I didnt have a clue where to put this - but I am going to guess here for right now.

Both my pups have started on the intermediate sleeve (one's had two training sessions on sleeves (all kinds) and the other had his first sessione yesterday.)

Both my dogs seem to be having the same problem (me) - which is keeping their head up during the carry - which tends to lead them to do thigns like flipping over the sleeve (still holding on though O.o)

The guys at my club think it's me...and I cant say I disagree...one of the things we worked on yesterday was I took both of mine out of their harnesses and worked them on an agitation collar...which seemed to help some...but in the words of the guys...I dont seem to have the 'rhythm' down.

Do ya'll have any suggestions for working a dog new to the sleeve on the carry - or even better - suggestions for a handler who...well...doesnt seem to be doing it right. Between the three of us (my two dogs and I) there is endless tripping, falling, flipping, and otherwise three stoogish clumsiness.

~Cate

I struggle with it too Cate. It may just take you a little while to get a feel for how fast you need to run with them and when to slow down and give them a loose line. Mine's first choice is to kill it, but I've started to get that rhythm they're talking about so he will carry. I would suggest working on carrying theyre other toys and taking them into your arms separate of the sleeve to give you both a feel for it.

It might be a lack of feel from the handler, or it might be the dog. Some dogs are a real pain in the butt on this, they want to kill the sleeve and wrap their paws around it. I would certainly NOT run the dog with the sleeve on a harness, because it gives them too much freedom "up front" to do what they want. If you need to work the dog on a harness then consider putting a 2nd line on the dog going to a collar that you can switch to.

For a dog that kills too much and is an absolute pain in the butt to get running, I would teach the dog to sit or stand in front of me, position my hand under the chin and have the dog look up at the sky and praise while he is being calm.

If the guys in the club say its a handler error - simple. Give one of them the leash and let them handle the dog during bitework and run with him. If they can do it better, then you can watch how they do it and learn. If the dog is still goofing off, then you know its not entirely your fault

This may be too simplistic...are you running fast enough? That is the most common thing I hear around here when people first start carrying. The dog has more trouble mouthing or goofing when they are running fast and have to hang on or lose it.

Did you do carrying like this first with whatever rag or tug you started with, then with one or more bite pillows, then to the sleeve? Just wondering if you have achieved calm carries along the progression in your bite work.

ITA with Mike about using a collar rather than harness for carries - at least until you get this fixed. The boxers who train here have gone through that. As Mike suggested, I have seen people use the harness for the approach and grip, then carry with a separate leash attached to a collar. Some have also been able to switch to a collar for everything instead of the harness.

I LOVE the suggestion about having one of those in the know handle your dog so you can see how it's done. Or they can see how your dog does it.

Beth