Clean Run - March 2011 - 69

and we were even able to do indoor trials. Not only did I work on the behaviors needed in the ring, but also the behaviors he needed for outside the ring or building. Just working door etiquette, with people going in and out while he and I were going in and out, took many weeks. Before I put him in competition obedience, he had his ARCH. When I took him to his first obedience match I brought his entire fan club with me to block and protect us, to be posts, and even to touch him for the stand for exam. Five years almost to the day that I brought him home, he got his first and second Novice legs on the same day (and subsequent third leg and CD). The moral here is that a few correct reps without aggression does not make a match- or trial-ready dog. Each step of every “section” should be broken down and trained. Case in point: with all of the breaking down I did with Shadow, I actually forgot one small but very important piece— after the off-leash portion of Novice, I forgot to train him to accept a steward coming straight toward me, arm outstretched, to hand me my leash. Quick thinking saved the day; I simply told Shadow to stay while I approached the steward for the leash.

4. Do pick your show sites carefully. If a club historically uses snow fencing, that’s great. If one club only uses a single rope... well, you may want to think twice about it. 5. Do watch for other exhibitors that are clueless; you know the kind, talking on their cell phones with their dog on a Flexi, not paying attention to anyone or anything, while the dog gets into everyone’s face. 6. Do bring someone with you to help protect you. Completely controlling the environment is very hard and often impossible. I used helpers for quite a while. 7. Don’t “test” your dog. If you test, you’ll be sorry. Really. Every time I tested Shadow, I ended up kicking myself. People always ask me, “Then how do you know when you can raise your criteria?” You’ll know because

Making Trialing Less Stressful for Your Dog
Here are some dos and don’ts to make matches and trialing less stressful for your dog. In some venues, you can go to an agility match/ show and not enter; just work your dog in that environment (far away from the action, please) to see how he does. 1. Don’t rev up your dog playing wild games of tug. If he really likes agility, he won’t need it. A relaxed dog is a dog that most likely won’t aggress. And yes, a relaxed dog can compete and do well in agility. 2. Don’t crate your dog ringside. Sell your pop-up tent on Ebay and keep him in your vehicle. Crating ringside is very stressful for any dog. Make that a dog with issues and watch him come out supercharged and “loaded for bear.” 3. Do practice your foundation behaviors on the show site: heeling (left side only; I say left side because that way you always know exactly where your dog is while you are scanning the environment), automatic sits, come fronts, stays, hand targets, pet tricks—anything to keep your dog busy, relaxed, and focused on you. Add in gentle soft petting and throw in some TTouch (see www.ttouch.com for more information).

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March 11 | Clean Run 69

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Clean Run - March 2011

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