I'll write about the 2x4 trial later, I'm still thinking about it and absorbing some things that have been said about our results.
Izzie is a very hard dog to motivate, which makes her slow. Her interest in toys and play is almost nonexistent. She was a super playful puppy and I'm kicking myself now for squashing that. However I never had a thought to do agility with her when I got her or was raising her so really I can't place full blame on myself for not channelling the drive she had for toys and play. At that point I just needed a good dog that wouldn't chew on everyone’s feet and wasn't bothering everyone to play 24/7. She loves food but I find it hard to get her "up" for food in a trial or even practise environment. That could be me being more serious than at mealtime at home. It could also be that I’m not a terribly fun person; I’m not a squeaky voiced jumping around like an idiot happy person (and those people freak me out). So I find it hard to be exciting. I'm shy and the thought of jumping around and making a fool of myself makes me want to curl up in a ball and die.
Izzie really loves agility, I know she does. She knows the routes to the outdoor field and now the barn and she perks up and wags her whole body when she figures out where we're going. She's not hesitant about any obstacles either. I just need to get her motivated to play the game with speed.
So I’ve got to do something about this. She’s already on a toy diet as much as I can to try and build their value; she already has to earn her food and all her treats too. If I push her back on the chest to rev her up she just screams like I’m trying to kill her (my classmates have witnessed this too) and slinks away even though I’ve never done anything to hurt her EVER and she doesn’t have an injury there.
I already have crate games and it’s something that is recommended for building motivation, so we’re going to be doing that at home for a while to try and get her going. Getting her used to collar restraints or pushed back by me or something too maybe.
She’s my first competition dog so I really have no idea what I should do. I feel honestly a little defeated I guess, I’m trying to think of the positives of not only how far we’ve come since the start but the success and improvement we’ve had since we started trialling in August; but the speed thing keeps getting brought up and it kind of starts to overshadow things.
We’ll see how crate games works and I’ll research more ideas. I know something will help get Izzie motivated (maybe I need to be drugged or drunk or something to make me more fun?), I don’t know what it is yet but we’ll find it and do it and it will work.
Izzie is a very hard dog to motivate, which makes her slow. Her interest in toys and play is almost nonexistent. She was a super playful puppy and I'm kicking myself now for squashing that. However I never had a thought to do agility with her when I got her or was raising her so really I can't place full blame on myself for not channelling the drive she had for toys and play. At that point I just needed a good dog that wouldn't chew on everyone’s feet and wasn't bothering everyone to play 24/7. She loves food but I find it hard to get her "up" for food in a trial or even practise environment. That could be me being more serious than at mealtime at home. It could also be that I’m not a terribly fun person; I’m not a squeaky voiced jumping around like an idiot happy person (and those people freak me out). So I find it hard to be exciting. I'm shy and the thought of jumping around and making a fool of myself makes me want to curl up in a ball and die.
Izzie really loves agility, I know she does. She knows the routes to the outdoor field and now the barn and she perks up and wags her whole body when she figures out where we're going. She's not hesitant about any obstacles either. I just need to get her motivated to play the game with speed.
So I’ve got to do something about this. She’s already on a toy diet as much as I can to try and build their value; she already has to earn her food and all her treats too. If I push her back on the chest to rev her up she just screams like I’m trying to kill her (my classmates have witnessed this too) and slinks away even though I’ve never done anything to hurt her EVER and she doesn’t have an injury there.
I already have crate games and it’s something that is recommended for building motivation, so we’re going to be doing that at home for a while to try and get her going. Getting her used to collar restraints or pushed back by me or something too maybe.
She’s my first competition dog so I really have no idea what I should do. I feel honestly a little defeated I guess, I’m trying to think of the positives of not only how far we’ve come since the start but the success and improvement we’ve had since we started trialling in August; but the speed thing keeps getting brought up and it kind of starts to overshadow things.
We’ll see how crate games works and I’ll research more ideas. I know something will help get Izzie motivated (maybe I need to be drugged or drunk or something to make me more fun?), I don’t know what it is yet but we’ll find it and do it and it will work.
Hi Izzie! You look super cute in your crate. I wish I had some great advice. I'm certainly don't play like I did as a puppy, although when I get in the mood, look out! And my mom seems to have a similar personality as your mum, so...I don't know. If I hear about anything, I'll let you know.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Payton
Have you tried food pouch tugs? I know they worked wonders with Psyche at first when she had no toy drive at all, and now she'll play with anything, even if it doesn't have food in it. Might be worth trying.
ReplyDelete(((HUGS))) I'm sorry. Wish I had some advice.
ReplyDeleteI'll lend you a little bit of my uninhibited stupid behavior, if that helps. (I run around like an idiot with squeaky toys all the time.)
I'm sure that you will get more speed and motivation from her once she builds a bit more confidence in herself :) I'm having a similar problem with Sunny and she will have nothing to do with toys when we leave the house. Also, while Sunny doesn't scream, if I tried to push her in the chest to get her going she would run away faster than she runs away now! I think you and Izzie are a great team and you will get it all worked out with time and patience. I enjoy watching you run and how much fun you both seem to be having :)
ReplyDeleteI wandered over to your blog from Chaz. Hi!
ReplyDeleteMotivation can be tough, especially for companion breeds. I take agility classes with 2 women who run Havanese and Iggies, and they're constantly scrambling to keep their dogs "up". The Havanese owner has found that running starts after a bit of roughhousing/hand touching is pretty effective. The Iggie owner asks her dog to spin and hand touch before a run to get those juices flowing. For my dog (for whom drive isn't really a problem) I do a lot of hand touches and forwards/backwards circles around me before we run.
So, uhm, I like motivational hand touches! Dogs seem to really love them too. And as an added bonus, you always have them with you.