Contact/Tunnel Discrimination

[LeAnn, Lucy & Rusty!!]

At the NADAC agility trials last weekend I was amazed at how few dogs were able to discriminate between the contact and the tunnel. Lucy and I aren't even near working on this yet but from what I observed there were two approaches: one was to use the body/shoulders and the other was verbal commands "tunnel", etc.

My trainer does not use verbal commands other than GO! Do y'all use verbal commands? Those that are able to discriminate between the contact and the tunnel - what do you do? How long did it take to learn??

[Linda and Murphy]

We use both. Murphy would automatically do tunnel on this. (sigh).

We had that exact setup on a run but were coming from the other direction. Murphy did a 180 turn INTO the tunnel! It wasn't even on my radar.

I use the commands: tunnel A frame, teeter, over (for jumps), walk it, table.

They read your body language first. (this was proved to me...I was always trying to "catch" him when he cam out of the tunnel. After I blew it several times, I was told to point my feet and shoulders where he needs to go. It worked..even on him.) no matter what you are saying. I actually asked for a class where we could have multiple objects in front and give a command to go to one in particular. (haven't had it yet),

[Kim Williams]

I would use both. I would try to over emphasize with my shoulders and also say tunnel. Courses like this are challenging!!

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

We always give the verbal command with a hand signal, for them to follow, jump, tunnel, teeter, table, walk it for the A frames, weave, not sure what they call the long walk thing..lol. Body language is just as important and probably what screws Hannah and I up the most, cause of the disability. It's sometimes hard when you have to do front crosses and just learing where you need to put them in.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Have to share this with all, Took Honey to the dog park for the first time, and it was hysterical. Honey followed her big sis Hannah around like she was tied to her. When another dog would run up to her and try and play, Honey would lie down and act like it's ok, check me out, than she would get right back up and run behind Hannah again. Hannah is such a smart butt...she went inside the tunnel, and Honey was running around it looking for her like 4 to 5 times till she realized Hannah was in the tunnel, and they kept doing this, till finally Honey had the courage to go off and play with some other dogs. Her big sis Hannah kept an eye out for her though and it was just so neat that Hannah new she had to help her little sis gain some confidence and play with other dogs. They had a fantastic time and wore themselves out playing.

[LeAnn, Lucy & Rusty!!]

That is so FUN! I had to laugh out loud at "hannah is such a smart butt".. LOL too funny. Lucy and Rusty do similar things. Yesterday I was out in a 44 acre fenced pasture - just me and the pooches. Rusty had such a hard time deciding do I run off with Lucy or stay with Mama.. it was key-ute! I played a bit of hide and seek. As soon as Lucy couldn't see me, she'd immediately start searching. One time I laid down in the tall grass and just waited. She and Rusty found me in no time.

Aren't our pups the cutest in the whole world??

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

LOL LeAnn, just amazes me sometimes on how these kids in fur coats really connect with each other and people. Kinda brings memories of our childhood, like the time my brother and I skipped school and my poodle (Missy) almost gave it away as we hid and my Dad was two feet away and didn't see us under a picnic table in our cabana, but kept telling my poodle Missy to stop her whinning, and she was a real smart butt to....LOL.