Bella Fell off the Dog walk!
 Not off the very top, but coming down the side. Slipped off and fell on her little footie! She is okay...She then went on to ace the see saw and the weave poles  I am afraid of that dog walk...I think my feelings come through to her...Any suggestions??? |
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Congrats on your mutual enjoyment doing agility!  Oscar gets slippy-slidey when I forget to trim the fur between the pads of his feet. ( Bad Momma!  )If her paws and nails are trimmed, I'm all out of helpful suggestions. Any agility folks out there? Anyone? Laurie and Oscar |
| I think all dogs fall off/jump off at least once. Was it the back foot that slipped off? Some dogs are not aware that they have back feet. Why are you afraid of the dogwalk? |
| I hope you're not doing a full height dog walk yet? What makes you wary of it? Does it wobble, perhaps? Does she seem unsure of it, or unsteady? (And, yes, almost all dogs will fall off it, sooner or later - falling off the ramp, not such a terrible thing) There are lots of things you can do to teach rear end awareness - Pam is right, lots of OES are clueless that they even have a rear, which is why I start teaching them that they do as puppies, not that my first OES had that luxury and she was ultimately fine. I don't think about it much any more, but I remember a time early on with each dog, before I really felt they had mastered it, when I was tentative, expecting them to come off. That's why it really helps to learn on an adjustable one and to work your way up. You can easily put together a make shift plank to help teach them confidence:  Used to be the AKC had two sizes dog walks, and I built the smaller one, which I kept for training purposes:  You don't have to do that, but if you paint (and add sand as you paint, for texture/traction - even though these days most contacts use rubberized pellets for traction - best thing ever, but you can certainly train with the older style way of adding texture, I still do) even a straight 8 ft plank you can teach her a lot of confidence by asking her to do 360s on it (yes, she'll fall off in the beginning, but it's a foot to the ground so who cares? ) and things like that. Sounds like you both need some confidence building. By the way, what contact method do they teach? (How are they teaching you to teach her to reliable touch the yellow contact zone?) That's important, right, Pam?  And Laurie is right about trimming hair between pads (and also taking care nails don't get too long) My puppies have access to (low!) ramps and even a miniaturized tippy board already with this stuff in mind starting at 5 weeks old. But there's lots you can do at any age. I was always afraid Belle would fall off too, and they will from time to time, so I do know where you're coming from. Sounds like you both need to build some confidence. There's no reason in the world to rush this part. Better to go slow and steady and end up with a really confident dog, and there are things you can work on at home that will help, including putting a ladder on the ground and teaching her to walk and then trot through it - also helps build rear end awareness.  Generally speaking the dog is not supposed to sniff her way through it Or loiter in it - let alone try to eat it   I built mine so I could use two different heights by turning it over:  The above is a good puppy height. But you don't have to build anything - if you have a ladder, put it on the ground and use that. You can prop it up on basic bricks to give it some height. You don't have to use a ladder. But if you have one handy it's one more thing you can use to help teach her spatial awareness. Kristine |
| Definitely if you are nervous, she is more likely to come off. It's like they sense your drop in confidence and momentum and they just kind of fizzle out. YOU need to do lower or sturdier walks to get you all on board with it and comfortable. Do ramps, or a lower height obstacle so you can confidently send her right on and over. Continue the focus all the way to the lower contact - so she learns it as one complete smooth process - only getting off when you release (if you are doing a stationary contact method). Chewie has lost it once - but it was on the up ramp....he missed his lineup and one side was on, one off and came to a abrupt stop as his shoulder jammed into it....he looked so confused..."how the heck did THAT happen?"  It was at a trial, so likely we were just going faster and he was slightly distracted at that moment. Also, our dog walk at home has more narrow planks than regular - so it really helped teaching foot placement awareness. He sees the regular ones at class and trials and I swear he is thinking - "wow, it's WIDE!" and throws himself on it more vigorously. You can tell at home he really is aware it's narrower and is looking closely at it. |
| I worry about that to Diane. I worry that something is going to catch Frankies eye and he's going to fall off. Kristines ideas are great. Lisa Frankie and Mattie |
| That's a really great idea with the ladder Kristine! I have a 12 foot aluminum extension ladder I could try that with. Since I'm just starting out with the agility thing, I'd love to hear about training tips for beginners. I'd also like to build what I need to practice on for the yard next year. I know Kristine and Dawn have built the equipment in their yards and would like the dimensions or a good site to go to to get them and what material to use. Cindy |
