Traits that make a good agility dog?

[mum24dog]

I had someone ring me to ask how to become an agility trainer because she wanted to start her own classes. She was on her first dog, was training him herself and hadn't introduced him to contacts yet.

 

I persuaded her to come to classes but she didn't stay long, knew it all already of course.

 

And then there are the kids (anyone under 30 to me) who have never trained a dog of their own from scratch but have had success with a family dog. Wow do they know how to big themselves up.

 

I don't believe that a good teacher needs to have had a great deal of personal success but a solid grounding in dealing with a wide range of people and dogs helps.

[Blackdawgs]

When I started, I thought that my instructor at the time was very good. We later parted ways. Last summer, I attended a seminar hosted at the person's facility. The group consisted of the instructor, some of the instructor's students, and me. I was appalled, no one except for me and one other person (not the instructor) could send their dog to a tunnel (a simple straight approach) from more than 6-8 feet away.

 

But, I had lost all respect for the person during the show season while watching this person run (over a series of several shows) an obviously very, VERY painful dog in quest of a championship award. Which she was ultimately rewarded with.

 

A fine example for the local agility community. But many beginners still flock to this person.

[Root Beer]

I have been blessed to have phenomenal instructors. The one I work with the most was actually the one I started with when I started Agility with Maddie in 2005! I was in the very first class she ever taught and am still in her class now. Of course, I am on my fourth Agility dog with Bandit. She doesn't have all the answers all the time, but she has consistently helped me accomplish things that I never thought possible, especially with Maddie and Tessa.

 

But I've worked with others along the way. Tessa had a fantastic team of three instructors for foundation. I WISH the class still existed when Bandit's turn came around. And her jumping instructor was excellent. I was concerned she would push us, but she was completely understanding of Tessa's circumstances at the time. Then we went on to a different Novice instructor, and then finally to our regular one.

 

Recently I have branched out into online classes for her. Got help I never expected with finding a little bit more speed, and . . . . reeeeeeeeeear crosseeeeeeeesss!!! That was a long-time struggle that we finally mastered! One of the biggest helps to us was working with Debbie Gross online, not for Agility per se, but for fitness. That was a major help to us.

 

I have only run into ineffective Agility instructors a couple of times, and always had the option of moving away from those quickly.

 

My dogs and I have been blessed in this regard, for the most part.

[CptJack]

I actually have a great deal of respect for my agility instructor - as well as liking her. She *does* have a background in behavioral stuff and general training, and is very, very good about adapting to a variety of dogs. She also was pretty good about being encouraging while we were new, drilling 'better happy than correct' with my dog, as well as telling me to let it go when I was frying the dog.

 

She also did quite a lot of (free, in her own time) behavioral modification stuff with Molly that helped enormously. We'll probably do some more this summer. *IF* Molly trials it will be because of her club members volunteering their dogs and time.

 

However, it took me being able to know enough to go to her and *ask* about dog specific stuff. I was just seeing 'my dog's kind of slow'. Not the instructors fault, there. Her actual agility training's pretty danged good. (I can, for the record, send my dog to a tunnel from more than 8 feet away. )

[Blackdawgs]

Coming from an academic background and spending 4 years in graduate school and later mentoring professional students, I've always thought that agility instructors should take a more active role in their students' development.

 

If a dog is having a behavioral problem in class, it should be discussed with the student, and that student offered additional help, or referred to someone with more experience. Over the years, I've seen a lot of situations that should have been addressed but were largely ignored (or not noticed).

 

If a dog looks physically uncomfortable, for godssake mention it to the owner and suggest that they seek a vet.

 

Do instructors have regular conversations with their students regarding goals and a plan to achieve those goals?

 

And when it is time for a new dog, are there discussions on the type of dog the student should be seeking (a conversation deeper than "fast")?

 

As I said, we are all adults and sometimes we don't listen to advice. And in the case of one person I know, she did not listen to advice regarding the new dog and the match is less than wonderful, but when that dog developed an issue in class, it was largely ignored--in fact it was the other students who had to manage their dogs.

 

I really don't understand this.

