I *used* to be able to brag that there wasn't a piece of Agility Equipment
Macula didn't instantly take to. Not anymore. Last night Macula was
confronted with the *evil* teeter-totter.

What's wierd is that, even with the trainer holding the far end of the
teeter up (she would lower it slowly so the dogs wouldn't freak too much)
Macula would go as foar as the fulcrum and then jump off--I think she only
felt about an inch of movement (if that) before she jumped.

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over. She still likes the A-frame though.

I'm wondering if part of it was that the course is being run outside, and it
was beginning to get a little dark when we started the teeter.

I'm not sure what I can do to help her figure out the teeter-totter. We may
miss class next week and after that there is one more week, I don't know if
I should simply let it slide or push her a bit.

Marie

Marie wrote:

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over.


Marie
I am sorry to hear this. This is actually fairly common.

Robin N and Sarah S both had good suggestions
for this. I don't recall the thread to look it up
and re-post it.

At home you can use a tippy board with a slight wobble
which may help.

Hopefully the experts will come with their good advice.

I am just a dabbler.

Gwen

Marie wrote:

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over.


Marie
I am sorry to hear this. This is actually fairly common.

Robin N and Sarah S both had good suggestions
for this. I don't recall the thread to look it up
and re-post it.

At home you can use a tippy board with a slight wobble
which may help.

Hopefully the experts will come with their good advice.

I am just a dabbler.

Gwen

Marie wrote:

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over.


Marie
I am sorry to hear this. This is actually fairly common.

Robin N and Sarah S both had good suggestions
for this. I don't recall the thread to look it up
and re-post it.

At home you can use a tippy board with a slight wobble
which may help.

Hopefully the experts will come with their good advice.

I am just a dabbler.

Gwen

Marie wrote:

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over.


Marie
I am sorry to hear this. This is actually fairly common.

Robin N and Sarah S both had good suggestions
for this. I don't recall the thread to look it up
and re-post it.

At home you can use a tippy board with a slight wobble
which may help.

Hopefully the experts will come with their good advice.

I am just a dabbler.

Gwen

Marie wrote:

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over.


Marie
I am sorry to hear this. This is actually fairly common.

Robin N and Sarah S both had good suggestions
for this. I don't recall the thread to look it up
and re-post it.

At home you can use a tippy board with a slight wobble
which may help.

Hopefully the experts will come with their good advice.

I am just a dabbler.

Gwen

Marie wrote:

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over.


Marie
I am sorry to hear this. This is actually fairly common.

Robin N and Sarah S both had good suggestions
for this. I don't recall the thread to look it up
and re-post it.

At home you can use a tippy board with a slight wobble
which may help.

Hopefully the experts will come with their good advice.

I am just a dabbler.

Gwen

Marie wrote:
I *used* to be able to brag that there wasn't a piece of Agility Equipment
Macula didn't instantly take to. Not anymore. Last night Macula was
confronted with the *evil* teeter-totter.

What's wierd is that, even with the trainer holding the far end of the
teeter up (she would lower it slowly so the dogs wouldn't freak too much)
Macula would go as foar as the fulcrum and then jump off--I think she only
felt about an inch of movement (if that) before she jumped.

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over. She still likes the A-frame though.

Okay, your trainer has made a mistake. She has taught the dogwalk before
the teeter. When I started, that's the way everybody did it. But most
top trainers do not do this any more, and the reason is explained quite
well in your email. Dog gets confident on dogwalk. Then the dog is
confronted by a plank of equal width and of equal angle from the ground.
Difference is, this plank wants to drop out from under said dog. Since
the dog has been on the DW, it has already set the expectation that said
plank should be solid and stay in one place. So not only is Macula
apprehensive of the teeter, she now doesn't trust the DW either--who
knows, maybe it'll suddenly become a teeter!

Water under bridge and all that--you can't go back at this point and
teach the teeter first, because you've already taught the DW first. At
this point I would go ahead and pull Macula off the dogwalk while I
taught the teeter.

