Agility Training Talk Thread

[Tiggy]

Ok Ill give it a go, thanks

Im not going to push her to learn it too quickly, she is only 8 months old and I wont be training her until she is at least 18 months, but I figure if I can get this basic stuff down it will give us a head start in the beginners course

With babies especially, I like to train a little and then completely forget about it for a week or two. Keeps it really light and fun and somehow they just seem to process it better. Works with Dalmatians of all ages

That's my style of training with dogs of all ages ;)

Edited August 2, 2010 by Tiggy

[kelpiechick]

AD I thought I had read somewhere that SG had toyed around with teaching her younger dog a running aframe but don't quote me on it.

SG does have a running contact on AF - when she was here last time she spoke about it briefly but wouldn't give too many details - wondering if she was possibly thinking about future DVD. Only thing she would disclose was that she taught an all 4 feet in the contact zone, so am guessing she used a method similar to Rachel Sander's box method- which has been released as a DVD since then so maybe that idea is not happening any more. She also stated that the only reason she taught a running contact to this particular dog was that she wanted to win worlds - and when you are talking .02 and times like this separating competitors she believed it may give her an edge. She said that she would not recommend it to anyone else as she didn't believe it was 100% reliable and indeed does not teach it to anyone else.

Not sure if she is actually more actively promoting it now or not - will be interesting to see when she comes back this year.

Doubt that SG (or most of the top trainers) would ever 'early' release on a contact - more likely to quick release which is not the same thing although it may look similar when watching.

Tiggy, crate games are really good for teaching the focus forward so then it is in place before you ever get near equipment. I also do it with mine and their food bowl at dinner time - set them up like a start line and stand in various postions around the room and they need to look away from me at the bowl in front of them (not hard) before releasing them.

Edited August 2, 2010 by kelpiechick

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

So has anyone had experience where they've done a good running contact but the judge has missed it?

I noticed in one of the training videos for running contacts, the trainer upped her standard for getting a click to two feet on the colour not just one. And most of the trainers only try for the back feet even with 2o2o - so the thing where the front feet clear the colour and only the back feet land on it (incidentally) might still be a problem.

I just know with other sports, there are risky ways to do things and there are ways to make it easier to get the judge to make the right call. The contacts where the dog does a drop at the end of the colour is more obvious than the ones where they run through without slowing down. Or maybe it's just my crappy eyes/reflexes.

And I thought the lid with food at the bottom of the ramp was silly. Um. I got into trouble for placing food on the ramp. which couldn't be worse than those that chuck treats into tunnels (my dog always knows when this has been done).

[J...]

AD I thought I had read somewhere that SG had toyed around with teaching her younger dog a running aframe but don't quote me on it.

SG does have a running contact on AF - when she was here last time she spoke about it briefly but wouldn't give too many details - wondering if she was possibly thinking about future DVD. Only thing she would disclose was that she taught an all 4 feet in the contact zone, so am guessing she used a method similar to Rachel Sander's box method- which has been released as a DVD since then so maybe that idea is not happening any more. She also stated that the only reason she taught a running contact to this particular dog was that she wanted to win worlds - and when you are talking .02 and times like this separating competitors she believed it may give her an edge. She said that she would not recommend it to anyone else as she didn't believe it was 100% reliable and indeed does not teach it to anyone else.

Not sure if she is actually more actively promoting it now or not - will be interesting to see when she comes back this year.

Doubt that SG (or most of the top trainers) would ever 'early' release on a contact - more likely to quick release which is not the same thing although it may look similar when watching.

I agree with the above, but I think you'll find SG has both a running and a 2o2o with Encore and Feature. Whether she uses them is another matter. Greg wouldn't cough up any info either. ;)

[Agility Dogs]

AD I thought I had read somewhere that SG had toyed around with teaching her younger dog a running aframe but don't quote me on it.

SG does have a running contact on AF - when she was here last time she spoke about it briefly but wouldn't give too many details - wondering if she was possibly thinking about future DVD. Only thing she would disclose was that she taught an all 4 feet in the contact zone, so am guessing she used a method similar to Rachel Sander's box method- which has been released as a DVD since then so maybe that idea is not happening any more. She also stated that the only reason she taught a running contact to this particular dog was that she wanted to win worlds - and when you are talking .02 and times like this separating competitors she believed it may give her an edge. She said that she would not recommend it to anyone else as she didn't believe it was 100% reliable and indeed does not teach it to anyone else.

Not sure if she is actually more actively promoting it now or not - will be interesting to see when she comes back this year.

Doubt that SG (or most of the top trainers) would ever 'early' release on a contact - more likely to quick release which is not the same thing although it may look similar when watching.

Tiggy, crate games are really good for teaching the focus forward so then it is in place before you ever get near equipment. I also do it with mine and their food bowl at dinner time - set them up like a start line and stand in various postions around the room and they need to look away from me at the bowl in front of them (not hard) before releasing them.

Yep, happy to stand corrected. Have done a bit of homework and I was wrong. She is working with her younger dog to get the running aframe right, but is doing 2o2o on the other equipment. This comes from a VERY reliable source who is in contact with Susan frequently.

