Subtitle: Exercises to Improve Entries, Exits, Independence, Speed and Confidence
Author: Amanda Shyne, PhD
Format: Paperback
Length: 184 pages
Size: 11" x 8.5"
Release Date: March 2017
You've taught your dog to weave, but does he
- Weave with the speed and confidence that you want?
- Find, and hold onto, any entry you present regardless of his speed or your position?
- Continue weaving and finish the poles if you leave him to get a head start to the next obstacle?
- Stay in the weave poles if he has to bypass a tempting off-course obstacle like a tunnel?
- Perform the weave poles correctly even if you’re not running right next to him?
Handling an agility course is easier if your dog really understands his job in the weave poles so you can send him to weave while you get to your next handling position.
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What's Included
The weave pole “homework drills” presented in Weaves that WOW are designed to make the most of your training time. Many of us are in the habit of “training the weave poles,” yet we go out and perform them in the same way each time, and ultimately our dogs learn nothing new. The 94 progressive exercises are designed to ensure that your dog is capable of finding difficult entries regardless of his speed (or yours), train your dog to continue weaving with multiple distractions, and train him to weave fast and confidently even if you’re not running parallel to the weave poles.
Each exercise focuses on a different skill that’s required for weave poles that wow—entries, exits, independence, and speed and confidence—so your dog will be rewarded for different parts of the weave pole performance. This will not only improve your dog’s overall understanding of weaving, it is a very efficient way for you to train.
Most of the exercises use 4 or 6 poles, not 12, so the drills are easy to set up at home.
The book includes lots of color photos and diagrams to make learning easier, plus the diagrams are printed at an extra-large size!
Who Is this Book For?
The exercises are designed for handlers who have already trained their dogs to weave 12 poles, but who want their dogs to be faster, more independent, more accurate, and more consistent while in the weave poles—handlers who want their motion and direction of motion to have nothing to do with the speed or confidence with which their dogs complete the poles.
That being said, if you are training a new dog for the sport of agility, it’s a good idea to incorporate all of the different skills in this book into your training program wherever possible. For instance, if you are using wires, Weave-A-Matics, or channels to train the poles, you can complete all of the exercises as you slowly begin to remove the wires, straighten the weave poles, or reduce the size of the channel. If you are using the 2x2 method, you may not be at a point where your dog performs 12 poles; however, you can still do many of the exercises. For example, you can vary your position and motion, and teach your dog to disregard other obstacles.
Weaves that WOW is also an excellent reference for agility instructors as the drills can be set up as part of your regular classes.
About the Author
Amanda Shyne, PhD, is the founder of Data Driven Agility in Springfield, Vermont. Amanda loves all animals and pursued a graduate degree studying animal behavior at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Her PhD dissertation examined the effects of environmental enrichment on zoo animal welfare. Due to her training as a researcher, her agility school takes a scientific approach to agility and dog training as she is constantly looking for the most effective ways to communicate course direction to dogs.
Amanda is not afraid to try new techniques and enjoys taking seminars as much as she does teaching them. One of her catch phrases, “Good to know,” reminds her students that all data is important even if it suggests the need for more training. Amanda loves agility and will continue to learn from her dogs for the rest of her life.
Amanda is also the author of Phenomenal Stopped Contacts in 30 Days, a training plan for teaching two-on/two-off contacts published by Clean Run.