# Teeter Question



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Ok I am taking a class but we have had some cancels due to storms, heat, etc. .........but the course is open for us to go anytime on our own.

My goal is not competition but food placement, confidence, directionals, etc.

Right now he is running the dogwalk with confidence (and it is shoulder high for me), the tunnels, the wobble board but I am having a trouble with him wanting to bail at the peak of the teeter when it starts to move. 

Suggestions? I am thinking of making a lower teeter for home but to me this is an IMPORTANT excercise because it is about stability on an unstable surface........or should I focus on my own wobble and rokcer boards I am working on making (I figure I could make a rocker on a 2x12 and have the stuff to make the wobble board )


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I would lower the teeter. When the board starts to tip, try to keep him on with a lure while grabbing the teeter and slowly lowering it.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

TONS of info in this thread. I'm directly linking to a post of mine because it just so happens that using a table at each end is more/less what SG has us working on in her Contacts class right now.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/agility/178359-teeter-hangup.html#post2423089

*[EDIT]*-I would add that regardless of if you are wanting to compete or not, you should be hammering the "backup" command as the ability to shift their weight back into their butts is SO important for a safe teeter performance. There is much more shock absorption in the rear legs than the fronts. Keeping their weight forward means a lot of negative things- more weight to slam against their shoulders as the teeter hits, a slower or creeping performance, it sets them up for a poor release off of the teeter, etc. Training a backup is _really_ training weight shift.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

wonderful, I was searching on teeter but it did not come up near the front for me


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

I really do like that video series. Personally, I think it's spot on with a good methodology. The one addition I would put in there is to start with a 24" table on BOTH ends. This gets the dog used to sprinting across a narrow plank. Additionally, it defines the criteria to the dog from the beginning by splitting the end behavior into achievable components.

If you start with the tables at 24" and 16" then you have lumped "run across as fast as possible" with "deal with the plank dropping out underneath you." Lumping is bad; splitting is good. You might _also_ need to split even further to define "I want you to tug with me while you are on this table."


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I like the table idea too. Controls range of motion of the teeter. Right now he runs across the long plank on the gangwalk fast so the width and heights don't bother him nor does going up and down the plank. 

Don't know if the noise does as we have not got there and I when he tried to bail I said. stop. get help.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

jocoyn said:


> ...to me this is an IMPORTANT excercise because it is about stability on an unstable surface





jocoyn said:


> should I focus on my own wobble and rokcer boards I am working on making (I figure I could make a rocker on a 2x12 and have the stuff to make the wobble board )


I misread this. If your dog hasn't done many (or any) balance body awareness exercises, then you really need to get them first. Pimg's confidence on uneven or tricky surfaces has _exploded_ since working body awareness.

This pic was taken 4/13/2011 and it's obvious how unstable and unsure she is. I don't have a current pic but a week or two we went back there and she jumped up and walked across like it was nothing. In fact, I promised Pimg I'd take her to do something exciting tonight- so I'll get a new picture. Maybe even video. Anyway- with S&R as your primary focus and confidence on unsteady surfaces as your goal for agility, you can't go wrong with working as much body awareness as possible. Wobble board, balance disks (work compression AND extension), balance peanuts, perch work, kayaking, etc.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Yep. Think dog on the front end of a boat having to hang over the edge. Poor old Grim got fished out of the drink a good bit from getting excited when he caught odor and loosing his footing. One of my drivers is to prevent Beau from suffering some of his kamikaze injuries. Grim had the confidence but was clumsy as all get out. (Still is)

Makes sense to work on those things first.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I would lower the teeter almost to the ground, hold on to his collar to support him and make sure he goes slowly, and hold food in your other hand in front of his face to lure and encourage him. Pick up speed, back off on his collar, and raise it, with success and increase in confidence.


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

I'd suggest going back and working on foundations before you make further attempts at the teeter at any height. Most dogs need foundation work to prepare them for the noise/movement of the teeter. Without proper foundation, teeter performance can easily become a big issue that can take months or even years to work through. I have helped several people work through teeter issues with dogs who were introduced too quickly and either were never confident on the obstacle or seemed fine at first but scared themselves and became worried about it. Both are pretty common scenarios if the dog lacks foundation skills.

The best place to start IMO is with tricks that teach your dog to make things move and/or make noise. Training them to close cupboard doors and drawers is a good starting point. Shaping with a skateboard, first on carpet then working your way to slick surfaces is good too. Shaping with wobble boards as well (shaping here meaning you start off rewarding any and all interactions with the object). If you have access to a teeter and once you've done some of the tricks and wobble board work, you can start on The Teeter Bang Game and Jungle Gym Teeter. From there, you can slowly work up to full teeter performance. Slowly. Don't be in a hurry to progress, it really is worth it to have a dog who's fully confident and actually wants to perform the teeter rather than one who performs it but is hesitant and worried. Especially if your main goal is getting your dog confident about different surfaces and things moving under his feet. In that case, you really want to encourage the dog to offer interaction and to find causing objects to move and make noise is fun and rewarding. So no forcing, not even by just holding the collar while trying to get the dog to walk a low teeter. The dog should always have the choice to be able to jump off if they are worried. Once they are through the foundations and trained on the obstacle, they won't jump off because it's too fun and too rewarding to perform the whole obstacle 


Trick ideas and conditioning dogs to like movement/noise
Reactive Champion: Clicker Expo 2011 (Chicago): Eva Bertilsson and Emelie Johnson Vegh- Let's Make Some Noise!

The Bang Game





Jungle Gym Teeter
http://www.awesomepaws.us/pdf/junglegymteeter.pdf


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