Table of Contents: The Importance of Keeping an Agile Dog Occupied Agile dogs are bundles of energy, always looking for something to do. These dogs possess a natural drive for activity that, if not properly directed, can manifest in less desirable ways such as destructive behaviour or excessive barking. Keeping them occupied is not just a matter of convenience; it’s essential for their physical and mental health. An active, engaged dog is a happy dog, and one of the best places to start is your own backyard. Transforming this space into a stimulating environment will not only fulfill your dog’s need for activity but will strengthen your bond through interactive play and training. The necessity to keep agile dogs actively engaged is underpinned by their genetic makeup. Dogs like Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, and Jack Russell Terriers, bred for jobs that require intelligence and endurance, find a special joy in challenges that engage both their minds and bodies. Hence, providing them with a backyard that serves as both a playground and a training ground is crucial to their wellbeing. Designing a Stimulating Agility Course Creating an agility course in your backyard doesn’t require professional equipment or a substantial budget. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. Start with basic agility obstacles that cater to jumping, weaving, and climbing. Use items such as sturdy barrels for tunnel-like challenges, or old tires suspended from secure structures for dogs to jump through. These setups not only provide physical exercise but also teach skills such as problem-solving and obedience. The layout of your agility course should be planned with safety and variability in mind. Ensure that all equipment is stable and safe for use, with no sharp edges or loose parts. Arrange the course so that it can be easily modified; this keeps the challenge fresh and engaging for your dog, encouraging repeated use. Regular changes to the setup will help maintain your dog’s interest and test their ability to adapt to new challenges. How Ordinary Backyard Items Like Clotheslines can Build Your Dog’s Agility Ordinary backyard items can be surprisingly effective in building your dog’s agility. Take, for instance, clotheslines. These can be used innovatively to create weaving poles which are a staple in agility training. By placing poles vertically, and spacing them appropriately, you provide a weaving challenge that sharpens your dog’s maneuvering skills. For more on quality clothesline products that can be adapted for such uses, visit Aussie Clotheslines & Letterboxes. In addition to weaving poles, clotheslines can support light hanging obstacles, which gently sway as your dog passes. This adds an element of unpredictability that helps improve the agility dog’s dexterity and focus. Always ensure that any elements added are secure and will not entangle your pet to maintain safety during their agility training. Creating Natural Play Zones Natural play zones are essential for the sensory and exploratory needs of an agile dog. Areas with varied textures, such as sand, grass, and wood chips, stimulate the paws and mind. Incorporating elements like logs for balancing, bushes for sniffing and exploring, and shallow water features for splashing can enrich your dog’s play time and mimic the diverse terrain they would encounter in a more wild setting. These zones not only cater to physical exercise but also to the cognitive aspects of play. Hide treats or toys in different parts of this zone to encourage foraging and hunting behaviors – activities that are both physically tiring and mentally consuming. This type of play mirrors the natural behaviours of dogs in the wild and can significantly contribute to overall fitness and well-being. Training and Behavioral Tips for Ongoing Engagement Consistent training sessions are key to keeping your dog engaged and well-behanced. Use the agility course and play zones to practice commands and tricks. This not only reinforces basic obedience but also keeps them mentally sharp. Integrating training into playtime emphasizes that following commands is both fun and rewarding. To keep engagement high, vary the training routines regularly and integrate rewards variably to maintain intrigue and motivation. Always use positive reinforcement techniques; praise and treats can greatly enhance learning and make training sessions something your dog looks forward to. Additionally, consider incorporating interactive toys that respond to your dog’s actions with sounds or movements, which can be particularly motivating for play. Conclusion: Monitoring and Adapting Your Backyard Setup As your agile dog grows and their skills develop, it’s important to continually assess and adapt your backyard setup. Observe how they interact with different elements and modify them to increase or decrease difficulty accordingly. The key is to maintain a balance between safety and challenge. Staying attuned to your dog’s needs and preferences helps in tweaking the backyard environment to best suit them. Regular updates and changes to the setup will keep it exciting and engaging for your dog, ensuring they remain active and happy. Remember, a well-set-up backyard not only enhances your dog’s quality of life but also fortifies the bond between you and your pet. For more ideas on setting up a dog play area, visit Give A Sh*t. In conclusion, setting up your backyard to keep an agile dog occupied is an ongoing process that requires creativity, commitment, and attention to detail. By doing so, you provide your furry friend with a safe and stimulating environment where they can thrive physically and mentally.
