Toby the Puppy Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Toby and I had our first agility class last night. I have really been looking forward to starting agility to give Toby an activity he could do for FUN. Well, there were several loud dogs, but one in particular (a lab) that wouldn't stop barking. At first Toby just seemed annoyed by all the noise. Then he went through the tunnel (a favourite of his since his first puppy class) and as we were returning to the line the lab got loose from his handler, ran up behind Toby and jumped on him. This happened twice (I can't believe I didn't see it coming the second time!!!!I am so upset with myself) and after that Toby started showing signs of stressing out. I then moved away from the lab and tried to keep Toby's mind off the other dogs by working a bit with him. He was reacting the same way he does when he hears fireworks only a little less severe, panting, laying on my feet or behind me, trembling. The only time he stopped was when he got a turn at the tunnel, then he was fine and happy but would revert back to the trembling right afterwards. The instructors had me stay after class and Toby got to do the tunnel a couple of times without all the noise and commotion. Does anyone have any suggestions to help Toby adjust to the class or do you think I should pull him out? I definately don't want him stressing out over this it is supposed to be for fun. The instructors did mention that the lab would be moved to a different class if the owners can't get him under control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarius89 Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Argh... it's one thing to have owners who can't control their dogs at dog parks... but at class... it just totally irks me. Of course, I could have totally been accident... but still. I wouldn't say it's unusual for dogs to be stressed or not be able to focus on what they should be doing their first time in a new building. Almost ALL of the new dogs who come to flyball are under some kind of stress because of the new smells, etc. I'd give it a few more tries before you drop out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herdcentral Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Sounds like you were doing the right thing by keeping him occupied while waiting. I would make sure to give him space and bring his favourite toys and treats and see how you go. Agility is a highly charged sport. We have 2 noisy borderline aggressive dogs in our class. At trials there is always a general commotion of barking dogs. Fortunately two of my dogs couldnt care less at all the commotion, but the third gets quite upset and nervy. I just kept working with her to focus on me, as it turns out she was eventually diagnosed with elbow dysplasia so I pulled her out of agility. I started her at obedience classes before starting agility because everything is a little less intense. I found this helped prepare her for agility class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaporflowers Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Is there another night available for the class? I would talk to the instructors about switching to a different class or maybe waiting until the next class starts up. If that's not an option, definitely work on some basic, fun behaviors he already knows in between obstacles (heeling, watch me, giving paw, anything), or work on some fun tricks at home that you can use as stress-relievers in class. "Spin" (or "chase your tail" or whatever you'd call it) is a HUGE stress-reliever, for my dogs. When Jack got nervous (because of my own nerves) at an obedience trial, I had him do a few spins and then had him jump into the heel position. Those have always been fun tricks for him, and because it got him moving, it took his mind off of being anxious. If Toby enjoys learning new things, just start coming up with behaviors for him to do that involve luring/movement and hopefully that will help him relax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby the Puppy Posted October 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Thanks everyone for your replies. Because this is the only night that I can take him we will either have to stick it out or quit. I am going to keep going for now and keep up with the distractions to see if he gets used to it. The instructor (who is a huge Toby fan) did take me aside and said that if the other dog didn't start behaving in class they would be moved, because apparently Toby wasn't the only dog that was affected by it. I will also have to work on my own reactions because I was feeling stressed out as well and I am sure Toby picked up on that. We have done many obedience classes in the past and Toby was just fine at those so maybe it was just this one dog in particular. Here's hoping next week is better for both of us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Robyn, Ask your instructors if they have seen Leslie McDevitt's new book "Control Unleashed" (available from Clean Run or Dogwise). If not, they need to get a copy. It's not uncommon to have dogs in beginning agility classes that are overstimulated (the lab) or overfaced (Toby). The CU book is all about how to get everyone to a point that they can work and learn together. I highly recommend it. As for what you can do in the interim, I would consider just leaving the building before Toby starts to shut down. If he bounces back after a little play outside, you can go back in, but you might just call it a night if he doesn't. There isn't much to be gained by keeping him in a situation that's over his threshold. Over time, you should be able to help him build up his tolerance to noisy barking labs and their ilk, but that isn't something that comes overnight. Buy yourself a copy of the CU book if you want to work on that on your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby the Puppy Posted October 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Alaska, I checked that book out online and it looks great. I want to order it but I am in Canada and they want too much for shipping. Do you know anywhere in Canada I can order it? I already checked Chapters and Amazon and they don't have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airbear Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Here's a Canadian site:. They have a lot of great books at Dog Sport, as well as publish a nice magazine. I think they are in Ontario. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notailabigail Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Here's a Canadian site:. They have a lot of great books at Dog Sport, as well as publish a nice magazine. I think they are in Ontario. I actually just ordered "Control Unleashed" from that site a few days ago! Shipping wasn't too bad at all compared to the US sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby the Puppy Posted October 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 That's great. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted October 25, 2007 Report Share Posted October 25, 2007 Definitely try distracting Toby while you wait, tricks, play tug and such, or take him for a walk away from the action. I had a similar thing, only with aggression resulting from the stress, and I finally realized I can't watch the other dogs run, I have keep Hoku's attention and do stuff with him. The first few classes were really hard, and I would leave the area between our turns, It really helped. Soon I was able to stay most of the time, and just do tricks and such. Now I can leave him tied to the fence with the other dogs to walk the course and help with changes, etc and he is fine. Good luck, it's really a fun thing to be able to do together, and I bet Toby will be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarius89 Posted October 25, 2007 Report Share Posted October 25, 2007 I believe your next class is tomorrow, no? Let us know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby the Puppy Posted October 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2007 I am happy to report that this week's class went much better. I had planned on keeping Toby away from the action and distracted by working on behaviours and tricks etc with him. We did that and it worked wonderfully. The lab that was so out of control last week was a different dog. The instructor had worked with the owners and taught them how to use a clicker to teach him quiet and except for a very few small barks he was great. There was another big dog acting up this week but I was able to distract Toby and keep him occupied when I noticed him starting to stress. Toby did everything I asked him and picked up the lessons so quickly it made me so proud! We are really looking forward to the next class now instead of dreading it. Thank you all for your suggestions. I have also ordered the books Control Unleashed, The Other End of the Leash, On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals, and 101 Dog Tricks (just for fun). I think these books will be really helpful to Toby and I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted October 25, 2007 Report Share Posted October 25, 2007 Yeah!!! That's great news! So glad your working through it... this forum is the best, I came here after our first nightmare class, got great advise, and now we are having a blast with agility. Keep us posted with Toby's progress, he sounds like the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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