Dixie doing an agility course

[OpheliaLoved]

Originally Posted by Dougal&Little

We didn't start doing agility til Dougal was about three. I think it takes longer for long-lived dogs to mature anyway. Dougal used to run off all the time - the trick is bribery! Carry really good treats to agility training. Practice your recall at the park. When your dog runs off - run away from him and make exciting noises he'll come and check you out - then reward reward reward for coming to you.

Thanks for the tips! Paddy will be two this spring (in March) so maybe we will just kind of introduce him to the obstacles so he's familiar with them, and not really any hardcore training until next spring.

That is a good idea to run away from him and make noises when he runs away. He plays the "catch me" game when he gets out, and it really scares me because he does it at my parents' house where they have coyotes and other predators like hawks. Last time he went into the woods and we couldn't find him for an hour! He was just zooming around us. When he finally came home he was covered in burrs and mats. My nephew thinks it's hilarious to let him out like that and does it when no one is looking (my nephew is two and has learned to unlock and lock all the doors) Maybe by running away from him like that he will think I'm playing a better game and come running back. I will try it next time! Bribing with a treat works well when he has wandered away and is being stubborn about looking/smelling something, but when he is zooming around the yard like that, I can say "Sausage" all I want (that is what I call his treats) and he will not return A lot of the obstacles can be trained on-leash though, right? So I can introduce the concepts. He is really good at training, he is just so immature!

My MIL has a super smart german shepherd that is beautiful, and I would love to see doing agility as well. I was thinking it might be fun to try training them both. Is it difficult to train two dogs at once, or should I do them one at a time?

[Dougal&Little]

Originally Posted by OpheliaLoved

Thanks for the tips! Paddy will be two this spring (in March) so maybe we will just kind of introduce him to the obstacles so he's familiar with them, and not really any hardcore training until next spring.

Maybe by running away from him like that he will think I'm playing a better game and come running back. I will try it next time! Bribing with a treat works well when he has wandered away and is being stubborn about looking/smelling something, but when he is zooming around the yard like that, I can say "Sausage" all I want (that is what I call his treats) and he will not return A lot of the obstacles can be trained on-leash though, right? So I can introduce the concepts. He is really good at training, he is just so immature!

My MIL has a super smart german shepherd that is beautiful, and I would love to see doing agility as well. I was thinking it might be fun to try training them both. Is it difficult to train two dogs at once, or should I do them one at a time?

At his age Paddy's still being an obnoxious teenager! Testing boundaries and seeing what is accepted behaviour. (It gets better, trust me) You should work on a lot of basic control like sit, down and recall - they're important basic building blocks.

I found this information hugely useful and when I start a new dog I'll be using a lot of these tips - They were published in the New Zealand Kennel Gazette (the magazine of our official kennel club) - so pretty reliable source.
Sharky & Cannon Agility Blog

[OpheliaLoved]

I love that blog, thanks! Paddy is really good at the basic commands like sit and stay, and even recall 80% of the time (when he is just in the house) but he gets in this hyper-excited mode where all bets are off. As long as I can keep him out of that state of mind, he is awesome at obedience, but once he gets too excited about something the moment is gone. See the other video I've posted on here Paddington vs. James Dean and you'll see the mind-set I'm talking about. I'm trying to work with him when their are distractions in the room, hoping it will make a difference. He works best in a controlled environment, and is just starting to pay the tiniest bit of attention to me when he gets excited (if there is another dog, for example) I just wish we could get past the zoomies! No trainer will work with us because of them, and it is really the biggest obstacle that I need help overcoming! I guess the zoomies are a law suit just waiting to happen for a trainer though. We're really working hard with him.

Thanks for the hope that it does get better!

[Dougal&Little]

Oh my what an odd little obsession he has for James Dean! Gosh I don't really know about that. Have you tried treating him close to James Dean? Can you distract him at all from JD? It sure doesn't look like it but you could try. Or there's the negative reinforcement - every time he barks, clap or rattle pebbles in a bottle or something. If he stops barking reward with a treat. When Dixie fixates on things this sometimes works. She gets like that with big dogs in the park that are MILES away.

Is Paddy fixed? That might make a difference.

I wouldn't bother trying to train when he's like that. He won't learn a thing if he gets fixated like that - if the behaviour starts while you're trying to train- just get up and walk away - try again in an hour when he's calmed down. (Ignoring him when he gets like that might help him realise it's not acceptable as well)

Good luck. I love how every dog offers a different training challenge! Keep me posted.

[Chloe2008]

Awwww how cute! That is good!

[OpheliaLoved]

I will try the pebbles in a can and see if that works. He gets that way with my mother in law's pet parrots, too, and that scares me because they can get really sick if they are upset and stressed. We are staying with her now, and it's difficult to keep him away from them. I have been training him to bark on command so that I can teach him "quiet" on command, but that is slow going.

Thanks for all the tips!

[jasmanea]

Good tips