kelpiechick

Go Gambit! (on Sunday) Sounds like everyone is doing the obedience - I will be auditing the agility workshops on Sunday, anyone else going to do agility?

The golden in the photos is 'Kanpei'. He belongs to Yuki Kamo who trains at Warringal. (They are a really entertaining team) Congratulations to everyone ! (I believe the congratulations for Heather & Ron Diamond actually belong to their young son Jack who came 2nd in excellent jumping with his poodle. Nice to see some junior handlers coming along) Can anyone tell me what the new area was like? I never enter the Royal as the old area was small and you always got a really tight course, which my dogs hate. Any improvements on this now ?

From what I've heard - they won't get much credibility from me either. Has anyone ever heard of "control unleashed" It has come highly recommended to me and would love to hear more Have just ordered a copy last week. Will let you know !

Hi Kowai, I will be at the New Members Introductory evening next Wednesday, so I will see you there. (please make sure u say hello) There are a few other DOLer's who train there too. Leopuppy, unfortunately we don't train at the grounds where we hold our trial (they do have nice grounds!) as our training facilities (I use the word facilities very loosely!) are not able to cope with a trial - We don't have a clubroom at Altona, but we get access to one cupboard in the footy club kitchen to store stuff and one totally grotty unisex toilet - woo hoo! We are currently negotiating with the cricket club who have full run of the clubroom, so if they are willing to let us share facilities then the Easter trial may very well be held at our own venue next year.

If you're into clicker training you will love it ! Leopuppy - I would also recommend anything by Susan Garrett. 'Shaping Success' is a great read by itself even without the 'agility component'. Just remember it is a few years old now and represents how Susan Garrett trained this particular dog (Buzz) I believe her new dog Encore has been trained a little differently as you will see in the 'One Jump' video (excellent resource for a variety of levels) and as she now teaches at seminars. (Even Greg Derrett has modified his handling system slightly compared to the original videos- can't wait for his new one which is supposed to be out later this year) If you get a chance to do a seminar with Susan Garrett - take it! I went to Canberra earlier this year and she was fantastic.

'Building Blocks for Performance' by Bobbie Anderson is excellent. Covers foundation work for puppies for obedience, agility and even herding. Best agility foundation book I have read is 'From the Ground Up' by Kim Collins Another favourite (although not really a training book) is 'Bones would Rain from the Sky' by Suzanne Clothier

No problems t(AD)pole, quote now removed !

Before pinning, it might be advisable to check accuracy of the information - not sure where this list came from but there hasn't been ADAC agility in Victoria for about 5 or 6 years now. People listed at each club may not be the current contact people and I'm sure they won't want to be receiving phone calls about something that they might now have nothing to do with. I can verify that the Agility Dog Club of Victoria information is still correct, but not any of the others.

Thats interesting - never knew that. When I got picked up for it in class one day I just presumed that was why :rolleyes: Depends on the agility code you are running. Some will fault missing the up contact. I'm talking ANKC as I'm assuming that is what Feralpup is training for - we don't have ADAA in Victoria. Not sure what the rule is for NADAC as they change so often I can't keep up with it. ANKC Rule 9.13 (e) 'Clearly negotiate the scramble by climbing up and climbing down. The dog must place at least one foot or part of one foot in the contact area of the scramble on the way down.' Feralpup, generally to adjust the A Frame you just need longer lengths of chain. If that's not an option, what about using a 'contact hoop' at the bottom so your dog has to lower its head at the end and cannot jump off. The Ali Roukas article in July Clean Run has a clear picture of one - I am using her method with my young dog and my husband made me one in about 10 minutes. Or maybe you have a raised area at home (like a deck) where you could add a ramp for contact training? Stairs are great for 2o2o. It's really hard when you don't have access to equipment ,I know. When I trained my current trialling dog I had access to a full set of equipment except for an A Frame and although I am happy with his obstacle performance, the A Frame would be the thing I am the least happy with. I wouldn't be attempting to train a running contact with my young dog without access to it every day (this is why older dog has what I would call a moving contact rather than a running contact, he climbs up and down without stopping and at a reasonable speed but he is definitely not running as fast as he can on the down side(comes down collected) and relies on me to be close to parallel with him - something I want to eliminate with the young dog)

