My mutt is out of control.
Agility trainers I’ve worked with tell me that Ace wants to run as fast as he can. Because the obstacles slow him down, he gets frustrated when he has to maneuver them. The room we practice agility in is also too small, leaving him little room to get up to speed. His barking is his way of telling me “Let’s go!”
One trainer (Hi Sandy!) has told me all along that I’ve been causing these problems by literally taking too big of steps with my feet. Like Ace, I want to go fast. After all, we are both runners.
But my large steps cause me to stop suddenly as we reach each obstacle, causing Ace to do a jump or pop upwards. This popping motion that Ace did led to barking, which led to nipping. I don’t notice that I’m doing any quick stops in the video, but I’m sure I still do it on certain course layouts. Either way, Ace has formed the habit to jump at my hands and bark.
Ace’s crazy, continuous barking began several months ago on the teeter. This is an obstacle he is still nervous on. What a big baby! He would bark on the teeter because he didn’t want to walk across it. He used to try to skip the teeter entirely and then grunt and bark when I forced him across it.
The barking on the teeter led to barking at the weave poles. He wanted to run right by them instead of actually weaving. When I slowed him down to do them correctly, he began grunting and soon after that he was full out barking. Now he barks nonstop throughout the whole course, even when he is in a down-stay position on the table.
He used to be better at agility, and now he has gotten worse and tries to skip obstacles. Is my dog bored or what?
The way Ace is acting in this video is pretty typical, although his excitement often escalates to more than this. That’s when he fixates on my hands and mouths them like they are a toy.
Now, I am not giving you barking dog owners permission to let your dogs be a jack ass. I still think everyone needs to consider the needs of others while compromising with their barking dog. If you can’t train through your problem at least please take ownership of managing the issue.
So before we make all of the owners of these noisy dogs use a scarlet leash or run in their own sound proofed ring, let’s walk a mile in their turf shoes for just a moment shall we?
Julie Daniels and Spring (a littermate to Spiffy and both were first cousin’s to Buzz btw . . . hmmmm).
Yes it is a training issue. But as I have previously stated, it is a training issue that is dramatically more difficult to solve with some dogs compared to others.
So why not honor all those that made a great go of it with a barking agility dog. You know, training a dog that wants to bark is an extra stressor that most people do not ever have to deal with. I think there should be a Barking Agility Dog Hall of Fame for those dog and handler teams.
Unwanted behavior is never the dog’s fault.
I joined an agility class for something my dog and I could do together – a way to increase our bond while exercising and challenging ourselves. One of the reasons I haven’t addressed Ace’s barking is because agility is supposed to fun. We aren’t serious competitors, so I’ve never worried about his behavior too much. Also, in a class setting, it’s hard to slow down and take individual time to work when others are waiting for a turn.
But now I’ve reached that point where enough is enough. It’s hard to have fun with a barking dog, especially one beginning to show dominance and aggression. It’s hard not to take it personally when Ace hurts my hands. It’s hard not to lose my temper when he can’t control himself enough to hear basic commands, let alone respond to them.
Of course, I don’t blame Ace for his behavior. It’s totally my fault for not addressing these issues before they became habits. Ace can’t rationalize what he’s doing. He’s just being a dog, and he’s trying to be a good dog. All he wants to do is follow me around and make me happy.
I had my boyfriend Josh run Ace on the course last week to see if our dog would respond differently to him. He did not. Ace was probably even more excited because Josh was out there with him for the first time. Ace even tried to go for Josh’s hands.
I’ve had more experienced trainers do run-throughs with Ace on the course, and he is much better with them. He does not bark or become fixated on their hands. He is able to focus better because he is less excited. One member of our class suggested Ace gets more excited around me because I’m his person, and he likes me so much. But I think he does better with the other trainers because they are more assertive, and he sees them as authority figures.
My dog is not a vocal dog outside of agility. We practice obedience in the same building, on the same floor, and he is a totally different dog then – quiet, laid back, responsive! He seems to really enjoy both obedience and agility but for different reasons.
