This week Zeke began another session of agility I. As always, he did very well navigating obstacles, but his attention waivered with all the new people and new dogs. Visual barriers help a lot, and he will improve each session, but training the other people to ignore his behavior is the challenge.
Several women in the class giggle when he acts crazy,which only grabs his attention and makes him act crazier. I think I’m going to have to ask them to stop. I hate to be the downer, but their laughter really doesn’t help.
It’s hard to learn all the unwritten rules and codes of behavior for both the handlers and dogs in agility. Some common ones that beginners don’t know are:
- Don’t greet or allow your dog to greet another dog without its owner’s permission. It’s distracting for the class, and some dogs don’t like other dogs in their personal space. In fact, keep adequate space between dogs and use visual barriers for reactive dogs.
- Keep your dog focused on you and not staring, barking or growling at another dog. You should ALWAYS know what your dog is doing… Many people get distracted by the dog that is running the course, but it’s more important to know whether or not your dog is running away from you!
- Don’t react to someone else’s dog, especially if it is presenting attention-getting behavior. If another dog charges toward you, you should turn your back to it. If you have a dog with you, pick up small dogs and turn your back or turn away with a larger dog. Don’t laugh at dogs’ bad behavior or squeal if they jump on you–this only reinforces these attention-getting pleas.
- Don’t use agility equipment before or after class without the permission of the instructor. Many injuries occur when handlers try to navigate equipment without supervision or when a dog is running loose on its own through a course.
Agility is great fun for the handlers and dogs, but keeping control of your dog at all times ensures that the session is safe for dogs and humans:)
