Start Line Stay
- Thread starter Sharon
- Start date
corbinam
Moderator
I haven't...but that's because Bentley has never broken his stay! I think it's his favorite part of the course 
That being said, I don't think I would pull him from a course in a trial if he did because a) we don't do that many trials so I would want to get the experience and b) I wouldn't want to have wasted my money!
In practice, it wouldn't be acceptable. I realize that's a bit of a double standard, but hey, I'm poor and can still Q if he were to keep going!
That being said, I don't think I would pull him from a course in a trial if he did because a) we don't do that many trials so I would want to get the experience and b) I wouldn't want to have wasted my money!
In practice, it wouldn't be acceptable. I realize that's a bit of a double standard, but hey, I'm poor and can still Q if he were to keep going!
k9kreationz
Forums Celebrity
I saw a LOT of this at my trial last weekend. The dog would break their stay, they'd basically correct and put the dog back. Immediate DQ. But they'd run the course after the dog was put back.
I know breaking the stay and running is teaching the dog it's okay to break it. However, for me, Koji stays more than he breaks (like 10 to 1), so I think it's okay to let it go, "that once". He broke a lot over the weekend and basically, I worked on it while we waited for our next run. I also figured out WHY he breaks his stay, so that helps a LOT!
Personally, I know Koji has a strong stay, so when he breaks it, I say screw it and run. I'm not there to train, I'm there to run. And if his training isn't spot on, that's my fault (and his too, lol). I think about it this way. If I was at the World Cup (yeah right), and my dog broke his stay. I wouldn't DQ myself, I'd run run run and try to win win win! LOL.
Just my two cents.
Silaria
Forums Sage
Edan has a pretty good start line stay though sometimes it's a Stand Stay instead of a Sit Stay (he slips on some of the matting so he'll stand instead of slipping into a down). I'll take either a sit or a stand as long as he stays.
I do my best to reinforce the start line stay during practice by randomly going back and treating for the stay before releasing him to run.
I do my best to reinforce the start line stay during practice by randomly going back and treating for the stay before releasing him to run.
Caro
Moderator
Only at training. I would dare do that at a trial (plus, it would get a bit expensive). A couple of times I have had the judge tell me my dog has broken because I wasnt watching the stay so have just started running. We had some mock trials last year which were fantastic for working on stays. Quite a few people did pull their dog out for breaking stays (and just let someone else run before them), but for me the best thing was we could treat them in the stays.
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k9kreationz
Forums Celebrity
Yup, that's why Koji breaks his stay. If I look away for too long, he'll break his stay. So I'm always walking and looking at him, look where I'm going, look at him, look where I'm going, LOOK AT HIM!! lol. I learned a lot from that seminar too. Learned that's why Koji blind crosses me or goes off somewhere else. I'm not looking at him. ugh!
corbinam
Moderator
Interesting! Bentley comes to me if I look at him! I get in trouble for looking at him because it takes him out of obstacle focus and puts him back in handler focus.
k9kreationz
Forums Celebrity
Very interesting! Koji tends to pull to me anyways, but I learned that as long as I have my eye on him, and he can tell that I do (not eye contact), he is focused on me and what I'm doing/saying. I can tell he's focused on what he's doing too. It's like he's looking at me for instructions. If I don't give them, he goes off on his own.
And then when that happens, and I stop. he'll bark at me. He's saying, 'what? why are we stopping? what's the problem? i did what you wanted." LOL. Or something like that.
I think I'll post this as a new thread.
Justicemom
Forums Celebrity
If your dogs really knows what wait or stay means eye contact doesn't matter.
In obedience, we teach not looking at the dog as we are going away right from the start. We should be able to walk straight away ,run away , do jumping jacks ,throw a ball. pLay tug with another dog anything and the dog on a stay or wait should not break. I do all of those things to proof my stays. If I say wait the dog is in the ready to move,leaning foward. If I say stay they know to stay relaxed. Just practice your waits separately from agility.
k9kreationz
Forums Celebrity
If your dogs really knows what wait or stay means eye contact doesn't matter.
Funny you should say that. I don't believe it's so much as not having a strong stay, as it is the "connection". I learned/was told/noticed in agility, Koji needs to have that connection with me otherwise he gets "confused" and that's when he disconnects/runs off course/does his own thing. It's definitely not eye contact that I need to make, so much as it is him knowing that I'm not just walking away and that yes, we are working.
He actually has a very strong stay in and out of agility. I need to work on it more in distracting areas, however I can go out of sight, run around, dance around, he'll either move his body to watch me, or move his head to watch me. But when we're working agility and he seems to know we are or aren't, he focuses on me more intensely. Hence the watching him, watch me.
Not sure if it's a Derrett thing, but I was taught to never turn your back to your dog (unless your head is turned to look at the dog, over your shoulder). It's basically blind crossing your dog. I've seen elite dogs break stays because the handlers are walking away w/o a glance back. So, I'm good with looking back. But I do need to work on his stays in more distracting places.