RallyValley Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 As of today Toby is associate registred! I know I am not ready to compete yet... but my agility club is on break from mid December till Feb and I was wondering when will I know if Toby is ready for Novice Jumpers? I will be stewarding at my first trial on November 7 to get more of an idea.. but is there like a checklist of skills? Also if I enter a trial and Toby is not quite ready will the judge go mad at me? I have never trialled before so I don't really know what to expect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I have been competing for a little over a year now, though only recently in ANKC - and probably was not ready when I first started My tips from the mistakes I have made are: * Can you run sequences with no reward on your person and placing reward at the end? (my biggest mistake was not doing this sooner ) * Is your dog confident on all the obstacles you will meet? * Have a look and maybe walk a couple of courses at trials before you enter any to see the types of handling challenges you will encounter * Get your dog used to the trial atmosphere and used to working in busy places When you do enter, do not worry about the mistakes you make, including if your dog does not do an obstacle or runs off (we are still fixing that one but getting so much better now!). The most important thing is to make it a positive experience for the dog (and you!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 Thankyou! I know I am a bit off... but at the moment I can run 3 or 4 jumps(I only have 3 jumps at home) with just a pat at the end (although I don't often...). I have to still introduce him to the tyre and brad jup.. OMG and the collapsed tunnel.... Hmm maybe he won't have learned this in class by mid December.. (Stupid Question!) Am I allowed to take a dog to a dog to a trial if he's not entered? I think it might be good to take him to watch, do some training at the noisy grounds ect.. I was thinking of enetring a trial for a 'practice run' in January.. I don't expect to get anything but eliminated but I want to practice filling the entry form.. prepping for a show... having Toby wait his turn and have him be in the ring in front of a judge. And take a REALLY good reward with me that day and just reward him all day (except in the ring) so he thinks that it's the funnest place on earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 (edited) How many obstacles are you sequencing in class? I have a big reward for Kaos at the end of his run - he loves to chase his toy, so I have his toy in a bag outside the ring and when we finish our run we play with it. I also have treats in the bag. You can take your dog to a trial if it is not entered and just watch as long as you don't interfere with competitors. Edited October 27, 2009 by Kavik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 My class is a (very) mixed level beginners class.. so the most I have had the opportunity to sequence so far is 2 jumps and a tunnel. At home I have sequenced 3 jumps and a tunnel but i doubled up on a jump, so 4 jumps and a tunnel. I need more jumps at home I think... I am not in a huge rush to compete but I know people (and I did this with my last dog) who put off competing so much because they are scared to fail. I would rather have the fail and expect it so I can see where to improve... it's almost November so maybe in Febuary I will enter a trial and in January I will visit a couple with Toby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 (edited) My class is a (very) mixed level beginners class.. so the most I have had the opportunity to sequence so far is 2 jumps and a tunnel. At home I have sequenced 3 jumps and a tunnel but i doubled up on a jump, so 4 jumps and a tunnel. I need more jumps at home I think... I am not in a huge rush to compete but I know people (and I did this with my last dog) who put off competing so much because they are scared to fail. I would rather have the fail and expect it so I can see where to improve... it's almost November so maybe in Febuary I will enter a trial and in January I will visit a couple with Toby. I think the most important thing is to make sure your dog is under control. I wouldnt be worried about not getting everything right, so long as you didnt create any bad habits at a comp. My girl was ready (but had to take 18mths off so only just getting back into training) but she would run off at comps so I wouldnt enter her until she has stopped doing this- and when i do enter I know i will run the course wrong or something!! You can go to a comp and watch- I suggest a chair and perhaps some shade! This is great as you can learn so much by just watching!! Look at what a novice course is like but also look at masters so that you can see some good handling. Not sure where you are in WA but the Agility Nationals are at perth next year (cant remember when) and it would definatly be worth going and looking. Another suggestion would be to do some stewarding at a comp as you will get to know ppl this way and they will be able to help and when you do start to trial. Keep us updated!! Edited October 29, 2009 by woofenpup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 (edited) Ask your instructor if you are ready. Personally I'd not enter a dog that can't run an entire Novice course. That means confident execution of all obstacles. There is also the issue of your preparation. You need to be able to walk a course, devise a running strategy and execute it with confidence. If you expect to fail, you're not ready. Then your dog needs to be able to hold his start, change sides when directed and follow your cues. You won't do either of you any favours rushing to get into the ring. Take your time. Edited October 29, 2009 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 What poodlefan said I would certainly wait til you can do all the obstacles and can sequence a fair amount of obstacles, and at least are confident with your front cross. I find with Kaos if I am confident in my handling and know what I am going to do we do well, but when I get flustered or confused, so does he. I am fixing some running off issues (he runs off mostly when we make a mistake or when I get flustered or confused, occasionally misses the last few obstacles to get his toy). Hopefully I am better prepared for the differences between training and trialling with the next dog and don't create running off issues in the first place Being able to walk a course is important, if I am unsure about what to do on a course I ask a more experienced friend to walk it with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 ACWA have a pre trialling class on a Tuesday where they are running sequences - are you in this class yet?? If not then IMO you are definitely not ready to enter a trial yet You will also find tyres and collapsable tunnels in all novice courses - so your dog really needs to be confident on these before entering. In WA you can also enter as NFC (not for competition) which is half the normal entry fee - you still get to have a run on the course but you are not actually competing or elligible for a pass. On your entry form you just mark it NFC ;) Really there is no need to rush as there are always plenty of agility trials. But if you want something to aim for - then perhaps having your dog ready for novice at the National Agility Championships at the end of April - might be just just the way to go Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Is there ADAC in Perth? I started in ADAC, which has less types of obstacles. Jumping only has non winged single jumps and open tunnels. Agility does not have a table, broad, spread or collapsible tunnel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 Thanks for all the replies! After the disaster training session I had on Friday I don't know if Toby will ever be ready.... Ptolmy I don't go to ACWA classes... its too far away from where I am.. but I am sure my instructor will be happy to guide me. Toby has started the tyre and is ok with it.. I am sure he will be introduced to the collapsed tunnel in the next few weeks. That is awesome about NFC trials! I have re-scheduled my plan and I think April is fine to start getting serious.. Do you know if any WA clubs train over the summer break? I think I will wait to enter Jumpers until he is ready for Agility Classes also... and he is a long way off that. Thanks for your help! I am going to steward at a trial next week to find out more about them and will be sure to watch people walking the courses and thier approach to running them to learn how to walk/handle a course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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