# Bark, Bark, Bark when at the starting line of a agility course??



## Miss Molly May

Molly is doing awesome in agility,she is super fast, absolutely love doing the equipment. When we are around a course she starts getting very excited.
As soon as we approach the starting line and have her sit and wait she starts barking like crazy! We have been working at home with her for months trying to keep her quiet at the starting line but are unsuccessful! She is not a "barky" when we are not doing agility. Does anyone have a similar situation? Any tips on keeping her quiet? The people I train with are suggesting we put a collar that sprays a mist when she barks but I don't want to do that(I don't want to make agility negative!)


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## doggiedad

i've be a steward at a lot of agility rings and i've
seen a lot of dogs get barky and excited when 
they're waiting go into the ring. i don't remember
seeing anyone trying to stop the barking or excitement.


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## MaggieRoseLee

Well, the good news is that some of the top dogs do this on the startline. Great article from Susan Garrett about her dog Buzz

In Defense of the Opinionated Dog | Susan Garrett's Dog Training Blog

Bretta will bark a bit on the startline when she's amped for a run (not always though) as well as sometimes on the table. Glory does it a bit. 

Personally, you need to be careful about your criteria and training this away. Because you may THINK you are correcting/fixing the barking, but you may actually end up sucking the fun from agility with the dog just understanding that bad stuff happens at the startline. They may start jumping the startline, leaving the ring, just slowing down in general. 

So figuring out another thing to train, or managing the startline (fast as possible), I know that some people have a kind of elaborate startline regime of having the dog go around and between their legs before the sit/stay then they immediately leave, set up and release the dogs. Seems like sometimes the more precise we are and more elaborate (but clear and fast) our routine is on the startline, the more it helps.

Additionally, very short leadouts at the beginning of this seem to help the most. Going too far too fast seems to really crank up some of our dogs and allow them to bark bark bark (and put it into their routine) and there's nothing to be done if we are on our way to a 3 jump leadout.

BTW, have you ever thought about attending any of Susan Garrett's training? She's used to high drive dogs (which, BTW many people do NOT have so they have no idea of the barking issue and what it really is and why you may (or may not) want to deal with it). The fact that you have a drivey dog that is loving agility is a GREAT thing and you do NOT want to lose that.

aw:


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## Miss Molly May

MaggieRoseLee said:


> Well, the good news is that some of the top dogs do this on the startline. Great article from Susan Garrett about her dog Buzz
> 
> In Defense of the Opinionated Dog | Susan Garrett's Dog Training Blog
> 
> Bretta will bark a bit on the startline when she's amped for a run (not always though) as well as sometimes on the table. Glory does it a bit.
> 
> Personally, you need to be careful about your criteria and training this away. Because you may THINK you are correcting/fixing the barking, but you may actually end up sucking the fun from agility with the dog just understanding that bad stuff happens at the startline. They may start jumping the startline, leaving the ring, just slowing down in general.
> 
> So figuring out another thing to train, or managing the startline (fast as possible), I know that some people have a kind of elaborate startline regime of having the dog go around and between their legs before the sit/stay then they immediately leave, set up and release the dogs. Seems like sometimes the more precise we are and more elaborate (but clear and fast) our routine is on the startline, the more it helps.
> 
> Additionally, very short leadouts at the beginning of this seem to help the most. Going too far too fast seems to really crank up some of our dogs and allow them to bark bark bark (and put it into their routine) and there's nothing to be done if we are on our way to a 3 jump leadout.
> 
> BTW, have you ever thought about attending any of Susan Garrett's training? She's used to high drive dogs (which, BTW many people do NOT have so they have no idea of the barking issue and what it really is and why you may (or may not) want to deal with it). The fact that you have a drivey dog that is loving agility is a GREAT thing and you do NOT want to lose that.
> 
> aw:


Good point!! I guess I should let Molly do her thing at the start line, she is very motived and loves the equipment! The people I train with seem to get a little annoyed that was the main reason I was trying to stop this!


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## jae

There was a smaller breed terrier I saw do agility once, that a dog school was trying to show off how great they do agility. It barked/yelped the entire way through the course (missed plenty of obstacles too) and was plain annoying. Their excuse - he's a barker. At the end, it cowered, ears back and tail tucked, when the handler reached down to praise.

