Dog Health Questions: My dog is being hyper-active during Agility training. What should I do to calm him down?

I have an 8 1\2 months old Australian Shepherd, he is very friendly to everybody & to other dogs, trained & well-behaved at home. He usually gets 2 long walks and a play with his friends everyday. He is currently attending agility classes 2x a week and a basic obedience course (that makes him 3x a week at Dog School). On trainings, as soon as we enter the training ground, he starts to get wild, he barks a lot (w\c is unusual for him 'coz he' s so quiet at home) he jumps on me and is not following the "sit, stay & come" commands (stuff he knows already). I always end up having a short training time with him on the field 'coz of his behavior. But as soon as we are out of the training ground, he is back to his "well-behaved" attitude. I don't know what to do or what's wrong with him. Anybody, pls advice.

Abandoned Dogs Trained for the Hearing Impaired

Recommended Answer:
First, it's impossible for anyone to say for sure. That's because the appropriate tactics/approach depend upon WHY he's behaving this way. And there could be a couple of reasons why he's behaving this way:
--lack of focus
--fear/over-stimulation
--lots of drive
Depending upon which it is, the appropriate answer is different.

For lack of focus, check out the Deb Jones books and DVD's "In-focus." Do a lot of shadow handling and flatwork first. Expose him at a distance and work on focus/control. Don't do leadouts. Don't ask him to wait at the start line--walk on up and then GO!!!

For fear/over-stimulation, check out Leslie McDevitt's book "Control Unleashed." Do the Karen Overall relaxation protocol. Work on socializing with other dogs. I also wonder if the behavior is the same with the obedience class as it is with agility. Or if you train all 3 classes at the same location (and if not, if behavior is a bit different). The fear/over-stimulation issue, it could be a number of candidates that are pushing his button. And until you know which one, you don't know how to build up his tolerance for it so it no longer sets him off. I'd also video yourself--I found out that my nervous dog was losing it as a novice when my cues were late or confusing.

Lots of drive--don't use toys or tugging, rely on food (which tends to relax) during class. Don't try and run a full course--just run 2-3 obstacles, reward and end. Don't run him until he loses focus and control and zooms, run him and reward when he's still under control. Do use leadouts. Do cue early and clearly(a high drive dog can get frustrated and lose it when cues are late).

Second, I know you say some of the bad behavior happens as soon as you enter the school, before you even make a run. Well, he's associating whatever it is (the chance to do what he loves, exposure to what he fears, something that he loses focus on) with the school or on the grounds. Any chance of doing a private lesson on the grounds when no-one else is there? Take him there on lead and just practice heeling and focus?

Third, get the Susan Garrett DVD "Crate Games." Trying taking him to the grounds and just practice crating him, control and focus. Reward for good behavior in the crate, open it up but he has to stay, call him out and reward, send him back in, reward for good behavior.

Bird Dog Training - How Hunting Dogs Are Treated

• Work on his obedience while you are waiting your turn on the obstacles.
  
  He needs to learn that the commands apply there as well.


• Agility dogs do better when they have the basic obedience commands down pat before moving into serious agility work. It sounds as if your dog is associating the agility ring as playtime instead of work time. I recommend working more on the focus cue which is part of basic obedience training. Good luck. It will all come together with time and consistency. If you anticipate him misbehaving he can sense that tense energy and will misbehave.


• He's very excited - in agility you want them to be this way, though you also want them to obey commands! I would take some time during the week to bring him to the course and training fields and work with him. Like Spooky Basset said, he needs to learn that the commands are supposed to be okay even when at the training ground when he is excited.
  
  I would also try walking him once before the training - that may calm him just enough to get him to obey. My dog used to go nuts when going to her class and walks (plus more frequent visits) got her to calm down almost instantly. Maybe you could go early and work on commands before the class even starts?


• That is not at all uncommon and is something you WANT as it is good that he enjoys the training but YOU need to learn from the instructor how to direct this wonderful excitement and use it to get him to be a top agility dog! You need to learn how to direct his energy, not inhibit it!
  
  Think about this... in a competition situation he will be EXTREMELY excited -- if you train him while he is in this high excitement state, then in competition he will be marvelous. In schutzhund we actually work hard at getting a dog more and more excited so that the training is done and perfected while the dog is VERY excited (as it will be automatically in a trial situation) so that they know the commands and will follow them regardless of how excited they are. Same holds true in agility - as the dog competes he will automatically be extremely excited in a trial -- you will be way excited and this will pass to the dog so it is important that the dog learn to follow your cues while he is way excited.


• Hi there, i also have an aussie who LOVES agility but occasionally gets 'the zoomies' from the sheer excitement of it all. His previous agility trainer suggested the book Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt. The book has a definite 'agility' slant to it, and yet the information is useful even for those who don't do agility and want better behavioral skills from their offleash dog. Dogwise.com carries it. Another thing we would do, since it was practice not competition, was arrive early, and let my dog run around, sniff, and get comfortable being there before class, and that worked well.