The Never Ending Teeter Class

There it is - a simple wooden plank functioning as a lever with a fulcrum somewhere close to the midpoint that allows the plank to tilt when weight is applied just past the fulcrum.  This obstacle is known in agility as the teeter.  Chewie believes that this contact obstacle should be entered into the Guiness Book of World Records as the most scary and potentially lethal encumbrance on any agility course.  


Unfortunately the universe has done nothing to invalidate Chewie's opinion of the 'teeter.' 
During our early training sessions, a high value treat was used to encourage him to push the teeter down with his paw.  The treat was pressurized cheese in a can that flowed out through a valve - some know this as cheez whiz.  


Chewie put his trust in me when I had the cheez whiz.  He tipped the board ever so daintily, pushing it down to the floor as slowly as he could - and when he did that - the cheese flowed from the can into his mouth.  Eventually I got him to try walking on the teeter.  He has been miffed at me ever since.   The first time he got to the center and pushed his paw past that fulcrum and felt the gravity pull his weight and the board down with a thud he leapt off the teeter.  He walked around and made a high pitched noise and then like Snoopy he raised his nose straight up in the air and barked repeatedly scolding me and my craziness.   The next time I convinced him to try and walk on the mysterious plank,   the cheese can inconveniently exploded in his face as he was getting cheese from it.  


Since then it has been just plain downhill with the teeter.  Gromit came for a semi-private 10 minute lesson to "show" Chewie how the teeter is done.  He was so enthusiastic he plowed over the teeter, slap, bang the wood hit the floor loudly.   Chewie cowered from the noise of the teeter.  


Then some kind friends gave me a teeter base for my birthday.  


Thinking it might be easier on Chewie if we used it in his home environment I put it together.  He and I and Gromit were out in the dog yard when I flipped it over and was about to introduce them to the new toy.  Suddenly Gromit jumped on it and the chain from the base couldn't  handle the weight - the chain snapped, the teeter base collapsed and the whole board flapped onto the ground with a loud crash and a draft of air that made Chewie's mustache fly.  Chewie scurried  away and wouldn't even sniff the board for a few days.   


Eventually he hated the teeter so much that he stopped getting out of the car for agility class to avoid the potential that it might be in class.


He wouldn't take treats when other dogs were doing the teeter, wouldn't acknowledge his ball - he just laid in a lump on the floor and panted or pawed at me to leave the building.  


Our instructor stopped doing the teeter in classes that we attended.  


But Chewie has grown past all obstacles now except for this one.  In order for us to move on to the next level he has to get this obstacle or we will be stuck.   


So today, we started the teeter from scratch again.  Kristin built us a simple teeter.  We put it in the living room.   We put it on carpet so the bang is not loud.  It is a little shorter board and it is much lower to the ground than a normal obstacle.  

The picture above shows Chewie's reaction to the teeter being welcomed into our living space.  He sunk his head into my forearm and asked to sit in my lap.  I invited him up but he could not get to the front of my chair with that 'thing' in the room.  Finally he put his paws up on the arm of the chair and his head across my chest looking for some comfort.  


Trying to keep the mood light I giggled and gave him a couple of pats.  Then I grabbed a clicker and clicked it.  Gromit woke up from his afternoon nap and came trotting.  He was up for a game, teeter, nose, tricks - didn't matter to him just as long as it was a fun game.  

Chewie mulled around in the background of the room.  Gromit was tentative.  It is not a 'real' teeter.  He figured it out though and ran back and forth pausing at each end - two feet on two feet off.  


The thump was not too much and Chewie stuck around.  If Gromit was getting treats then he needed some treats.  He got treats just for hanging out in the same room with us and listening to the teeter. 


Gromit left for the dog park and our friend Karen arrived with Beau.  The real work began.  
Chewie was on his leash.  I got some cheese - real cheese.  Beau very happily worked on the teeter first slamming it down but not too hard.  Every time that board hit the ground Chewie got a treat.  


Then Beau sat out and Chewie and I walked toward the board  I clicked and treated if he looked at the board or moved toward the board.  Amazingly he touched the board with his nose.  I threw a party and we took a break.   Karen suggested a higher value treat for post break.  


We had some coffee/tea and then the big finale.  Beau and Chewie took turns touching and getting treats at the same time.  Kind of like a race but not exactly.  Whatever Chewie did to touch the board got him a treat.  Of all things he actually used his paw and pushed it down.  Wahoo - that was huge and the end of a the teeter class for today.   He got an entire square of cheese for that act.  

Here they are - Chewie and Beau - thanks Beau!  
For Chewie, the teeter is now in our house and it is a never ending class - we will get it !