Agility Training Talk Thread

[Ptolomy]

We're going right back to basics at the moment.

Trying to tug them off their contact position

Weaving with 3 poles

Picking the correct tunnel entrance from a jump right in front

Collection & Extension grids

Sending around big speed circles

I'm finding a number of very basic holes in our training. They are all things we have covered but obviously need a revision course on. Makes me realise that even though my dogs are in Masters, I need to be going right back to the beginning a lot more regularly...Masters courses are after all a complex set of the basics.

Interesting that you have found these holes Vicki. Think its a reminder than it doesn't hurt to go back to basics every now and again no matter what sport you do, or what level you are at.

As a side line I give my kids time off over Xmas and New Year - usually 6-8 weeks. When I resume I spend 1-2 weeks on building everything up from scratch again. Anybody else do this??

[ness]

Interesting Vickie - we ran a practice Novice Snooker round at club last night and I discovered (after discovering on the weekend that Ness only hits her contacts if I keep sprinting because I must only proof my contacts that way) that Kenz is somewhat similar. Kenz will drive into her 2o/2o so long as I keep running straight past the contact but the moment I slow up she isn't sure what she is suppose to be doing. She doesn't launch her contacts like Ness does but she doesn't drive into position either. So we have contact proofing on our list of things to work on and think I'll be going back to a target with her.

Also have weaving with crooked poles after the weekend and last night. I guess one of the downsides of having base plated weavers to practice with at home is that she isn't use to weaving stick in the ground poles bent at funny angles and has a tendency to miss poles in the middle.

[Vickie]

Interesting that you have found these holes Vicki. Think its a reminder than it doesn't hurt to go back to basics every now and again no matter what sport you do, or what level you are at.

I think it's important...just when you think you have proofed something enough, a judge/course throws you a curveball & it's back to the drawing board ;)

I'm also trying to get mine to pay more attention to verbals atm. We seem to have a lot of challenges lately that we have to somehow handle from 3-4 jumps away. The ones getting through it can either keep up with their dogs or have great verbals.

As a side line I give my kids time off over Xmas and New Year - usually 6-8 weeks. When I resume I spend 1-2 weeks on building everything up from scratch again. Anybody else do this??

We have 4-5 weeks off over Christmas and yes, generally start back with some basics.

[Agility Dogs]

We're going right back to basics at the moment.

Trying to tug them off their contact position

Weaving with 3 poles

Picking the correct tunnel entrance from a jump right in front

Collection & Extension grids

Sending around big speed circles

I'm finding a number of very basic holes in our training. They are all things we have covered but obviously need a revision course on. Makes me realise that even though my dogs are in Masters, I need to be going right back to the beginning a lot more regularly...Masters courses are after all a complex set of the basics.

;)

Funny you should say that. A couple of months ago we were having real trouble getting around advanced courses (ADAA version of Masters I guess) so I asked if we could work on hard courses.

It didn't take wrong to realise that the reason we sucked so much on hard stuff was that we didn't have many of the basics right.

After heaps of work along the lines of what you've mentioned above we are now running clear more often that not. I think we all need to kick the habit of doing the sexy stuff sometimes and just go back to basics.

ETA - tugging in position is our current project. :p we have quite a way to go.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Agility Dogs

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

EH and I got promoted from beginners to intermediate last night - woo hoo!

Same course Ness was talking about. Our first time in intermediate - straight after beginners so why EH paid any attention at all I have no idea.

Anyway first time - I stuffed it up because I forgot where I was going.

Second time I thought KISS (keep it simple Stupid), and did the course N' suggested (he there to train/judge the judge), and was doing so well but I was too slow at the end of the dog walk so she jumped off at me instead of making contact, argh. I think if I'd kept moving she'd have gone down to the end like she was supposed to. We don't get to practice that one much so she's got no idea what she's supposed to do but does the right thing so often it's hard to correct the wrong thing. Like teaching a dog to walk. I guess that's good really. Did the weaves properly but slowly which is ok given we're still doing only two poles at home.