I also think it's a ridiculous rule with way too much 'grey' in the interpretation. Hasn't affected me but I have a friend who was called for a refusal on a lovely jumping run after his dog head checked back with him before taking a jump - handler was waiting for a cruciate operation and couldn't run so was working the dog from a distance. That was the only fault. I also think it has potential for unsafe handling - if my dog was heading for the dogwalk (or the table) on a wet day at speed I would probably want to use RFP to check stride before letting him take that obstacle. Not the only rule change I don't like tho' - I also don't like the slats being removed on dogwalk, way too hard for dog to differentiate between seesaw now, especially for a fast dog.

The up contact on the A Frame is not faulted, only the up contacts on dogwalk & seesaw. I use 2o2o on dogwalk and a moving contact on A Frame (dog runs it with a collected stride) but with my new boy I have just started to teach a true running contact on the A Frame where he runs it extended where possible as I want more speed. Don't know if I'll be able to do it as I have never taught a running to any of my dogs before and he has a very long stride but as Susan Garrett says ' if you train like you always train you get what you always get' and I feel it's time to raise the bar so to speak. Is there any one particular thing that is causing you problems on stopped A Frame? Have you backchained it on a lowered A Frame first, making sure that your dog rocks its weight back in the end position? Do you have a clear picture in your mind of what you want your 'ideal' performance to look like?

Try this link for clubs in NSW - not sure how current it is. Best to ask around as you will find that the age differs from club to club. Our club takes puppies from 6 months in Foundation class but they cannot be promoted to the next level before 12 months, where they then begin working on lowered equipment. In Foundation class we do mainly flatwork handling exercises, restrained recalls, stays, attention exercises, targeting, etc. The only 'equipment' in use is a tunnel, very low table, plank on the ground, wobble board, perch, ladder, jump bumps and for dogs over 12 months in that class we introduce a set of 4 channel weaves. There is a lot of foundation work you can do with your pup before going anywhere near equipment. We allow child handlers but if under 13, they must have a parent supervising nearby. That rule will probably change from club to club too so ask around.

I would also be fixing that fencing pretty quick. It drives me crazy living in a rural area that I cannot walk my dogs around here because of having other dogs rush out at them nearly every time I pass a property. I have to put them in the car and drive them into town just to give them a walk. Not sure how a kelpie can fit through a ringlock fence tho' ? Or is he getting under? I am on 6 acres and there is no way I would want my kelpies to be able to leave the house paddock without me. Can you have your gate rehung so that he can't fit under? That shouldn't be too expensive. Our neighbour's boxer was constantly coming into our paddock and chasing goat & horses so we ended up getting some very cheap wire netting (similar to chicken wire) and attaching it to that fenceline, then secured the bottom with some strong tent pegs so he couldn't get under. Only a short term solution but it seems to have worked. I agree that you alone have to decide on the desexing issue, but if you are not planning on breeding you might want to consider it. Both mine were 'done' at 7 months and the teenage stage wasn't too bad with either. (Although they had lots of mental stimulation and training as well)

Maverick - I spoke to the NSW organiser yesterday ( I am assuming that was the one you were thinking about) and she only has a few working spots left so get in quick if you decide on it. You are welcome to come and join us in Victoria ! (as are other other interstate DOLers - I have included some accommodation suggestions on the flyer for Vic. including one where dogs are allowed inside onsite vans.) Helen - can I tempt you some more ? We are trying to make it a friendly, social occasion in Vic. with free morning tea and coffee provided, plus lunch packages that you can order in advance for each day. Elicia is great at working with a very wide variety of dog breeds, I couldn't believe the results she got last time - including those with very 'over the top/high drive' dogs and also with difficult to motivate dogs. She is well worth the money and is also very generous with her time and advice. Email me and I will send you a registration form if you want to have a look at it. ;)

Hi Helen it certainly is a small world. No, she doesn't have tollers. She runs Aussies and BC's. If you get Clean Run she had an article on contact training in February 2007 (I think, if not maybe March) She has also been featured in the 'Agility in Motion' series. I went up to NSW last time she came out and she was AWESOME - really good at matching training methods to different dogs and improving people's handling skills - plus a really nice person too. Poodlefan, you will enjoy the experience !

