# My dog failed agility



## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

awe....poor thing, but you still LOVE her


----------



## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Dogs have no concept of failing IMO, just practice the skills and keep working on it!


----------



## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

SHHHHH!! don't say things like that about her... she can probably hear you!! lol give your silly ADD dog an extra cuddle tonite and tell her you don't care that she is afraid of the seesaw


----------



## goldengirl71 (Jan 20, 2008)

At least she's having fun (sounds like it anyway). I'm scared of the see saw too and I can't imagine standing on one! (lol) I've been thinking about looking into agility classes for Tux ... burn off some energy (that's for both of us)!


----------



## lovealways_jami (Apr 17, 2007)

This made me laugh thinking about her barking at the instructor.... sounds like something mine would do to, I guess thats why we dont attempt agility  Plus, hes REALLY clumsy!


----------



## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Don't give up yet, PLEASE! Goldens are notorious for being bog wiennies on the seesaw. It and weave poles are probably the two best obstacles to invest in for your own yard. If buying one is not financially feasible then consider making one your self. It can be done very reasonably. What I did was went to a home improvement store and purchases a plank 12 feet long, 10 inches wide and 2 inches thick. Painted it with paint that I added sand to - for traction. For the base I used an item contractors use similar to a workhorse, but instead of a piece of wood on top it has a roller. I then attached to plank to the roller with the metal strapping used to hang pipes. I offset the plank from center just a couple of inches so one end would settle to the ground when the dog was not on it. 
How I like to introduce my dogs to it is by elevating the end that rests on the ground on to a chair or milk crate. I then teach the dog to reacg up for the other end and make it go "bang" on the ground. I make a big deal and treat everytime they do it. I also say "make it go bang" as the command. After a while the dog will love this game. We then start getting the pup on the plank from the other side and hold the plank so it moves VERY slowly with the dog on it. As it approaches the ground we give the "make it go bang" command. In no time they are more confident - some more than others - and enjoy it. I have had some that after boing ok with it later revert back to not wanting to do it. I just revisit the process from the beginning. Just take your time and don't rush through the steps. It is MUCH better to go to slow than to rush through. 
Hope this is of some help.


----------



## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

Don't give up on your dog. Giving up on the instructor or spending some time working on your own before trying the class again is an option. A good instructor would do so much foundation work with wobbly boards and progress so gradually that virtually all dogs wouldn't ever be scared of the seesaw (and an instructor that really cared about training you and your dog to do well in agility definitely wouldn't tell you that your dog FAILED because she's afraid of it).


----------



## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

katieanddusty said:


> Don't give up on your dog. Giving up on the instructor or spending some time working on your own before trying the class again is an option. A good instructor would do so much foundation work with wobbly boards and progress so gradually that virtually all dogs wouldn't ever be scared of the seesaw (and an instructor that really cared about training you and your dog to do well in agility definitely wouldn't tell you that your dog FAILED because she's afraid of it).


I'll second what she said!


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Good advice given already, but I just wanted to say there is no such thing as failing agility, just keep working with her, it's all supposed to be fun for the dog and you can't fail at fun!


----------



## Ardeagold (Feb 26, 2007)

:lol: Maggie, our Field Golden also failed Agility!! She will not, to this day, get on a teeter totter. She HATES them. We tried the booja board to desensitize her. No go.

She was great on everything else.....but not that. We're thinking of trying again, now that she's a bit older...to see how it goes!


----------



## cleanupyourdogspoop (Nov 24, 2006)

Hi guys,

My dog is being transferred to another instructor's class because I complained that her current instructor expected my dogs to know everything. The instructor that failed my dog was strange. She has the dogs doing doggie push ups, and circles before getting on the equipment. She believes in stretching which I understand but my dog walks from the parking lot, up the stairs to class, so she is warmed up and ready to go. Dogs does downward dogs to stretch. After the instructor has our dogs stretch, she wasted so much time telling stories about her dogs and how they do in the agility show. My dog got no individual attention and maybe 10-15 mins on the equipment per the hour session. Of course my dog will fail because she is not getting much attention for the seesaw. Her last instructor told me to use a certain slip on use and us good smelling treats such as hot dogs to get my dog on the seesaw. So one week I picked up some slim jims for class (I just used slim jims one time, so no harsh slim jim words for me) my dog went crazy for the smell and went on every equipment because the smell of the slim jim. The new instructor yelled at me for feeding my dog slim jims and using the slip on leash. She said the leash is choking my dog (my dog didn't seem to be choking) and the slim jim is the worse thing for anybody to eat. I will agree on the slim jims. Now I have the boring healthy training treats that I usually feed her such as charlie beers, and alaskan salmon treats.


----------



## hawtee (Nov 1, 2006)

I agree with Katie and Stephanie  I must also say just walking from the lot upstairs is not getting all the muscles stretched. We always have a routine we do with stretching as soon as we get to class which involves spinning in both directions and stretching out the limbs.. Treats do not have to be boring, hotdogs, string cheese, chicken etc all entice the dogs for big rewards Don't give up..


----------

