bordacollies4me

you can download clean run course design for a free 30 day trial...

Very Cool!!! well done to both girls....

I know!! At the end of it she was barking at me like mad. I'm not sure if I was getting told off (as I do when I make a mistake on course ) or if she was seriously excited by it! xena was running very nicely on the weekend, huge improvements since i last seen you guys on course... sometimes it is the smaller achievments that outweigh the big results... never got to see CK run, but i'm sure it will come together soon... you have great team work happening with both dogs.. Well Done...

Congrats on working at it and having fast sits in the trial today... is always great to have success... i think that clicking/marking the motion of the sit could work, i wouldn't suggest doing it all the time, sometimes changing things up a bit in training catches them out by surprise... but can actually have benefits... i would not reward for the motion but i would mark the action/motion of going into a sit but reward for position so when butt is on the ground... something else that may help is quick releases out of the sit... as soon as her Butt hits the ground release... i am sure it will all come together in the end.. good luck with your training and trialling... hopefully that perfect score will come for you soon...

a training rule i live by is REINFORCEMENT BUILDS BEHAVIOUR!!! i would try useing a bridge with high level of reward for your dog, but using the bridge as the motion of sit happens and then rewarding for position(basically another training rule.. CLICK for ACTION ... REWARD for POSITION!!!) ie... as your dog starts to sit click/say yes and then reward for position(in the sit) this can be done without cueing the behaviour as well.... my dogs will offer a slow sit if they are anticipating something else like frisbee or tug toy coming, but if just playing with heel work then sits are quick...

Just shoot me!!!

check out www.adaa.com.au for a list of clubs in Brisbane, The Suncoast fundogs(SCFD) and Pine rivers Agility Dog Sports(PADS) club both offer classes for young dogs...

Well Done Reddii Xena will be a great little Agility Dog when she learns the rules properly Hey ... sometimes it just also takes time for them to mature a bit, keep up the good work it is starting to pay off... My little Brag was that Coco had her first Agility trial in 7mths, due to a small injury and maternaty duties... but we have been trainijng and it also paid off on Sat night, with her getting her first clear round in Open Agility, with an awesome run and also taking 1st place YAY her other runs were very nice, just a minor fault, we tested out some very cool handling stuff, and our training is working, we had very cool weave entries, almost got the gambler run, alot of dogs struggles with weaves in the gamble but, she didn't quite send out over the 3rd jump, but it was a cracking run.. looking forward to our next competition at MAcksville...

i attended a workshop up with Brad late last year.. a great fella, knows plenty... and is not harsh...

That was great to watch! Had Focus ever done weaves beforehand (with another method?) or was this method the first time he had started on weaves at all? Thanks Guys... Focus first seen weave poles 4 weeks ago, has never been trained any other method... he is my 3rd dog to train using the 2x2 method.. i retrained Coco's entries as well at the same time- she was my first dog and the dvd really showed how to get great entries... I entered him into his first trial this weekend, a starters jumpers, but i realised today he has never seen a cloth tunnel ... hope the judge doesn't put one in

just thought i would share my clip of Focus's weaveing... he started 4 weeks ago has had about 14 session to get to 12 poles, and this is 5th session with 12 poles... He had very nice entries but they wern't quite captured on video... also featuring Coco watching on...

Gee Heather you were ready to start the day early.. i think the Thanks goes to you for a wonderful weekend and a great seminar... We have learnt lots of great stuff, Rally sure is different than normal obedience and something i think i will pursue further... my non obedience trained dogs didn't do too bad, a lot can be said for good foundation Agility training... the power point slide is great as well as all the other files everyone gets for all they need to know to pursue and grow Rally... The general consensus from everyone throughout the weekend and from emails since Sunday is that they all thouroughly enjoyed it and are already planning on using what we have learnt about Rally and doing demos at our RSPCA Million PAws walk this Sunday at various locations in SE QLD... We were lucky enough to have 2 visitors form NZ... and they made great company over the weekend and enjoyed camping out in Aus.. in my nack yard in my camper trailer... Heather had my only spare bed the sofa lounge... My dogs were lucky enough to get a workout with both visitors able to participate and work dogs they only met 2 days prior... there was some great bonding going on with my 2 boys being invited into the camper, something which they didn't say no to ... although i did wonder if it wasn't for a bit of security form any crawlies which i had assured them would nto be in the camper... Our visitors also had a video camera with them so we had lots of video on Sunday... i am in the process of uploading them to youtube... here is one of Jane(our NZ visitor) and my borrowed girl GT and of another participant Robyn and her great little dog Peppi who had soem great runs... Robyn & Peppi you can see the wonderful field that we have to use... Hope you have made it home safe Heather and enjoy a few days of relaxing... it was nice to also see some of Gympie i have lived here nearly three years buit have never done much tourist stuff.. the museum was worth it and we could have easily spent more time if we had it... Looking forward to hearing how everyone else enjoys their seminars, and a Rally forum would be a great way to help kick things off in Aus to get this sport happening... Thanks again Heather... i am sure we will be getting you back for another seminar as things progress...

