tillytubbie
Established member
YOURDOG Member Since: Sunday, 16 March 2008
Posts: 152
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Post by tillytubbie on Mar 30, 2013 15:39:52 GMT
If you do agility with your dog - what have you found the easiest way to teach contacts to be? At the moment I'm teaching Tilly to touch a target with her nose which is placed at the bottom of the contact equipment. This should progress to running contacts. I am thinking about clicker training her to put her back feet on the contact (2 on 2 off method). She's really quick across the equipment but is a bugger and 'forgets' there are contacts at the end and just jumps off. Any suggestions? To pass our silver test at training she has to get those contact! The test is at the end of April
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Post by charlottte on Mar 30, 2013 15:45:40 GMT
I don't do agility bit when we thought about it we started with the 2o2o method. We used an exercise step and clicked and fed when his front feet hit the floor, then we put the food on the floor where he landed, then placed one further ahead so he could be released. Then slowly started to fade out the one next to the step
Silvia Trkman does running contacts which seem to be very quick and effective, not sure how you'd teach them though...
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Post by labramatian on Mar 30, 2013 15:48:36 GMT
I used a large fruit box from Tesco. I let Tess investigate it and started clicking when she put her feet in. Eventually I only clicked if it was the back feet she put in the box.
I had a small mat in the box, once she was confident we put the mat on the contact. By then I had introduced a 'word' for the behaviour. Soon we removed the mat and I just shout the word and she goes into her contact position.
this is the method my agility trainer uses. She competes for the Scottish team.
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Post by Jessie99 on Mar 30, 2013 17:17:58 GMT
I do agility with Charlie and as most of you know I am starting to compete soon - I don't know when or how yet My Charlie likes to just JUMP off and this is the main reason why we don't get clear rounds!! So the method I have been using is as soon as he gets to the contact I say 'touch' as he already knows what this means (with his front paws) and it has been working so far! He is doing really well and got 5 clear rounds last week at a mini show we had! Right before the contact I say 'wait' as he knows that 'wait' is to slow down and 'stay' is literally to 'stay'! Good luck, let us know how everything goes and more questions are always welcome!
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Post by bextull on Mar 30, 2013 18:35:54 GMT
I did the same as Labramation. I don't like the nose target one. I know people want fast runs but I'm not a fan of having my dog dive to the end of the board head first. It depends on your dog though. I've seen lots of dogs doing Silvia Trkman's running contacts, and I love them! No idea how you do it though....
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Post by Jessie99 on Mar 30, 2013 18:48:38 GMT
Bextull, I thought you didn't do Agility with Oscar anymore? I personally don't have a problem with the techniques with nose touch for the fast runs but I know my friends dog has rolled over face first due to this technique. I personally wouldn't train it either Bextull but I don't think there is anything wrong with it I will try and find out how that technique is trained for you Bextull. .
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Post by bextull on Mar 30, 2013 19:05:46 GMT
Bextull, I thought you didn't do Agility with Oscar anymore? No but I did train him contacts when I did it and I do still talk to people who do agility with their dogs.
I personally don't have a problem with the techniques with nose touch for the fast runs but I know my friends dog has rolled over face first due to this technique. I personally wouldn't train it either Bextull but I don't think there is anything wrong with it I know a dog that broke its front leg because of launching full force to the end of the contact. Now, it might not be because of how it was trained contacts, it could have happened with running contacts or standard 2o2o ones, but the owner now uses a slower contact method. I will try and find out how that technique is trained for you Bextull. . There is no need, I won't need it anytime soon, unless I manage to get myself an agility loving dog..........
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Post by Jessie99 on Mar 30, 2013 19:20:31 GMT
Oh right Bextull I am glad you don't want me to find it anyway because it was proven difficulty!!
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tillytubbie
Established member
YOURDOG Member Since: Sunday, 16 March 2008
Posts: 152
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Post by tillytubbie on Mar 30, 2013 19:33:23 GMT
Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to stick with my target touching, but I might try and teach her the rear-end awareness using a box She's a big girl - I'll need a big box!! I'm teaching running contacts by getting her to target-touch at the end - and then throw a toy out so she learns to touch and run so to speak. So hopefully, she'll understand to pause fractionally and then to run straight on (That's the theory anyway lol)
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Post by smokeybear on Mar 30, 2013 19:48:31 GMT
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Post by gladys on Mar 30, 2013 20:29:33 GMT
Cooper hates the 2o2o thing. I did the touch and treat way with a lid from a popcorn tub!! I had jumps round the garden and then the lid in random place after a jump and would point towards it and say touch. When he touched it I put a treat in it and as he goes for it said touch again. I then took the lid to agility training and put the lid at the bottom of the dog walk, half on the bottom. Said touch as soon as he started the downward run and treating at the bottom when he was still on the walk but touching the lid. It only took one lesson to get the idea across.
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Post by Jessie99 on Mar 30, 2013 20:38:19 GMT
Well good luck TT. I need to start getting Charlie to run straight away after the contact which should be easy as he is getting good at his contacts now! Thanks for the links smokeybear, will have a peek!
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Post by charlottte on Mar 30, 2013 23:57:03 GMT
TT, I taught jasper to finish at heel using the perh method with his front feet on a book and circling, improved his rear end awareness Also I've heard of people teaching their dogs to walk up the stairs backwards and do hand stands against walls to improve too
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Post by Jessie99 on Mar 31, 2013 13:43:33 GMT
Seems like a good technique charlotte, one I haven't heard before! How do you train handstands against walls, etc? Loads of people seem to be training dogs to walk on the front legs lately, I just don't understand or can't think of a technique which would train this/these trick(s)?
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Post by smokeybear on Mar 31, 2013 16:25:24 GMT
You can train handstands very easily by shaping a dog to put his hind legs on particular spot and then raising it.
See here
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