Learn to Read your Dog – How Does Your Dog Feel about Life?
Understanding our canine companions goes beyond basic care; it delves into the realm of emotions and perceptions, giving us insights into their world. Dogs, despite their adaptability, live in environments that often differ greatly from their natural habitats. They navigate our human-centric lives, relying on us for sustenance and guidance, yet often unable to express their needs and feelings in ways we easily understand. This blog post aims to explore the intricacies of a dog’s emotional world, focusing on how they cope with the complexities of living alongside humans. By learning to interpret subtle cues and behaviors, we can gain a deeper understanding of our furry friends, enhancing our bond and ensuring their well-being in our ever-evolving world. Coping with Humans Our dogs all live in completely artificial environments, no matter how loving the homes we give them. They live with us in mixed groups that do not resemble wild dog families. They depend on us for all the basics in their lives – e.g. food, water, exercise – but are limited by us in their abilities to follow instincts to their ultimate conclusions – e.g. hunting, sex. It is a tribute to their adaptability as a species that they cope with humans as well as they do. However, the increasing number of dogs needing ‘shrinks’ demonstrates how much pressure the pet dog is under in our modern world. The lack of a normal canine family for young dogs to be raised in can sadly lead to dogs not understanding how to interact properly with their own species, either. We all know of dogs that do not understand how to ‘talk’ to other dogs. Signs of Stress Stress in a dog can manifest itself in a number of ways, and it is worth reading Malcolm Weir‘s article on Calming Signals. Signs of stress include: • Licking lips and/or nose when worried about something; • Taking the lip licking further by yawning widely; • Turning away from the object causing the anxiety, sitting with its back to the object, or even moving away. The above are also called ‘calming signals‘ as their intention may be to calm the person/dog causing the anxiety. Dogs are good at appeasing others, or showing uncertainty, by: • Wagging tails sideways, or wagging their whole behinds; • Approaching slowly (does this ring a bell on recalls?); • Using puppyish behaviour such as licking people/dogs. Personal Space Dogs vary hugely in their ability to tolerate rudeness in other dogs (or indeed in humans). Puppies are given a short-term licence to misbehave, but expected to behave with more restraint as they grow older. However, some dogs living in our human families remain eternal puppies, and never learn the self-control they would if part of a canine family. We have all seen these eternal puppies in the park. They come bounding energetically towards our dogs, rushing straight into our own group of dogs. For most dogs, this behaviour is considered rude. They will respond in different ways to the approach, including chasing the rude dog off with a snap. Dogs will always provide some clue as to how they are feeling in such a situation, and how they might react. Watch out for freezing and stiffening, or signs of stress as described above. Be pro-active – move away from the approaching rude dog. Help Your Dog By taking dogs into our lives, we are also taking on the responsibility of helping them cope with life with us. In training class situations, do not place your dog in a position that will make it extremely anxious. This is unfair on your dog, will undermine its trust in you, and can lead to problems later. Learn to read your dog – watch out for signs of stress and calming signals, and do your best to figure out why the dog is using them, and who they are directed at. If your dog is worried about another dog, move away from that dog, and place yourself inbetween. If your dog is worried by the class trainer, find a different class or club! And above all, if you realise that your dog is using calming signals on you – lighten up! Yawn, stretch and lick your lips, then smile and have a game with your dog. Reference: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/signs-your-dog-is-stressed-and-how-to-relieve-it
Dedication and Motivation: A Shared Journey with Your Dog
