People Who Train In Agility

[GoldenGirl85]

Ive started my JRT in a beginners course and I want to get my commands in order so there is no confusion, so far we have only started a few obstacles, the main one Im after a command for is the closed tunnel...Im thinking chute?

This is what we are already working on

Tunnel - Tunnel

Table - Table

Poles - Yet to add a command but it will be weave

Closed Tunnel - No command as yet, only started tonight

Jumps - No command as yet

We havent started the tyre yet, but we have already been told that if we are using 'tunnel' then dont use 'tyre' because they are too similar, and 'table' is the same, I think Ill use 'through the tyre' so she learns that the word through means jump the tyre

So anyway what i want to know is what commands do you guys use for all the obstacles? that way when I get to the more advanced stuff Ill have it all sorted lol

[RubyStar]

I've just started too, so would be interested in hearing other people's responses.

So far, the only things I have named is "tunnel" for tunnel (duh!) and "over" for jumps.

I think I've heard people use "walk" or "walk it" for the dogwalk and some I think even throw in a "contact" command. I've also heard "bang bang" for seesaw because they've taught it as a game, make it go bang as they step on it so they aren't scared of it and get huge rewards!

[4Kelpies]

When I started in novice I used to name every obstacle and give a command such as over or through. By the time I got to masters with the longer courses I didn't have enough breath to say much on the course and had to keep my commands simple and more directional such as here, out, close, weave, switch etc. and rely on pointing and body language to indicate which obstacle.

[Kavik]

I use the same command for both tunnels.

I don't use a command for jumps - if they are there I want the dog to do it but have used "Over" in the past

Through - open and closed tunnel

Table - Table

Weave - weave poles

Walk It - Dogwalk

Up - A-Frame

Seesaw - Seesaw

Tyre - tyre

Break - release from start and from contact obstacles

Go - Take obstacles ahead (normally jumps to the finish)

Out - for lateral distance

name/here - attention/come to me - mainly to prevent off course/discriminations/directional

[DeltaCharlie]

The idea is to not say much while you are on course so that when you need to say something the dog will tune in. If you went around a course naming everything the dog gets to it will stop paying attention to your voice and an important call will not be as effective. Generally if you are running towards an obstacle or directing the dog to an obstacle the expectation is that they will do it. They respond so much better to your body than your voice for things like that anyway.

Most of my obstacles have names though, so that I can use them to help the dog discriminate between 2 things that are close together. You can call them whatever you like, and whatever you will remember. Alot of mine come from what I said while they were learning the obstacle, eg I taught them to jump onto the seesaw from the side and worked back from there, as I did it I was saying "onyaget" so that just became my command. Until Delta's seesaw performance became unreliable and I retrained it with a 'steady' command which she seems to recognise so much better. My flatmate's command for table is 'on the box' because they were taught to get onto a box as she didn't have a table at home.

I also usually throw in a command rather than just name the thing. So I usually tell them to 'go tunnel' or 'go weave' rather than just naming it. On contacts I usually tell them to 'go touch' or 'touch it'.

Table- table/ get on the table

Weaves- weave/ go weave

Tunnel- tunnel/ get in the tunnel/ go tunnel

Chute- Chute (although sometimes I call it a tunnel too)

Tyre- Tyre (very, very rarely used... i consider it to be no different to the spread/broad/normal jumps in that they should just take it)

A-Frame- Hup

Dog Walk- Walk it

Seesaw- Onyaget (Charlie) Steady (Delta)

I have never said anything for jumps, even when they first started out. The expectation has always been that if something is in front of you then you take it. Besides my dogs go too fast for me to be calling out every jump LOL

I have other commands too, which they know to varying degrees.

Wait- hold your position until you are released. I use it at the start obviously but also sometimes on contacts if they look ready to release themselves.

Lets Go- release cue for the start and from contacts.

Tight- wrap tightly around the closest upright of the jump because we will be heading back this direction.

Turn/Cross- means I will be doing a rear-cross, expect me on the other side of you. For fairly straight runs that I R-C I don't say anything though.

Back- move laterally away from me, used most often for distance work, gambers, exclusion zones in open

Out- head away from me and take that obstacle out there

Go home- here is a nice straight run home, dont worry about me any more just do it on your own

Far- go around that jump and take it coming towards me.

And Again- used in gamblers when I want to do the same obstacle back-to-back.

I think that is all that I use. I know other people use things like left/right for directions and 'come tunnel/out tunnel' to tell the dog whether it is the far end of the tunnel or the close end.

[Agility Dogs]

I only use a couple of verbal commands for the dogs. The other couple are for me.

Seriously - the dogs have an understanding of all equipment and an understanding that they continue down a straight line unless they are told otherwise. (via my body position).

Cues I use are:

'Bang it' - see saw

Touch or Target (depending on the dog) means hold your contact until I tell you to move - a bit of work to do there.

and the most important of all - 'stay' for the start line!

Then for my own security I might use

table

walk on for aframe or dog walk

poles for weavers

but I'm pretty sure this is all just noise for the dogs.

That's about it.

[GoldenGirl85]

So were you guys encouraged to name each obstacle when you were both learning? there is only one dog/handler pair who are in the beginners class, he is rebuilding confidence but the rest of us are complete beginners and they want us to have a separate command for each obstacle, we are separate from the more advanced groups so I dont know if we are allowed to do our own thing later on

[skip]

Me and Kavik must think alike - our commands are so similar.

Except I am lazy and say Walk not WALK IT.

And "A" for A frame.

Both tunnels are just tunnel. I name the tunnel as on course if I say tunnel they know to go to the tunnel from distance.

And GO Thru for tyre. For some reason when running I could never get Tyre right.

I chose BREAK for the stay release as it is something you don't normally say and sounds different.

