In agility, Weaving entails negotiating a ‘slalom’ series of weave poles. In obedience training, weaving through your legs can be a great way to add sparkle to your heelwork practice; is excellent for strengthening back muscles or warming your dog up to work; or is even just a really neat trick to impress friends and family. (You know your dog loves applause!).
Training your dog to walk at heel can be pretty intense and tiring for you and your dog. Enlivening your practice with ‘surprises’ can help keep your dog alert and focused on you and avoid it becoming a chore for both of you.
You can start by luring your dog through your legs with a treat or their favorite toy, “marking” performance with a positive “Yes”, “Good” or clicker. Gradually reduce (‘fade’) the lure until your dog performance on your voice cue only. Remember to work on both the left and the right, putting them together (like a figure of eight) when your dog is confident. Just do a few repetitions to keep the game really fresh and enjoyable!
In agility, the dog must enter from the right (left shoulder to the first pole). The goal is fast, independent weaving, where your dog knows their job and looks for the correct entrance, continuing to the end without too much intervention from you! Several methods have evolved over the years.
The key point is to make learning easier – just training the entrance, ordoing fewer poles - finishing quicker so your dog gets rewarded sooner. Slowly raise the bar. More detailed guides ‘How to Train your Dog to Weave’, are available free from our Resources page on www.dogangels.us You are sure to find examples on the Internet, including handlers ‘home videos’ of training. Good luck and Happy Training! With special thanks to Kimma, a Finnish Spitz, and her owner Katie for demonstrating.
