indi_dog Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I have just started agility, Indi is really loving it. I'm just curious to know why a lot of the dogs seem to like to tunnel so much What's so special about it?? Is it that crunchy noise it makes when they run through it?? ;) I looked inside of it and it didn't seem all that exciting to me ;) Do all agility dogs have that one favourite piece of equipment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janba Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I had a Dally bitch that would nick off round a course if she got ahead of me and play hide and seek in the tunnel - going form one end to the other and peering out laughing at me ;) My current Dally loves the see saw but won't do the dog walk or A frame. She also thinks weavepoles bite and is oh so careful through them. She is a drama queen My young BC, who has just started thinks its all fun. Maybe he'll be the one who I will be able to trial with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Yep Novas favourite is the tunnel for some reason as well, he goes that fast through it he once pulled the tunnel out of the pegs and went rolling a bit LOL He also enjoys the weavers actually i think he really just enjoys agility as a whole Darcy doesnt have a favourite yet, he just likes the running around LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squeak Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I've got a feeling that sometimes it might be because it was the first piece of agility equipment taught to the dog because the owners wanted to teach the dog something but it was too young for jumping stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helen Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 The A-frame and dog walk are definately Bella's favorites, I think she loves the climb and being up high. In one trial about a year ago I headed in one direction (away from all th contacts), she said cya and headed off to the dog walk The judge had come to give us locals a couple of agility lessons not long before hand so we were going to show off our new skill - he just laughed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I think Sqeak has a good point, it is often one of the first obstacles taught. There are many trainers now who are teaching the tunnel last, purely so they don't produce "tunnel sucks". I think it also has a lot to do with the speed factor, it is one of the few obstacles that we do not ask "a behaviour" on. All we ask is that they go fast & fast is fun. It is very easy for the dog & there is little room for confusion about what is required & it is not something we tend to correct on. We also often use the tunnel to teach send to our dogs...so they learn it is something they can do by themselves...again, b/c it is easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witheverythingiam Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Tunnels are really vacuum's - didn't you know? -WithEverythingIAm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I think it also has a lot to do with the speed factor, it is one of the few obstacles that we do not ask "a behaviour" on. All we ask is that they go fast & fast is fun. It is very easy for the dog & there is little room for confusion about what is required & it is not something we tend to correct on. I too think this is a big component of why dogs love the tunnel. I also think there is a component of new-found confidence which quickly grows because it is fairly easy for the dog to make a 'decision' of their own and achieve the right results. Once in the tunnel there is very little room (not necessarily literally speaking) for the dog to make any other decision other than to go forward - and yet in the dog's mind he/she makes that decision for itself by itself. I often see even the most sooky of dogs grow in confidence before me once they've managed to execute the tunnel once and then twice. Having said that, I couldn't turn my back on my girl if there was a dog-walk or A-frame in the vicinity because she'd be up there. And she would chose those obstacles voluntarily over and above a tunnel any day, even though she enjoyed tunnels too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopuppy04 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 There is also little error a dog can make in a tunnel and little chance of injury (ie: hitting a jump, falling off contacts etc). So they have extreme confidence with the obstacle and what we expect of them.... result - super speedy tunnel lovers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indi_dog Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 I see some dogs enjoy climbing the A-frame and Dogwalk, but once they're up there, they just stand there grinning and wagging their tails like they're saying nyer nyer just you try and get me down!! I'm convinced the agility course is just a giant dog playground, sometimes it's hard to get them away from it when it's time to go home ;) Come to think of it, Indi was taught to go through the tunnel before anything else, so that's probably why she loves the thing so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alibi Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 My girl loves the tunnel the best aswell. Her pet hate is the weave poles, which suprise suprise is mine aswell . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indi_dog Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 I tried to show Indi how to do the weave poles by weaving through them myself. She looked at me like I was a lunatic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t(AD)pole Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Abbie LOVES the see saw! Its so strange. Most dogs are scared of it. She also likes the tunnel and well, just about every obstacle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belijae Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 I was at a local club on Monday and there was a tiny toy poodle that executed the course very well... except she kept running through the tunnel every time it came into her line of sight about 4 times extra. Every one was in hysterics. ... I'll be getting a dally pup soon and I'm a little concerned that all they want to do is fool around halfway through, after the pair I saw at the same club did their run... oh well, I didn't want to be a serious contender anyway (ps. I'd love to see any vids of successful agility dalmatians if anyone knows where to find one) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Ah yes the "tunnel suck"... Darcy the tunnel tart knows all about that Darcy grew to love the tunnel because when she learnt it as a pup, she figured out that if she got up enough speed, she could fly past me at the end of the tunnel and rack off to do big zoomies round the rest of puppy class.... we put a stop to that game quick smart but she just loves the tunnel. For our Christmas break up we have doggie games, one of which is all the tunnels lined up in a big circle, with a few in the middle, and you have to do as many tunnels as you can in 1 minute.... we did 29 (well Darcy did!) and won! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 There is also little error a dog can make in a tunnel and little chance of injury (ie: hitting a jump, falling off contacts etc). So they have extreme confidence with the obstacle and what we expect of them.... result - super speedy tunnel lovers! Have too agree with this theory rather then the first taught one, Nova wasnt taught the tunnel first, it was one of the last ones actually. I didnt start him in any agility training until he was old enough too do it all. Unfortunately though he gets sucked into the tunnel on the first go, the second run through is fine as he realises thats not what i asked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rastus_froggy Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 My Froggy loves the tunnel too, but she is also one of the dogs who gets to the top of the A frame - stops and has a good look around - then zooms off to the best thing she has spotted while being up there!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatevah Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Moses loved the dogwalk. He runs so fast on it, I can't keep up with him. Because for the first 2 years of his life if he wanted to go to the otherside of our back yard he had to cross a plank that went over the creek, we now have a bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderstaff Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Well my dog is CRAZY for the tunnel she LOVES it she ignores everything jumps anything that is put before the tunnel and dives for it. Now it is my fault in a BIG way, she always loved the tunnel so when she did something right I would send her to the tunnel as a treat ( What a Big MISTAKE that was) but now I need to kind of undo what I have done anyone has any suggestion on how I can do this????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 (edited) Well my dog is CRAZY for the tunnel she LOVES it she ignores everything jumps anything that is put before the tunnel and dives for it. Now it is my fault in a BIG way, she always loved the tunnel so when she did something right I would send her to the tunnel as a treat ( What a Big MISTAKE that was) but now I need to kind of undo what I have done anyone has any suggestion on how I can do this????? Damn, I just wrote a big reply & lost it. Will try again. Where is she up to in her training? Is she generally responsive to you handling? How is your timing? Do you pre-cue turns? One exercise which should help is to set up a circle of about 6 jumps with a tunnel as part of the circle, obstacle 4. Start clockwise on jump 1, lead out, to 2. Call her over jumps 1 & 2, & front cross after 2. As soon as she chooses to make that turn, give her a big reward! Then do the exercise again & let her do a jump antoclockwise after the cross, then 2 etc, but always giving BIG reward after the last jump . Do this a few times. Next try it without as big a leadout. If at any time she blows you off & takes the tunnel, ignore her & keep running the other way, kind of pretending to run the course without her. Once you have success a few times, let her have the tunnel & then go back to the first exercise. The next step in proofing is to make a U rather than a circle, so she can see the tunnel from her starting position. And follow the above steps. I have used this exercise a few times with students dogs & it is amazing how quickly the pick it up & learn to pay attention. Hope this makes sense Vickie Edited March 4, 2007 by Vickie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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