Just as dedication fuels your efforts to train and compete, motivation drives your dog’s willingness to learn and excel. This blog post digs deep into the essence of dedication, highlighting the sacrifices and efforts required to succeed in agility. It also explores the various forms of motivation that propel both you and your dog towards your shared goals. Join us as we unravel the secrets to a fulfilling partnership built on dedication, motivation, and the joy of working together towards common aspirations. Dedication is what you need! Agility is like everything else in life (but more fun!) – you get out of it what you put in. Dedication’s what you need! Dedication to put in the time to train until you have dealt with those weaknesses in your handling etc, rather than use them as excuses. Dedication, after a long day at work, to head out to training with a smile on your face and a bounce in your step. Dedication to spend those 3 minutes of the commercial break doing some clicker work rather than putting the kettle on. Dedication to ensure that both you and your dog are in good enough shape to cope with the physical demands of agility. Dedication to get up 10 minutes earlier and put your dog through the channel weaves before you head off to work. Dedication to walk that competition course a few more times and reconsider handling options, rather than have a chat with friends. And most importantly … dedication to your dog, without whom this whole agility lark just wouldn’t be possible! Goal setting – What Motivates You? What drives you? What do you want so badly that you would sell you soul (not your dog of course!) to get it? Handler rewards can be very subtle – a ‘well done’ from your trainer, a round of applause, a bright-eyed grin from your dog. Often these are the rewards that mean the most to us. Or they can be more obvious – a new piece of training kit, a rosette that celebrates a success or milestone achieved. Don’t be afraid to give yourself a big pat on the back, and a reward, when you and your dog have succeeded. Share it with the world! Relax with a bottle of your favourite plonk! And what are your goals? What are the things you want to achieve in this agility game for you and your dog? Maybe you want to improve your bond with your dog, and inject some fun into the relationship with your pet. Maybe you see yourself going all the way to the top – fame and glory await as you head off to Olympia. But as you set your goals, remember to consider what your dog’s are! What Gets Your Dog Going? Dogs are like humans, they all find different things rewarding. But there are some things they all have in common. There are fundamental drives beneath the most pampered of pooches. Survival and procreation. Food, shelter, safety, sex. The right to mate, the ability to hunt successfully. Of these, food and the prey drive are the easiest to harness for training purposes. Your dog isn’t chasing a ball, he’s running down a rabbit. That tuggie game is serious business, getting your share of a kill. Did she pounce on a toy or a mouse? Dogs are wired for survival. They’ll scavenge on horse droppings at the equestrian centre, raid the bin, and mug the ‘soft touches’ in the park who carry bags of liver cake. They’ll play games as youngsters, and into adulthood if encouraged by us, honing the skills they need to survive. As your dog’s teacher, it’s up to you to make the best use you can of all this. Find what your dog really goes wild for. It’ll vary from dog to dog, they’ll all individuals just like us. Make the interaction with you and toys fun for your dog! Or don’t be surprised if s/he finds someone else to play with. Be prepared to get down on your knees in a play bow. Or if your dog’s really into food, don’t use bits of kibble or plain biscuit as training treats. What would you rather work for, a piece of bread or cake? Get out the sausage or cheese. Cut up into lots of small pieces and keep it coming! Working Together as a Team So you’re pretty sure about what you find motivating and rewarding. And you’re also confident you have identified the motivators and rewards that work best with your dog. But is your dog on the same wavelength? Is s/he willing to go along with your agility or other weird training plans? Success in agility, as any discipline, involves teamwork. You and your dog shouldn’t just be thinking of your individual rewards, you should also delight in working together. What is your dog’s reaction when you pick up a toy? Or a tasty tidbit? Hopefully excitement and pleasure. Work on getting that same reaction when you invite your dog to join in any training game with you. Yes, a game – not an ordeal! Get a strong working bond going, and lots of reward for the dog when interacting with you. Then s/he’ll be jumping at the chance to learn another trick, rather than running for cover. If your dog is already smiling, bright-eyed and enthusiastic whenever there’s the prospect of working (or playing) with you, that’s brilliant. But if that’s not the case yet, you can get there with patience, kindness and lots of reward. Remember that using rewards is not a sign of weakness (would you go to work without a salary?), it is a sign that you understand motivation and can use it to your advantage. Once you and your dog are working as a team, the sky’s the limit. Have fun – you both have great things ahead!
