Martine and Merrell, sheltie ,2 yrs old from Canada

Welcome back! 🙂

Wooow look at her tug like a pro and enjoying every second of it! I am super happy, you worked hard for it! When you want to switch between toys, stay still for a while and try to build up some anticipation with your voice and holding the second toy up, tightly in your lap as if it is something that you want to keep her from having. Than when you see she is curious about it, bam – start the chase directly in front of her, so she feels there is a real chance she will catch it!

As for agility games – it was good but I would start with smaller parts first, so it is more manageable and you can avoid some unnecessary mistakes. When working on two jumps try to make sure you throw as straight as possible (I know treats sometimes bounce around and end up sideways, no problem) and turn around to run in the opposite direction as soon as possible so you are already on the other side of the first jump when she turns and starts to follow you. If you look back over the bar, jump is on the way if she takes the shortest way to you so clearing it should be no problem. By that I don’t mean you should wait there, but if you are not right there with her it is easier, because if you2 are together than you have to avoid the jump and she is inclined to follow you if you change direction rapidly.
She also needs more independence on tunnels so I would do tunnels separately, both straight and curved, fast rounds with throws on each end.

Yes that was good! 2 jumps – when you first started you were still a bit “slow” to move, waiting too long before turning and running away. But at one point you “warmed up” and your reaction time got better. There is still a bit more room for improvement – you can still turn and run (not trot along but really RUN) away as soon as you see she saw the treat and is heading that way. You don’t have to wait until she actually eats it.
Tunnel is getting better but it is still not her favourite obstacle and she will sometimes avoid it still. So I would be doing more of these drills just the way you did them now, but you can add a combination at the end of the session. So basically you start with a little warm up just running back and forward through the tunnel and than at one point extend it to tunnel-jump-jump, jackpot and again a few repetitions of just the tunnel. Or the other way around or any variation of it. 🙂

Nice! She was flying over the jumps! Curved tunnel still not her favorite but she was hesitating less. I would still do that drill in the beginning of every session and throughout the drill, try to increase the distance – running and throwing further away from the tunnel and back. After the initial warm up, you can make a combination/little sequence and than add some lesson 2 stuff.

Really nice! Especially you start I follow on the jump! You can try the same approach with the tunnel as well. And with both increase distance – as much as the space allows. You can make random jackpots where you give multiple food throws across the room with you moving along (as much as the space allows) and cheer, so the overall excitement level rises. Or you can even try rewarding some with a tug toy – maybe in separate sessions if she doesn’t switch between food and toys really well.

I am sorry you waited so long, I must have missed your comment somehow! Big improvement with the tunnels! What I find important in her training is that no matter what sequence you want to run (even if you need to improvise on a setup), plan it well and that run it like it is the last thing you will ever run :D. Confidently and with lots of speed. If you get lost (it can always happen) just throw the reward and start again. She is a smart dog and is waiting for you a bit, to make sure she does things right. To make her feel like she can speed up and run with all she has got, she has to feel like you always know where you are going. If she avoids the jump actively (the jump was right in front of her but she chooses to go around) don’t reward her. If she has great speed and flow otherwise, you can just keep going, but if everything is falling apart just stop, run to the start of the sequence and start again. Or make some food throws over that jump and the one before that and than start from the beginning.
When you do straight lines make sure you always make a great running party at the end. Always “crazy style” reward, running up and down the whole space. When you do turns, you can use a tug toy and lure her out. So there is some diversity in the training. That also helps the dog give its max., not just some decent working speed.

I will start with question nr. 3. No, I don’t think she would be better/happier without agility, because I don’t think she dislikes it. She is having fun, she just needs a good reason to give you speed, because she is not the kind of dog that would just give it automatically. Some dogs do it because they have a slightly nervous temperament or they have really really strong pray drive that beats everything. That only means that you have to train smart and patiently to get her to give you her max. – if that is what you want. I don’t think any dog really needs agility – all can live perfectly happily without it :), but I think they are better off if they are challenged somehow in life and not just live in the normal every day boring routine. But the bottom line is – that depends on you. If training brings you more frustration than joy… there is no reason you should be doing it. It is your free time. 🙂 Don’t get me wrong. There is no training without frustration. No matter what kind of dog you have, things go wrong many times. Or sometimes there are whole periods of time where you feel you are not making any progress. And you just have to push through and learn to remind yourself of where you started and how far you have gotten even if it is not obvious to see when you just compare day to day. However – I don’t think anyone should be doing it if it makes them feel frustrated and sad all the time.

And yes, my little Šja was similar in some ways. What worked for her was – lots and lots of short sessions of just playing (food/toys, doesn’t matter), no training involved. Lots and lots of shaping – I had to let her think everything is her idea. When she felt it is up to her to offer me things, she was much more relaxed and happy than when I asked her to do something – because she always felt the pressure of doing something wrong, even if I was never angry or disapointed at her. Trainings short and fun, very few repetitions. Routines – she loved routines. It also helped her when I got another dog for training and the spotlight was no longer just on her. I am not saying you should get another dog, but I know you have more – do you take them all to train and exchange them or you just go to train with Merrell?
And yes, she turned out to be one of the fastest dog in her time, winning medals on AWC and she even became European Open champion. But for example I could never go to an agility seminar with her – too much repetitions, too much pressure, she would just shut down. And her first year of training was full of ups and downs. I remember one time a helichopter flew above us when we were training and she refused to even walk to that same part of the field for the next 14 days. And she would shut down every time I tried to teach her something new. Or go to a place she didn’t know.