# Goldens, wobbly boards, and feet



## Portia1224 (May 26, 2011)

My Willow (just turned one recently) started Agility class about four weeks ago. So far, she loves the tunnel, the chute, and can step through the tire jump when it's just a bit above the ground. (I take it we'll raise it higher as she gets used to it.) We also tried the weave poles surrounded by gates this week so that she couldn't run too far out of them. And she had fun doing that, too! Plus learning new commands and playing object learning games at home...

But she has trouble with the wobbly board that's supposed to be a prep for the the teeter totter. The trainer said that this is a really common trait in golden retrievers; it's like a breed thing that they don't want to put their paws up on anything that wobbles or that feels unstable, despite being generally very confident dogs. Have other board members who have gotten further in agility than we have noticed this about our wonderful breed, too? Any theories as to how it is that golden breeders would have (inadvertently) selected for this trait?

The teacher recommended teaching Willow to put her feet up on the lids of Ziploc boards and then giving her high value treats to teach her that putting her feet up on objects that wobble is AWESOME. I've followed through with this suggestion and had some modest success. Willow certainly loves this training game, even if my husband looks at both of us like we're crazy. I'm also curious, though, if more experienced agility trainers on this board have suggestions for other ways to get her comfortable with putting her feet up on things that aren't steady.


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Goldens can have issues with teeters. It is especially common in males. That being said, they do not have to have problems. There are many elements to teeter performance that can be trained seperately and then combined to have a golden take a teeter just as prettily as a border collie or aussie 

- Height: I use a chair under the tip of one teeter and my dogs run up the teeter to be rewarded - from underneath - with a really special treat (liverwurst) and are then lifted off. Julie Daniels showed me a method that is similar but has you brace the up end of the teeter with your arms & hip - then you can drop the teeter in a controlled manner.

- Bang: Click & treat for banging and play the bang game (the dog bangs the teeter down with a paw, then 2 feet etc). If you go to classes or trials, C/T whenever any dog bangs the teeter.

- Movement: Wobble boards, setting the teeter with uneven pause tables underneath, tippy boards etc.

- End position & mounting

I love Teeter From Start to Finish by Wendy Pape and there is a lot of info on the web.

I recently had an instructor who runs border collies exclaim that my Faelan's teeter performance is 'to die for ' ; my first 2 agility goldens had/have the more typical golden teeter and I have worked very hard with my younger 2 for fast and happy teeters.

Take it slowly, build each piece seperately. Once your pup realizes that wobble is GOOD, he will start enjoying it  But try to make sure the treats are really good - it really is a scary thing for most goldens and they need to overcome their reluctance .

And oddly enough, teaching your dog a safe dismount helps increase their confidence so teach her how to get on & off the tippy boards safely


----------

