2012 Training Goals

[Staff'n'Toller]

Pa - maybe look at it as taking a break? We have been very stop-start because Fergus hurt his back late last year and again this year (don't think it ever healed properly). We have the physio's and vet's okay to do agility but I'm taking it very slowly. It is hard when they love it so much and you put so much work in.

Remember that some of the best OB competitors don't train at clubs either - they use clubs for distraction and teach their dogs with very small training session, with lots of motivation etc. I've decided to teach Fergs more OB in case we ever have to give up agility and I'm doing this by going to a once-a-month advanced skills club (where they train in drive etc) and going to seminars by real experts (eg Uta Bindel in November). The rest of our training will be at home or at a park with distractions.

Very good points. With the magic of dvd's these days it could be quite reasonable that you wouldn't need club training an awful lot. And you have FOO's twice a year..?? To do ring run throughs.

My inclination would be to speak with a K9 Physio about the best surgical method for what you want to do in the future. To my mind a patella is actually better than a cruciate for long term prognosis but maybe my ideas are a bit old school. Anyways, I would be pre-booked into Physio and underwater treadmill post surgery as it's just as important that muscle wastage is reduced as much as possible and full use of the limb comes back.

The worst thing you can do is wait and see in regards to Physio - don't wait until you have massive muscle wastage to do something- that can be detrimental for long term prognosis where sports are concerned.

One of mine had a full leg splint from a tendon repair and was doing hydro 2-3 times a week with his splint still on at about 4-5 weeks post surgery. :)

[megan_]

If you're looking for a physio, we have been seeing Michelle Monk from Dogs in Motion. They're currently in Doveton but they have to move as the council hasn't renewed their lease. They're operating in Highett now I believe. They have the full set-up including the treadmill in water.

She has been fantastic and takes a lot of time to explain things. Not only has she done physio but she's given me lots of exercises to strengthen his core - I like to be able to do something proactive. In the short time that we've seen her I can see the difference in Fergus' hind muscle development.

[Staff'n'Toller]

Yeah Doveton closed last Saturday but full services at Highett.

[Guest Panzer Attack!]

Thanks guys. :) His leg is rapidly becoming worse (constantly popping and he's limping all over the place!) so I'm looking into options ASAP.

[ness]

Hope it works or you PA - Kenz is nearly 6 months post-op and still having issues with hers .

[BC Crazy]

Sorry to hear about your little girl PA hope something can be done to mend her.

[Kavik]

Kaos

* To be able to tug out of the yard (maybe even at training/trials!)

* To improve our contact performance

* To have good focus and have him not run out of the ring

*JDX title

*GD title

* a couple of ADX passes

*JDO pass

*ADO pass

As it is coming up to the end of the year I though I'd look at my goals and see how we've done. We have had a great year!

* We gained our JDX, GD and ADX titles!

* We got 2 JDO quallies!

* Our tug has progressed to the point where I can tug a little out of the yard, though more progress still needs to be made before I can use it in training

* His contact performance has improved a lot - much quicker and less hesitant. I am still working on SG's nose touches but not ready to put it on equipment yet.

* His focus has improved a lot, we only had one time all year that he has run out of the ring

[murve]

our goals for 2012 they arnt much but with handling 3 dogs at different levels of learning, it is fun :laugh:

Malika :: ET, CCD, CD

Orlando :: CD ( thats if we loose the last trial this year), yes it is CD for 2012 possible CDX

Sarge :: CCD, CD might be lucky for CDX, he is a quick learner

Dodger :: JD, AD,

my daughter handles Dodger & she is doing Agility with him

Somehow we will fit it in I think in the midst of Stewarding at a few Obed / Agility trials that we have already been booked for next year :laugh:

Malika got got her RN title in 1 day doing 3 trials so now she has her ET & RN

[Tassie]

Yay, Kavik and murve. You guys should both be pelased with your achievements - and the kids' achievements of course.

