Training Talk Thread

[TerraNik]

I used Shirley Chong, too... It worked really well.

[Sue & Waldo]

Thanks for all the recommendations-I think I will start tomorrow though-11 adults, 4 children aged between 14 months and 7, and 3 dogs for a roast meal does not seem like a good start to this new skill!

ETA The dogs aren't having a roast but I do have special treats for them.

Edited April 2, 2010 by Sue & Cindy

[The Spotted Devil]

Thank goodness as he is entered in his first agility trial this weekend!

Good luck and have fun this weekend - any chance we will get to see his first attempt on video???

Good luck and have fun this weekend - any chance we will get to see his first attempt on video???

Yes, we want video!

Good luck TSD and Ziggy!

Agree on the video requests! I've never seen a video of Ziggy and I am dying to! Good luck this weekend, TSD

Our first trial is a few weeks off and I am still not sure what possessed me to enter but yes TSD we want video and I am sure Ziggy will do really well.

Yep you have to video it!

It will be good for you to look back on, it's a milestone of sorts, and we'd all love to see the spotted devil in action

Talk about pressure

We had a wonderful day - no passes but had some lovely moments. We were entered in 2 rounds of Novice Agility and 2 rounds of Open Jumping - first time in both classes for both of us We are off the Dalmatian Nationals in a couple of weeks so I just wanted to practice running several courses as we are both so green. Ziggy tried his Spotted Heart out and got everything right that we had practiced in training. The things we hadn't practiced, we just did what we could to get around so I have to apologise for the handling!!! However, that will come with time. The poor lad only ran a full sized A-frame and dog walk last Tuesday and went from 4 to 12 weaving poles in 24 hours over Wednesday/Thursday.

Please don't bag the handling too much as I was just grateful to remember (most of) the obstacles in the right order :D Once we both have a little more confidence I think we'll get some more speed too.

- thrilled with the contacts and the confidence over the A-frame and Dog Walk. The messy bit from the tunnel to the tyre, I meant to run like h*ll and do a front cross close to the tyre but I wasn't quick enough but decided to take my time and line him up properly. I would have preferred to do a rear cross but we have only just learned how to do them correctly and I didn't think it was fair to ask for one on the tyre, which he is not that experienced with. Coming into the weaving poles, I should have pulled him up to give him a half a chance because I haven't done a lot of work on entries. He was very confused at the end of the weaving poles (because he entered the wrong way), I suspect, which is why he missed a pole. Very happy with this run, and I didn't get yelled at too much by my instructors :D

Open Jumping. Way out of our league but the little bugger surprised me! He did a nice lead out (as always) but I put him behind the eight ball to begin with as he hasn't done weaving poles on my right very much so I ran him on my left - again, I wanted him to succeed so it was worth it but you can see the dreadful schamozzle I got us into trying to go to the next jump After that it was a distance challenge and I was pretty much expecting to have to cross the line to help him out. A friend told me to give him a chance and I'm really glad I did!!!! He took the first jump, went out when I asked him to the next jump - he took the next jump as well which wasn't such a great idea, but again we've never trained for that. Took the tunnel despite the fact that I couldn't decide what to call it "Tyre! Tunnel! Whatever!" (My word is "through" ;) ) Hearing one of my instructors say "Keep running!" was just what I needed. I didn't run fast enough for the next tunnel exit, nor did I give him much direction Nice little run of obstacles and then I stuffed him up again by calling his name before he had committed - at least he does what I tell him to!!!

There you go - a good giggle for a Sunday evening :D

ETA: So annoyed with myself!!! Just watched it again and I can't believe I blind crossed him on the tunnel in Open Jumping - poor bloody dog!!! No wonder he was confused!

Edited April 4, 2010 by The Spotted Devil

[huski]

Thanks so much for the vids, TSD! Ziggy is such a spunky boy I don't know anything about agility or jumping so you both looked good to me :D Can't believe it is your first time!

