agility benefits.

Question
Hi Jaz,

I have a 7 month old yorkie that has completed basic obedience class.  I was interested in inquiring about the benefits of agility classes.  I have read that it's a fun class for them and it can help shy or timid dogs.  Chelsea is a bit reserved with people.  I am not sure if she is shy or just indifferent.  It took her about 5 wks to take a treat from the trainer in puppy class.  I exposed her to different people and experiences from day one.  My trainer suggested that her socialization was a bit neutral.  I was hoping you can give me some insights on what I can do to improve her shyness.  
Thanks for help!
Lucy

Answer
Hi Lucy,

Agility is simply the best fun on 4 paws! Many, many timid dogs are introduced to agility to build confidence and then go on to have stellar agility careers. The more things you teach your dog to do, obviously the more confident she can become. The caveat of that statement is if you choose an agility training center whose philosophy and training methods insist you correct your dog every time she is 'wrong' or goes around obstacles. This is the easiest and surest way to shut a dog down. Dogs do not like to be wrong at all. If they are always wrong, they will lose confidence, not gain it.

Agility is all about having fun with our canine partners. It must be fun for them and if either of you isn't having fun, it better be YOU that isn't having fun and not your wonderful dog.

There are many different ways to teach agility to dogs and people. The bottom line is that agility is a game we play with our dogs. If you have not taught your dog to play with you (tugging, retrieving, hide/seek) you would be wise to start soon. Many dogs who don't play agility with well with their people have never been taught to play with their people outside of agility.

For example, my youngest Lab as a puppy thought the game was chase any of the rest of my dogs when they went to retrieve the ball/frisbee that I had thrown for them. She thought the game was about the other dogs and chasing. That isn't the game I want her to play. I want her to play with me. So I taught her not to chase the other dogs, to retrieve her favorite toy and bring it back to me in exchange for a yummy treat. She is now 14 months old and she is a retrieving fool! For the sake of retrieving and playing with me. Any dog, child, person, squirrel, any thing can cross her path and she only pays attention to me because I control the game. She plays agility very well with me as do all my dogs because I am the creator of all the fun in their lives. Sure they play with each other but if they are wrestling and they think I'm going outside to play, they immediately leave each other and go with me.

Lastly, in exposing your dog to all the things you did, did you give her yummy treats for overcoming all the scary things (her opinion, not ours)?

Bottom line: teach your dog to play with you and find an agility school to enroll in. NADAC is an especially fun venue for many people and timid dogs. www.nadac.com will provide you with a list of clubs in your area; some offer training and some don't but it is good start!

Have fun!

Jaz