# Beginning Competition Agility



## vleffingwell (Jan 12, 2011)

Our week two:

1. Warm up the dog doing circles in each direction or spins. Can use a wobble board – a circular board with a ball attached to the underside. Teaches the dog to notice where their feet are. Once they get used to standing on the board, make them do circles and sits and stands on the board. 

2. More warm ups – using the around command – with a cone or object. Send the dog around the object and toss a treat behind you so the dog runs past you. Work further and further away and to each side of the cone. Make the dog work off each side.


3. Heel position – start with a treat and lead the dog with the food in your hand past your side and toss the food behind and to the opposite side of where the dog is. Eventually the dog will be baitable into a finish position (heeling from a recall).

4. Teaching drive – have a helper hold your dog and run away from it making noise with a noisy toy, the helper releases the dog and when the dog gets up to you, throw the toy in front of you.


5. Tunnel – start with straight tunnel and start curving it. Have helper at one end of the tunnel with treats. The handler sends the dog into the tunnel (without any physical movement, only the word so the dog doesn’t rely on body language) once the dog gets thru the tunnel the helper toss treats ahead of the dog. This teaches the dog to fly thru the tunnel. Recall the dog and send further away from both sides to improve accuracy.

6. Contact zone training – the setup is about 4 feet of a teeter or dog walk that is attached to a low table. Have a target (butter dish lid) just at the end on the floor and the helper stands there to rebait. Send the dog by telling it target or walk it and ensure they are going from the table down the ramp to the target. Tell them to Stay and toss treats past them. Release them with OK. Do this a few times from each side – if they get off the contact, put them back on and make them stay. Once the stay is good, walk past them, then turn around and treat then release.


7. Table – helper baits table as dog is sent to table. Handler walks up to table and has dog sit, then treat. 

8. Weaves (best way instructor has found after all these years she said) have 6 weaves in a row – not bent or separated – in a straight row. Dogs that knew the weaves were run thru on flexi leads with the helper baiting them at the end. If they messed up, the handler could stop them with the flexi lead.


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## vleffingwell (Jan 12, 2011)

*Week 3*

Warm-Up
Strengthening Core: sit the dog and hold the treat above their nose to encourage a sit-up. When the dog is sitting up well, move the treat higher so the dog is encouraged to stand up on its hind legs. When the dog is doing this well, you can have them stand and sit from a sit-up working the rear legs.
Around command: Have a cone or something similar in front of you. Send the dog around the cone and toss the treat behind you so the dog runs away from you. This will encourage speed. Work the dog from each side and slowly work back from the object.
Balance Board: have a round board with a ball attached to the bottom, get the dog to put its feet on the board (can use your foot to help stabilize the board until the dog gets familiar with it). Put a treat in the center and when the dog is used to getting on the board, start baiting them across it. The final step is to have the dog walk circles on the board, sit, stand etc so they are familiar with where their feet are.
Tire Jump: Start baiting them close through the tire. Gradually work back from the tire. Soon use the around command from a cone to the tire and finally thru another obstacle. Used the shute and helper to call the dog thru the shute. 
Teeter – have small table at each end of totter and totter is just a bridge across it. Have the dog go to each side – the teeter will bounce and make noise to get the dog used to the feeling. Gradually lift the teeter so it starts being a teeter (this is done with the aluminum teeter stand and a chain to adj the height) Stand back so the dog doesn’t rely on you being by its side
Weave Poles: Worked on weaves, straight up and down, target at end, use a tight leash and lead the dog thru the weave poles. Graduate to a flexi line and work further back from the dog. Helper at the end with treats and target.
Heel: treat baited heal position, have the dog come to you and bait them to a finished heel position. If they won’t turn then toss the treat behind you so they will eventually get their rear around.


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## vleffingwell (Jan 12, 2011)

*Week 4*

Warm-Up
Strengthening Core: sit the dog and hold the treat above their nose to encourage a sit-up. When the dog is sitting up well, move the treat higher so the dog is encouraged to stand up on its hind legs. When the dog is doing this well, you can have them stand and sit from a sit-up working the rear legs.
Around command: Have a cone or something similar in front of you. Send the dog around the cone and toss the treat behind you so the dog runs away from you. This will encourage speed. Work the dog from each side and slowly work back from the object.
Balance Board: have a round board with a ball attached to the bottom, get the dog to put its feet on the board (can use your foot to help stabilize the board until the dog gets familiar with it). Put a treat in the center and when the dog is used to getting on the board, start baiting them across it. The final step is to have the dog walk circles on the board, sit, stand etc so they are familiar with where their feet are.

