Reactive Agility Dog Support?

Your class sounds like a Controlled Unleash class. Just like the one I took. It IS hard to practice in real life, but my suggestion, start small. I mean, don't take him to a trial and expect to get his attention, like you would in class, or even walking down the street. I have been slacking on my training, but should be able to get going again.

I was reading some things about the LAT (look at that) game. It says to start small. Even with their own toys. Koji used to chase cars a lot, so I started with walking in my neighborhood (few cars), then worked up to the next big street, then worked up to a huge major street. He got better, but not great. He still chases after things that move though, so that's still there (runners, cyclists, cars, etc).

And in real life, things are hard anyways. Tonight I got home from agility class. I'm walking from the parking area to the apartments. There's a path and a guy with a Basset is standing there blocking it. He moves over about 2 feet, so not ON the path, but on the edge. His dog starts growling, by this point, Koji is growling and pulling. Guy doesn't move AT ALL!!! Idiot!!! Honestly, when Koji started barking and growling and looking all mean, the guy finally took the hint to move a bit (I was about to say something when Koji broke out in craziness). In real life, you have idiots like that. In agility, when two dogs start growling, owners tend to walk in opposite directions.

I think I'm going to start with the LAT game again.
 
Yes LAT... reward for looking at it and then looking back to you for queue, is what Toffee now does more often and sometimes I am ready to cry because it makes me so happy, shows how this training works!!!

I also put things on queue that I couldn't quench in his behaviour... what I did because Toffee also LOVES to chase fast moving stuff...
So in the end the only thing that worked for me well and very reliably is that he IS sometimes allowed to chase after I tell him wait, waiiiiiiiiitttttt... and then either I give high value treat for waiting or I release him to chase the bird... who is now safely away or the 18 wheeler who is behind the other side of the fence...
 
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Thanks for sharing your experiences--I find all this very interesting.

Bentley is pretty reactive, and exhibits many of the behaviors that you have described.

However, he is hardly reactive at all at agility! It's like he knows that he is "working" and doesn't even really notice the other dogs. The only time he'll react at a trial is if we walk past a dog's crate and the other dog starts going crazy.

I'm not sure why he thinks that way, but he also doesn't react in a crowd of people or dogs (at a dog park, at the regular park, farmer's market, etc...) But when it's one on one he freaks out (we were walking downtown the other day and he went nuts at a statue of a dog!)

I guess I should consider myself lucky that we're able to compete despite his reactive tendencies.
 
Bailey is the same exact way as Bentley.

At trials and class, she only barks if a dog barks at her first.

And when we are at a dog park or an event with a lot of dogs she doesn't react, but when we are walking her and it is one on one, she is reactive.
 
{bowing my head in shame}

Koji is a monster. His leash reactivity has gotten out of hand. Since I moved, there's a lot of dogs and in closer quarters. It's bad.

On the upside, I just found my Controlled Unleashed book. Now to look up the Look At That game and work on it.

Maybe we need to revive the CU thread. Where did it go?
 
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