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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?

Kathy Lofthouse

Tunnels are probably the easiest agility obstacle to train. In most agility classes, the tunnel is taught in the first week and most dogs quickly grasp the idea of going through, even with the collapsed tunnel.

Why, then, are so many dogs less than enthusiastic about rushing through a tunnel as fast as their anxiously waiting owners would like? Like most obstacle problems, slow tunnel performance can often be traced back to inadequate training of the basic job before more complexity was added to the task. This scenario is very common when a dog is introduced to competition agility courses upon completion of basic obstacle training.

The problem usually strikes the sensitive and caring type of dog that really wants to do the right thing. On his first course, he may have been presented with at least one tunnel in a "C" shape. To the inexperienced dog, this can be rather overwhelming. In a competition setting, he is not going to receive a reward when exiting this tunnel, but is perhaps to be confronted by a novice handler who may also be feeling slightly pressured. Depending on the personality of the dog, this can cause him to slow down his tunnel performance. Another reason for this type of dog to slow down can be from having been presented with two (three or even four!) tunnel entrances close together and hearing his handler desperately trying to tell him which is the correct one. This type of course design not only turns the agility experience into a lottery, but in some dogs can also lead to a very tentative tunnel performance.

You should plan on retraining tunnel performance over a period of weeks and using lots of motivation. I would suggest using play training sessions to teach the dog to:

1. Run through the straight pipe tunnel with maximum drive for his reward. The reward is preferably a toy thrown so that he sees it moving ahead of him as he exits the tunnel, but can also be a target, a treat, or his dinner.

2. Race through the straight pipe tunnel for his reward, from a distance and from every conceivable angle, on command without regard to the handler's body position.

3. Negotiate jumps on the way to the straight pipe tunnel, enter the tunnel at top speed and get his reward after leaving the tunnel at top speed.

4. Correctly negotiate other obstacles before and after racing through the tunnel at top speed. Reward after the last obstacle.

Over a course of weeks, spend ample time with the above procedure. Then, adding a slight curve in the tunnel, repeat Steps 1 through 4 with the tunnel in an "S" shape.

In your training environment try to provide opportunities for short sequences which end with tunnel, jump, jump or jump, jump, tunnel. Throw the toy ahead of the dog as he clears the last jump or arrange with a friend to provide a memorable snack there. If you have access to your own tunnel, it is advisable to take it to different, safe, grassy areas and recap the above steps, so that the fast tunneling behavior becomes generalized. Once the dog is confidently tunneling, teach him to come to either side of you for reward after exiting the tunnel.

The same procedure can be followed for the collapsed tunnel. Other tips are:

• Straighten the collapsed tunnel every time you expect to send your dog through.
• If it is windy, adjust the course design so that the tunnel is subject to the least wind interference possible.
• Try to balance any tight U-turns after the tunnel with fast straight runs through the tunnel in more flowing sequences.
• Finish some sessions with a straight run through the tunnel with the toy reward being thrown straight ahead of the dog after he exits.

Good luck, praise your dog, and remember, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

For Sally Jones' response to the question, click here.