Tucker and I have really been practicing the weave poles lately. In agility, weave poles are usually the hardest for a dog to learn, and there are several different methods for teaching it. We used the "weave-o-matic" method where the poles are like this:

The dog is trained to run down the center. Gradually the poles are adjusted until they are standing straight up. Once the poles were getting close to straight, we used the old fashioned method of guiding him through with food and a "weave" "come" "weave" come" command. 

Last night he did it all by himself!! Here's the video:

http://youtu.be/br6Ex4unVYI

It will take lots more practice for him to be truely independent, but we are getting there!

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Comment by Geri & Sidney on October 5, 2012 at 12:46am

Good job Tucker!

Comment by Beth on October 3, 2012 at 6:15pm

When it comes to agility, I pretty much do things my instructor's way too!   I can train basic obedience on my own, but had no clue on how to start agility training.  

Comment by Teresa Gilpin on October 3, 2012 at 5:17pm

Yeah for Tucker!  This looks so hard for dogs to learn.  He looks like he has mastered this though.  It also takes a good and patient teacher for our furbabies to learn, so you both deserve big standing ovation!

Comment by Jenny, Tucker, & Zoey on October 3, 2012 at 3:45pm

Oh and Ludi-- I bought mine off eBay, but they came disassembled. It's basically a bunch of PVC, connectors, and screws-- should be very easy to make if you're handy! 

Comment by Jenny, Tucker, & Zoey on October 3, 2012 at 3:42pm

Hey Ludi and Beth! Thanks-- we're excited! I'm all about discussing the different methods, so don't feel bad!

Tucker has been going to class for about a year now. My trainer is "old school" agility (it's all positive training and everything-- I just mean she doesn't keep up with the latest trends), so we do things her way. It may take a little longer, but everything has eventually clicked. She hasn't really pressed the issue of weaves (many of the people in our class are just doing it for fun) and since we were nowhere near trialing ready for other reasons, I didn't really pursue it too much. We do the weave-o-matics every class, but they're still pretty splayed out. Tucker is really good about finding his entries and he never pops out, but many dogs are still having problems. I think it's just because they don't practice at home.

Since we are now starting to trial, I sort of went "Crap! We need weaves!" and started really practicing maybe the last three weeks. There is a big gap between the weave-o-matics and the straight up poles. Tucker didn't really seem to understand that it was the same obstacle for a while. I think he finally gets it now. We will still be working both-- the weave o matics for speed and harder entries and getting comfortable with the straight poles. I only have a set of 6 at home, but he works the 12s in class.

That said, the 2xs's look very interesting and I've heard a lot of people have had great success with them! I'm just a super novice trainer, and since my trainer doesn't do 2x2's, I've stuck with what she does.

Comment by Beth on October 3, 2012 at 3:05pm
Ludi, the only reason I said that is I tried the 2x2 with Maddie and she literally wandered off to eat bird seed. LOL. She didn't even realize we were working. But I think you've done some shaping with Ace so you will probably have better luck.

Tucker's mom, sorry to go so far off topic! Tucker looks GREAT doing his weaves and that is such a big accomplishment! Big Corig "arooos" to you both!
Comment by Ludi on October 3, 2012 at 12:16pm

Of course. But since I don't see my husband getting a car (thus being able to take me out to agility classes) any time this year, I am wanting something new for Ace to tackle. :-( I will go with the 2x2 method since I think it will suit Ace the best, and we'll see if my husband can find a way to get these things done. We've a friend who's into building stuff and whatever other manly activities, so we'll borrow his tools for the job.

Comment by Beth on October 3, 2012 at 12:01pm
Ludi, to make your own, the 2x2 method is going to be easiest BUT you really need someone who knows what they are doing to show you how it's done. There are some you tube videos up but they are not quite right.

I would maybe suggest that you get a strong foundation in easier obstacles before trying weaves if you want to do agility with Ace. If you want it as a stand-alone "trick" then you can of course teach any dog, but to get them looking for the entrance and driving in and through you really need them to understand the whole concept of obstacles and handling.
Comment by Ludi on October 3, 2012 at 10:25am

I have yet to be able to start agility classes, but I really want to teach Ace weave poles. I notice that this "weave o matic" appears to be a fairly straightforward product. How feasible would it be to replicate it with PVC poles on my own? This kind of equipment costs an arm and a leg out here in France and I'm actually not even sure if it IS sold.

Comment by Beth on October 3, 2012 at 10:20am
Out of curiosity, how long did it take using the weave-o-matic? Using 2x2 only took about 3 weeks, averaging five minutes a day or so, and skipping quite a few days.

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