sheena

But isn't most of CD on leash except for the stand for inspection & second heel ??

I am always buying from Clean Run in the States...no problems at all, just don't try to get any treats, food, or things made from animal fur,etc in as Customs will seize them. Just remember any thing electrical, they have a different power system to us in Oz.

So for an inexperienced trialer, like me :) out of CD & CCD, would I be better off in CCD & if so, why is that??

Just wondering why they clip the Lowchen's like they do. Also who is the first little dog in your sig....I think he is georgous :)

I would have thought that Sherel was still giving out samples. Send her an email.

I understand where you are coming from :) but we all have to start somewhere. She has done the training & I have 6 to 7 weeks to polish it up, but just wasn't sure which events she could enter as a novice. I have watched obedience trials in between doing agility runs, but haven't taken a lot of notice as to what particular event it was that I was watching. To be quite honest, I don't find obedience a real great "spectator" sport :) I've had a read of the rules, & I will get someone from the club to run through it with me.

Thanks guys ....It is a 3 day Obedience & Rally O trial & I am entering her in the Rally-O. So just looking for what else I could put her in to make the trip worthwhile :) She is quite used to trials because she does agility, so no problem there. She will do most of those things, but I guess I should work on training her to obey without using my voice...is that right...I can't talk to her except in RO.???

I am thinking of putting Bindi in her first Obedience & Rally-O Trial, but am confused as to what the symbols mean on the gazette. Obviously Novice R0 is "RN". but what does RN (A&B) mean. Also what would I enter her in for Obedience as a Novice & what does she need to know to compete in it. Sorry to sound like a areal dim-wit, but I have to start somewhere :)

I have taught the "out" command, meaning take the furthest object laterally away from me. I give this command as far back as possible from the layer to give the dog time to move out & away from the closest obstacle. You need to really put the body pressure on & make sure you keep your arm extended. If you drop your arm even the slightest, that is a cue for your dog to come towards you. As well as this I have taught my dog "obstacle discrimination" so that she knows the obstacles by name. We are pretty good on the distance handling bits when she is concentrating :laugh: I also use "out" if I want her to take the back of a jump...it's all in the timing as to when you give the command.

Go for it

I am lucky we live on acreage & have a wonderful, supportive OH who has built me an entire Agility Course. We have two BC dogs, Bindi (4YO) has been competing for two years now & Cricket, who is only 14 months & is in training. We train every day for about 5 minutes each dog, before they have their breakfast, which is always a RMB. I also train them while walking them to & from the agility course. ie; heeling, recall, sits, drops etc. They really enjoy this & their obsession with it sometimes gets a bit awkward when both dogs want to "heel" etc @ the same time. :laugh: We also take them to group classes once a week when it's not washed out from the constant rain. We usually work on just a couple of things a session...maybe a couple of minutes on one thing then go onto another. We don't keep at it till they have perfected the behaviour. They have good memories & don't forget what they learnt the day before. I keep track of training in my head & sometimes OH videos it for me. We have goals, as in, want as perfect as possible end behaviour but try not to be too impatient. I might also do some clicker stuff with them during the day & when I take them for a walk in the afternoons, we do more heeling, recalls etc. But the Agility training is only once a day. After dinner at night they come inside & I might do a bit more clicker stuff with them in the lounge room, but mostly it's a time for them to find "their inner naughtiness" & entertain us, or have cuddles, before going to their beds. Have I covered everything :D ETA...At the end of our training sessions both OH & myself will do things with both dogs at the same time, so they learn to work with us & not run off to play. Does that make sense

Even though Bindi reverted back to 2o2o when we lowered the AF, looking at the videos, she was far more precise where she put her feet (because of the box.) It will be interesting to see how she goes as we gradually increase the height. Megan, do you have access to an AF, like at Training. Then you could do all the proofing at home on the ground & take the box to training & slip it on the AF.

The first part of this exercise can be done in the lounge room, you just need to build a box out of poly pipe, the same dimensions as the contact area of the A-Frame. Then you move the box outside & proof it on the ground. But after that stage, you would really need access to an A-Frame...one that can be lowered right down. I've decided only to teach the new boy this method & am leaving the old girl with her 2o2o which she converts to a running contact when on a full height frame anyway....I just release her as soon as she has hit the contact before she moves into 2o2o position. Problem with this is that she slows down in anticipation of having to go into position. :)

Yeah...without having to upload to you tube first. I have seen others do it, but can't work it out

After a couple of weeks of shaping the box on the ground, we have moved it to a lowered A-Frame & the results with the two dogs were completely different. Bindi went straight back into 2o2o position, so I think I will leave her with that behaviour (SHE is quite proud of her 2o2o :)) because when she is running a full A-Frame she tends to run it anyway, & hardly ever misses the contact. The puppy has the hang of it, so we will continue with the box method with him. We have added a stride regulator just before the apex. Now to get more speed into him The link to the video..

How do you upload video clips to DOL without going through YouTube Thanks in Advance :)

And they put on a great Agility Trial every year

What's the advantage of using the "box" method over stride regulators??

Oh good...I've just learnt how to use it :) Now no one will be able to say.....Ooooohhhhh....she spends so much time on DOL.. :laugh: I can lurk in the background with everyone else. But honestly, I don't think anyone ever looks to see who is on & who is not.

I've stopped dreaming....I have my dream breed & I can't imagine life with any other........ :)

Have you caught Susan Garret's 3 part Webinar on Contact Training Contact Training

I believe it's the smartest breed followed by the Border Collie and then the GSD. :) It doesn't have to be kept in a frou frou clip either. Is it? I thought Borders were! Well there ya go :) Yep....I think you will find the BC's come first followed by the poodle :) Aren't these intelligence tests based on trainability? I think they have also been based on "problem solving" abilities as well. :) Give me a terrier every time. I prefer a dog that can think for itself. I thought that was what "problem solving" abilities were. They have to work out the solution to the problem all by themselves. But I am sure we are all a bit bias :laugh:

I believe it's the smartest breed followed by the Border Collie and then the GSD. :) It doesn't have to be kept in a frou frou clip either. Is it? I thought Borders were! Well there ya go :) Yep....I think you will find the BC's come first followed by the poodle :) Aren't these intelligence tests based on trainability? I think they have also been based on "problem solving" abilities as well. :)

I believe it's the smartest breed followed by the Border Collie and then the GSD. :) It doesn't have to be kept in a frou frou clip either. Is it? I thought Borders were! Well there ya go :) Yep....I think you will find the BC's come first followed by the poodle :)

Kelpie Chick...thanks for all that info. It's the extract from Clean Run 2008 that she has given me to follow, but I must try & get hold of the DVD. It will be interesting to see what success we have with it, as the older dog has already been running contacts for a couple of years now. She is pretty good & hardly ever misses. She used to miss a lot of contacts till we started training her with the AF down low & treating at the end for 2o 2o, & gradually raising it & now she doesn't do the 2o2o at the bottom (I don't really want her to),but she always hits the contact regardless. So for her, it is just an exercise. Different for the new boy, though as he hasn't done much AF to date, so he is almost a blank slate. Smisch....I was wondering & thinking about some sort of hoop or cover that you could gradually fade out. I love looking at new ideas, although I know I should stick with the one method.