Become Your Dog’s Hero: The Power of Positive Reinforcement
By adopting positive reinforcement techniques, you can become the beacon of positivity in your dog’s life, fostering a relationship built on trust, respect, and joy. Join us as we embark on a journey to discover the profound impact of being the good guy in your dog’s life through positive reinforcement. Behaviourism – Operant Conditioning Operant conditioning involves changing an animal’s voluntary behaviour by means of the consequences of that behaviour. ‘Reinforcement’ is something that makes an animal’s behaviour more likely to occur, while ‘punishment’ is something that makes an animal’s behaviour less likely to occur. ‘Positive’ denotes that something good or bad is added, ‘negative’ that something good or bad is taken away. In ‘positive punishment’, an unpleasant stimulus is added (the dog pulls on the lead and the choke chain tightens around its neck). In ‘negative punishment’, a pleasant stimulus is removed (food reward is removed when dog fails to sit on command). In ‘negative reinforcement’, an unpleasant stimulus is removed (the choke chain loosens as the dog moves closer to its owner). In ‘positive reinforcement’, a pleasant stimulus is added (the dog sits on command and is given a reward). Time for a Change of Philosophy? A lot of traditional training methods have used some form of positive punishment, often with its natural partner, negative reinforcement. The dog is not in the correct heel position, so the handler yanks the lead. The dog fails to lie down on command, so the handler pushes it into a down. The puppy wets the carpet, so is slapped and shouted at. While the dog may learn to do some behaviours, and avoid others, in order to avoid being punished, this is a method of training that will cause the animal stress. Related: Dedication and Motivation: A Shared Journey with Your Dog. Handlers who favour training methods based on positive punishment badly need to reconsider the morality of the way in which they treat their animals, and the relationship they want with their pets. Change your personal philosophy – choose reward-based methods using positive reinforcement. These are the methods of choice for handlers who are prepared to think step by step through the shaping process needed to train an end behaviour, and for handlers who want to have fun with their dogs. Focusing on Wanted Behaviour Once you’ve ditched the positive punishment methods, training becomes much more enjoyable, both for you and your dog. It’s now all very simple – every time your dog does something you like, you give it something it finds rewarding (positive reinforcement). Don’t give the reward if the dog didn’t do the desired behaviour (negative punishment), but you must make sure you set up lots of situations where the dog can succeed, so that you can reward it for producing the wanted behaviour. One of the most liberating aspects of using positive reinforcement is that you, as a trainer, are no longer looking for things that your dog is doing wrong. You are, instead, actively looking for all the good things your dog does! Positive Reinforcers for Your Dog Dogs vary a lot in what they find rewarding: • Food treats – sausage, cheese, liver etc. • Toys – balls, tug toys, squeakies. • Smiles and kind words from handler. • Gentle pats, tickles and rubs. • Activity – working, going for walk. You need to think through what your own dog finds most rewarding, that you can use in a training situation. Usually, food or toys are good choices. Not all dogs perceive pats and kind words as sufficient reward, and in some cases physical contact with the handler can even act as an aversive. So the important thing is to find what works for your dog. References: How To Train a Dog With Positive Reinforcement? The Right Way to Punish Your Dog
Clicker Training: The Clear Path to Shaping Desired Behaviors
Training your dog using operant conditioning and positive reinforcement involves a process known as ‘shaping‘. This means that you teach a complete behaviour (e.g. touching a target) by breaking it down into several small stages that are easy for the dog to understand and learn. Positive reinforcement (PR) involves rewarding the dog for performing a behaviour correctly. But in many cases, the dog won’t be at your side, close by for the reward, when he performs the desired behaviour. By the time the dog has returned to you for the treat, the association of the reward with the behaviour has been lost. So you need to have some way of ‘marking’ the point at which the behaviour you want happens, a ‘bridge’ between you and the dog. For most PR trainers, the marker