Clean Run - May 2012 - 28

How to Teach Channel Weaves
Closing the Channel The ﬁrst general rule is to start with the channels 600mm apart (about 23.5"). As soon as the dog realizes he has to run through the channel, which should be after about three repetitions, then start closing the two lines of poles. Close them rapidly for the ﬁrst few sessions. After three sessions you want to be down to a 300mm channel (about 11.75"). The next six sessions you should be able to move them in about 20mm (about .75"). Then the next few sessions just 10mm (less than .5"). This is a very important part from here on: Close them gradually, I am talking 6mm every session (less than .25"), literally measure these. Many people go wrong because they ask too much of the dog by closing the channel too much in one hit, which we can do in the early sessions but certainly not the later ones. Obviously the measurements will vary for a Toy Poodle compared to a Great Dane, but the above is a rough guide. All in all try to take no longer than two to three months from start to ﬁnish. If it goes on much longer than this it can become learned behavior to run through the channel and not actually weave, which is another common mistake. The dogs then struggle with closing that last couple of centimeters. In theory the dog should never fail at any stage (of course they will now and then, but I did say, in theory). If the dog does fail, then you have taken too big a step. Moving the Poles to Different Locations Be sure to move the position of the weave poles to different locations in your training area. Move them every two sessions so the dog’s performance doesn’t become contingent on the weaves being in the same place forever. If possible take the weaves to various venues. Be creative but consistent in how you reward. Adding a Verbal Cue Only add the verbal cue when the dog is actually weaving; that is, body bending around the poles. Use the Weave command before the entry only.
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Do not use verbal shushing noises, etc. Do not repeat your Weave command. The Dog’s Focus and Placement of Rewards Make sure the dog never looks at you at any stage of your weave pole training. The more I teach handlers and dogs, the more I notice dogs running round the agility course with one eye on the handler. Pretty much every time our dogs look at us it means they are not 100% sure where they are going, which usually means they are losing time since their focus is not on driving to the obstacle ahead. One of the reasons our dogs look to us is for information, but they also look at us for their reward. Yes, we need them listening to our verbal cues and reading our body language, but I would much rather their mind be on the next jump than on my pocket where their toy or treats are. That is why I rarely reward from me after a sequence of obstacles. I choose to reward my dogs with a “dead toy” (a lattice ball with a squeaky latex ball in it) or a reward of some sort that is not on me. I would like to point out that this is not luring since the dog still has to do a behavior; it is simply rewarding away from me.

shows his real speed for the last two obstacles in anticipation of the toy being thrown. This isn’t a problem if you are Usain Bolt (a Jamaican sprinter and 100m record holder). Another reason I don’t throw the toy is that I am not convinced it is good for the dogs to chase a moving toy. The constant skidding, braking, and change of direction can’t be good for cruciates, tendons, and the dog’s body (video your dog and watch it in slow motion and you’ll cringe). Treats from the pocket usually (unless it’s a naturally crazy high-drive dog) keeps a dog’s attention on us too much and the dog doesn’t tend to work ahead very well. When I teach an 80-year-old lady who is struggling along with a walking stick, I am not going to tell her to run, get there, and do a front cross, etc. I need her dog driving on and doing the work. If that lady rewards from her pocket, the dog has no reason to work away from her, so the toy or treat rewarded away from her is invaluable. She is just dictating to the dog when he can get his reward. This is what I do for the weaves from the beginning, so the dog never even thinks of looking to the handler. The reward never comes from the handler when weaving—it’s very simple and basic, but so effective. I place the reward about 3 meters (just over 10.75") past the last weave pole. With each training session, I move the toy further and further away from the last pole until it is behind a jump,
Clean Run | May 12

Most people in Britain throw a toy over the last jump for their dogs and I certainly used to. Sadly, our timing is pretty poor and the dog looks at us as we throw the toy so we are actually rewarding them for looking at us or for some other behavior we don’t really want. We get a dog that runs at our pace and relies far too much on our body momentum for 18 obstacles and then

Clean Run - May 2012

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