How Long Did It Take You?

[Reddii]

Hey all,

Another great night at agility last night for Xena - just not so sure about my ability! My question relates to your ability, not your dogs, or even the two of you as a team.

As I see it Obedience makes sense, albeit challenging to improve on the finer points. Flyball is really easy - rev them up and let them go (well, almost), but agility is proving to be a real challenge. I find it difficult to be consistent and to reward where and when I get the right behaviour. I understand the theory, but it just seems my timing sux.

Overall the trainers are being great and quite patient, but I'm getting frustrated - not so much at the time, but when I sit down and think about how the night went most of the mistakes are mine and I seem to be making the same ones, or a closely related one time and time again.

How long did it take you? Is there hope for me?

Cheers.

Tony

[PAX]

I can't answer how long as I'm still a work in progress.

Whenever we have an error on course (which is every time lately) it's always my fault. As long as you are having fun what does it matter.

Have you seen the agility t-shirts you can buy 'Great dog shame about the handler'. I saw another one that said 'If you're not having fun you're doing it wrong'.

Someone said to me (I wont say which DOL members OH) remember the three T's, tits to target. It always makes me laugh but it helps me to remember my body position.

[Reddii]

I can't answer how long as I'm still a work in progress.

Whenever we have an error on course (which is every time lately) it's always my fault. As long as you are having fun what does it matter.

Have you seen the agility t-shirts you can buy 'Great dog shame about the handler'. I saw another one that said 'If you're not having fun you're doing it wrong'.

Someone said to me (I wont say which DOL members OH) remember the three T's, tits to target. It always makes me laugh but it helps me to remember my body position.

Now that's funny!! and gives me heart!

We always have fun - until miss loses focus like she did last night and then it's just funny.

She'd had a big day because I was home and she had to help dig holes in between playing frisbee - so I was surprised when she worked well for 45 minutes before going off with the pixies.

Sorry to go off topic, but it was very cute - refused the tyre (ran under it) and then ran through the cloth tunnel (favourite equipment atm). We kept dropping they tyre to end on a win as it was clear she'd had enough work, but by the finish she was almost crawling to get under it - cheeky monkey!

I think I gotta get one of those shirts - it's pretty clear I'm just there to hold her back!!

Edited August 15, 2007 by Reddii

[poodlefan]

I've been at it seven years Reddi and there are times when I feel like a complete numpty. Last time was on Sunday!

I know it took me the better part of two months to learn the basics of where I had to be for a front cross. Call me athletically challenged. I think it gets easier with every dog but I am still learning and refining my handling and I expect I always will be.

Every course is different, every dog is different and both dog and handler have good and bad days. I think that's what keeps the sport interesting!

I have to say that both seminars and private lessons have really helped me along - although you'd never know that some days!

Every now and again, you get a course where you and your dog just 'click' and it all happens - that's what keeps you going.. that and seeing your dog having a blast.

Edited August 16, 2007 by poodlefan

[KitKat]

Are you thinking too hard about what you are doing? I find if i concentrate too hard on what i am doing i stuff up more! The comment "Tits to Target" is short and to the point...and accurate!

I mean look at the other night at obedience training i almost tripped straight over Bronx at fast pace! (Mind you i am dyslexic with left and right which doesn't help - but it is worse if i am thinking hard about it)

I am hoping to eventually get both my GSD's into agility - but i figured for Sabe's sake i am better off getting the obedience up to scratch first!

Edited August 16, 2007 by KitKat

[Vickie]

Hey all,

Another great night at agility last night for Xena - just not so sure about my ability! My question relates to your ability, not your dogs, or even the two of you as a team.

As I see it Obedience makes sense, albeit challenging to improve on the finer points. Flyball is really easy - rev them up and let them go (well, almost), but agility is proving to be a real challenge. I find it difficult to be consistent and to reward where and when I get the right behaviour. I understand the theory, but it just seems my timing sux.

Overall the trainers are being great and quite patient, but I'm getting frustrated - not so much at the time, but when I sit down and think about how the night went most of the mistakes are mine and I seem to be making the same ones, or a closely related one time and time again.

How long did it take you? Is there hope for me?

Hi Tony,

I think many of the answers to your questions lie in how your training is set up. Don't be too hard on yourself, the hardest thing in the world is being a novice handler with a novice dog.

What are your most common problems? What stage are you up to? Are you running sequences? How many obstacles? Do you walk the sequences first without your dog? If you make a handling error, what is your strategy to fix it? Do you have a "go on" command? An "out"? Are you comfortable with your footwork for a front & rear cross? Have you worked out what your dog's commitment point to an obstacle is?

Lots of questions...