ETA: Now we need to see some obedience videos ;)

Edited April 4, 2010 by huski

[Tiggy]

Great to finally see Ziggy, good work .

[The Spotted Devil]

Thanks so much for the vids, TSD! Ziggy is such a spunky boy I don't know anything about agility or jumping so you both looked good to me :D ;) Can't believe it is your first time!

ETA: Now we need to see some obedience videos :D

Awww, thanks huski - I reckon he's a bit of a looker but I might be a little biased :D

You wait until you've started training in agility/jumping - I'll send you back to look at these videos and you'll crucify me

Um, obedience videos - lol - will see what I can do - always difficult at a trial because everyone else is so busy!

[The Spotted Devil]

Great to finally see Ziggy, good work .

Thanks Tiggy :D Young lad is wiped out tonight - 2 frozen chicken frames for dinner and then put himself to bed....don't think he closed his eyes all day, which makes for a nice change

[ness]

Well done TSD - look forward to having a look at master Ziggy in action when I get back to my civilized internet connection on Tuesday .

ETA. Couldn't wait until Tue so braved watching them on dial-up . Some lovely work there by Ziggy and your handling really wasn't as bad as you think. I know your only a green handler and Ziggy a novice dog but I just wanted to comment that to me there was a bit much of a conversation happening the entire way around the course. I guess it might be ok at the moment but I would try and run with less verbal good boys. Might just be a personal thing but I think they start zoning out your voice and when you get to running more complicated courses and the dog starts to become more obstacle focused then being able to redirect there attention with a well timed verbal command (like you did in the OJ course) can be a good tool to have. But like I said good work and well run. I certainly couldn't have got my novice dog through that OJ distance challenge so congratulations. She would have thought that other tunnel was way to tempting. I probably couldn't have got my masters dog through it either .

Edited April 4, 2010 by ness

[The Spotted Devil]

Thank you Ness! Truly, if you'd heard me yabbering at him a month ago you would have died You're right, though, and it probably shows a lack of confidence on my part. I'd only trained with food/toys on me last week and was rewarding the new stuff heavily so was feeling a bit bad for him. I was sh!tting myself that he was going to balk but he again showed that he is capable of so much more than I give him credit for. Seriously, thank you. It's not something I really noticed when watching the videos but can hear it now!!! Thanks, also, for suffering through dial-up ;)

[JulesP]

Ziggy looked like he was having fun

[ness]

TSD - I was bored and the net was behaving itself - only running on satellite wireless connection here and OMG its like being in the dark ages again. You forgot how much easier broadband makes things - especially multi-tasking on the net.

Have to say it looked a lot better then our first trial will be shortly. I intended on training this weekend but instead have let my two run feral and now I have less than a fortnight before Kenz has her agility debut and I have promptly broken her sit stay so heaven help me. Fast midget dog running 400 (she is use to training at 500) = disaster . Wonder how many times she will manage to head butt me around the course.

Discovered this weekend that she likes to run and throw herself at my head - and thats just doing flatwork no jumps involved.

[ness]

I just wanted to post a fascinating observation from my weekend. I took both kids to the River for a swim this morning as we have done the past couple of days. Ness will fetch anything that is thrown into the river because they often leave them out there they only get sticks (and yep I know they are bad but its always what happens up here). With Ness you throw one and she brings it in and then you have to find another one to throw again.

Any way Kenz was playing fetch in the river too. Unlike Ness though Kenz was fetching just the 1 stick and returning it to have it thrown again. Well once I threw it out there and she was distracted with a jet boat. Well about 5 minutes later she decides to jump in and go for a swim. She swims around a bit, gets to a reasonable large stick (bigger the better is usually the case) decides its not her stick, keeps swimming, comes across at least another 2 sticks but only returned with her stick . Maybe thats why she has taken to scent work so easily. It was fascinating to watch the decision making process while she was out there and the conscious decision to bring back the stick I had thrown in once she got to it but no attempt to grab any other stick.

