Fun Training Or Classes

[Guest Gert]

Thanks, Kudzu!

 

And thanks for all the help, y'all. I took a look at Jen's 'Never Say Never Greyhounds' site and found her "Sit 101" blog. Basically, it suggests using a hill, with the dogs head downhill and luring. Now to find a hill in Florida!

 

I think if I can find a suitable hill AND use something Flower can continuously nibble on (hotdog or string cheese were Jen's recommendations) that she'll get it.

 

I'll keep you posted!

 

She sat!! I'm so excited!!

 

I've got a big tree in my backyard. Its roots make a slight 'hump.' It was enough. Well, that and a hotdog.

[krissy]

She sat!! I'm so excited!!

 

Yay Flower!

 

In other news... SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR TOMORROW!!! Aside from the fact that I have an exam that is going to kick my ass, we have our first agility class! Whoot! Way too excited. In preparation I am going to spend some time tonight and tomorrow cutting up some left over pork tenderloin and some hot dogs.

 

I took Summit out in the backyard this afternoon now that the snow is finally gone and things are semi dry. I wanted to work on his obedience. We really need to work on focus when we're outside. He's great in almost all indoor settings, but outside has so many noises and smells and things to look at! Didn't help that someone was putting up a new fence next door. Between the hammering and the sound of cars from the major street nearby it was near impossible to get anything done. To top it off, I had taken him for a jog with me immediately before hand. I purposely wanted him a little tired because every time I've taken him out in the yard he's decided to do zoomies. Now zoomies are cute and all, but it's work time, and the ground is still not firmed up yet and he just destroys it. After all the trouble we went through to convince our landlord to let us have a dog I don't need to get in trouble for Summit destroying the backyard (not that he has much grass to begin with). So then he was so tired he just kept trying to lie down. I got a couple of exercises out of him and then decided to call it quits. I don't expect him to be perfect with the new environment after all. Well, all of a sudden, Mr. I'm-too-tired-to-sit decides he's going to - you guessed it - DO ZOOMIES! GAAAAHHHH!

 

It was cute. But seriously? You don't have the energy to front and finish, but you have the energy to tear around the backyard 10 times? Greyhounds.

[kudzu]

She sat!! I'm so excited!!

 

I've got a big tree in my backyard. Its roots make a slight 'hump.' It was enough. Well, that and a hotdog.

Woohoo!!!! Pretty fun, isn't it?! Congrats!!

 

Now remember to fade out the lure, in this case your hot dog, as quickly as possible. Keep giving rewards for quite a while longer if sitting isn't an easy thing for her. Just keep the treats out of site so she can concentrate.

 

Way to go!

 

So then he was so tired he just kept trying to lie down. I got a couple of exercises out of him and then decided to call it quits. I don't expect him to be perfect with the new environment after all. Well, all of a sudden, Mr. I'm-too-tired-to-sit decides he's going to - you guessed it - DO ZOOMIES! GAAAAHHHH!

Yep, that's about the way it goes. But hey, at least he did some work outside.

[krissy]

We had our first class today! It was lots of fun. I don't think Summit is an indoor agility kind of dog though. I hope he picks up the pace when I get him outside. I can't blame him though, he's so long and there's not a whole lot of space. There are 6 dogs total including Summit, and the room isn't very big. A couple of the dogs have multiple handlers, plus 3 trainers... plus equipment. Anyway, his jumps are set super low... like he barely has to jump it's more of a step. But when I try to raise the bar to the next height he balks and refuses. I think part of the problem is he needs more of a run up. Greyhounds aren't really the kind of dog that is good at jumping from a stand still. But there's no space to get him running. I'm going to work with him at home this week on low jumps (just going to use buckets and a mop for a bar) so that he's reliably going over those with me a distance away. That way I can hopefully bump the height up in class next week and give him a longer run up.

 

But anyway, he generally just trots from obstacle to obstacle. The other dogs look like they're really motoring, he looks a little more laid back. But then, with his longer legs I think he's almost as fast. Hoping that in the summer when he's out on grass he'll be motivated to pick up the pace a little. And hopefully not end up doing zoomies.

[krissy]

So the little bugger CAN jump. Just not at agility class apparently. I took him out in the backyard and set up a makeshift jump with buckets and a hockey stick. Well wouldn't you know it, he was actually jumping high and clear over this thing even though it was set low enough that he could just about step over (similar height to what he'll do in class). Anyway, so I used the bench that's out there with one of the buckets to make the jump a little higher. About the height he was refusing in class. Well, no problem.

