By Kathleen Highfill

If you're interested in agility, you should watch agility trials on TV. It's a wonderful learning tool for people in all stages of training. For beginners, it's helpful to see what they're training for from the first steps.

It's best to introduce your dog to obstacles, like the tunnel, with a clear picture in your mind of what it should look like in the middle of a flowing run. Most beginning dogs start to anticipate the tunnel from the first lesson.

A green trainer is tempted to pull the dog back to a stay at the tunnel entrance and walk to the other end. An experienced trainer, who's focused on the tunnel in the middle of a flowing run, will let the dog experiment with performing by anticipation, controlling and shaping the behavior with treats and praise. The green trainer will think the dog is not in control. But with the mental picture of a really good agility run in mind, a focused trainer can let the leash grow and take the steps of distance control and partnership from the beginning of agility training.

Instead of pulling the dog back when this "independence" starts, good trainers move quickly into advanced tunnel training. They use targets (like a food tube) at the exit and slowly move the targets farther out, as long as the dog is comfortable with the distance. Instead of limiting the anticipation and distance, they double it until the dog is feeling too independent and asks to work closer in. Then they work on sending to the tunnel as soon as the dog commits to heading for it, stretching the distance the dog can work.

Using targets to keep the dog going out and on to the course teaches him that you don't have to be right at the tunnel exit. It builds his confidence, knowing that you will still be on the course when he comes out, and the team is still working the course at that distance.

This accomplishes two things: first, you have the distance handling required for most advanced competition, thus cutting the number of steps needed to run the course. Maybe more important, it sends a message to the dog that you're secure in your leadership. That builds handling skills in all you do as a team.

Tape the shows, remember the best moves and keep working on conditioning. Above all, imitate the spirit of fun on the course.

E-mail Kathleen at khi@theshop.net.

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