[Mas1981]

I just wanted to post a fascinating observation from my weekend. I took both kids to the River for a swim this morning as we have done the past couple of days. Ness will fetch anything that is thrown into the river because they often leave them out there they only get sticks (and yep I know they are bad but its always what happens up here). With Ness you throw one and she brings it in and then you have to find another one to throw again.

Any way Kenz was playing fetch in the river too. Unlike Ness though Kenz was fetching just the 1 stick and returning it to have it thrown again. Well once I threw it out there and she was distracted with a jet boat. Well about 5 minutes later she decides to jump in and go for a swim. She swims around a bit, gets to a reasonable large stick (bigger the better is usually the case) decides its not her stick, keeps swimming, comes across at least another 2 sticks but only returned with her stick . Maybe thats why she has taken to scent work so easily. It was fascinating to watch the decision making process while she was out there and the conscious decision to bring back the stick I had thrown in once she got to it but no attempt to grab any other stick.

Clever Kenz Mason would bring back anything that looked remotely ineteresting

[JulesP]

Lol Amber went to the river on Friday and spent the whole time herding up her friend. She wouldn't pick up the ball and was focused on the other dog rather than the ball.

[The Spotted Devil]

Ziggy looked like he was having fun

Ah, and THAT is the best thing of all Leopuppy04 reckons he looks like a blissfully happy dog hanging his head out the car window

Good luck, ness, in your little girl's first trial - I will probably be away so will catch up with all the excitement (AND videos!) when I return.

[Ptolomy]

TSD - what a great debut - well done

So when are the spotted dog Nationals, where are they and what are you entering?

[The Spotted Devil]

TSD - what a great debut - well done

So when are the spotted dog Nationals, where are they and what are you entering?

Thanks Ptolomy - he's a super dog to run, actually

Spotted Dog Nationals are in Sydney in a few weeks time so Zig and I are driving up and camping out! The Spotted Dog Millionaire is entered in Novice Obedience, Novice Jumping, Novice Agility and Open Jumping, which all take place on the Saturday morning. I've not entered conformation as I think that's enough to ask of him. There are 195 Dalmatians entered in the Champ Show which should be an amazing sight!!!!

[ness]

Wahoo I am now the proud owner of a solid jump that actually looks like a solid jump .

[huski]

Well I attempted to do an update video of Daisy's heel work this afternoon and had fail after fail - first time the camera fell over. Then the second time a dog got off leash and ambushed us After Daisy got attacked a few weeks ago she's appeared to be ok but this big dog rushing towards her (it wasn't aggressive luckily) made us both nervous Then the third time I attempted to film our heel work I hadn't set the camera up right and we were only on screen for about 20-30 seconds out of 2 minutes 30

FINAL attempt at filming went ok but I just watched the footage back and the grass is sooooo long you can barely see anything :D and my handling was terrible mainly because I got quite nervous after the other dog ran at us, and it walked behind us as we were training and both Daisy and I got nervous So just uploading it to imovie now to see if there is anything I can get off it that is worthwhile uploading to youtube The dog worked quite well though!

[RubyStar]

Spotted Dog Nationals are in Sydney in a few weeks time so Zig and I are driving up and camping out! The Spotted Dog Millionaire is entered in Novice Obedience, Novice Jumping, Novice Agility and Open Jumping, which all take place on the Saturday morning. I've not entered conformation as I think that's enough to ask of him. There are 195 Dalmatians entered in the Champ Show which should be an amazing sight!!!!

I wish the Labrador Retriever nationals would hold obedience and agility, too. It seems all they do is conformation and some retrieving test. Or even if the club would hold normal obedience and agility trials! Other breed clubs tend to, I just never understood why some breed clubs don't. I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation for why, I just don't know it

I will watch your videos tonight, can't wait!!