 

So now I'm considering two problems with the jumps in class. He's either refusing because he can't get enough momentum going to clear them and he knows that so he doesn't try. Or alternately he doesn't like the stands the bar is set on. In the backyard with the makeshift jump there are no uprights on either side like there are with a real jump, so I wonder if he feels restricted or whatever going between the uprights. Anyway, the boy can jump. Gotta find taller buckets to raise the height some more.

 

And I kept him on lead with his harness this time to prevent the zoomies. Once he's got his mind on work I can let him off lead and he'll stay focused. Just gotta avoid those darn zoomies!

[kudzu]

So now I'm considering two problems with the jumps in class. He's either refusing because he can't get enough momentum going to clear them and he knows that so he doesn't try. Or alternately he doesn't like the stands the bar is set on. In the backyard with the makeshift jump there are no uprights on either side like there are with a real jump, so I wonder if he feels restricted or whatever going between the uprights. Anyway, the boy can jump. Gotta find taller buckets to raise the height some more.

For Venus the problem was the standards. She is timid & tight spaces were a real challenge for her for a long time. Sol, on the other hand, doesn't know how to just jump. At a run with an obstacle between him & where he wants to be he can jump up onto something but will choose a different route if it is available. Had to work to get him to jump in class. Still won't jump into the car!

[krissy]

For Venus the problem was the standards. She is timid & tight spaces were a real challenge for her for a long time. Sol, on the other hand, doesn't know how to just jump. At a run with an obstacle between him & where he wants to be he can jump up onto something but will choose a different route if it is available. Had to work to get him to jump in class. Still won't jump into the car!

 

Well, Summit can't jump into the car or onto the bed either. He didn't know how to jump until we started working on bar jumps. We encountered a fence on a walk once. There was an intentional hole in the fence for people to walk through. It was reinforced with bars and perfectly rectangular, so it wasn't like someone just took wire cutters to the fence, but the bottom bar was about half a foot or so off the ground (about the height of the jumps Summit does in class). I went through and Summit stood on the other side with this look of "Oh my god, what do I do, don't leave me!" and kept making a move toward it then backing up. He literally didn't know how to jump over this bar. He's not spooky though and he wanted to... he just didn't know how. With some encouragement he finally jumped his front feet over with no problem and then didn't know what to do with his back legs. He finally sort of bunny hopped over it, hit it with his feet, but he awkwardly got over it. Now he can get over that height in agility just fine... but it's not high enough for him to really jump... it's more of a hop. Well, in the backyard he can jump. I think I can work him up to full height in the backyard, but I have no idea how that's going to happen in class.

[krissy]

Yay! Second class was awesome! Posted some videos and a run down on my blog.

[Guest Giselle]

Krissy,

 

I know I haven't seen all your videos or training sessions, but it looks like, at the moment, you are running WITH Summit as he jumps. This is fabulous for teaching jumping confidence to a breed that is so often amusingly awkward at jumps However, this method will have you running into several notable barriers (pun, haha):

1) "Babysitting" creates dependent dogs. In agility, "babysitting" refers to having to run alongside your dog to perform the obstacle. Oftentimes, dogs who are taught via babysitting methods often rely heavily on their owner's physical presence as a cue to perform the obstacle. And, when their owners are not able to babysit, they often refuse the obstacle. I see this time and time again, and, while some situations may necessitate babysitting, I think it's in the handler's best interest to choose methods that encourage independence rather than dependence. Now, what could that magical method be? Shaping, of course!

 

Giselle was NOT a jumper by nature. She hated moving over obstacles. I could literally place a broom across the floor and she would refuse to step over it. Heck, who needs 6 ft fences when you have a dog afraid of stepping over a 2" barrier? LOL! I realized very quickly that the only way to get her to jump happily and independently was through shaping:

I actually could have trained this better by using a target rather than my body signals, but I was young and hasty =P

 

2) I know greyhounds are very smart, but I think what is different about greys is that they can have a harder time "generalizing" behaviors. For example, if I taught Ivy (the dobermutt) to jump using makeshift obstacles like you, she would likely understand that "Jump" also refers to PVC-style jumps in class, too. However, Giselle did not have that quick generalization ability, and even a simple change in environment required me to reteach behaviors to a certain extent. I think the issue with Summit's refusal in class is due to that- generalization problems. How to correct generalization issues? It helps if your dog is independent at home, first, because then it's easier to shape in class. Other than that, it's a formula with which we're all familiar: practice + practice + practice The key distinction is: Is your dog thinking while he's practicing, or is he just following a lure? And if you have to take a few steps back and reteach the foundation behaviors (i.e. click/treating for running through the PVC stands before you add the hurdle) at class, then so be it. Enjoy agility!! It's great fun, and I miss it dearly!

