Jump to content

Agility Training Talk Thread


 Share

Recommended Posts

We had our first ever night at agility tonight :cheer: It was just an orientation night so I won't take Daisy till our first proper class next week. So excited to start learning a bit more about agility :rofl:

Where's the evil laughter emoticon?? :D And so another addict is born :o Seriouisly, huski, that's great - think you and Daisy will really enjoy it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 3.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

We had our first ever night at agility tonight :cheer: It was just an orientation night so I won't take Daisy till our first proper class next week. So excited to start learning a bit more about agility :rofl:

Where's the evil laughter emoticon?? :o And so another addict is born :rofl: Seriouisly, huski, that's great - think you and Daisy will really enjoy it.

She is already hooked - not to mention in love with a certain Winpara puppy. :) :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:D

hey AD and Huski :o

i just wanted to say Raz was AWESOME!! at training last night, we really need to work on our weaves and contacts :rofl: but i had a blast with him last night, and it was his first night in his soft crate (he isnt crate trained propperly) and he didnt destroy it :cheer:

Edited by dandybrush
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had our first ever night at agility tonight :cheer: It was just an orientation night so I won't take Daisy till our first proper class next week. So excited to start learning a bit more about agility :D

WOOHOO!!!

I bet you & Daisy will be just as awesome at agility as you are at obedience. Keep us updated!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:D

hey AD and Huski :o

i just wanted to say Raz was AWESOME!! at training last night, we really need to work on our weaves and contacts :rofl: but i had a blast with him last night, and it was his first night in his soft crate (he isnt crate trained propperly) and he didnt destroy it :cheer:

I looked over at one point and saw you guys running - amazing improvement!! you are going to to have to get your skates on to keep up with him!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had our first ever night at agility tonight :cheer: It was just an orientation night so I won't take Daisy till our first proper class next week. So excited to start learning a bit more about agility ;)

Where's the evil laughter emoticon?? :rofl: And so another addict is born :) Seriouisly, huski, that's great - think you and Daisy will really enjoy it.

She is already hooked - not to mention in love with a certain Winpara puppy. ;) :o

LOL guys!!

Wikki is AWESOME AD - I can't wait to see how she goes as she matures.

And yes I am quite hooked already, I started shaping nose targets to my hand last night when I got home ;) Dayz has done a fair bit of shaping so she picked it up pretty much straight away. This is going to be great fun :D

;)

hey AD and Huski :)

i just wanted to say Raz was AWESOME!! at training last night, we really need to work on our weaves and contacts :) but i had a blast with him last night, and it was his first night in his soft crate (he isnt crate trained propperly) and he didnt destroy it :rofl:

I saw you working a little bit last night and you guys look like a great team :D

WOOHOO!!!

I bet you & Daisy will be just as awesome at agility as you are at obedience. Keep us updated!!!

Awww thanks Vicki ;) I don't know about being awesome but I am sure we will enjoy ourselves :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had our first ever night at agility tonight :cheer: It was just an orientation night so I won't take Daisy till our first proper class next week. So excited to start learning a bit more about agility :)

Where's the evil laughter emoticon?? :rofl: And so another addict is born :rofl: Seriouisly, huski, that's great - think you and Daisy will really enjoy it.

She is already hooked - not to mention in love with a certain Winpara puppy. ;) :o

;) But of course ... what's not to love :) Not that I'm biased or anything ;) Wish huski and you could meet Wikki's big brother Rory too ..... maybe one day.

Huski, :D on the hand targeting - it is such a great tool to have in your toolkit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:rofl:

hey AD and Huski :rofl:

i just wanted to say Raz was AWESOME!! at training last night, we really need to work on our weaves and contacts ;) but i had a blast with him last night, and it was his first night in his soft crate (he isnt crate trained propperly) and he didnt destroy it :cheer:

I looked over at one point and saw you guys running - amazing improvement!! you are going to to have to get your skates on to keep up with him!

haha i know!! you shoulda seen our last run, he did everything without being directly beside me and when i said too!! cept the weaves...we are both spastic when we get there :o

:)

hey AD and Huski ;)

i just wanted to say Raz was AWESOME!! at training last night, we really need to work on our weaves and contacts :D but i had a blast with him last night, and it was his first night in his soft crate (he isnt crate trained propperly) and he didnt destroy it :D

I saw you working a little bit last night and you guys look like a great team :)

thanx ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yay huski! You're gonna have a ball!!

I had agility training last night too and even though I'm having a blast with my Labs, who are not your ideal agility dogs :p I got to run an Aussie Shepherd last night and boy was that FUN!!! Yes it helped she's a masters dog so what I lacked in handling ability, was made up by the dog who knew what she was doing, but boy I loved the speed and enthusiasm! My dogs have enthusiasm but not the speed :o Which is ok for me being a first time agility handler, so it's nice to learn with, but one taste of that speed and you can see why people opt for the speedy dogs :D :D Luckily an Aussie Shep was already on my list as my next dog :grouphug:

I'm so happy with Ruby's weaves! She's finally doing all 12 instead of pulling out of the last 2. Her head is down and she's driving all the way! She's double stepping some and single stepping others so I will have to work on that. My biggest problem though is her entry. She's pretty good about nailing the entry when entering from in front and even from the left where she has to go around and enter from the other side, she's doing that independently :o However, try asking her to enter from the right, it's like she can't see the first few weaves or is trying to do it faster by cheating and entering anywhere from the second set up to the middle, depending on where on the arc we are standing! I'm going back to 2 and working the arc some more, but add a second set and she skips the first! When she actually does the first set, I try to reward her after the first set to keep her value for that first set up, but even when I throw her toy as she exits the first set, she decides to do the second set before getting her toy :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Huski, :) on the hand targeting - it is such a great tool to have in your toolkit.

