Agility training

[yv0nne]

Woohoo Summer& Mia ..where are the videos of these two doing their thing?!

Penn& I pack up tomorrow& head out early Sat AM to audit Saturday& participate Sunday. I'm so nervous. To go from a rock steady, driven BC to a touch& go dog with focus issues ..think I can convince Briar's owner to fly him to me before the clinic?!
I'm starting to get really overwhelmed thinking about it& feeling a horror in my gut that she's just not going to pay any attention& we'll have wasted everyones time by attending. It sucks to be so nervous. And I'm not sure what I can do tomorrow before we leave to help with it.. I did our wraps this evening& she rocked it, doing multiple wraps off the hand signal. It's just a foundations class with jumps& tunnels but we won't have ANY success if I can't get her mind out of the overstimulated excitement of it all.

 

[JacksonsMom]

Excited to get back into agility. Just signed Jackson up for a 7 week class.

 

[Beanie]

OH and teeter! Mia did 3 happy teeters. I could tell she's still a bit worried but I think salami is overcoming that.

Ahahaha squeeze cheese is what I used for Georgie's teeter. Yummy food trumps teeter buggies in most cases...

Don't be nervous yvonne! Whatever happens is an opportunity to learn, train, and work on something. Even if she's overstimulated you have a great opportunity (with a great trainer) to be able to work on that. Everything is always a training opportunity!

 

[yv0nne]

Yeah, definitely trying to see it as a learning experience rather than needing to be the best in the class. I think I'm the only 'off' breed attending, so we'll be nearer to the bottom.

At the very least, hopefully, we can get some helpful hints on how to get FOCUS from the dog. I mean, she does have it. It's just so touch& go ..it bothers me a little& I am quick to get frustrated and just end the game of agility. Which probably isn't helpful/ the best solution aha

 

[crazedACD]

I started agility with Skye last week, so it's been two classes now . I am pretty pleased with how she has been in the class..I'm already thinking maybe I need to get into a more foundation-y class and see if we can get somewhere. She does really well on the equipment, even the stuff she doesn't know she's pretty game to work on it with me. I'm not sure how she is going to be to be 'handled' totally off lead, I have always envisioned her kind of running amok once she gets comfortable. She even does this in the yard..we will do a couple of jumps off lead and then she just kind of checks out and runs off. Shrug...oh well, we are having fun learning something new .

 

[FG167]

I'm not incredibly thrilled with the classes for agility I have for options. The main problem being that Robin knows too much to be in the novice and too little to be in the intermediate. I'm wondering - do you experienced people think I can teach most of what he needs to know via Silvia Trkman's classes and DVDs??

 

[Laurelin]

Woohoo Summer& Mia ..where are the videos of these two doing their thing?!

I know, I know... I need some videos. I especially need one of Summer since she's so funny and into it. She's definitely proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Maybe I can at least get some videos at the november trial. It's been hard since most my friends are working the entire trial at every trial I've been to.

 

[JacksonsMom]

Some good stuff today and I love my new trainer. She's been great at pointing out my handling inconsistencies (there's a lot). My dogs rocked tonight even though both went off course quite a few times- every time was my fault. I need to think more about what I am doing with my body and not so much about just hurrying to get ahead.

Summer is more handler focused and Mia is more obstacle focused so that's been challenging. I have to exaggerate with Summer a bit more to get her to cue the right discrimination. I also have a bad habit of not paying attention to what Summer is doing when we go to set up and also once we're done. Apparently she's criss-crossing behind me and that is causing some of our issues with her wanting to switch sides on me mid-run.

OH and teeter! Mia did 3 happy teeters. I could tell she's still a bit worried but I think salami is overcoming that.

I hope it continues to go well before the November trial.

Jackson does what Summer does (or rather I do what you do) and I tend to be so focused on remembering which obstacles I'm supposed to be going to, and which direction, that I forgot after a few seconds I have a poor dog trying to follow my direction, I am probably so confusing :rofl1:

And the last time we did an agility class was over 10 months ago, so I'm excited to get back to working again. Teeter was our biggest obstacle.

 

[Laurelin]

The thing that was really tripping us up last week was the start of our course. It was straight tunnel, jump, dogwalk, into a curved tunnel on the left hand, pick up the dog out of the tunnel on the right and send them into a tunnel that was under the dog walk and the entrance to the tunnel was right at the entrance to the dogwalk. Then we flipped it later to where we sent them through the tunnels first then the dog walk. Both my dogs LOVE the dogwalk so sending them to the tunnel was not so easy. I also have a tendency to want to get way ahead because when they get going (esp Summer), I can't keep up. So my trainer pointed out I was getting there way way before them and crowding the entrance.

