# How to get them animated?



## Cashous01 (Jul 21, 2013)

I made the stupid mistake of making conformation serious for my boy and now he has lost all animation. He used to walk into the ring all excited and now he has a low headset and he kinda just moved along. Just wondering if you guys have tips to get them more excited/animated? I've tried to be excited like at obedience but he still doesn't seem to care. My breeder said I can bring a toy into most rings and get him excited. He moves out and stands really well when others show him because he's looking for me but he barks a lot. Any tips/ videos would e greatly appreciated!!! Hopefully this all makes sense. 


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

Have others show him! If it works, roll with it.

Vary your bait. I usually have something fuzzy up my sleeve, something squeaky in my pocket, and something delicious in my mouth. Bound to hit something somewhere.

Join a ring-handling class where they have gates set up. Work on a hard surface and toss bait ahead of you intermittently. Let him collect it at first, but after a while redirect so he's not stooping to sniff the floor when it really matters. When you enter the ring for real, pretend 'toss' bait to get his head up and catch his interest.

ETA: watch out in UKC, though... bait tossing is a big NO NO and you want to be very clear that you're just using a motion, not actually tossing anything.


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## Cashous01 (Jul 21, 2013)

Thanks I've been reading about tossing the food so I'm going to see if I can try that. There are handling classes near us I just work 6 days a week and its hard to find classes that work with my schedule. He doesn't get overly excited about food but I think the toy might do the trick I just would hate to mess up the other dogs. He really is loud when others show him, my breeder said he actually pawed the judges hand off his bite because he was in his way to look for me. What about teaching him to stand taller in the stack? Thanks so far!!! 


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

If you toss bait *PLEASE PICK IT UP* It is rude to throw bait and not pick it up. Honestly, just tossing it up and down in your hand is usually good enough, or, if you're trying to get expression and ears, toss it up, and let it hit the floor, but immediately pick it back up and start baiting again.


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## KatsMuse (Jun 5, 2012)

I don't use treats. I use a 'turkey call'. ( Walmart/sports store)
My forerunner goes ahead and squishes it while calling my dog's name. 
Some people use squeaky toys...but I wanted something different.
After awhile, they'll figure out what to do and you won't need it.

Just a suggestion.
 Kat


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Also keep in mind that double handling is NOT allowed in AKC shows.


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> Also keep in mind that double handling is NOT allowed in AKC shows.


But simultaneously keep in mind that double handling is blatantly used VERY OFTEN by pro handlers and is rarely penalized. Double edged sword!


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Well, it's definitely blatant at specialties. Running laps outside the ring, ringing bells, yelling their dogs' names. I hate it. Drives me nuts. 

I don't see it at the all breed shows, at least in these parts. _No one_ is racing around outside the ring (there isn't room anyway - you'd mow someone over), yelling their dog's names. The AKC rep would be on you in a heartbeat. I guess you could do some discreet coughing. Or talk loud. Or knock over a chair. My double handling consists of staying in the same spot outside the ring so my dog isn't looking for me. She _knows_ where I am then, and pays attention to my handler.


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## Cashous01 (Jul 21, 2013)

Oh no I wouldn't toss bait in the ring I was reading to teach them to look forward when your practising to toss the bait and then just use the motion. I'll try to post a link. I hide when someone else shows him the one time I tried just standing in view and he almost took the handler out twice. So that went out the window very quickly. I really like showing and would prefer to do it myself. I just need to find a way to have him stack more excited he stands but his head is kinda low. (I will try to post a picture) and he really pays no mind to the judge (very aloof) 


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## Cashous01 (Jul 21, 2013)

http://sue-eh.ca/page24/page30/
This link should bring you to the article...






this is what he stacks like in the ring... Also any tips besides the ones in the article to get them to move forward without looking at you? He trots around as if we are doing a fast heel in obedience... 


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I remember when we were training the girls to pull out in front of us. One of us would get in one corner of the ring, and then call the dog to us. The one handling would then let them run to us (running behind, holding the lead). Big praise! Then on to the next corner, going all away around the ring. Pretty soon they figured out they were supposed to move out ahead of the handler, all around the ring. They don't have to race around at a breakneck speed. Some judges don't like all the fast zipping around, and will tell you to slow your dog down. 

Carly also went through a phase where she acted like we were trying to bore her to death, but thankfully got over it!


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## Cashous01 (Jul 21, 2013)

Thanks DogFaeries! I will be quitting one of my jobs within the next few weeks so I should be able to get to handling classes before show season starts up again. I will definitely try that. And yes I swear he thinks "oh we are going to a dog show!!" Then we get there and the chocker goes on and he's like oh crap... Now we run around the ring and now I have to stand here for ages!! And a person is now touching me, and now they are making these annoying noises... Oh look more trotting around... Oh thank god we are done.... And resume playing!!! I just want to bring some of that fun back. I don't even care if he acts like an idiot I just want something other than... This sucks.... 


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

How old is he? Carly absolutely hates waiting at ringside to go in. I learned my lesson with that girl! She would get all sulky if she had to wait around, so I started making her stay in her crate at the grooming site until practically the last minute. That way she didn't have time to work herself up into a temper tantrum. 

