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General Training
Corrections
Not correcting is often not enough. If a course gets messed up in training and you have to go back, *praise the dog* as you're breaking it off. Let him know that it's all okay, that he didn't do anything wrong. Abruptly discontinuing the course can be as much of a correction as throwing something at a dog: they're like little kids, they usually blame themselves. (Pam Hartley)
The advice against using NO applies not only in agility but in many other dog activities -- save it for when the dog is doing something so egregious that you absolutely positively never want him to do it again. Otherwise, what does it really tell the dog? Even if he understands that you don't want him to do something, he still doesn't know what to do instead so why not get right to the point. (Nadia Barrett)
Try using your body to say "no" rather than your voice. First make sure in your own mind that the mistake is the dog's, not yours. Ask yourself, or your training companions, what you were really telling your dog with your body, which is a much stronger voice to your dog than your voice. If your dog really did the wrong obstacle, despite the fact that your body and your voice were telling the dog to proceed in a different direction, STOP moving immediately, as soon as the dog runs toward the trap. You can even turn around and walk in the opposite direction. In this way, you are telling the dog that he made a mistake using the real mode of communication, your body. (Billie Rosen)
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