Pippi

I recently rejoined an Agility Club who had asked for proof of current vaccinations. I showed my dogs titre test results and it was accepted. As far as I know I was the first person to do that and the first time they had seen such a document. Things seem to be progressing.

Hi All Have only just recovered enough to get on DOL. Congrats to all those who did so well at the Nats especially my partner in crime, miss Darcy - what a dog... oh and not a bad handler either.. Big congrats to Tara from ADCV, great effort. I was very pleased with Pippi's results at such a big event, no finals but at least a quallie and almost a second one that was soooo close. It was a great weekend and I enjoyed it immensely, didn't even care about the storm on Sunday really. Thanks for your cheer leading 2tollers. It was great to see so many fantastic dogs and exceptional handlers from all over the country, I learnt heaps from just watching them, mostly what a lot I still have to learn. I did meet a few dolers I hadn't met before and I know that there were many more that I did not get a chance to meet. It was a bit hard to socialise while trying to walk courses, warm up the dog, check which ring you're in next, etc etc. Now to get into some serious training ready for Perth.....I'm all motivated now.

Thank you so much 2Tollers, very nice of you to think of us. I'll be trying to kick some butt whether they are Tollers or not, sorry bout that - not sure how successful I'll be though :rolleyes: I am praying madly that the grounds are better than we think they will be - heres hoping... And Jess I am already checking out Perth, I am absolutely up for it... ;) Cheers.....

Congratulations Erny and welcome to your new little man. Just 1 question - WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG????......... How about Kosey, means Lion.

Gee thanks kelpiechick, but I was disapointed with our day. Yeh we did a few good bits but I suppose I was expecting a lot more after all the training I had put in. I know I know, [b]"the most important thing was my dog and I had fun[/b]", but I really was hoping to have just a little more fun..... I still love my choccie baby...

The dog may very well be good at home, but if it has had little socialisation then it is to be expected that the dog will go over the top with excitement when it goes out, particularly to dog school. JulesP, you are correct that the dog probably does need to get out more but there is more to it than that. The dog not only needs to get out more but needs to learn acceptable behaviour when it does get out. That is calm, focus, pay attention to me when I ask. A dog that is out of control with excitement is not in a position to learn anything, you are wasting your time and the handlers. The first thing is to teach the dog that there is no value or reward in leaping about in excitement, IMO there is no point in correcting the dog at this stage either, because he has yet to learn what it is that the handler requires of him. I would start at a distance where I have no or little reaction from the dog and slowly work at decreasing that distance. At this point I am standing perfectly still and not moving, I have a good strong collar and lead on the dog and my hands holding the lead are glued to my stomach so that the dog cannot pull me over or pull my hands away from my stomach. Now the dog can start to learn - the moment I get any calm behaviour, such as dog stops leaping and orientates to me, dog moves toward me so that tension on lead is loosened, dog stays beside me, dog lays at my feet - any of these behaviours are marked (YES or clicker) and rewarded immediately. You or the handler may spend the entire class just doing this one exercise, but if done correctly the dog will learn what behaviour is required and what behaviour is not acceptable. It is imperative that the dog never wins, he cannot get his way and achieve success. It is also imperative that the handler marks and rewards correct behaviour. Once the dog has learnt this exercise well, he can commence learning other exercises.

This is also what I am aiming for DeltaCharlie, not very successfully yet just can't seem to keep my mouth shut. But I suspect the dogs don't need any forcing to tune in to body language, they are already expert at it, it is us who need to learn to give them the correct body signals. I'm still working on this too, every time my dog gets it wrong on the course it is because of my confusing body signals rather than my voice. I say nothing for jumps (they are too numerous and I want the dog to know to take any jump in front of you, I would also run out of breath) A up (AFrame) WalkOn (Dog Walk) SeeSaw (See Saw) Tyre (Tyre) Tunnel (Tunnel) Table (Table) Go Poles (Weaves) Directional: Out Left Right Close

Hi Clover, does this mean I might see you at agility soon :cool: or are you signing up elsewhere? I would love to see Harri having a go....