That 3 in a day was a blast, wasn't it murve. Kirra needed 2 Excellent passes for RE - and got them in the first 2 trials on the Saturday.

I'm too chicken/lazy to set training goals. But it is nice to look back nearly at the end of the year and savour the journey.

Kirra - aged 10.75 years - has finished 9 titles this year ..

JDM2, ADM3, and ADO4 - the last two finished less than a month ago.

TSD - early October

RN, RA and now RE

and not forgetting DWDF.S and HTM.S :laugh:

Lil big man Rory was not far behind, with 7

DWDF.S and HTM.STDX

RN, RA and RE (and half of RAE - thanks Bairnsdale and Gippsland for the weekend of trials and the opportunity to knock off the 5 legs in one weekend :D )

and CD - also finished courtesy of Bairnsdale (and murve's lovely Orlando, who with his lovely calm vibes was next to Rory in the stay line up - and thanks to murve who took the time and trouble to let Rory get used to Orlando before stays - that was very much appreciated. )

Can you tell I'm just a little bit proud of my kids - and extremely grateful to our friends, training partners and mentors.

[leopuppy04]

Only one trial for each left in the year so lets see how we've gone....

Leo

I think this will be his last year of agility trialling or at least 'serious' agility trials so I would like:

*JDM title

*ADO title

*JDO title

*Have fun at the Nationals!

*RN (Possibly RA) title

*A UD pass or 3!

*PT title

*Neuter Champion Title!

He achieved JDM title, 3 passes to each of his ADO and JDO titles, qualified for the finals at the nationals in master agility, RA title, Neuter Champion title and still no luck with UD (any passes)! Not a bad year!

We didn't do herding either, so that makes the PT a little hard

Kinta

Most importantly I'm hoping for healthy happy Kinta babies PLEASE!!

*ADM title

*JDO title

*GET to the nationals without being in season

*RN (possibly RA) title

*PT title

Kinta gave me some lovely fat healthy babes who are making their new owners very happy, she ran very well at the nationals, we changed our agility plans and she is now heading to her AG Ch and is well on her way. She gained her RN and RA titles, and has 6 legs to her ADM title with one more trial left in the year. Again, no herding for the miss!

Zara

I'm also hoping for healthy happy Zara babies PLEASE (and a show quality one!)

*Get into an agility ring with my dad

*PT/HSAs title....

My dad did a few trials with Zara this year and they are starting to have lots of fun. Babies on the way, and unfortunately no herding for her either!

Tahlia

*Dear Santa - May i please have a long lucious coat on my show dog please?!

*More points towards her Ch title and some classes in Group

*JD title

*PT title

*RN title

*Some awesome drive and awesomeness on the agility field!

Bug has 2 legs to her JD title with one trial left. No competition in the Rally or herding stakes so those points are moot .

So proud of my kids this year!

[Tassie]

Only one trial for each left in the year so lets see how we've gone....

Leo

I think this will be his last year of agility trialling or at least 'serious' agility trials so I would like:

*JDM title

*ADO title

*JDO title

*Have fun at the Nationals!

*RN (Possibly RA) title

*A UD pass or 3!

*PT title

*Neuter Champion Title!

He achieved JDM title, 3 passes to each of his ADO and JDO titles, qualified for the finals at the nationals in master agility, RA title, Neuter Champion title and still no luck with UD (any passes)! Not a bad year!

We didn't do herding either, so that makes the PT a little hard

Kinta

Most importantly I'm hoping for healthy happy Kinta babies PLEASE!!

*ADM title

*JDO title

*GET to the nationals without being in season

*RN (possibly RA) title

*PT title

Kinta gave me some lovely fat healthy babes who are making their new owners very happy, she ran very well at the nationals, we changed our agility plans and she is now heading to her AG Ch and is well on her way. She gained her RN and RA titles, and has 6 legs to her ADM title with one more trial left in the year. Again, no herding for the miss!

Zara

I'm also hoping for healthy happy Zara babies PLEASE (and a show quality one!)

