Agility training

Laurelin

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I'm just frustrated and about ready to be done. Just done.

Summer has been fantastic and wonderful like usual.

Mia has me so worried about her. I can't tell if it's 'I don't feel like it because I'm hot' or if there's something wrong with her. I'm taking her back to the vet to see what they think. Something about her panting is really worrying the last year or so to me and her energy level has decreased so much recently, especially when it's hot. But I'm such a hypochondriac... I don't know. If it's over 60 degrees I can count on Mia being incredibly SLOW.
 

Beanie

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Mia has me so worried about her. I can't tell if it's 'I don't feel like it because I'm hot' or if there's something wrong with her. I'm taking her back to the vet to see what they think. Something about her panting is really worrying the last year or so to me and her energy level has decreased so much recently, especially when it's hot. But I'm such a hypochondriac... I don't know. If it's over 60 degrees I can count on Mia being incredibly SLOW.
Has her energy level on the whole decreased, or just when it comes to playing agility and things like that? How old is she again?
 

Laurelin

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Has her energy level on the whole decreased, or just when it comes to playing agility and things like that? How old is she again?
Almost 5. Energy level is down a lot this last year. She sleeps a lot more which I had just chalked up to her being 5 and mellowing out. But she'll play ball for a long time in the cool weather or inside. However, she'll breathe louder than she used to while doing it. Warm weather- she doesn't want to play. I'll also hear a little bit of a clicking noise when she pants (if that makes sense).

I'm honestly starting to think she has an elongated soft palate or something. I'm a hypochondriac though, but my trainer can hear it too when she was running in a field after agility.

I was also watching her a few days ago after the two were outside for a couple hours (I was watching from inside) while they were eating some raw. When she came back inside she was breathing a lot faster than Summer.

It hit almost 80 this weekend but still.... it's not that hot. I have asked the vet and it was shrugged off but it's been a gradual change over time and it's starting to hit me now that it is all probably related. And I'm worried about her so much. :(

I'm going to take video to bring to the vet with me because she's always so subdued at the vet.

She also pukes sometimes when it's hot. I've always attributed it to her having an empty stomach and then running.
 

Beanie

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TBH I don't think you're being paranoid to take her to a vet. If they try and brush it off, I would look into a second opinion. I think your instinct is probably correct that there's something going on. Possibly even a heart murmur? Five isn't very old really, and I wouldn't really expect her to start slowing down, not based on what I know of her personality over the years. Of course, all dogs are different, but it doesn't quite fit to me. I think you're right that something is up.
 

Laurelin

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Her heart sounds good according to the vet relatively recently. She's been in a few times this year. But yeah, I've thought of that.

You can hear it sort of around 28 seconds- the clicking and snorting. Really get a listen to it around 48-50 seconds.

[YOUTUBE]M2nX-7Dwek4[/YOUTUBE]
 

MrsBoats

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Finally my backyard has no snow and the ground has dried so we're not running on mud. I can start breaking out agility equipment!

Today's mission was front crosses and the pause table. It was a little sequence from the Alphabet Drills book and the last jump, I substituted the table. It was a lot of fun to handle and we got to work collection, collection, collection which is something the black and tans have issues with...like don't wanna. It's much more exciting to run in full extention...all...the...time. LOL :yikes:

Lars -

[YOUTUBE]-NDOty_bsY8[/YOUTUBE]

Ocean -

[YOUTUBE]VfB6KDa5BCs[/YOUTUBE]
 

Laurelin

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Summer is entered in her first NADAC. 2 touch and go runs, one tunnelers, and one jumpers. We will see how that goes. I'm nervous!
 

krissy

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I have nothing to say to those of you who are able to train outdoors right now. Nothing. :rofl1:

Fun sequence we worked on with some neat handling. The one is called Yakov? And I have no idea what the other is called... which is basically just the opposite so maybe a Vokay? lol

[YOUTUBE]9fV3PNve7AY[/YOUTUBE]

Oh and 2 x 2 weaves. I wish spring would come so I could work on these in the backyard and therefore work on them every day. Once a week is NOT enough. She's weaving 4 poles at regulation spacing, different entries, with good enthusiasm/speed. I may add in the third set this week. We shall see.

[YOUTUBE]415-ix5q1IM[/YOUTUBE]
 

MrsBoats

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Are you talking about a jaakko turn??? I thought I saw you do something like a ketschker....but I don't think it was a ketschker. It was really cool! Nice handling!
 

Finkie_Mom

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I saw your Jaakko :) That's one of the turns we worked on in the seminar I went to with Kimma a month or so ago. And the other one that I cannot remember what it was either LOL. You guys are looking good!!!

I love watching your boys, MrsBoats. You do such an amazing job with them. You can tell that they LOVE the game.
 

Elrohwen

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Yesterday's class went so well! The teeter came out and I won't pretend like I was happy about it. This time the instructor was able to find two tables, so the teeter was propped up on both sides and unable to make as much noise as last week. She walked us through how to train it, then left half of the class to work on it more or less independently, while the other half did some jumping. Of course Watson was pretty uncomfortable at first, but by the end of the session we had moved from him sitting under a chair at the other end of the arena, to waiting his turn in line fairly calmly. He was also walking across the teeter without needing too much encouragement by the end of class, though someone still helped lower it gently (and it was only lowering about 6"). A huge improvement from not wanting to put more than two feet on it. The best part was when our instructor realized he wasn't crazy about food on the teeter, but loved cuddles, so she would sit at the end and he would have to cross it to get to her and cuddle. lol What a silly dog.

Then we went to the jumping exercise. It was basically one jump-tunnel, then two jumps-tunnel, then three (but my group ran out of time for three). The first time with two jumps he knocked the first bar, but instead of shutting down and running out on the second jump he rallied and did fine. She had me to do it again to see what he would do about the first jump, and he flew through confidently and without an issue the second time. I think he's starting to figure out jumping! Yay! And as usual he flew to the tunnel, and the first time considered running off to the dogs training on the teeter, but he changed his mind and came to me. Every time after that he didn't even think about running off.

He's really come so far and I'm so relieved that he was able to progress with the teeter without going over threshold again. I love my new class time too - the people are really nice, and the dogs who are about the same level as Watson. And they drive me so much less crazy than my previous class.
 

krissy

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Ha! Jaakko. That's how you spell it. Yeah, we did that. But then the other one is kind of the opposite 'cause the dog comes in to your close side and changes sides. No clue what it's called though. Really we should have put another Jaakko in at the jump to the tunnel... but that would be 3 finicky handling moves in one short sequence, so our instructor decided to spare us. ha ha. But you can definitely see how not doing it really produced a big wide turn to the tunnel. It's cool to see the handling actually work. :)
 

Laurelin

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So I just realized Summer hasn't seen a hoop in 6 years and that touch n go has hoops. Should I just.... wing it?

We have a week before the trial and I dont' have access to a hoop.

Yay planning!
 

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