Last weekend was the Waimate Big Easy. This is our equivalent of a Round the Bays run: a mountain-bike race/fun run/fun walk which attracts hundreds of people. The finish line and prizegiving ceremony were held in our local park, which is also a dog exercise area, so I was able to take Able along.
Most dog owners know that socialisation is crucial during the puppy’s first 3-4 months. This is true, but it doesn’t stop there. You need to keep taking your puppy out and finding new things for him to see and hear and explore regularly throughout his first year of life, or you may still end up with a dog that is nervous in strange situations.
The biggest event on the agility calendar is the NZ Dog Agility Championship (NZDAC), held at Labour Weekend every year. Over the years the NZDAC has grown larger and the atmosphere is now a bit offputting to some dogs. In particular, there’s usually a loud, echoey sound system (think racecourse) and there might be somebody talking on that right before your dog runs. There might also be lots of people applauding, which some dogs don’t like.
Since he was 9 or 10 weeks old, Able has had to sit and wait every time I open his ex-pen door to let him out. If he doesn’t wait, no problem – I just shut the door and wait for him to remember his manners. He is only allowed to move when I give his release cue “OK” (see previous discussion of release cues).
At 11 or 12 weeks, I started doing more formal Crate Games with him, and the learning from the ex-pen transferred over almost instantly.
One of my training focuses last week was on holding a sit stay while I throw a toy for him to retrieve. I started this in a crate, with one hand on the door so I could shut it, and the other hand putting a toy down on the floor. He was OK with this, but it was a real struggle for him the first time I actually threw it a short distance.
He cottoned on very quickly. I only had to shut the crate door a couple of times during the first session. The next night I couldn’t get him to do it wrong it all, so I parked him on the ground just in front of his crate, and he was still perfect. Good puppy!
Sitting and staying. But only because he’s not sure if he fits through the gap or not.
A reliable sit stay in the face of temptation is an important agility skill, vital if your dog can run faster than you. 99.5% of my agility runs start with my dog holding a sit stay while I move out towards the second or third obstacle. This is called a lead-out and it is a behaviour that commonly breaks down in competition because the dog is more excited. It’s important that you always wait until your dog is sitting still with his bum on the ground whenever you are training anything that starts from a sit position, or you are likely to run into trouble with this down the road.
“but he Does It at Home” Syndrome
Also last week, I tried to get my puppy to sit and stay in everyday life for the first time. I just wanted him to stay put while I moved some hedge trimming from one side of the gate to the other side. He wouldn’t do it. He could sit, but as soon as I took a single step he was off again. Eventually I just shut the gate a bit so that he couldn’t escape while I put the clippings in the bin, and captured the super-cute photo above.
What Able had was a case of the very common dog training complaint: “But he does it at home!” This cry of despair is heard almost weekly in every obedience or foundation agility class in the world.
Able still spends most of his time in his ex-pen or out in the garden. One of the benefits of this is that he hasn’t been able to get into and chew up any of my stuff.
Until last week. Turns out he is getting very clever at moving his crate around on the floor by pushing at the bottom of it with his nose. And also very clever at somehow hooking stray objects through the bars -usually a dog toy or the ever-present roll of paper towels (this puppy pees with truly astonishing frequency) … but this time he found a new victim. A victim that I dumped in the corner of the office when I was unpacking some boxes, because it’s 2021 and I don’t actually need an alarm clock any more.
Left: A super-cute puppy who would never get up to mischief. Centre: Several pieces of power cord off an alarm clock. Right: My poor alarm clock is now officially retired.
The Importance of Nail Trimming
Long toenails increase the risk of arthritis in the toes, and also of the toenail getting caught in something and ripped. Keeping your dog’s nails short is one of the simplest things you can do to help them enjoy a sound, injury-free agility career. Once the quick of the nails grows longer it’s quite difficult to make it recede again, so it’s best to start with frequent nail trimming while your puppy is very young.
Able is now 13 weeks old. Things are going pretty well in some regards. My other Rik has accepted his arrival much better than I thought she would. He’s learned how to sit and down on cue, he loves to play with me, and he’s getting better at his baby body awareness exercises.
But there is a double-edged sword that comes with being a smart cookie.
Graeme helping me with some restrained recalls. If you have a super duper puppy who would never ever dream of refusing to get in the car, scroll to the end for some tips on how to introduce agility handling skills to your pup instead.
Our First Knottingley Park Adventures
I take Able to a local park 2 or 3 times a week. There’s long grass and gravel and uneven terrain and logs and sheep poo and all sorts of other things to explore. It’s important to get your pup out to explore new places and to give him new challenges to his balance and coordination, although at this age fifteen minutes is plenty.
