Agility Training Talk Thread

[FalconRange]

Hi all. I've started agility training about 2 months ago, and we're both enjoying it a great deal.

I'm wondering if anyone here trains at ADCSA in Adelaide? I'm thinking about joining up in their next intake for some extra training and more time on equipment, but am wondering what their training involves. Does anyone know how much foundation they do?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

They have website that outlines it. You could email someone and ask. The website suggests something fairly formal. I've been thinking about going.

http://www.agilitydogclubsa.com/

They do want you there at 6:50pm to help set up.

[FalconRange]

Thanks MRB. Perhaps we should sign up together? ;)

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Had a residents association meeting last night but I ought to be able to go next Thurs...

I will send my friend who is part of the ADCSA committee an email and ask him what he recommends.

My dog isn't exactly a beginner at it but we could use some of the foundation stuff and basic handling practice and it would be somewhere relatively new. She will think we're going to the beach tho.

Their website could do with a reformat...

[Lisey]

I haven't been to agility training for a couple of months now (lots going on in life) - I use to train at QAJDC at Durack but their website doesn't seem to work anymore and I don't want to drive out for no reason? Is anyone training there still?

[Agility Dogs]

Hi Lisey,

QAJDC has closed the club.

Members have been offered free membership at either BAD (Brisbane Agility Dog Club - trains at Carina) or ADCQ (Agility dog club of Queensland - trains at Ipswich).

PM me if you would like more details.

Cheers

Tony

[Sail_Away]

Does anyone know where I can buy or make some agility equipment for practice at home? We go to agility training at the club 1-2 nights a week but just wanting to get some extra practice in at home, where there are less distractions ... If only Cleanrun.com had free shipping again because I would get some of there jumps and weave poles. What do most people do?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I think you can go to most hardware stores and get PVC pipes and connectors to make jumps out of.

Not sure about tunnels.

You can do a lot with milk crates and broom sticks and pool noodles and toilet roll holders too.

I was thinking if I went to a camping shop (or shop that sells camping stuff) and got some really fine fibreglass tent poles I could sort of wind those into a spiral and use them to make a tunnel out of an op shop sheet or some tarp or both. Haven't tried it yet. Might need the help of a sail maker to get it all straight.

[J...]

Have a look at DIY agility jumps on google images for some PVC jumps you can make, either with wings or without wings. Would be easier if you used the CR parts and jump cups but not totally necessary, or find a few mates to order some CR stuff and split postage. They will allow you to place and pay for orders separately and then calculate postage for you to one address. You can also get the weave end spikes from CR as well.

There is plenty you can do with two or three jumps, some traffic cones and a tunnel. A short contact plank is great for teaching 90% of your contact behaviour without contacts.

Nearly all my young BCs foundation has been done with 3 jumps and a tunnel and two traffic cones/pool noodles shoved over some excess weave poles. I do very little sequencing as my back yard is too small, slopey and uneven, so any sequencing work I want to do I have to lug my jumps, tunnel and tunnel bags out. This is him at a seminar we did a few weeks ago.

Edited August 27, 2014 by Jess.

[Sail_Away]

I think you can go to most hardware stores and get PVC pipes and connectors to make jumps out of.

Not sure about tunnels.

You can do a lot with milk crates and broom sticks and pool noodles and toilet roll holders too.

I was thinking if I went to a camping shop (or shop that sells camping stuff) and got some really fine fibreglass tent poles I could sort of wind those into a spiral and use them to make a tunnel out of an op shop sheet or some tarp or both. Haven't tried it yet. Might need the help of a sail maker to get it all straight.

Someone at agility said they made weave poles by buying long screw drivers, placing them in ground and putting PVC piping over them... I thought this sounded ok. I would imagine doing the same with jumps but need some connectors, I didn't realise buntings would sell them but I'll have a look.

Have a look at DIY agility jumps on google images for some PVC jumps you can make, either with wings or without wings. Would be easier if you used the CR parts and jump cups but not totally necessary, or find a few mates to order some CR stuff and split postage. They will allow you to place and pay for orders separately and then calculate postage for you to one address. You can also get the weave end spikes from CR as well.

There is plenty you can do with two or three jumps, some traffic cones and a tunnel. A short contact plank is great for teaching 90% of your contact behaviour without contacts.

Nearly all my young BCs foundation has been done with 3 jumps and a tunnel and two traffic cones/pool noodles shoved over some excess weave poles. I do very little sequencing as my back yard is too small, slopey and uneven, so any sequencing work I want to do I have to lug my jumps, tunnel and tunnel bags out. This is him at a seminar we did a few weeks ago.

Yep going to buy some cones to do PNU work. I figure two jumps a tunnel and weave poles is a good combination to work with. I am having trouble 'directing' her at training - so we would do 'check check check' through the jump, then tunnel, then 'push push push' with the other jump - for example but I can't get her over the second jump after tunnel.. I am positive it is my body language and leadership to her but my issue at the moment is trying to maintain her focus. We have only been doing agility for about 5 months so in beginners. She is a Hungarian Vizsla and just turned two. Absolutely LOVES agility and can do the objects no problem but at the moment she wants to run off and play half way through the course or go follow a scent (can you blame a gun dog?? ) So I thought getting the practice in at home is the first hurdle then I just need to get the focus in a distracting environment.