[krissy]

Krissy,

 

I know I haven't seen all your videos or training sessions, but it looks like, at the moment, you are running WITH Summit as he jumps. This is fabulous for teaching jumping confidence to a breed that is so often amusingly awkward at jumps However, this method will have you running into several notable barriers (pun, haha):

1) "Babysitting" creates dependent dogs. In agility, "babysitting" refers to having to run alongside your dog to perform the obstacle. Oftentimes, dogs who are taught via babysitting methods often rely heavily on their owner's physical presence as a cue to perform the obstacle. And, when their owners are not able to babysit, they often refuse the obstacle. I see this time and time again, and, while some situations may necessitate babysitting, I think it's in the handler's best interest to choose methods that encourage independence rather than dependence. Now, what could that magical method be? Shaping, of course!

 

Giselle was NOT a jumper by nature. She hated moving over obstacles. I could literally place a broom across the floor and she would refuse to step over it. Heck, who needs 6 ft fences when you have a dog afraid of stepping over a 2" barrier? LOL! I realized very quickly that the only way to get her to jump happily and independently was through shaping:

I actually could have trained this better by using a target rather than my body signals, but I was young and hasty =P

 

2) I know greyhounds are very smart, but I think what is different about greys is that they can have a harder time "generalizing" behaviors. For example, if I taught Ivy (the dobermutt) to jump using makeshift obstacles like you, she would likely understand that "Jump" also refers to PVC-style jumps in class, too. However, Giselle did not have that quick generalization ability, and even a simple change in environment required me to reteach behaviors to a certain extent. I think the issue with Summit's refusal in class is due to that- generalization problems. How to correct generalization issues? It helps if your dog is independent at home, first, because then it's easier to shape in class. Other than that, it's a formula with which we're all familiar: practice + practice + practice The key distinction is: Is your dog thinking while he's practicing, or is he just following a lure? And if you have to take a few steps back and reteach the foundation behaviors (i.e. click/treating for running through the PVC stands before you add the hurdle) at class, then so be it. Enjoy agility!! It's great fun, and I miss it dearly!

 

Thanks Giselle!

 

The reason I run with him at home is because when I let him off leash in the backyard it has a magical power of zoomies and all he wants to do in the backyard is zoomies. If it was my house that would be fine, but we actually live in a basement apartment and my landlord lives upstairs with his two kids. We went through a 6 month process to convince him to let us adopt Summit because his previous tennants were idiots with 2 dogs that had SA and were allowed to poo all over the front and back yards without being picked up after. The last thing I need is to get hell from my landlord because Summit tore up the backyard (and tear it up he does... I've spent 10 minutes each time trying to press the giant strips of sod that he's ripped out back into the ground to make it less noticeable... thankfully what my landlord has in the backyard barely qualifies as a lawn). This power of the zoomies is very strong. I took him for a 10 minute jog with me by the end of which he was lagging and refusing to go any further (I didn't think his fitness would be that bad but we did have a couple weeks break from jogging because the weather was so dreadful). I took him out into he backyard when we got back to work on obedience. I thought "success" there will be no zoomies. There was also no obedience because he was so tired he kept trying to lie down! So I decide to call it quits. And what does he do? Zoomies? I apologize if you read this story in one of my previous posts. But anyway, the point is that now I keep him on leash in the backyard, at least until he makes the connection of backyard = work... which he hasn't quite yet. If/when he does we will definitely try what you suggested with the shaping. Though I think he probably just needed more practice jumping because he was great in class this week, even for the tire. I tend to have high expectations for quick progress I guess.

