Training Talk Thread

[pie]

Not Top Gun - the Rocky theme Going to get him a little tracksuit with a hoodie and he can do some air punches before each trial - Joking....

[kathq]

When referring to sides I find it easier to say drivers or passengers side

Just wanted to wish everybody biting the bullet and entering this weekend the bestest of luck - or am I a week early

Thanks Ptolomy.

Am entering a sweepstakes with Coco on Sunday. This is for my nerves and so I can judge where we are really at. People tell me I am ready but never having been there before I need to see for myself. A sweepstakes will take the pressure off a bit for that first time in the ring.

[The Spotted Devil]

OH and speaking from experience - I ordered this you beaut tug with rabbit fur from clean run. I showed it to Blaize and she went ballistic over it. A few minutes later the phone rang so I took the call outside, came back in 5 minutes later to find the tug in many many pieces! So don't leave it laying around.

Do you think a non-tugger would learn to tug with something with rabbit fur? Can you please link me to the one you bought and promptly had destroyed?

RS, I suggest you try the rabbit fur food pouch tug toy from Clean Run. It is brilliant and got my non-tugging Dally tugging like a fiend. He nearly pulled me off my feet at a recent trial

[Guest RosieFT]

Not Top Gun - the Rocky theme Going to get him a little tracksuit with a hoodie and he can do some air punches before each trial - Joking....

LOL heeee heeee i think he would look GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hee

[RallyValley]

Ok I have two yays from my training session just then and one uh oh.

First of all I was training Lincoln with boring kibble (he is slowly being phased back to normal food post surgery) and had Toby playing with his iSqueak nearby the whole time more interested in that then food (first yay! I have been working on getting something that makes him really motivated) anyway Lincoln was going great remembering the limited command set he knows with hand signals and words, I decided to switch it up, first I did 100% hand signals and he was great didn't miss one. Then I did 100% words, didn't get one . Should I re-train the basic commands using new words that have meaning or try to add in current words (sit, stand) again properly?

Edited June 12, 2010 by valleyCBR

[Tiggy]

Ok I have two yays from my training session just then and one uh oh.

First of all I was training Lincoln with boring kibble (he is slowly being phased back to normal food post surgery) and had Toby playing with his iSqueak nearby the whole time more interested in that then food (first yay! I have been working on getting something that makes him really motivated) anyway Lincoln was going great remembering the limited command set he knows with hand signals and words, I decided to switch it up, first I did 100% hand signals and he was great didn't miss one. Then I did 100% words, didn't get one . Should I re-train the basic commands using new words that have meaning or try to add in current words (sit, stand) again properly?

I'd say the verbal then pause a bit before the hand signal, eventually you'll do them together. I changed my drop hand signal by getting them to drop on the verbal then introducing the new hand signal.

[J...]

Couple of questions...

Do I need to get Darcy remeasured for Open obedience? I have her height card for agility but it only states her height category (500) not her actual HAS. If she jumps 500 in agility is she going to jump the same height in Open?

Also was thinking about this last night while practising her sit stay. I've always been given the idea that people calm their dogs down before their stays, and in fact some people who don't feed their dogs before a trial will give them their meal before their stays. Not something I've done, but it's been in the back of my mind that I don't rev her up before a stay because of this. Toileted and focussed, yes, but not revved up.

Now I'm thinking of the boredom thing, particularly heading into the longer stays, that maybe this is the wrong idea. Given they've just had crate time/car time between the first section and the stays?

So what do you do before your stays? Do you rev your dog up - how far i.e all the way or a halfway mark to what they do for their ringwork? Do you calm them down? Do you practise a stay somewhere beforehand and reward? How long before, short stay/long stay?

Just curious - I tend to question everything these days

[Ptolomy]

Couple of questions...

Do I need to get Darcy remeasured for Open obedience? I have her height card for agility but it only states her height category (500) not her actual HAS. If she jumps 500 in agility is she going to jump the same height in Open?