I also had a missed front cross after the tunnel, going to the Aframe and let out a big expletive. LOL I just completely forgot where the course was going.

And I found out two of my classmates quit that class- one moved to Weds and the other went to just private lessons. I feel jerky for being excited about that but that means there's only 4 dogs in class and I'll get a lot more time in.

 

[Beanie]

Object discrimination as a skill is next on my list for Payton. I think he will surprise me but Auggie's objection discrimination with tunnels under contact obstacles really just consisted of yelling the correct obstacle really really loud and praying he felt like listening that day LOL. Contact obstacles were Auggie's fave too so it was tough sometimes. He would try to go halfway across the course to get a contact obstacle somewhere totally different than we were standing if he was in that kind of mood. =P

I would like something better with P!!

 

[BostonBanker]

Well, Meg was a superstar at our trial today (shocking, I know) and finished her Performance Standard Championship - Bronze. She's such a perfect girl. I was worried that she was slowing down a bit this spring, but she is very fit and lean and raring to go lately. I'm going to run her a couple more classes a day at our October trial just for fun. It's nice to have a dog that doesn't make me feel like a failure!

Gusto, on the other hand, was a wreck. What a humbling experience after the stellar performance he put in two weeks ago. I have two possible explanations for it (well, three I guess), so I'll be trying to work out what the problem was.

1) We all fell apart a bit the last few days. Thursday was one of the scariest nights of my life, when Tristan went into anaphylactic shock and was having seizures after being administered some meds. I dragged both dogs to the barn with me throughout the night to check on him, and both were exhausted afterwards. Honestly, I think he had recovered today, but maybe not. More likely either -

2) It was the first trial I've ever worked him out of the car rather than crating inside. I've done it once or twice with Meg, and it has never been super successful for us. I think my dogs are so accustomed to being in the car, they don't get into "go" mode as much as when they are actually crated in the trial building. Or, my best guess -

3) The trial sucked. I know that sounds like a cop-out, but the two times I've had this sort of experience at a trial with him, everyone was talking about the weird/bad feel of the trial. This one was only Starters/Advanced (with 2 masters classes early in the morning), so it was really small, without the usual crew of excited, whooping, cheering people who populate the masters division. Instead it was about 30 newer dogs and their anxious, stressed handlers. No cheering, very little excitement or playing, limited workers in everything, because new people are always too stressed to work and run. I love the Masters Only days that all our one ring trials seem to do now when I'm running Masters, but I think it really pulls down things for the greener dogs and handlers. The other time Gusto was like this was at an AKC trial, where all the Excellent dogs went early and then left for the day, again leaving all the newer people/dogs at the site alone. I'm testing this theory at our next trial, which is the same schedule (Masters Sat/Starters advanced Sun) by putting him in the Grand Prix on Saturday, which will be big and crowded and full of screaming cheering people. Curious to see if it makes a difference.

Baby dogs are tough to figure out!

 

[yv0nne]

Went to the trial. Unclipped her leash for our turn to run the sequence and it happened. I knew it would but I was praying for it not to. She got the zoomies and wouldn't pay attention for more than 2 seconds. Caught her, Jess ran her (and can I just say I must have done something right in the training because they ran a beautiful sequence perfectly and FAST. Even Jess was happy with her!) and then we spent about 2hrs working on her focus issues. And Jess ran her again ..and they looked awesome again. I should have videotaped it but I wasn't expecting success like that. Penn did her digs, checks, blind crosses, k-turns& all these little things I've only sort of been focusing on. Way to pull through, Pennypants!!

Now, I'm home with 10 activities to work on before the November seminar and I actually am glad (after the mortified feelings left) she took off like a lunatic so we could fix her biggest training issue. Jess Martin is absolutely amazing. 100% never imagined I could learn as much as I did in one day. And, to top it off? We just had a FABULOUS session where her eyes didn't leave me for more than 2 seconds at a time. I'm over the moon!! Finally feel like when she makes it to trial I can be confident that we're going to have success instead of consistent failure!!

(Can you tell how happy I am? I already told Briar's owner, my parents, my boyfriend, Facebook and anyone who will listen really. Ooops.)