Since Macula has been scared by the teeter, I'd click it. Hoping you've
done some clicking (if not let me know and I can give you a very short
charger course), see if you can work with Macula with the teeter by
yourself either before or after class. Click for ANY interaction with
the teeter. That includes glancing at it, taking a single step towards
it, etc. Be patient, do NOT use your voice, do NOT tug on the leash to
drag her toward the teeter, do NOT force her to look at it. At some
point she'll get bored and give some indication that she knows it's
there. As soon as Macula understands that the first incremental step
gets her a click, then up the ante a bit, and stop clicking her for
glancing/the first step, and wait until she offers something else--two
steps, a solid look, a sniff, etc. Then click her only for touching the
board--a nose touch first, then wait for a foot touch. Then wait for her
to put 2 feet on, then 4 feet on, then a step while on. Let her do this
at HER pace, not yours! Let her find the pivot point on her own and
figure out how to manipulate it. Never correct her for jumping off, just
don't click her.

This should be done in a number of sessions, each session very short.
Quit before she's ready. Click and treat at a high rate, being sure your
treat comes as soon as possible after the click. You might count out,
say, 10-15 small treats--and when they're gone, you're done with that
session. It could take 5, 10, or more sessions to even get her on the
teeter with 4 feet. Or she could do it in just a couple of sessions. The
key is rewarding her at the moment she progresses forward, and giving
her complete control of how she manipulates the obstacle.

sorry, this got a bit long. Just a final note. If I had a new dog, I
wouldn't necessarily do it this way. I might, but alternately I might
teach my puppy to run straight up the teeter plank to me with a treat
while they are still small and the plank is significantly wider than
their feet. Then feed while slowly dropping the plank--which is what it
sounds like your instructor is trying. But I would do that *first*
before the dog ever even sees the DW. Doing teeter first, I've never had
a student with a dog who wasn't confident on the DW immediately.

Marie wrote:
I *used* to be able to brag that there wasn't a piece of Agility Equipment
Macula didn't instantly take to. Not anymore. Last night Macula was
confronted with the *evil* teeter-totter.

What's wierd is that, even with the trainer holding the far end of the
teeter up (she would lower it slowly so the dogs wouldn't freak too much)
Macula would go as foar as the fulcrum and then jump off--I think she only
felt about an inch of movement (if that) before she jumped.

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over. She still likes the A-frame though.

Okay, your trainer has made a mistake. She has taught the dogwalk before
the teeter. When I started, that's the way everybody did it. But most
top trainers do not do this any more, and the reason is explained quite
well in your email. Dog gets confident on dogwalk. Then the dog is
confronted by a plank of equal width and of equal angle from the ground.
Difference is, this plank wants to drop out from under said dog. Since
the dog has been on the DW, it has already set the expectation that said
plank should be solid and stay in one place. So not only is Macula
apprehensive of the teeter, she now doesn't trust the DW either--who
knows, maybe it'll suddenly become a teeter!

Water under bridge and all that--you can't go back at this point and
teach the teeter first, because you've already taught the DW first. At
this point I would go ahead and pull Macula off the dogwalk while I
taught the teeter.

Since Macula has been scared by the teeter, I'd click it. Hoping you've
done some clicking (if not let me know and I can give you a very short
charger course), see if you can work with Macula with the teeter by
yourself either before or after class. Click for ANY interaction with
the teeter. That includes glancing at it, taking a single step towards
it, etc. Be patient, do NOT use your voice, do NOT tug on the leash to
drag her toward the teeter, do NOT force her to look at it. At some
point she'll get bored and give some indication that she knows it's
there. As soon as Macula understands that the first incremental step
gets her a click, then up the ante a bit, and stop clicking her for
glancing/the first step, and wait until she offers something else--two
steps, a solid look, a sniff, etc. Then click her only for touching the
board--a nose touch first, then wait for a foot touch. Then wait for her
to put 2 feet on, then 4 feet on, then a step while on. Let her do this
at HER pace, not yours! Let her find the pivot point on her own and
figure out how to manipulate it. Never correct her for jumping off, just
don't click her.

