Ella and I attended her beginner agility class last Wednesday. We signed up for two classes in one evening – Beginner Agility 1 & 2. It is a very small class, which is what Ella needs.
We practiced going over jumps. Ella has been jumping off and on and I use the cue “jump.” It is a one syllable word and will be easy to say while I am running around the field breathless.
Ella did not like one of the other teams in the class, though. The dog was very talkative and the owner used large movements and moved quickly. As long as I was between her and that team, she was OK with working. So, as a result, Ella would not jump over a jump if she was between them and me. Instead, she would run behind me or around the jump to avoid them. This made the first hour difficult for us. I ended up giving her treats for watching the other team being wild.
Thankfully, most agility trials that we have seen have a 10 foot barrier around the ring gates for the field. This should keep most dogs far enough away from Ella to keep her from feeling scared. And, in time, she will become used to the way other teams are.
The second hour was a bit more successful, since Ella and I were the only students. My goal was to have her become more confident around the teeter. We lowered the teeter down to as low as it would go and I clicked and treated Ella for any interaction with the teeter.
She started by offering one paw on the teeter (this is something I have been shaping her to do, since she isn’t much of a paw dog). Then she started to step with two front paws. Sometimes she would hop over the teeter. Other times, she would have all four feet on the teeter. At that point, she was jackpotted!
Then I started working with her walking up and down the teeter. When she walked down one side, the teeter wouldn’t move. When she walked down the other, it would move a few inches to the ground. When she was on that end, then she would get a jackpot of cheese. At that point, I jackpotted her whether or not she remained on the teeter when it moved.
I save the really high value treats, like cheese, for the harder equipment. She knows then that what she has done is really special.
We spent the last half hour playing with a ball, talking to the teacher and having her run through the tunnel. That was great because she has started to pick up speed on the tunnel and she comes out of it with her ears up, rather than half way laid back (indicating that she is worried).
Our homework was to practice front and rear crosses. I have to admit that we haven’t spent much time doing that!
When I left the class, I was torn by how I felt about agility. It didn’t feel as though we accomplished much that night. I was thinking about how hard it was to learn a new skill and how frustrating it was for me to not know the terminology and to get Ella to understand what I wanted. It is also frustrating when your dog catches on faster than you do!
But, as I reflected on this during the weekend, I felt the same way about Rally and now she and I are having a lot of fun practicing for upcoming trials. It will just take time and practice and breaking things down into small steps. We’ll get there!
We practiced going over jumps. Ella has been jumping off and on and I use the cue “jump.” It is a one syllable word and will be easy to say while I am running around the field breathless.
Ella did not like one of the other teams in the class, though. The dog was very talkative and the owner used large movements and moved quickly. As long as I was between her and that team, she was OK with working. So, as a result, Ella would not jump over a jump if she was between them and me. Instead, she would run behind me or around the jump to avoid them. This made the first hour difficult for us. I ended up giving her treats for watching the other team being wild.
Thankfully, most agility trials that we have seen have a 10 foot barrier around the ring gates for the field. This should keep most dogs far enough away from Ella to keep her from feeling scared. And, in time, she will become used to the way other teams are.
The second hour was a bit more successful, since Ella and I were the only students. My goal was to have her become more confident around the teeter. We lowered the teeter down to as low as it would go and I clicked and treated Ella for any interaction with the teeter.
She started by offering one paw on the teeter (this is something I have been shaping her to do, since she isn’t much of a paw dog). Then she started to step with two front paws. Sometimes she would hop over the teeter. Other times, she would have all four feet on the teeter. At that point, she was jackpotted!
Then I started working with her walking up and down the teeter. When she walked down one side, the teeter wouldn’t move. When she walked down the other, it would move a few inches to the ground. When she was on that end, then she would get a jackpot of cheese. At that point, I jackpotted her whether or not she remained on the teeter when it moved.
I save the really high value treats, like cheese, for the harder equipment. She knows then that what she has done is really special.
We spent the last half hour playing with a ball, talking to the teacher and having her run through the tunnel. That was great because she has started to pick up speed on the tunnel and she comes out of it with her ears up, rather than half way laid back (indicating that she is worried).
Our homework was to practice front and rear crosses. I have to admit that we haven’t spent much time doing that!
When I left the class, I was torn by how I felt about agility. It didn’t feel as though we accomplished much that night. I was thinking about how hard it was to learn a new skill and how frustrating it was for me to not know the terminology and to get Ella to understand what I wanted. It is also frustrating when your dog catches on faster than you do!
But, as I reflected on this during the weekend, I felt the same way about Rally and now she and I are having a lot of fun practicing for upcoming trials. It will just take time and practice and breaking things down into small steps. We’ll get there!
*Thank you, Clan Duncan, for the great web art!
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