See-Saw Shyness

[puppysiuk]

I've just started agility with Oddy - 3rd time, 16 months old. He is frightened silly of all the contact equipment, see saw, A frame and dog walk and won't do more than put 2 paws on any of them. I don't know if it is the metal texture he's scared of or the fact that the things go up in the air. (When we were out walking last week there was a bridge with metal plates on it and he didn't like walking over them either). Is there anything we could do at home to get him used to this type of thing. I thought planks of wood on the floor and get him walking those, then on bricks to get him "off the ground". Do you think that would help?? Any tips welcome. Apart from the contact stuff he loves everything else - particularly the tunnels.

[Barb Scott]

I think planks on the ground (at home in familiar surroundings) is a great idea. Another thing that might help, is backchaining the contact obstacles. Put him at the bottom of the off ramp and treat him. When he's comfortable, move him up from the bottom, let him walk down. Use plenty of good treats and just go at his pace. I'd stay away from the moving seesaw for awhile.

[JEL]

Definitely keep him off the seesaw for awhile...backchaining is a great idea, and you might start with that on a (lowered) A-Frame. At the same time, if you have a plain ladder, you can elevate it on a couple bricks and teach him to walk thru it by keeping one hand in his collar and leading him thru it while using a treat in the other hand if necessary for additional incentive. this will get him used to thinking about where his feet are going, and we have found it actually more useful than just a plank on the ground. (tho that is not a bad idea at all!) when he is doing the dogwalk and A-Frame better, and you introduce the seesaw, set it up so that the plank only falls a couple inches onto your agility table - ! lead him up it and let him exit the plank onto the table. As he gets comfortable, start lowering your table so that the plank drops more and more...before you know it, he'll be riding that plank like a pro all the way to the ground!

good luck!

[jkupshaw]

Let us know if the boards on the ground work. I started my BC that way. Once she got used to walking & balancing on the boards, we moved to bigger things. We also went to kids' parks & climbed around on the slides & play structures. Just got her comfortable with going where I asked her, so that when we did start agility lessons, she didn't even question me. I got her from rescue, so had to gain her trust before asking her to do anything too scarry.

Now, she just goes where I ask. She's so smart, all I have to do is point. It's amazing. Good luck.

[puppysiuk]

Just want to thank everyone for their advice and just to let you know that this week was THE WEEK for Oddy. Over the see-saws (although I held the other end to stop it from banging down), up and over the dog walk and the A frame. I was sooo proud of him I just couldn't stop hugging him.

 

Yes, the boards on the ground seemed to work, because last week there was a definite improvement on the see saw, although he still was very wary of it and wouldn't willingly go up it at first. Eventually he went up it from one side only. However, in between last week and this week I started getting him to jump on - and walk across - metal benches in a local park because I thought it was the metal texture under his paws which he didn't like. That, with the boards, must have done the trick because this week there was no stopping him once he'd been over everything a couple of times.

 

[This message has been edited by puppysiuk (edited 08-31-2000).]