Elementary, My Dear Boston

It was a cool, rainy day. The dogs are bored and need to burn some energy. You know what that means? We get to set up the agility equipment in the living room!

Since there's not enough room in the living room for two obstacles, I had to use the jump and the tunnel separately.

If you want to train your dog to compete in agility, read on!

Before you start, you may want to get a clicker, which is a small box that makes a sharp click when it is pressed.

A clicker is good for training short behaviors, like jumping. Remember to click the exact instant the dog does what you want. And always give your dog a treat when you click, even if you click by accident. If you click and don't give the dog a treat, he will not trust the click.

The first thing I taught Oscar was how to jump coming towards me. This is easier because he wants to get to me because I have a treat. It's easier if you have a friend helping you, so she can hold your dog until you call him.

Have your friend hold the dog. Call him using the come command, and add the jump command (or over, or whatever you like) immediatly after. You will stop using the come command when your dog learns what jump means.

Click as soon as your dog begins to jump. Remember, never scold your dog if he does not do what you want. If you do, he will be to careful and not go as fast. You can't win a competition with a slow dog! Just act like the mistake never happened and try again.

You also want to teach your dog to jump even when your behind him. To do this, throw something he likes (a treat, a ball, whatever) over the jump. As he runs after it, give the jump command. As he starts to jump, click, and then give him a treat.

Third, you should teach him to jump beside you. This is easier if your dog likes to run with you. If he doesn't like to run with you, try holding some food or his favorite toy as you run. Start running a few feet away from the jump. Your dog should chase you. As you get closer to the jump, try to position yourself so the dog has to jump over the bar to stay beside you. If he does not jump, try holding the treat above the jump as you run by, so that he has to jump to get to the toy. Once again, click when he jumps.

Oscar makes the jump!

Good boy Oscar!

Now for the tunnel. I don't use a clicker on the tunnel, because it takes longer than the jump.

A good way to start is to throw a toy or some food into the tunnel, and run to the other end, so your dog will come to you. When he starts to go into the tunnel, give him the tunnel command.