spirit 2409 Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 my wife works our 4 year old Blue merle in agility, she is struggling with getting him motivated in competition, he is not the quickest but steady rarely knocks down poles.In training he is keen to please and normally does well, but in competition he just switches off it as though he doesant want to be there, sniffing and generally doing everything but an agility course. My wife is very frustrated at this as she knows he can do it , he has a few first places she is on the verge of giving up, anybody with any ideas on how to get him motivated more for competition would be gratefully received Many thanks john missin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 He sounds pretty stressed out to me. A lot of dogs struggle with competition settings. My papillon was not the fastest or driviest dog out there. A lot is just learning to read your dog. Can you figure out what is causing him stress? I would set goals of doing just an obstacle or two in a competition setting then PARTY. I have really great treats outside the ring- meatballs are my go-to. They only happened at agility trials. For my girl she really wanted to go say hi to a bunch of her agility friends after a run. So for her post run became the time where everyone doted on her. I kept the warm up short and upbeat. We did some heels and motivating tricks before going into the ring. My girl was very soft so the biggest thing for me was to not push her too much. Sometimes if she missed an obstacle, then we just keep running. There have been a few times we just need to take a moment, pump her up then go. Sometimes she was just too tired so we'd end it and run to the finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 I agree with the above^^^. It sounds like your wife's dog may be stressed out by the chaotic atmosphere at an agility trial. In addition, he is probably feeling your wife's stress about doing well at a trial In addition to what Laurelin suggested, it is possible to go to a trial without entering and observe his behavior? If he seems stressed, he is not enjoying himself. You have to make it all about fun, fun, fun. Bring him to a trial (but without entering him) and play games with him and give him really good treats or have people make a fuss over him if that is what he likes. What is his highest reinforcement? Use it to let him know that a trial atmosphere is a good place to be. I have also seen some competitors run with dogs that they knew were going to have a tough time in the ring (either because the dog wanted to run off or because the dog was stressed and would shut down). But instead of insisting that the dog run the entire course and become more stressed or less responsive (i.e. keep running around which may also be stress), they run the dog over 2 or 3 obstacles with lots of praise and while still praising the dog, they call the dog and they run to the exit where the dog gets his best treat - food, toy or people fussing over him. Basically, they set an achievable goal (2 obstacles) even before they get into the ring, and when the dog is successful, they party like crazy. Then the next trial, they may ask the dog to complete 4 obstacles before exiting the ring and having a party. It is a gradual build-up to try and convince the dog that agility trials are the best thing ever. It usually works. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d112358 Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 In addition to the '3 obstacles then run out and party' approach, do more fun runs that allow toys and/or treats in the ring. UKI allows you to run NFC at normal competitions and use non-audible toys (no food), so if your dog is motivated by a ball or tug, this is a great choice to work through competition stress. Your wife should also check to see if she has any 'tells' that make it clear to the dog that there's not going to be reinforcement. I know at least one dog whose approach to agility depends entirely on if he sees his owner wearing a bait bag. I also know for myself that I don't run the same in class as I do in the ring; I end up providing a lot more frenetic energy that makes my crazy dog just a hair crazier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 As others have said it really does sound like stress, I have been down this road with my first agility dog Brody, I look back at our first and cringe. How is their relationship away from agility, do they play together, can she play games with him when there are loads of distractions and he wants to play with her... One of the most important things I have learned about agility is that is not just about the jumps and contacts but the most important part is the relationship between the dog and the human and as long as everyone having fun the technical stuff will fall into place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFreshSoClean Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 It does sound like he is stressed and checking out and not having a good time. We recently did a couple of days with Loretta Mueller. She does seminars around the country. Loretta was able to help up find that happy place with one of our dogs AND develop relationship keys to help maintain his happy even on course where you can't touch your dog. http://www.fulltiltbc.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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