Elicia Calhoun is returning to Australia in November 2007 and will be conducting agility seminars in Victoria, NSW and Queensland. Last time her seminars filled very quickly so don't delay if you are interested. All the details, plus the information flyers for each state can be found here. (Follow the 'seminar' link) Or PM me if you would like more information. Who is Elicia Calhoun? Elicia is a top national and international trainer, national champion, professional agility instructor and author. She is a regular contributor to 'Clean Run'. Elicia has reperesented the US on the World team for an unprecedented five times with her aussie, Suni. Elicia's younger dog, BreeSea recently won Round 5 at the AKC world team tryouts in Minnesota and will compete with Elicia in the outdoor European Open Agility championships in July in Italy.

I have 'Stretching the Performance Dog' not 'strengthening' ? (Debbie Gross Saunders) not sure if this is the one you mean or if there is a different one. It is pretty good in that she gives very clear instructions and demonstrations for each stretch, but I think it would depend on why you want it. I run a dog in agility who broke his leg, was away from trialling for close to 12 months and now has very minimal flexion in his carpus so I wanted some specific stretches in this area that I could see and review to make sure I was doing the right thing. In that respect it didn't disappoint. If I had bought it as a general 'warm up' type routine I'm not sure if I would think so highly of it as there is a lot of information about warming up your dog/stretching before agility on the net that I think is just as good.

Not sure what state you're in Stephen, but in Victoria there is a big difference in courses between judges - and I have had weave poles twice in Novice gamblers. (set of 4) The gamble is not always over to one side either - had one in novice that was in the centre from memory and also one in excellent. Most judges will set the opening sequence so that you can plan a nice flowing course for your dog - my favourite are the ones where you can almost run a 'speed circle' around the outside, then turn around and come back again before heading into the centre to get closer to the gamble. I tend to plan my course by looking at what sequences my dog can perform fastest - and then choosing either contacts or weaves- whichever one fits in best with my planned sequences. (although I would certainly choose both if at all possible.) This works for me most of the time - I had 2 first places in Novice and also got first place in my first run in excellent a few weeks ago. I think you have to work to the strength of your dog rather than just trying to get the obstacles that are worth the most points at all costs. From what I have seen a lot of people actually waste time trying to get all the contacts and weaves in when they could have, for example, performed 3 or 4 bars just as quickly as the dog walk. When you perform the gamble, there is usually an obstacle before the 1st gamble obstacle that lines up perfectly with it and it is usually worthwhile taking a bit of extra time to take this one first as it gives you a better 'flow' into the gamble, and therefore more speed. Going from novice to excellent was not difficult to get the extra points required due to seesaw inclusion, but the gamble was way harder - you actually had to send your dog away from you for the first 3 obstacles with nowhere to move, rather than running parallel like in novice - jump jump tunnel (slight discrimination) then turn and run parallel - A frame, spread. (the gamble was an inverted L shape) Think it was a fluke that we got it, but we'll take it !!!! Hope your wife enjoys her run when she finally gets it - gamblers is my favourite game! Also good luck in excellent Vickie - from looking at Trim on the videos you have posted I'm sure she'll 'kick ass'

I changed my 'oldie' over from Sasha's to Joint Guard about 2 months ago - his athritis appeared to be less noticeable when on Sasha's so will be changing back. (however I don't want to knock Joint Guard as he is getting older so it may have had nothing to do with it, just my personal experience) Would also agree with the earlier recommendation for Robert McDowell - my ACD takes a custom made 'fear' mixture before trialling and it has worked wonders. Have also heard rave reports about cosequin for arthritis treatment.