Wow, what a champ is little Minty, just goes to prove you don't need long legs. I guess you got a new and improved handler at the bottom. Well done Minty. Well done to Cash as well, you have done a great job with him and deserve all the credit.

Absolutely interested, from both sides of the fence

I will definitely be there with my little choccie BC, we are trying to practice madly just so we don't look too foolish. Actually, just to clarify - I really mean her handler doesn't want to look too foolish, I know she will be fine.

Words fail me..........

Hi Kelpiechick I'll just skip right to Q3. "What do you think an agility instructor needs to know?" 1. The basic training methodology of the club. +R only, +R and -P, or all 4 quadrants including +P. Does the club actually have a methodology which they train by and enforce?. 2. Rules and Guidelines of the club. Are there any? 3. What are the policies re handling aggressive dogs? 4. Are the training methods for teaching contacts, handling moves, start line stays etc consistent among instructors. 5. Are the senior instructors currently trialling in agility or recently trialled in agility. 6. A familiarity with the rules of the game including equipment requirements, correct heights etc. 7. How to design an agility course appropriate for the level being trained. 8. How to design specific sequences for teaching a specific skill, either for the dog or handler. Not just completing small parts of a course. 9. How to ensure that both dogs and handlers are always safe - really fits under rules and guidelines but I'm talking about the safe use of equipment and safety from other dogs/handlers which may sometimes be necessary. 10. How to teach different class levels, from beginners to advanced triallers. 11. Lots of time as a buddy instructor with time for briefing and debriefing. 12. People skills are important 13. Some knowledge of how to train different types of dogs e.g. low drive Vs high drive. How to motivate dogs (and some handlers) Just realised that I may have not answered the question clearly. The above is a combination of what newbies need to know and what may already exist. Hope that makes sense. I'm sure there is more but this is all I can think of for now.

Me neither, maybe we could send Steve a reminder.......

I usually have different aims when attending a trial and it will depend on what I have been working on before any particular trial. My main aim is to see an improvement in something I have been training/working on, either my dog or myself. To get a pass for me is the ultimate aim, that is what we are training for (and having fun of course). Getting a place is OK but I value the pass more. Now if I can just achieve a pass AND a place, WoooHoooo, that is icing on the cake.

Have PM'd you Silvawilow

JulesP, whatdya mean they don't get it, it makes perfect sense to me. I guess you are either into agility or you're not. Some training days are like that, you go home on a high because either you or your dog eventually got something you have been working on, or you had a lighbulb moment and something just suddenly made sense. Those are the times I get all excited too, although the ones that are not so good are also valuable cause I learn what I need to focus on to make my dog understand. Either way I LOVE agility training. :p

Yaaaaayy - Go Darcy. Congratulations, we all heard you had a blitzing run. I guess you have a good excuse for not being at training today. Geez the contact equip doesn't sound too good, hope Darcy has no ill effects.

Care to share how he handled this obsession?

There are 2 videos out by Jenny Damm, 1 on foundation handling and the other more advanced handling skills. Great videos. There is also a special issue of Clean Run on handling and crosses, available from Clean Run 'Special Focus Issue-Handling' May 2005. Greg Derrett's video is also great value - 'Agility Foundation Training' I'm sure there are others, but these are some of my favourites. Hope this helps.

Yeh, looked as though it was working quite well too, funny about that................

Sounds like nothing too much to worry about. I would say she is just playing, my dogs play lke this all the time. I'm sure other dogs would let her know when enough is enough. I would only take her away if it is abvious that the other dog is not enjoying it and doesn't want to join in the game.

:D Yep I think this is the best contribution to this thread to date and I agree wholeheartedly.... I'm running with you.

I am not going to get into the training debate in this thread but I would like to just clarify something for those who do not live in Victoria and may not be familiar with the magazine in question. 1.The publication is known as Dogs Victoria, previously known as VicDog 2. The publication is a monthly magazine for the members of Dogs Victoria, previously known as VCA (Victorian Canine Association) 3. The posts are referring to one training article written by 1 single trainer's views for the magazine, they are not referring to the publication itself.

Wow, first time I've ever heard of such a thing. It does sound like a good idea though for older dogs. Is it a common competition in Europe?