| I know there are sites and booklets that have patterns and diagrams..... But I just read the dimensions and specs from my AKC agility regs book and built my own. I did have benefit of exposure to and access to hands on check obstacles out, then built accordingly! Mine are real mix - some I bought, some I built, some Todd built. Here's a practice piece I built in 2009 - and it's still in daily use! viewtopic.php?f=16&t=23484 viewtopic.php?f=16&t=23601 |
| Thanks Dawn, you did a great job on that! I remember that in your yard from our visit this summer! Cindy |
| One of the things Kristine mentioned is contacts. If you are just starting out and your trainer in not teaching contacts...find a new trainer. This is SO important. The first three training places I went to did not train this. Both Simon and Gar were missing them. Dh is not training for competition but I am. In the past year I had to re-teach Simon he had to stop on the bottom to "touch". Its a daily struggle. He's not sure exctactly where he should stop and is usually stopping high and then I have to lure him down and the poor dog is confused. |
| Thanks Pam, yes, that's the first thing she is teaching is targeting and contacts. We will go to our second class on tuesday evening. Cindy |
Well, time to find a new trainer sounds like! This class is beginner and is meant to get the dog acquanited with the equipment. Class five will be this week ( out of 6 ) and I haven't heard a word about contacts  And, I'm embarassed to say, yes, the dog walk and the a frame are at the high height.....This facility has never been one of my favorites for alot of reasons. We stopped our obedience training there and went to someone else we loved. Unfortunately, her classes were full until January so I thought we'd go to this place meantime to get used to the equipment.... Now another question....not to sound stupid...what is the training with the ladder you are showing? Is the dog meant to walk in between the spaces?  And I love the idea of the plank! I am going to make one this weekend!!! |
Ashley wrote: Now another question....not to sound stupid...what is the training with the ladder you are showing? Is the dog meant to walk in between the spaces? Not stupid at all - it's not like it's a piece of equipment you typically see. It's just that some innovative person - who knows whom at this point - decided it was a handy way to teach their dog body awareness (which is a useful skill/trait) You start by walking them through it for sure. You can start on lead (or not) and you want to encourage them to look straight forward (not at the treat/toy dispenser AKA handler) and walk slowly and deliberately, at first, through, they may, should, lower their head a bit, think horses. Goal is to stay within the rungs - you'd be surprised how many OES step outside to begin with, most are naturally fairly wide, and to not trip over, tick or step on rungs, Go back and forth in both directions, dog on either side of you (this latter is for handler - those of us who also do obedience can become a little set on working with the dog on our left, wherease in agility dog could be anywhere, left, right, in front of you and even behind). I use a clicker to mark good work, but you don't have to. And you don't do many reps, or it can quickly get boring. But reward it heavily enough and you end up with a dog who exercises herself in this manner - and that is to a large extent what it is; targeted exercise. Once it gets too easy you can add difficulty level by either asking for increased speed - a slow trot at most because you don't want them jumping through the rungs, or increased height of rungs, but never both at once. I don't do a lot with the ladder, quite honestly - usually just use it on and off for a while with young/green dogs. I do think it helps them master being on a 12" plank later simply because it teaches them to be aware of what they're doing with all four of their feet. And you don't have to build a darn thing as long as you have some kind of ladder handy, which is nice too. How's Bella doing? KB |
| I understand the ladder now. Thank you! We have one and I will be using it. Bella is fine. No injury from the slip/fall...She is really a little "tiger", a bundle of energy and fearless! We went to the vet today for some shots and he checked her leg/foot and it was just fine Since I paid for the classes, I will finish up the next two weeks at this facility and then will switch over to my favorite instructor...There is a break for the few weeks in December so I will use the ladder, and plan to make a low dog walk to use in the garage if the weather gets bad...So far, the weather here has been better than our Spring! I know its just a matter of time before the ice and snow kick in... Thanks for all the info. Very useful and I will be taking advantage of everyone's knowledge and suggestions!!!!  |
| In our Fundaments 1 class the trainer put these guard like things on the start of the A frame so the dogs have to touch the yellow target area. Glad Bella didn't hurt herself with her fall. Lisa Frankie and Mattie |
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