At first we tried to teach the dogs drive for every piece of equipment so commands are less vital and I don't say jump normally unless I think the line or the dog needs a hand. Dog should take whatever is in his path.

At our club it is very structured and in the beginner class we just worked on running with dog on each side, the stay, the drop to a target, 2 poles . From memory the next level was more the same but obstacles started to be introduced. No name as such cause the dog was rewarded very heavily for doing anything in front of it. So if the dog saw a plank or a table, it waS ON IT. Should see how hard it was to get your training plank up without a dog getting on and touching for a reward.

Good luck with it all! Have fun with your dog.

[GoldenGirl85]

Skip which club are you with?

[Agility Dogs]

So were you guys encouraged to name each obstacle when you were both learning? there is only one dog/handler pair who are in the beginners class, he is rebuilding confidence but the rest of us are complete beginners and they want us to have a separate command for each obstacle, we are separate from the more advanced groups so I dont know if we are allowed to do our own thing later on

No - I don't think that you should put a command on anything until the behaviour is correct. If you start with weaves for example weaves will mean everything from put you head in the entry to do 2 weave poles to do all 12 - it becomes a muddy command. If you put the command on it once you have it right then you don't have that muddiness.

Cheers.

Tony.

[leopuppy04]

Hmm.... I'm another of those that don't really like to call out everything on course. By the time you get to masters, calling out "over" for every jump can get tiring.

The majority of the time I use these (although I do speak more, I don't think the dog really KNOWS when I say 'see saw' that it's a see saw!)

"Wait" (stay at the startline)

"Ok" (release from startline or contact equipment)

"Tunnel" (I find this definition helps for discriminations)

"A" (A Frame)

"Walk" (Dog walk)

"See saw"

"Steady" (usually used on see saw to remind them to ride it down ;)) or to relax them before the weavers

"Weave"

"Here" (come over here! I try not to use this too much... think of this as an emergency brake!)

"Target" (hit your contact)

"Go" (keep your but moving and follow that straight line... well for the dogs perspective)

For the contacts, I don't usually name them unless it's a discrimination. As others have said, I usually have a lot on my mind while running a course so the less you say the better.... plus I have said 'tunnel' before when I meant dog walk and the dog still did the correct obstacle, so I think what we say is less important than what our body says :D

[leopuppy04]

So were you guys encouraged to name each obstacle when you were both learning? there is only one dog/handler pair who are in the beginners class, he is rebuilding confidence but the rest of us are complete beginners and they want us to have a separate command for each obstacle, we are separate from the more advanced groups so I dont know if we are allowed to do our own thing later on

No - I don't think that you should put a command on anything until the behaviour is correct. If you start with weaves for example weaves will mean everything from put you head in the entry to do 2 weave poles to do all 12 - it becomes a muddy command. If you put the command on it once you have it right then you don't have that muddiness.

Cheers.

Tony.

;) :D Agreed!

[GoldenGirl85]

So were you guys encouraged to name each obstacle when you were both learning? there is only one dog/handler pair who are in the beginners class, he is rebuilding confidence but the rest of us are complete beginners and they want us to have a separate command for each obstacle, we are separate from the more advanced groups so I dont know if we are allowed to do our own thing later on

No - I don't think that you should put a command on anything until the behaviour is correct. If you start with weaves for example weaves will mean everything from put you head in the entry to do 2 weave poles to do all 12 - it becomes a muddy command. If you put the command on it once you have it right then you don't have that muddiness.

Cheers.

Tony.

I dont think I made myself clear lol, we dont put a name to the obstacle until the dog understands what we want, for instance the only commands I use for Tess atm are break, tunnel and table, we are working on poles but there is no command for that yet, we are still on two poles, Im also not using a command for the jumps or the closed tunnel

What I meant is that they are encouraging us to use a different command for all the different types of obstacles, for instance we only started the closed tunnel on Monday, but they said if we use 'tunnel' for the open one then we need a different command for the closed one, just as we need a different command for the tyre and jumps, we cant just use "over" for both of those...make sense?

[Kavik]

I see people use a variety of commands - and the amount they talk on course varies from a lot to very little

I like giving the tunnel a command as I can use it to send to the tunnel from a distance.

The good thing about agility is that there are no rules about whether you have to use verbals or not, or whether obstacles have to have a different name - it is up to you

There is a game in ADAA which is on the trial this weekend called Mute Jumping - where you are not allowed to talk to your dog during the course. It should be interesting to watch!

[piper]

I dont think I made myself clear lol, we dont put a name to the obstacle until the dog understands what we want, for instance the only commands I use for Tess atm are break, tunnel and table, we are working on poles but there is no command for that yet, we are still on two poles, Im also not using a command for the jumps or the closed tunnel

What I meant is that they are encouraging us to use a different command for all the different types of obstacles, for instance we only started the closed tunnel on Monday, but they said if we use 'tunnel' for the open one then we need a different command for the closed one, just as we need a different command for the tyre and jumps, we cant just use "over" for both of those...make sense?

Use what you are comfortable with.

It has been awhile since I have done any agility but all 3 of my dogs had "tunnel" for both types - go into the round hole. And we used over for all types of jumps - if all 4 feet are in the air it is an "over"

I am like the others though in that I think too many commands just becomes noise. Some of my best runs were when I chose to run without commands - if the obstacle is in your line take it and if I don't want you to take it my body language will indicate a change of line. And if needed I would use their name and "here" to pull them back towards me if they were heading to the wrong obstacle.

My main commands were:

OK - release from start line/contacts

Wait - start line and table

Spot - go to your contact location

Walk on - A Frame and dog walk

See Saw

I also used "go on" - keep going the direction you are going and taking whatever is on that line and "out" - move out away from me laterally. 1 of my dogs I also taught switch and wrap as previously described.