Does fun Agility help with Bonding/ Focus /Recall ?

[Spangles]

I have a 20 month old headstrong Springer Spaniel who's recall is very challenging. He is still on a long line unless we are in a secure dog field. We brought him home a 5 month old rescue having missed the critical window of early training. We are working very hard on recall but his focus is very hit and miss, especially in high distraction areas. He is nose down and just gallop about at a distance.
Recently I took him to a secure field with a few agility pieces in there eg a ramp and platform, few jumps etc and we had a little play. He absolutely loved the ramp and standing on the platform - he was so animated & happy running up and down, really playful, and it struck me that some play agility might help us bond more when out in an environment and encourage him to stay closer to me or at least check in more - he's a very cuddly boy at home, follows me around and sit's with me every night.

Has anyone found fun agility to help with a nose driven, high energy sundog breed ?

 

[Jenko109]

Agility and spaniels go hand in hand

 

[Clodagh]

It is partly why I am going to start taking Scout, my lab.
It sounds like a good plan for you both, I’ve been to watch a couple of agility shows and the control and focus is great. Usually.
Tbh anything that involves his brain, possibly his nose, and engagement with you would probably work but agility is accessible, not too expensive and structured, so go for it. Good luck!

 

[Annette4]

I found it helped with my part saluki idiot boy. Finding the right trainer and 1:1s will be your friend. We haven't been back since our trainer moved as no one else locally has enough patience to deal with the zoomies king

 

[Errin Paddywack]

One of the things I love about agility is the bond and understanding you build with your dog, just nothing like it. I started doing it back in 1999 only ever intending to train not compete. That didn't last long. I was competing 3 at one time and going to as many shows as I could manage. Still training and doing occasional shows but down to 1 competing dog and one semi retired. Very unlikely there will be any more when these are gone, getting too old.

 

[CorvusCorax]

As a generalisation, any structured sport or occupation will help the relationship.

He's a normal spaniel doing what genetics dictate and if he doesn't have any outlet he will be a PITA

 

[blackcob]

Agree that any 'job'/sport will help build bond and engagement, agility is a more easily accessible one than some, and happens to be very good fun. I just wanted to caution against anywhere advertising specifically as fun or play agility as you mention these terms in your post - if their main aim is to get the dog doing obstacles and sequences very early on, and there is any luring with food and toys, dragging/pushing/pulling, or on-lead work to achieve this, best avoided.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

I’ve been to two beginners agility classes with my lab, and tbh he’s usually good at engagement/focus but he absolutely loves the agility and is even more focused

 

[MurphysMinder]

It’s great for teaching focus and building a bond . As blackcob says it is best to avoid places promoting “fun agility “ .Even though you don’t want to compete it is worth going to a proper class so all the equipment is taught safely .

 

[Clodagh]

Agree that any 'job'/sport will help build bond and engagement, agility is a more easily accessible one than some, and happens to be very good fun. I just wanted to caution against anywhere advertising specifically as fun or play agility as you mention these terms in your post - if their main aim is to get the dog doing obstacles and sequences very early on, and there is any luring with food and toys, dragging/pushing/pulling, or on-lead work to achieve this, best avoided.

That’s interesting. I’m not going to allow anything that will muddy Scout’s gundog commands, and I am going to have to think of way to encourage jumping without encouraging it in the field. Our shooting mine don’t jump unless I specifically ask as there’s barbed wire everywhere.
Sorry OP.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

That’s interesting. I’m not going to allow anything that will muddy Scout’s gundog commands, and I am going to have to think of way to encourage jumping without encouraging it in the field. Our shooting mine don’t jump unless I specifically ask as there’s barbed wire everywhere.
Sorry OP.

I found hardest to get zaz to work on my right hand side, we are so use to him working on the left that anything done on the right is much harder

 

[MurphysMinder]

I found hardest to get zaz to work on my right hand side, we are so use to him working on the left that anything done on the right is much harder

This is often a challenge. When I first started agility back in the 80s most course were run with the dog on the left so it was fine. When right hand handling started becoming a thing both I and my dogs struggled, they were shown in the breed ring and did some obedience so everything was done on the left. In more recent years I make sure my dogs learn to walk on my right as much as my left, but I think it is only with my most recent dog that I am truly comfortable with him on my right, old habits die hard !

 

[Clodagh]

This is often a challenge. When I first started agility back in the 80s most course were run with the dog on the left so it was fine. When right hand handling started becoming a thing both I and my dogs struggled, they were shown in the breed ring and did some obedience so everything was done on the left. In more recent years I make sure my dogs learn to walk on my right as much as my left, but I think it is only with my most recent dog that I am truly comfortable with him on my right, old habits die hard !

I mainly heel Scout and Red on the right as they are the newer additions and I had to stop having them all on the left or it’s a moving car crash.
It does feel wrong though and if I put the slip leads on quickly without thinking they are nearly always upside down.

 

[HopOnTrot]

I did a year of agility with my older dog when he was young and it’s great, he still knows left and right and in the past I’ve hacked out with him using voice commands. When he started the instructor had to hold him at the start line as he’d run off but he soon got the hang of it.

