TRAINER'S FORUM
From Clean Run Magazine, February 1998
While most dogs are "tunnel happy,"
there do seem to be dogs that are very slow through
tunnels or even come to a stop in the tunnel. What suggestions
do you have for solving these problems?
Sally Jones
If a dog slows in the tunnel it is normally
because he has had his confidence dented. Perhaps it's
because he dislikes the sensation of the tunnel on his
back or paws, he has received an eye full of water from
a wet canvas tunnel, or he has been tangled in the fabric
of the chute. The list could go on.
The aim of these exercises is to get
speed through the tunnel. Forget sending the dog in
from a distance or using the tunnel for change of direction.
What we want is speed. Remember the rule: Train
one thing at a time.
When retraining the tunnel for speed
using these exercises, keep the following in mind:
- Don't ever train on a tunnel which
is very wet, cold or hot. If the collapsed tunnel
is wet and heavy at an outdoor venue, withdraw from
the class if your dog has a problem with this. I know
you lose your entry fee, but you would have been eliminated
for failing to negotiate the tunnel anyway and into
the bargain will have jeopardized your dog's performance
on perfectly dry tunnels for many runs to come.
- Don't train unless you have bags
of energy and good tidbits (if you are using them).
- Do these exercises on the pipe tunnel
first, even if your dog only has a problem with the
collapsed tunnel. This way, your dog will learn to
enjoy the game and will find it easier to translate
into the less favoured piece of equipment.
- When moving on to the collapsed tunnel,
stake it where the pipe tunnel had been so that the
dog has the same context in which to learn. Put your
dog into the collapsed tunnel from the wrong end,
holding up the fabric so it doesn't touch the dog.
This way the dog will be working towards the welcoming
open end of the tunnel. This has the benefit of not
needing a helper to hold the collapsed end whilst
you struggle at the entrance. Only when the dog is
whizzing through the tunnel the "wrong way"
should you use the correct end and then only if a
helper raises it to let in some light.
Toy Fiends
Put the pipe tunnel in a straight line
(the further extended, the less obvious the ridges underfoot
for the fussy dog). Put your dog in the tunnel and tease
dog verbally whilst running - and I mean running --
alongside the tunnel. Throw the toy and race your dog
to it, sometimes letting him win. Run back to the start
of the tunnel and do it again, keeping the action going
and the excitement level up.
Foodies
Instead of throwing a toy, have a bowl
of lovely tidbits some way from the end of the tunnel.
Race your dog to them and scoop up the bowl, if your
dog is too slow. Tease the dog with the food bowl, restraining
the dog by its collar. And replace the bowl. Run back
to the start of the tunnel, hopefully dragging the dog
away from the food, and repeat.
Dogs Not Motivated by Food or Toys
Have a helper restrain your dog by its
shoulders and tease it by whispering something motivational.
You should crouch some distance from the other end of
the tunnel, calling the dog excitedly. But the helper
should not let the dog go until the dog is really
straining to get away. Praise and play excitedly and
run back to the helper to do it again. The whole exercise
must be performed in fast time.
In Summary
- Make it easy for the dog to do the
tunnel well.
- Until your dog is whizzing through,
beating you nearly every time, do not cross behind
the dog or put a bend in the tunnel. Get the behavior
perfect at this level before progressing.
To see what Bud Houston has to say to
the question, click
here.
This
article is reprinted with the permission of the author
and Clean Run Productions L.L.C. You can obtain a sample
copy of the magazine by sending $5 to Clean Run, 35 N
Chicopee St., Unit 4, Chicopee MA 01020 or by calling
1-800-311-6503. For additional information on the magazine
and other agility publications, visit the Clean
Run website.
|
