QUESTION:
How to teach a dog to do agility “weaves”, “tunnels”, and “teeter totters”?
AKC ANSWER:
Lots of treats & positive reinforcement!!!
Teaching dogs to perform the various agility obstacles can be lots of fun for both you and your dog however, it’s very important that dogs are introduced to new obstacles in a way that will not frighten them. To avoid injuries, it’s also very important to teach your dog the proper way to get on and off contact obstacles. This is especially true of the teeter. If your dog learns to always approach and exit these obstacles safely in the beginning, you have a better chance he’ll be able to navigate them properly once he’s “up to speed”. We always recommend you introduce your dog to agility with the assistance of an experienced trainer either in group classes or private lessons. Group classes also teach your dog how to be a good “spectator” while the other dogs are taking their turn.
Unfortunately you really can’t write step by step instructions for teaching these obstacles in this short answer format.
Most trainers hate to see people start this on their own in their backyard as more often than not people try to rush the training to get to the finished product causing dogs either to:
- develop fears that take a long time to overcome
- not learn approaches safely and end up getting hurt once they start to really run