Tips for A-frame

blackcob

blackcob

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Any agility bods got any ideas for helping a dog's confidence on the A-frame?

I am so pleased with scabby dog's progress otherwise, she can do a whole course off the lead now (:eek: :D) but is still prone to having a wobbly on the A-frame. She gets about two thirds of the way up then stalls and unless I put a hand on her collar and shoulder and guide her up and over the top she scrabbles and starts to panic.
 
Is this with the A frame at full height? I always used to train with it lower until the dog was totally confident on it, also makes it easier to teach a pause on the contact when its not such an acute angle.
 
Sadly it's fixed and can't be lowered so yes, at full height. Maybe worth ringing round and having a single session somewhere with an adjustable one?

The dogwalk is thankfully adjustable and she managed the transition to full height on that with no problems, ditto thundering up and down the see-saw which I thought was going to cause the most issues. :)
 
That is what I would be inclined to do, mind you it is nearly 20 years since I did agility properly so maybe that idea is old fashioned now. :o Hopefully some other agility folk will be able to advise you.
 
Maybe try putting her on the lead and giving her a bit of a run up so that she has enough momentum to get up the a frame without struggling and the lead will stop her from being able to bail.
 
Squeak said:
Maybe try putting her on the lead and giving her a bit of a run up so that she has enough momentum to get up the a frame without struggling and the lead will stop her from being able to bail.
Click to expand...

We did try that but she was more inclined to leap off halfway up if we did it at any kind of speed. :o

For now the trainer is moving in and standing on the other side so we can both steady her if necessary but she's clearly just not confident about it, bless her.

I think some of the problem is that she is the biggest dog in the class, it's nothing to a terrier but when she's standing at the top she's even further away from the ground than a little'un. :p
 
Again probably old school, but when we were teaching A frame we used to have 2 leads on the dog, and a handler either side and guide them over that way. You could give enough impulsion to encourage the dog and the 2 leads stopped the possibility of them jumping off one side or the other.
 
Start from scratch, place her on the downside half way up, let her run down and treat her, do it a few times then move her higher and do it again and so on. Eventually you'll be at the start of the "A", on the lead big run up lots of encouragement and praise.

I've run the dog up before with my instructor lying at the top to catch and treat the dog
 
If possible start the A frame totally flat on the ground and ensure the dog will run across it all the way without deviating and then just increase the height more and more. Difficult if it is not adjustable - finding a place where it will go up and down would be ideal. It would be very difficult to go immediately full height.

Ideally this should increase her confidence, just get her running over it and then you can introduce treating contacts - two paws on, two off. So hind legs on the contact and front legs on the ground and teach them to touch a treat disc with their nose (lid of a jar) and then click and treat. (Drop treat on disc)

Start off just training this i.e. hop her up onto bottom of A frame (once she is at a reasonable height) and every time she touches the disc click and treat. Make sure you also teach a release command like 'okay' , otherwise they just sit there all day waiting for their next treat!

Then you can practise putting a treat on the disc, showing it to her and the running her over the frame and she should hopefully stop as before and you can just click. Then you can start just dropping the treat when she comes down the other side. Be careful though and mix it up otherwise they begin to hesitate at the top and wait for the treat to be dropped which is not ideal in a competition scenario so sometimes you should just run her over it and not stop and treat.

Hope this helps. :)
 
We also start the youngsters on the flat and then gradually raise it, we also have up to three people (owner and two trainers) helping the dog over.

I'm inclined never to them her run off it if you can, if that means three people hoiking her back on, speaking encouraging words, and getting her over it every time with less and less fuss, then do that, it's better than her learning she can get out of it by taking an early exit.

I have the opposite problem - I CAN FLYEEEEEE!!!!! going over it back and forth three or four times when I'm stood three obstacles ahead waiting for him like a lemon :o

Also have something in the garden like a wide plank or an old door and have her walking along it all the time, good prep for A-frame, catwalk, see saw.
 
CaveCanem said:
I have the opposite problem - I CAN FLYEEEEEE!!!!! going over it back and forth three or four times when I'm stood three obstacles ahead waiting for him like a lemon :o
Click to expand...

:D

That isn't a problem for us, every obstacle requires a great deal of bribery and coercion, only the bloody collies do stuff spontaneously. :p

From what everyone's said I think it would be beneficial to spend some time with an adjustable one and go right back to basics with it, I will definitely look into it next week, and have someone on the other side too.

It's puzzled me a bit as she wasn't fazed one bit by the see-saw and does that totally independently now, you'd think that would cause the most problems as it moves and the *thud* seems to scare a lot of them initially.
 
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