Vickie

HOW CUTE!!!

WOW, what great runs, interesting course. Kinds of dispels the don't flap your arms theory doesn't it. They're all flapping, but there are no doubts from any of the dogs in the clip.

What were the handlers doing? Lead out? Running with the dog? I wonder if it were something like an unintention decel which caused the dogs to drop the bar? It seemed to be happening both with leadout & running. If anything, I think most people were accelerating rather than decelerating.

Speaking of training, we had a course on Sunday that started with a jump into a long straight tunnel. Both my guys got it, but an alarming number of dogs, including some very experienced ones, droppped that first bar. All we could think was that they were starting to duck early for the tunnel. Something extra to train...

Are you hiding your lead?? Just the opposite!

agreed! We're busy trying to fix the things we stuffed up last weekend in preparation for this weekend

Thanks RS & BL . That's so cute that Mac decided it for herself .

Have you got a video camera Mason? Is it possible to load up a tugging session on Youtube & post it here? There are lots of reasons during tug that a dog might put it's teeth on you. Very hard to diagnose & advise without seeing what is going on.

Feel free to hijack any time ;) YAY you & Banjo . I always ask it on the left. The same signal on the right means run in circles around me.

I've got a better idea, you come here & I will go to WA! You have some of the best trainers in the country, I would love to train with them.

We just lure, click, reward and again & again &..... Once you put it in front of a jump, the jump becomes the reward! Lots of people seem to be doing it now, I have even seen a few overseas doing it. I like it b/c it's a set routine & b/c it allows me to put them exactly where I want them to start. I suspect it wouldn't fit with GD & SG methods but mine never duck behind me on course so it's all good.

it can be quite dangerous for the unsuspecting Trim & Shine have tripped a few people over trying to assume position before they have been invited. Shine especially has scared the crap out of a few visitors here Pep is already starting to use it as her default behaviour, so it looks like she will catch a few out too

if we can manage to get her even half that well trained, it would be awesome!

Thanks amypie, yes she sure is having fun & it seems like she will be quite speedy. We decided ages ago that she probably more JRT than Foxy X, although we have no idea what the other bit/s may be. I have been trying to think since we got her who she reminds me of...I just realised the other day. She looks a lot like Susan Garrett's Decaff, is about the same size & bounces around a lot like her too. Decaff is a JRT mix so that fits with what we thought. I couldn't find a pic of Decaff, but found this video

WEEK FIVE: A good week for training since Pep is now fully recovered. The heat is interfering a little . A couple of videos from this week: Chloe has taught Pep to sit between her legs & this will be her startline. She still hasn't attempted to teach her a stay but hopefully this will come soon . Her is a short sequence, their first attempt at a front cross. and another one, they are doing lots of running around together & it seems to be paying off Rewarding her for following Chloe's hand Some tricks Chloe has also started teaching her foundations for running contacts.

I haven't seen the discussion on pricing, but would like to add some comments here, since I have some experience taking photos at agility trials. I have in the past charged similar prices to what Sam is proposing. My reasons were as follows: When attending a trial, my primary motivation was to run my own dogs. I was not attending the trial specififcally to take photos, I was there anyway. Photos were taken when I could, in any spare time I had, & I could never guarantee capturing a specific dog if it ran while I was busy with my own. Most of the dogs I took photos of belonged to people I know, many of them good friends who have been, and will continue to be very generous with their time, advice & support to me. My motivation to take photos was for me, for my hobby. As more & more people started wanting the photos I took, I was spending a couple of days after each trial processing them & started to charge. All I ever aimed for was to earn enough to put towards my entries for the next trial. I hardly ever get my camera out anymore at trials. Honestly, it became too much. People got more & more demanding, my own dogs suffered and I started to enjoy taking the photos less & less. I find I am heaps more relaxed at trials now & I feel my dogs are running better because I am spendning the time I need to with them between runs. This is just my experience, I hope Sam's will be different.

True, but a couple of words of encouragement are always welcome when someone is starting a new venture & she certainly didn't get much of that.

I wasn't able to see it before but can now. I think it looks great . I really like the font & it seems pretty easy to navigate. I like what you have written as well, it is honest & makes you seem very approachable . I'm not a fan of text over photos either, I do find it hard to read in places. Mine loaded quickly today & navigating from one page to another was quick as well. The only think I really have trouble with is the Galleries link. It is rght over Den's eye for one. It is also not clear that it is a link. Since this is really the area that you are wanting people to look at & will get the most traffic, I would probably make this a little more professional looking & clearer.

As well as some of the things others have mentioned, I think it's important to have a really good think about what you are expecting from you & your dog at your first trial and how you will deal with unplanned things should they happen. ie, if your dog misses a jump, will you continue or take it back to do the jump? If your dog breaks a start line, will you continue to run or reset your dog? etc. Course walking is also VERY important & something lots of people don't consider as it is often not discussed & taught as fully as it should be at a club level. Attend some trials & ask they judge if you can walk the courses for practise. Find some online courses to look at & see if you can work out how you would handle them. I think a big part of when you are ready, depends on what you are hoping to achieve. When I started trialling my boys years ago, neither were really ready. I just wanted to have a go . Zeus & I got it together pretty quickly & I think entering him is what motivated me to identify our weaknesses & train them. I don't think Noah & I ever really got it together, but we did no harm & provided a lot of entertainment for judges & other competitors along the way. Trim was well & truly ready when I started her & achieved some amazing things in her first year of trialling. Shine was the least ready of any of them...(she had never seen 3 of the obstacles until the week of her first trial )...but she has been great & is just the kind of dog to cope well with anything. Pep has jus started training, but we hope to have her ready for Novice sometime early next year & given how she's going so far, it seems achievable.

that is the backyard I grew up in...as picturesque as any view you will ever see My own backyard is fairly ordinary...

A couple more, with guest appearances from Shine for Amerykus

WEEK FOUR: Pics just for Dodo . We have just got back from 5 days away. Pep had a fantastic time at the farm. She was a very good girl. We went prepared with XPens, crates & long lines as there are no fences there. None got used, she stuck by us, just like she does at home. My grandmother LOVED her & commented a number of times that she could very happily keep her. Chloe wasn't so keen on that idea Chloe spent more time teaching tricks & practising her recall. Chloe & her special little dog Pep running with the girls And just plain having fun! She had to work hard, the grass was taller than her in lots of places

How is your pup going rileys mum?

what, like on every episode it is written do not try this at home without a professional? :rolleyes: ok, maybe I should have said "communicate effectively" :D

I like most of his ideas, but wish there was a way to communicate with the average person that the cases he is dealing with are generally extreme and what he does in those extreme cases would be totally unnecessary for the average pet dogs.