Won't Work At Night Trials - Help

[pawsaroundoz]

Hi, need some help here!

Clancy my Whippet trains well in the mornings, not too badly in the evenings when there's lots going on at Club,but put him in a Night Trial (I am in Darwin and all our trials are night trials) and he seems to forget everything he ever new and then some!

It is not that he cannot do it, he has had 2 good passes but both were when we were on holiday in SA and at day time trials.

Does this mean I have to do the 6000 klm round trip to get any more passes?!! (on the up side is it will mean more holidays in the South, Yay!!)

Any one got any ideas? Whilst I do not know of anything bad happening to Clancy at night, I do know that people have come in under the house during the day and taken things, the boys have a secure area under the house and maybe they have been frightened, also on early walks before work it is dark and we have had the odd person loom out of the dark.

Annie

[huski]

What does he do at night? Is he uncomfortable or frightened when out at a night trial? Or does he just loose focus? What kind of reward do you use for him - if it's food, does he get fed at night time or before/after a trial?

[Gamby]

My Miss Annabell always missed jumps when they were just out of range of the lights on the oval. I had her eyes checked and was told she has trouble seeing if she is going from a lighted area into a darkish area.

She did everything else really well.

Just something I thought you might be interested in.

[Erny]

Night time in itself can be a major distraction and a cause of different behaviour in dogs to that which they exhibit during daylight hours, just as it is with us. If I'm walking at night I'm not necessarily 'scared' as such but I am more wary of anything and everything in my environment compared to daylight hours where I am considerably more relaxed and where natural peripheral vision plays a big part of taking things 'in'. Top that with the shadows that are cast by the lighting as well.

Are you able to rig up a spot-light in your yard and practice your exercises in that environment, to get her used to this? And/Or work under the street lights if you take her out for walks after dark? (But if the latter, only if you are safe doing so.)

Edited May 9, 2009 by Erny

[Seita]

Do you train at night at all? I used to have the opposite problem with one of my dogs, alot of my training was at evening classes and early evening training sessions at home and I had a lot of trouble with day trials. I specifically worked my current girl at all times of the day to overcome this issue after that dog. I tend to do most of my work with a dog at the time they don't like as much to teach them that I expect the same level of work at any time. My girl LOVES to work for me but never worked as well mid morning to mid afternoon, so I spent a few weeks of only training her during those times and I'd say I have a pretty reliable dog at any time of the day now.

[pawsaroundoz]

Thanks for all the messages!

1. What Clancy does is act, not really frightened but wary and then perhaps a strange noise or something and he will freeze.

2. I do train in the dark, usually am though, there are few street lights (and most of those don't work!) We do get out on the oval of an evening maybe once a week...Club is difficult for me right now as am a carer to a mate who is seriously ill and I have to find a 'sitter'.

Another thought that has come to mind is that as we have only 1 ring up at a time and not many triallers, they sit back outside ring (of course) and when they move even quietly it does make a noise that seems to be the worry, they are also in semi dark...?

The othr thing is Clancy and my old dog Carlin spend most of their time in my mates company Mon. - Fri. and he just feeds them snacks a lot - I get home at lunch time for 1.5 hrs (yeah I have a good job right now) and I am almost persona non grata for a bit!! I have asked him not to do this but to no avail. Perhaps on trial days I should put Clancy in my room with fan & water and close door and ask mate not tolet him out?

Annie