ness

Maybe I should clarify Erny - I have seen how its taught at some of the clubs here (I am in the same state as Zug Zug) and have seen issues with beginners trying to handle dog/reward/leash and negotiate obstacles. I have seen leads get caught up and I also guess I strongly believe that if your dog isn't going to stay focused and pay attention to you without a lead attached then that should be worked on first before adding the excitment of trying to get the focus in the agility environment. And also a little sick of even beginner dogs who have been doing obstacles on-lead but when a lead has been dropped to enable them to race through a tunnel, for example, it still leads to chaos and racing after other dogs.

Yep I would suggest that off-lead control is pretty essential for starting out agility training. I have seen dogs trained on-lead and I just think its fraught with being potentially far to dangerous. A good recall, good handler focus, a well developed reward structure in place all make training the obstacles simple. Is there any reason why she has to actually put the dog into a formal class and can't just work around the outside and use the other dogs as a distraction. She doesn't have to put the dog in for the full class. Maybe if your allowed to be flexible so she can duck into class and work for short periods of time - so long as its not interrupting the other handlers or dogs or interfering with the way class is run. My youngest went from me training her outside a ring while classes were in progress straight into doing proper ring run outs - she only did one puppy class at our obedience club in her life. However she was also taken to agility training with my older dog from the time she was tiny and I would get her out and work on her obedience/agility foundation skills.

Well done RubyStar - Millie's round looked really good and glad to hear Ruby managed some lovely heelwork too. Well done also to Brookie and Bedazzledx2 - sounds like his UDX is really coming along and I am sure it won't be to long before he is out passing (and winning) that class as well.

Wahoo well done Jedi fantastic work . Go TerraNik.

Corvus would it be easier to teach him to stay on a mat/chair/waiting station rather than just in a drop as such. I know when I train my two at home I put them each on a back chair in the yard or will put one on a couch inside and then swap them. I find they are more inclined to not be noisy if I do this then if I leave one inside the fence and work the other one outside the fence.

Feel these should both really be 2010 brags but we had our clubs end of 2010 annual award presentation tonight - postponed because of weather at the end of last year. Both my girls walked away with 2 brags each. Kenz finished up with a prize for top Novice Agility Dog and top Novice Jumping Dog. Ness finished up with a second place in ADO and won the Open A/Open B obedience trophy for the second consecutive year. Both girls had a piece of pizza each to celebrate when I got home .

Oh and just for the record my non-retriever thinks that she can only heel looking at where the DB will be thrown if I do a ROF and heel forward to get her ready. If I am only doing the heelwork before a recall though she heels looking up at me. So plenty of other cues that they use . She is a wee bit DB focused but at least has the courtesy to wait until she is released before going to collect it LOL.

LOL fair enough RubyStar I don't obviously do retrieving but its a little the argument that people give re agility and obedience.

Is it not an environmental context too for the dog too. Obviously a retrieving trial environment would look a whole lot different to the inside of an obedience ring.

JulesP this is in light of your post in training re teaching a retrieve but I think its Susan Garrett who makes mention of dogs shaping their handlers to offer a preferred reward. So while you might have a toy driven dog, the dog might prefer food as its number one reinforcer so when offered the choice between a toy and a situation where they think food is on offer that the dog holds out for the food because the handler in the end gives in and brings out the food when the dog lacks engagement with the toy offered. Also wonder if its a case of the dog learning to find another outlet to gain satisfication for its prey (which comes back to pups and toys). Its easier to direct prey drive onto appropriate items from when they are a pup compared with trying to redirect inappropriately expressed prey drive in an older dog. Ness is a lot like your BCs - has really never been into toys - will fetch so long as I reward her with food but fetch or play with a toy for the sake of it nope. But yet she was the one who as a 7 month old pup took off after a car and went through years of chasing everything that moved and still would chase stuff given half a chance. She is however highly interested in food so I guess I never persisted with the toy play with her so she shaped me to work her for food. Sorry might be way off track with the reason you posted the original reply so forgive me if my response is of no use.

Too much pressure in an environment too soon that the dog is uncomfortable in. Also agree with the not continuing to play with toys or never playing with toys from the time the dog was a pup.

What about asking for a hand touch to reset corvus instead of the collar grab.

Hmm JulesP at least yours flat out refuses to retrieve - try the frustration factor when you have a dog who retrieves 99% of objects without hesitation but is back to going stuff you I am not picking up the metal no matter what you offer. Well ok not quite that bad but she went from retrieving the frigging thing to laying down alongside the correct scent article . Ah well we are on day 3 of metal 101 and the stakes are high :D .

Not sure if he still makes them but I got a set of base plated weavers through Murray Tyler in Victoria. They are certainly heavy enough to not move around to badly when not pegged but also can be pegged when used outside.

Cosmolo the Susan Salo dvds will start grid training with pups as young as 4 months so yep you can start it really early. I am sure you could design a class around some jump grid work, some flat work foundation skills work, some tunnel drills and even some single jump work and have people think its the best thing in the world. Even if you include some travel plank work/wobble boards etc. I think people don't want to necessarily need to be out using a million and one obstacles when they are starting out but do enjoy being able to use some sort of equipment as it differentiates it from normal obedience classes which people seem to find a little uninspiring. I have to say I was another person that felt a little uncomfortable watching the video with dogs on-leash doing obstacles and much prefer handlers have some control over dogs before being allowed to access to much gear.

nice one Ptolomy - now the only reason you will have to visit K9 is when there is supper on offer :D .

Nawww ok maybe not quite that reliable eh Ptolomy - ah well congratulations Brookie for having your mum trained so that you still manage to pass even with optional sits ;) . I would be happy with those scores with optional sits LOL. Well done also OSoSwift - when you return from your celebrating.

Well done Smudge and Andrea and congratulations Bedazzledx2 and the ever reliable Brooklyn.

look forward to seeing it - in the meantime I found this one that I did when Kenz was maybe 5 or 6 months old. Not the best video I should have used treats that didn't require her to crunch quite as much but it kinda shows how its done. I would probably not have left her so long in the decision making process between presenting and letting her make the decision to take it.

Cosmolo do you want a video - I can do one tomorrow as I should really be working through a similar issue with the metal article.

Yes dogs are allowed on-lead in Rundle Mall. We had a BC walk into the middle of town and all stood around outside Borders books .

Yep I would agree with what SnT said. She isn't really keen on the patting I would just be giving her a treat . Lots of dogs don't like the physical contact - I know one of mine considers it slightly adversive. The other one thrives on it.

One thing I have done in the past is wedge the DB between my knees so that gives me a free hand. Both of mine are at a height were I can do that and they can still reach it comfortably. Are you using a wooden or a plastic DB (sorry I did just watch the clip but can't remember). Some dogs are much happier with one type over the other and I know I had to use a wooden DB with my reluctant retriever. She could then later use a plastic DB but had a huge reward history of using the wooden one.

Ok just quickly - yep agree with wuffles I think you are marking a little to late. Your almost better being a little early in your timing so when the dog is coming forward to the DB rather than moving away. I would also be putting the DB away/behind your back and re-presenting it each time after you treat. Does that make sense?

NC I am pretty sure they aren't doing printed copies of the new rule book but no idea where I heard that from so it might be unsubstantiated.