Troubleshooting

Make sure your dog is comfortable with at least 10 single reps in a session with your intended number of cavaletti poles. For example, I will not attempt multiple reps with 5 poles unless a dog is able to complete 10 reps of 5 poles in a session, maintaining a trotting gait, focusing forward, and with good form and posture.

When are you ready to do multiple reps, warm up with a few single reps, ask for a multiple rep (2 reps), then ask for a few single reps. My first session attempting a multiple rep may look like this:

Rep 1: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward

Rep 2: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward

Rep 3: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward

Rep 4: trot over 5 poles, wrap cone, trot over 5 poles, mark reward

Rep 5: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward

Rep 6: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward

By mixing multiple reps with single reps, we can keep the dog interested while increasing difficulty.

I totally understand that space is limited. If you do not have room to set up more than 5 poles, I would recommend working on multiple reps as an alternative to increasing the number of poles.

For example, if your dog is comfortable with 1 set of 10 reps of 5 poles, you can try to aim for 1 set of 4 double reps (i.e., trot across the 5 poles twice before mark + reward). In other words, you are increasing the number of poles the dog has to trot through before they are rewarded.

Slowing down is one of the common signs of fatigue. I would recommend aiming for a lower number of reps to build up the stamina (e.g., 1 set of 6-8 reps) for a few sessions before trying to do 1 set of 10 reps.

I would also recommend keeping a record of the number of reps at which your dog starts to slow down. If your dog does not seem to be improving despite reducing the number of reps, it is possible that there is other underlying issues that should be addressed.

Depending on the size of your dog, this adjustment could range from 1/16" to 1/4".

For my medium sized dogs, I usually increase the height at about 1/4" at a time. For example, if the poles are typically 1/2" off the ground, I would increase the height to 3/4" once they are able to meet my intended goals.

If you have toy breeds, raising the poles 1/16" could make a big difference to the tiny dogs.