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I have room for the tunnel. I also have a big wrap around porch. I will put it there with the Cato board. He is more escalated with a toy. I will work with treats.
You can’t see it in the video, but there is a treat and train at the far end of the weave exit and a bowl for treats about 10 foot from the entry. I try to treat low in a bowl or on the ground. This has helped the nipping.
Severity-4
Time- 3 seconds
Gus working. This is after we restart or redo a sequence. He runs by me and nips at my hands or rear end. Or jumps around acting like a nut. If I did not keep this segment short, he would start biting at a tunnel or wing or anything he seizes on.
For him, severity-5
7 seconds
I have 20 acres that is completely fenced around the entire perimeter. My dogs get lots of time to be a dog. My house is about 250 yards from the agility field down or up a steep hill. (Depending on which direction you are going) This is Gus walking to the agility field. If I walk in the woods or a different direction, he will still act this way. He can be calmer at moments, but will randomly push and shove on the other dogs if they are out with us.
Severity-3 or 4
Time-3 SecondsYes!!! Bring on the training loop please! I am eager to learn this!
I will discontinue the Cato board as requested.
I did not shrink the tunnel. The videos that I sent are all in the past. So, I have not tried shrinking the tunnel yet.Good Morning Bobbie-
I’m sorry, I do not know what a training loop is? A trainer that I work with suggested re-directing him to the board to calm him down and give him a minute to refocus. (I have also had other people and trainers tell me to re-home him or get another dog.) I trained horses most of my adult life. I view all of this as simply a challenge, not something to get rid of. He is here to stay. A quest to get more tools in my hip pocket to help him. I am trying to give you as much info as I can to help you help me. I am also letting you know my mindset. I am in for the long haul with this boy.
From his first day on an agility field, he found the tunnel was something to run and bite. In frustration, he will also bite a wing or the course numbers. Or, he used to just run out there looking for something to bite at. Barking and looking for anything to seize on. I cannot relate the behavior to any incident or moment in time. It’s like he was hard wired with this wild, feral brain. In the beginning, I thought he would grow out of it? I ignored it and would just do a little training and quit on something positive.
Before the Cato board, I did an on leash game where we would walk by the tunnel, then walk up to it and down, massive treats, then walk by again and let him go through, massive treats. This was the beginning of the random tunnel bite instead of the every time attack.
I agree that he probably views the Cato board or any stopping of movement as negative. It has helped, because it has slowed the behavior, but it has not been the cure. Kind of like a time out for a kid pitching a fit.
Another suggestion from people observing: I tried getting his collar and keeping hold of him after stopping until I am ready for the next sequence. I do not like this. I prefer putting the leash back on until I am ready vs the collar grab. If I am in a lesson and the instructor wants to explain something, I put the leash back on and put him in a down with a constant treat train.
I don’t know what pattern games are? I am ready to try anything that you tell me to help him. 🙂Hey Bobbie-
Yes. 1st video shows the problem. At first I tried to just ignore it. Then I tried telling him no, which seemed to make him worse. This video is about a year and a half old.
This video shows adding a tunnel after I worked with re-directing Gus to a Cato board or a down.
My new protocol is to be as calm as I can be with my voice. When I walk on the field, he is on leash or I have his collar. I try to get the work done without going over anything too much, because that seems to esaclate/frustrate him. If he starts escalating with me, I find a positive exit point and quit.
I have tried Shen Calmer at the suggestion of a vet. It made him worse.
I started him on Purina Calm Care about 12 days ago to make sure it is not anything gut related? I cannot tell any difference on that yet. But he is not worse.
He is much better than he used to be. The tunnel attack has become a random thing and not an every time I walk out there thing. But, if he gets frustrated, he will attack a wing on a jump, or a course number, or anything that is in his sight at the moment. He will also do a run by me and nip. This has decreased as well with the new protocol on the field.
Off the agility field he is just a pushy, herd everybody kind of guy. I am so in hopes that you can give me some ways to help him. He is a talented little boy. In the house, he is a snuggle bug.
