For anyone starting out in agility training, weave poles can be the most daunting obstacle to teach their dog. How do you train your dog to go left and right, left and right, left and right … ideally as lightening fast as you can see dogs do on TV?
All agility organisations have very specific guidelines for the weave poles. There are always 12 poles, spaced 24 inches apart. The dog always enters the row of poles with the first pole on the left shoulder. He has to complete all 12 poles without missing one.
Many beginners start by trying to lure their dogs through the weave poles with a treat. This is actually not a great idea – it makes the dog’s weave pole performance very slow.
A much better way to teach a dog to weave is by using the channel method. In the channel method, we take the 12 poles and make a channel out of it just like you see in the photos.
Now you teach your dog to run through these “channel weaves”. This will be much simpler because running is a straight line is not a challenge for any dog!
Over time, you start to move them closer together until your dog is running through the closed channel!
If you’d like to know more about agility and join our agility classes, then drop me a message. Classes are 6 weeks long and designed for absolute beginners so they’re both easy and fun for both you and your dog! Next course starts on Wednesday September 20 in Nerja. Hope to see you there!
Comentários