Tight Left Hand Weave Entries With Ethel

Tight left hand weave entries can pose a small problem for some Agility dogs and their handlers. Because of the incredibly tight entry, a lot of dogs end up skipping the second weave pole because of this. And, before this training session, Ethel was falling into this trap. It's mainly an issue regarding the dog's stride in the weaves, and therefore for many dogs, this problem is resolved when the dog become more confident with their stride pattern. Remember, all dogs are different when it comes to how they clear the course. Ethel, however, has mastered this!

Ethel

I'm sure by now you're wondering what on earth tight left handed weave entries are! Well, here is an example of Ethel successfully, and, in one clip, what often goes wrong, doing this in a home training session.

As you can see, Ethel has perfected her stride, and can now tightly enter the first weave pole and whip round into the second, continuing the weaves with speed and accuracy. Also, from the video, you can see what can possibly go wrong. It has been an issue previously, and now it has been resolved. Also, when she misses a pole, you can also see she was sniffing before she entered the weaves. Although there wasn't time for me to notice before leading her in, a distracted dog isn't focussed on the task at hand, meaning she's unlikely to succeed. She wasn't thinking about what she had learnt and what was expected of her. I'm guilty of sometimes forgetting how young she is!

DO MORE! DO MORE MUM!

On the course, handlers don't HAVE to put their dogs into a tight entry, however, wide entries cost the dog many precious seconds on the course time, and therefore training tighter entries end up being more successful in the competition ring.

I love running Ethel. Although it may sound slightly strange, I often run Ethel and think she's my more advanced dog. The thing is, I never taught Earl from a young (but safe) age like Ethel. And I never trained Earl specifically with competitions in mind. She can do more than her big brother, and she isn't even two years old. I can't get enough with running her! Although it feels amazing, with my little man, I can rely on him to know what he's doing at all times. Agility really is a thrilling sport.

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