Clean Run - October 2020 - 52

If you prefer to lure, my rule of thumb
is to lure three times and then see
what you've got. Remember, we want
the dogs to do this on their own, so
try and remove yourself from the picture as soon as possible.
Once you have a dog that can happily
circle something, have a look at their
path as they do so. Are they straight
bodied and so prefer a wider turn? Can
they pretzel around the pole and hit
the entry accelerating? For the work
that we're going to do, we need them
to have enough room to make the turn
and straighten up before they start to
ascend whichever contact you're working on. So, watch carefully and mark
the path that they are taking.
Note: When you move this training
to the dogwalk and seesaw, remember
that those obstacles are substantially
narrower, so the placement of the pole
is more important.
Step 3
Drop your A-frame down so that mistakes are not going to put your dog off
while you experiment with placement
of your pole. Stand at the pole and ask

for your contact performance. Gradually move back parallel to the pole, as
in Figure 4, so that you start to build
in distance. Once the dog has the idea,
add your cue and start to work your
way around a "clock" of entries, as
shown in Figure 5, with 6 o'clock being
the exit and 12 o'clock being a straight
entry. When you have worked your
way back to positions 5 and 7, it's safe
to say that your dog has the idea!
Finally, you should be able to sit underneath your A-frame and send your
dog out to safely get up the equipment
by himself.
Step 4
Change the pole: wrap it in different
colors, put a coat over it, hang bunting
from it-be inventive. Also, change
the pole out for a cone or another
object; remember, the idea of using a
target is to transfer behavior. We don't
want this behavior too firmly attached
to one object. Whilst you're doing this,
gradually raise your A-frame to its
usual competition height.
Video your sessions carefully. Have
you got the distance right? Has your

dog's circling behavior tightened, and
if so, do you need more room? Assess at every stage of the behavior and
make sure you change sides on a regular basis. Remember, the overall aim:
your dog needs to be able to approach
from any angle and straighten himself
to safely ascend contact obstacles.
Step 5
Begin to fade the pole/cone etc. I use
poles that are easily cut so I can simply
make them smaller, fading eventually
to a golf tee.

In Conclusion
I always teach and tr ain angled entries onto contacts; I want my dogs'
skills in training to far exceed anything they might meet in a competition ring. That way, when it all goes
pear-shaped, I know my dog is safe.
Would I enter a ring where there was
an extreme angle onto a contact? No,
and I fully agree that contact entries
need to be as straight as possible to
ensure the safety of our agility dogs.
However, life happens, and when it
does, I know that my dogs have the
skills that they need to be safe. D
12
1

Stand at the pole and ask for your contact
performance. Gradually move your starting
position back so that build in distance.
9

I started agility training and competition in the late 1980's,
about the same time I started clicker training, and have also
competed in working trials and obedience. After all these years,
I still think agility is the best of all dog sports for both dogs and
handlers, and clicker training is the best way to teach it. I am a
positive trainer because reward builds behavior so much faster
and better than any other method. If the solution to a problem
is going to upset my dog, it clearly isn't the right solution.
I thoroughly enjoy training my dogs and teaching others. Over
the years I've been privileged to teach all over the world, from
Australia to Japan, and across North America and Europe. I have
worked with many talented handlers and thoroughly enjoyed
every moment. Contact me via my website at www.kissagility.
com or via my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/
KISSagility.
52

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Clean Run - October 2020

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