[gcv-border]

As I said, we are all adults and sometimes we don't listen to advice. And in the case of one person I know, she did not listen to advice regarding the new dog and the match is less than wonderful, but when that dog developed an issue in class, it was largely ignored--in fact it was the other students who had to manage their dogs.

I love [NOT] the dogs that come to an agility clinic and are dog-reactive - and by that I mean they will break focus and connection with their handler to run towards another dog and a possible altercation may ensue.

 

I have a dog that doesn't really like too many other dogs upon initial meeting, but he is so focused in agility that he never goes 'wandering' looking for fun or trouble. I can take him to an agility clinic and work with 4 other dogs in the ring with no problem from him.

 

But I was at an agility clinic a couple of weekends ago, and TWO different handlers warned the rest of us about their reactive dog. Sheesh. And it was my luck that I was in the ring with one of them that then ran up to my dog and came nose-to-nose. I am proud that my dog showed great restraint - but a lot of lip curling - with this dog in his face until I called him away in order to break the stand-off.

[CptJack]

I have gotten so much less tolerant of reactive dogs (and I also means ones who aren't well managed) since having Molly and working with her - it's really kind of astonishing. That said, the first time she broke focus on me and left was also the last time she was in a class - my call. The rules have tightened up since then, too, which is a good thing. I have enough on my hands managing her, as do other people with their dogs with issues. Let's not make it harder for everyone, okay?

 

And in a fit of irony: I'm *STILL* sorry Kylie snapped at Kiefer, Jovi >.<

[gcv-border]

And in a fit of irony: I'm *STILL* sorry Kylie snapped at Kiefer, Jovi >.<

 

Heck. I don't even remember that. Now that you mention it and I dredge the incident up from my memory, I think that Kiefer was rude and stuck his nose where it shouldn't have been because I was not paying attention and walked too close to Kylie's chair. [she is so small, I didn't see her in the chair.] I didn't blame Kylie. I was thinking that maybe she taught Kiefer a lesson. So my bad. Sorry from me.

[CptJack]

Heck. I don't even remember that. Now that you mention it and I dredge the incident up from my memory, I think that Kiefer was rude and stuck his nose where it shouldn't have been because I was not paying attention and walked too close to Kylie's chair. [she is so small, I didn't see her in the chair.] I didn't blame Kylie. I was thinking that maybe she taught Kiefer a lesson. So my bad. Sorry from me.

 

 

Well you not remembering makes me feel better! I should have been paying more attention, though, instead of all caught up in conversation with Andrea. Mutual my bads, then, and thank you >.<

 

(Also, yeah. She's been specifically sought out to teach a young dog or two a thing about manners. She is the queen of "OH MY GOD YOU BROKE THE RULES YOU UNCIVILIZED LOUT'. The snot.)

[Root Beer]

On the flip side, I have tremendous respect for those who handle reactive dogs and handle them well.

 

I like it when Tessa runs before or after a reactive dog because it gives us an opportunity to help out - by providing space, by providing the presence of a very boring dog that most don't react to, and I never mind waiting to go in until after the dog ahead of me is leashed if the handler makes that need known.

 

One time a lady had a reactive Border Collie, and she was ahead of me. She had to make sure her dog didn't see the dog ahead of them running, so she was tucked behind something. She was worried that she wouldn't get into the ring when she needed to, so I told her that I knew she was there, and that Tessa and I would be out of her way when she came through. The relief was apparent. She said to me, "I guess you don't know what this is like". Tessa, of course, is the calmest dog in the world while we wait to go into the ring. But . . . I told her that I do know what it is like - just with other dogs. When Speedy did Freestyle, I had to keep him where he could not see the dog ahead of him in case the dog did any jumping in the routine (Freestyle is handy in that regard, though, because there is something of a delay between routines for logistics). And Dean could not hear a teeter bang, so if we were in a course with a teeter, I had to watch from outside and then dash in after the dog on the course ahead of him did a teeter. Stewards were really good about moving him so he would be after a jump height change, but that couldn't always happen.

So, I know what it's like, and I am so grateful to have a dog who is the polar opposite of a reactive dog that I try to help others when I can, especially when they really are doing a great job of managing the situation.