Yeah it's really fun. Second session with it today and she was pushing quite hard for some of the touches, and if I had my hand a bit higher up she was leaping up to touch it with her nose... so cute!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had our first ever night at agility tonight :) It was just an orientation night so I won't take Daisy till our first proper class next week. So excited to start learning a bit more about agility :D

Yaaay! :D Can't wait to hear how you both go!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

However, try asking her to enter from the right, it's like she can't see the first few weaves or is trying to do it faster by cheating and entering anywhere from the second set up to the middle, depending on where on the arc we are standing! I'm going back to 2 and working the arc some more, but add a second set and she skips the first! When she actually does the first set, I try to reward her after the first set to keep her value for that first set up, but even when I throw her toy as she exits the first set, she decides to do the second set before getting her toy :D

This seems to be a common problem for most handlers when asking the dogs to change to weaving on the right. Next time you train this stop and check where your feet are positioned. As the dog needs to "go around" the first weave I would generally start off with my right foot "blocking" the first weave so she follows your leg out and around....gee this is hard to explain :rofl:

If you start to take note of your position when she makes a mistake you can look at how your body can help her to get it right. Go back to rewarding for correct entires and then add more weaves.

I use this method when teaching my beginners to weave both sides and it is usually successful. Hope it helps you too :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well our first trial back was a shocker!!

We DQ'd all our classes bar one and we still didn't get a pass for that one because I was .5 of a second out of course time.......still don't agree with that especially as it was people with stopwatches so not very reliable timing methods.

I was way too nervous for us too do any good, Darcy is a very sensitive dog and would have felt it and acted accordingly by being really distracted and plodding around the ring instead of his usual full speed running.

The good thing was he didn't miss a weaver (except when he ran past it distracted :thumbsup:) and got all his contacts.

He does everything perfectly on his own and at dog club surrounded by dogs, I can work him very well at a distance outside of a trial (I barely run :)) but he wouldn't do that at the trial and I don't usually work so close too him so my handling was crap as well :rofl: I wouldn't particulary call him weak nerved as he competed successfully in flyball which is more distracting than an agility trial IMO.

Would you keep entering trials hoping that his focus and your nerves get better or what??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Nik!!

Hey how is Jedi going??? Why haven't we seen an agility vid of his yet?

Jedi's going really well! We're practicing serpentines and threadles at the moment... Lots of fun! :)

No video because I'm soooo lazy! :thumbsup: Once the weather fines up I'll drag the video camera with the equipment to the park just for you :rofl:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TO - sorry not to catch up with you at Warragul's trial. I did have the pleasure of meeting Vickie and Chloe though :laugh:

Personally I would persist. An agility trial is just so different to training, no matter what you do. Zig and I are starting to relax and enjoy the day so much more than we used to. Try some Rescue Remedy for both of you, for a start :D I have found it really good practice to enter Open Jumping runs - mostly way out of our league and thus the pressure seems to be off to get a pass. Good practice for running and remembering courses too! I was told to be trial ready for the next level (ie Excellent) before you run Novice - we didn't do that for our first few passes but are now. I would also turn up to a trial and just practice having a good time ringside without entering. Start enjoying it as a social day too.

Here's an exercise - can you list 5 good things that you did and that Darcy did? Even if he perfectly followed your 'crap' handling - that's awesome! Agility is hard because every run is new!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't realise that was you otherwise I would have come and said 'hello'! The Dally should have been a dead giveaway but it didn't click on the day :laugh:

Some good tips, will have to do those.....have to track down some more Rescue Remedy by the sounds of it!

Honestly can't even think of 5 good things we did (3 would be pushing it) :D, it was a disaster, he ignored cues and obvious obstacles where they were directly in front of him and he just went around them. Don't get me wrong I don't blame him, I stuffed up as I know he can do it all good and fast. I think a main factor was I already decided we would do crap because of the weather, he hates getting his feet wet and he doesn't like the rain, so we don't train in it......my mindset was already on a fail and so we did!

Might have to give Warringal a go, I think that's the next one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I plan on entering Warringal so it would be great to catch up :D Happy to watch you run him if you like too. Unless my friend with her two Dals is there Zig will be the only Spotted Dog. I'm tall anyway so you won't miss us :laugh:

What about start line stays? How were they? Ok, so maybe pick one or two things that you know he can do and you can do and work on improving them. Be specific though - not just 'run faster' lol Front cross? Rear cross? Lead out?

ETA: I didn't much like having wet, soggy feet either!!!! Tough conditions - smart dog I say :eek:

Edited by The Spotted Devil
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did have the pleasure of meeting Vickie and Chloe though :laugh:

it was great to meet you too TSD

Zig has got to be the most magnificent Dally I have ever seen!

We had a good time at warragul. Very different to trialling in nsw, but despite camping in a swamp :D we had fun & some successes too.

It was great to catch up with the Victorians I knew & meet some new people too.

TO, I saw some beautiful Tollers but didn't know it was you

Edited by Vickie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...