*Get into an agility ring with my dad

*PT/HSAs title....

My dad did a few trials with Zara this year and they are starting to have lots of fun. Babies on the way, and unfortunately no herding for her either!

Tahlia

*Dear Santa - May i please have a long lucious coat on my show dog please?!

*More points towards her Ch title and some classes in Group

*JD title

*PT title

*RN title

*Some awesome drive and awesomeness on the agility field!

Bug has 2 legs to her JD title with one trial left. No competition in the Rally or herding stakes so those points are moot .

So proud of my kids this year!

And so you should be - they've done sooooo well. And the handsome and talented Mr Leo is still as handsome and talented as ever - was so nice to see him working at the weekend - and they don't call UD Futility Dog for nothing :D .

[Sayreovi]

Well 2012 trialling is done and dusted for us!

Unfortunately I didn't acheive any of Nova or Darcys goals......next year

Was focusing on Jovi a bit as she will be out a fair bit next year as all going to plan she will have her first litter :D

Jovi:

ADX - Only got her AD, one fault wonders in agility unfortunately.

JDX - So very very close, only one more pass needed. Last trial she got 2 out of 3 possible passes and was just one second over time for her title run (was a very hot day so understandable :))

AFCH - Got it very easily! Finished the year a National champ and out of 6 comps, her team came 1st in 5.

CD - No way! :laugh:

CH - Got this as well :)

If we have time do a little bit of retrieving training - No time

We also had a go at gamblers and she has 2 passes in that, need to wait till it's offered again (games are hard to come by down here :S)

So she finished up Ch. Sherbrooke Living On A Prayer AD JD AFCH, not bad considering it was her first year trialling.

[RallyValley]

Toby

-Work towards better heeling, building motivation and keeping focus without rewards. Getting much better thankfully! Learning more about games to motivate focus and build motivation. He is quite happy to work without rewards.

-Get rock solid stays and stands. Getting there... but improved

-Would love to get a pass in CCD and maybe even title? I've decided that this is not going to happen.. too nervous for stays

-If Rally comes in get his RN title would be nice. One pass already Definitely more to come :)

-Keep playing with agility in the back yard since he is enjoying it, finish teaching him to weave! Still playing agility and he is still loving it! Will teach him to weave when Zora learns.

-Most importantly build enough reinforcement history and motivation on Toby that I can turn a "shut down" moment around and work through it. I managed to do this at his first Rally trial! Well he was't completely shut down but was damn close and we worked through it to get a pass :D

Well we got Toby's Rally title with scores of 83,88 and 84. In his last couple of months we returned to agility class and he had an absolute blast and was such a confident dog compared to when I started agility. Sadly we lost Toby so we don't have any goals now, I'm so proud of what we achieved though even though we never won anything or got lots of titles it's the journey that's the most fun and we learnt so much together.

Zora

-Finish Zora's conformation title, work on those free stacks and teach her to gait properly - not prancy heel work in the show ring. Zora is now a Champion!! She gaits wonderfully but has decided that she would rather be doing other things and has lost some enthusiasm Zora has over 170 confirmation points now! She has shown interstate and had a Junior in Specialty Show and breed challenges at big shows!

-Keep working on our obedience, heeling duration, positions, finishes. I would like to be able to enter her in Rally towards the end of the year hopefully RN title. We are on track to enter Rally, she is such a wonderful worker - I am hoping to have a really high standard of work with her and I am aiming for high scores with that title :p We have had our firstt Rally pass at the State Champs, Zora scored 83 with a 10 point deduction for me performing a station incorrectly! I'm sure she will get those next two passes before long, I'm still really happy with her work, just wish seasons weren't such a pain in the butt!