of choice is the clicker. It produces a short, clear sound which, unlike the human voice, does not alter in emotion or intensity. ‘Clicker words’ such as “yes!” and “good!” can also be used, but are best kept as an occasional alternative to the clicker, not a replacement. Turning the Clicker into a Marker The clicker is a useless toy unless its sound is made meaningful to the dog. So how does the clicker become a marker that signals to the dog that he’s performed the right behaviour? You need to start by associating the clicker with a reward. The easiest reward to start with is food. Choose something soft and very tasty, such as cheese or sausage. Cut the food up into very small pieces, so that your dog gets a brief taste, not a meal. You’ll use dozens of treats in a typical clicker training session, so the pieces need to be very small. Start by scattering a small handful of treats on the floor, and click every time your dog eats a piece. If your dog is sensitive to the sound of the clicker, try holding it in your pocket. Next, throw down one tidbit at a time and click just before the dog gets it. The dog should now start associating the clicker with the food. Test the association by clicking once. Does the dog look at you for a reward? If so, throw the tidbit down. If not, return to an earlier stage where you were successful. Shaping a Nose Touch on a Target You can use your clicker to mark existing well-established behaviours that you are going to reward. For instance, you ask your dog to sit; you click as he lowers his bum to the ground; and you give or throw him a reward. When you decide to shape a new behaviour, it is vital to define accurately in your own mind (or on paper if it helps) what the complete, end behaviour is that you want. Then, you need to consider the stages that the shaping process can be broken down into, so that the dog learns step by step. Here, the behaviour we are going to teach is a nose touch on a small transparent target (e.g. piece of perspex, yogurt tub lid). This is a core skill that we teach all our new agility handlers and dogs. The target can be used for teaching sendaways, and at the end of contact equipment and weaves. If you like, you can ‘free shape’ this behaviour, which involves putting the target on the floor, and waiting for the dog to show some interest (even just glancing at the target). Click/treat (CT) each gradual step closer towards the target. Alternatively, use a ‘food lure’ to encourage the dog to investigate the target. Place a small tidbit on the target as a lure. Click at the precise moment that the dog bends down and takes the food, and throw a piece of reward food to one side. Remember – the lure is not the reward – you still need to reward the dog after you click to keep the association. Throwing the reward to one side (vary where each time) makes the dog move away from the target. You now need to watch carefully what he does next. He may understand the connection between the target action, click and reward very quickly and go straight back to the target. But he is more likely to sniff around for other food treats. CT him every time he’s heading towards the target. Eventually he’ll end up back at the target, and at that point you can give him a ‘jackpot’ – a handful of treats to make that moment more memorable. When shaping, remember to be prepared to reward very small steps towards the desired behaviour. And if the dog becomes confused, go back a stage or two to a point where he can be successful again – you want far more successes than failures. Use your voice to encourage the dog to keep trying. Take your time and the end behaviour will be all the stronger. Over the course of several training sessions, you should end up with a dog that is keen to go and nose touch your target as soon as you put it on the ground. Remember, at this point you are still not using a verbal cue. The behaviour is cued by sight of the target, and your main feedback is the click/treat. Variable Reinforcement, Cues and Generalising The next stage is ‘variable reinforcement’. This means that the dog does not receive a CT every time it performs the target touch. A bit like a slot machine for a gambler, variable reinforcement (VR) keeps the dog guessing – will it receive a treat this time? It also enables you to start raising your criteria – to select and reward the better versions of the behaviour you’re offered, rather than every instance of the behaviour. You are ready to introduce VR at the point when your dog is confident in the behaviour – in this case, is repeatedly doing the nose touch. Instead of a CT every time you
How to teach your dog directionals?
