Classes & that puppy brain.......

[LuvourGSDs]

Ok, well, is 19 months still a puppy! LOL
Anyway, at home training is good. Started up classes with Skyrah & well, she wants to lose her head & go do equipment of her choice. 8/ I then go to grab her & BAD me prob for doing that, but need advice on regaining her brain??? We have worked contacts at home way more than anything as I wanted to wait to jump her for growth plate purpose. She now wants to run to contacts & go do! In a class with others, I shut down as I feel a foul so, not sure how to get her on track? I 100% do not want to do any neg when doing agility. Some do say, no or try again, etc & not sure if that would be correct also if they do wrong or also up in the air if in class I should bring her back to redo jumps if she blows around them? Do not want to shut her down or something.

This is something that has shut my older gal down at shows, redoing equipment. 8/

Any advice? Thanks!

[LuvourGSDs]

Btw, her obed focus is great. She will watch me & wait for my release. It is not like she knows nothing. 8/

She is just like a kid in the candy store off lead in class. Do a jump or two, skip a few jumps & off to go to something we have trained with more. Granted, I know I need to work jumps more now!!!! Bad when trainer had to stand on end of teeter so she would not run up to do, but well, she stood up to put paws on it to get it down! We played the bang game. 8/
Thanks MRL, lol

Has been fun, but diff going from a seasoned agility dog. 8/

Help..... 8)

[Elaine]

You just started classes and you're upset that she WANTS to do contacts?! Thank your lucky stars! She's a beginner and is having a lot of fun trying to be correct: that is not wrong. If she skips a jump, stop, take her back, and have her do it. No big deal. Your dog is doing just fine; you need to loosen up and go with the flow or you will freak her out.

My own little demon spawn will go obstacle shopping if I'm just standing there talking to my instructor and, if he can get to it, he LOVES the teeter and will go back and forth on it, making it go up and down. I just laugh and watch him becoming more and more comfortable on the equipment.

[martemchik]

I just started agility as well. For a dog that has a few obedience titles on him, he really gets to me when he just starts playing around and not listening. But that's agility...its fun, its open, its free. I'm not afraid to tell him "no." But my dog doesn't shut down when he gets corrected and just realizes that he did something wrong. When it comes to a contact I usually say "uh uh" rather than "no" because its a less harsh correction to him.

If you know your dog will shut down, then yeah don't say it, but I think at a certain point you're going to have to start correcting those kinds of behaviors.

[LuvourGSDs]

Elaine, No, I am thrilled she loves to do & not afraid of them. 8) Just I need to regain her brain & she is blowing off my recall so I try to go grab her. Instructor says, don't go grab her.
Just wanting advice on keeping her running with me & not off to try what she wants? 8/ Feel we look a foul in class as others are waiting on us. At home training, a whole diff story & one reason I wanted a class setting again before trying to trial. 8)

[LuvourGSDs]

Also, I have been real careful on corrections with agility, really none. I just try to redo till they get it, but mixed here as some do let their dogs know they did wrong....

[wildo]

Originally Posted by LuvourGSDs

Just wanting advice on keeping her running with me & not off to try what she wants?

My general thought on this matter (as in NOT directed to you, Jen) I would have a real issue with this personally, as I really can't stand it when dogs in class completely blow off their handler and do their own thing. It really kinda sucks for the rest of the people in class as they have to stand around waiting for the handler to collect their dog.

That said, I do have advice for you. Do you happen to own SG's "Success with One Jump" DVD? In there one of the first exercises she does is a recall to side/heel in front of a jump. The dog has to learn NOT to take the jump and rather recall. She also sets the dog up for a slice and then again recalls the dog passed the jump (she's on the same side). Here again, the dog needs to realize not to take the jump.

Notice I'm talking about jumps here. In my opinion, this is a training matter just like any other. What I mean is that if your dog is over stimulated by the contact equipment, then stop working the contact equipment. Grow the behavior on less stimulating obstacles like a jump first. THEN move over to the contact equipment.

[martemchik]

You know if she's blowing off your recall it is kind of an issue. Coming from someone that is in agility class with dogs that do blow off recall (but much younger than yours) to me its a huge waste of time. For you to stand there for a minute or two waiting for your dog to come back to you while its just running around does kind of get annoying. At that point its really not an agility thing, its an obedience thing and if I saw a 19 month old dog running around and not listening I'd be a little peeved in the class...

I'd seriously consider correcting at this point. It kind of depends on your dog's temperament but I don't know if a few corrections in order to get focus back will ruin her love of agility. Generally a quick correction and then just telling the dog to do the obstacle you want her to do should snap her out of any shut down she might feel. You want to keep it fun, but its should still be fun on YOUR terms. You also really don't want to be the person in the class wasting people's time that do want to learn. If you want her to have some fun on an agility course you might want to just look into renting out an area for a half hour or a full hour and letting her have her run at it. I know there are a couple of places around me that rent out a facility and equipment for like $10 a half hour.

[LuvourGSDs]

I feel the same guys, do NOT want to waste peoples time. 8( Totally why I asked. I have been in these peoples shoes & totally understand. We are all there to learn & train. Some dogs right on it, some not so. I just would love to regain that brain & I am a major manner, obed type person & this is why it is bugging me. 8( Love her love for wanting to do & hate to throw corrections in there, but want her by my side with me.

Thanks for all advice, hit me with it, no prob. 8)

[wildo]

You know, I was re-reading your original post and contemplating the use of corrections. One side of me thinks that maybe a well timed correction could correct the behavior, but a majority side of me knows that that's BS- a "one time correction" rarely corrects behavior. And so I still don't think I'd use a correction here.

More so, I'd want to understand what the situation is where this is happening. Are you sequencing? Are you (and your classmates) all on the field doing a specific training exercise (like one jump work, perch work, teeter board work, etc)? My mindset is that when we walk onto that agility field, it's work time. Not screwing around time. Depending on the situation you're in- perhaps you can keep her leashed while the class is standing around listening to the instructor, and only take her off lead when it's time for you to do your thing. Then immediately on lead again once the task is complete. Of course, if you're sequencing and she's blowing your cues off in order to go visit an off course obstacle, then that's a different story (of which I still think the solution is working in a lower stimulating sequence and building the behavior).

If you can elaborate on the situation (sequencing, working individually on the field, etc) perhaps we can give more pointed advice.