# Calming down and focusing during runs



## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

So at this point it's safe to say Kaiju has drive to do agility. But I'm having trouble containing his enthusiasm for it. I think part of it is we just need more handling practice because I know he gets frustrated that I don't have the clearest body language. 

But I also need tips on calming him down while taking/working on obstacles. It was a miracle I got him to slow down enough to not fling himself off the dog walk. But now he's so excited that I line him up for a lead-off and he just basically starts screaming. He gets so excited and hyper focuses on me instead of paying attention to where I'm directing. So he ends up taking a couple jumps, running over and trying to chew on my leg/hand, take a couple more jumps or a tunnel, chew an ankle. 

He is only like this at the actual facility. I've run him through a couple small homemade obstacles at home. But when he gets to the main facility for class, he's so ramped up, he screams, spins, and just generally acts like a natural disaster waiting to happen. He will calm down and do obedience between runs, but once it gets to be our turn, he's a possessed, rabid mongoose ready to tear the place down. 

Should I practice shorter runs, rewarding before he gets so hyped up he's bolting off? Should I try walking him through on leash at a slow pace? Well, if I can even get him to slow down. If he sees we're headed towards an obstacle, he takes off like a freight train to take it. Are there any calming exercises that could help? I need to try to get this tornado under control! :help:

It'll be a beautiful thing if I can get all this energy funneled into precision performance! Our trainer is saying he could be one of the fastest GSD's she's seen in a while and has the motivation of some of their top competition dogs. But his control needs a LOT of work.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

you don't want to slow him down, however, at home I'd do short maybe 3 obstacle set ups. 

since he's a maniac at the class setting is there anyway you can get in there just the two of you ??? 

I find, especially with beginner handlers, the reason they bolt/off course, scream/bark, is our handling skills aren't fast enough for the dog and we aren't clear enough about where/what we want them to do, because again, the dog is faster than us..

I would see if you can work at the facility, maybe even before your class starts, do 3-4 obstacles, call him, treat him, give him a sec ,,go do 3-4 more obstacles...

He sounds like alot of fun and practice makes perfect))


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## TwoBigEars (May 11, 2013)

JakodaCD OA said:


> I find, especially with beginner handlers, the reason they bolt/off course, scream/bark, is our handling skills aren't fast enough for the dog and we aren't clear enough about where/what we want them to do, because again, the dog is faster than us..


I second that. This is pretty typical for a fast dog who is not getting directions from the handler fast enough and is frustrated because he doesn't know where to go.

He sounds very similar to my fast GSD Ryker and we've had many of the same issues, including biting me when he gets frustrated not knowing where to go. I would not recommend putting him on leash and making him do it slowly, but you do need to do some control work.

Control begins at the startline. If Ryker is screaming or barking his head off, I just stand there and wait and don't take his leash off until he's quiet. If I reach for the leash and he barks, "no" and I take my hand away. Repeat as necessary, the leash only comes off when he's quiet. If he's being really obnoxious and carrying on for a long time, I just say "too bad" and walk him back to his crate. It's taken a while and lots of repetitions and 100% consistency with this, but now he is much better and quicker to quiet down at the startline, and our runs are overall less chaotic too. Chaotic startline = chaotic run.

I'd recommend something similar for your dog, as every time he is allowed to practice being psychotic on the way to the startline, the worse it's going to get. I speak from experience.  You may have to take a step back from working on sequences for a while in order to make progress on this.

I would also do shorter sequences. Even just 1-3 obstacles to start, and reward him for coming back to your side (in agility you should be rewarding your dog at your side far more than in front of you). With Ryker I also practiced heeling around the obstacles, especially around tunnels. Eventually got to the point I could walk him right up to a tunnel opening and he would not take it unless I told him too.

I'd also nip his biting in the bud right now. Ryker had to learn that even if he was frustrated with me because of bad directions, he was NOT allowed to bite or nip at me over it. If he did, the fun ended and we walked off the course. Even if you know it is your fault and you are frustrating your dog, biting you should never be acceptable.

Distance training may help too. I find that beginner dogs often have a hard time sending ahead of the handler, which causes them to turn back or cut in front of their handler when they shouldn't. Working on forward sends and "go on" may help, as well as distance training in general.

Sorry for the novel, I could probably write even more!


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## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

Thanks for the suggestions! We've been doing sending practice thus far with cones. Sometime this week, I'm going to pick up the materials to make a few jumps and we can start using those as well. 

I'll try to go a bit early and see if we can't get some calmness or heeling going around the obstacles. I won't be able to book private usage of the floor for a while yet. There are three levels of introductory courses at the facility I'm working at, each one introducing increasingly more difficult obstacles, handling, and sequences. I have to go through all three classes before I'm allowed to book time on the floor and I'm about halfway through the second level now.

I'll put my foot down for the biting. It may mean walking out of class in the middle of running, but if it stops the biting, it'll be worth it! 

I really think much of his frustration is with my handling. I think we did better when we were first starting out because we were both figuring out how to work on the course. But now he understands everything we've done so far and I'm lagging behind! I'm sure he gets frustrated he has to drag his bumbling mom around the course with him. 

