Agility: Part 3

Here's a few tips, if you ever have laryngitis and have to work on training your dog...

Don't think you can't do it just cuz you can't speak. Being able to speak certainly does make it easier. But as a Speech-Language Pathologist, I can confidently say that 65% of communication is non-verbal so it should still be do-able, right?

All I have to say is, don't underestimate the power of hand signals. I am sooooo lucky that I have always paired hand signals with my commands. Today in class, I was able to get Riley to heel, sit, down, and down stay on a loose leash, all by hand signals. (okay, I used a little tongue clicking and lip smacking too). I will continue to work on hand signals. Who know when my voice will come back?

Also, do not....I repeat...never, feed your dog before a training session. Duh?! I knew that, but forgot. I had purchased a case of turkey necks a few weeks ago and didn't have time to repackage the entire case into daily portions, so it has been sitting in the freezer for a few weeks. This particular morning, I had some extra time so I thawed it over the previous night and was able to repackage these huge Tom turkey necks (male turkeys are called Toms and they are big!) into smaller Ziploc freezer bags. Of course I had to throw Riley one while I was working. It probably weighed close to a pound, if not more. Well, an hour later at Agility, Riley is moving like molasses and I'm wondering why I am trying to fork-lift him up to the table. I pointed to the table and he, no kidding, gingerly puts his right front paw on the table. Nice. So I have to muster up my squeeky voice to say, "up up." He hoists his upper body up onto the paw that is already on the table and holds his left paw up in the air. Are we a circus dog now? Now I've got the treats out and I'm tugging on his leash. Very slowly and gingerly, like an elephant, Riley shifts his weight forward and brings up each hind paw, one at a time. Urgh! We finally made it. How much did that turkey neck weigh again?!!

Oh, and another reason not to feed your dog, he won't care as much for the treats. Not only do the treats not work as well, but he's less likely to run all over obstacles to find those tastly morsels. Riley would stand at the entrance of the tunnel and if I tossed a treat in there, no matter how far into the tunnel, Riley would at least find the energy to take a leisurely stroll down tunnel lane to find the treat. He would eventually appear at the other side, but the excitment of "tunneling" was definitely lost by then. Then I tried to trick him, acting as if I had tossed a treat so far into the tunnel that he couldn't see it and still get him to tunnel. No way. He'd duck his head it, look for half a second, then poke back out and look at me like, "I didn't see anything go in there!" And then I'd try to do it again. He'd look in, then look back, "Nope, mom, still nothing."

And finally, gotta love the clicker. At least I could still tell my boy that he was doing a great job and that we were having fun. Without a voice, all I could do was open my mouth wide, trying to make my face as animated and large as possible, wave my arms in the air like a lunatic,and then use a lot of clicking. Crazy mom, you're doing all that clicking, now stop waving those hands in the air and use those hands to hand me a treat. Clicker=treats. Yum.