The Table Blues

[MaryP]

My dog hates the table. He used to have no problem with the table. He'd hit it so fast that my biggest fear was always that he'd not be able to stop and he'd slide right off. Lately, he has decided that he can't be bothered with the table. He'll be running the course well and we get to the table and he just stops and refuses to get up on it. I've been trying to pull out a tug when we get to the table and letting him tug for 30 seconds or so when he is on the table and this has worked to get him up there. But, if I don't have the tug, he won't get on the table. It's pretty frustrating.

 

To make the problem worse, we haven't been consistently jumping at his standard jump height in our classes. This has been my fault for not insisting on changing the jump heights and I'm starting to be more insistent on this now. Since Charlie is tall, he's usually the only only one in his jump height. So, much of the time, the instructors haven't bothered changing the jumps, so he is jumping several inches below his standard jump height. This is especially a problem now with his new found hatred of the table. Since I started really pushing to get the jumps moved up, he is starting to see a table height that he has rarely ever seen. So, now, instead of just refusing the table, he goes underneath it and turns to look at me like "What, this makes sense to me?"

 

Ugh, can anyone offer some tips on how to get my dog excited about the table again? We have a trial in a few weeks and I'd really like it if he would be over his table aversion before then.

[dinah_kay]

What about using a target on the table? I have used that with my guys and it really helps drive them to it, but you would probably need to start with the smaller table first so he can get a good view of the target.

[PSmitty]

Is there anything you can use as a table at home to practice? This would be one of those things that I'd try to spend like 5 minutes a day working on, maybe twice a day. I'd start with the table low, get him jumping up enthusiastically at the lower level and then raise it up. Probably wouldn't take long to get back to regulation height.

 

He's food motivated, right? I don't know if you don't want to use food, but when I trained my dogs, we used food and made it a really fun game. I'd stand right beside the table and get them to jump up then treat. Up down, up down, up down. Lots of treats and praise. I made sure to give them an "ok" to get down, so they weren't releasing themselves. Once it was fun to jump up, then I started only rewarding if it was fast enough. Then I added on the sit or down once they were up there. Eventually, I started moving away from the table, so that I didn't have to be so close (still working on that one). I think what's hard is only training it at class, as I said, a few minutes a day at home would probably help a lot.

 

I didn't teach Lilly anything other than to jump up, then wait for my command. Alex, I taught an automatic down, so it's "tabledown" and eventually I shouldn't even have to add the down. With a dog that might be inclined to speed along and slide right off the table, I think the automatic down is helpful. Of course then you'd have to be able to get him into a sit from the down, but I don't imagine that's a problem with Charlie.

 

I'm excited for your first trial! Good luck!

 

PS. You're not the only one who runs into this problem. My friend's Aussie jumps 24" and he had the same problem with the table never getting raised in class, and at trials he was always running underneath it. Good thing that you're insisting on regulation height now.

[dognutmom]

Some things that were recommended to me over the years:

 

- when training at home, start all exercises with table. That way the table will become the signal for FUN (more obstacles)

 

- tug on the table, treat on the table

 

- feed meals on the table.

 

 

I've done the last two ... even had the table in my dining room for a while one winter for my first agility dog. We treated a lot, first for getting on the table and then for faster downs on the table (I only do USDAA which is always a down) Table became fun for her. For my boy who is in training, I guess I have sort of done the first one, come to think of it :-) He is very driven and quickly learned that the table was fun and meant he got to play even MORE.

 

For my second agility dog I didn't bring it into the house but had it close by the door outside. We started every session on the table with a lot of treats. She also got lots of treats when she got on it quickly and downed quickly. Got to the point once where she started darting past me and taking the table as an off course because she thought it was fun :-)

 

I would also make sure you insist that the table be set to the correct height for your dog. My first dog was at the top height and I remember several classes where it would still be set too low. I moved my second dog to Performance in USDAA very early on (due to the high aframe at the time) and her table height became 16" I was in a class where most of the dogs were large, so the table was high. Well, when she saw a table at a trial it was hard for her to stop and she would come right off the other side.

[CLW1]

Do you have a table at home or just at class? If not at home, can you set up a makeshift table?

 

I've had success with all of my dogs with food on the table. You could try using a high value reward and first give it for getting on the table and then progress to in a down (or sit if you need him to sit too). The food comes in quick as soon at they get on/down. Then a quick release and repeat. I will get them all revved up when they're off the table and then race them to the table and get the reward in as soon as possible.

 

I also have done a game with a few jumps and a tunnel with the table in the middle. You do an obstacle, then the table, then reward, then another obstacle, then the table, then reward, etc. Make everything really exciting and fast.

 

You can use a clicker for all of this - or not.

 

Are you sure it's not a physical thing?

 

My dogs rarely see the table at the height they see it trials and every time I approach it I think "omg, I need to start training with a taller table I hope they get on it". One of my dogs hates agility in the summer when the sun is out and he will pretty predictably go under the table and lie down in the shade...and everyone laughs...except me He doesn't trial in the summer anymore.

[Root Beer]

Given the situation, I would probably try to build a table - or set something up that's close at the proscribed height.

 

I would start with simply luring the dog onto the table, feed, feed, feed, release. The key here is that when the dog is on the table, the rewards are lavished upon him and once the dog is off the table the food stops. I would do this for several days without asking for any behaviors on the table or sending the dog from far away.

 

After a few days of that, I would try sending the dog to the table as usual and ask for the sit or down and see what happens. Once you get the dog eager to get to the table, you might find that the trained behaviors (send to, sit, down) will return readily once a really positive association has been built.

[Pat W.]

All suggestions are great but I would also get a chiropractor/vet to look at him. Jumping up on the table is different than jumping over a jump, more a vertical motion than a horizontal one dog usually comes deeper into the table before jumping. Could be something going on with his back or neck.

[MaryP]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I ordered a table so that we can practice a lot more at home. I'll be trying all the different suggestions, especially the ones that involve food, since the only thing Charlie likes more than food is his soccer ball. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

All suggestions are great but I would also get a chiropractor/vet to look at him. Jumping up on the table is different than jumping over a jump, more a vertical motion than a horizontal one dog usually comes deeper into the table before jumping. Could be something going on with his back or neck.

 

I doubt that there is anything physically wrong with him. We play a game almost every night that I call "bed frisbee." Charlie jumps up on the bed and I throw his house frisbee to him. Sometimes we play with a ball or a Cuz, too. He jumps up and down from the bed numerous times without any problem and the bed is higher than the pause table. I just think that Charlie has found that the pause table is boring and doesn't see the point of it. He prefers to be moving. It's the same reason, I think, that he finds Rally-O boring. It's too slow for him (and me).