Clean Run - January 2018 - 55

balls happening at this camp were more along the lines of is
there going to be enough potato salad and is it time to apply
more sunscreen?
For one thing, the pressure was off the people. Every single
person was there for the same reason. No more feeling like
they were the only one with struggles. No more feeling like all
the other dogs can do all the things, why can't mine? A magic
formula that we all like to use for real life, not just dog training, is that less stress helps remove the pressure. Take away
some of what causes yucky feelings, and the yuck factor goes
down. There was much camaraderie for all the successes. Applause when the dog grabbed the toy! The crowd went wild
for when the dog ran fast for the magic box! Another dog's
gone crazy for the pigs, hooray!
Yes, pigs. Ten squeaky pigs in little costumes. Who knew?
Squeaky toys, fluffy toys, balls of all denominations, toys that
looked and sounded like rats. Genius. Place in a furry thing
and tie this to a long soft thing for maximum effect. Chunks
of fur, tied to strings, the strings tied on to leashes and horsewhips and all kinds of things. Thanks, Clean Run, for donating
so many great toys to the camp. The toys may be just a conduit for playing with the people, but they sure do help!
Dogs who weren't feeling the toys but who loved the treats
learned some great new ways to find their treats and get their
feet moving. Sometimes just sitting on the grass and having a
snuggle fest was all it took. Every dog found a way to play.
If your dog needs a confidence boost, here are some take
home messages from camp:
* Get in a good mindset for training. Don't freak out, keep
calm and carry on. That's always going to help. Have a game
plan! Buddy system, everyone sticks together! Does your
dog check out? Don't check out on them.
* For some dogs, pressure can come from what the dog
thinks they should do vs. what the dog really likes doing. It
doesn't mean a dog hates agility. But maybe there's a component, training baggage, the trial environment, the push
to qualify, in the sitting in a crate under a tent on a hot day
that the dog doesn't feel comfortable with? Decoder ring
on, detective skills activated.
* Maybe signals got crossed somewhere and your dog might
actually think what they're doing now is in the job description. Maybe because their job description's confusing at
times. Oops. Rewriting their job description clearly could
be a good place to start.
* Amazing rewards for your dog to look forward to requires understanding from your dog on how to make
those amazing rewards happen. It might be different for

your dog that what those rewards are than my dog. For
sure, all my dogs have different very best rewards. If I
could get sheep to stand in a shallow river in the forest
surrounded by one hundred floating tennis balls, OMG, the
great reward this would be. For my Border Collie. That
nightmarish vision would send sensitive little Gustavo running to the hills, never to return.
* Focus is key. Happy, joyful, "it's the dog's idea to focus"
focus. Train the focus separately if your dog has squirrels
on the brain. Insert your own squirrel/demon of distraction here. This isn't a drive-thru espresso on the go quick,
quick, quick thing, it takes time.You need to train the dog
in front of you at that very moment, and if that dog only
cares about the squirrel, there's your project. Those hard
weave entries will wait 'til another day, one that's squirrel
brain free.
* Patiently look for things you can do to find clarity for your
dog. Having the exact amount of patience, which is all the
patience, is hard and it takes a lot of patience. This is my
personal hardest thing to do when I'm training; I'm still
trying to be patient enough to learn how to be patient.
* Begging your dog for attention is not becoming. Do you
ever call them with, "Chickenchickenchicken," miming
the delicious but invisible chicken in your hands? It won't
work. Mimes are scary. This is a big change of dynamic, if
you've had to be a bit pleady to get your dogs to do things.
We want them to make the choice to get in the game, not
beg them; shaping behaviors is a great way to for dogs to
choose to play a game with you, not without you.
* Encourage your dog, don't discourage them. These aren't
smack down dogs, don't shoot down their attempts at
things. Just be supportive, get their back. Do you like being
shot down every time you have an idea? Nope. Neither
does your dog. These are the "it needs to be my idea
dogs" so give them space to get an idea! Reward tiny
things and coax out that enthusiasm.
* Embrace who your dog is and allow them to be themselves. Even if you're trying to modify their unique behavior
to be different from what it is now, let their freak flag fly.
Agility is a big cluster of moving pieces. Leave one out, or let
it be too lean, and it affects the agility. Glossing over parts
will kick you in the butt later.You know how lady magazines
always talk about just a little lip- loss to pull things together?
Just a dab? You do this? You feel pulled together? Heck no. It's
gloss. Don't gloss. Running a course in agility is the putting
together of all the things. But it just won't work right if you're
missing some of them. Go back in time... any pieces you
missed? D

Laura Hartwick spends a lot of time trying to get better at agility and walking around on a perennial vision quest in the forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains with the
brave dogs of Team Small Dog. You can find her at www.teamsmalldog.com.

January 18 | Clean Run

http://www.teamsmalldog.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - January 2018