-Teach Zora a formal retrieve, 'woah' and work on her in the field. Compete in a Field trial only if numbers are needed, if not just spend this season getting her ready and confidant for next year. Zora has been out in the field a bit this year, she is too confident out there :laugh: Much more work needed here but haven't been completely slack Have been doing a bit more field work, Zora is REALLY starting to click out there, she has began pointing on scent and holding her points rock hard and stylish. She is good at roading up on the birds. We were asked to trial but I stuck to my guns, her woah and control need a bit of work but she is looking good for a beginner dog trained by a beginner!! I'm really happy with her retrieves too, she has a really stanch hold and has worked with fresh and frozen birds with no issues

-Keep training in agility and working on my homework from class! A bit behind here after Zora's season but we are soldering on and have some very firm foundations in agility. Not rushing to start her on equipment, she is only a baby. Still progressing a bit slower then the rest! We have started jumping work now and have found an awesome training group that's really motivational.

Edited December 7, 2012 by RallyValley

[Tassie]

I was just thinking it was that time of year, RV. So sad that there are no goals for your dear Toby this coming year - but goodness, you and he did such a great job - you must have been proud writing his update.

I normally don't write goals down - thinking I might moz myself :laugh: - but I might do a little bit this time. My two did me proud this year - Kirra - 9 titles across 4 disciplines - Rory - titles across 4 disciplines, so they owe me nothing at all - but anyway ..

Kirra

- My feral girlie will be 11 at the end of February, but she will continue to run agility as long as she is fit and having fun. No other goals - except for me to keep improving my handling. The fact that she has lost a yard or two in speed helps - but she is still hair-trigger to handle.

- She got her TSD title this year - loves that - so we will keep trialling in TSD - looking forward to the urban track next trial.

- She has her RE - so we will keep playing in Rally - try to get enough consistency to work towards RAE.

- If I can find the time, would love to do some more DWD work with her - need to find some more creativity within myself, apart from the actual training.

Rory

(It's almost four years exactly since my lil big man made the big trip over from Perth. So grateful to winpara for letting me have him. :D )

- aiming to start trialling in Open obedience in March. Also working on UD exercises just in case. Still need to do lots of proofing against distractions, and to make stays really solid.

- Looking forward to tracking season to try to finish his T.Ch (to give him his dual Ch (T) and then move on to Track & Search.

- Keep having fun in Rally, and trying to handle more precisely (note this is not a goal with Kirra - she doesn't do precision LOL) - 5 more legs to RAE for Rory.

- With the help of a friend, see if I can get him into the agility ring - I've kept him out because of my worry about his attitude to other dogs, especially if they get in his face, but he is learning self-control and focus, so it might be do-able.

- and - try to find/make the time to do some more DWD - at least HTM - he so loves to heel, and can be quite flashy. Need to get off my butt and teach him the whole range of positions.

[RubyStar]

You should have the honour of starting the 2013 Training Goals thread, Tassie, as you've already got yours ready

Well done on your goals, RV, and I'm so happy that Toby got his RN :D You and him did some lovely work together, something to treasure forever :)

[The Spotted Devil]

You should have the honour of starting the 2013 Training Goals thread, Tassie, as you've already got yours ready

I agree :D

Well done on your goals, RV, and I'm so happy that Toby got his RN :D You and him did some lovely work together, something to treasure forever :)

Well said RS :)

[The Spotted Devil]

I think 2012 is going to be a very busy year with the Agility Nationals in June, Dalmatian Nationals in November and a debut for Em in retrieving, obedience and agility

Ziggy & Me

• Concentrate on fitness - strength, speed and endurance.....tugging, begging, rear end awareness, sprint work and running with the bike.
  
• Obedience - pretty much the same as last year - duration heeling, fast drops for DOR, tighten up dumbbell work ready for Open obedience
  
• Agility - will be concentrating on independent contacts (keep the criteria tight!!!!) and weaving, learn to trust my dog , stop looking at the jump I DON'T want him to take, learn to run in a straight line for serps :laugh: , speed and tight turns for a big striding dog will be the main aim of the game!
  
• ET - Dally Club trial if the stars align!
  