In the ring, my handler plays with her. She loves my handler, so she has fun.

Sage, on the other hand, is a completely different animal! She's practically narcoleptic ringside. If I don't keep an eye on her, she's sprawled on the floor on her side, taking a nap. ("Come on, Sage, you are messing up your hair! And someone is going to step on your tail. Get up, Sage!!") Silly dog. How she can nap with all that activity going on is beyond me!


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

Cashous01 said:


> Thanks DogFaeries! I will be quitting one of my jobs within the next few weeks so I should be able to get to handling classes before show season starts up again. I will definitely try that. And yes I swear he thinks "oh we are going to a dog show!!" Then we get there and the chocker goes on and he's like oh crap... Now we run around the ring and now I have to stand here for ages!! And a person is now touching me, and now they are making these annoying noises... Oh look more trotting around... Oh thank god we are done.... And resume playing!!! I just want to bring some of that fun back. I don't even care if he acts like an idiot I just want something other than... This sucks....


Half the battle with animation is getting yourself psyched up. I have a bitch that's been in the ring so often I could drop the leash and she'd do it herself, stack and all. She might even show her bite at this point, lol! If I don't work to get her animated it's blatantly obvious that she's bored out of her mind. At Premier I took an empty water bottle with me ringside. We played and danced around and made ourselves look like giddy fools with that crinkly water bottle while all the other exhibitors watched us with their dogs calmly in sits or downs. When we all went into the ring, it was my dog that showed out her flash; wind-up is everything for a bored, habituated dog.

Also, stop asking for a 'stand' or 'stack' command. In that pic, your dog has the look of a dog who is submitting after being issued a command and perhaps corrected for attempting to break it or loomed over to be physically manipulated into stack. Lure your dog naturally, reherse with stack blocks, and let him find his own stack. Then praise praise praise and tease tease tease to get those ears up. When baiting, introduce the bait near his ankles and whip it up over his head. Try to get him to hop off both front feet to snap at it. That will re-align his front more naturally and get his ears and head up as well as throwing his chest out.
Once he's used to having his head up, pull the collar up behind the ears and hold his front up so he cannot put his head down. Then whip the bait down from above his head to just under eye level. This will also bring his chest up and his earset (currently held incorrectly in the pic) and give him an alert expression.

Introduce and use the 'watch me' command. Get him familiar with light-touch repositioning (this way you can pop a foot into place with light pressure to avoid bending over to place him.

Put on your show collar as part of your feeding ritual. Place collar, let him stack, reward with dinner. We want that collar to mean big money to him. What kind of collar are you using?


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## Cashous01 (Jul 21, 2013)

dogfaeries said:


> How old is he? Carly absolutely hates waiting at ringside to go in. I learned my lesson with that girl! She would get all sulky if she had to wait around, so I started making her stay in her crate at the grooming site until practically the last minute. That way she didn't have time to work herself up into a temper tantrum.
> 
> In the ring, my handler plays with her. She loves my handler, so she has fun.
> 
> Sage, on the other hand, is a completely different animal! She's practically narcoleptic ringside. If I don't keep an eye on her, she's sprawled on the floor on her side, taking a nap. ("Come on, Sage, you are messing up your hair! And someone is going to step on your tail. Get up, Sage!!") Silly dog. How she can nap with all that activity going on is beyond me!


He will be four on the 15th. I will also try crating him to see if that helps(we crate at obedience shows and it seems to help keep him from getting tired) 


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## Cashous01 (Jul 21, 2013)

marbury said:


> Half the battle with animation is getting yourself psyched up. I have a bitch that's been in the ring so often I could drop the leash and she'd do it herself, stack and all. She might even show her bite at this point, lol! If I don't work to get her animated it's blatantly obvious that she's bored out of her mind. At Premier I took an empty water bottle with me ringside. We played and danced around and made ourselves look like giddy fools with that crinkly water bottle while all the other exhibitors watched us with their dogs calmly in sits or downs. When we all went into the ring, it was my dog that showed out her flash; wind-up is everything for a bored, habituated dog.
> 
> Also, stop asking for a 'stand' or 'stack' command. In that pic, your dog has the look of a dog who is submitting after being issued a command and perhaps corrected for attempting to break it or loomed over to be physically manipulated into stack. Lure your dog naturally, reherse with stack blocks, and let him find his own stack. Then praise praise praise and tease tease tease to get those ears up. When baiting, introduce the bait near his ankles and whip it up over his head. Try to get him to hop off both front feet to snap at it. That will re-align his front more naturally and get his ears and head up as well as throwing his chest out.
> Once he's used to having his head up, pull the collar up behind the ears and hold his front up so he cannot put his head down. Then whip the bait down from above his head to just under eye level. This will also bring his chest up and his earset (currently held incorrectly in the pic) and give him an alert expression.
> ...


Yes I tried to make it too serious and would get after him if he moved (not rough, I feel like I was more nagging him all the time to stay). I'm going to bring the clicker back out because he likes working for it. I use a parachute cord chocker but I was thinking about hooking the clip to both rings so that it wasn't a chocker to avoid corrections. 



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