AG195: Teeter Training: From Trick to Treat!

Equipment:
- You will need a target/mat that your dog can back up onto. Not very large, but the dog should be able to stand with all 4 feet on it. You will not use this mat for very long.
- You will need a board that moves, that accommodates your dog’s body length. The board should be able to stop moving when your dog has all 4 feet on it. A round wobble board or a cato-tip plank are both appropriate. 
**Large breeds may benefit from starting on the actual teeter (after the mat), but the teeter should go flat or nearly flat, to begin with.
- You will need access to an adjustable teeter and space surrounding the teeter to add obstacles before/after; around 30 feet of length is doable for adding an obstacle before or after. Obstacles you use before and after can be anything (jumps, cones, tunnels, etc). You only need enough width to accommodate the obstacles you're using and yourself running alongside the dog. 

If you do not have access to an adjustable teeter, you will need two adjustable tables so that we can control the drop height for your dog. You will also need to modify your training plans, as this method introduces sequencing with a low teeter, and this is not possible when the teeter is propped up on tables. Whatever props you use to modify the drop, the teeter must ALWAYS be able to move and it is preferred that the dog can get on and off the teeter on their own.  

You only need access to an actual teeter for the end of week 3 and weeks 4, 5, & 6. I recommend training on the teeter every other day at the most and maintaining training sessions that include 6-10 reps total. 

Appropriate Age of Dog: The nature of a Gold spot is that you'll be doing some training several times a week, maybe even every day. Your dog should be old enough to physically handle that amount of training. I recommend dogs be a minimum of 6 months to be able to complete the lessons on the wobble board only during class and delay the transition to the teeter until they are 10 months old. Dogs 10+ months are able to progress completely through class and transition to an actual teeter, all while moving at their own pace. If your dog is younger than 6 months, I suggest grabbing the materials at bronze. 

I begin week 1 materials with my puppies around 3 months old and I do not consider moving beyond those skills until they are solid and fluent in a variety of environments. I begin formal wobble board training around 6 months and follow the curriculum as follows: 
6-7 months, week 2 materials 
7-8 months, week 3 materials 
8-9 months, week 4 materials 
9-10 months, week 5 materials 
10-11 months, week 6 materials *at half-height* 
Full height grows from here, increasing the height each month as the dog is comfortable with it. 
All while honoring the dog as invidivudal and taking the process at their own pace. My own puppy, is currently 16 months old and still not on a full height teeter because protecting her confidence is my top priority. 

If you have any questions about suitability for this class, please reach out to me via email: megan@synergydogsports.com