Not sure what to think of that experience. What I do know is that my boy will _only_ bark when he is way excited when we are playing together. So I also think it's good for your Molly to be barking


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## llombardo

Mine does this too. I haven't gotten as far as getting her to even sit when we start Since we have done everything on leash thus far, she is at that start line barking, lurching forward...just ready to go....I will start with the sit/stay this week


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## wildo

In that article from SG that MRL posted, Susan states:



> If I had to do it again with Buzz, knowing what I know today, I do believe I would have a much better shot at keeping him quiet. I guess we will never know!


Funny... yes we will know. Swagger is a "barker" and Susan is adamantly against letting him work while barking. At least for the first fourteen months of his life, that has been true. I do think the recent video of Swagger running in the Canadian Opens- he was barking. It will be interesting to see if Susan gets a grip on this as Swagger progresses. In Susan's PuppyPeak program, she mentions barking and has firmly stated that she learned with Buzz that a barking dog is beyond annoying as she had to scream commands at him in order to get him through the course. "Never again," she says...


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## JakodaCD OA

Does she bark when you start running/she's running the course? Honestly, I can't stand a barking dog when doing agility This was a biggy for me when I got my aussie, I did NOT want a yapping dog running an agility course..It's distracting and can be frustrating not to mention ear splitting..Thank god she never did, maybe here and there out of frustration with 'me' at a point, but quiet overall.

With that, if Molly's not barking once she hits the course, I would probably put up with the barking at the start line cause I'm sure she ain't the only one 

The only other thing I can think of is, set her up, I'd set her up at a start line, as soon as the barking starts, I'd take her leash and walk off, game ends..No talking, no correcting, just walk away. This will probably take ALOT of set ups, and the milli second she was NOT barking, I'd run her..(I most likely would not do this at a trial, since you'd be wasting ALOTTA entry fees


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## Elaine

JakodaCD OA said:


> The only other thing I can think of is, set her up, I'd set her up at a start line, as soon as the barking starts, I'd take her leash and walk off, game ends..No talking, no correcting, just walk away. This will probably take ALOT of set ups, and the milli second she was NOT barking, I'd run her..(I most likely would not do this at a trial, since you'd be wasting ALOTTA entry fees


This is what I would do, except I might wait it out for her to stop barking. No running unless she's quiet. Obviously, you can't do this at a trial and this is a training issue.

Barking is so annoying and it's hard for the dog to concentrate when it's doing that. I have seen so many dogs knock the first bar because they are so wound up they can't think. This is something I would do my best to eliminate.


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## JakodaCD OA

also good idea elaine!


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## elisabeth_00117

Zefra is the same way during protection work. As soon as she gets out of the crate and sees the helper or the blinds set up; BARK BARK BARK. I thought it would translate over to agility but it didn't but I only think that it didn't because she doesn't find agility as exciting (even though she REALLY enjoys agility).

What I did was what Elaine suggested - waited her out and we did not move until she was quiet. Once she was quiet then we started working.

With Zefra it's a leaking of the drive, she hits the roof as soon as she is working. It was trying to get her to figure out when it was time to work and when it wasn't. Something that with age and more training went away but I can tell she still wants to do it.. it's just now she knows better.. lol.


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## Dainerra

JakodaCD OA said:


> The only other thing I can think of is, set her up, I'd set her up at a start line, as soon as the barking starts, I'd take her leash and walk off, game ends..No talking, no correcting, just walk away. This will probably take ALOT of set ups, and the milli second she was NOT barking, I'd run her..(I most likely would not do this at a trial, since you'd be wasting ALOTTA entry fees


I actually saw someone do this at our agility trial in May. It was breaking on the start, not barking, but the same idea. She had been working on the issue and the dog had no problem holding a "wait" in training. However, take her to a trial and the dog would take off as soon as the handler's back was turned. The dog had learned that he couldn't be corrected in the ring.
She walked into the ring, told the dog to "stay" and walked onto the course. The dog popped up and over the first jump as soon as her back was turned. She simply grabbed the collar and walked out of the ring. 

Later that afternoon she was scheduled to run again. This time, though, she turned quick enough to catch the dog getting up. The dog sit back down, stayed until released and ran the course. She said that it was more than worth the entry fees to be able to correct the issue.


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## MaggieRoseLee

All I have to say is be careful.... it does seem that some dogs can do agility and bark, and though it's annoying, it works for them. As much as Susan Garrett's dog barked... let's remember he was one of the top agility dogs in the USA/Canada. 

