Sayreovi Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Having great success with my foundation training with Jovi. I am currently nearing the end of teaching her the weavers and noticing her particular style of weaving is completely different to my other two.....I don't know the technical names but she does the hopping motion, Darcy does the stepping and Nova the wrapping around poles. The first two were taught with the same method and while I like the look of the stepping weave, given she is little she has to resort to hopping....can't help but laugh as she tries her hardest to get through quick! Poor Nova was my starter dog and got taught with the push pull method so he doesn't really weave as much as destroys the poles getting through them Just got to get her to do her contacts now, we have a 2o2o offered on flat boards but haven't moved up to equipement yet so that is exciting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wazzat Xolo Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Just wondering if this is the thread to ask........ Is anyone looking for a possible agility dog for the future? I am expecting a litter and with this I expect a coated Xolo ( exactly the same as a Xolo just with a coat similar to a Kelpie coat) Looking to place a Xolo in an experienced agility/obedience home. They are very sucessful in the USA with both sports. Please feel free to email or PM me [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Ava and I got our first quallies today in jumping and pairs. What a good girl :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Very well done Hope you find the right home for the Xolo, Wazzat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Ava and I got our first quallies today in jumping and pairs. What a good girl :D Wahooooooo!! Congrats!!!!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Panzer Attack! Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Following TSD's advice (thank yoooou!) we have officially started on perch work as of 10 minutes ago! Luke got us off on the right foot as I am a complete newb... after a five minute session, he already has both front feet firmly planted on the perch (dog training book LOL!) ... me so proud!!! Go Luke for being a much better trainer than I am haha. We also started doing some controlled walking which he is responding really well to after a few days. This weather is so sucky tho we haven't been able to go for very long! So proud of my boy(s) :D Now have to wrestle the dog off the partner or he's going to start trialling him before I get a chance! E x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Blind crosses R us... that's my dog. first thing I taught her was a round the back of me "finish". And it's a doggy dancing move. Sigh. And she's an ACDx - likes to herd from behind - and nip ankles, butt and ribs. She'd be really happy to run behind me the whole way round an agility course and just flick out when I point at something. Except - she can't resist the lure of the Scramble and dog walk and tunnels... She gets really upset when I run behind her to change direction. If I need to do that, it works better if I stop her or get her to look at me so I'm really running face to face with her to change the direction. Jumps in S formation are hard for us. sometimes it's easier to stay the same side and make her "go out" when we get to the change in direction. Wuffles About the early take off - what I see the horsey people do is try to slow their horse up and get it to shorten stride a bit and then release at the right point for take off. Sometimes I have to slow my dog down, but mostly what I try to do is get her to look where she's going instead of at me. I think I have some more work to do there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Wuffles About the early take off - what I see the horsey people do is try to slow their horse up and get it to shorten stride a bit and then release at the right point for take off. Sometimes I have to slow my dog down, but mostly what I try to do is get her to look where she's going instead of at me. I think I have some more work to do there. We have been doing some jump grids and this is certainly helping with the early takeoffs. She is starting to think about where she has to take off rather than just Supermanning over everything. I've also really started to think about how my handling affects her. If I get too far out in front (even in a lead out) she will attempt to jump early and flat to speed up. And I of course need to give her very clear cues at the right moment I am very reluctant to slow her down because she is not a super speedy dog to start with (she is relatively fast and shouldn't have any problems with course times but she is not faaaaaaaast). I have had a bunch of suggestions about physical causes including eyesight (she IS the tiniest bit cross eyed) and hips (chiro always tells me her right hip is out). We will keep practicing and see how we go. At our trial on the weekend she nailed all her broad jumps and spreads which have both been a problem in the past. She only knocked one bar the whole day in 4 runs, the second obstacle in the agility course (on a lead out). I am pretty happy with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Occasionally I set up jump grids with a pole on the ground in front of the jump pole - about where I want the dog to be taking off... I also make her look at her dinner before I release her and I should be doing some training to get her to look at the first jump before I release her too. I think I have the "Buzzy style" where her face is pointed at what I want her to be looking at - but her eyes are on me. Not so much of a problem with the dinner tho. When I lead out - I only go as far as all the obstacles are between me and her - so she can be looking at both. Mostly bars get knocked when I forget where I'm going and my signalling must go to hell, or we've done a tight change in direction and the next jump isn't straight ahead or straight to the line we're travelling either. She knocks oblique ones in a straight line set of jumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Sigh. Fergus has changed from being such a focused, driven, 'I wanna do agility" boy to a dog that just wants to sniff out poo the entire class. He seems bored and switched off - it doesn't seem like calming signals to me (I know that he knows what he is meant to do). It is hard in group classes because I want to only do short runs of things that he loves to help build his drive again and instructors don't seem to like people who don't go with the flow... He used to love his tug, ball etc, but nothing will distract him from horse poo at the moment. I'm thinking about giving him a break from agility totally for a month or two, because just soldiering on doesn't help things and I don't want him to hate it. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Megan I have a dog who gets a bit over agility and goes off with the fairies, doesn't want to work, I give him a couple of weeks - month off every few months and he is always better for it - comes back full of enthusiasm. He is very much a 'less is more' kind of dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 How old megan? I have a less is more dog too - with the weather we often miss our main training session on Monday nights so I just work him during the week for 5 minutes here and there with 2 jumps, weaving poles and flat work. Two weeks in a row of trialling is a rarity and I NEVER EVER trial him 2 days in a row. At nearly 5 his enthusiasm has gone through the roof and he is delightfully feral at agility training/trialling now - so much more confidence and he is having a hoot. Lots of daily walking and free running to keep him fit and keen and I will start running him next to the bike when the weather fines up. Oh and some pics from a few of the more recent trials...check out the ears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 He is 3.5 years old. The thing is he used to looooooove it. He went through this phase about a year ago, then we had a break for Christmas and he came back fired up. I might give him a break for a few weeks and see how that pans out. Thanks amypie and Ted for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) megan - a couple of other things...I keep food rewards HIGH and really concentrate on being consistent with my timing. Plus I keep the fun factor high prior to running with a big tug game and food rewards. In some training sessions I only play tug and send to a reward bait plate, which increases the value of tug and this all relates to his enthusiasm to run. Kind of back chaining to the final reward at the end of the run. I try not to ever look disappointed if we can't get something as he just turns into a misery guts if I drop my shoulders. I also pull him from the group training session as soon as I think he has had enough. ETA: I find that dogs at the extreme end of the spectrum in terms of drive are not very forgiving when you make a mistake. My timing and "pressure" has to be perfect with Zig but I have a greater margin of error with Em, although I try desperately not to use it. Edited November 1, 2011 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 My dog doesn't tug (something we are working on now - tugging for dinner, he is improving heaps but yet to move it to training properly) but some things that keep him enthusiastic are: Two food game - he loves to chase the food and come tearing back for more Stopping before he is over it - short bursts of training then back in the crate - I keep a crate nearby at training Doing tricks that have a very strong reward history, for him the big one is 'roll over' It's always a work in progress though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 My Dally thought tug was some sort of obscure, 18th century punishment It has taken literally years to pair it with food but it was really worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 That gives me hope TSD! I have made it my mission to get both dogs find to see value in tugging with whatever I offer - Trixie got it quickly, I could tug with her with the food bowl between us after a week with anything, a sock, a toy - Kyzer though - WOW he thought I was torturing him, he would sit and look at his food bowl and not engage with me at all - we'd move to another room, he'd look at the doorway, the more I tried to get him to tug the more he would try to avoid me - he ran and hid under the bed at one point... :rolleyes: I had to change tactics and got the clicker out and clicked him for looking, then chasing, then biting - that will do get your dinner! Turns out that was the breakthrough we needed and he is getting the idea, he even tugged with me on Thursday at training while I had treats in my pocket. I've been finding it very fascinating really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) Isn't it a fascinating journey! Good on you for persisting too. I think it's a great lesson as a trainer - when to push and ask for more, when to back off etc. And when you take it on the road - training and trialling - it's a WHOLE different ball game I am just at the point with Zig that he tugs all day and before every run (usually around 7) - unless we run several in a very short time frame and he is hot/tired. I don't use it as a reward, though, as he would be horrified but it's a great way to get him revved up and focussed. I tried not treating him just before we go in the ring but it hasn't worked - it's like he is so anxious for his food reward that he can't focus. A few tiny pieces of cheese etc as we are heeling towards the ring (lots of tight circle work) works best. I use a lot of "running to the bait plate" in obedience and have added it to agility. Sometimes Zig self-rewards but it just adds to the craziness and excitement of the training session. ETA: From what I have seen of Em so far I am going to be spoilt rotten.....I imagine it will go something like this: "Hey Em! Ready? OK!" Edited November 1, 2011 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 That gives me hope TSD! I have made it my mission to get both dogs find to see value in tugging with whatever I offer - Trixie got it quickly, I could tug with her with the food bowl between us after a week with anything, a sock, a toy - Kyzer though - WOW he thought I was torturing him, he would sit and look at his food bowl and not engage with me at all - we'd move to another room, he'd look at the doorway, the more I tried to get him to tug the more he would try to avoid me - he ran and hid under the bed at one point... :rolleyes: I had to change tactics and got the clicker out and clicked him for looking, then chasing, then biting - that will do get your dinner! Turns out that was the breakthrough we needed and he is getting the idea, he even tugged with me on Thursday at training while I had treats in my pocket. I've been finding it very fascinating really! Great work. Isn't it awesome when something like this just clicks. I reckon we get more out of the challenging ones out the ones that 'just do it'. Can't wait to hear more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Yep she probably will be just like that - can't picture Em ever not being rearing to go! Trixie is more like that - she's rarely not keen - it's so much easier But less challenging - I like having two very different dogs (most of the time!) So long as I don't break her too Ahhh so much learning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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