# Agility zoomies



## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

Haha! This is so something Cosmo would do. Sorry, no advice from me. We're getting started in agility soon.


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## chipstone (May 24, 2010)

Zoomies are typically a sign of stress. As much as people try to deny it by claiming that their dog is just having fun, it usually is not the case. A lot of dogs stress up rather than down in environments like that.
I am not familiar with the venue that you were trialing at, but I would think having a table full of toys is pretty much setting dogs up to fail. 

My suggestion is to go back to the basics and reinforce some of the ground work...contact behavior, wraps, arounds, jump shutes, etc. This usually helps build confidence and is a good refresher.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

I was actually going to mention that Cosmo's zoomies are from stress.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

My Casey was a zoomer! Big time. A few things I learned:

- Do NOT play before going into the ring. Calm & relaxing things like massages and focusing games are good.

- Do not chase your dog if they zoom - stand still and when they come to you, reward them. Yep, you might be ready to give them a talking to, but rewards and calmly walking off the course work better.

- A good run/hike before a trial can be calming to the dog. Alternatively, they can rev your dog up - experiment.

- Especially at first, go in to the ring with the intent of doing 4 - 5 obstacles and leaving the ring. Leaving the ring together with a zoomy dog is cause for celebration.

- Some dogs prefer to be out of their crates, some prefer to be in your car, some prefer covered crates etc. Experiment and try to see what helps your dog be calmest.

When showing a new dog, do not let anyone pressure you to volunteer. I go to shows without my dogs to do volunteer work, but when I have a dog who needs my company or an inexperienced dog who deserves my full attention, I do not sign up for volunteer work. Sure if your dog is relaxed, step in when they call for volunteers, but be prepared to spend the entire day with your dog.

Good luck!! A zooming dog or a dog that goes a-visiting can be a challenge; the typical advice I would receive said I needed to be more interesting than dirt, which I have to confess I found less than helpful. You do need to be a safe harbor for your dog to always come back to and figure out how to keep your dogs attention. It can be hard but once the 2 of you click as a team, wow.


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