sheena

I want to be able to know that if there was a fried chicken sitting in the middle of the course, they wouldn't even notice it. I would much rather DQ on an awesome run than win on an average run. The dog's perception of the game is everything. That's exactly how I feel & want to find out how to achieve it.. I took her to training last night & made the whole session a real party...really upbeat & excited about even the mistakes & she seemed to love it (instructor might have thought I was going around the twist). I am so glad as I was beginning to think she might have been going "cold". I just want to see her having fun, but I would really like to be part of her fun all of the time, not some rabbit or faraway dog on another course. ;)

How long has she been trialling for? Do you have equip at home? and what are you using to reward her in training? If it were me I would spend every second of my training increasing her enjoyment of agility. Reward more often & reward with things better than you have ever offered before. are you training the focus on you? or the equipment? I never want to teach my dogs to focus on me for agility. but I spend lots of time setting them up in front of a jump & releasing only when they look at the jump & rewarding for that. I want forward focus & looking for obstacles. 2 weeks is not a long time to fix an issue like this. I would be working LOTS of small sequences ie 3-4 obstacles and rewarding heavily. Also I would set up some speed circles so that she can always see what obstacle is in front of her, making it really really fun to feel the wind in her hair. If she misses obstacles, don't worry, just keep running. Depending on how she is going by the time of the trial I may look at just doing half a course at the trial rather than the whole course, so that she is more likely to stick with you. For instance if you have managed to increase her enjoyment of agility by 10-25%, then maybe half a course. If you have increased it by more, she may stick with you for the whole course. There are obvious sections on most courses where a dog will lose focus if they are likely to lose focus. These sections will often be after a straight line of obstacles. Dogs with focus issues will often keep going straight ahead when the handler turns. YOu can help by really talking/calling/getting her attention on these turns. Also make sure you are really running & not facing/watching her. If you babysit too much, your shoulders facing her will provide no direction & it will be easier for her to make other choices. Hope that helps & makes sense. She's been trialling since last September & has been doing really well, despite being destracted by what's going on around her. My OH videos my runs & on the replays I can see that when she takes an obstacle, she is looking out to the side (not at me) at what ever is going on in the next field etc. I have most of the obstacles set up at home & train for probably no more than 5 minutes twice a day, including flat work & mainly working just one or two obstacles. I mainly use roast beef or cooked liver, which she loves & also a ball. She is not a "tug" dog even though she enjoys a game it is not something she goes crazy for. She is almost perfect in training at home & responds well to my voice & body language, & I use lots of treats. We also go to school once a week. I noticed on the weekend that it was mainly at the corners or ends of runs of obstacles that she would lose focus & put her nose to the ground, & shut her ears off. I hate raising my voice & feel really bad about it when I do. I always call her on the changes of direction, but this weekend it just didn't work. Thought I might take her down the paddock where there are lots of smells...when she puts her nose to the ground, I will call her & as soon as she raises her head to look at me I will click & treat her when she comes to me. Then maybe set up a few jumps down there. I have thought about taking her off the course when she stuffs up, but not sure if she would see this as a reward or punishment for her behaviour Maybe she will grow out of it...she is a border collie not quite 3 yrs old...then again, maybe it was just an off weekend for her.

I've just had a weekend of agility trials held in the centre of a greyhound track, which is home to 100's of rabbits when not being used. The whole weekend was a disaster, with her going off after smells rather than keeping her attention on me. Anyone know how to train so that "I" am more important then "smells". I do a lot of "focus" training at home with treats & did some focus training before each run at the trial, but it didn't seem to make any difference. HELP I have another trial up there in a fortnight. ETA...most people had trouble with their dogs...not a high weekend for "Q"s.

What's the best way of starting out with getting your dog to walk backwards I think I remember in the Susan Garrett 2 x 2 weaves she says not to walk into them (can't remember exactly)

Can anyone help me out with dates & venues for Agility trials being held in northern Tasmania in the first half of the new year. I have looked on the Tas. Dogs website, but this only gives me dates & the names of the clubs,with no indication of the actual locations. This information is for someone who wants to go & have a look at an Agility Trial. She is living on the north western Tamar at Pebbly Beach.

I would try taking her on a lead to where she may encounter this situation...or even better ...set up the situation, but make sure the child is completely safe (ie. on the other side of a fence) Have with you a bag of yummy treats & in the other hand have one of those handy water bottle squirters. Be ready & anticipate as a second later for you to act & it is too late. When she starts to react...squirt her on the head with the bottle. If she has any brains, she will soon cotton on to the connection with her reaction to the childs noise & being unpleasantly squirted. When she is good & doesn't react, be alert & ready with the treat & praise. I used this method with my border collie who would go beserk & lunge at any little dog which barked at her, or children on skateboards etc. It worked even though she just loves water & loves to have the hose squirted in her face I think it is the sudden shock of it "oh dear, where did that come from " Now I can proudly take her anywhere with me, including dog trials, training & camping. If I think I might encounter a bad situation, I take along the bottle, but she only has to know it's there Good luck

I always had trouble trying to get my dog motivated with treats until I started making my own. If you are interested I will come back later with the full receipe, but basically it consists of ground beef liver, garlic, parmesan cheese & corn meal, all made into a batter & laid thinly in trays & cooked. Then cut up into small bits & stored in the freezer. Bindi would do headstands for it & it lasts for months.

Does anyone know where to get 4 way pvc fittings for extending our weave pole set