Edited August 2, 2010 by Agility Dogs

[kelpiechick]

AD I thought I had read somewhere that SG had toyed around with teaching her younger dog a running aframe but don't quote me on it.

SG does have a running contact on AF - when she was here last time she spoke about it briefly but wouldn't give too many details - wondering if she was possibly thinking about future DVD. Only thing she would disclose was that she taught an all 4 feet in the contact zone, so am guessing she used a method similar to Rachel Sander's box method- which has been released as a DVD since then so maybe that idea is not happening any more. She also stated that the only reason she taught a running contact to this particular dog was that she wanted to win worlds - and when you are talking .02 and times like this separating competitors she believed it may give her an edge. She said that she would not recommend it to anyone else as she didn't believe it was 100% reliable and indeed does not teach it to anyone else.

Not sure if she is actually more actively promoting it now or not - will be interesting to see when she comes back this year.

Doubt that SG (or most of the top trainers) would ever 'early' release on a contact - more likely to quick release which is not the same thing although it may look similar when watching.

I agree with the above, but I think you'll find SG has both a running and a 2o2o with Encore and Feature. Whether she uses them is another matter. Greg wouldn't cough up any info either.

Yep- she definitely said she has trained both with Encore. Interesting that she has carried it over with Feature as well.

I think I'd be happy if I could train just one method I was pleased with

I'm definitely having mind meltdown having 2 dogs with different contact methods - as you saw on Saturday I can't always remember which dog I am running, but it's interesting when the running contact dog will still give you 2o2o if you ask for it - even though he hasn't done that for a couple of years :D

A lot to be said for the power of what you learn first.

[J...]

Yep- she definitely said she has trained both with Encore. Interesting that she has carried it over with Feature as well.

I think I'd be happy if I could train just one method I was pleased with :D

I would be very happy with her 2o2o contacts as well.

Then again if Darcy continued the rest of her trialling career with Saturday's effort on the dog walk I'd be very happy with that.

I'm definitely having mind meltdown having 2 dogs with different contact methods - as you saw on Saturday I can't always remember which dog I am running,

That's why I cheated and have both dogs doing 2o2o

[Tiggy]

I've been worrying that Banjo is going to struggle jumping 400 but today he jumped from a stand still over a barb wire fence, gave me a heart attack that he was going to catch his legs but he cleared it beautifully, so he can jump, I told him not to scare me like that again though .

[J...]

:D at the barbed wire :p

Zee did something similar recently, this fence was plain wire but she was close to full speed. Thankfully it was very poorly strained but she jumped cleanly between the top and 2nd top wire. I have no idea how she managed to see the wire at that speed let alone successfully line it up. Bloody reckless teenagers

[GoldenGirl85]

Ouch Tiggy, thats scary...lucky he cleared it

Tess is entered for her first competition on Sept 4th, on home ground too so its probably a good place to start

Training seminar with both my girls Sunday, then first competition, then the next weekend another one up the coast...wow getting right into this now that Ive started!!

[Kavik]

Here is an agility run from last month - so close! Just a refusal on the last jump. He shook his head and ears were at a funny angle - so I think something made his ear itchy or a fly or something?

[Vickie]

Just found the perfect use for the 2 check chains I have had sitting in a box for the last 10 years

They lengthen the chain on my AFrame perfectly

I knew I kept them for a reason

[ness]

Vickie that is a classic.

[Agility Dogs]

I was wondering how I was going to do that for the puppy!

Just found the perfect use for the 2 check chains I have had sitting in a box for the last 10 years

They lengthen the chain on my AFrame perfectly

I knew I kept them for a reason ;)

[Tiggy]

Is it ok to teach my dog spin/twist or will it maybe interfere with directional commands I might want to teach later. TIA

[Kavik]

I've taught Kaos to spin. Only one direction at the moment. When I get around to it I will teach the other way.

[Vickie]

My girls both have a spin & I use the same command for their rear cross. It seemed to transition from a trick into an agilty command pretty well. With Trim I taught it with her facing me initially. It doesn't seem to have done much harm, but I was careful to teach Shine from my side as well.

[Tiggy]

My girls both have a spin & I use the same command for their rear cross. It seemed to transition from a trick into an agilty command pretty well. With Trim I taught it with her facing me initially. It doesn't seem to have done much harm, but I was careful to teach Shine from my side as well.

Do you use 'spin' or another command?

[RubyStar]

I saw an agility DVD a few years ago (no idea which trainer it was, maybe you guys will recognise the DVD?) where the guy was teaching the dog left/right direction using a tug toy and spinning the dogs on the tug toy and naming the direction in which they were spinning. Then he only had to use the directional command on jumps and the dogs turned in the right direction.

[Vickie]

My girls both have a spin & I use the same command for their rear cross. It seemed to transition from a trick into an agilty command pretty well. With Trim I taught it with her facing me initially. It doesn't seem to have done much harm, but I was careful to teach Shine from my side as well.

Do you use 'spin' or another command?

I use "cross". It means turn away from me, and is the same command on both sides. On course, the degree of the turn is dependent on my accompanying body language.