Crazymaesy Agility Training Notes
Training and Competition
Speed and accuracy come from the partnership between dog and handler.
Your job is to be consistent in giving the right cues at the right time. There
are an infinite number of ways to work agility courses with your dog but if you
concentrate on a limited number of techniques it will be easier for the dog to
always be sure what you want and easier for you to make the right move under
pressure.
Handlers who
are young, fit and active enough to keep up with their dogs have an advantage
on most courses because they don't have such a need to train their dogs to work
fast and precisely at a distance. But be realistic about what you can do without
slowing your dog down to your pace. Every partnership needs both close and
distance handling sometimes so train both and use what's right for you.
Words, music
and dance. Study after study has shown that when someone gives a speech, the
audience pick up only about 5% of the information from what they say (the
words). Another 15% comes from the way they say it (the music). About 80% of
the information comes from the body language that the speaker uses (the dance).
Dogs are even more sensitive to body language than people. So you can train
spoken commands which will work fine most of the time. But get excited or in a
panic and all the dog hears is that emotion, so they let you down at the
crucial time. Plus, it is extremely difficult to give a stream of commands
while you're running round a course. So concentrate first on giving the right
cues from your positioning at all times (dogs can see behind them with only a
slight turn of the head) and use verbal commands as reinforcements only when
you need that bit extra. This doesn’t mean silence! Vocal encouragement is fine
and handlers working at a distance will benefit from using verbal commands much
of the time.
You train so
that you can do well in competition. Dogs very quickly learn the difference
between the two. Try to work with the same attitude and commitment in training
as in the ring. Think carefully how and why you use treats and toys in training
because you can't take them into the ring. For example rewards in training
should be associated with the equipment and the performance, not the handler.
Walk the
course at least three times. Once to find out where it goes. Second to imagine
what the dog will see, where it will land etc. Third to rehearse where you will
be and what you will do to give the dog most help. Always finish by thinking
how your plan will ensure a successful round, not worrying about the problems
on the course.
Nerves on the
start line are good! Think how you feel when you're nervous (fast heartbeat,
racing pulse, tight stomach etc.), and it is the same symptoms as when you're
excited about something. Your body is trying to get prepared for action. So
take a deep breath, look around and enjoy the fact that you're doing something
worth being excited about!
© 2003,2004, 2005 by Crazymaesy Agility Tel +44 (0) 1367 240489 Mob +44 (0) 7967 967456 email jo@crazymaesy.co.uk
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