Top tips for good control

When you go to a show it's important to have good control of your dog at all times. Here are some tips that may help if you have a difficult or excitable dog. It isn't an exhaustive list of training methods but I'm sure you'll find some of these tips from myself and other competitors very useful.

Keeping control in the queue
Some dogs find agility so exciting that as soon as they get anywhere near the queue at the ring they start barking and screeching and pulling towards the ring. Shows are very exciting places and the atmosphere of the environment plus your nerves before you run can make a dog much more difficult to handle than usual.

It is perfectly acceptable to ask someone to queue for you. Whilst you're waiting for your turn you can move further away from the ring until you feel you have regained control. Praise, praise, praise your dog for good behaviour. As you go to more shows gradually work towards standing in the queue. You might not be able to do it at first but eventually you will.

Practice a bit of obedience before you join the queue and try to get your dog's attention. Some people have a tug toy attached to the lead and they're able to distract their dog with a game but if you do this be careful you're not winding up the other dogs in the queue.

You can also try using a figure of eight all in one headcollar and lead. Gencon and Trixie make these and they are excellent for calming a dog and helping to keep control. The one on the right is the Trixie lead.

When your dog is at the stage where you can queue but there's still a bit of barking I've found that it helps to move off the spot and walk Sasha round in a circle until she's calmed down again. With Jamie I distract him by asking for a paw and getting him to watch me.

Ask people to give you some room if they're crowding in on you and your dog is getting anxious. This applies especially if your dog is hyped up and may snap at other dogs. Always respond to other people's requests for you to do this as well.

Don't let your dog 'eyeball' others, stand in the way. Don't let other dogs 'eyeball' yours, again stand in the way. Train twists and turns for distraction and focus. Don't be afraid to ask for space for your dog.

Some people use clicker training for "Quiet," but not near the ring as some dogs don't like the sound of a clicker. Again, you need lots of praise for a dog that responds. If you can't get your dog's attention then you might consider asking someone to keep your place while you walk away from the queue for a minute or two to get your dog's attention back.

In the ring
The single most useful thing I've ever taught Sasha is to wait at the start. It means we start off under control and with her attention fully focused on me.

If you can teach a dog to "steady" it helps with control in the ring.

At the end of your run
Some dogs get so excited by their run that they'll have a bit of a "mad" turn. There are also some dogs like Sasha that are disappointed when it's finished and run back onto the course. If I let her, Sasha would go and sit under a jump so that no-one else can have a go. I carry a light lead in my pocket so that I can catch her straight away without having to hunt for my lead.

Some dogs may get snappy when they're hyped up and it's important to catch them quickly and lead them away from the ring as quickly as possible to give them a chance to wind down and to cool down away from other people and dogs.

In the exercise area
Some showgrounds have plenty of room for all the dogs to run around and chase toys or go over practice jumps. Here we are at a UKA show near Newquay. There's plenty of room but as you can see Jamie and Sasha are eyeballing something. In spite of posing for the camera I'm completely aware of this so I catch hold of their collars ready to get their attention back before they run off to investigate and annoy someone. Awareness of your dog is important at all times.

One complaint that occurs again and again is that dogs and their handlers are not behaving themselves in the exercise area. Sometimes people throw toys in a tiny area and it winds the other dogs up. This is when they get snappy. Also there are always small dogs at shows and they can be seriously injured if a big dog is careering round and knocks them over.

If we're very short of space at a show I walk Jamie and Sasha together on their leads and then take them separately for a bit of training on the lead. It helps if you do this just before you run a dog. Not only does it get their attention but it also warms them up ready for the ring.

None of us is perfect but if you do what you can to keep your dogs under control at a show people will appreciate your efforts. If you're a competitor and you have any top tips for keeping better control at shows please email me and I'll publish them on this page. Alternatively we'd love to hear from you on the forum where people are contributing their ideas. Do have fun at shows and matches and with any luck you'll have a tired but well behaved dog at the end of the day.