I will say that many dogs that seem to bark on the course (not the startline) it's only when the handler is late/confused/not clear. Most of the time when it's going well and the handler is EARLY to cue the course the dogs seem focused and quiet and smooth. 

So it does seem to be (once again) a handler issue we can work on. And even the startline thing can be a separate issue we can work on (or not) if it's a real issue. My Bretta will bark at the startline, and creep at the startline, but has NEVER broken and taken the first jump before I release her. So I manage this by keeping an eye on her (she always creeps when my back is towards her so I can't see) and by setting her back quite a ways so if she does move forward a bit she's still back and not right on that first bar to knock it.

It really is a fine line between keeping the drive and our ability to really be clear that it's the BARKING that's an issue (or not). For me, I set Bretta up and briskly get into place so the barking is a brief time. I don't play games and futz around. Once we are running she is quiet so we are fine. But that's my dog and how I manage it. Works for us!


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## Dainerra

MaggieRoseLee, yes there is definitely different levels of barking. I've seen some dogs that just bark bark bark and it's an excited and happy thing. Others are barking and demanding and just being brats about it.


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## Guardyan

If the barking only happens at the start line, you might try leaving your dog in a down rather than a sit. Some dogs are quite vocal in a sit, but are quieter in a down position. 

Gavin is a real talker before we run, so we do spins, backups, and paw touches to help keep him quiet.


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## Miss Molly May

Thank you all for your opinions and tips! Molly only bark at the starting line once we take off she is quiet and very focus! I will try the things you suggested and see what works best ! Her barking is purely excitement she absolutely loves doing the obstacles! I will bring my camera tonight to training and post a video


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## Teddy12312

At least your dog doesn't do that at class! He does this bark-yelp thing and won't stop whining! i don't try to stop it. the barking and whining just show his love for agility!


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## middleofnowhere

Maybe, since your motivation is the annoyed class/club members, the best thing to do would be to buy them some cheap earplugs....


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## wyoung2153

Miss Molly May said:


> Molly is doing awesome in agility,she is super fast, absolutely love doing the equipment. When we are around a course she starts getting very excited.
> As soon as we approach the starting line and have her sit and wait she starts barking like crazy! We have been working at home with her for months trying to keep her quiet at the starting line but are unsuccessful! She is not a "barky" when we are not doing agility. Does anyone have a similar situation? Any tips on keeping her quiet? The people I train with are suggesting we put a collar that sprays a mist when she barks but I don't want to do that(I don't want to make agility negative!)


K not in agility and I don't know if you get docked points for a barking excited pup BUT I just wanted you to know that on our SAR team there is a female, Liebe, that is INSANELY vocal before she starts a search. I mean ear piercing excitement out of this girl, always always at the start of her searches.. from the minute she is pulled out of the car to the moment her handler says "work" she is squealing in excitement. SO I would say it isn't that uncommon and personally I like that level of excitement when I am working my dog.


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## crackem

I don't do agility, but I know what you're talking about. I call my dog to do OB and she goes ballistic barking at me when I call her to basic position and will bark in position till we start moving and even then it would continue at times.

I started just giving my NRM and walking in the house (fenced yard) and not coming out for a while. Didn't take her long to realize she needed to STFU to keep going. No slowing down, no decrease of desire. If anything it made her more intense and more focused. I hate stupid misdirected barking. They can be quiet, and you don't have to make them. You can show them they have to chose it, or nothing happens. It doesn't make them any less energetic or driven. If anything it makes it better because it's better focused.


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## David Taggart

Your dog barks, because barking (out of excitement) became a part of the whole game, like a prelude to the opera, like a hymn before the football match, and she sings it in unison with other dogs she definitely hears. It would be a bad idea to stop her barking completely, but you can put *a pause* before the game starts. There should be silence in between. And for that train her "Prepare!"
Dont make it a forbidding command,* it should be different from "Quiet!" command*, pronounce it in exciting tones, and say it for the first time just before she runs. Choose a moment when she stopped barking, and exactly at the moment she went quiet - give her a reward (a treat). Always reward at exact moment in order to fix the behaviour, it works! When you start to notice that she responds on command "Prepare!" well and stops barking, make the pause interval longer, then longer, and longer. You can minimize barking to 2-3 minutes from the moment you entered the building.


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