Handling a Velcro Dog

[Wicket]

Since her possible knee injury, my chi-poo has been doing a lot better. She has a lot more energy and is actually wanting to run, so I think if nothing comes up on the next vet appointment, we're ready go back to agility. However, I was handling her before, she liked to stay really close to me when we ran some sequences, almost to the point where I'd run into her. In my backyard, I have two bar jumps and I was wondering if I could use these (or some activities in the house since it's getting cold!) to help her get to used to being farther away from me.

Do you have any ideas? Thanks!

[***Melissa***]

I have never dealt with something similar, so I may talk absolute rubbish
But do you clicker train (or similar). Then maybe you can click & treat for going further away from you?
Maybe do a couple of sessions where you do only that?
And then work on recall again - just to reinforce that too?

[Nettle]

Good advice there, Melissa

Start by teaching dog to sit on a mat (cloth, towel, whatever) for a reward it finds on the mat, then stay while you move a SHORT distance away, then call dog to you. Move mat furthur away, one pace length at a time. Then when dog is staying reliably on the mat, start away from the mat, go there with her, reward when she sits on it, waits, then comes to you.

Build on that to send her to the mat without you, then wait and be called back.

The reward is twofold: the treat for going on the mat, and the knowledge that she can come back to you.

Only use that mat for that exercise and put it away other times.