Teeter – have small table at each end of totter and totter is just a bridge across it. Have the dog go to each side – the teeter will bounce and make noise to get the dog used to the feeling. Gradually lift the teeter so it starts being a teeter (this is done with the aluminum teeter stand and a chain to adj the height) Stand back so the dog doesn’t rely on you being by its side
Weave Poles: Worked on weaves, straight up and down, target at end, use a tight leash and lead the dog thru the weave poles; when the dog has it down, start moving behind the dog until they are pulling you through the poles. Builds drive. Graduate to a flexi line and work further back from the dog. Helper at the end with treats and target.
Recall: Proof the recall with putting the dog in a sit stay, toss a treat in front of them and walk backwards behind them and call them. They should leave the treat and come. Give them the OK command so they can get the tossed treat.
A frame: Had the A-frame at its lowest level. Target was placed at the bottom and the helper put cookies on the lid. Walk the dog up the dog walk (stay behind the dog so they aren’t relying on you being next to them) to the target. The dog must be two on and two off. Tell the dog to stay and throw a treat in front of them about 6 feet away. If they don’t stay, take their hind end and put it back on the contact zone and reiterate stay command. Release with an OK.
Tunnel – start with a straight tunnel and start curving it. Send the dog further and further back using the word tunnel. Have helper stand at the end and toss the treat ahead of the dog so they run out of the tunnel to the treat. The handler calls the dog back and works off of each side.


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## vleffingwell (Jan 12, 2011)

*Week 5*

Warm-Up
Strengthening Core: sit the dog and hold the treat above their nose to encourage a sit-up. When the dog is sitting up well, move the treat higher so the dog is encouraged to stand up on its hind legs. When the dog is doing this well, you can have them stand and sit from a sit-up working the rear legs.
Around command: Have a cone or something similar in front of you. Send the dog around the cone and toss the treat behind you so the dog runs away from you. This will encourage speed. Work the dog from each side and slowly work back from the object.
Balance Board: have a round board with a ball attached to the bottom, get the dog to put its feet on the board (can use your foot to help stabilize the board until the dog gets familiar with it). Put a treat in the center and when the dog is used to getting on the board, start baiting them across it. The final step is to have the dog walk circles on the board, sit, stand etc so they are familiar with where their feet are.
A Frame: Basic training on the A frame – using a flexi lead give the dog the command to climb it and keep back – helper baits at the target and you come up as they are on the target, tell them stay, toss a treat ahead of them then release.
Weave Poles: Worked on weaves, straight up and down, target at end, use a tight leash and lead the dog thru the weave poles. Graduate to a flexi line and work further back from the dog. Helper at the end with treats and target.
Broad Jump: Start from just two broad jumps and lengthen as the dog gets trained. Have a helper bait the dog at the end. Goal is to work away further and further. No body language is used, stand very still and only give verbal command. This is to teach the dog voice commands and not have them rely on any signals
Tunnel – teach tunnel speed by tossing treat in front of them as they come out of the tunnel. Started within 4 feet and with a hand on the collar just to keep the dog in line with the tunnel. Tell them Tunnel and release. Work away from the opening and only with the command.
Table + Jump + tunnel – have them go from the table in a stay (sit or stand) then direct them to a jump then a tunnel. Shouldn’t have to use any body language and only stand between the table and jump.


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## vleffingwell (Jan 12, 2011)

(This is the last week in the 6 week series. If you enjoyed these, please let me know!)

Agility
Beginning Wk 6
Warm-Up
Around command: Have a cone or something similar in front of you. Send the dog around the cone and toss the treat behind you so the dog runs away from you. This will encourage speed. Work the dog from each side and slowly work back from the object.
Balance Board: have a round board with a ball attached to the bottom, get the dog to put its feet on the board (can use your foot to help stabilize the board until the dog gets familiar with it). Put a treat in the center and when the dog is used to getting on the board, start baiting them across it. The final step is to have the dog walk circles on the board, sit, stand etc so they are familiar with where their feet are.
Weave Poles: Worked on weaves, straight up and down, target at end, use a tight leash and lead the dog thru the weave poles. Graduate to a flexi line and work further back from the dog. Helper at the end with treats and target. Start using 12 weave poles, with lots of practice, some dogs were able to do all 12 without a leash.
Table + Tire + Jump + tunnel – have them go from the Tire jump to the table and end in a stay (sit or stand). Once you have a strong tire to table, add an additional jump. Recall them from each side and try to work back so they don’t see you and only rely on the voice commands. Once you have all these three, add a tunnel that is curved. (not many dogs were ready for this!)
Jump + Around: have a cone about 10 feet away from a jump. Stand in between both and give the around command (should have been practicing this so you have a strong around) then give the jump command and throw the treat over the jump. Gradually work towards having to stand on the other side of the jump and give the jump + around command ending with a jump and treat toss.
Teeter: from table, across the teeter to another table. The teeter was about 4” off the table so there was some movement and noise when they hit the end. If you use the balance board a lot, the movement and noise will not affect the dog and you can gradually move towards a full teeter length.


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