 

Interestingly Summit generalizes amazingly well. I'm sure some other breeds are much better but I'm quite impressed with him. I taught him to fetch one of his toys. He needed to be shaped for that one, asking him to touch it, then put teeth on it, then offer a bite, then pick it up, then hand it to me, then add distance... etc. Anyway, after he had that down I needed to change toys because the one I'd been using was stuffingless and couldn't really be thrown. I figured I was going to have to start at the beginning and run through all the steps quickly. No need. He offers to pick up just about anything now. If in doubt, pick it up. I do think though that he's not a huge fan of the standards on the jumps. So in future I'm going to try adding something to make it look like standards. But I don't think he refused a single jump this week. He also jumped into the car for the first time this weekend! Yay! Of course, the next time he proceeded to climb in awkwardly like always.

[Guest DarkHorse]

I'm going to be having some fun teaching my two some recall now that I'll have a backyard for a substantial length of time. Right now, they know their names and if they're not busy sniffing and/or playing at the dog parks and greyhound runs, they will respond to their names. However (as krissy can attest) they think me calling their name means "go to the nearest person". I'm hoping I'll be able to work on that with some help from my family. Any advice on that?

 

I've started teaching them "around" (inspired by Summit's performance). So far, they're great at it only if they're not near a comfortable laying place. If they are, they go sit or lay down because that's what they're normally asked to do. Hopefully once I've got the command securely done without a treat in the kitchen, I can move into the living room or their room and start working on it there. The idea is to get them doing it outside so that I can get them to unwrap me from their leashes.

 

They already know: sit, down, over (on their side), roll (roach on their back), bed, couch, off (either off the bed or the couch or getting off someone they've jumped up on), stairs (both up and down), back (backing up), come (only inside). Can anyone think of some useful tricks to teach. I've been trying to teach Araley "paw" but that's only working when she's laying down and the idea behind it would be to have a button she could push to go outside (in theory), so that's not too useful yet and it's slow at best.

[krissy]

I've been trying to teach Araley "paw" but that's only working when she's laying down and the idea behind it would be to have a button she could push to go outside (in theory), so that's not too useful yet and it's slow at best.

 

Could she push it with her nose instead? You could teach her a "touch" command. Or, instead of asking her for her paw, get an old yogurt container lid and put it on the floor. If she steps on it reward her for it. When she has that then whatever you want her to step on (i.e. a button or whatever) you put the lid on top of te button and have her step on that. Then start cutting the lid smaller and smaller until you just take it away all together.

 

Not sure how you're teaching "around". I started out with a treat in each hand. Lure with the right until they're behind your back then lure with the left until they come to your left side. With just one treat I tend to fumble and drop it and do all sorts of messed up things.

[Guest Giselle]

You don't have to try shaping jumps outside. The jump is pretty easy to shape indoors as it requires probably the least space of all the agility obstacles.

 

And zoomies are pretty common when beginning training with adolescent dogs, especially around 2-3 years. I had to learn by mistakes with Ivy, but you might want to check out "Control Unleashed" before the zoomies become a habit. I'm thinking Summit's zoomies might have a bit more to do with mental desires rather than physical desires (i.e. might explain why he zoomies even after strenuous physical exercise). Zoomies, like a lot of other behaviors, tend to be connected to frustration, excitement, and stress (even "happy" stress), and it's frequently a sign for more impulse control exercises. I don't remember if McDevitt addresses zoomies explicitly in CU, but she provides some wonderful insight for understanding stress in dogs, recognizing how they exhibit stress in performance, and what exercises to practice with a zoomie-er. "Crate Games" (if it's still being sold) is also a great purchase and will provide some wonderful tips for channeling the crazy/excited/stressful energy into productive and focused energy. You can find these resources on Clean Run's website.

 

It's funny..for a sport that encourages dogs to jump through hoops, the humans end up doing most of the "jumping-though-hoops" just to get their dogs to cooperate LOL!

[krissy]

You don't have to try shaping jumps outside. The jump is pretty easy to shape indoors as it requires probably the least space of all the agility obstacles.

 

And zoomies are pretty common when beginning training with adolescent dogs, especially around 2-3 years. I had to learn by mistakes with Ivy, but you might want to check out "Control Unleashed" before the zoomies become a habit. I'm thinking Summit's zoomies might have a bit more to do with mental desires rather than physical desires (i.e. might explain why he zoomies even after strenuous physical exercise). Zoomies, like a lot of other behaviors, tend to be connected to frustration, excitement, and stress (even "happy" stress), and it's frequently a sign for more impulse control exercises. I don't remember if McDevitt addresses zoomies explicitly in CU, but she provides some wonderful insight for understanding stress in dogs, recognizing how they exhibit stress in performance, and what exercises to practice with a zoomie-er. "Crate Games" (if it's still being sold) is also a great purchase and will provide some wonderful tips for channeling the crazy/excited/stressful energy into productive and focused energy. You can find these resources on Clean Run's website.

