Teach Your Dog To Rock The Weaves

I started to teach Stark how to weave when he was fourteen months old, unfortunatley an injury has kept him from completing his training. I will update this blog when Nitro starts his weave training (in six months). I prefer the 2x2 method of weave training for at home learning and no other method beats the understanding a dog will have of entrances from this method. In class we start on 2x2 and then move to channel as it is easier or those that only practice in class.

Step One: Go Through

We start by teaching our dogs to love running through the weave poles. Stand to the left of the "open set of weaves as shown on the diagram to the left. Either throw your treat/toy or use race to reward. You don't want to throw too far as we are going to add a second set in step four.

Your dog should be making a wide circle as you turn with your dog to set up for another rep. The dotted line shown is your dog's path. You will be closer to the poles at the start but try taking a step or two back a couple times a session. Only work two minutes at a time to start with you want your dog to be excited and happy to play the weave game.

​Once your dog is happily charging through those poles move to step two.

Step Two: Close the Poles

​In step one the poles are "open" and now we are going to work to close them. The biggest advantage of using 2x2 is that it teaches the dog to wrap that first pole so we want to spend ample time on this step. Never be afraid to make it easier on your dog. My rule of thumb is that if I have two failures I need to make it easier, if you continue to try and make them get it right you're doing more harm than good.

Turn the poles counter clockwise just a few inches, do three to five reps and then turn them again. Start each new sessions with the poles a few turns before where were last session. Make the learning effortless and fun. Working this every other day you should be able to close the poles in about two weeks. Go easy on younger dogs. This obstacle is mostly muscle memory and that takes time to develop
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Step Three: Working Around the Clock

You know the song that goes "One, two, three O'clock, four O'clock rock"? Well we are going to rock around the clock for weaves. In the diagrams on the right this you can see handler and dog lined up in every possition around the clock. I want my dog to understand that no matter where we are you enter at the first pole with it on your left shoulder. This is an exercise that I still do with my accomplished agility dog in the space of our tiny back yard. Below is a video of Stark and I working the clock

In this video I use many different angles and distances to help his understanding to always wrap that first pole. I want him to be looking for first pole and move his body accordingly. You can see him make very deliberate choices to enter correctly. I always turn with him and keep my eyes on him. There are several times in this video that he "shoots from my hip." We move easily together from our foundation work on shadow handling.

Step Four: Adding More Poles and Moving Them Closer

Once your dog accuratly and enthusiastically running through the first two weaves it is time to add another set. At first you are going to reward between the two sets as they are, to your dog, two separate obstacles. Reward with a treat from your hand and then allow your dog to offer the second set. Since by now you've spent lots of sessions rewarding going through the poles your dog should run right to the next set. I like to start them about ten to fifteen feet apart and move them closer by about a foot every several reps. Within about three sessions I want to be able to only reward the second set of poles. Stark moved through this step in one session. I also use my treat and train because it makes timing of the marker and the reward placement perfect. In this video I added a third set but in th session after that I changed my mind and worked only with the two sets to keep his speed up. I would not recomend putting all three together like that, it was too much too soon. By the end of the last video the two sets are all the way together and he is actually weaving. This entire process for us took about a month working every other day two or three sessions in that day. Adding the third set is done the same way, keeping the first two sets together and putting the third five to ten feet away. Reward for the first two and then allow your dog to offer the third. Same as before, quickly fade out the middle treats. You can continue this pattern until your dog is weaving all twelve poles.