I felt we did really well for our first time around intermediate. I did have to pull out uber treat during the first round though. Right now someone is going to destroy my jacket if we don't go for a perambulation. Bye

[Kavik]

I still need to really speed up Kaos's dogwalk. The last few trials he has been stopping 4on and I have been waiting him out for him to offer 2o2o, and release him when he does. In training he is being pretty good and giving 2o2o, but still not as fast as I would like along the down ramp. In trials he is only trotting along the second half of the flat board and along the down ramp. At training he will run the first two but trot the down ramp.

I am working more with my short board at home, and might get OH to get out my seesaw and put on a table so I have a longer plank to work with.

[Tailwag]

I agree Vickie it never hurts to revisit where we find holes in our training that just makes you a better trainer ;) for actually being able to spot them.

I am a little late on this original thread so i will kinda add bits and pieces. I run 3 BCs all whom i would love to run the same and in some courses i do i.e JDO. The only difference between my dogs would be committment and stride (i am sure their are quite a few others but these stick out like a sore thumb in a course situation). Dash will turn on a dime, and i can call her off with minimal fuss, same goes for Link altho she is still very much a baby. Sweep on the other hand needs much much more notice to turn, his stride will take him over a jump before i have even blinked. When i walk a course that all 3 dogs are entered in i will pretty much walk it the same for all, albeit notating where the challenges are and how it applies to each dog, i am pretty good at thinking on my feet so i usually utilise this when the situation presents itself. Link at present is showing what i love in a dog not only does she have a good all off but a very good go ahead, some thing Dash unfortunately hasnt, but Sweep does. I like to play to each dogs strengths and build on their weaknesses, and all of my dogs have both.

I still have many holes in my training and with each new dog i manage to not to create as many , and if i am unlucky enough (which i usually am) create new ones :p. I am still struggling transitioning Links contacts into a trial formation, she is getting their but it has been a slow process, but each time she goes into Agility we learn something new pull her out and train for being better. Like Sally i have been there done that with Dash rushed and paid the price dearly for crap contacts because i was too inconsistant. I am not going to make the same mistake again with Link. Her contacts she has proved on course to be solid but they are not consistant.

Grid work, i like Vickie do some but not alot. Personally i dont believe in fixing something that aint broke. The only dog i have actually had issues with in the jumping department would be Link, she has struggled with adjusting her stride to accurately take her jumps. So we have done a little to help her out. My other two i usually do some for the fun of it and the fact they enjoy dabbling in it with their mum.

Verbals is also something i enjoy teaching my dogs, only coz i seem to be lagging about 3-4 obstacles behind them most of the time. Dash in this needs much more work i can usually get myself to where i need to be with her and i havnt really had to use that many, Sweep i tend to use alot of verbals and he has picked them up pretty well, Link is also learning the same ones as Sweep. Makes my life a hell of alot easier yeling something out to them without having to rely on my body or position for them to know what to do. I have seen this done by a few people and it is magic to watch. These i will always use in my training sessions so the dogs continually get used to what their mum is blabbing about .

We usually stop agility mid November, my dogs then have the same 6-8 weeks off to just be dogs and do the things that dogs love to do best. The things i do concentrate on are usually fitness, so they get alot of beach work which they absolutely love we then also go back to building everything up once they have had a really good break ready for the next trialing year.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Tailwag

[Agility Dogs]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any 'must dos' for a new puppy? My new little one arrives on Wednesday and I'm really keen to avoid many of the mistakes I've made with my current 2 rat bags. (And make a whole heap of new ones.)

I'm just making a list, but any input would be greatly appreciated.......

Shaping, shaping and shaping

Crate training

Propreoception (sp) exercises

Puppy jump bumps

Play and recalls

Are all at the top of the list. Anything else you think I should add in for starters?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Add to that - shadow handling, targetting

ie if you can get puppy to go left/right/out etc.

and games that involve rewards like tug/fetch.

Training in drive ie (very simple version) getting the dog excited and then doing lessons...

But what you can do will depend on the dog.

