canine fun sports

There are a couple of issues about teaching running contacts. I had taught Murphy a running contact on the scramble, via Ronda Carters method, and she was ery fast and very reliable. It fell apart once I started trialling. I do not believe that this had anything to do with a lack of consistency, or changes is excitement levels. I believe it was becasue there are so many different surfaces on Australian equipment (and some are very poorly surfaced and quite lippery) that she could not maintain her striding with any consistency. If rubber chip surfaces do become part of the Australian rules, I will once again consider teaching a running contact. Cheers,

Hi Megan, I am glad to hear that there is nothing serious wrong. Trigger point soreness can be treated a lot more easily than a dog that has genuinely "turned off for no apparent reason". It also explains shy he was happy to play ball (excitement will over-ride that sort of soreness) and did not enjoy jumping. Perhaps you should audit your seminar. Reintroduce agility gently, and with lots of games, because the memory of being sore will, in some cases, have a lingering effect. Cheers,

The countdown is starting to look relevant - just one month to close of early bird entries! Cheers,

When I was showing (oh so many years ago) I suspect the pups had their tails pulled (gently) so often to practice their stacking that they were totally desensitised to it. Back then (when no food or treats or toys were allowed in the ring, and positive reinforcement training had never been heard of in the Australian dog world) the pups and adults were not trained to stack, but rather, you timed the "tail pull" just before the judge looked at you and hopefully your dog was able to hold the stack for long enough. My dogs never enjoyed showing much. I wonder how much they would enjoy it with new training methods. But instead, I discovered agility . . . . Back to the original point of this post, if your dog does not like a tail tug, you can equally invoke the opposition reflex by pushing back against the forechest. Cheers,

I am probably butting in here where I shouldn't because I have not been in the show ring for more than 20 years. But labelling a dog as stubborn because he sinks back when you try to get him to stand nicely has just irritated me enough to make me write. Dogs probably do not even understand the concept of stubborness. They lean back because they are not enjoying themselves. They do not likes to be pulled and pushed into place. It also invokes the "opposition relfex". If you pull them forward, their reflex is to pull back against it. In fact, one of the best ways to shift the dog's centre of gravity forward is to pull it back by the tail then release it. (Difficult with a Aussie without at tail, I realise!) As a dog trainer who remembers just a little about showing dogs, I would suggest that you get you dog into the approximate position you want, put a bit of gentle pressure on him the opposite way to what you want - as though you are pushing him to lean back. When you release that pressure he will rock forward again. At that moment give a reward marker (use a clicker if you use one) then treat the dog. Let him continue to nibble on the treat while he is leaning forward over his front. I would vary it by sometimes throwing the treat ahead of him and releasing him to run to it. This will keep his attention forward. I have not tried any of this training. I have not needed to teach a dog to stack. It just makes sense to me as a dog trainer. Make the show ring fun. Associate it with games. Do not associate it with a place where you get pushed and pulled around. I did not look at it closely but at a quick glance I suspect that the link http://www.sue-eh.ca/page24/page40/ that was given in a previous post is well worth the read. I also recommend their section on "dominance". I do not agree with everything in that articles, but it gives a good understanding that we should not try to give human interpretations (eg being stubborn) to our canine partners. They do not have the same way of thinking as we humans.

