Cooper and I started a pre-agility class a few weeks ago. The idea for the course is to establish the foundations you need before you can really get into agility. Fool that I am, I thought we’d nail the class – after all, he’s smart and we have a great relationship. Well, it hasn’t quite worked out that way!
I underestimated just how freaked out he would get. The new place, a room filled with unfamiliar people and dogs, strange equipment… He tucked his little tail, trembled, and whined the entire first hour.
It turned out to be a blessing, then, that we were working on behaviors he already knew. We practiced having our dogs sit at our sides, wait, loose leash walk, and make eye contact. All of those behaviors he knows well, so it helped that I wasn’t asking him to learn something new while trying to help him feel more confident in the scary setting.
At the end of that first class, the trainer broke out a pile of ropes and wanted us to each play tug with our dogs as a reward and for a little break. All the dogs got super into it. Except Cooper. He sat and stared at me. He was done. He wouldn’t get up. He wouldn’t lie down. He definitely wouldn’t take the toy. He reached his limit, and it was on me to realize that!
Weeks two and three got progressively better. I wouldn’t say that he’s confident, but he’s definitely more confident than he was that first week. And that’s all I can ask for, incremental improvement.
Anyway, I figure if this guy can do it, we can do it, too! (BTW, I can’t remember where I saw this originally or else I’d love to give that blog credit. So if it was you, thank you for the inspiration and smile!)
One of our dogs did some basic “older” dog training not too long ago. It was our first experience at clicker training so I was excited to start. It was kind of the same for him – tail tucked, super freaked out – and lucky for us most of the training were things he did already know. The best part of the whole thing was like you mentioned – he seemed more and more confident each week. All in all – it was very worth it. At the end he was playing with the other dogs and walking in like he owned the place!
Ooh! I love clicker training for that very reason. Dogs catch on so quickly and gain confidence really rapidly. I’m glad your training went so well!
Hehe…I posted that on my Facebook page and blog over the weekend so it’s possible you saw it from me. I’m enamored with the thought of trying agility for fun with Hurley. Not because he would be good at it, or stately (as so many have described that St Bernard), or to burn excess energy, etc. Hurley doing agility would make me laugh (yup, at his expense) and no doubt provide me with tons of blog fodder. 🙂 I am pretty sure that makes me a terrible dog mom!
I’m glad to hear that Cooper is making improvements in his confidence! Agility can be so great at building confidence. Truth be told, I’m a little scared of the teeter totter myself so I can only imagine how many dogs feel!
Thanks for posting it! That video totally made my day.
I think Hurley would be great at agility!! If you guys decide to try, I can’t wait to read all the blog posts that come from his adventures!
Awww poor lil baby. I’m sure he’ll warm up right? Kudo’s to you for trying. That’s awesome!
I hope so! That’s the goal, anyway. Thank you for the words of support! 🙂
Oh I like how he moves at his own pace! We tried with Monty, but it turned into a hostage standoff. So we switched to Sam – his temperament was more suitable for agility. He wants to please, whereas Monty only does things that please him.
Sam
The hostage standoff comment made me laugh because that’s totally how I felt when Cooper shut down! Since you have great experience… Any tips or tricks to help make this a more successful endeavor for Coop?
The video is great! What a trooper 🙂 I am pretty sure that Pauley would react the way Cooper did only he would probably just keep trying to jump into our laps, even if we were standing. We can’t wait to hear how he progresses!
Aww! Sweet Pauley! I’ll definitely keep you posted on progress. Maybe someday we’ll have a video as great as that one to share! 🙂
I am so glad you and Cooper are getting into agility! It really is a lot of fun if you have the right instructor and the right mindset. I also credit agility with helping Shiva with her confidence and anxiety. It made a huge difference in her reactivity and hopefully it can do some of the same things for your little guy.
Great video! I am sure I have seen it before but I never tire of watching dogs have a good time with their human. 🙂 Can’t wait till we see some footage of you and Cooper!
You and Shiva inspired us to give it a go! I’ll definitely keep you posted on our progress!
We love agility! All four of ours love it and we have better dogs because of it. It’s time consuming, expensive and can be frustrating :). But when you see them get it, and they get all proud of themselves, that’s what makes it worth it. Our american bulldog mix who was a wild man when we first started going to class, competed in his first trial in this past November. He won his first blue ribbon and qualifying score, I couldn’t have been prouder 🙂 Good luck and have fun!
Thanks for the words of support, Laura! And congratulations to you and your pup on the blue ribbon! I can’t even imagine how much hard work went into that… Way to go!
Thanks! It helps that he has a huge desire to please and is obsessed with tennis balls. We have a great trainer that wasn’t turned off by our breed or our “zest for life” in the beginning 🙂
That video is awesome. I never saw a St Bernard doing agility before.
Best of luck in the agility with your dog!
Mary
Oh my DOG! That’s a huge beauty! I can’t believe he made it through the tunnels and weaving sticks!
We’re thinking of creating a small agility course in the backyard this spring, but for our chickens. Here’s hoping! If chickens can do it, your dogs sure can!
Ooh! I hope you blog about your experience with the chickens and agility. I’d love to read about those adventures!
Such cleaver dogs and great agility… might give it a go with my dogs
http://blog-barkingmadclothing.blogspot.co.uk
Oh that video just put a huge smile on my face! Love it!
Glad to hear Cooper is getting more confident!! Sophie did ok with jumps, tunnels and chutes. But the moment she heard the teeters slamming into the ground or felt it move underneath her….we were at a standstill. She wouldn’t even tug if she heard the teeter she was so freaked out. Lots of cheese, clicker training and time (a full year before she would run over the teeter and full height) we were able to compete. Just take it in baby steps!!
Good luck to you and Cooper
I love how little effort that video dog puts into his jumps, God love him..he made me smile so much. We started our eldest Border Collie with agility a few years back but he never go the hang of it and we were politely asked not to return! He’s just too nosey to walk on high A’frames 😉
Great! So happy for the training went so well.=D
That St. Bernard inspired me too: http://www.somethingwagging.com/2012/04/20/you-cant-do-that-oh-yeah-watch-me/
I can’t wait to read about Cooper flourishing in agility.
When we first made agility equipment to practice boating skills with Honey, she was terrified (even in our own backyard). But I’ve been astounded at how much she’s grown in confidence over time.
BTW, one of the keys for us was having our last foster dog, Cherie, who fearlessly jumped on all the equipment. I think it got Honey’s competitive juices going. So maybe doing something agility related at home (stringing a rope across a door way or creating a tunnel between two dining room chairs) with Emmett and Lucas will do the same thing for Cooper.
the video is very nice and thank you for sharing this video. wish you luck in the agility with your dog. i will try this in my beloved dog because it sounds interesting for me.
That was such an inspiring video at the end! Thank you! I often feel like my dog might be too stubborn. But after reading your post, I might give it a shot.