Is there anything I can teach to Kai at 10 weeks?

[my2shelties]

Hi! It seems like everyone here is involved in agility training so my question may be out of place but I wondered if there are any types of agility-type games I can play with Kai whose almost 10 weeks? Somewhere I read about laying on your back with knees bent in an 'A' and teach the pup to walk through. Kai got that right away no problem. Any other ideas? Thanks!

 

[enigmaquandry]

We used one of her favorite toys and taught her to "weave" through our legs...at least it's a start! Good luck

 

[enigmaquandry]

I forgot, we also got her used to stairs at 10 weeks. I'm not sure if Kai is nervous about stairs but my baby was terrified at first. It might help with the A-frame if Kai does little "stair runs" he may get more confidence/coordination. Just a thought.

 

[Silaria]

You can work on developing a "2 On 2 Off" (2o2o) for contacts fairly easy.

Start with "Target" practice. Get the lid of a small container, like a butter tub or cream cheese container. (Make sure it is clean.) Put it on the floor with a treat on it and when the put picks up the treat, reinforce with verbal praise (yes) or a click. Work up to where you can have the pup touch the target with no treat on it for the click/treat or verbal praise/treat. Put the word "Target" or "Spot" (or something similar) to this object as you work on it.

As they get the hang of "Target", get a wood plank, it doesn't have to be standard length/width but it helps, and lay it flat on the floor. Place your Target (baited with a treat) at the end, on the floor. Have Kai walk across it and stop at the end with two 2 front paws on the ground and rear 2 on the plank and take the treat from the target; click or verbal praise and treat. Slowly remote the treat and just leave the target - they get the treat when they touch the unbaited target with 2o2o.


Another exercise you can do is similar to cavaletties (a tool used in equestrian and agility training to help with stride and learning where their back legs are). All you need for this is a standard ladder. Lay the ladder on the ground and walk your pup through it. The idea is for them to walk through the ladder without hitting the rungs. As usual praise and reward for even the smallest progress.


Above all - MAKE THESE FUN GAMES for the pup. Don't work on them for more than a few minutes at a time.

 

[my2shelties]

great ideas!

Above all - MAKE THESE FUN GAMES for the pup. Don't work on them for more than a few minutes at a time.

These are all *great* ideas, I've subscribed to this thread! It helps so much. And yes, I've tried laying on my back with knees bent up forming an 'A' and getting him to go through then straightening my leg flat on the floor and having him go over. He'll do it but doesn't get yet that he's doing it. What he's starting to know (since I got him this past Saturday) is his name, come, sit, names of toys and can go both up and down stairs. He doesn't sit still and his attention span is still very short so a few minutes at a time is right!

 

[my2shelties]

oh yea, one more question

span is still very short so a few minutes at a time is right!

I meant to ask about naming the activities and what you might call them, like the 'leg-weaving' suggestion for instance, and when, how often do you say the word(s), etc.

You'd think I'd remember Brock and Ty {RIP} at that age but I don't. I don't think either of them were quite as confident or constantly on the go. He's learning very fast....I think!

 

[enigmaquandry]

We say "weave" every time she goes through our legs (being led by her toy) to get her to realize what the word means. Since this is all fun (chasing a toy, woohoo!) you can do it more often than some other training and eventually Kai should connect "weave" to going in and out of something. If you were going to compete agility as he gets older I would start him on practice weave poles leading him with the toy at first with praise/treats etc.

 

[Sharon]

Puppy Games

There are all kinds of games you can play with Kai.Round the Wall--Find a hallway in the house with doorways on both ends. Teach the dog to run in a circle around the wall(through one door,then the room,back through the other door).Use toy to encourage your dogto go through the first doorway then call through the second doorway. Helps dog to learn go outs and distant works.
Downs-Try Monica Percival's(She owns Clean Run Agility magazine)method of training downs under the leg(make a tunnel with your leg, teach the dog to go underneath it with a cookie), and then fun moving downs.Helps to get fast downs on the table. As always with a puppy do very short sessions and keep it fun.

 

[Silaria]

I meant to ask about naming the activities and what you might call them, like the 'leg-weaving' suggestion for instance, and when, how often do you say the word(s), etc.

Well, in my agility classes, the only thing we put a name to was the target because the ladder/cavaletties and plank on the floor were phased out and replaced with "jump", "walk", and "teeter".

One other thing you can start working with him on is a Tunnel, since it is a floor obstacle. When starting out, you don't need an expensive agility training tunnel; a child's play tunnel works well. This one is actually pretty close to the dimensions of a regulation agility tunnel but it's a little on the pricey side. Here is another one that doesn't cost quite as much. (You may want something to stop the ends from moving so the tunnel doesn't roll. 4 sandbags can do that for you.) Since the tunnel is an actual obstacle, you can start calling it "tunnel" when you are playing with it.

 

[my2shelties]

Kai's 1 week anniversary - first official game!

Its fetch. Its also exactly one week that we got him. It seems like a lightbulb went on and he got it as a 'game'. I found Ty's RIP old tennis donut. First he learned to 'tug' and then to chase it. Then after he figured out that when he brings it back I'll throw it again. Thank you very much! We've been using all of your suggestions. I'm so proud!