# Recovering from agility accidents



## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Today was not a good day.

1) we had my trainer's giant schnauzer pull up lame in the middle of class.

2) 10 minutes into class I bent down and split my pants open. 

3) Mia had a really bad fall that freaked her out about 10 minutes from the end of class. 

It was really a freak incident. Mia was doing the full size dog walk the first time today and she was already a little nervous to begin with. A horse and rider came around the corner on the road suddenly and the lady with the big mutt dog wasn't holding on to her leash very well. Her dog bolted, barking and growling and came rushing under the dog walk right beneath Mia. Mia startled and lost her footing and fell from full height.  She was NOT going to work after that so we decided to just end it for her with some play and pets and cookies (trying to end with a positive experience).

My trainer acts like these things happen and it'll be okay. Mia's got a week off before she starts level 2 classes. But I'm just really worried this will be a big step back for her.


----------



## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Wow, bad day all round. I'm sorry to hear that. 

I hope your trainer's dog is okay.
Your pants can be fixed...your ego? Not so sure...lol.

As for Mia...I would look at reintroducing the lower dog walks as soon as you can and build it back up. Something that has been discussed on a list I'm on (since I do not do agility, at least not yet) is TEACHING a dog how to 'dismount' from the dogwalk as a separate behaviour. Basically teaching the dog HOW to fall/jump off a high ledge in the event that a startle or accident occurs so that the dog lands safely and hopefully injury free. 

I can tell you from personal bodily experience that learning how to fall correctly has been a life/ankle/knee/wrist/head/shoulder saver for me. Many many years of physical sports, dogwalking in the winter, falls down stairs and one fall off a VERY large horse and no serious injuries. At least so far...lol. Hope I didn't just jinx myself. If I did, it's your fault, K? LOL


----------



## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Laurelin said:


> Today was not a good day.
> 
> 1) we had my trainer's giant schnauzer pull up lame in the middle of class.
> 
> ...


OK, it would be really hard for me to see Tag fall off an obstacle like that. But I think your trainers attitude from a training standpoint is right on...don't make a huge deal out of it as long as she isn't hurt, kwim? A few times Tag bailed off the teeter (higher level) it made me jump. He was fine, the trainer was like "oops, let's try again, silly dog!" and back at it we went. 
One thing that helped Tag with obstacles with height (dogwalk, teeter, A-frame) was walking him up a few steps (leashed) and teaching him to TURN around on the obstacle (and C&T for a contact). It helped his rear end awareness, helped his confidence, helped with his footing, and if he toppled off he was only a few inches off the ground. It also, I think, taught him that it's OK to refuse an obstacle if he needs to. Better to have him hop on the dog walk, go up 2 steps, then turn around and bail off that way than go all the way to the top and take a flying leap.


----------



## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Unfortunately the pants are not fixable. 

Mia is strange in that she adores the small dog walk, loves the a-frame, and loves the teeter. The full size one was scary to her for some reason. I wanted to try to put her right back on there and so did my trainer but she just wouldn't and I thought forcing it would have been worse for her. We did the a-frame a few times to get her to do something she really enjoys but then jsut stopped until next class.


----------



## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

As other have said, depends on the dog.

With Kim, who as you know it a bit more high-strung and fearfully reactive, the best thing is to basically do what you did...either end it there like she's the best dog ever, or better yet (ensuring she's okay) send her through a tunnel (no impact, just to be safe) so it's not like her run is totally interrupted, which at this stage in her career she would read as something having gone wrong...in either case just totally jackpotting it and walking away. 

Putting her right back on (if one more person tells me "get back on the horse!" with regards to dogs...) just stresses her out because the bad thing JUST happened so it's right there in her mind and immediately reattempting it seems to remind her of it right away and cement that bad experience. If we can transition it so it seems as "normal" as possible and end things happy and relaxed, then the next time out she's far less likely to react to whatever piece of equipment committed the offense.


----------



## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

Do you ever get the opportunity to work on equipment with no one else around? I really like the idea (you get as long as you need to get your dog comfortable, and you don't have other dogs/people for distraction), but unfortunately, it's not a real possibility for me right now, although it will be when we get a little better. 
The one time we got to work at our own pace, I took Kit from thinking that the teeter was an object of obsession (food, people, FUN!!!) to no big deal all in about 5 mins. 

If you can, I'd suggest taking Mia back to some lower dog walks and just try them at her own pace. No one there to get nervous about, no dogs to distract her, no one waiting for their turn. And don't worry about falls, as long as the dog is physically ok. The first time Kit did the A-frame, she took a flying leap off the very top. *Doh* I have no idea how she manages to never hurt herself, but my heart drops into my stomach every single time.


----------



## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Do you ever get the opportunity to work on equipment with no one else around? I really like the idea (you get as long as you need to get your dog comfortable, and you don't have other dogs/people for distraction), but unfortunately, it's not a real possibility for me right now, although it will be when we get a little better.
> The one time we got to work at our own pace, I took Kit from thinking that the teeter was an object of obsession (food, people, FUN!!!) to no big deal all in about 5 mins.
> 
> If you can, I'd suggest taking Mia back to some lower dog walks and just try them at her own pace. No one there to get nervous about, no dogs to distract her, no one waiting for their turn. And don't worry about falls, as long as the dog is physically ok. The first time Kit did the A-frame, she took a flying leap off the very top. *Doh* I have no idea how she manages to never hurt herself, but my heart drops into my stomach every single time.


For a few sessions after Tag bailed the teeter, the trainer had me come in 10-15 minutes early with no other dogs/people around to work on that obstacle alone. I think it helped. I'm not sure how you're working Mia on the dogwalk but if you've got food in your hand--put it away. The biggest mistake I made with Tag was basically luring him through the dog walk, he was focusing on what was in my hand and not looking forward. He didn't fall, but it was setting him up for one because he wasn't paying attention to where he was at. Another idea would be to put Mia on the exit of the dog walk and let her walk a single step or two to the contact, CT. Keep setting her farther and farther up the dog walk and CT for walking down. (kind of like backchaining). I would however spend the week rewarding her heavily for the low dog walk, CT every time and then let her do something she likes (a jump, etc) as a bonus reward.


----------

