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Location: Chichester, Sussex
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 9
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Zoomies! Looking for others' thoughts :)
Hi, I've only done agility at a basic level, but wanted others' thoughts. I took on a rescued street dog and promptly started agility with her as a confidence builder...it took a while for her to understand what was going on, but she now loves training.
Main issue nowadays is that she loves it so much, she will launch into the zoomies frequently at training, just out of sheer enjoyment...she will hurtle round, doing her own choice of obstacles and returning when she's calmed down. I love seeing her enjoy herself, and if she does this forever it's no big deal...but wondered if there were any thoughts on reducing the behaviour, while maintaining the fun. She can do it at any point, including waiting on the start line. I currently keep a high value treat in the hand, as it is necessary at this stage...however the value of the treat is irrelevant when she takes off.
My thoughts have been to reward more frequently, stopping after every obstacle if necessary, and at the end reward with a release to run...but worried about reducing the enjoyment if I slow her right down, and wanted to see what others thought. She has zero interest in toys, despite trying, and she is 9 years old (only does low jumps).