 

It's funny..for a sport that encourages dogs to jump through hoops, the humans end up doing most of the "jumping-though-hoops" just to get their dogs to cooperate LOL!

 

lol, well Summit's not exactly an adolescent 2-3 year old. He'll be 6 in a little over a week. It seems to be the grass that does it for him. I take him to the tennis court at the nearby park and he rarely runs in there (in the winter they take down the posts and net so it's a nice safe place, and there's also snow in the winter so he sometimes does zoomies then). But take him into the backyard or some other enclosed fenced area and he goes nuts doing zoomies. I feel like he's just very excited since we rarely go into the backyard. There are also really no fenced, safe, grassy areas to take him for a run, so we try to make the drive out to Waterloo to meet our greyhound friends once a week for a run in the ball diamonds there, but if the weather is bad or I'm too busy with school we end up missing it, sometimes multiple weeks in a row and there's nowhere local to take him. I do take him for long leash walks and jogs but I know that's not quite the same. So I feel like sometimes the zoomies in the backyard have to do with the fact that he doesn't get to run around like mad as often as I/he would like.

 

I've heard about Crate Games. Maybe I'll look into buying it. I'm going to be gone all summer (Summit's coming with me) so maybe that'll give us something to do to keep him stimulated and keep working on his training while we're far away from our trainer.

[NeylasMom]

I feel like he's just very excited since we rarely go into the backyard.

I think you have your answer there.

[krissy]

I'm happy to report that all issues with the jumps have resolved. Didn't refuse or hesitate for a single one tonight. And successfully have him jumping over a higher height which he was consistently refusing before. Our new problem to work on is the teeter. He's not a huge fan! Can hardly blame him though.

[Guest Giselle]

Did you do foundation work on the buja board? You might to free shape some simple and fun interactions right now. My friend's Golden Retriever (who now has his MACH) wasn't a huge fan of the teeter, either, so she free shaped him to simply target the upper edge of it and bang it down like a game. That desensitized him to the noise, to the banging feeling, and counterconditionined his fear all in one throw. Plus, she didn't have to babysit him or goad him with physical cues. It became a game that HE sought out and that HE initiated. That's the beauty of free shaping and that's why I can't stop harping about it!

[krissy]

We have a plywood board in the backyard that I've pulled over a rock and I have him walk on that in any way he wants. It wobbles and tips and he gets tonnes of treats when he's on it. Planning on working on it some more this week to help desensitize him to the feeling of movement under his feet and that feeling of the ground dropping from under him.

 

We don't really have free access to a teeter. When we're in class there's someone on it all throughout class. I just give him a treat any time I hear it bang, though that hasn't happened much yet since the trainer has been controlling the drop and there's a towel under it to muffle the bang. I plan on doing that until he stops reacting to it. He doesn't like the teeter much but he offers to go on it without being asked... he just isn't so sure once we get past centre because he knows it's going to move. Silly boy.

[NeylasMom]

It's been a while since I checked in here, or anyone has for that matter.

 

Anyone doing anything interesting? I went away for 2 weeks to Australia and came back having totally lost my motivation for training with Z. So I looked around yesterday for a class we could drop in on, or a shorter class. There's a place not far from me that looks really promising, does a lot of interesting and unique stuff, but it became clear that it's going to have to wait until summer has passed. Most of the stuff is on the weekends and I am either away or working at the winery too often to make it work. So this morning we just picked up where we left off wiht some of the stuff from our last class.

 

I did start volunteering at my local shelter recently. Saturday was my first day, but I thought I was going in for training, not to be let loose walking dogs so I wasn't prepared with treats or clicker. I worked on sit with one 9 mo chow chow puppy, but I'm headed back today with my arsenal of treats, treat pouch, and clickers and am going to do some work with a few dogs. Pretty excited about it!

[Guest katethegreyt]

Has anyone ever been to the Clicker Expo? http://www.clickertraining.com/clickerexpo/

 

Seems like it would be an insane weekend jam-packed with info, but it also seems like it could be a lot of fun. Just curious if anyone here had ever been or has heard any feed back on it.

