My mutt Ace has become much more vocal and excited during agility practice within the last six months. He barks wildly nonstop, as you can see in the video below. Watch it on mute if you don’t want to be totally annoyed.
I haven’t addressed Ace’s “talking back” issue until now because I don’t know how to handle the problem. In the meantime, his “attitude” has gotten worse.
What concerns me the most is not his barking, but how his excitement escalates to aggressive behavior such as nipping my hands. He has left bruises several times. It’s hard to see it in the video, but he bites at my sleeves during the weave poles.
My mutt is out of control.
Agility trainers I’ve worked with tell me that Ace wants to run as fast as he can. Because the obstacles slow him down, he gets frustrated when he has to maneuver them. The room we practice agility in is also too small, leaving him little room to get up to speed. His barking is his way of telling me “Let’s go!”
One trainer (Hi Sandy!) has told me all along that I’ve been causing these problems by literally taking too big of steps with my feet. Like Ace, I want to go fast. After all, we are both runners. But my large steps cause me to stop suddenly as we reach each obstacle, causing Ace to do a jump or pop upwards. This popping motion that Ace did led to barking, which led to nipping. I don’t notice that I’m doing any quick stops in the video, but I’m sure I still do it on certain course layouts. Either way, Ace has formed the habit to jump at my hands and bark.
Ace’s crazy, continuous barking began several months ago on the teeter. This is an obstacle he is still nervous on. What a big baby! He would bark on the teeter because he didn’t want to walk across it. He used to try to skip the teeter entirely and then grunt and bark when I forced him across it.
The barking on the teeter led to barking at the weave poles. He wanted to run right by them instead of actually weaving. When I slowed him down to do them correctly, he began grunting and soon after that he was full out barking. Now he barks nonstop throughout the whole course, even when he is in a down-stay position on the table.
He used to be better at agility, and now he has gotten worse and tries to skip obstacles. Is my dog bored or what?
The way Ace is acting in this video is pretty typical, although his excitement often escalates to more than this. That’s when he fixates on my hands and mouths them like they are a toy.
Unwanted behavior is never the dog’s fault.
I joined an agility class for something my dog and I could do together – a way to increase our bond while exercising and challenging ourselves. One of the reasons I haven’t addressed Ace’s barking is because agility is supposed to fun. We aren’t serious competitors, so I’ve never worried about his behavior too much. Also, in a class setting, it’s hard to slow down and take individual time to work when others are waiting for a turn.
But now I’ve reached that point where enough is enough. It’s hard to have fun with a barking dog, especially one beginning to show dominance and aggression. It’s hard not to take it personally when Ace hurts my hands. It’s hard not to lose my temper when he can’t control himself enough to hear basic commands, let alone respond to them.
Of course, I don’t blame Ace for his behavior. It’s totally my fault for not addressing these issues before they became habits. Ace can’t rationalize what he’s doing. He’s just being a dog, and he’s trying to be a good dog. All he wants to do is follow me around and make me happy.
I had my boyfriend Josh run Ace on the course last week to see if our dog would respond differently to him. He did not. Ace was probably even more excited because Josh was out there with him for the first time. Ace even tried to go for Josh’s hands.
I’ve had more experienced trainers do run-throughs with Ace on the course, and he is much better with them. He does not bark or become fixated on their hands. He is able to focus better because he is less excited. One member of our class suggested Ace gets more excited around me because I’m his person, and he likes me so much. But I think he does better with the other trainers because they are more assertive, and he sees them as authority figures.
My dog is not a vocal dog outside of agility. We practice obedience in the same building, on the same floor, and he is a totally different dog then – quiet, laid back, responsive! He seems to really enjoy both obedience and agility but for different reasons.
Obedience is about calmly following my lead and commands, something Ace enjoys. Agility, on the other hand, brings out one crazy dog! Although he looks happy on the course – his tail never quits wagging – I worry that his excited behavior at agility is similar to his obsessive behavior around a tennis ball. The fact that he fixates on my hands and gets a glazed stare is not a good sign.
What should I do differently with this dog?
We are taking this session off from agility because I need to give myself a break, but we will be back again to weekly practices in May. I really enjoy agility and want to improve. However, I don’t see that happening unless I can get more control over my dog on the course.
Does anyone have any suggestions for Ace and I?