This should be done in a number of sessions, each session very short.
Quit before she's ready. Click and treat at a high rate, being sure your
treat comes as soon as possible after the click. You might count out,
say, 10-15 small treats--and when they're gone, you're done with that
session. It could take 5, 10, or more sessions to even get her on the
teeter with 4 feet. Or she could do it in just a couple of sessions. The
key is rewarding her at the moment she progresses forward, and giving
her complete control of how she manipulates the obstacle.

sorry, this got a bit long. Just a final note. If I had a new dog, I
wouldn't necessarily do it this way. I might, but alternately I might
teach my puppy to run straight up the teeter plank to me with a treat
while they are still small and the plank is significantly wider than
their feet. Then feed while slowly dropping the plank--which is what it
sounds like your instructor is trying. But I would do that *first*
before the dog ever even sees the DW. Doing teeter first, I've never had
a student with a dog who wasn't confident on the DW immediately.

Marie wrote:
I *used* to be able to brag that there wasn't a piece of Agility Equipment
Macula didn't instantly take to. Not anymore. Last night Macula was
confronted with the *evil* teeter-totter.

What's wierd is that, even with the trainer holding the far end of the
teeter up (she would lower it slowly so the dogs wouldn't freak too much)
Macula would go as foar as the fulcrum and then jump off--I think she only
felt about an inch of movement (if that) before she jumped.

What's worse, after the teeter she didn't want to do the dog walk anymore,
which she's always sailed over. She still likes the A-frame though.

Okay, your trainer has made a mistake. She has taught the dogwalk before
the teeter. When I started, that's the way everybody did it. But most
top trainers do not do this any more, and the reason is explained quite
well in your email. Dog gets confident on dogwalk. Then the dog is
confronted by a plank of equal width and of equal angle from the ground.
Difference is, this plank wants to drop out from under said dog. Since
the dog has been on the DW, it has already set the expectation that said
plank should be solid and stay in one place. So not only is Macula
apprehensive of the teeter, she now doesn't trust the DW either--who
knows, maybe it'll suddenly become a teeter!

Water under bridge and all that--you can't go back at this point and
teach the teeter first, because you've already taught the DW first. At
this point I would go ahead and pull Macula off the dogwalk while I
taught the teeter.

Since Macula has been scared by the teeter, I'd click it. Hoping you've
done some clicking (if not let me know and I can give you a very short
charger course), see if you can work with Macula with the teeter by
yourself either before or after class. Click for ANY interaction with
the teeter. That includes glancing at it, taking a single step towards
it, etc. Be patient, do NOT use your voice, do NOT tug on the leash to
drag her toward the teeter, do NOT force her to look at it. At some
point she'll get bored and give some indication that she knows it's
there. As soon as Macula understands that the first incremental step
gets her a click, then up the ante a bit, and stop clicking her for
glancing/the first step, and wait until she offers something else--two
steps, a solid look, a sniff, etc. Then click her only for touching the
board--a nose touch first, then wait for a foot touch. Then wait for her
to put 2 feet on, then 4 feet on, then a step while on. Let her do this
at HER pace, not yours! Let her find the pivot point on her own and
figure out how to manipulate it. Never correct her for jumping off, just
don't click her.

This should be done in a number of sessions, each session very short.
Quit before she's ready. Click and treat at a high rate, being sure your
treat comes as soon as possible after the click. You might count out,
say, 10-15 small treats--and when they're gone, you're done with that
session. It could take 5, 10, or more sessions to even get her on the
teeter with 4 feet. Or she could do it in just a couple of sessions. The
key is rewarding her at the moment she progresses forward, and giving
her complete control of how she manipulates the obstacle.

sorry, this got a bit long. Just a final note. If I had a new dog, I
wouldn't necessarily do it this way. I might, but alternately I might
teach my puppy to run straight up the teeter plank to me with a treat
while they are still small and the plank is significantly wider than
their feet. Then feed while slowly dropping the plank--which is what it
sounds like your instructor is trying. But I would do that *first*
before the dog ever even sees the DW. Doing teeter first, I've never had
a student with a dog who wasn't confident on the DW immediately.