Em & Me

• Try and keep up with her <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />
  
• Obedience - a little more self control needed in the recall and stand for exam (no points for mugging judges for cuddles!) Continue to tighten up the flip finish. Happy with the retrieve although it does require a lot of concentration for her to deliver it calmly :laugh: I would like to skip CCD and get her Novice title in 2012.
  
• Agility - have her ready for Novice Jumping, Novice Agility and perhaps even Open in time for the Nationals. Too much to work on to list individually but she will be quick and keen so it will be a case of me keeping up with her!
  
• Retrieving - not too many goals here other than to enter Novice Retrieving trials - I think she is ready but I'm happy to stay in Novice for a little while and gain some experience for both of us. I really won't know where she's at and what we need to work on until we enter a few trials. In terms of training, we will continue on as we have done and train towards Restricted. Need to shoot over her before January so we can enter the Gundog trial!
  

It's great to look back on the training goals I set - feels like years ago :laugh:

Zig & Me

What a whirlwind 6 months. I could not ask for any more from my Spotted Devil in terms of agility - his weaves, contacts and responsiveness have gone through the roof! I think my handling has also improved. Completed his JDO title and stunned me by wining ADO at a recent trial. Topped it all off with consistently fantastic runs at the Agility Nationals including an ADO qually that I'd like to bottle plus JDM and ADM quallies. His attitude throughout our trip was also great, tugged to and from every ring and remained focused, even after flirting with every bitch in sight particularly the Spotted ones All the fitness work we did really paid off, although we didn't get time to start running with the bike. Unfortunately the Dally Club ET clashed with our Nationals road trip. Now that the pressure is off agility, I'm going to put a heavier emphasis on obedience.

Em & Me

Everything started to click in a hurry with this little dog - from struggling through our first Novice retrieving trials to now having two 1st places, one 2nd and one 4th One win away from being bumped up into Restricted so I need to get my act together. She really loves it and we are both enjoying the journey. I really need to concentrate on walk up retrieves, double rise, two bird, steadiness in the hide and continue to work towards cold blinds. Not too much water work over the next month as it's just freezing - she doesn't seem to care though! Em has started in agility/jumping, had a win in JD at her first trial and picked up her Novice Jumping title at the Agility Nationals with two passes to spare. A 2nd place in Canberra, a 3rd and 4th in the Nationals heats and 2nd in the finals. To see her dragging me into the ring after struggling with the busy environment all week made my heart sing :) I'm still doing bits and pieces of obedience but not working towards any trialling goals as there is only so much you can do at one time.

Heading overseas for at least 6 weeks at the end of July so will squish in as much fun with the dogs as possible before I go - I expect to get serious training withdrawal :laugh:

With 2 months away overseas there's not too much to add to this although Ziggy excelled himself at the Dalmatian Nationals with 1st place (Q) in ADO, JDM and ADM (for his ADM title!) and 1st place (NQ) in JDO plus Best in Trial (Agility) and Best in Trial (Jumping). No pass in his first CDX trial but I was over the moon with his performance given our rushed preparation. He continued to pick up agility passes and finished off the year with the Dally Club's Performance Dog of the Year once again. Very, very pleased with his enthusiasm to train and trial this year and also his tolerance of our temporary puppy resident.

Em and I are still finding our team "fit" in agility but she's had some nice runs in JDX (for one Q) and I had a revelation about how she likes to be handled (distance! distance! distance!) in our last trial of the year. Retrieving training is seriously FUN, particularly with the ripper bumper launcher I brought back from the USA in my suitcase :D Lots of water work now the weather is warming up and starting to stretch her on blinds and memory marks. Training for Restricted in a slow and steady manner which will set her in good stead in the long run. Also delighted with how she's coped with the puppy - it really has been the making of her and has given her heaps of confidence. She's gone from being very unsure and unimpressed to non-stop wrestling and zoomies and arguing over delectable treats such as sticks :laugh:

Although PUP didn't have "goals" I really should list his achievements at 4.5 months. He's only been with us for about 6 weeks but he has learned that:

