Cleo's agility class

[Silaria]

How tall is your teeter board?

The idea that comes to mind is something we've done in classes with dogs who are skittish when it comes to the teeter's noise. It's basically desensitizing them to the noise in the most positive way possible.

1. Put your teeter plank back on the concrete and put a chair beside it for you to sit in.
2. Get some yummy, stinky, treats she cannot resist. (Most dogs go NUTS for Tuna Fudge.)
3. Put Cleo on a leash and sit down beside the teeter plank (don't let her on it)
4. Take a piece of the treat and hold it right in front of her nose and mouth where she can nibble on it, but not take the entire thing out of your hand.
5. Tap on the teeter plank just hard enough so it hits the concrete, makes a sound but isn't very loud. (You may want to practice doing this before bringing Cleo out so you can judge the pressure you need to hit it with.)
6. If Cleo doesn't jump away, give her the treat plus another one and TONS of praise.

Repeat steps 4-6. Over time make the board hit the ground harder and harder so the noise gets louder.

At your class, talk to your instructor about your concern. Ask if, at the end of class, you can have a few minutes where they push the teeter down so it makes noise when it hits the ground while to treat Cleo.

The entire idea is to associate the sound of the teeter with something good (the ultra yummy treat).

 

[Cleo2014]

I think it is a few inches off the ground. I made it myself. It just has two little pvc connector pipes on the bottom of it.

That also sound like a good idea to get her desensitized. I just wonder how long it will take for her to get use to that. We will have to work on that this week and hopefully I will start seeing some improvement. Thanks Silaria!

 

[Caro]

Even once it's trained to full height, regardless of the process used, you still need to be careful with a green dog. A few weeks ago Keiran confused the teeter with the dog walk ramp and ended up playing Superdog off the end (meaning a massive fly-off).

Yes definitely take care. This is how we think Tully did her hip and ended up needing a hip replacement. She mistook the seesaw for the dog walk at full speed and was going so fast the seesaw hadn't even dropped from full height (she's small and light) so it was a big fall that she never recovered from. And she wasn't a green dog.

 

[Silaria]

I think it is a few inches off the ground. I made it myself. It just has two little pvc connector pipes on the bottom of it.

Oh good, it's just a practice tipping plank. I was hoping it wasn't too high off the ground so you'd be able to use your foot to control it.

That also sound like a good idea to get her desensitized. I just wonder how long it will take for her to get use to that. We will have to work on that this week and hopefully I will start seeing some improvement. Thanks Silaria!

It may take a while, it's hard to say. Move at her pace and don't allow anyone to push you and her faster than Cleo can handle. You know her best and must advocate for her so agility can remain fun. A good instructor should be able to work with you. I specifically said after class so the class time wasn't disrupted by Cleo's need to get use to the sound. Before class may actually work better given the training center's schedule. You'll have to discuss your needs with the instructor.

 

[susanmccain]

Good luck Cleo!

 

[Cara Sandler]

One thing that can help is teaching her how to "bang" cabinets closed with her paws. That way you are separating the noise from the motion and it might make it less stressful.

 

[Cleo2014]

Well Cleo definitely did not like the teeter on Tuesday. One of the trainers and I had to sandwich her to keep her from jumping off the side of the teeter. It had the pause table at one end of it so it did not make a bang noise at all and only teetered about a foot (Picture below). Once Cleo figured out she could not jump off of it when it started to tilt, she then would run off of it as fast as she could. We did try to slow her down to just walk very slowly, but then she froze about half way down it and then would not move. So not only does she have the bang noise problem, she has the motion problem. Two different problems. I am still working with her on the bank part, but the motion is new. I have a small teeter/ wobble board and when on the carpet it does not bother her. So I always thought it was just a bang issue not a motion issue. I am not sure how we are going to fix this but just maybe do lots of practice on it if I can. And unless I make a teeter for my house, I don't know how I would be able to work with her other than class since I can not afford private lessons right now. Hmmmm. A lot to think about.

 

[Silaria]

Not having a teeter to practice on makes it a difficult obstacle to train, especially because it is the only one that moves. I'm struggling with the teeter with Keiran currently because he did a fly off 2 weeks from the end of our last session and has been over cautious on it ever since, stopping at the pivot point. Basically, I can relate to your issues.

I've trained a number of dogs who have issues with the teeter over the years I've been teaching our intro level agility classes. One thing I hate doing is forcing a dog who is uncomfortable over the teeter. They are already afraid or nervous or both and forcing them to do it can backfire, causing them to shut down rather than progress. (I've seen this happen with handlers that continue to force their dog over the teeter even with a lower drop, or no drop, than what you are doing.) I've had more success by allowing the dog to choose to move forward and learn they control the teeter. I'll explain using what I'm doing with Keiran as an example.

First and foremost, I have over the top yummy, can't resist treats used only on the teeter - liverwurst. This is something my dogs will work for no matter what.
Before we run, I use a target lid and bait the teeter just beyond the tipping point with some liverwurst. My goal is to get him to run just beyond the tipping point so the teeter comes down on it's own.
Since Keiran is still offering to get on the teeter, I verbally reinforce that behavior with a yes marker.
When he passes the pivot and it starts to go down, I'll click my clicker while he eats his treat.
He still hesitates at the pivot but is getting quicker about taking the extra steps forward. Once he's offering that behavior consistently, I'll move his target back to where I want him to stop and wait for me to release him.

I don't know if you'll be able to do anything like this with Cleo, but it my be worth a try.

 

[corbinam]

Not sure you want teeter advice from me (see photo attached) but I agree wth Silaria. I think it's best not to force but to reward what little steps your dog will give you of their own volition.

I find that the teeter is a very scary obstacle. The dog has to learn that they control the motion and the sound themselves.

I think I posted it before but with Lexi we had a teeter in our living room after she was already competing because she regressed so much on it. Enzo also (obviously) has issues on it as well. It's a fairly normal stumbling block

 

[Cara Sandler]

I've found that Cheez Whiz will entice Spirit to do the teeter even when she is afraid. I NEVER force her into it, it is totally her decision. But Cheez Whiz definitely makes her much more enthusiastic. The only problem is getting her to do the teeter when there is no Cheez Whiz - like in a trial, with a teeter she sees as unpredictable anyway :-( But I'm sure she will work through this eventually and be fine.