 

 

 

[NeylasMom]

Has anyone ever been to the Clicker Expo? http://www.clickertraining.com/clickerexpo/

 

Seems like it would be an insane weekend jam-packed with info, but it also seems like it could be a lot of fun. Just curious if anyone here had ever been or has heard any feed back on it.

I think about it every year, but so far haven't gone. I really wanted to go the year it was in Portland, just because I've wanted to visit Portland for so long, but really it makes more sense for me to go to one on the East coast when it's within reasonable driving distance so I can take Zuri and get the benefits of the working seminars as well.

 

I doubt you'd be disappointed if you went. There are always so many amazing speakers!

 

ETA: Huh, I just looked at your link and it looks like they're going back to Portland. Really wish they'd bring the East coast one further north - last time I think it was in Kentucky.

[Guest katethegreyt]

Has anyone ever been to the Clicker Expo? http://www.clickertr...om/clickerexpo/

 

Seems like it would be an insane weekend jam-packed with info, but it also seems like it could be a lot of fun. Just curious if anyone here had ever been or has heard any feed back on it.

I think about it every year, but so far haven't gone. I really wanted to go the year it was in Portland, just because I've wanted to visit Portland for so long, but really it makes more sense for me to go to one on the East coast when it's within reasonable driving distance so I can take Zuri and get the benefits of the working seminars as well.

 

I doubt you'd be disappointed if you went. There are always so many amazing speakers!

 

ETA: Huh, I just looked at your link and it looks like they're going back to Portland. Really wish they'd bring the East coast one further north - last time I think it was in Kentucky.

 

I'm in Houston, and I'm also hoping for one that is reasonably driveable so I can bring the pup. I saw there was one in Austin a couple of years back - I LOVE Austin! Maybe they will come back...

 

It does seem like they'd do one NE coast one - such a populated area, I'm sure it would be well attended.

 

I was looking at the lineup from this year's speakers, I can't see how I'd be disappointed either, haha.

[NeylasMom]

Bored at work so thought I'd bring this thread back. Anyone doing anything fun? I've been really (really) lazy since I adopted Violet. All of the intense training we did when I started fostering her (mostly SA stuff) seemed to burn me out a bit. She's still learned a ton, we are constantly working on things in daily life, but it's been quite a while since we did any actual training sessions. So we're enrolled in basic obedience starting next week. Orientation without her is this Thursday.

 

It seems sort of silly to be taking her through a basic class since I'm well equipped to teach her all of it myself, but I just need the motivation right now. I'm trying out a new place though that runs their classes a bit differently. You buy blocks of classes and start out in level 1 (it goes up to level 3), but you move up levels as you're ready so in theory, we could move up to level 2 in only a few weeks if we're rockstars (which is totally my goal ). The initial package is 8 classes and then if you want to continue you buy classes in blocks of 3. You have 12 wks to use up your first 8, and then 6 wks to use up the 4 class blocks. SO much better so I don't have to worry if I have to miss a class because I'm sick or out of town.

[kudzu]

It seems sort of silly to be taking her through a basic class since I'm well equipped to teach her all of it myself, but I just need the motivation right now.

 

Ah, for me the threat of public humiliation is always incentive to train. That is a neat way to run training classes. Would work well for me. Too bad no one around here that I know of offer that.

 

Sunita & I had our first agility class last week. She was GOOD & I had a blast. Love this girl! Someone in class said, "You've done a lot of this haven't you?" I allowed that I have indeed brought quite a few dogs through lower level agility & added, "I never seem to get any better though."

[krissy]

We haven't been up to much. We did some agility in August/September, but we had to quit because of Summit's gun shot phobia. I've effectively retired him from agility. Very unfortunate.

 

I did teach him a few fun tricks this winter though. I taught him to spin and I taught him to army crawl. We've also been working a lot more intensively on his recall and I'm very proud of it at this point. There are some situations that still need work but all in all for most common situations where recall is absolutely imperative I'm very confident. Which is awesome. It really removes all stress of escapes or accidental off leash incidents. Everyone at our greyhound run is always so paranoid about grabbing onto the dogs whenever someone arrives late and has to open the gate. Everyone chases dogs around and grabs onto them and there's a lot of hollering around to make sure everyone is accounted for since not everyone has their own dog by the collar. I just call Summit and ask him to wait beside me and put my hand on his collar. But no chasing, no hollering, no chaos, no death grips required. It's nice.