Schnauzer Talk!

Ok...this is for the agility people...Toffs...Malorey A...and anyone else. I plan on getting Lucy in an agility class...probably in the fall when it cools a bit here. But..we are having to get creative on ways to expend Lucy's excess energy these days. Here in TX it is just way too hot for a long walk or even a trip to the dog park unless I go early in the morning on Saturday and frankly that's my only day to sleep in a bit!!! Besides...one day isn't enough for her. So...Katelyn has been working with getting her to jump a stick in the house. She's actually quite good at it as long as you keep it low so she can't go under it. She has no fear.

What I'm looking for is what the proper command is so that she'll know that we want her to jump the stick when instructed. Also, any training tips from those who have trained for this would be great. My living room has been turned into an exercise pen!!! But she's got to get the energy out somehow and with it being 100 degrees outside it isn't going to happen there!!!

i dont know what the 'correct' command is, i used to say jump. other ways of using up that energy.... u have a treadmill? playing fetch with a ball, playing tug with a toy and for me my fav is 'search' .... i hide pixis plush duck in the room somewhere and he searches it out... all that nose use REALLY wears him out. this takes a bit of previous training obviously and hiding it in not so difficult places at first but now i can shut him out of the room and hide it even up high and he will not stop till hes searched it out.

OMG...you don't know how bad I wish I had a treadmill. I'd so put her on it. We play fetch with a toy..for some bizarre reason she'll run after a ball but won't return with it. Her plush toys she will. I'll have to work on the search thing. Lucy is so "nosey" that it would be good exercise for her. How did you train it? I'm thinking that we should have a toy that we only use for that game...name it...start simple and reward when she "finds" and returns it to us. Then get more difficult.

Hi
Toffs has gone away for a week camping so i hope you dont mind me answering .There is no right or wrong command for the jump its what ever works for your dog and as long as you use your choosen word consistantly .Sorry i dont know how old your dog is but make sure it has finished growing before asking it to do a lot of jumpng or it will hurt its joints .3 of my dogs i will use the command up 1 is over its what ever works for the dog .Up is an exciting word .You could put the plush toy at the other side of the jump and send the dog to it saying "get it " this also makes your dog work away from you independantly .Have fun with your dog .
kathy

Lucy is almost 9 months old and finished growing. She's quite the jumper tho...has always jumped on her own. So how do you stop them from going under the stick? Mind you...nothing fancy here...just a broom handle stuck between cushions of couch at one end and held at the other end. Pretty Mickey Mouse but she's jumping it..but tries to go under. Not sure what height she'll eventually need to jump....but I'm sure once we formally start agility training they will know all that!

I would start out pretty low with the bar and gradually raise it, and use a treat. Reward with the treat immediately after the task is completed successfully. I also used a lead (leash) at first so has to kinda of lead Reggie over the bar with the lead. That and the treat worked really well for her. She will do anything for a treat! LOL

OMG...you don't know how bad I wish I had a treadmill. I'd so put her on it. We play fetch with a toy..for some bizarre reason she'll run after a ball but won't return with it. Her plush toys she will. I'll have to work on the search thing. Lucy is so "nosey" that it would be good exercise for her. How did you train it? I'm thinking that we should have a toy that we only use for that game...name it...start simple and reward when she "finds" and returns it to us. Then get more difficult.[/quote]

well i started doing it a little differently because its something we started doing with our trainer. he had a field we used to train in with about 8 milk crates lying around there. i had this little plush duck that i only used during training with pixi as he would go nuts for it but would pull it apart if he had it all the time. sooooo how we started was stuffing the duck into one of the crates (they were those plastic ones with holes all through them) and had all the crates laying around, on the leash id take pixi all round the crates and get him to sit once he really started snuffling at the one with the duck in it. once he got the hang of that he would sit automatically when he found it and then we started doing it off leash. because of that training it was easy to hide it at home and just get him to search it out. im sure if you just started hiding it in easy places at home in a room, like under a cushion on the sofa, she is so smart she would get the hang of it at home. reward her, you could give her a wee play of the toy as a treat and go again. it REALLY REALLY wears pixi out when he plays search and so lovely to see him snuffling and searching like that.

Pam, have you tried putting a towel over the broom handle so it appears solid to the floor to Lucy?

WOW...what an easy solution. We'll try that.

And P4B...took Lucy to the dog park early this am...before too hot. You'll have to bring your guys down some time. At about 8 this am there was no one in the small dog part...Lucy like to run with the big dogs but if you guys come down we could go in the small dog park to get your guys used to it. We went right to the groomers afterwards...she gets so dirty!! LOL. But has a blast. She looks purty now...I'll try and take some pics tomorrow.

I would love to meet you guys at the dog park! Dyson and Kirby loooove to get out and run. I'll send you a pm.