Showing 65 posts about dog agility
(see also: dog activities)
Remember back in September when I shared with you that Dog Sport Magazine did a very generous and cool six page spread about us in their September/October issue?They've given us permission to share the article with you...and we are so excited! Maybe soon you'll see us on your bell tv, just kidding, BOL!
Click here and you will be taken to the pdf of the article. We hope you enjoy it!
And some other cool news! Dog Sport Magazine has agreed to become a sponsor of my website and blog so you are going to see their logo around some. To celebrate they are providing JTD readers a 10% off discount to anything on their site - just enter code Johann2010 upon checkout. The coupon will last from now, all the way through the holidays until January 10, 2010.
Thanks Dog Sport Magazine..Looking forward to a long and wonderful relationship!
The official set of dvds from the recent FCI World Championships is available for purchase. We understand that it contains 6 discs with 12 hours of agility, and the cost is 25 euros + shipping. It can be purchased via the FCI website.The DVD contains the following:
DVD 1: opening ceremony, agility and jumping large for teams (top 10);
DVD2: jumping and agility for small and medium team (top 5)
DVD 3: jumping and agility individual small for all the competitors
DVD 4: jumping and agility individual medium for all the competitors
DVD 5-6: Individual jumping and agility large for all the competitors, prizes and closing ceremony.
Found this very interesting from Susan Garrett's blog...Helen King on Structure Evaluation. Definitely worth a read.
My friend Penny and her Mom have been having some fun with homemade toys. Love this little video of a toy she made with a half gallon jug. Read more of the post and see the links to Fun-With-Dogs, the German site devoted to enhancing human-canine interaction that we've shared in the past.
Although I haven't seen any news from the AKC about this, we've been hearing a lot about handlers that formerly applied for an AKC ILP (Indefinite Listing Privilege) and were rejected are now automatically being signed up by the AKC for the PAL program, so that their 'mixed' breed dog can compete in companion events should hey choose to in the future.Also, 2010 AKC National Agility Championship competition changes have recently been announced. According to the info on the AKC website:
- Large dogs wishing to apply their Saturday and Sunday qualifying scores from the Nationals towards the AKC 2010 Agility World Team Tryouts must compete in the 26” jump height class.
- All dogs must compete in their measured jump height class or in the 26” jump height class.
- A minimum of 6 dogs will advance in each jump height class to the Finals round regardless of how many dogs were competing at the jump height.
- The National Agility Championship Titles will only be awarded to final round winners with a score of 100.
- There will be a 4” jump height class during Friday’s International State Team Tournament competition.
Website is live for the IFCS World Agility Championships, scheduled for May 14th – 16th, 2010. The 5th IFCS World Agility Championships 2010 will be held at the Hand Equestrian Centre, Clevedon, North Somerset, United Kingdom.
The biggest news coming out of Cynosport this year is Roving Reporter Rickie Roo. Yes, Roo is a dog...interviewing other dogs at the USDAA World Championships. You can read his interviews in the news section of the USDAA website. What's up with that? A dog interviewing another dog? Is that a trend happening? BOL!!
Ok, seriously. Cynosport gets underway tomorrow.
Lots of events going on including: Agility, Flyball, Dock Jumping, Exhibitions and more.
Here's the Tentative Activity Schedule:
Wednesday - 1:00pm to 5:00pm only
- Dog Agility (single class - afternoon only)
- Dock Jumping
- Dog Agility (multiple rings)
- Dock Jumping
- Vendor Exposition
- Dog Agility (multiple rings)
- Dock Jumping
- Flying Disc
- Canine Dance Seminars & Exhibitions
- Lure Coursing
- Herding Instinct Test & Exhibitions
- Doggie Do-Right "Try Agility" Ring
- Flyball
- Vendor Exposition
- Featured Event
- Evening - Performance Grand Prix Championships(6:30pm to 8:00pm)
- Dog Agility (multiple rings)
- Dock Jumping
- Flying Disc Exhibitions & Seminar
- Canine Dance Seminars & Exhibitions
- Lure Coursing
- Herding Instinct Test & Exhibitions
- Doggie Do-Right "Try Agility" Ring
- Flyball
- Vendor Exposition
- Evening - $10,000 Dog Agility Steeplechase® Championship Finals - (6:30pm-8:30pm),& Performance Speed Jumping & Junior Handler Spotlight
- Dock Jumping**
- Flying Disc Exhibitions & Seminar**
- Canine Dance Seminars** & Exhibitions
- Lure Coursing**
- Herding Instinct Test** & Exhibitions
- Doggie Do-Right "Try Agility" Ring**
- Flyball
- Vendor Exposition
- Evening - Finals for Grand Prix of Dog Agility® World Championships (2:00pm)
- USDAA® Dog Agility Masters® Three-Dog Team Championships & Performance Versatility Pairs (10:00am-12:00pm)
- Cynosport® World Flyball Championships (4:00pm)
- Cynosport® World Dock Jumping Championship (To be determined)
USDAA video from Cynosport:
According to the USDAA there will be free live stream from this years agility events. They are testing a new interface and it will be installed on the website the near beginning of Cynosport week. Sooo...you may want to go out and pick up a Custom usb drive, just in case :)
Here's what else they say..."Subscribers to USDAA.com will have free live stream available. Due to storage and other associated costs, there will be a charge for on-demand viewing. For everyone else, there will be a nominal charge per event or for the package, which will include 30 day on-demand viewing following the event. Details are expected to be posted on Wednesday, November 11th.