One option is to slow Ace down and even practice with a leash on him for awhile. That way I have more control and can put him into down-stay positions whenever his excitement escalates.
I also see that Ace and I need to work on distance. If he can learn to listen and read my signals better from a distance, he will be able to run the course without me right by him the whole time. That way he won’t be able to fixate on my hands so easily. He will also have to think a little more rather than just follow me the whole time. Distance work is something we can practice in general at home and in areas other than on agility equipment.
Finally, I need to be more assertive with my dog with both my voice and body posture. I am too laid back with him. My voice is not firm and either are my hand signals. The more passive I am, the more powerful he becomes. I don’t have to yell, but I have to be the authoritative figure that I am.
A nice, long bike ride with Ace before we go to practice should also help. 
If you bike with your dog, you may be interested in a dog bike leash.
Does anyone else have a dog who is crazy at agility? How about crazy in general?
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I’m laughing because I have the opposite condition with my dog. Gus would look at me as if I was smoking something if I tried to get him to do agility and then make himself comfortable and take a nap.
The only thing that excites my big, lazy guy is dinner time. He does actually get a bit out of control. He won’t nip but he jumps and howls. I have found that if I am calm, he calms down. I have been practicing being at ease as I prepare his food and I even get him to sit while I do it many times. When I put the bowl down, he has to sit calmly for a moment before I let him get it. I know it is nothing like agility, but you try to calm a 120lb dog when he’s hungry!
So, the only advice I have is to stay calm and slow down yourself. It can’t hurt!
I have a lab who exhibits this behavior during flyball. For us, it is not aggression; more or less an adrenalin rush.
My APBT barks all the time when we do agility. Doesn’t bother me…..In fact I see many dogs who bark during agility…
Hi Ann. Thanks for your comment. I know a lot of dogs bark during agility, so I shouldn’t worry to much about Ace’s barking. I think of him as a football player getting himself psyched up before a big game. However, the nipping at my hands needs to stop.
Apryl, you mean you’re not going to take Gus to agility?
A lot of dogs in Trooper’s classes barked as they ran the course. I thought it was funny. It’s just what they did.
I can’t watch the video…it’ll just make me cry. I’m really emotional tonight…and it’ll remind me that I can’t do agility anymore.
Yep I think that you are right about him basically getting ahead of himself and you. Two steps back and then one step forward. You need to calm him down and get him to concentrate on the voice and hand commands. Once he learns them better you shouldn’t need to be any where near him as he runs the course.
On that note I am going to enroll Bruno in agility training. He amazes me with his speed and agility. Especially at the dog parks. I have yet to see another dog beat him across the park. Some might be as fast but not near as agile. If another dog gets in Brunos way he will just jump them and not even skip a stride. I am sure that there are some bigger dogs that would be faster in a flat run. But on a course. I don’t know.
Any way anyone have any suggestions for classes to join for Bruno and I. We live in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Any help would be greatly appreciated. THANKS
Ace and I go to the Red River North Dog Obedience Club. I recommend it because the classes are small and each dog and handler gets a fair amount of time on the course. There is a beginning agility class, and you can move up to the more advanced classes as you feel you are ready. Classes are around $45.
The Fargo Moorhead Kennel Club (Canine Academy) also offers agility classes. There is a waiting list to get into the agility program at this club and the cost is higher.
Marty does the same thing when we play fetch (which, with a lab, happens a lot!). We have been trying to stop him both before we throw the ball and when he is running after it, get him to calm down, and then give him a really high value treat. The trainer we worked with in the past said she thought it started out as excitement and then he just started to think it was a necessary part of the game! Maybe you could get Ace to stop and calm down mid-course (or would that backfire on the agility training)?
And I second the Red River North Club in FM. We have tried several other obedience programs in the area and, although its only been one class, they are considerably more patient than anyone else we have worked with! (Although we haven’t brought our ‘problem child’ there yet…)
Thanks Kari. Getting Ace to stop and calm down mid course is a good idea. When he is obsessive over a ball, I make him lie down and chill out for a minute. Even though he wants to go after that ball so bad, he does respond to commands like down, come and stay before he is released to retrieve the ball. It’s the same concept in agility.
I subscribed to your blog today.
