Agility Training Talk Thread

[wuffles]

We were meant to have a home ground trial tonight but I had to pull out because Ava was being an idiot yesterday and hurt herself Bugger.

[pie]

Oh bugger Was it her first trial Wuffles?

[wuffles]

Oh bugger Was it her first trial Wuffles?

Nah our 3rd, would have been our first run in JDO though! There's only one left for the year, a ribbon Pairs trial next week, so crossing fingers she will be fit for that one. She decided that jumping up a 1.2m retaining wall was a good idea... just clipped her back leg! .... I've never had any problems with her being scared of obstacles

[pie]

Ohhh JDO with the big dogs!

Silly dog!! Hope she's better by next week.

How have you and her been going with trialling? You've probably posted about it but sorry I have the worst memory!

[wuffles]

Ohhh JDO with the big dogs!

Silly dog!! Hope she's better by next week.

How have you and her been going with trialling? You've probably posted about it but sorry I have the worst memory!

Hehe it's ok, there are so many threads to follow and I can't remember which I've posted in! :p

We have a Q in JD and SPD so far In our first trial she went clear until she knocked the last bar of the broad jump... which was the last obstacle!! Ohhh well, there will be plenty of trials next year! We've only done one full day trial and by the end of the day she was running much better. At first I think she wondered why she had to jump things instead of do obedience heelwork, as that's all we've done at those grounds in the past. Once she worked it out she was great.

[pie]

Ahhh the last bar - how heartbreaking - I've never experienced a dropped bar - my older dog has never knocked one (done just about everything else wrong though ) - Trixie drops them occasioanlly in training, hopefully not in a trial

But yes there are plenty more trials, a whole year ahead! Have you entered her in agility?

I have that problems with day time trials at the beginning, they confuse my dogs, since we only train at night!

[wuffles]

We've had one agility run, which wasn't too bad, I think she just got a bit overwhelmed and decided to make up her own course a bit Let's not mention our lone Gamblers run either... (actually it wasn't that bad, didn't get the points but she did the gamble beautifully and in time so I can't complain too much).

Ava is a definite bar knocker, her jumping style isn't very good so we are in the process of doing some grid work to try get her thinking about it a bit more. She jumps early and has no self preservation (hence injuring herself yesterday) and our big enemies are the spread and tyre. I like to call it the Superman Style.

We are both still learning but were super happy to get two quallies at our second trial

Well done with Trixie and hopefully the winning run continues!!

We are also training for Open obedience in the New Year so lots of challenges in store for me in particular

[pie]

Sounds like she loves it though - Can't complain about the two quallies

Do you guys have breakaway tyres now? We have breakaway tyres here now and on the weekend a BC took off way too early and smashed through the bottom of the tyre... would not have been pretty if it was still a solid one

Yeah Trixie has been a good girl, I am going to stop babysitting her in Excellent though (hopefully! lol it's hard not to play it safe!)

[wuffles]

Yes thankfully we have breakaway tyres. And yes she has smashed straight through them and just keeps on going

[J...]

I had a great weekend trialling with the dogs. Ruby polished off her JDX title with a 1st place so pretty chuffed with that!

Millie didn't go clear in her ADX and JDX runs (got a clear in Novice Gamblers so I guess we came away with something!) but I was pretty happy with how she ran.

We are having issues with getting her to weave as part of a course without stopping and starting. It's starting to become a real habit We only really get to train once a week so I need to make it count, so if anyone has any ideas to help sort it out, I'm all ears (or eyes!)

I've had a similar issue with my young dog, for a variety of reasons - nothing to do with the 2 x 2 training method.

What I've done is made a real effort to take 4 poles out and work them anywhere I can - even at trials. I take advantage of the weavers being out when I do go to training to work a full 12 poles in a different environment and mimic the dead straight entries we see so often in Novice so she can work on collection. Because we've had issues with them in trials I also use the absolute top rewards I can to rebuild her value for them - her favourite soccer ball as a toy, and chicken necks for food because she loves them and they are easy to throw accurately. Her weaves have improved out of sight as a result - the more she fully understands, the more her confidence builds and the better she gets. :D

[J...]

I know not everyone is fans of the SG stuff, but I have to say it still surprises me how well her foundation agility stuff builds over time to give some pretty awesome results.

I've done a bit of the Its Yer Choice stuff but I don't live and breathe it - I'm not that dedicated.

I work both my dogs off camp chairs, dog beds or even the ground. Put one in a drop, work the other for a few mins and reward the one in a drop here and there and then swap dogs, rinse and repeat a few times. I've also been training both my dogs around open treat containers for some time with no treat stealing and no breaking position. No "leave it" or "ah" or "stay" used, and my dogs aren't lacking in drive.

