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Three Phases of Learning the Weaves

The weave poles are one of the most unnatural obstacles in agility.  Because of this, it is one of the obstacles that takes the longest for dogs to learn.  While the dogs are learning, there are many learning phases associated with the process.  However, the phases can be broken down into three main categories, all revolving around where the dog is looking while weaving back and forth.

Phase 1: The initial phases of teaching the weaves include luring the dogs through, making sure they don't get off track, and praising them for correct placement.  Dogs who are in this initial phase of learning will often either a) be looking anywhere but the poles (very beginning) and/or b) look up at their handler and his or her hands to see where they should go.  This phase can last several weeks and even months, depending on how much time you practice with your dog and how consistent you are.  During this part, I will often hear handlers say, "He's just following the treat," or "She isn't even paying attention."

Phase 2:  This phase comes after A LOT of practice.  During this time, the dog begins to become semi-independent on the weave poles.  There are several indicators that your dog is in learning the correct weaving motion: moving the head around the poles, developing a rhythm, staying closer to the uprights, and watching the paws.  However, the dog will still need occasional directions and corrections as he/she gets distracted, is confused, or loses mental focus.  Again, depending on commitment and consistency on your part, this phase can last several weeks or several months.  Handlers will often feel frustrated because their dog did it "perfectly" twice before, but makes a mistake the next time.

Phase 3:  This final phase is not perfection, but like any other command, the dogs accurately performs the weaves at least 90% of the time on their own.  Most dogs will move beyond looking at their paws and will instead be looking ahead, moving quickly, and having a constant stream of motion.  This phase also includes working on any fine tuning, such as weave entrances, speed, motivation, and exits.  Because dogs are (thankfully) not machines, the final portion of this stage is ongoing, but requires minimal handling but lots of practice tailored to your dog's specific needs.

Below are several pictures of dogs who are in the second phase.  As you can, each of them is watching their paws. The handlers are in various states of "weaning" themselves off so the dog becomes less and less dependent on them.

Lisa and Howser

Lisa is still using her hand to lure Howser through the poles, but you can also tell that he is beginning to watch the poles while he is going around.

Cyndee and Dosha

Dosha is getting a slight hand signal for formality's sake, though she is not looking at Cyndee's hand at all.

Becca and Cheri

  Cheri is also doing the weave poles relatively independently.  While she can do them off-leash, her leash is on for other management issues not relating to weaving.

Bailey

 Last, we have Bailey, who appears to be doing the weaves all on her own.  Beyond the scope of the picture, Lee is actually giving verbal motivation and is ready to jump in and assist Bailey as necessary.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a happy and safe holiday-from all of us at 
Zoomdog Agility and Sports Club.

Thanksgiving Laughs

 

 

Committee Members: Meet Bob

Bob Curry, Treasurer Zoomdog Agility and Sport Club

Bob has always loved dogs but hasn’t had one because of allergies, until he discovered a “hypoallergenic” breed in the Kerry Blue Terrier. Paddy joined Bob’s family in 2009 and they both became involved in the sport of agility in the fall of 2010. This looked like a good sport for both the dog and the handler. Both Bob and Paddy have had fun (as well as some frustrating moments) with this sport. Bob became involved with the Club in order to help create an organization that will keep dog agility going and growing in Cache Valley.

Committee Members: Meet Lisa

Lisa Peterson, Secretary Zoomdog Agility and Sports Club

Hi, my name is Lisa Peterson.  I have a big fuzzy 2 1/2 year old named Howser. He was born June 2009, a 100% pure breed mutt, and will talk to you and let you know if he doesn't agree with you. My husband and I don’t agree on what his mother was and don’t know what breed the father was. He has the face and body of a German Shepard with the floppy ears of an Australian Shepard and is very expressive with his eyes – when he isn't trying to sit on you (it is a compliment…..really….).  Howser loves being out in the country with us and even enjoys playing and/or being chased by/with the barn cats even if they won’t try and wrestle with him.  His favorite thing is to just be with his pack – going for walks, playing or just hanging out watching a movie.


I work in a medical billing office, teach piano lessons and take Howser to Agility. I am a workaholic by nature and so having too much free time is hard for me. I have my Interdisciplinary Study degree through USU in Horticulture and French. I love to create and “play” in the dirt. Howser even helps me when I’m gardening but we still need to work on his keeping the dirt in the flower bed when he “helps” me dig holes.


Howser and I have been doing Agility since November  of  2010 and have loved it since the beginning. I love being part of the Zoomdog Agility and Sports Club, as it gives both Howser and I a place to let him work and learn, and a place for me learn and meet new friends (fuzzy and non-fuzzy). Since Howser and I are pretty laid back we love that there is the Agility for Fun classes that we can take and continue the fun that we have doing Agility.

Committee Members: Meet Jacqueline

Jacqueline Guymon, Equipment Coordinator Zoomdog Agility and Sports Club

My name is Jacqueline Guymon and that little black and white bundle of energy is Panda Roo Ruggles Guymon. Yep, her name is longer than mine...and she runs a heck of a lot faster...BUT...I've got her beat when it comes to paying attention for any length of time. (That's not saying much; though, a squirrel could probably beat her too.)

Panda was born February 26, 2011 on a farm near Dayton, Idaho, where her mother (a red heeler) and her father (a border collie) are used for herding livestock. Panda would have liked to have finished her life on the farm--chasing livestock, eating unmentionables, and never having to wear a Gentle Leader--but alas, she was bought by a speech-pathologist, a child-nutrition manager, and a teenager. She has adapted well to our busy "city-folk" family: in the mornings, she dashes past me to jump into bed with Dad for snuggles, after school, she plays fetch (Chuck It and Zinger) with Jacob, in the evenings, she goes for long, brisk walks with me, and when nobody's looking, she find objects to turn into toys and food (which are the same to her). Her "trick resume" includes Sit Pretty, Bow, Spin, Get Your Tail, Back, and the all-time-favorite "Twitch!".