 

[PWCorgi]

Yay Meg!!! :thumbsupsmileyanim:

yv0nne, I saw your post on Facebook and was entertained by the amount of "spin" that was on your sheet. is that something that just amps her up and keeps her focused on you? Or is there another reason that you use that?

Also, did Jess have her JRT puppy with her at the seminer? That is Siri's brother

 

[yv0nne]

I wrote trial in the above post but I meant seminar. My bad!

Jess didn't have her JRT but how awesome that's your girls brother!! So neat. She didn't have any of her pups with her.

Yeah, Jess said pick a trick or two that you can do with her without thinking (and that she enjoys doing) and build that to be a reward instead of relying on cookies or tugs. Then you can take your motivator into the ring with you. And Penn loves three things: 1. spinning 2. jumping to touch my hand with her nose& 3. when I clap at her (yeah, she's weird..) so we had our basics set there. Spinning works best to keep her focused on me so I figured we'd go with it! Basically, my dog is going to be very dizzy until she learns to pay attention LOL

 

[Beanie]

Awww, I'm bummed she got the zoomies on you but super happy it turned into a great training experience! I've heard great things about Jess Martin so I was pretty sure she'd help you out and be awesome about it!

 

[Shai]

I am actually really happy for you that Penny got the zoomies so the instructor could see it first hand and help great news that you now have more tools and got to see your work so far pay off as well. Sounds like a great experience

I use trick tools with some of my dogs on the ring, too. Webby plays "walk" (dance on your hind legs) and "touch" (jump to touch your nose to my hand) before his runs...after his reward is getting to put on his leash (Slip lead...I hold out the noose and he throws himself into it) which was trained as a bridge to the food he gets outside the ring. Kim is similar. Mira not so much, haha.

 

[Finkie_Mom]

Sounds like it ended up being a great experience for you, yv0nne! I always do tricks to get Kimma in the ring and I'm teaching her to "find her leash" as a way to bridge the reward-getting after she runs. Spin is her fave, as well

I actually just had Kimma's first full on zoomie-fest in the ring yesterday. It was due to the fact that I was in a car accident a week ago and she had like 5 days of no real exercise. I probably shouldn't have even been at the trial, but it was close, and I already paid for it, and yeah. But she took off like a rocket in our first run (Excellent Standard), did the first 7 obstacles BEAUTIFULLY with me distance-handling (which I've never had to do really but she listened quite well) and then her brain exploded and she started running circles LOL. I thanked the judge and started heading towards her leash, and she just took every jump in her path on the way there LOL. I was dying laughing. Then she had an awesome JWW but since I was still medicated for pain, I was super late in a rear cross and that cost us our Q. However, she was fast, and didn't stress, and did her weaves brilliantly. SOOOOOO I dunno. Maybe we don't need a break and I just need to be on muscle relaxers when we trial???

 

[yv0nne]

Thanks, ladies! Honestly, once I got past how horrified I was, it worked out really well that she decided to zoom around so Jess could see my true frustrations with her. I'm brand new to this so having all the opinions/ ideas I can get really helps me to figure out what will work with Penny. When I get frustrated, I compare her to Briar& that's not fair for any of us.

And it's funny because when we go to trials, I always played tricks with her on lead to keep her focus on me in the high distraction areas& she does awesome. It's the second the leash comes off& my high stress fear of 'she's going to run away' combined with her stress of 'mom thinks i'm going to run away' that results in a run away dog who is too stressed to recall because she knows she'll be in trouble ..which makes total sense, but I'd never considered it from that perspective. We're all set to take our spot back in the seminar in November& we're hoping for major improvement in the focus department. We also did some spins& focus work at a friends garage this evening and she worked for a stick. She's not the sharpest dog ahah

 

[Shai]

And it's funny because when we go to trials, I always played tricks with her on lead to keep her focus on me in the high distraction areas& she does awesome. It's the second the leash comes off& my high stress fear of 'she's going to run away' combined with her stress of 'mom thinks i'm going to run away' that results in a run away dog who is too stressed to recall because she knows she'll be in trouble ..which makes total sense, but I'd never considered it from that perspective.

Yup it's just like when you're running and you're all worried about an off course and thinking about that off course and so your dog takes it...whereas if you think only about the correct path and run the correct path with purpose and focus your dog is much more likely to be correct, and faster too.

 

[Shai]

And hurray for Meg!