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Comment by Cheri on November 13, 2013 at 11:27am

I also depends on how much you train. I only train my dogs a few minutes every now and again. I don't train every day and certainly not for long. I train maybe 10 minutes a session. If you train all the time it does become drudgery. But if you only train a little, they look forward to the sessions and are excited about them.

Comment by Bax & Zigs & Rosie on November 13, 2013 at 8:50am

While I definitely agree with Cheri, don't give up on trialing, a break may be a good idea. Many agility people train and trial in cycles, with breaks in there for rest and mental health (for both you and the dog!) You can still practice agility, but break it up a bit by challenging your dog in other ways. Teach a new trick, or maybe go for a long walk instead of agility practice. I found that after a break, my guys come back stronger and more eager. If they are given what they love to do everyday they will take it for granted. Also, work on some focus exercises and games to get her interested in chasing/playing with you.

Cheri is also right, you cannot expect perfection in the ring. That definitely takes some trial and error (no pun intended.) Things will get better though, that is for sure. How old is Becca? How long have you been training agility before trialing? I saw your post on the poop addiction. I definitely feel for you there. Baxter doesn't do it all the time, but the few times he does it is more than enough. =(

Comment by Cheri on November 12, 2013 at 10:13pm

I say get out there and trial!!! That's the big pay off for the dog if they really like agility. My experienced agility dog takes class every week and has been doing so for about 5 years now. You just can't really expect a baby agility dog to be perfect in the ring. If you're expecting perfection and focus right off the bat I wouldn't dispair. I've seen dogs that eventually go to international competitions go totally crazy when they were novice dogs. Remember that dog's don't generalize like we do. The only way for the dog to learn that the rules apply in the trial ring is to go there and apply them. They'll learn.

Comment by Marcie on November 12, 2013 at 7:23pm

I am probably over thinking Becca's recent bout of not focusing on me. We have been taking a class almost every week for close to a year. Does she just need a break? The more I think, the more it makes sense. She showed the same behavior when we were training intensively with rally. I'm leaning towards taking December off and just letting her be a dog. Though still work on the poo addiction.

Comment by Cheri on November 11, 2013 at 7:48am

I am on my third agility dog now so I'm not super experienced, but no longer inexperienced. Both my boys went nuts their first times in the agility ring. My girl didn't go nuts, but she was certainly more focused on the audience than she was on me. My girl is retired from agility, but my boys are still running. My older boy has his MACH from AKC and is close to getting his NATCH in NADAC. He will still get a wild hair sometimes, take off and run across the ring to go do a tunnel for fun. He doesn't do it often, the last time was probably 18 months ago. I am pleased that after all this time he still thinks agility is so fun that sometimes he just can't contain his joy! :D

Comment by Marcie on November 10, 2013 at 7:30pm

Thanks. I am trying to keep it all in perspective. She was having a blast, so at least one of us had fun. We are playing the name game again for focus. It helps at rally trials, so maybe it will next weekend as well.

Comment by Cheri on November 10, 2013 at 7:15pm

That's pretty normal. My boy was great at home and great in class. I took him to his first trial, set him in front of the first jump and led out to the other side so I was right in front of him and released him...he ran AROUND the jump! And then it was a free for all!!! He like "Woo hoo! I'm outside and off leash!!!" He did a sum total of 0 obstacles but made at least 4 to 6 laps of the arena. We had to tackle him at one point. :D It takes the baby dogs a little while to calm down in a trial environment. Just be calm yourself. My instructors says that there can only be 1 crazy on the field at a time so if your dog is going nuts, by default you have to be the sane one. The dog will eventually get the picture and learn that this game has rules no matter where we are. By our 4th run at an agility trial my boy did 14 out of 17 obstacles. See? There's hope! :D

Comment by Marcie on November 9, 2013 at 5:34pm

OMG, Becca and I went to another fun run today. She was totally unfocused both runs. The first she totally did her own thing and had fun again. A friend from class had to help catch her. The second was only slightly better. Any suggestions for a dog who is fabulous in class, but loses it in the ring? We are entered at a CPE trial next weekend. I'm afraid it will be a total loss at this point.

Comment by Judith Andre on October 27, 2013 at 1:04am

No contest in my mind as to which most dogs prefer..agility or obedience.  I think most agree to do obedience just to please their person, not because they are having fun.  Glad you both had fun, Marcie!

Comment by Marcie on October 26, 2013 at 6:46pm

We went to the fun run today and did two runs. On her first run Becca went wild and frapped. The second run was much better. She was distracted, but we completed the course. Best of all, she had fun. She was far more joyful today than she is at an obedience trial. Now she is sleeping on my lap, a tired corgi.

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