Tonight I did a contact session with both dogs, so an open container of cut up cheap steak, and an Isqueak, and put each one in a drop within a few metres as I worked the other with either food or the iSqueak depending on what I was working. Not thinking I put both dogs in a drop, and headed off to find the favourite soccer ball. Found it and returned, only to realise what I'd done. I'd put both dogs in a drop right in front of the open container of steak pieces and neither of them had moved and the container was exactly as I left it. They did score a pretty good jackpot for that effort :D

[Nik]

Hi all,

I'm new to this thread, so thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Nik, and my dog's name is Annie. She's 2 1/2 (almost) and we have just started agility after doin obedience for the past couple of years (we have our CD title and are going to start CDX soon).

So far agility is looking like heaps of fun! But there's a few things that aren't gelling with me from what I've learned so far

Number one at the moment is being encouraged to repeat commands over and over. I've always believed that a command should be said once (of course also setting the dog up to succeed). But at agility on Friday I was told to repeat "stay stay stay" and "come come come" when doing the tunnel. My poor girl was confused.

So I guess I'm asking do others train agility with saying commands once, or does it work better by saying them multiple times? I'm going to go read thru the rest of this thread now :D

[OSoSwift]

For tunnels I either clap my hands or say go, go , go so not a command I use in obedience. I also use wait for the table instead of stay

[Sayreovi]

I only say a command once and also never use stay in agility. Too me stay means stay where you are no matter what! What commands do you use for the stays in obedience? I wouldn't want to use a stay command in agility if she is too move if you use stay in obedience.

[pie]

Welcome Nik, and the gorgeous Annie :D

It's a personal choice but I don't repeat anything,with the exception of weavers, I might say 'weave weave' or 'go go' half way along because it feels like it takes forever with my dogs I always said I wouldn't repeat weave commands but I can't help it

Also - on the subject of giving things a command, with Trixie I went with the approach of working on each individual obstacle until she understood it and it was at a point where I was happy with it, and then adding a command - I wish I did this with Kyzer. I think it makes a big difference. SG touches on this in the 2x2 DVD and her shaping success book - she doesn't say 'weave' until her dogs are actually weaving 12 poles properly.

I use wait instead of Stay but I don't really do obedience so probably not relevant.

[Nik]

Thanks, you just reassured me I can continue to do things the same way we were in obedience. I also use wait if I want her to move (when I say)- stay means don't move until I return.

I tried to argue the point with my instructor, but he was insistent Bit hard too as I was the only one in foundation class (beauty I thought, private lesson!) but also mean that I couldn't get time to consolidate things on our own. Hopefully next week there are more in my class and I can do a bit more nutting out on my own

[pie]

I also think you should never feel pressured to do something you're not comfortable with - she's your dog. Instructors all tend to do things slightly differently, don't be afraid to ask why they want you to do something if it doesn't seem right to you. Some instructors handle this better than others but most I have found are okay with me doing something slightly different to what they say.

I know it's hard to do with your first dog when you are learning so much, and I fell into that trap with Kyzer of just going through the motions in class, with a different instructor each term doing things differently and confusing me and the dog. Consistency is important.

Watch some DVDs to get some good exercises for foundation and things and also try to watch at trials - you'll see the end result and see how people give commands and it will give you an idea of what to aim for.

[J...]

Hi all,

I'm new to this thread, so thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Nik, and my dog's name is Annie. She's 2 1/2 (almost) and we have just started agility after doin obedience for the past couple of years (we have our CD title and are going to start CDX soon).

So far agility is looking like heaps of fun! But there's a few things that aren't gelling with me from what I've learned so far

Number one at the moment is being encouraged to repeat commands over and over. I've always believed that a command should be said once (of course also setting the dog up to succeed). But at agility on Friday I was told to repeat "stay stay stay" and "come come come" when doing the tunnel. My poor girl was confused.

So I guess I'm asking do others train agility with saying commands once, or does it work better by saying them multiple times? I'm going to go read thru the rest of this thread now :D

Welcome to the addictive world of agility

To answer your question, I wouldn't be repeating any commands, especially if it's confusing your dog because they already "in use" in another part of your training. Your dog should follow your body language, particularly the direction of your shoulders. So if I want my dog to take a tunnel I run straight at the tunnel entrance until they are committed to it and then reward at the exit for taking it correctly or run off in the direction I need them to go while keeping a connection with them as they exit it. When your dog has a better understanding of it then you can label it "tunnel" or whatever you want.