Directional commands are verbal cues you give your dog so he/she turns left or right, making a change in direction, while running an agility course. These turns are in relation to the dog’s position, not yours! When running a course, verbal directional commands can be used independently of body directional cues, or in conjunction with them. By training the behaviour you want first (the turn), then putting it onto a verbal cue (e.g. left/back, right/close), the dog should understand what you want even when you don’t use body directional commands to back up the verbal ones. The method on this page uses clicker training. You can use a clicker to mark the behaviour you want at the precise instant that the dog performs that behaviour. Your dog should already know that the click means a reward is coming (e.g. food treat or a game with a tuggie). Like us, your dog is more likely to repeat behaviour that s/he finds rewarding. The various stages of work on this page should each, to start with, be done off lead in a room away from distractions. Generalize the behaviour by moving to different locations (other rooms, garden, drive, field, park). The dog needs to learn that the same rules apply in different environments. When generalizing, be prepared to help your dog cope with greater distractions in the new environment by relaxing your criteria, or starting again at an earlier stage than that already reached. You’ll soon catch up in the new environment, and the behaviour will be more secure as a result of your patience. Free-Shaping or Luring the Turn Behaviours such as turns can be taught using free-shaping. This involves observing the dog for the slightest sign of the end behaviour you want. So if you are shaping a turn, you might select (click and treat) a turn of the head, and gradually raise your criteria to require greater turns. Free-shaping can be a very rewarding interaction, but requires a lot of time and patience waiting for the behaviour you want to be offered. An alternative approach, less favoured by clicker purists but more practical for clicker novices, is luring. This involves using something the dog wants such as a toy or treat to encourage the dog to produce the desired behaviour, rather than waiting for the dog to offer the behaviour of its own accord. To give an example, holding a treat just above a dog’s nose and moving it backwards and upwards is luring a sit (which you can then CT). Free-shaping the sit would be waiting until the dog sat of its own accord, unprompted, and then CT. Here, we will concentrate on luring the behaviour. Remember that the lure and the reward are two separate things – you must always remember to reward the dog after clicking! Before you start training, you need to consider and define: • The end behaviour you want (dog turns on verbal cue). • The many small steps needed to achieve that behaviour. You will be most successful in your training if you have clearly defined (in your mind or on paper), before you start, what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to achieve it. Getting the Turn Behaviour The first stage is to encourage the dog to produce the behaviour you want – the turn. At this point, you are not going to use your verbal cue yet. It is important to repeat all the stages below with your dog on your right side as well! 1. Play with your dog with a toy, and get your dog following the toy as you move your hand back and forth. Use a food or other type of lure if this works better for your dog. 2. With your dog on your left side, move the toy in a curve anti-clockwise, encouraging your dog to follow it. CT any head or body turn the dog makes, however slight. 3. Gradually increase the amount of turn before you click and treat. Use a jackpot (lots of treats or other reward) to mark major improvements, e.g. faster turns, tighter turns. 4. Continue until your dog does a complete turn – jackpot! Up until now, you have been using a toy or food lure in your left hand to show the dog the turn behaviour you want. Your aim is to progress to a point where you no longer need the lure in your hand, and your hand does not have to be right in front of the dog either. This process is called ‘fading the lure’. You fade the lure by gradually having your hand further away from the dog as you indicate the turn behaviour, and also by having the food or toy lure increasingly less visible in your hand until it disappears. Remember that you still need to provide a food or toy reward when you click/treat! The fading process takes time and patience so that you don’t lose the behaviour. If your dog isn’t sure what to do, you need to go back to an earlier, easier stage and put in more practice. The time spent, and your patience, will pay off in the end. Bear in mind that the stages above will take several training sessions to get the behaviour secure. Remember to repeat your training with the dog on your right turning clockwise! Soon your dog will have the hang of this turning game. Verbal Cues and Turns on the Move The next stage is to put the behaviour ‘on cue’. This is where you start to use the verbal commands (left/back, right/close) you are going to use to cue the turn behaviour. Remember that words are meaningless to a dog unless associated with a behaviour that the dog both knows and finds rewarding! 1. As you cue the turn behaviour with your hand (and lure if still being used), clearly say the verbal cue. CT and repeat! 2. Raise your criteria by gradually reducing
