caffy

Very clever Obedience boys getting dusted off for the agility Well, I dusted off the agility dog for his 2nd go at CDX. We missed a sit in the Figure 8..the PA and Scoota doing UD in the next ring was just too much for Mr Happy. Here is his round..

I'd still do them separate in training but do difficult angles for the present and do the finish separate to the present. Sometimes do a front with an article or dumbell or even a toy in the mouth and also do without holding an object. I'd also do a LOT of the dog finding heel position by sending them around the cone or into a tunnel and increasing the difficulty by changing the angle the dog finds heel position.

We are all just pacing ourselves - ask us again on night 4! Pat on the back for my little blonde girl, Beans who top scored the heel round in the open ring last night. It all went pearshaped after that - but I was really pleased with the effort and in hindsight I should have jackpotted and left. Top marks to Caffy who managed to restore a sit from the down position in the last 24 hours - well done mate Snaz did some lovely work. Rubystar's Millie will put some nice scores on the board in the next 12 months judging from her work last night. Bedazzled's boy Brookie - he's a star - but I wish the two boys would stop texting each other and comparing notes. Both our boys failed open ring work. I can't remember the last tme that ever happened! Considering the problems I have been havng in UDX over the last 3 weeks Scoota was a very good boy last night! Thanks Ptolomy...I'm so happy with Snazzy...he's such a joy to trial with his happy face the whole way round. There was some lovely rounds out there last night...congratulations everyone

So you will be backchaining his retrieve?? I was bored with Snazzy as a puppy and asked Sue what we could do...retrieve she said. She plonked me in a chair and off we went..Yes, timing is everything I think Snazz has a great retrieve thanks to Sue.

How sad is that?

What a good boy he was

Have you done all the initial steps??? Yes-to the letter. She just rarely mouths any toys apart from tugs. She noses kongs etc. Can you video your next session? Well finally I have a video. Any help would be greatly appreciated. She is targetting the dumbell with her nose but not taking it. I now only reward when she touches the bar. As other people have said, your timing is an issue :D I would just forget the dumbell for now and just go and shape her doing something very simple...it will help your timing and help her confidence. Can you shape her sitting in a cardboard box??? I have told this many a time to trialling people...just go and shape a trick....learn the mechanics of shaping and you'll find teaching the "tricks" in obedience very easy I'm not sure that all agree with that, but I do :p Everyone just seems in a hurry to teach Obedience exercises but if you work on the basics, then the harder stuff just flows.

Oh dear...Rooster to feather duster!!! See you tomorrow night :D

Have you done all the initial steps??? Yes-to the letter. She just rarely mouths any toys apart from tugs. She noses kongs etc. Can you video your next session?

Have you done all the initial steps???

You can consider popping over to Perth. We have Daisy Peel coming at the end of May. PM me if you want more details.

Do you mean verbally? I don't tell him to take jumps verbally but try to direct him to them with my hand/arm, maybe I'm not being clear or not turning soon enough so he goes too wide around them, will play around at training with some clearer cues. I haven't really done any LM stuff with Kyzer, I am doing it with Trixie though, have been shown some collection/recall to heel exercises by SH and have the new LM book, might have a look through and see if there are exercises in there that may help, good idea. Linda's first book shows the progressions of the 1 jump work...this is the beginning

Nice dogwalk Have you built value doing Linda M's one jump work??? Also remember to cue your jumps...it might be just something as simple as that?

Hmmm, not sure I agree with that Bec. I can think of a few spectacular weavers, running at warp speed who are very upright in body & weave with their heads high. Cathy's Snazzy would be one, can't find any recent video online of him weaving Another would be Rob's Wings: OMG check this out, very unorthodox style but WOW Snazzy weaves with head up...I could never change that. I taught him and Alex using slanted poles based on Chris Parker's method. I re trained using the 2x2 method with Snazzy to improve his entries.

I am a fan of free shaping, but if you're having trouble why not forget the front feet being involved at this stage. If you get a largish piece of carpet or bubblewrap and place it very close behind your dog. You stand in front with a shortened lead and put slight pressure on him to take a step backwards...he should be close enough to put his rear foot on the carpet..click when he does. Just do this a few times then wait and see if he offers movement with his rear legs. He'll soon know he has two attached if you're rewarding his stepping onto the carpet. Gradually move the carpet a little further away from him til he's walking backwards to try and touch it. Once he's worked that out, then try your phonebook again and see if he offers movement with his rear legs.

Why not go back to a sit for exam? Start with someone walking around her and then going in and patting. Just stay in close and reward heavily. Gradually introduce the stand again.

Here's some more...we are playing around with walking on the feet. Good on you Ptolomy for rising to the challenge

Whoops!

Woo hoo..it's good fun, isn't it?? Seems Alex and Lexi are all about their rear ends :D It was quite amazing how few dogs there were capable of offering behaviours...most handlers were so impatient and ended up luring or using a verbal.

Not that I recall. It was always a heavily rewarded, fun exercise to run away from me...what toller wouldn't revel in that exercise??? :D Seriously, it has always been an exercise I knew he would just do and do well.

Right....I think :D

Totally agree with Ptolomy I would even reward to the left of your dog's head initially and then be sure to reward with dog's head straight ahead.

Why not add a jump, then reward? then another jump? Mix it up?

The timing of your throws are heaps better for Ruby...also much lower and on the reward line. I think it's just your timing for Millie that's causing the stalling. Love Ruby's weave action.

LOL...Snazzy has his moments like this. I did a lot of work of jump to tunnel..put the jump up to 600 and as a spread...he'd just flatten into a tunnel which I guess you can't blame them for especially when my verbal tunnel cue seemed to cause half the problem. Same with my yelling "weaves" too...he had to learn to do his job of keeping the bar up with my early obstacle cue. It's always ongoing work for him..he's just too keen