I have a crazy JRT, ha ha, and one program I LOVE is called Control Unleashed. http://www.controlunleashed.net/ It has made a huge difference in Stewie, and now he doesn’t even lose his mind over squirrels, and that is huge.
There is a book and a DVD. The book is cheaper and I would start there.
This program works, several people in our club have used it with great success.
Nancy and Stewie
Nancy, thank you so much! I will look into this and let you know how it goes. Ace has been doing better lately while wearing his Gentle Leader, but obviously that is not fixing the problem. I don’t want to depend on that all the time.
My 14 month old gsp has been getting worse about barking and jumping up and biting my hands in agility. It’s winter and we don’t have the outside course set up for practice and no place indoors to practice except training class once a week. When he starts the unwanted behaviour in class, I stop the activity, put my hands on my hips and no talk, no touch, no eye contact. He settles down because his game is no fun alone and then we continue calmly. I’ve only just began this method and will let you know if it works. It seems to slow him down a little for now. I look forward to practicing daily in the warmer months to come.
Thanks! Please let me know how it goes as you continue. We’ve just started agility again and my dog is barking and nipping and acting like crazy.
Have you used any sort of compulsion in your agility training?
I definitely think an e-collar would work to stop Ace’s barking habit. It’s probably the only thing that would work. I’ve had about a year off from agility and I’m ready to give it a try again this winter. Our club probably won’t let me have an e-collar during the class setting, but it’s something I can do with Ace on my own.
Of course it would work, but didn’t you say you wanted to do agility as a way to increase your bond with your dog? Is physical punishment (for a behavior that, as you already recognize, YOU have trained!) going to improve your relationship with your dog? Do you really want to look back at your time with Ace years from now when he’s gone and think about how you chose to inflict physical pain to gain more control in agility? It WILL settle and SLOW him down if you decide to use it, but last time I checked, agility was a race. Instead, try rewarding the behavior you want. Reward him for looking at the obstacle and NOT at your hands. Reward him for performing the obstacles without barking or looking at you or biting you or jumping up. I don’t believe dogs get bored if you’re training right. Every dog I’ve ever had would have been happy doing sits and downs all day long as long as I was rewarding them with food or a toy. If he’s skipping obstacles, you just haven’t yet trained him to see the value in doing that obstacle. Make it easier. If he does one obstacle correctly (and by “correctly,” that means not jumping up or biting you), he gets rewarded. Don’t make it harder (by doing multiple obstacles in a sequence) until he’s successful almost all the time at doing just one. (Again, “successful” means doing it without biting – or barking, if you don’t want him to bark!)
btw, Ace is REALLY cute, and it really looks like he just wants to do what will make you happy! He just doesn’t know what that is.
Good luck.
I’ve thought about going back to beginning agility with the beginning students just so we can really slow down and take our time.
Yeah pretty much his entire behavior during agility is compulsive. He fixates on my hands and agility is the only time he barks – he is not a vocal dog. He has that glazed stare and becomes an entirely different dog, just like with his tennis ball obsession.
Suggestions?
I am planning on renting space at a different training center where Ace and I have the space to ourselves and can work alone or with one trainer. That way we can take our time. If it doesn’t go well, then perhaps agility is just not the best activity for my dog.
That video was taken a year ago. He’s gotten worse since then.
I’ve had the same problems with my cattle dog (go figure) in agility and I’ve had similar issues with my Border Collie in just about every other situation.
Now, with my cattle dog… I initially thought it was cute. She was a rescue, and completely shell shocked when I got her.. She’d roll over and pee herself at every little noise/movement. Through flyball, she found her confidence…and 5 years later – she has a little TOO much confidence
So in agility, she often get stubborn, combative, nippy and barky. She’ll start making up her own course because it is FUN. I have a friend whose dog will often break start lines and nip her because IT’S FUN!
First thing I would try is whenever your dog gets nippy – just cross your arms and walk off the course. Do it calmly and assertively. Once your dog calms down and comes to you, then try again.
If your dog just then starts to run around like a crazy (like my Border Collie), then I’d make them do a time out. What we’ve found to work is a very calm time out.. say nothing.. pick the dog up (or clip a leash to its collar), walk off the course and put the dog in time out by itsself for a few minutes. Car, crate, bathroom..wherever. Don’t say anything. After 5 minutes or so, try to run again and be super fun! As soon as the dog gets nippy or out of control…calm time out again. Don’t hold a grudge… make sure every time you just calmly put them away without saying anything or throwing them into the crate/car/etc… and when you get them out again – be super positive and fun.