Seriously, if you are ever in doubt - ask why and if it still feels wrong, do some research outside of your club training. I was an agility beginner not that long ago but I could still tell what was and wasn't working for my dog. There is no way I would've gotten as far as I have with my first dog if I'd not looked outside what I was being taught in club ;)

[kelpiechick]

Thanks, you just reassured me I can continue to do things the same way we were in obedience. I also use wait if I want her to move (when I say)- stay means don't move until I return.

I tried to argue the point with my instructor, but he was insistent Bit hard too as I was the only one in foundation class (beauty I thought, private lesson!) but also mean that I couldn't get time to consolidate things on our own. Hopefully next week there are more in my class and I can do a bit more nutting out on my own

Hi Nik,

Think I might have seen you on Friday, (assuming you are talking about a particular club as it is the only Friday night training I know, plus I noticed just one person in Foundation class) I was teaching the class in the next ring to the one you were in.

Unfortunately you will find that instructors have different ways of doing things down there - have just checked out the roster and you will have an instructor next week that won't tell you to repeat things over and over (unless she can't take class for some reason as she comes a fair distance and sometimes has to swap) and I'm betting that you find the class very different. (In fact you won't have anyone telling you to repeat things over and over for the next 3 weeks, just checked roster again, LOL.) Consistency would be nice but you will find it doesn 't always happen and that can be confusing, especially when you are starting out.

You are going to find that there are a couple of instructors who can be a bit insistent about doing things their way and it's not worthwhile trying to argue the point with them, but that doesn't mean you have to do anything that doesn't 'sit right' with you - my advice would be not to argue, just smile, say 'I'll work on it at home away from agility equipment, in a less distracting environment, etc, etc,' and continue only giving instructions once. (I don't use cue for 'stay' either btw , once I ask for a sit then I don't expect movement until release.)

Unfortunately in a club of volunteers, you have to take the good with the bad. Don't get discouraged by particular instructors, you will find that there are plenty who will do things more the way you are used to.

If you have any questions about anything someone asks you to do in class you are welcome to come and talk to me. I am down most Fridays running 2 red and tan kelpies and a tricolour BC.

And yeah, there are usually more people in your class, not sure what was going on there last week.

Edited November 14, 2011 by kelpiechick

[Nik]

Thanks, you just reassured me I can continue to do things the same way we were in obedience. I also use wait if I want her to move (when I say)- stay means don't move until I return.

I tried to argue the point with my instructor, but he was insistent Bit hard too as I was the only one in foundation class (beauty I thought, private lesson!) but also mean that I couldn't get time to consolidate things on our own. Hopefully next week there are more in my class and I can do a bit more nutting out on my own

Hi Nik,

Think I might have seen you on Friday, (assuming you are talking about a particular club as it is the only Friday night training I know, plus I noticed just one person in Foundation class) I was teaching the class in the next ring to the one you were in.

Unfortunately you will find that instructors have different ways of doing things down there - have just checked out the roster and you will have an instructor next week that won't tell you to repeat things over and over (unless she can't take class for some reason as she comes a fair distance and sometimes has to swap) and I'm betting that you find the class very different. (In fact you won't have anyone telling you to repeat things over and over for the next 3 weeks, just checked roster again, LOL.) Consistency would be nice but you will find it doesn 't always happen and that can be confusing, especially when you are starting out.

You are going to find that there are a couple of instructors who can be a bit insistent about doing things their way and it's not worthwhile trying to argue the point with them, but that doesn't mean you have to do anything that doesn't 'sit right' with you - my advice would be not to argue, just smile, say 'I'll work on it at home away from agility equipment, in a less distracting environment, etc, etc,' and continue only giving instructions once. (I don't use cue for 'stay' either btw , once I ask for a sit then I don't expect movement until release.)

Unfortunately in a club of volunteers, you have to take the good with the bad. Don't get discouraged by particular instructors, you will find that there are plenty who will do things more the way you are used to.

If you have any questions about anything someone asks you to do in class you are welcome to come and talk to me. I am down most Fridays running 2 red and tan kelpies and a tricolour BC.

And yeah, there are usually more people in your class, not sure what was going on there last week.

Thanks... I've been there a half a dozen times now, but I hadn't been in ages (bloody friday nights!) and I think the whole only person in the class thing was a bit much! Some bits were great, and I know I have heaps to work on- mainly getting Annie to focus away from me! She'll get it soon, she's a pretty quick learner. Just need some time to shape things at home first.....