An overview of some things to consider
Obstacle Safety
Any time a dog is asked to perform any obstacle at high speed there is risk of injury, especially when dealing with obstacles at height. We will look into some of the common injuries amongst performance dogs with many of them being related to obstacle performance.
Trial Stress
Trials are very stressful situations. By learning how to identify how stress manifests in a trial situation is critical to the animals well being. We will look further into how stress manifests in dogs and the implications of this on their welfare.
Training Stress
How obstacles and behaviours are taught to dogs have changed tremendously in the last 20 years. With more research examining the reinforcement side of learning theory and shaping behaviours there has been a shift from training with lures, leashes and punishment to focussing the power of the dogs choice, clarity and confidence. We will look at what the research suggests regarding training methods and what the current trends are in dog training.