1. Em is ok to snuggle on top of. Zig not so much.

2. Offering a sit is THE BEST WAY to have a door opened, be given or thrown a toy, be fed or be patted

3. Dizzy is fun to play with but he's pretty rough for a cat!

4. Messing with the lilac Burmese girls AT ALL is really tempting fate

5. When you hear your name, snap your head around FAST if you want a treat

6. Recalls are optional when you're off leash at the park

7. When recalls become optional you get put on a long line and into training "boot camp" :D

8. Barking actually DOESN'T get you anything much at all

9. Swimming and retrieving like the big dogs is awesome fun

10. Being a cross between a kangaroo, a mountain goat and a fish comes with it's own set of training challenges!

A really amazing year :)

Edited December 10, 2012 by The Spotted Devil

[pie]

I cannot WAIT to see what 2012 holds. I have a feeling it's going to be my busiest Crazy Dog Lady year yet

What I am hoping for, well aware that I am aiming high for some of these :laugh: but why not!

The year is FINISHED! :D And I was right - it was my most full on crazy dog lady year ever :D

Following on in red from my June update which is in bold.

I'll update mine since we're at the halfway point!

KYZER

Kyzer is temporarily retired from agility, he isn't living with me at the moment due to relationship breakup, but when I get him back I hope to improve his general outlook on life and trial him again

Well I got Kyzer back, and he was firing on all cylinders after his break. We managed the following:

JDM QualliesYes we have got two of these

ADX Title should be doable - needs two more passes I think Yes we got this title a month ago and have had a go at ADM (no pass though)

Start training more distance work and maybe directionals and try for

JDO Qs, ADO Qs Haven't got directionals yet but did get a JDO Q, my first open Q

TRIXIE

JDX Title [should be doable] Was totally doable! In fact we got it at the Nationals with a pass to spareWent even better than expected with Jumping and got her final pass for her JDM title on Saturday!

AD Title [One pass to go], Got it, woo ADX Title [should be doable also - in theory] Got two passes, three to goYes got her ADX title :D Had a go at ADM, no passes but some good work

GD Title [two passes to go], Give SD a go and also maybe SPD Got one pass to go for SD now Got her SD title, games trials are thin on the ground here, haven't got the others

Start working on distance and try for

JDO Title, ADO title, should be a bit difficult for the velcro baby dog Haven't really done much - hoping to get into it this half of the year Didn't really happen - hopefully next year

Hopefully take her to Agility Nationals and have fun with her if nothing else Took her to nationals, not only did we have a blast and get into both finals but she also came first in her JDX final making her the JDX 400 NATIONAL CHAMPION

RN title If we get enough Rally trials in Perth? And if I train the stations :laugh: Hmmm not yet lol Umm nope lol

ET title - aiming for September but life may get in the way as per usual :laugh: This one isn't looking great lol Nope

Continue nurturing our awesome relationship to get the best out of her and I - this is the biggest one - don't let my girlie down! Yep we're doing pretty good with this one Need some more work building her speed back up, think her confidence got knocked somewhere along the way but it's progressing well

In terms of training I would like to improve:

Her weavers - hopefully she will sort out her footwork and speed up Weavers much better and faster

Increasing distance and perhaps some directionals, get her to turn away from me

increase her speed going into tunnels, and onto contacts

Getting her to play with me at training and trials more

Get her confident in places other than K9 - maybe join ADAA to help with this

Have travelled all over the place for trials this year, she's becoming an old hand and her confidence is improving a lot

Always room for improvement for these!

What a year - better than I could have ever hoped for! Still have to remind myself Trixie has only been trialing just over a year, she really managed a lot in that time, more than I expected from my little baby dog that's for sure! I'm having lots of fun with Kyzer too, I've really relaxed with him, and when he is switched on he is such a fun little man to run! Looking forward to next year :D

[Tassie]

What a fantastic year you guys have had - you must be over the moon.

[pie]

Yep :thumbsup: Crazy!