IMO, most people start sequencing too early. They repeat mistakes over & over again, without ever stopping to work out why they happened & how to fix them. The best agility instruction I have ever received was INCREDIBLY frustrating...at first. We would plan to work a sequence & then something right at the beginning would go wrong. That was it, for the rest of the lesson, that is what we worked on, nothing else & we proofed it in every way possible. Yes, it was frustrating, but boy did it improve us as a team b/c we never had to deal with that issue again. As time went by, we were able to cross more & more of thise things off the list, till teh day we could go out to work a sequence & actually had all the tools required to do it.

I am still learning & each dog presents new challenges. That's what makes it so fun

Edited August 16, 2007 by Vickie

[poodlefan]

I don't tend to instruct the beginner level because I get as frustrated as the handlers!!

The best advice I can give any beginner is to have it clear in your mind's eye what you want the dog to do before you ask it. That goes for how you are going to handle and what criteria you expect for each obstacle performance, what and how you are going to reward and stick to it.

You don't want to be having problems down the track with blowing contacts and lead outs and people have a tendancy to want to get going without grounding the basics. The hard slog of doing that will be rewarded many times over once you start sequencing and running courses.

You've got a lot going on in agility - you have the dog to direct while watching it and moving yourself. I can say that practice helps... planning your moves and doing them without the dog, while looking rather crazy, its useful.

I'm sure I've provided plenty of amusement pirouetting my way around sequences while my dog looks on from the sidelines!!

If you haven't yet subsribed to Clean Run or joined OzAgility on Yahoo, I'd do both - the more you read and discuss and practice and the more you realise that what you are experiencing happens to most of us, the less frustrated you'll become.

Edited August 16, 2007 by poodlefan

[PAX]

http://www.cafepress.com/buy/agility/-/c_3...esignScore/go_1

This is the link to great agility t-shirts.

Edited August 16, 2007 by PAX

[Tassie]

Great posts, as usual, PF and Vickie. For me - 4 years with the current dogs - and still very much in the learning phase - although when I think back, I've come a long way.

Even so, you have days like the Masters Jumping course the other day when things were going nicely to plan until I started thinking (rather than just sticking with the plan) and totally lost confidence in where I was. Actually, it's a tribute to how far our teamwork has come that my dear little BC girl waited for my brain to kick back in, instead of going off and designing her own course. My friends on the sidelines were kind enough to direct me for the next jump or two, until I knew where I was again, and the rest of the run went fine. No course faults - but needless to say, over time!!

Here's another t-shirt link Agility t-shirts - that's where I got my favourite shirts - "Dog needs younger handler" and "I know that was my fault"!

As long as your dog is having fun - and hopefully you are too, while you work on improving your handling - everything will be fine - and hopefully, you'll never stop learning.

[wolfgirl]

Now this is encouraging I only started my lab last night in Agility and I came away with brain drain after having to think so much, she had a ball and didn't do too badly for her first shot but I found the hardest was remember my positions and trying to think ahead.

[Vickie]

Great posts, as usual, PF and Vickie. For me - 4 years with the current dogs - and still very much in the learning phase - although when I think back, I've come a long way.

Thanks Tassie

Even so, you have days like the Masters Jumping course the other day when things were going nicely to plan until I started thinking (rather than just sticking with the plan) and totally lost confidence in where I was. Actually, it's a tribute to how far our teamwork has come that my dear little BC girl waited for my brain to kick back in, instead of going off and designing her own course. My friends on the sidelines were kind enough to direct me for the next jump or two, until I knew where I was again, and the rest of the run went fine. No course faults - but needless to say, over time!!

OMG this is SO much of my problems as a handler. So long as I don't start thinking we will usually run clean. Unfortunately for Trim, I think far too often. I am trying so hard to overcome it.

I often find myself half way around a course that we are running clean & think "oh, that was a nice turn" or "will have to work on getting that a bit better at training next week". And that's it. Once I have disconnected, I have lost the ability to have split the second timing on my commands & handling that I need to run her. I'm sure if she could, Trim would slap me but the filthy look she usually gives me is puishment enough. The good news is that I am getting better, just not quickly enough.

Edited August 16, 2007 by Vickie

[Reddii]

Great posts, as usual, PF and Vickie. For me - 4 years with the current dogs - and still very much in the learning phase - although when I think back, I've come a long way.

Thanks Tassie

Even so, you have days like the Masters Jumping course the other day when things were going nicely to plan until I started thinking (rather than just sticking with the plan) and totally lost confidence in where I was. Actually, it's a tribute to how far our teamwork has come that my dear little BC girl waited for my brain to kick back in, instead of going off and designing her own course. My friends on the sidelines were kind enough to direct me for the next jump or two, until I knew where I was again, and the rest of the run went fine. No course faults - but needless to say, over time!!