Obedience is about calmly following my lead and commands, something Ace enjoys. Agility, on the other hand, brings out one crazy dog! Although he looks happy on the course – his tail never quits wagging – I worry that his excited behavior at agility is similar to his obsessive behavior around a tennis ball. The fact that he fixates on my hands and gets a glazed stare is not a good sign.
269: Frustration Barking in Agility
Okay being the proud owner of Buzz, (who, if there was a Hall of Fame for Barking Agility Dogs, would be one of the first inductees) I feel it would be remiss if I didn’t come to the defensive of the other owners of barking agility dogs. Yes, I agree, there are some dog owners out there that are inconsiderate and just let their dogs go off for no reason, or worse yet, actually encourage their dogs to bark at ringside. But that is not all owners of noisy dogs.
Yes it is a training issue. But as I have previously stated, it is a training issue that is dramatically more difficult to solve with some dogs compared to others.
So before we make all of the owners of these noisy dogs use a scarlet leash or run in their own sound proofed ring, let’s walk a mile in their turf shoes for just a moment shall we?
The native New Zealand Huntaway dog is a breed of dog that were bred to bark with every step they take as they herd sheep. So clearly barking can be firmly genetically wired throughout some dog’s DNA. If you have a hard wired behaviour such as “barking while working” it will be far more difficult to get that dog to work without making noise. I am not saying impossible, I am saying more difficult and in the end it may change who the dog naturally wants to be.
I consider myself a good dog trainer. But I decided the length of time it would take to teach Buzzy to do agility without barking was not worth the effort. So I established criteria that we both could live with. That is, Buzz could bark running agility but never at me and never while on his way to work. I did not allow barking during obedience or any other activity we did together.
So, if Susan Garrett, a person that makes a living educating dog trainers world wide, could not get her dog to stop barking I don’t know that we should be flogging others that have tried their best but also failed.
Your dog may not bark while he works, but that doesn’t mean you could have gotten the next person’s dog to do the same.
Genetics are a fascinating thing and so is karma. So the more you finger point and complain about someone else’s noisy dog, the more likely the stars will be aligning to send you one of your very own!
Now, I am not giving you barking dog owners permission to let your dogs be a jack ass. I still think everyone needs to consider the needs of others while compromising with their barking dog. If you can’t train through your problem at least please take ownership of managing the issue.
For instance, when I used to trial Buzz at an indoor trial, I always checked the rings and tried to not warm him up if there was another dog in the ring working on a clear round. I always waited until there was a fault. Buzz was beyond barking really. He was hysterical, ear drum splitting screaming that would get more than one person believing that some dog must be caught in a leg hold trap somewhere. I really must try and dig up some old Buzz footage for you all to enjoy.
If I had to do it again with Buzz, knowing what I know today, I do believe I would have a much better shot at keeping him quiet. I guess we will never know!
So why not honor all those that made a great go of it with a barking agility dog. You know, training a dog that wants to bark is an extra stressor that most people do not ever have to deal with. I think there should be a Barking Agility Dog Hall of Fame for those dog and handler teams.
But because they (the owners of these dogs) not only had to endure the stress of their dogs barking, but also the shame others inflicted upon them for not shutting their dogs up, they deserve more. They deserve a Barking Agility Dog Hall of Agility Super Stardom (or B.A.D. H.A.S.S for short). Together we can name all of the great Bad Hass dogs throughout history, those dogs that just had to bark while they worked. I will start the list off but everyone else please jump in and contribute the name of any great agility dog you know of that joyfully barked while they worked.
Susan Garrett & Buzz (I did say he would be the first inductee, as matter of fact, Websters may consider using his picture to define the term “barker” in their dictionaries.)
Julie Daniels and Spring (a littermate to Spiffy and both were first cousin’s to Buzz btw . . . hmmmm).
. . . now I won’t name all of the ones I know, you Europeans you have had some great ones over there, come on, induct them into new Barking Agility Dog Hall of Super Stardom.
Today I am still grateful for dogs that are quiet while they work. I love Buzzy like crazy, but think it couldn’t hurt to send up another gratuitous shout out just to hedge my bets for next time around!