Also was thinking about this last night while practising her sit stay. I've always been given the idea that people calm their dogs down before their stays, and in fact some people who don't feed their dogs before a trial will give them their meal before their stays. Not something I've done, but it's been in the back of my mind that I don't rev her up before a stay because of this. Toileted and focussed, yes, but not revved up.

Now I'm thinking of the boredom thing, particularly heading into the longer stays, that maybe this is the wrong idea. Given they've just had crate time/car time between the first section and the stays?

So what do you do before your stays? Do you rev your dog up - how far i.e all the way or a halfway mark to what they do for their ringwork? Do you calm them down? Do you practise a stay somewhere beforehand and reward? How long before, short stay/long stay?

Just curious - I tend to question everything these days

Yes you will need to get Darcy remeasured as the high jump is set at the dogs height at its withers, and the broad is double this measurement.

As for the stays - yep have done it all tried quietening them down, tried reving them up, tried going in cold turkey, tried doing sits before we go in. Usually I am so short of time - coming out of one ring and having to go straight into stays - its usually a matter of grabbing the dog and a handful of food and asking for a quick sit stay on the way to the ring is about all I can manage.

Last trial I was last dog in, came out and had to find a handler for one of my other kids (thanks Debazzled), so it was a case of grabbing both kids + 2 handfuls of food and off we went. Lexi did stays for Bedazzled and she has never handled her before. At todays agility trial every time Lexi saw Bedazzled she wanted to take off and see her new bestest friend

[bedazzledx2]

Questioning is good First question....Yes. The jumps for obedience are set at the dogs height at the wither.

As for stays, I have a little ritual of tioleting and getting them focused with a tiny bit of heelwork. In the ring when I set him up in the sit stay I will ask for multiple hand touches. I like this as it sets him up mentally for a sit stay and its legal as the dog is touching your hand...you are not touching the dog which can lose points under some judges. I will always break my dog backwards after the sit stay and then heel him back into position for the down stay. I never drop him from a sit. I am also very careful of the position of any adjacent dogs and try to position him so that he is not likely to get eyeballed. Hope that helps a little

Couple of questions...

Do I need to get Darcy remeasured for Open obedience? I have her height card for agility but it only states her height category (500) not her actual HAS. If she jumps 500 in agility is she going to jump the same height in Open?

Also was thinking about this last night while practising her sit stay. I've always been given the idea that people calm their dogs down before their stays, and in fact some people who don't feed their dogs before a trial will give them their meal before their stays. Not something I've done, but it's been in the back of my mind that I don't rev her up before a stay because of this. Toileted and focussed, yes, but not revved up.

Now I'm thinking of the boredom thing, particularly heading into the longer stays, that maybe this is the wrong idea. Given they've just had crate time/car time between the first section and the stays?

So what do you do before your stays? Do you rev your dog up - how far i.e all the way or a halfway mark to what they do for their ringwork? Do you calm them down? Do you practise a stay somewhere beforehand and reward? How long before, short stay/long stay?

Just curious - I tend to question everything these days

[bedazzledx2]

LOL She loooooves me Ptolomy!!!!....or was that the corned beef?

Couple of questions...

Do I need to get Darcy remeasured for Open obedience? I have her height card for agility but it only states her height category (500) not her actual HAS. If she jumps 500 in agility is she going to jump the same height in Open?

Also was thinking about this last night while practising her sit stay. I've always been given the idea that people calm their dogs down before their stays, and in fact some people who don't feed their dogs before a trial will give them their meal before their stays. Not something I've done, but it's been in the back of my mind that I don't rev her up before a stay because of this. Toileted and focussed, yes, but not revved up.

Now I'm thinking of the boredom thing, particularly heading into the longer stays, that maybe this is the wrong idea. Given they've just had crate time/car time between the first section and the stays?

So what do you do before your stays? Do you rev your dog up - how far i.e all the way or a halfway mark to what they do for their ringwork? Do you calm them down? Do you practise a stay somewhere beforehand and reward? How long before, short stay/long stay?

