A ring routine is what you and your dog do before, during and after your run at a trial. This routine is something that is very personalised to each team and involves knowing what works best for you and your dog. Training these skills and trying different options allows you to work out what routine works well and enables you to practice before using your routine at a trial.
When we look at training our dogs in agility, we tend to focus on things like jump skills, obstacle skills and putting them together to be able to get through a course set by the judge.
How many of you have thought about training ring routines in the same light? This is a skill that you can improve through training, just like the other skills your dog needs to have a happy transition from training to the trial ring.
Ring routines can be split into 3 stages:
Before the run
During the run
After the run
Before the run
In this stage there are a few different things to think about:
What are the rules of the competition?
Where will I crate my dog to ensure he is comfortable and can rest between runs?
How long before the run will I warm my dog up?
How many dogs before my run am I getting my dog out and heading to line up?
Am I using food or a toy to reward near the ring?
Where will I put the reward during the run?
How am I going to manage my dog’s arousal level in the line up?
What will I do if I suddenly have to wait a long time while lining up for my run?
During the run
This stage is going to include things you may have trained, such as a start line stay, but here are some other things to consider.
Am I actively engaging my dog in the walk to the start line?
Does this competition allow tugging to the start line and will that benefit my dog or make him too high to think?
What am I doing with my lead? Do I need to drop it, pass it off or have it on me?
How will I set up my start line and how far do I want to lead out?
If my dog is not comfortable, will I ask for a lead out or just run with them, or leave the ring?
What will i do if something goes wrong on course, repeat the sequence or continue
After my run is finished, how will i get my dog on lead and how will I reward
After the run
At this stage, you have finished your run and are exiting the ring. The things to consider here are:
How quickly can I get my dog to the reward?
Can I use my lead to tug out of the ring ?
What do I do if people want to stop me on the way out to talk?
How do I cool my dog down?
How can I ensure my dog can rest well before the next run?
It is easy to forget about resting your dog at a trial, especially if they are the super active type. Dogs benefit immensely from the chance to decompress mentally between runs. Giving them time to rest will do wonders for their focus and stamina.
You can take each of these different sections and train them separately, breaking the skills down to then build the routine that will work best for your team.