How To Teach The Weave Poles

I was recently asked how to teach a dog the weave poles. This is how I taught Tilda and she caught on very quick. Do not worry if your dog doesn't catch on real quick. Your dog isn't going to learn the weave poles overnight, it will take a little time. Even if your dog isn't getting the hang of it as quickly as you'd like, do not give up! Your dog will never learn if you give up, keep training. 


I suggest you start with six pole weave poles and that you put your dog on a leash. And don't forget the treats! :)


Dogs Always enter the weave poles on the right side, but you can be on either side. I say you should go back and forth on what side you stand on.You don't want you dog getting comfortable with you only a certain side.

So, hold the leash in one hand and a treat in the other. With the treat lure him/her through the weave poles. As you are luring your dog through say "weave, weave, etc". or "come, weave etc" through the whole set of weave poles every time you want your dog to weave through a pole. Don't treat your dog in the set of weave poles, only praise in the set of weaves, treat and praise at the end. You can do this a couple times. 


Now, because we don't want your dog to just focus on the treat and not the weave poles, take a break from luring and just guide your dog through the set of weaves with the leash on and say "weave, weave, etc" or "come, weave, etc". Once you reach the end of the weave poles then treat and praise. Another thing you can do is before you start is say "let's weave" and then say "weave, weave, etc."


Go back and forth between luring and guiding with a leash. Do not train too long. Your dog might become bored. You have to keep it fun for your dog. To really give your dog a lot of training to learn the weave poles, I suggest doing them a few times a day for anywhere around five to fifteen minutes long. If you think your dog is getting bored, stop and take a break then come back later and do some more practice.


Whenever you think your dog is ready, take him/her of leash and do it. Once your dog has them down pretty good you can try different things. Such as, just saying "lets weave", running in front of your dog, running behind your dog or anything else. You can also start working on twelve pole and nine pole weaves. Do not worry if your dog is having some trouble at the end of the nine pole weaves. It is a different exit then twelve and six. Just keep working on it. 


AKC novice agility trials only have six pole weaves. AKC open agility has nine or twelve pole weaves. AKC excellent agility has twelve pole weaves.


Here is a short video on how to do it. Please keep in mind Tilda already knows how to weave and your dog might be slower. 

Happy weave pole training. DO NOT give up. :)