So happy to hear that the kelpie appears to have gone to a terrific home ! (Thank you for posting that) This time there has been a good outcome but the word 'raffle' is the key - total chance as to where that kelpie could have ended up. (another reason why I'm also not a huge fan of the auction - does anyone else know the story of what happened to the dog that went for the highest money a few years ago???? ) I was at Casterton this year as I have been for the last few, and just because you attend a kelpie festival (or buy a particular magazine I believe) doesn't make you a suitable kelpie owner. I went with a friend who knows nothing about kelpies whatsoever and has a very small suburban backyard- what was to stop him buying a ticket ? Correct me if I am wrong (as I am sure someone will) but I don't believe there were any stipulations as to who was eligible to buy a raffle ticket ? To assume that only a suitable owner would be interested in buying a ticket is pretty naive. Totally agree that dogs should not be offered as a raffle prize, whether working or not.

Tilla and Cruz will be there to cheer you and Minty on !

OK, the bad news - even at Masters level you will still have sh*tty days at agility training ! (and trials too) The good news - you get to take your wonderful dog home with you no matter what happens - your dog loves you and doesn't know or care if they Q'd at a trial or not. Sometimes I think the question is not if the dog is ready to trial but is the handler ready to trial? I agree that it is not a good idea to enter just to get trial experience if you are not ready, but you have to do it sooner or later and there are still a few options on the day : 1. If you run in the morning and decide that it would not be in your dog's best interests to continue in the afternoon for any reason, then don't. Take your dog off for a walk, play together and have fun so that it was a fun day out for your dog ,spending time with you. 2. If you are running a course and your dog starts to turn off/shut down, don't complete the whole course. Run to the last few obstacles and finish on a high - most novice courses will give you a nice straight run home with 3 or 4 obstacles. Big party at the end. 3. Having a go will give you your best indication of whether or not you truly are ready to trial - no matter how prepared you are it is impossible to simulate trial conditions in training and there will always be issues that you hadn't thought about that rear their 'ugly heads' at trials. No one says you have to enter another one straight away. Chalk the first one up to experience and then have a break for another few months if you think you still need to work on things. 4. No matter how good or bad your run is, no one will remember it except for you ! Want to share a quote with you that I love (about 'trial readiness' )- it is from a US competitor and judge, Paige Port, who kindly gave me permission to quote her in the dog club newsletter that I edit , so I'm sure she won't mind me repeating it here : " When can you, the handler, walk into the ring not caring about a Q, not caring about what other people will think of you, not caring about being embarrassed in the ring ? Are you willing to accept the blame for any mistakes and give full credit to your dog when things go well? When can you go into the ring with your best friend by your side, with the sole purpose of making sure your friend has the most fun they've ever had, no matter what you have to do to achieve this ? Can you come out of the ring, no matter what happens, happy, smiling and thanking your dog for playing this game with you ? If you can, then you're ready ! " Good Luck with whatever you decide - where is the trial , might see you there !

New Greg Derrett DVD is due out sometime this year For working on 2o2o you might also want to consider Julie Daniel's 'Contacts and Weaves' DVD - can't remember if that is the exact title and I am too lazy to go to the next room and check, sorry but it is available from Clean Run website and goes through detailed demonstrations with her teaching contacts on the A Frame and on dogwalk. She uses 'all 4 on' , later changing to quick release to simulate running contact rather than 2o2o but you could adapt it easily enough. If you are a clicker trainer you will love it as it has a section titled 'operant conditioning' which gives good suggestions for using a clicker in agility.

Hopefully I will be there for my 5th time ! Well at least for the Saturday, not sure about Sunday as I must admit I'm not a huge fan of the auction - Kelpie-i is right tho' some of the dogs working are amazing. And yes, it's a great weekend whether u own a kelpie or not . Superminty, are you defending your title ?

Fantastic ! Way to go Minty and Cash ! And just wait until your kelpie disguised as a great dane runs strategic pairs with my kelpie disguised as a greyhound