the dog is ready, the apprehension command should be given and the handler goes forward with the dog and gives the command UP. Continue doing this until the dog is going over and apprehending off leash. Once this is happening, then find yourself a backyard fence and practice with the quarry running and going over the fence just prior to the dog reaching him. When working the agility circuit, you may find as you walk past a hurdle, the dog may anticipate you are going to give the command to jump and it attempts to jump prior to command. This could lead to injury. To alleviate the problem, walk towards the hurdle and as you reach it, give the command SIT. Make the dog stay in that position for about ten seconds, then give the command HEEL and turn right or left with a slight jerk on the leash. Heel away from the hurdle and when you reach the jump off point, instead of sitting the dog, turn left or right with a jerk on the leash and again walk away from the hurdle. The dog will soon learn he only jumps when he is commanded to do so. Of course, the exception to this is the chase and apprehension of a suspect. When training in agility and you have more than one team in the class, dont have everyone standing around waiting for the one team to go through the whole course with the other teams watching and getting excited. Have them all start at a separate piece of equipment and follow the course around. You will find the dogs get more enjoyment out of it than just standing around. Talking of excitement, a word of caution. When doing off leash agility and more than one team is practicing, be aware dogs can become very excitable doing agility and you may have dogs that are dominant (dog aggressive), so no matter how much control you may have on your dog, it may break and take off after another dog and you may end up with a dog fight. Be careful. In conclusion, remember the following Dos and Donts: Do warm your dog up prior to agility exercises. Do not work agility when dog is tired. Do not get ahead of your dog. Operationally, do not send dog over a fence until you know what is on the other side. Do be behind your dog when doing higher jumps, so you can catch the dog if it falls. Do not continue if you get frustrated because the dog is not going over what you want him to. Put the dog away and try again later. Do not jump the dog just for the sake of jumping. The dog is not a toy, but a tool of work. Dont overdo agility as it may lead to injury.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 06:39:01 +0000
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