Agility Interview

We interviewed an agility instructor today and it was a very interesting experience. Marley was so excited it took her forever to calm down. The first thing she did was run up the A-frame spin around and run down. It was fabulous to see the excitement on her face.

She was so excited she didn't stop when running down the dog walk and she didn't stop when going over the A-Frame. She did refuse to have anything to do with weave poles and she jumped off the teeter. Basically, she acted like a total crazy dog.

After discussing Marley and her attitude we decided to start with a foundation class. Hopefully this will help us overcome her aversion to jumps. I'm very excited, our new trainer seems to break everything down to the basics and then we will build up. I think this will help me become a more confident dog owner.

Agility 4.6

Marley has been doing very well in class and I'm very proud of her. We have been working on switch. Where she'll go through a hoop, I'll call her through a different hoop and then have her switch direction going away from me and jump. (This sounds complicated and should probably use pictures)

After class our trainer stopped me and said, "I want to be able to advance Marley to the next level, however she needs to go over all the jumps*." She also told me Marley had great drive and was very excited during class.

She suggested I make some jumps and practice at home.

After she spoke with me, I decided to try Marley again on jumps. We did jump, jump, tire, jump and she did them fine. We did a total of three sets going in different directions and she didn't have any problems.

I'm not sure what to do about my silly dog.

* This is a sequence of 3-4 jumps in a row.

Agility 3.6

Marley was in total BRAT mode during class. She totally tricked me by impersonating a good dog at the beginning of class.

We started class with the Chute, which was simple and Marley did really well.

Teeter - Tire - The teeter being Marley's favorite also went well. She didn't even have any problems with the tire.

Dog Walk - Hoop - Weave poles (guide) - Crossover (me) - Tire - We started with the Dog walk and hoop and added the other parts each turn. Marley did very well, I was impressed with her tolerance of my crossover. I was so proud of her.

Jump - Jump - Jump - Tunnel - Marley had a blast, I did not.

We started at jump 3 and I sent her to the tunnel, Marley did fine.

Jump 2 and 3 followed by the tunnel went fine.

Marley did Jump 1 ran around Jump 2 and 3 and into the tunnel. I called her back and she jumped over 2 and 3 to get back. I tried again, Marley ran even faster over jump 1 and around jumps 2 and 3 into the tunnel where she turned around and sat at the entrance grinning at me.

I called her back and this time I used the leash to guide her over all three jumps. She was grinning the entire time.

Our trainer suggested I set up some jumps at home and practice, practice and practice.

Our final exercise was Tire - Weave poles, Marley did fine the first time and she totally became confused the second. At this point I figured she was tired from all the running around the jumps and we ended class.

I'm glad she had fun, however I hope she listens better during our next class.

Questions for trainers

Being a first time dog owner, I've spent a lot of time looking for a dog trainer. So far I've had good and bad experiences with dog trainers. Our first classes were at our local SPCA, they focused on positive training and building relationships. Marley and I completed all of the classes they offered and I want to try some advanced obedience.

Finding an advanced obedience class that continues using positive techniques is difficult. So far I've encountered trainers that don't listen to me and trainers who have a very different view on positive training.

I suspect Marley was abused in the past and there are many techniques I do not feel comfortable using. For example when I first got her she would cower and cry whenever I touched her collar. Due to this I will not use any technique that involves any pressure to her neck.

I've used the Association of Pet Dog Trainers for information and I've used the Humane Society of the US for guidance.

I've compiled a few questions I currently ask potential dog trainers:

• What does positive training mean to you? Usually at this point they mention their favorite celebrity trainer, Cesar Millan or Victoria Stillwell. I'm sure if you watch TV you may have seen both shows and may have an opinion on their techniques.
  
• What do you recommend I do if my dog is not listening to me? At this point if they say "pop the leash" I know I need to leave. I will not use this technique on my dog based upon suspected abuse.
  
• Do I need any special equipment or can I use my harness? This lets me know if they are aware of any small dog needs. It also lets me know if they are part of the "popping" the leash crowd.
• If I have any concerns with any techniques or if something doesn't work for my dog, can you adapt your training techniques? Basically, I want to know they will listen to my questions and concerns, no matter how silly they may appear.
  

I also think its kind of handy to take an example of a common problem and see what kind of solution they provide. If the method is compatible with a method you feel comfortable with then this may be the trainer for you.

I'm still looking for an advanced obedience trainer, basically if Marley was AKC registered I would want to work on our CDX. If you know of any trainers who may be able to help, please let me know.