GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I started training my 8yo JRT in agility at the beginning of the year, she has just graduated from the beginners group to the intermediate group. My beginners instructor had me jumping Tess at 250 (toy international height) and she has been jumping that fine, now that we have advanced to the intermediate group we have been put into height categories (small, medium and big dogs) Ive found myself in a whole new environment because I was the only little dog person in my group We did fine at our first session this week, we are taking it slow because this is new to both me and Tess but I think we did well. The problem is that after the lesson finished one of the ladys in the group (she runs chihuauas) walked up to me and said "you're running your dog at 250...WHY?" I was kind of startled because even though Im sure this woman didnt mean it she came across quite rude with this, she was telling me that because my dog is 'elderly' I should only be running her at 150. Now while Tess is 8 nobody ever realises she is 8 until I tell them, I believe she is jumping 250 just fine and that if she couldnt/didnt want to Id know it, she would simply refuse to jump it, I believe she enjoys the jumps because when we are walking past she will take a jump in her line without me telling her to. My question is what do you guys think I should do? Im going to set up some jumps at home and try and video her jumping so I can see her style from another POV, but as I said I believe she is fine to jump 250, Im thinking I might take her back to 150 for a bit to help us settle into the new group and keep this woman happy, but when we come to trialling I think I want to jump her at 250, this woman is one of the regular old timers and I dont want to be the 'new snooty nosed little cow' to the group and I believe she will have the power to make them think this about me, I also cant change groups because Tess wouldnt qualify for the medium dog group as their smallest jumping height would be 350 Do you guys see any reason why I should jump her at 150 because of her age, regardless of the state of her fitness? she is a light build and only weighs 5kg, she has no soundness issues to take into consideration either, back at training on Monday and I really dont want to cop another lashing off chi lady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Personally I would be inclined to tell her exactly what you just put in your post. The dog is sound, the dog enjoys jumping 250 and is having fun and that is where you want to jump YOUR dog. It is a personal choice and you should not be made to feel bad by anyone. (Although it is possible she was trying to be helpful - some people just don't look at it through the other person's eyes.) Case in point....... I have two 4 y.o. ADAA BC's - a small bitch who jumps 550 and does it easily. (Sometimes I jump her at 600 in ANKC Strategic Pairs and she copes without a problem at all.) My boy is a Maxi Dog who 'should' be jumping 650, but I run him in regular (at 550) because he does not cope or enjoy the game at that height. (He can also jump 600 at ANKC, but he is a fair bit slower at it!) Long story short - jump your dog where both you and the dog are comfortable. Typically smaller dogs take a lot longer to enter the regular program than larger/medium sized dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 What height is she at withers? Personally I don't think a small dog is 'elderly' at 8, as long as she is sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 Thanks AD, I did tell her that I think she is fine jumping that height and I told her that Tess is only very light for her build compared to her 'elderly' chi who is fat (she jumps this one at 150 and her younger one at 250) I think if she saw us in beginners she would see why I like running her at 250, at first I had to bribe her over every jump when we started (at 150) and now she loves it, I think its just because Im the new kid on the block...the only new kid on the block, I want to be accepted by the group...they seem fairly tight knit On the weekend Ill try and set up some jumps and get a video of her, she says that "Tess may be struggling" but Im guessing that the only reason why 'she may be struggling' is because she knows how old Tess is, but even though she is 8 she is still very much a pup inside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 What height is she at withers? Personally I don't think a small dog is 'elderly' at 8, as long as she is sound. I havnt measured her yet, she is about the same height as the jump though, Ill measure her tonight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Does she knock any bars? I'm guessing she is a good weight? With my small terrier I'd not be worried about him jumping a height that's about the same as his shoulders, I assume yours is as springy as mine? :D in training I sometimes jump him at a height up from his normal height (normally 300, sometimes jump him at 400, he is 340 at withers) and he doesn't knock bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Just looking at Tess in your signature, I very much doubt that she will be a toy dog and will probably have to jump 400 in the IP and 250 in the the RP. Will be interesting to see what she measures at........ I think I know who you are talking about and I really wouldn't worry. (Although it would be worth asking one of the more experience instructors - let me know where you are training and I'll suggest who to speak with. :D We do from time to time suggest dogs run at RP heights, but for all the 'right' reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 She has never knocked a bar Tess is a typical springy terrier lol, Ive jumped her at 350 once, she jumped the first ok but refused the second, thats how I know she is willing to jump 250, she has never refused a 250 jump and can jump from standing with ease (my fault not hers lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 Just looking at Tess in your signature, I very much doubt that she will be a toy dog and will probably have to jump 400 in the IP and 250 in the the RP. Will be interesting to see what she measures at........ I think I know who you are talking about and I really wouldn't worry. (Although it would be worth asking one of the more experience instructors - let me know where you are training and I'll suggest who to speak with. :D We do from time to time suggest dogs run at RP heights, but for all the 'right' reasons. Do you know what the cutoff is for the height divisions? she is actually quite short for a JRT lol Ill pm you the details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Just looking at Tess in your signature, I very much doubt that she will be a toy dog and will probably have to jump 400 in the IP and 250 in the the RP. Will be interesting to see what she measures at........ I think I know who you are talking about and I really wouldn't worry. (Although it would be worth asking one of the more experience instructors - let me know where you are training and I'll suggest who to speak with. :D We do from time to time suggest dogs run at RP heights, but for all the 'right' reasons. Do you know what the cutoff is for the height divisions? she is actually quite short for a JRT lol Ill pm you the details Cut-offs are: Toy - up to 300mm. Jumping 150 or 250 Mini - 300 to 400. Jumping 250 or 400 Midi - 400 to 500. Jumping 400 or 550 Maxi - 500+. Jumping 550 or 650. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 Im sure she is under 300, she is on the small side for a JRT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 Just measured Tess she is 260 at the wither...toy yay!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Just measured Tess she is 260 at the wither...toy yay!! Cool. Looking forward to seeing you at trials before too long!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 Just measured Tess she is 260 at the wither...toy yay!! Cool. Looking forward to seeing you at trials before too long!! hopefully! did you come to the PADS trial on the long weekend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I have a 6yr old toy chi x at 4kg. She is not that brave but will run agility as she loves to train and earn FOOD ! rewards. What do you think of a opinion I have come across that even if you jump your dogs at a competition height? you train lower for exercises in class? The reason I was given was that in a dogs competition life it decreases the ammount of wear and tear to joints due to jumping. I train with some who normally jump comp height as they say their dogs will hit poles. My dogs are both registered in ADAA at RP cause that was what my first trainer told me to do. I train mine at RP height but one dog jumps higher at ANKC. So now and again I put the jumps up to 40cm but not for drills /handling exercises. But I need a kick up the bum to be prepared to put the jumps down to 150 for the chi.. We are in 2 gropus within out class at training - big and small. So most in the small jump IP toy and mini. So I always feel its a pain to the others to put the jumps down. Thou now some people will just run their dogs that are a bit older with my chi at 150. My chi can jump 250 but I choose to just do 150 as I am a little concerned she is not such an atheletic type as your dog GoldenGirl85. GoldenGirl85 - I can imagine like my chi, your dog can jump as high as your hip from a standstill if it wants something? Or fly off the back of the bed or lounge like a mad thing. As long as he is happy who cares. Maybe the lady who commented is secretly jealous of your dogs enthusiaism/talent. Agility Dogs - I have a dog who is mini RP as well. I was once asked by a trainer why he is not IP. He is about to get his AAD, JD and maybe AD next. What do you consider "right" reasons. Is it wrong to jump RP if your dog could handle IP. Not that my dogs are going to be superstars which is why I think my original trainer suggested to go RP first? It was explained to me that RP was for dogs who were older or found IP too hard. Some older dogs in our club are down grading to RP since they have achieved so much but are finding the job more difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 What do you consider "right" reasons. I think it depends on the dog. If a dog is able to cope with IP then I'm happy for them to run in IP. If a dog does not enjoy the IP height whether it is because of a physical limitation or an understanding issue then I think the right thing to do is jump them lower. It is all so subjective - some people think that higher bars slow dogs down and that will cause less wear and tear whereas other people prefer to see less jump height. By 'right' reasons I really meant it is in the eye of the beholder (or whoever is passing their own judgement). For me the right thing to do is put the dog where they are most comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 Im wondering about putting Tess on something like joint guard to help prevent any joint issues...would that be beneficial for her do you think? Ive never really looked into those supplements because I thought that only larger, older arthritic dogs needed it, but can it be used as a preventative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Thanks for the explanation, Agility Dogs. And I liked that answer as it makes me more confident I am doing the right thing for my dogs. I think a "understanding issue" at the moment is effecting my boy and I want to work on making it more fun and rewarding for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 What do you consider "right" reasons. I think it depends on the dog. If a dog is able to cope with IP then I'm happy for them to run in IP. If a dog does not enjoy the IP height whether it is because of a physical limitation or an understanding issue then I think the right thing to do is jump them lower. It is all so subjective - some people think that higher bars slow dogs down and that will cause less wear and tear whereas other people prefer to see less jump height. By 'right' reasons I really meant it is in the eye of the beholder (or whoever is passing their own judgement). For me the right thing to do is put the dog where they are most comfortable. Lol, I didnt see this response, but I totally agree. If Tess was that bit taller and she was classed as a mini dog I would run her at RP, Ive tried to get her to jump the 400 before and she wouldnt, mainly because it was over her head and she didnt see the point in jumping when she could easily slip under! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted June 26, 2010 Author Share Posted June 26, 2010 Tess jumping...dont mind my voice in the background I though the camera was muted lol...oh, and she had cheese stuck in her teeth at the beginning I think lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p0MoxHUMgU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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