Vacuum!

The other day when I was working with Quick, he simply couldn’t focus on me.  The world was fresh with spring, the ground was wet, and he didn’t wanna.  I had to tune down the practice to focus games to remind him that we were working, and tune up the reward rate.  Once I did those two things, we were able to move forward again.

Dog agility doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and competition is about as far from a vacuum as you can get!  The sights, sounds, smells and your own stress levels deliver messages to your dogs brain at unbelievable rates of speed, making focus on you no small feat.  By varying your training locations, your routines, and attending ‘fun runs’ and low-key trials, you can help your dog to navigate more serious trials with aplomb.