But I'll work shorter sequences as well and try to pay better attention to my handling. Hopefully if I can get clearer and more confident with that, it will help him focus.

As far as reward, should I still offer him a reward even if he doesn't care that much about it? He has a ball on a rope that he goes nuts for anytime else. But when we're working agility, the only thing he cares about is taking obstacles. I kept throwing it for him for about two months, every time he finished a sequence correctly, but he'd just give it a passing glance and then trot right by it back to the start. He'll run until his legs are shaking and he can barely stand up between runs and then he still wants to run more - he doesn't even slow down! :shocked: I'm hoping this is normal behavior for a dog that enjoys agility? I'm careful to make him rest when he looks like he's getting close to overworking himself. But is this something I should be worried about?


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## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

:bump: Should I be worried about Kaiju's tendency to pretty much run himself into the ground? Or is that a normal thing that has to be regulated with agility dogs?


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

My agility instructor has a fast Sheltie that barks when he runs. She just picks him up and walks off the course when he does it during a run. Hard to do with a GSD, but you coud put him in a down, or grab his collar and walk off with him.


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## TwoBigEars (May 11, 2013)

Lots of dogs get really crazy for agility, but I've never heard of one like that! Definitely try to regulate him and make him tone it down a bit. It's exciting when your dog loves the game so much, but just because a dog will run himself into the ground doesn't mean he should, and I'm sure you know that. When we have crazy drivey dogs, we often have to tell them to stop long before they want to for their own safety.

I'd also find some way to reward him with a toy or food. Taking obstacles may be more rewarding, but if more obstacles is his reward then it sort of defeats the purpose of trying to do shorter sequences. Plus, using a tangible food/toy reward communicates more clearly when the dog is correct and exactly what he is being rewarded for.

If you have to (which it sounds like you might), you can build value back into the toy. Basically, he has to play with a toy a bit, and then he gets to do an obstacle. If he ignores the toy, no obstacles. So you're basically doing the opposite of what we traditionally do, which is rewarding obstacles with a toy. With a bit of time, you should be able to get him back to playing with the toy again. He needs to learn to play them game on your terms, not his!


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## gsdmom1 (Oct 13, 2003)

Wow! I am thrilled to hear you have a GSD with tons of drive...reminds me of another 1 or 2 I know!
I would love to offer advice, could you post a video of his behavior? Much easier to see if I can see what you are doing as well. 
Embrace the drive, don't try to squash it.


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## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

TwoBigEars said:


> Lots of dogs get really crazy for agility, but I've never heard of one like that! Definitely try to regulate him and make him tone it down a bit. It's exciting when your dog loves the game so much, but just because a dog will run himself into the ground doesn't mean he should, and I'm sure you know that. When we have crazy drivey dogs, we often have to tell them to stop long before they want to for their own safety.
> 
> I'd also find some way to reward him with a toy or food. Taking obstacles may be more rewarding, but if more obstacles is his reward then it sort of defeats the purpose of trying to do shorter sequences. Plus, using a tangible food/toy reward communicates more clearly when the dog is correct and exactly what he is being rewarded for.
> 
> If you have to (which it sounds like you might), you can build value back into the toy. Basically, he has to play with a toy a bit, and then he gets to do an obstacle. If he ignores the toy, no obstacles. So you're basically doing the opposite of what we traditionally do, which is rewarding obstacles with a toy. With a bit of time, you should be able to get him back to playing with the toy again. He needs to learn to play them game on your terms, not his!


Thanks! I'll try the backwards rewarding and see if I can get him engaged with the toy again. If I went out and tried to use it now, he wouldn't even glance at it. He'd just set himself back up in front of the jump.  I don't know if food will work. He usually just sniffs it and then trots off and sets back up in front of the sequence. If I REALLY urge him to eat it, he might swallow it. Maybe if I set up longer breaks between and possibly some obedience exercises. He'll take treats readily if he thinks he's waiting for a turn, but if he thinks he's up to run, he has zero interest in treats or toys at that moment.

I've definitely been monitoring his exertion since realizing he is not going to self-regulate like it seems EVERY other dog does.  Even the hyperactive aussie in our class lays down when he gets tired! But not Kaiju apparently. So we do about three sets with short breaks between and then we take a water/bathroom/short walk break before going back for more. I'm still learning where his physical limit actually is, or where it should be, but I've been stopping him now well before he gets to the shaky leg, can't stand up between runs but still going to run on his turn stage.


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## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

gsdmom1 said:


> Wow! I am thrilled to hear you have a GSD with tons of drive...reminds me of another 1 or 2 I know!
> I would love to offer advice, could you post a video of his behavior? Much easier to see if I can see what you are doing as well.
> Embrace the drive, don't try to squash it.


I'll try to get my roommate out to take a video in the next week or two. He usually works, but if he gets a day off I can probably convince him to hold a video camera for me.  I'm also in the process of putting together a better variety of obstacles to use for practice on my own time. If he practices the same behavior with those, I'll video that as well. So far, his excitable nipping/screaming/jumping behavior has seemed to be contained pretty much solely to when he is working in the actual training facility we are taking classes at. Anywhere else, he doesn't dare put his teeth on my skin, so it really took me by surprise when he started mouthing my arm while trying to scream his way through obstacles!