Let us know your progress, please. Cheers,

Thanks for the extra information. First I will pu on my vet's hat and advice a full checkout by a vet who has some experience with performance dogs. This might be a vet that does agility, has several agility patients, or even a greyhound vet with a good reputation. I would recommend a good vet first to be sure about what the problem is, then if appropriate, a good massage therapist or similar as part of the treatment. BUT PROPER DIAGNOSIS FIRST! Assuming that we have eliminated the possibility of pain as the reason for Feargus's slow down, I would consider the following things in my training: 1. Work on speed games away from the agility field. Games of chasings where I have something the dog wants and he has to chase me to get it. This helps keep you fit too. Even when you are rewarding your dog you can move your hand or spin away from the dog to increase his drive to chase. 2. I do my versions of the two food throw game which is basically the multi food throw game. I get a hand touch and throw the food as a reward. They have to chase the food. Before they finish that food I am encouraging antoher hand touch which I reward by throwing out the food again. Sometimes I will reward the nose touch at the hand. Sometimes I run away from the dog as he tries to catch up to touch my hand. 3. I introduce obstacles to the multi food throw game where sometimes I throw the food out over a jump, or recall the dog over a jump to get the hand touch. When the dog is doing this well, I throw in the occasional nose touch, send to obstacle (intead of throwing food) then throw food after the obstacle is complete. Let me know if this does not make sense to you. I will try to explain it more precisely. When I have the dog enjoying this game, including all the obstaces, I will do some "speed circuits" which are just basically a circuit of easy obstacles (no contacts or weaves)where there is no chance of handling errors or dog errors. Big rewards, and lots of chasing toys or treats as a reward. I also set up some racing games, but this would probably need a club to co-operate. Set up two identical simple up and back courses (usually with a tunnel at the end to turn them around. parallel to each other and have some racing games. Dogs like to race each other. My last suggestion is to borrow some-one else's dog to train for a while at the start of the session. See if a little jealousy does not create a little more enthusiasm. BUT MAKE SURE HE IS NOT IN ANY PAIN FIRST Cheers

Hi Megan, There could be 100 different reasons fo Fergus's loss of interest, and probably as many different suggestions. Before I give any advice, I would like to know a few more things. How old is Feargus? What breed(s) is Feargus? What age did you start training Feargus? What does he normally work for - a particular type of toy, food, delivered from the hand or thrown? What games does he play? Did you take him to a vet with experience with agility dogs? Sometimes there is a little bit of low grade pain that is difficult to diagnose without a lot of pulling, pushing and prodding. This might not be done for an examination for a standard pet dog. Was his thyroid function tested? I hope I will be able to give a few suggestions, but some of this information might make it easier to give advice. EDITED WITH AN EXTRA QUESTION: What level is he training at - has he started competing? Cheers,

OOOOh, I hope I get a chance to take photos of the lowchen. I try to get photos of as many unusual breeds doing agility as possible. And I agree with the bit about the fun. Cheers,

I think we all get a bit nervous and excited for the Nationals. It is a much larger trial than normal, and the location this time will add an extra element of excitement. But really IT IS JUST A NORMAL TRIAL with all the normal classes and at the same degree of difficulty. It is going to be a lot of fun. Cheers,

I believe they are locked overnight. But Keith has been over there to see people during the normal work day. The office is in the indoor arena complex so I would imagine you can just rock up and take a look. There will be attendants at the gate during the event to tell people where they park etc. Do not quote me on this, I believe they will be selling tickets to the public for the finals, but not the other days. If "Vickie" checks in to this forum, she may be able to give more advice on that. Cheers,

Hi guys, Here is another photo of the indoor arena of the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, with agility going on. It really was a lot of fun to compete there.

Isn't it 10 cockers at the moment???

Hi luvsdogs, I do not think the spectator info is up yet, but check the website for information. The website is listed on the first posting on this topic, so just go back to Vickie's first post on page one. Cheers,

My previous comments were not directed at anyone in particular, but rather to say to everyone that competing in agility, and the Nationals, in particular is a lot of fun. Don't get bogged down in trivial concerns that will not effect the overall enjoyment of the experience. Cheers,

No such thing as doing terribly, if you are having a good time. Off on a tangent topic: There is no such thing as a bad run - just a run that we use to learn what we need to train! I think some of us have to adjust our attitudes a bit. To me, enjoyment should come from pariticapation in an event, from challenging yourself to improve, rather that from and actual result. The results, if they come, are just dessert. I cannot say I ran well last Saturday. But the fun of participating was fabulous. The Nationals, in general, are an experience worth participating in, but I think the venue will make this one extra special. I will try to get off my soapbox now. I have had far too much time of late to get on the internet, and it shows, by the number of posts I have done lately. Cheers,

A further comment on this topic, I am cross posting this (with permission) from the Agility Australia Yahoo group, written by Julia Barnett: <<... it's the arena itself that is 'downstairs' - actually you access the surrounding areas, the walkways, the top row of seats, the toilets, the canteen area etc. all from ground floor level. When you walk into the venue you stand and look down on the arena. So except when you are actually preparing for a run by going downstairs to the arena, you should be OK. I have a fear of heights too (ask my daughters about having to 'protect' me going down escalators!!) but this venue is a breeze, not even as bad as the stalls in a theatre! >>

