Heidii Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I am doing agility class at the moment but find once a week just isnt enough. Does anyone here go to two agility clubs and train twice a week with different people? I am also finding that im not getting as much attention as the other people in my beginners class because im alot more advanced than them. I have had my instructor say I am ready to go up a class but another instructor say im not. I feel I am ready, the only thing i need work on is rear end awareness with the use of ladders on the ground etc. Most other people in my class dont even have the basics such a "sit" and "stay". Any advice? The things we are doing in class at the moment are: Basic Sit and stay with recalls etc Going through tunnels Jumping small jumps Rear end awareness My instructor also got me to show her If i could do a stay, walk away, then come back around the back of the dog and back into the heel position which I could do. She also wanted me to show her If i could get my dog to jump up on the table and lie down which I could also do. Here is a clip from my backyard training on youtube of what i can do: Do you guys think I should be staying in beginners class? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smisch Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 (edited) I just watched your video, while i'm still a bit of an agility newbie in comparison to other people lol! I think you guys should go up, if you want! because your the handler and you should feel comfortable I think you guys have the skills and would probably do fine.. In sydney even in the 2nd and 3rd classes (but not as much in class 3) people were still handling their dogs on leashes! so for you guys to have that much down its a great achievement! I think as well that the rear end awareness is something you can work on as you progress. but this is all my opinion.. I was no where near as soiid with jock in my skills as what you guys are now, even now 3 years later we're training for basic things like 2o2o contacts and correct weave enteries from all angles.. its purely stuff that we managed to avoid while at training.. Good luck and maybe we'll see you at the trials one day! ETA: here is a REALLY POOR quality vid of when we were in 4th class and we were still very green then.. in comparioson u guys are doing well Edited February 18, 2009 by ♥-smisch-♥ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopuppy04 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 (edited) I go to two clubs, because I sometimes can't make it to one of them and I like to have just one dog out with me sometimes. I don't usually train the same dog at both clubs during the week, but I do sometimes ;) One club is pretty free-lance which means I take both dogs and we work on things that *I* feel we need to work on. Sometimes we have set training to do there too. The other club is more structured, so I only take 1 dog per week there... usually.... I instruct at both clubs too.... why I have no idea... who'd want my suggestions?!?! :rofl: So usually it works out - 1 dog gest 2x nights at agility and one gets one night. Works for us *if* you can find 2 clubs that teach similar I find it can be a big help - different instructors teach you different things Don't forget, although it's boring, foundations can never be practiced enough - working on your foundations till you are blue in the face means you will reap the rewards later Edited February 18, 2009 by leopuppy04 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole... Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 We found the same problem with feeling like we needed to do more than one session a week so we have joined 2 clubs. I like having the 2 as it is nice to have 2 different instructors and therefore 2 different opinions and approaches to things. I also think it's great for us as this is our first time doing agility so I have limited ideas on what to practice at home so a whole week of working on one bit of homework gets a bit boring for both of us. I am such a novice that I definitely can't comment about whether your dog is ready to move up, but the one thing I would say is that perhaps you haven't been moved up as there is a structured program for you to complete. I am also on the GC and know that at both of my clubs we did a foundation course that ran for 8 weeks. In that time we got exposed to more different equipment and techniques, so perhaps they are holding you back as there is more to do as the class progresses. We had almost finished one foundation course when we joined the second club but still had to do the foundation course there. This didn't bother me though as I think agility is definitely one area where you need a good solid grounding in the basics before you rush on to more advanced things. Which club are you going to Heidii? I go to Gold Coast on a Monday night and International on a Sat morning and can thoroughly recommend both of them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidii Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Thanks everyone for your comments! I think I will go to two agility clubs, its a good idea and seems to be working well for you guys! I go to WAAG Agility in Southport. Which Agility club in the GC do you go to mntgood? Do they have a website? Yeh I know foundations are important especially rear end awareness which we are working on and he is getting better at. I guess I will just wait it out and see what happens, Im in no rush anyway. I just really want to learn the foundations of weaving/jumping and the other obstacles but maybe we will in the coming weeks. I have found a weaving DVD on http://airdogs.com.au which I deff will get, looks good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidii Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 ETA: here is a REALLY POOR quality vid of when we were in 4th class and we were still very green then.. in comparioson u guys are doing well Aww isnt Jock alittle cutie! Im sure though its alot harder on an actual course with other dogs around....havnt gone that far yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffi Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Thanks everyone for your comments!I think I will go to two agility clubs, its a good idea and seems to be working well for you guys! I go to WAAG Agility in Southport. Which Agility club in the GC do you go to mntgood? Do they have a website? Yeh I know foundations are important especially rear end awareness which we are working on and he is getting better at. I guess I will just wait it out and see what happens, Im in no rush anyway. I just really want to learn the foundations of weaving/jumping and the other obstacles but maybe we will in the coming weeks. I have found a weaving DVD on http://airdogs.com.au which I deff will get, looks good! WAAG is awesome!!!! I think if you can find a 2nd club it's good.... but as tempting as it it I would not try to learn more new things but work on your foundations in the 2nd club as well! You can never do too much of that and trust me you will be glad you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole... Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I go to the Gold Coast Dog Obedience Training Club at Southport on Monday nights - their website is http://www.goldcoastdogobedience.com Their foundation class has already started for the year so you would have to see if you can join in or you may need to wait a bit for the next round. I also go to the International Dog School at Benowa on Saturday mornings. They don't have a website but I can PM you a phone number if you are interested. Just let me know. There is no foundation this month, which makes me think a new course may start in March so you could try to get in for that one if that works for you. I'm a huge advocate of using free shaping to train weaves. That is how we were taught at International and Lomani's weaves have always been wonderful. We were assessed for classes this year and the one obstacle that kept a few people back was their weaves, whereas that is something we don't have to work on all that much now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopuppy04 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Thanks everyone for your comments!I think I will go to two agility clubs, its a good idea and seems to be working well for you guys! I go to WAAG Agility in Southport. Which Agility club in the GC do you go to mntgood? Do they have a website? Yeh I know foundations are important especially rear end awareness which we are working on and he is getting better at. I guess I will just wait it out and see what happens, Im in no rush anyway. I just really want to learn the foundations of weaving/jumping and the other obstacles but maybe we will in the coming weeks. I have found a weaving DVD on http://airdogs.com.au which I deff will get, looks good! I know it feels tedious now Heidii but from someone who is now going BACK to foundations you won't regret it If you want to start teaching foundations on the other activities - have a look at Susan Garrett's Shaping Success or her 2x2 weaving vid If it's the club I am thinking of.... I doubt you'll find a better one - I'm very jealous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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