Failure to Launch

Really struggling with Rio these days, when it comes to training.

Agility on Tuesday started out really well, she ran 4-5 times on short, focused sequences where she needed to respond to handling well. She was great! Super focused, super tuggy, and ran all the sequences really well. Then she shut down and I lost her. Again, at flyball yesterday, she came out of the car tugging and focused, really wild, and then as soon as we got to the equipment, shut down. It’s literally like flipping a switch, from wild child Rio to sniffing, displacement Rio.

I seem to come up with a new theory every week, because I can’t find one that feels right. I still think it must be partly to do with pressure; apply pressure, dog switches off. But I am also wondering if it is partly an overload; she’s getting so worked up prior to training, that it doesn’t take much (or anything) to hit threshold and blow the fuses. She was going bonkers in the car before her turn at flyball, barking at Dylan and digging her crate door. If she was on a high and then I added tugging/pressure, it wouldn’t take long for her to reach threshold. Likewise, it may explain why she has a longer focus period at agility, as the car is parked some distance away and she doesn’t get worked up until she reaches the arena and starts work.

If this is the case, how do I avoid pushing her past the tipping point, and/or bring her back under threshold if she goes over the edge?

On the other hand, returning to her car crate seems to act as a “reset button”. She can go from crazy to displacement and with a simple “Go to Bed!” command, she goes back to her crate and then immediately switches back on. Security of the crate? Is it environmental?

Sometimes I seriously think I must be doing something wrong. Why do all my dogs have stress-related problems? I suppose they all have different stress issues, but still.