2 Devils Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 I signed Tempe up for agility in hopes of building up her confidence. She is skittish dog and fearful of many things but not always the same thing. She has been to 3 classes so far and her biggest issue is the teeter. Ok well she is not keen of the weave polls either but she will deal with it though. She loves the tunnel and the chute (go figure). She does well with the AFrame and dogwalk. She even does the ladder work without complaint. She has figured out that if she goes past 1/2 way on the teeter that it moves. It is a low teeter and there is a cushion under the end so it does not bang. She really HATES the teeter. What are some exercises I can do to make her more comfortable with the teeter. I really do not plan to compete in agility since I don't have the time or inkling since I do flyball. I pulled Tempe from flyball since she freaks out at tourneys easily and will shut down. I want to build her confidence up so she can hopefully compete in flyball (but not required - she is a pet first). Tempe is 20 months old now... Some advice on getting comfortable with a teeter and confidence building techniques in general would be great. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Can you use the teeter (or make one at home) outside of class? If so, try shaping her approaching the up contact, then smacking the up contact, then several feet on the teeter and so on. I've foudn very fearful dogs excel when they find out they get rewarded for interacting with a scary thing, even if it's only a look at the object at first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 I have posted a long reply to this type of thing several times before (Dazzle was very scared of the teeter as well). I will try and find the old posts..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 haha!!! Yay! I actually found the old post. Here: http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.p...ic=9383&hl= I am sure other people may have other suggestions, but those are what I used for Dazzy that worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningdogs- Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 I really do not plan to compete in agility since I don't have the time or inkling since I do flyball Good luck not getting addicted to agility:) Its hard. Both Kat's Dogs and MaggieDog have good ideas:) Another though, you might want to wait a little longer before you introduce the teeter( has it been three class sessions or three days of class?). All the other agility stuff will help her confidence and it might make it easier for her to learn. We didn't learn the teeter in our class for a longgggg time,until they would do the dog walk perfectly . Something to consider Plus in CPE level one dogs don't have to do teeter or weaves right away , so when you do decide to compete she does not need to be completly comfortable with them (No reason to rush...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClickMeBC Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Kat's posts are excellent, so definitely scour that thread. It took a very long time for my IG to get used to even the tippy board - to say nothing of the teeter - and only in very recent practice and trials has overcome her hesitance. I think Quynn, my BC pup, may have some teeter issues as well so at the moment I'm doing my best to convince him that the tippy board and the teeter are giant treat dispensers and great fun...something a trainer in Clean Run said once, I believe. I bet Kat's teeter games will do the same thing and aid in building confidence. As was mentioned, one of the reasons I love CPE is it's teeter/weave allowance in level 1 - my first agility dog and I were able to taste competition without having to have perfect weaves and even with a teeter issue. We wouldn't be where we are today were it not for those allowances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Try getting Tempe used to movement and noise away from the teeter. If she is already associating it with anything negative, it will be harder to overcome. I started my pup on a homemade "Buja board" very early, and he now LOVES noise and movement. (Basically, I took a square of plywood, and attached half of a softball to the bottom on it. There are fancier versions, but this worked well.). I started on grass, but quickly progressed to concrete - so it would make more noise. With a clicker and lots of treats, it got to where I could barely get the danged board on the ground before he was pawing at it to bang it around. Just a thought. diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Once the dog is happy with the Buja Board (aka tippy board), you can put a metal cookie sheet or two under the edge so the board will make a louder sound when it tips. But really, what is your dog doing on all that equipment already? Agility is about communication between you and the dog, not about the equipment. I would suggest you look for a class that emphasizes flatwork first (e.g. learning handling maneuvers around cones or through jump standards with no bars up). If you want to build confidence, I think it would be doubly important to work on your teamwork first rather than starting right off by having a green handler send an untrained dog over unfamiliar obstacles. JMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted July 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Thanks for your replies folks. Tempe and I work great together (except for the whole afraid of something that may or may not even be there at times). As I say, she is my lil freak and I love her. Her and I have done flyball training together, obedience, etc... so we are not newbies to working together. She just needs help learning to deal with her fears and build confidence. I mean she is afraid of barking and the dark (plus many others)... he teeter is as low as you can get it and has a cushion under it for newbies so they are doing it the right way. She will do the dogwalk, AFrame, tunnels, etc... all without issue. I will try to make a tippy board this weekend to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Once the dog is happy with the Buja Board (aka tippy board), you can put a metal cookie sheet or two under the edge so the board will make a louder sound when it tips. I thought a "tippy board" had something do to with booze and a Buja Board something to do with dog training Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted July 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 We have a minor breakthrough at class last night with the teeter. A friend who is shadowing the instructors took Tempe over and proceeded to teach Tempe how to slam the teeter with her front paws and get rewarded. Then had her pouncing on it with all 4 paws. Once she did all that and seemed to have fun, we walked away. At the end of class I took Tempe back over to that Teeter (sits very los to ground) and had her slam it a few times and walk it the opposite direction for a couple steps. We then went to the correct end, went to the middle, treated Tempe then took a couple more steps until it tipped. Tempe did great. She walked the teeter twice without freaking. Now I just need to make that tipsy board for at home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Now I just need to make that tipsy board for at home Dear Kimmie, the dog should not be drinking and playing agility. However you may be as tipsy as you like, as long as you don't give my puppy too much and then let her do agility. This message brought to you by FADD (Friends Against Drunk Dogs). p.s.. congrats on the teeter breakthrough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted July 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 LOL - guess I should read my post before submitting. I guess that should say tiPPy... Well Laura if you would not have moved all the way across the fricken country you would be able to help me with your freaky dog instead of leaving me to figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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