In dog agility, there are several pieces of dog training equipment that are known as contact obstacles. These include the pause table, the A-frame, the dog walk and the teeter, which also might be called a see saw. No matter what you call this latter piece of equipment, it can be tricky to teach, as dogs are often unsure about this movable object.
Before you begin teaching the totter, we recommend that you get your dog up on a Buja board. These wobble boards are just a couple of inches off the ground, and your dog simply climbs on to the board and either stands or sits as it wobbles around. At first, your dog might be resistant to the wobble board, but some patient encouragement (and perhaps a treat or two) can make this a more pleasant experience.
Once your dog feels comfortable with the wobble board, you might consider teaching a skill that will help dogs get used to getting off the ground without have the additional affect of movement. For instance, rather than jumping from a wobble board straight to the teeter, consider teach the a-frame or perhaps the dog walk and then the a-frame.
For some dogs, the movement of a teeter is frightening and for some, the mix of the height and movement is difficult to handle. Providing them with both a wobble board and a non-moving piece of contact dog training equipment can help them feel comfortable with height and movement before you combine these two sensations.Of course, many dogs will take to the teeter right away. But if your dog seems a bit nervous, simply introduce this piece of equipment by letting them sniff around it and get used to this new item in your yard. You can even detach the board from the top and have them begin by practicing simply walking across the board.
Once the dog is familiar with the board, consider gently holding your dog by the collar at one end of the teeter while another person crouches at the other end holding a treat. Lead your dog along, encouraging him to reach the other end and enjoy the treat.
Another option for this piece of dog training equipment is to train them from the midpoint down. In other words, lift your dog onto the middle of the teeter and have them tilt the teeter down and walk off the teeter. This gets them used to the idea of using their weight to push the teeter down without being abruptly surprised the first time the teeter moves.
You also might begin by using a piece of our miniature dog training equipment. Our mini teeter is lower to the ground and can be a great way to train a puppy or small dog, but also can be used with a larger dog that you anticipate might be nervous about a larger teeter. Once he or she has mastered the mini teeter, it will be easier to transfer those skills to a full-size teeter.
If your first teeter lessons seemed to be unsuccessful, there is no cause for worry. Simply stop the lessons and try again another day. Dog agility should be a fun activity and patience is one of the greatest assets that a handler can possess. Eventually your sweet pooch will enjoy going up and down on the teeter as well as using all of the different types of agility equipment.
For those who need a full-sized or mini teeter, we sell both on our website as well as Buja boards. To find the teeters, simply go to the home page and scroll down the left side of the page, where we list all of our dog training equipment. Teeters are located under the Contact Equipment section. Buja boards will be found under the heading of Training Tools.
Brad Carlson enjoys dog agility training. To find agility equipment or to find more about training equipment for dog agility equipment, please check out the Carlson-Agility.com website today.