Previous family kelpie/heeler cross was doing great fetch as soon as it got home ie 8 weeks or so. current ACDx NFI, random fetch. Sometimes very happy to play fetch, other times, got better things to do.

Hi all,

Does anyone have any 'must dos' for a new puppy? My new little one arrives on Wednesday and I'm really keen to avoid many of the mistakes I've made with my current 2 rat bags. (And make a whole heap of new ones.)

I'm just making a list, but any input would be greatly appreciated.......

Shaping, shaping and shaping

Crate training

Propreoception (sp) exercises

Puppy jump bumps

Play and recalls

Are all at the top of the list. Anything else you think I should add in for starters?

[kelpiechick]

Do you have a copy of the book 'Agility Right from the Start'?

Awesome book and it has everything you could ever need beginning with puppy foundation and working up to teaching obstacles and sequencing way down the track.

I used SG's Foundation pack notes, Laura D's foundation seminar notes, GD and Moe S's DVD's, plus crate games and one jump and a few other assorted refs to design my puppy training program - and after getting this book would have to say everything is pretty much in there that I took from all those other places.

Plus the authors are certified TAG teachers and promote the Derrett system of handling.

Air Dogs have a good price on it atm, plus you can go on their website (www.agilityrightfromthe start.com) and download contents and watch a few clips of them training some of the exercises. Apologies, not letting me add a link this morning for some strange reason??

So....what are you getting (guessing BC?) and where from????

At Mrs RB and the ACD X NFI.

Fanny Gott and Justine Davenport have some really good clips on their blogs showing a lot of their puppy training stuff, plus Nancy Gyes blog also.

[RubyStar]

At Mrs RB and the ACD X NFI.

+1

[Tiggy]

At Mrs RB and the ACD X NFI.

+1

That's an abbreviation I haven't seen before

[Agility Dogs]

At Mrs RB and the ACD X NFI.

+1

That's an abbreviation I haven't seen before

That is good.

Thanks for the ideas all.

We have one of Winpara's puppy coming to join the household. Not sure of her Kennel name just yet, but her call name will be Wikki.

She is CK's half sister and a full sister to Tassie's Rory. (from a previous litter of course.)

Picking her up from the airport at 11:30pm Wednesday.

[Tiggy]

At Mrs RB and the ACD X NFI.

+1

That's an abbreviation I haven't seen before

That is good.

Thanks for the ideas all.

We have one of Winpara's puppy coming to join the household. Not sure of her Kennel name just yet, but her call name will be Wikki.

She is CK's half sister and a full sister to Tassie's Rory. (from a previous litter of course.)

Picking her up from the airport at 11:30pm Wednesday.

I didn't know CK was a Winpara

[Agility Dogs]

I didn't know CK was a Winpara

Nah, he's not. He's a Trumagik boy. Tag is his Dad though. Now that we are finally over the whole 'if I move I get in trouble' thing we had going on he is starting to show that he is a bit like Dad at agility.

[Tiggy]

Banjo had his closed club trial last night. We did the cone race which he was pretty quick at and jumpers where he followed me around most jumps but this is the first full course that he's done(in the rain to) and he tried his little heart out and nailed the tunnels(he loves them tunnels ) and we had fun so I was happy .

[GoldenGirl85]

ADAA membership came through today!

[Cosmolo]

Does anyone still teach a running contact for contact obstacles? It doesn't seem to be the done thing anymore so i am just curious as to whether anyone still does it and why/ why not?

[Vickie]

It's very common overseas. Not so common here so far. I don't think most of us are good enough trainers to do it well here in Aus yet.

I have promised myself that if I ever have a dog with absolute perfect 2o2o, I will let myself do running on the next one.

True running contacts take A LOT of very specific training & repetition & I believe you need your own equip (or access whenever you want) to do it successfully.

Edited July 29, 2010 by Vickie

[RallyValley]

Cosmolo I was considering teaching running contacts, but you have to have your own, full size equipment. Silvia Turkjman (I think, i can't google at work ) a famous Slovenian with world champ dogs teaches them and explains her method on her website.

Edited July 29, 2010 by valleyCBR