Nancy Gyes' 12 Commandments of Agility
Nancy Gyes and Scud
ADCh, MX, AXJ, EAC, EJC, EGC, CDX
1. Teach your dog how to play and learn how to use it to enhance your agility perfomance.
2. Never take your eyes off your dog.
3. "Rover, come" is the most powerful command you have on the agility course. Use your dogs name to get their attention or to turn them, don't use it on a straightaway, or without expecting a strong response to you.
4. Tell your dog what you DO want it to do, not what you DON"T want it to do. The directionals, positions, (come, right/left, down, sit, wait, contact) & the object names should be much more intense commands than "no", "leave-it", "no-sniff", "aaahhh" etc.
5. Work every part of every obstacle; every jump, every tunnel entrance, every contact approach, every contact zone, every pole!
6. A.B.C.'s of agility: A. Look at, B. signal, and C. command, every obstacle.
7. Direction BEFORE Object. Always tell your dog WHERE to go before you tell it WHAT to do.
8. Always take the extra moment to straighten your dog to contacts and weaves. Gospel according to Jim* : Trying to save a foot may cost you a leg!! (*Jim Basic)
9. Never show anger towards your dog on course. You are the one who taught him his job. Leave the ring smiling, reward the dog for the job he did, put the dog away. Then ask a better handler than yourself if it was your fault or the dogs'. It IS more than a game, but not worth losing your morals over!
10. Stop punishing your dog with YOUR lack of enthusiasm!
11. Work every course to the sometimes bitter end, never give up. Even good judges miss calls for bars down or contacts you may think you've missed. Let the JUDGE judge the dog's performance.
12. Never EVER meet a fellow competitor, student, teacher or friend at the finish line with a blow by blow of their faults on course. Say something pleasant, or KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!!!
Nancy Gyes, Power Paws Agility, July 1997
