#agility article

[twobigears]

The Danger of Agility "Just-For-Fun"

Fun is the main reason and the reason we start and stay in agility, but there are dangers in agility "just-for-fun".

This is why I tell all prospective students that I will never require or pressure you to compete, but that I will teach you as if you will be competing. Most of us start agility looking for a fun activity with our dogs, and it should be fun first and foremost!

The danger of the “just-for-fun” mindset is that it leads to sloppy training, confusion, and danger for the dog. Dogs rushed or dragged onto the equipment (some trainers still use leashes for this….) can develop fears that are difficult to overcome. Injury is always a risk in this sport, and even more-so for dogs with inadequate foundation. And just-for-fun classes are often taught by trainers with no agility experience beyond buying the equipment.

Fun should be a priority. Why do agility if it’s not fun?? Solid foundations and clarity in training and handling are part of the fun! Yes, it’s a lot more work to train agility in a way that isn’t just luring the dog through every obstacle. But it’s for the benefit of the dog (and human), both physically and mentally. The more confidence and understanding your dog has, the easier agility is and more fun for both of you.

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[twobigears]

Are you a new beginner interested in starting agility? Returning competitor with a new puppy or dog? There are a lot of skills you can work on before starting class that will give you a head start...

Most of the questions I get relate to beginner agility training. What are some skills you can do before starting agility training? In my opinion there are a few things more important to consider than basic obedience. Read on!

[twobigears]

At home, you've got it all: great focus. A solid startline stay. Perfect contacts and weave entries. Maybe some off-courses while you practice your handling, but hey who's counting. Overall it's...

New blog! Gonna make it the Monday thing.

[twobigears]

Dogs competing in agility are grouped by height so that dogs of similar heights compete against each other. Height class is determined by measuring the distance from the dog's withers to the ground....

Even though most dogs only have to be measured a handful of times, it shouldn't be seen as something just to suffer through. Measuring deserves just as much training to fluency as fancy obstacle skills. Stress abounds in dog sports, and the more we can reduce that stress, our dogs will be better off. And so will the judges, who wish for all dogs to be happy and easy to measure. :)

[twobigears]

"Around the clock" or "around the world" training is an approach for systematically training and proofing the dog (and handler's) ability…

By gradually changing the approach angle the difficulty for the dog also increases gradually, allowing the trainer to identify when the approaches first start to become difficult for the dog. Also, the successes/rewards at the previous angles can be used to build a history of the correct behavior and the dog “gets it” when they transition to more challenging angles.

[twobigears]

I’ve been doing Agility with my dogs for about twenty years, most recently running my little Terrier mix Travis. Everyone knows and loves Trav – he’s got “IT” – that inexplicable someth…

Heartbreaking. There is a lot of discussion about this going on in the Agility Critique group. Dog aggression at agility trials is a real and known problem that we continue to rant about on social media but sweep under the rug at trials. Nobody wants to report an aggressive dog. When you do report it, you’re the bad guy.

And more often than not the complaint is dismissed anyway and the owner continues to trial their aggressive dog. Because they’re entitled or in denial? Because their “right” to compete is more important than others’ safety? Because “dogs will be dogs”??

I can name several dogs around here who are known aggressors and people whisper to each other to avoid those dogs and cross your fingers your dog isn’t the next victim.

We had a bad dog fight at a trial here last fall when the dog in the ring left and attacked the next dog waiting to go in. Many witnesses, trial committee was called. Yet somehow it was apparently ruled that when the dog left the ring, it “didn’t intend to attack”, even though an attack is what happened. It was let off with a warning and that dog is continuing to trial. Another one to whisper to our friends to avoid.

A dog came at Solstice unprovoked at a trial several years ago. This dog was also known for being aggressive. I filed a formal complaint and in the process was pressured to let it drop because the dog was going to Invitationals soon and gosh wouldn’t it be a shame if that was taken away. I didn’t drop it, and was bullied for some time afterwards. I was sick to my stomach going to trials for months. Most of those bullies somehow think we are friendly now several years later, even though they have never apologized for their behavior.

[twobigears]

"Handle lines, not obstacles." A common phrase you might hear in some agility circles nowadays. But what does that mean? When you get down to it, an agility course is a path our dogs follow that...

Back to blogging! 

Sharing my main method for analyzing an agility course and looking at the dog’s path. We humans tend to see the courses as smooth curves from one obstacle to the next, yet our dogs move more in straight lines. And we’re super good at cuing straight lines whether we want to or not. These disconnects can cause problems ranging from off-courses and dropped bars to runouts and wide turns. An important piece of handling effectively is learning to see your dog’s path and the turns they need to make.

I’m in a motivated mood and have a bunch of topics lined up for future blogs! The challenge will be actually typing them out and not just thinking about it, haha. If you have a specific topic you want me to cover, please ask!

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[twobigears]

Creating the Best Line for Your Agility Dog

Everyone wants to know how to create the best line for their agility dog, but what does that really mean and how do you do it? In this Facebook LIVE, Esteban shares how he applies the concept of lines to his handling and analysis.You'll learn:How to set a line for your dog.When you need to set that line.How contact obstacle performance can affect your dog's line.

ICYMI, Bad Dog Agility has done some recent articles and Facebook live videos on handling. I just watched this one and it covers the timing of setting the line and how poor contact performances affect the line. A bit long-winded for the subject matter, but useful to see multiple examples of good timing and bad timing of the handler in setting the line prior to the take-off of jumps. Setting the wrong line can lead to things like knocked bars, off-courses, wide turns, and turns in the wrong direction.