What is the best and what is the most commonly used method of training the weaves in agility?
I have seen various methods, ranging from holding a treat on the dog's nose and luring him through the weaves, through to having a kind of weave set you can separate out into a channel, and the dog at first just runs through the channel. Then you move the poles closer together so the dog has to gradually weave more and more. Are there any others?
As a clicker-er, is it worth shaping the weaves?
Alkemist
I would say weaves are individual to the dog, some dogs will learn better with a channel, others will just go hell for leather and train straight, others set the weaves like a v channel, whereas others will use a wire frame around the weaves to stop the dog from going out. You can start with 2 weaves poles and progress from there and yes you can use the clicker......
Nina
Allyson
I think some dogs are natural weavers and some are definitely not.
Piper was a natural weaver right from the start he was extremely fast and accurate and had a natural technique as opposed to a taught one.
Twiggy is not a natural weaver and I am not sure if that is because she spent a few years being taught to be straight or not for the work that we do?
I think shaping is definitely the way to go if possible IF your timing is excellent and IF you know exactly what you are looking for, that way the dog will learn precisely what to do for a reward.
I think that most dogs come out too early because they have been rewarded for doing so, unintentionally or not.........
Vital K9
Yes, I agree, some dogs get the weaves so quickly and others struggle. I used to take classes with predominantly Collies and a Collie-owning instructor and found that they limited their training to a sort of lure to start with and sometimes used the weavomatic (V shaped poles). My Vizslas did not do well with either system. In Canada I was introduced to channels and guide wires on the poles, which seemed a little better. But I have recently been trying to use the 2x2 method taught by a Canadian trainer called Susan Garrett and I find it's making more sense to the dogs. That's what seemed to be missing. I could drag (not literally!) my dogs through the weaves, but it was like pulling teeth - slow, tedious and very unreliable unless I was right there next to them - but SG teaches 2 poles at a time and the dogs learn to look for a "gate" between 2 poles, which then get strung together. I clicker train and find that helps and I'm retraining my older dogs, whilst the youngsters get the benefit of the better methods I now have. My 2 young girly Vz are getting really good at weaves, so it's all about how much sense it makes and how much fun. I get frustrated at the weave poles and the dogs know that too
Allyson
I think that one of the problems is that trainers and owners forget that HPRs are not constructed like BC/WSD.
The latter are more cow hocked as are most herding breeds to enable them to corner faster and they also have a lower centre of gravity (and of course a tail) all of which makes them more physically ideally suited to this particular sport in general and the weaves.
Just as it is futile in general to try and train a gundog to work sheep, a) because they do not do banana runs and b) they do not have a strong "eye" so sheep just tend to walk through them!
Cindy
I hate weaves as it took me ages to even remember what side the dog had to enter by . hector was not a natural weaver and this was made worse by my apprehension at being the worst weaver around as the other dogs in training are Collies
We use just the poles and used cheese lures. Standing along side of the dog we would use the right hand for the lure placed at the second pole along and gently push your dog with the left hand to the left side round the first pole - so it built up to a rythm of move right hand lure and push with left until the dog go use to the action of weaving.
I am still the slowest on the weave as I have to be right next to Hector to make sure he remembers they are there for a purpose and he has to go round them and not through them . But it has been comemted by a UK Crufts agility judge that considering his breed and how long we have been doing it we are ahead at it Just doesn't seem like it when you see the Collies at it
josie
Well those pesky collies do things wrong sometimes too.
At our class this week, someone brought their 2 kids to watch. One collie decided to herd them when they were walking on the other side of the hall. She was barking at them and nipping attempting to nip their heels, although she didn't actually do so. The kids weren't too scared but they kept trying to walk back to their mother, and the more they moved, the more the collie tried to herd them. Their mother kept shouting at them to stand still, which they did for a second, then the collie would stop, so they would move again, and then the collie would try to herd again!!!! The funny thing is that this collie was one of the most unmotivated and slowest agility dogs I've ever seen, but she really came to life when herding the kids!
all of which makes them more physically ideally suited to this particular sport in general and the weaves.
. But it has been comemted by a UK Crufts agility judge that considering his breed and how long we have been doing it we are ahead at it 