Cleo not enthusiastic!

[Louise C]

Hi All,
Cleo and I are in our 5th week of beginner agility but we have one problem; Cleo doesn't seem enthusiastic about it at all. She walks over the jumps, walks thru the tunnel, winds thru the weave poles, saunters along between obstacles but never gets "pumped" about it. No amount of encouragement or praise will get her going.

She is more interested in what's going on around her and is not food or toy motivated. I'm starting to think that this may not be her cup of tea which is very frustrating because at home she just races around the yard (we have a very large fenced area - 1/2 acre), jumps over piles and up hills like a dirvish!

Anybody else had this problem and overcome it??

Flyball may be our next trial!!

 

[Kerry Jane]

Yes, we had a similiar problem and definately overcame it so I would suggest perseverence. First, you need to find out what gets her excited. Could it be that you aren't using the right food (what are you using), or maybe an exciting enough toy, a ball, a tug toy?
My dog is very toy motivated, so what I did to get her pumped up and excited was play with her and the toy and then toss it over a jump and have her go after it, or run a few obstacles with her and then bring out the toy and throw it. She was also very distractable so to start with we needed to practise in an environment with low distractions. One of the toys that drives her absolutely wild is a little back furry mouse with whiskers, tail and squeaky (I buy them by the dozen at dog shows - the only place I have found them) - this specific toy gets her really focused on me. It doesn't work with just any old toy.
So, you need to find out what does get her going, and then just persevere......and you will find that she will get excited about it as time goes by.