My friend Eva Bertilsson, who is a dog agility trainer from Sweden, is visiting the University of North Texas for a couple of weeks and hanging out with us in the behavior analysis department. (Eva is also currently working on a Master’s in behavior analysis in Norway). We’ve been having a lot of fun this week since the university is on spring break.
Yesterday, Eva gave us a presentation about dog agility and then we headed outside to practice some agility foundation lessons with the dogs. This was a lot of fun and also gave me a lot to think about. We played around with some really interesting ways to shape behavior. I’m working on a longer blog post about the day but, for now, here are some pictures for you to enjoy.
The brown and white dog is my parent’s dog, Ginger, who appears on my blog from time to time. Ginger had a great time! However, she was completely tuckered out afterward and slept the whole way home.
The last photo is ORCA (Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals) advisor Jesús Rosales-Ruiz working on teaching Ginger how to go over an agility jump.
Oh fun! I just started my second agility class with my dachshund, Ammo. And I just finished building him some training jumps for the backyard. He’s really into it – and I’m hoping to continue on through the levels with him. It’s been really great for his confidence too as sometimes he can be nervous around the bigger dogs.
That sounds like a lot of fun, Kyley!!
Ginger and I did some pre-agility classes a few years ago. I would love to do some really agility with her, but I worry about her because she is not reliable off leash. Too focused on SQUIRREL!! I know there are a few places in Dallas that are indoors, if I had more time, I’d love to look into some of them.
How tall are Ammo’s jumps? Do you have to worry about his back, since he’s a dachshund? That’s awesome that the agility has been good for his confidence. 🙂
cheers,
Mary
Ammo jumps 4″ in practice and I think in competition he might jump 8″ (right now we’re just doing it for fun – so not sure if we will ever compete or not). I know many people are against having dachshunds do agility/any sort of jumping (like off furniture/etc – although that can sometimes be hard to control). Personally though – I feel like it’s much more important to keep my dog active, healthy and fit so that he has the proper muscles to support his back in the long run. (verses limiting what he is allowed to do). I don’t condone him jumping off furniture (although most of the time he chooses not to listen to that rule despite my best efforts), but I do think agility is a great exercise for him mentally and physically.
And I totally understand your issues with the “off leash” reliability. Ammo is very unreliable off leash due to his very strong hunting instinct. Sometimes I think he just really can’t hear me when he’s on a scent – and just zones everything out. My biggest fear is him getting out and not paying attending and following a scent into traffic. I work really hard though in teaching him to always sit at curbs before we cross – and he’s not allowed to proceed forward until I give him the ok.
I wasn’t sure how he’d be off leash in class either, but the outdoor place we go does have a fence around the training area – and he’s mostly surprised me with his ability to stay focused on me and not wander during training. I’ve found the more we work on training out in public the easier and easier it gets for me to keep him focused when the temptation of hunting arises. I will probably never completely be able to trust him off leash just because of his breed traits, but I do think putting him in controlled off leash environments is very beneficial to his training. 🙂
Hi Kyley,
Sounds like you are trying to be careful and safe by keeping the jump heights low.
I hope you and Ammo continue to have lots of fun with the agility. It sounds like he really enjoys it!
cheers,
Mary
Awesome pic . You're blog really sounds great . Thanks for sharing this to us . Keep it up . 🙂