Weave Poles – Tough to Make, Tough to Learn

We're trying not to let weave poles get the best of us.

Trying...

Again using the instructions at InstantAgility, I built a set of PVC adjustable channel weave poles. It required lots of measuring, cutting, and gluing -- and more gluing when the poles started coming apart!

Yep, my set came apart in the middle while we were carrying it outside for the first time. Apparently my gluing skills aren't up to par. I decided to leave it like that for a while since Henry's only starting training. It's easier to carry 3-pole sections anyway.

And then one of the end poles came off the base. Sigh.

To make matters even more frustrating, Henry seemed to be regressing. I started out using the methods we learned in my last class at the local kennel club. We learned to NOT lead the dog through the poles. Rather, we waited till the dog entered the first pole correctly and then rewarded the behavior. When the dog gets that, you move on to the next pole.

Well, with our new set of weave poles, we could never get past those first two poles. So yesterday, after watching a couple of channel weave pole training videos online, I moved the poles inside to the screened porch, reassembled them into into the full set of 6, and opened them to make a channel down the middle. Now I'm focusing on him entering the right way and going all the way to the end. I'll close the poles gradually and – fingers crossed – maybe he'll learn to weave. I'm afraid, however, that deviating from the class training methods will get me in trouble in the next class we're signed up for.

The best part of moving the poles to the porch is I no longer have to drag them out of the basement and into the yard every time we want to practice. Now we can step out the back door and practice for short sessions several times a day.