Others have already answered this question, but I would like to add my two cents worth. The only expectations are that as many people who want to be part of this huge event (it will probably be the largest dog competition ever in Australia) will come an have fun. Some well trained dogs will do great runs, and some will crash and burn. (We know that feeling well). Some novice dogs will surprise their handlers by getting it all together on one or two runs, but others will be over awed by the situation. That does not mean they still won't have fun though. Everyone is encouraged to give it a go. The organisers are just as serious about the novice competition as the masters. Certainly the arena gives it an extra edge of excitement, even more so that other Nationals I have been to (and I have been to plenty). It is a real fun buzz to compete in there, and it is certainly not just for the elite handler. It feels a little like being in our own Olympics, or world championships. And it is also a great opportunity to put faces to names of all those people we know via DOL and other computer forums. It is a great chance to enjoy each others company and exchange ideas about agility.

You sure can. I believe that they are organising the removal of some of the benches on the concourse to increase the area for dogs crates, too. It is one of the suggestions that came out of last Saturday's trial. Cheers,

I think I got it this time.

Honestly, they are not that bad. My dogs have not done many stairs, and although they were a little careful, they did not baulk. With any luck this attached photos will show the bottom of the stairs. Edit: *$#^(*)%& it did not work. I will try to post the photo of the stairs.

We have 2 in Victoria. How fantastic. If they decide to come to the Nationals, I am sure they will be catered for. There is the downstairs entrance, and the grassed rings are nice and smooth-I am sure they would be as good as any grassed surface for wheelchairs. Cheers,

I do not remember the chute tunnel being used in anything but the strategic pairs ring, although I may not be correct in that. I did not see the novice class - and you nearly always get a couple of refusals in the chute in the novice class, anyway. Only the one dog in excellent or masters strategic pairs had an issue with the chute tunel, and I was watching every dog very closely! Amypie, just tying a blanket over the end of a compressed pipe tunnel would go a long way to prepare your dog for the new chute tunnel. The chute iself is now quite short and very flared. Some dogs seemed to have a surprised look on their face when they came out the other end so quickly! I am not sure who told you, Delta Charlie, that the rings were prepared differently, but Keith organised the ring preparation and I was actually standing about 2 metres away at the time. He assures me that he did not change his request for the whole of the arena to be hard packed, so any variation was not intentional. The original intention was to prepare the two halves differently. But after our experience when HDAC used the Horseworld arena, it was decided to just have the whole arena hard packed. So the one thing we have learnt is that we will have to ask the SIEC guys to be pretty thorough about their ring preparations. Regardless, the dogs ran well on the surface. It is just that they created a few more divots and made it a little more uneven for us to run on. It did not seem to create any real problems. And I am sure it will be sorted out by June. I am sure you were looking at the correct grass arena. It is 100 metres x 50 metres of beautiful flat grass surrounded by a post and rail fence. They will be putting 3 rings in this area, with cabanas etc around the outside. Your comments about less abled people using the stairs: I would think that most people who could get around an agility ring would be able to get up and down the stairs. The system has been sorted out so that you do not need to rush. There may be exceptions to this rule. It is certainly true that people in wheelchairs do agility (and so they should be able to!) but I do not know of any in Australia. There is the lower entry if necessary, although I think that is being kept for equipment access. If necessary, I am sure something will be organised. I am sure the one thing we can agree on is that it was a great trial and that is gives promise of an exceptionally good Nationals trial.

Balmain is inner western Sydney, the SIEC is outer western Sydney. It would probably take you an hour each way. It is a fairly easy trip. It is not too difficult getting from Balmain onto the M4 motorway (which is a toll free road) then going left at Wallgrove road and then left into the equestirain centre. You would be travelling against the main flow of peak hour traffic, although it would be a little hectic at the start of the trip. Cheers,

Don't worry too much about it. As I sad, I only saw one dog baulk at it, and I do not think any dogs had actually had a practice on it. The start looks like a normal tunnel, and once they are in it, it looks like an ordinary chute tunnel. Cheers,