OMG this is SO much of my problems as a handler. So long as I don't start thinking we will usually run clean. Unfortunately for Trim, I think far too often. I am trying so hard to overcome it.

I often find myself half way around a course that we are running clean & think "oh, that was a nice turn" or "will have to work on getting that a bit better at training next week". And that's it. Once I have disconnected, I have lost the ability to have split the second timing on my commands & handling that I need to run her. I'm sure if she could, Trim would slap me but the filthy look she usually gives me is puishment enough. The good news is that I am getting better, just not quickly enough.

Guys and girls,

Thanks to you all for your answers - rather than answering your excellent questions Vickie I think it is suffice to say that I need to be patient and stop thinking, then keep working towards consistency.

I know what you mean by filthy looks - sometimes I think Xena thinks I'm just there to slow her down.

I'll jump on the other boards/sites and start to read more.

Thanks again.

[Tassie]

Once I have disconnected, I have lost the ability to have split the second timing on my commands & handling that I need to run her. I'm sure if she could, Trim would slap me but the filthy look she usually gives me is puishment enough. The good news is that I am getting better, just not quickly enough.

Oh, yes, Vickie - that's me and Kirra - but my excuse is that I'm about twice your age - and I have a Senior's Card to prove it.

And Kirra doesn't stop at filthy looks - she bites me if I'm really stuffing it up. We got pinged 5 points for it in one run at Nationals - fortunately, we didn't get pinged for it in the teams event - judge must have thought it wasn't assisting the dog - except to get rid of her frustrations .

Actually, it's one way I know my handling is getting better (or she's getting more patient) - less holes in the t-shirts!

[J...]

Reddii we started our agility career about this time last year, right from the start. 6.5 month old dog and a novice handler. I felt like you did to start, couldn't get the co-ordination or timing right and basically felt like I was stuffing the lot up.

One thing that helped me a lot was investing in a small collection of excellent DVDs - Greg Derretts Foundation Training and Susan Garretts Success with One Jump. It gave me things to work on at home, even small things like start lines, and that gave the opportunity to experiment a little without the constant worry of eyes over the shoulder and feeling like a goof! :rolleyes: It gave me some confidence and as long as you recognise that you're not asking your dog the right question or that you're making mistakes, then your dog will forgive you Mine has forgiven me an awful lot

12 months later we still have a way to go and I still have a lot to learn. I have a once in a lifetime dog who only stuffs up on course cos her handlers a twit and makes stupid handling decisions!

Funnily enough we had our usual training session taped about 2 months ago. I never got the chance to watch it at the time, but it was playing in the club room the other night. The difference in our team work and my handling in that short amount of time is quite amazing, thanks to some excellent instruction over the past few weeks I feel like something has clicked, but I'm sure I'll have a lot of those moments over the duration of my agility career!

[skip]

I don't know if I should admit this but I've just found out I did something only a real newie to agility could do. What my poor dogs have to deal with!

I made a dozen white pole things to learn weave with. I go to a trainer who explained how I could set them up. He goes with the 2 lines of poles. From what I understood I put them roughly 55cm apart with a wide channel to start and as dogs go down channel I gradually narrow the channel till the poles are straighter line. Sounded simple you say!

So I go to train the other day and I ask about weaving as at my first comp other competitors suggested I enter in Combined Starters but just miss the weave. I get eliminated but its more experience. I was curious about weaving as I just don't get how dogs learn it. I look at his poles and I suddenly realise there's something wrong.

Why are his so far apart????? I'd set up mine with 2 lines to get a channel. Each pole 55cm apart down each side BUT using poles 55cm apart down each side. Hard for anyone to understand what I was thinking but I had used twice as many poles. So there was a pole roughly every 27.5cm down each line. My dogs are chi X's so they were doing this.

Straight away we realised I'd stuffed up so went home and changed it to be correct. Each pole counting both sides 55cm apart! And lo and behold they can do this much easier! Now it was so bloody obvious!

And I bet it is not the first idiot I'll make of myself as I learn. I went to an intro day to agility in April and met some trainers. I went to my first agility day at the end of July. I enjoyed the comp a lot and I was so impressed with my dogs. It was a small comp and every one was so friendly. Good as I asked a lot of questions. I'm going again next week in Sydney. I learnt about my dogs each time I did a run. And the dogs loved it that they get to spend a weekend all about them.

[helen]

I am sure like everyone you will continue to improve the longer you do agility, as long as you can go out and have fun I reckon