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## readmeli (Feb 28, 2013)

My pup does the same darn thing. We were at one of our first trials this weekend, and anytime I wasnt telling her the next obstacle to do or lagging behind, I had a jumping, nipping dog. I was lucky the judge didnt excuse us, but I was very obviously ignoring her when she did it and as we are are in starters, I think you get more flexibility.

As we got further into the competition, I got better at getting my commands out FASTER, and telling her where to go and the frustration on her decreased somewhat. In the future I am going to fold my arms and walk off is she does that in classes (she had not been to this degree - so perhaps some of it is just anxiety on her as well).

My dog is toy & treat driven, so when we practice at home, she gets to do the agility equipment, and then when I say it is OK she can go get her bumper and we tug or fetch. The tugging helps to alleviate some of her frustration & energy as well, plus it is good practice for us to tug on command, and drop it as well and be calm.

Just keep HAVING fun out there! That is what is is all about. FUN FUN FUN!


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

He sounds a lot like my dog, starting flyball. 

Basically, we didn't let her run until she was quiet. It's pretty time consuming and hard to do in a class type of environment.

It's a blessing and a curse to have such a high drive dog. It's great when they can learn to cap their drives or channel it the right way, but not a lot of fun when they can't.

I would say do one step at a time. I don't know agility at all, but can you work one obstacle at a time? Just hold him and wait until he settles before sending him through/up/over? Then he learns he doesn't get to play until he's quiet and listening?


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

gsdmom1 said:


> Wow! I am thrilled to hear you have a GSD with tons of drive...reminds me of another 1 or 2 I know!
> I would love to offer advice, could you post a video of his behavior? Much easier to see if I can see what you are doing as well.
> Embrace the drive, don't try to squash it.


Marisa (gsdmom1 dizzy canine massage therapy japanese chin) has and wants crazy drivey gsds (so do I) so make sure you have someone take the video so she can view it. 

Send me a PM when it's up so I can poke her and make sure she knows it's up. She's crazy busy with all her dogs so that way she'll make sure to view it an give feedback.

You seen her and Rev?






We don't want to slow them down, instead we need to learn to focus and manage them at speed. Harder for us and why we are all in dog agility classes every week for our entire lives!!!


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## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> Marisa (gsdmom1 dizzy canine massage therapy japanese chin) has and wants crazy drivey gsds (so do I) so make sure you have someone take the video so she can view it.
> 
> Send me a PM when it's up so I can poke her and make sure she knows it's up. She's crazy busy with all her dogs so that way she'll make sure to view it an give feedback.
> 
> ...


My roommate is coming out to record me this Wednesday, so hopefully I'll have a decent video soon. 

I'd never seen her and Rev running before. Love that control! 

Our last class we actually had some really good focus and were getting some very smooth runs. My trainer was very happy to see, and was fawning over the fact that he "drives through the obstacles with intensity." At least that's what she told me. Don't think I quite understand what she meant yet. I'm assuming it has to do with the difference between how Kaiju takes the obstacles and how, say, one of our Aussie class mates takes them. As long as my handling is quick and clear, Kaiju takes his obstacle and is immediately going hard for whichever obstacle is next (which is why he gets frustrated so quickly when it isn't clear what he's supposed to take next). Whereas I've noticed the Aussie will take obstacles and is sometimes better when he has the promise of a toy, but if there is too much distance he just runs off course or goes to investigate something. Sometimes he hears a sound and just runs off in the middle of going from obstacle to obstacle. He seems to do the course sometimes because he could get the food, but he doesn't seem to have the intense focus on the obstacles that Kaiju seems to get.

I think most of our problem right now is handling. I got a lot of practice the week before because I set up cones and a couple small jumps and was working small sequences over and over. Still not perfect, but my handling is getting more direct and more importantly, quicker.

I noticed his barking is almost nonexistent when my handling is on.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

> I think most of our problem right now is handling. I got a lot of practice the week before because I set up cones and a couple small jumps and was working small sequences over and over. Still not perfect, but my handling is getting more direct and more importantly, quicker.


That is ALWAYS the problem, and the better/smarter/faster the dog then the more skills (and faster thinking) we have to learn to be.

Sounds like you are doing better. Don't get frustrated (or too frustrated  ) just keep learning and taking advantage of seminars and CleanRun and DVD's and there's also interesting stuff up on facebook from different agility groups.


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## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

Alright, here's a video of one of our runs from today. It's one of the first times he's gotten distracted during a run (at the end of the dog walk) but we found out someone dropped a handful of liver treats on the ground, so I can't blame him.  So any comments/critiques are welcome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUr5Pwo2Dzc&feature=youtu.be


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## readmeli (Feb 28, 2013)

You guys look great!!!!!!! keep up the good work.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Wow that was great to watch! You are going to have to RUN!!!


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## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> Wow that was great to watch! You are going to have to RUN!!!


Haha, it seems like he gets everything. Most of my classes are just me learning to get quicker and quicker each run!


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Great job!!! He clearly loves it!!


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