Page 82 - K9 News - Issue 15 - March2021
P. 82
SUPER
HOOPERS
with Debbie Allery
Perhaps you may have seen strange colourful through the hoop, and is rewarded with a treat
arches popping up in fields in your area over being thrown ahead as they make the choice to
the last year year or so, or heard the terms, turn back through the hoop. This starts with you
hoopers, barrellers or TanGo mats spoken about being close to the hoop and as the confidence
and wondered what on earth was going on! builds you start to move yourself back away
from the hoop so you start to build ‘distance’. At
Over the summer a friend introduced my girls this stage we do not use any verbal cue. Once
and I to the wonderful world of hoopers. the dog is running freely, a second and then
third hoop can be added, again bring yourself
Introduced to the UK in 2017 when Canine close to the middle hoop,and slowly move
Hoopers UK was launched by Hayley Laches it’s yourself back. The distance between the hoops
a fun fast and low impact sport that is ideal for can then be opened up. You can then start to
all sized dogs and ideal for handlers with limited add a verbal cue, like ‘Go’ which will build up to
mobility. mean keeping going to every obstacle in front
of you until given another instruction. We then
Hoopers starts at a foundation level, and start moving the hoops into a semi circle and
encourages the use of force free reward based build up distance between yourself and between
training, and getting the dog to make a choice hoops.
and build up the value for going through a hoop.
The second foundation exercise starts using
At foundation we start with one hoop, which is a barrel. We again teach the ‘value’ of going
basically a free standing base with a colourful from one side of the hoop to the other. As
hoop standing at approximately 36 inches high. before we start close to the barrel facing it, and
This is where the dog learns the value of going reward the dog at either side of us, when they
make the choice to turn back to the other side of
the barrel. We then move away leaving a gap
between us and the barrel, but wanting the dog
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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / MARCH 2021