Just curious - I tend to question everything these days

Yes you will need to get Darcy remeasured as the high jump is set at the dogs height at its withers, and the broad is double this measurement.

As for the stays - yep have done it all tried quietening them down, tried reving them up, tried going in cold turkey, tried doing sits before we go in. Usually I am so short of time - coming out of one ring and having to go straight into stays - its usually a matter of grabbing the dog and a handful of food and asking for a quick sit stay on the way to the ring is about all I can manage.

Last trial I was last dog in, came out and had to find a handler for one of my other kids (thanks Debazzled), so it was a case of grabbing both kids + 2 handfuls of food and off we went. Lexi did stays for Bedazzled and she has never handled her before. At todays agility trial every time Lexi saw Bedazzled she wanted to take off and see her new bestest friend

[Ptolomy]

Today I had to make a very important decision........

Which of 2 boys was going to be my new puppy and Ciders future husband .

Decision has now been made - so in 4 weeks time my little man will arrive in Oz from Norway and have to spend 30- days in quarantine before he gets to meet the rest of the family.

Yesterday he went to the vet for microchipping, vaccinating and vet checking. Have to laugh as I have been sent photos of the 5 pups causing complete chaos.

Looking forward to getting my hands on him

[pie]

Wooohoooooooooo!!!! How exciting!

*starts singing* 'I see red, I see red, I see red'

ETA: That singing is referring to the redheads, not the cost of an import

Edited June 13, 2010 by amypie

[RallyValley]

Today I had to make a very important decision........

Which of 2 boys was going to be my new puppy and Ciders future husband .

Decision has now been made - so in 4 weeks time my little man will arrive in Oz from Norway and have to spend 30- days in quarantine before he gets to meet the rest of the family.

Yesterday he went to the vet for microchipping, vaccinating and vet checking. Have to laugh as I have been sent photos of the 5 pups causing complete chaos.

Looking forward to getting my hands on him

Yay Ptolomy! I saw you for like a second today as you were driving past. Do you have any pics of the little boy you can upload?

(Lol Amy lucky it's not me importing, I see brown dosen't have the same ring to it )

[J...]

Thanks guys - more to think about! We won't do the broad, but bugger about having to get her remeasured.

Another question, it's been ages since I watched an Open round so I'm watching some on You Tube at the moment. The two I've just watched did a normal round the back return to heel for the retrieve on the flat and a flip finish for the retrieve over the jump.

Is that just something people do or is that required? I switched to flips a while ago, didn't want to risk the conflict with agility.

How exciting Ptolomy - congratulations.

[pie]

lol Amy lucky it's not me importing, I see brown dosen't have the same ring to it )

No it doesn't does it, what about 'I see Sedge, I see Sedge, I see Sedge'?

[RallyValley]

lol Amy lucky it's not me importing, I see brown dosen't have the same ring to it )

No it doesn't does it, what about 'I see Sedge, I see Sedge, I see Sedge'?

Maybe I should get a Deadgrass dog.

[Ptolomy]

Sorry - I can't post photos from mums computer - Rivsky - where are you.......

[ness]

So the decision was which Ptolomy .

[bedazzledx2]

Both finishes are allowed. Its the handlers choice.

Thanks guys - more to think about! We won't do the broad, but bugger about having to get her remeasured.

Another question, it's been ages since I watched an Open round so I'm watching some on You Tube at the moment. The two I've just watched did a normal round the back return to heel for the retrieve on the flat and a flip finish for the retrieve over the jump.

Is that just something people do or is that required? I switched to flips a while ago, didn't want to risk the conflict with agility.

How exciting Ptolomy - congratulations.

[JulesP]

OMG another dog Ptolomy?? I am trying to convince myself that I don't need another dog to replace old Fern, that 3 borders under 4yo are quite enough. Doesn't help that my breeder has a new litter and here you are getting a dog!