Good luck!
Thank you, Aly. Those are some very good ideas. My problem is I train for one hour at a time in a class setting. So I only get about three minutes at a time with my dog about four or five times throughout the hour. When I do things like this, I feel like I’m holding everyone else up. This adds to my frustration and embarrassment, which I’m sure affects my dog!
I’ll have to look into a training center that is more one-on-one. I like your ideas.
I have a Golden Retriever who barks at agility in response to other dogs barking. I would teach him the command “quiet” at home first. When he is barking at home, tell him “no” and say “quiet” in an assertive tone . When he is quiet, immediately praise him profusely (good boy, quiet!) or give him a treat. Then, keep practicing the command “quiet” in different, calmer home situations (e.g. during play, in the backyard, in the park, around other dogs). Once he learns the command “quiet” in easier situations, you can use and reward this command in more challenging, exciting, stimulating situations like at agility class. This strategy was learned from different dog training books I have read. There are many commands you can teach dogs (e.g. relax, quiet, lay down) to request a calmer state before starting an exciting activity.
Also, try to determine why you dog is barking (e.g. wants something, play bark, barking in communication with other dogs). Perhaps you can arrive at agility early, practice “quiet” and run through the agility course silently 10-15 min. before other dogs arrive. Then, he will have practice heeding the “quiet” command in a solitary situation (simpler task) and can work towards quiet behaviour in a busy, noisy group situation (more challenging).
As my dog gets barky when he is craving stimulation, I make sure he gets his morning and after-work walks to keep him calmer, tire him out and reduce any later hyper, neurotic, self-stimulatory barking in the evening (e.g. excessive behaviour in the backyard, in the house). Perhaps he needs a brief, yet interesting walk (around trees, on park benches, down steps)around the block before agility class.
Well, exercise is not the problem for my dog. I’ll take him for an 8-mile bike ride before agility and it makes no difference. It’s his state of mind once he gets on that course. He is not affected by other dogs, either. He fixates on ME and he gets extremely excited.
Working alone is definitely what we need to do. It’s a matter of finding the right training center where we can do this.
He doesn’t know the command “quiet” and I do think this could help us somewhat.
Thanks for the tips!
Hi, Just wondering how you have got on with your agility training and what method seemed to work the best for you?
I have a 2year old border collie and she is also coming into me nipping and jumping up in agility, it usually happens in competition because she knows its competition and that’s when she is most excited so its very hard for me to correct when im in competition and it does get very frustrating because she will do a lovely run and then 1/4 to the finish she will jump up and nip at me!
I stopped training my dog for agility actually. We were just doing it for fun and it was not very fun for me. I’ve thought about going back, but my dog does better with obedience type work rather than getting riled up for agility. If I took him back, I would definitely use an e-collar with him to stop the barking/nipping. And then I would give him his ultimate favorite treats for being controlled and quiet.
Lindsay – thanks for your blog. You describe exactly the situation that I’ve been experiencing since I’ve been taking my border collie to agility training.
Perfectly well mannered most of the time, but starts barking around the course and when we get to the weave. He’s also started to mouth and try and grab my guide hand as we go around – particularly on weaving. Sounds like many people in your comments have had similar experiences.
I will try the various suggestions from your blog comments, but would welcome any input from someone that has experienced and resolved this specific issue (rather than generic well intentioned suggestions)
I have to admit I haven’t gone back to agility since writing this. It’s been a few years. I really miss it, and I’ve thought about getting back to it just for fun. Who knows, maybe my dog will have outgrown that issue since he’s older now. But I doubt it. He still gets very excited over chasing a ball. Agility brings out that same excited state of mind from him.
If I do agility with him again, I am just going to do my best to remain calm and to end the fun whenever he barks like that. I know agility is supposed to be pretty laid back and fun, but that behavior is not acceptable to me. I do think he can learn some self control and learn that when he barks, the fun is over.
I always had more success when I slowed down on the course, too. I had him go at almost a walk. And I shoved treats in his mouth whenever he was quiet.
Best of luck to you with your border. Let me know how it goes!