Does anyone here find using a toy for drive and reward too distracting for their dog? When I bring a toy out for the reward my girl just can't concentrate on anything but wanting to get it... I can't turn her focus to the task at hand - so at the moment I use treats which works well but the issue is keeps driving toward me and not straight ahead... we use target plates in training and she is great at doing the Aframe for e.g. and touching it at the end but it doesn't work very well for jumps/sequences etc...

[Sail_Away]

Have a look at DIY agility jumps on google images for some PVC jumps you can make, either with wings or without wings. Would be easier if you used the CR parts and jump cups but not totally necessary, or find a few mates to order some CR stuff and split postage. They will allow you to place and pay for orders separately and then calculate postage for you to one address. You can also get the weave end spikes from CR as well.

There is plenty you can do with two or three jumps, some traffic cones and a tunnel. A short contact plank is great for teaching 90% of your contact behaviour without contacts.

Nearly all my young BCs foundation has been done with 3 jumps and a tunnel and two traffic cones/pool noodles shoved over some excess weave poles. I do very little sequencing as my back yard is too small, slopey and uneven, so any sequencing work I want to do I have to lug my jumps, tunnel and tunnel bags out. This is him at a seminar we did a few weeks ago.

Forgot to say - What an AMAZING BC you have! Loved loved the video. I can only dream that one day we can achieve half that skill. My Vizsla certainly has the speed and endurance (not as fast as BC!) but still acting like a silly gun dog haha. Although still a baby I guess

[Kavik]

With the toy, one thing which may help is an impulse control game called Its Yer Choice.

Here is an example with food (may be easier to start with food and then transfer the idea to toys)

And with toys

This also helps to build great focus forward I have found!

[Sail_Away]

With the toy, one thing which may help is an impulse control game called Its Yer Choice.

Here is an example with food (may be easier to start with food and then transfer the idea to toys)

And with toys

This also helps to build great focus forward I have found!

Oh yeah I know about 'It's your choice' - I had an excellent instructor at obedience who introduced us to it with food (she does agility with her dogs and was the first to teach us about shaping) - My girl is great at it with food - I can rest food on her paws and she won't touch it until I say 'OK' ... I didm't think about doing it with a toy then integrating that into agility... hmmm... I will start doing that. It's best I always use the same toy isn't it?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

It's best I always use the same toy isn't it?

not necessarily...

what you really want is a dog that will work for whatever toy you have. So you can use the toy most appropriate to what you want to reward and where. Eg you don't want a rolling toy to reward in position at the end of the weaves... But it might be good if you're rewarding driving away from you (a go out).

You may also want to work with very small toys so that you can hold them hidden in your hand until the right moment.

So with my dog - she tries to train my choice of toys towards her favourites and I try to work through the DWDH - "don't wannna don't hafta" moments. Ie play with the toy I have...

[Kavik]

I try to use lots of different toys! But of course dogs have their favourites, and if I am working in a distracting environment, or working on something new or something I really want to get right, or at a competition etc I will use their favourite. If it is just a tugging or tugging/shaping session at home I mix up the toys so that they will play with a variety of toys.

[J...]

Forgot to say - What an AMAZING BC you have! Loved loved the video. I can only dream that one day we can achieve half that skill. My Vizsla certainly has the speed and endurance (not as fast as BC!) but still acting like a silly gun dog haha. Although still a baby I guess

Thank you :) I think he's pretty awesome too, he's the perfect mix of super smart, fun, drive and a total sweetheart :D

[dididog]

So at the end of obedience today we got try our hand at a lil bit of agility. Just 10cm jumps and a tunnel + low hoops. I never really felt like doing agility but Didi really took to it and seemed happy doing it. She's only 10.5 months old and a large/giant breed (yes I know we'll probably just dabble in it for fun) but I was wondering if you guys could point me in the direction for some good resources just for foundation training as obviously she can't do it properly until she is much older. Thanks :)

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Hi Terri

You might want to have a read of this thread.

I think there are some really good agility clubs in Victoria - might want to look some of them up. Tho it is a little bit like getting the right school for your kid in japan - some of the clubs are "full"...

Meanwhile - any trick training is good ie teaching your dog to try new things, and to tolerate frustration and distraction is good. In terms of building strength and flexibility, there are a bunch of tricks that help with that too. Starting with trying to get your dog to put all four feet on "perches" of some sort. SG likes inflatable half fit ball things "pods?" I use phone books wrapped in towels. tho you can start with getting dog to put all four feet on a bath mat or towel and then folding up smaller... Or using more than one and get the front feet on one towel and the back feet on the other towel etc...

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/258767-best-agility-dvds-or-online-

courses/page__p__6538130__fromsearch__1#entry6538130

[J...]

Edited.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Jess.

[sheena]

I have just taken on a beginners group & I knew I would have this problem, so I make use of the internet. Each week I plan what I am going to do with them & I do up class notes. I know it takes some time but I usually have to brush up on these things myself, so I know what I am talking about :laugh: Each exercise I explain & do up in PDF Format & email it to the whole class each week. I also include a "Trick of the week" to teach their dogs too. So they have heaps of homework to do & there is no excuse for not being able to keep up if they miss out a session. The morning after class, I also email them with anything I can think of that they need to brush up on or practice...oh....& a little praise goes a long way too :) I am never negative. My new class has 11 students in it & has been going for 5 weeks now & I havn't lost anybody They are all still keen. Any one who wants extra help or I think could do with a bit extra, I invite them to come to class early for a bit of one on one.