In contrast, I am pretty boring. By day, I work in an elementary school helping kids learn how to say their sounds correctly, improve their language, and speak fluently. Fifteen months ago, I would have liked nothing more than to spend my nights reading long novels, scrapbooking, or playing games with my family. I found a new favorite in August 2010--running around jumps, tunnels, chutes, and other obstacles with a dog. Sadly, the dog I had back then (Ollie) passed away in March 2011.

I'm grateful that Zoomdog Agility and Sports Club had been formed. It has given me a place to train Panda, great people (and dogs) to hang out with, and of course, Becca: the source of knowledge for all-things-dog. My plan is to complete all of the beginning and intermediate dog agility classes that Zoomdog offers and then taking the Dog Agility For Competition class and start competing with Panda. Well, that's enough about us. I hope to meet you in class or at a Zoomdog social!

Committee Members: Meet Lee

Zoomdog Agility and Sports Club is run by a very dedicated and dog-loving volunteer committee.  Today we will let Lee introduce herself.  Make sure you watch for other committee member bios to be posted on the blog during the following weeks!  

Lee Tansock, Vice President Zoomdog Agility and Sport Club

I have two shelties and enjoy watching dogs learn, discover, and become well behaved. We became involved with agility after my puppy certified as AKC Canine Good Citizen. We were looking for ways to continue to challenge her and keep her focused and working and agility turned out to be a great way to accomplish these goals. We also discovered agility to be challenging for both handler and dog and quickly discovered that it was immensely fun at the same time. Agility training has provided me with the ability, through voice commands, body language, and hand signals, to handle a now confident dog through easy or complicated courses and have fun while doing so. My dog LOVES it too.

Pet Place

Here is a fun website to check out when you have a little free time: PetPlace.com  

And if you're like me and love videos, you can find a ton of their dog clips here: Pet Place Videos  

Here is one of my favorites (make sure you check out the colored Poodle ears!): Dogs Jumping Rope

Perfecting Contact Spots

There are a lot of ways to teach contact spots.  However, these are not the focus of this post.  Instead, I want to share this picture of Keahi.  Not only is she modeling a terrific winter sweater, she is also exhibiting good form on the walk.  Her front two paws have already touched the contact zone, and from looking at her, her handler should be able to tell that she is headed in the right direction to cleanly exit this obstacle.  Here are the two major signs:

• She is lined up parallel with the sides of the dog walk. 
• Her head is focused on the goal-she is looking ahead at where she needs to go.

At this point, her handler should be giving her a positive marker for doing exactly what she needs to be doing! Thanks Ahi for being a great example!

Now, in opposition to the good signs, what are the signs that your dog is about to jump off before properly exiting the obstacle?  First, let me just note that my definition of properly exiting the obstacle is that the dog goes all the way down the ramp without jumping off the side (regardless of how many paws touch the contact spot or not).

• The dog is at an angle to to the sides of the ramp-if he or she kept following that projected path, they would jump off too early.
• The dog is looking off to the side-dogs usually think about what their eyes are seeing.  So, if they are looking off to the side, they most likely are not thinking about going all the way down the walk. 

At this point, the handler should jump in there and help the dog exit the dog walk properly by luring the dog, encouraging him or her to go all the way down, and praising when the dog behaves appropriately.  This way, the dog does not learn the bad behavior of doing an improper exit, is rewarded for doing it correctly, and thus is more likely to do it the right way next time.

The Easy Button

Working with dog owners is often an interesting experience.  Besides teaching agility, I often help friends, family members, and complete strangers with their new puppies, adoptees, and dogs that need some training.  Across the board, I think most people are shocked to find out how much time it takes to train a well-behaved dog. Have you ever watched agility on TV or YouTube and thought how effortless is all looked?   People see other people's dog behave or perform and expect their dogs to do the same, never realizing the work that happens behind the scenes.

One thing to remember is that there is no "Easy Button" for dog training.  If I had one quick, simple solution to training a dog, I could write a book and make a million dollars.

Alas, I am not a millionaire, but I do have a lot of experience.  If you are having issues with your dog, it's best to start with the basics and ask yourself these questions:

• Is my dog getting daily aerobic exercise?  
• Is my dog mentally stimulated on a regular basis (training, problem solving, agility, etc.)?
• Am  I spending enough quality time with him or her cradling, playing fetch, hanging out?
• Are my dog's basic needs met?  Is he or she in pain, cold, hot, hungry, uncomfortable?

And last, but most importantly:

• Do I realize that my dog will not learn the correct behaviors if I do not teach them?
• Am I committed to my dog? 
• Do I see him or her as a unique individual with basic needs that need to be met by me?
• Am I willing to put the time into taking care of my dog properly?
• Do I have the knowledge I need to successfully take care of my dog?

While I know that most of you who read this blog are committed to your dog and do the best that you can, I think that these are questions we need to be constantly asking ourselves.  I realize that if Cheri is acting up, it's usually my fault.  Through each successive puppy, there has come a time when I've had to sit down and decide where my heart really was.  Once I decided that I loved my dog, that I wanted him or her to be around, and more importantly, I wanted us to both be happy, I was able to recommit myself to their cause.

Biscuit the Climbing Dog