after about 18 short sessions, over the last 4 1/2 weeeks... we have 12 poles(competition regulation), good footwork and speed, awesome entries, sequencing with jumps and tunnels in a speed circle... ... tried them out at a friends on the weekend and was great, FC into weaves, FC out of weaves, RC into weaves... just want to proof them at various locations and i will be happy... wish i had a video camera

Great Pics top one is little Maggie a miniature daschund and bottom is Sonic a Bearded Collie...

my old boy started to get a hot spot... i used a homeopathic remedy called Ledum on it... started clearing up the same day, he stopped licking it within an hour... and was fully gone in 3 days... check this link out... Homeopathic remedies

Ok so you might need to go back to 4 poles for a couple of sessions and work on sending her through with you standing still... this would be done easily if you can find something/anything she values.. doesn't have to be a toy or food... is there anything that she interacts with or gets a bit excited about... Or just continuing supporting her until she gains a bit of confidence and it clicks to her.. you will know when that happens... and then you may be able to be less supporting... if you tied a chicken neck on a piece of string threw it on the ground in front of her and pulled it away from her would she chase it???

Hey Heidii watched your clips... he seems much better when he is not sequencing obstacles... How highly valuing is the reward he is getting??? If he is fast only 2 times then only do it twice before stopping.. leaving him wanting more... If yhe can do it fast twice for 5-6 sessions then add a third time in and see how he goes.. if he does it fast STOP don't go for the one more just to see... Stop and keep him wanting more... We all have bad habits of doing way too much... I would also not be asking him to sequence the poles until he is doing 12 poles at a level where you like it.. ie... if you want him to do 12 poles quick then don't sequence them until he can... i would still be using one jump to practise his entries just not doing full sequences...

Hey JulesP when you were at the 2 pole stage did you practise with distance there as well... if the dog has enough value for the poles they should drive to them quickly... What are you using as the reward??? How would you rate it on your dogs hierachy of rewards??? ie is it the most valued toy to the dog... Kavik- your weaving looks great well done I have been teaching my young dog Focus to weave the past couple weeks.. he will be the third dog i have taught with the 2x2 method... he has good speed and is driving nicely through 6 poles... with great entries, better than my old dog Buddy will ever get... also retrained my nutcase(Coco- who was taught with 2x2 but i lacked teaching the entries) on her entries and they have also approved outta sight... just a bugga about the rain we have had otherwise he would be up to 12 poles by now...

well might be a good thing to enter if you are thinking of entering the tryouts for the World DOg Games... much the same as Open standard Agility, just jumping and the SCT can be a little quicker...

Yes Open A is open to all dogs... just have to be a member of ADAA... there will be jumping and Agility Events on that weekend, as it is also the try outs for the WAC so there will be Advanced runs as well... i am sure we will know when the schedule goes up what events will count for what..

Yep you got it right.... Only Open A events will be held at the June tryouts... with only 2 height divisions Toy/Mini 250mm and Midi/Maxi 550mm, i am pretty sure with $10 000 prize money for each of the divisions... only other thing i know is that there will be multiple dog sports at this event...

Hi Yackets Mum Only Open A events are being held in the Agility Arena... Open A means they are open to all dogs... even beginners ... but courses would be of open standard... to enter you must be a member of ADAA... check out the ADAA Website for more info about becoming a member.. rules and regs can also be downloaded...

i have played this game in the past.. i quite like it, basically you need to score 21 points as fast as you can... this taken from clean run agility games book... the purpose of this game is to accumulate 21 points in the fastest time. accumulating more than 21 points disqualifies the team... At least one corner, one side, and one jump must be completed successfully. The judge will choose the beginning obstacle at the start of the class. the order of subsequent obstacles is the handlers choice. the first obstacle must be attemtped, if not points are deducted from the dogs score double the value of the opening obstacle... No contact obstacle is to be performed back to back. at least one obstacle must be taken between contact obstacles attempts. No obstacle may successfully performed more than twice for points. Dogs shall compete under a standard course time, established by the judge.. usually 60 sec. Scoring black jack is scored points then time. the highest point value wins. if two or more dogs have the same number of points the the time breaks the tie... a team scoring over 21 is eliminated. hope that helps...

Hey Herding Guy thanks for the info... has been very helpful... i have been working with 3 of my dogs.. they all are doing well... biggest battle was me learning to understand what i need to do to get the dogs and sheep in the correct position... i am seriously considering getting some ducks... as i don't have regular access to sheep... what do you suggest for those dogs that rush the sheep a little... not sure if its just the sheep(damaraxdorper) or the dogs... but the last session i had my dogs really had to motor to get around the sheep... looks like they were rushing a little, but i am unsure... i feel they were just doing what they needed to get to the head... i also found that if i started them in a sit they would rush off, but if i walked them steady and let them drift off around the sheep there was less rush to start with, but they still had to go quick...

looking forward to it... anyone interested in coming to the Gympie Seminar... PM me...