Clean Run - March 2012 - 14

Off Leash/On Leash
Practice walking your dog to the start line on a leash and then removing the leash without losing control of your dog or losing your dog’s enthusiasm at the start of your run.

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For those of us who have great off-leash control, our dogs are rarely leashed going to the start line and we also don’t practice leashing our dogs immediately at the end of an exercise or run. (Unfortunately, this is now a mandatory requirement in some agility organizations.) Too often when walking into the ring it is the leash that is controlling the dog’s behavior, not the human at the other end. It is important that if your dog must be on a leash as he enters the ring he is focused on you and not pulling and sniffing as he goes to the start line. Dogs that are behaving in this manner often try to leave once the leash is removed and are not focused on the handler at the start of the course. Make sure you can interact with your dog verbally so that he gives you his full attention while he is on a leash. Also, I encourage my clients to have their dogs off leash where it is safe to do so, so that their dogs learn to have focus on their owners without the sometimes false control that the leash provides. At the end of your run it is an art to leash up your dog while not dampening his enthusiasm. Encourage your dog to play with his leash. While he is tugging slip the leash over his head or quickly clip the collar on in such a way that he continues to play. See Figure 3. This way you can comply with the “leash rule” but not let it interfere with the praise your dog gets at the end of his run. 3

Moving Down
Train a down while your dog is moving and away from you. Not only is this part of my table training but I often use it at the end of a Pairs Relay run so that I can safely run to my partner for the baton exchange. Start by teaching a down with your dog in front of you. I always teach the down from the stand position and use only a verbal cue, no hand lure. When your dog can down in front of you, ask for the down behavior with your dog at your side. Make sure you practice with your dog on your left and right side. Next start asking your dog to down at a short distance away from you. If your dog comes toward you simply take him by the collar and walk him to where he was when you originally said the cue. Once he is in the down return to the place where you were when you said the original cue, praise your dog from that distance, and then return to your dog to reward him. If you are accurate you can throw a treat to your dog (especially if you have trained the “in reach, out of reach” exercise in the November issue of “Building Blocks”). If you have gone to your dog to reward him move back out to the original distance and release him from there. Remember not to move when you give your verbal release cue. Once your dog is able to down at a short distance away from you, do not reward him if he travels toward you and does not immediately go into a down. Instead, just release him and start the exercise again. Gradually increase the distance your dog is from you and the speed he is moving at when you say your Down cue.
14 Clean Run | March 12

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Clean Run - March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - March 2012