 

[blackcob]

That’s interesting. I’m not going to allow anything that will muddy Scout’s gundog commands, and I am going to have to think of way to encourage jumping without encouraging it in the field. Our shooting mine don’t jump unless I specifically ask as there’s barbed wire everywhere.
Sorry OP.

If they have you saying 'over' for each and every jump, run a mile.

Jumping is a separate skill and almost secondary to the primary bits of teaching the dog to look for and target wings, and teaching you how to cue them for different turns/acceleration/deceleration, so you probably won't have to worry about solving the jumping bit for the first while.

Large dog has been in training for something like 6 months now and has only started doing jumping grids in the last couple of weeks, and only because we're prepping for a height increase, she's still doing any sequencing and new skills on lower heights or no poles at all.

 

[CorvusCorax]

When I did a taster session we just learned to wait in a line (my dog knew this anyway), sending from mark to mark (my dog knew this anyway as it's how we teach the basics of the retrieve and the jump and A-frame) and went round a course at a very low height, that was the very last thing we did and only for a short amount of time.
I don't think anyone wangs a novice horse around a full course to start off with and the same should be true for dogs.

 

[Clodagh]

If they have you saying 'over' for each and every jump, run a mile.

Jumping is a separate skill and almost secondary to the primary bits of teaching the dog to look for and target wings, and teaching you how to cue them for different turns/acceleration/deceleration, so you probably won't have to worry about solving the jumping bit for the first while.

Large dog has been in training for something like 6 months now and has only started doing jumping grids in the last couple of weeks, and only because we're prepping for a height increase, she's still doing any sequencing and new skills on lower heights or no poles at all.

Why do you not say ‘over’? As that’s what I say out shooting once I’ve put my emergency hanky on the wire, or laid my coat on it, or even my arm! So I indicate the jump area and say ‘over’

 

[Spotherisk]

In theory it’s because you’ve set your dog on a flowing line and are indicating with body/eyes/hands etc where they’re going next. You will have words for certain things, in theory my tunnel command should be tunnel, but it appears to be ‘in’! A frame might be A, seesaw is seesaw, or C, dog walk is walk.

To blow your brain someone recently told me they had I think 15 words for how to deal with a jump… might be wrap, or round, or la-la and they’re all different angles to take the jump and what to do afterwards. And that’s just the dog, what you have to do with your body is mentally tiring too!

You’ll love it, or hate me for it!

 

[Clodagh]

In theory it’s because you’ve set your dog on a flowing line and are indicating with body/eyes/hands etc where they’re going next. You will have words for certain things, in theory my tunnel command should be tunnel, but it appears to be ‘in’! A frame might be A, seesaw is seesaw, or C, dog walk is walk.

To blow your brain someone recently told me they had I think 15 words for how to deal with a jump… might be wrap, or round, or la-la and they’re all different angles to take the jump and what to do afterwards. And that’s just the dog, what you have to do with your body is mentally tiring too!

You’ll love it, or hate me for it!

I could not possibly remember 15 commands. .
I struggle to remember the dogs name.

 

[Spotherisk]

I could not possibly remember 15 commands. .
I struggle to remember the dogs name.

Luckily you don’t need the dogs name as you only ever have one at a time!

 

[Clodagh]

Luckily you don’t need the dogs name as you only ever have one at a time!

I’m the person who sent a dog for a retrieve and wondered why they weren’t going. Realised that dog was actually at home and the ones out were staring at me…

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

I’m the person who sent a dog for a retrieve and wondered why they weren’t going. Realised that dog was actually at home and the ones out were staring at me…

Good test of your training

 

[blackcob]

As Spotherisk, dog should be driving ahead and taking the next obstacle on their line until you tell them otherwise. There's no need to tell them to jump, but you will eventually tell them how you want them to jump it. If you've got time to go over over over then the dog is probably hanging off your hands and being lured around rather than learning to go on. And of all creatures a working gundog should be able to work away from you independently.

Cues... the dog needs to be told in good time before the jump with what degree of speed, collection, extension and direction you would like it to take off, land and turn. Combination of body and verbal cues, body is way more important in most situations, and not everything has a word (but there are a lot!)

 

[Clodagh]

As Spotherisk, dog should be driving ahead and taking the next obstacle on their line until you tell them otherwise. There's no need to tell them to jump, but you will eventually tell them how you want them to jump it. If you've got time to go over over over then the dog is probably hanging off your hands and being lured around rather than learning to go on. And of all creatures a working gundog should be able to work away from you independently.

Cues... the dog needs to be told in good time before the jump with what degree of speed, collection, extension and direction you would like it to take off, land and turn. Combination of body and verbal cues, body is way more important in most situations, and not everything has a word (but there are a lot!)

Gosh!

 

[blackcob]

You're allowed to tell me to piss off you know. Go and have fun!

 

[Clodagh]

You're allowed to tell me to piss off you know. Go and have fun!

I said to STR I know myself well enough that I’ll either be completely addicted or I’ll give up. I don’t do half measures.
Hence 5 labs, another on order, only work jobs that I can flex around the shooting season… blah blah blah!

 

[blackcob]

It is definitely one of those things where you blink and suddenly you've got a caged out camper van, half a dozen more dogs and no annual leave left. And a Dryrobe.