Visit the USDAA website for more information, or click here for the direct link to video. (Hmmm...that video link doesn't seem to be working at the moment, but we believe that will be the link once things get rolling. If not, click here, and then look for the word video, and click.)
And we'll leave you with....Autumn Tricks from Silvia Trkman.
Well, today a very kind person offered to come WAY out of their way to give me a ride to the show n go, it was a super nice offer but I deceided to just take in a movie instead. I went and saw Amelia, it was very good. Lately I do not go to the movies too often so when I do I usually treat myself to some popcorn, I usually get the kid movie meal, and then I of course want butter on the popcorn, and it always makes me quesy by the time the movie is over. So why do I continue to do that? LOL.
I spent the afternoon watching videos, and going through notes and books to figure out how I want to handle some of our training issues that we are working on and actually felt like it was a productive afternoon and I have some plans, YIPPIE!
To work on the start line, reviewing all that I can find on stress and start lines I think I just need to start at basic levels with the stay even though Breeze is great at a stay, she obviously is a little stressed even if she holds them. I think I need to play games with it and just start by being close to her, then add duration and distance and then distractions. I am going to do more clicking and marking for the behavior when I am away and have other people move in to give treats AFTER I have marked the behavior (I am hoping that helps so she is not just running willy nilly to others for treats, this still keeps it a game between her and me, but she still will be guessing when a treat comes and having a treat whithout me having to go back to her). I am TERRIBLE about reinforcing about 60% of the time by going back, and sometimes releasing her to a ball or treat thrown behind her, so got to get better about all of that. I also have some games that she is good at where she knows if she wants to get a ball she has to stay while I throw it, so maybe I can do that in class at the start line, do it by the equipment at home, and just make the whole thing seem a little more clear and try to make some new associations where she views the start line as a little more fun. A little hodgepodge of solutions I suppose.
To work on Breeze understanding how to switch from handler focus to object focus and back, I am going to play some games that Wendy Pape talked about in her Games DVD. Basically you play tug with your dog so they are very focused on you, while you are playing drop a second toy-the dog should not really be seeing where the toy is, then when they are very focused on you-you use your body position to show them where to go to get the toy. They get that toy, you can tug and get them focused, and you get the picture. I also am setting up some sequences starting with the tunnel and then hopefully involving the weaves so she can get some good rewards in short sequences for figureing out how to switch from handler focus to looking for her obstacles. Hey I hope it works.
For Liz who is being a little butt with Chloe, or maybe it is Chloe being the butt, but who ever is responsible they are not being nice, so we are going to strengthen our crate games, get them both to stay in the crate with the door open, move the crates into the same room, side by side, then facing each other, then move that stay to a mat and move their mats closer. Liz especially is terrific at crate games so we should be able to move through the first steps pretty quickly just strengthening everything and cleaning it up so that the next steps go really well. Susan Garrett says that works for getting two dogs desensitized to each other and getting along better, so I am going to give it a whirl!
To help work on my trialing, and my performance, I am setting up sequences in the back yard, I use my cute little cones and then walk the course or sequence I am going to do. I leave and that afternoon or the next morning I go out and run the whole thing-without walking it again and remembering my plan. It is nice because it gets me used to remembering and being more comfy with that, makes me really plan my training sessions so when I walk out with the dogs I am not fiddling, I know what I am going to do and I concentrate just on my dog. Hopefully when things get harried in a trial too that will give me a few more skills and more confidence so we will handle those things better ;-).
I spent the afternoon watching videos, and going through notes and books to figure out how I want to handle some of our training issues that we are working on and actually felt like it was a productive afternoon and I have some plans, YIPPIE!
To work on the start line, reviewing all that I can find on stress and start lines I think I just need to start at basic levels with the stay even though Breeze is great at a stay, she obviously is a little stressed even if she holds them. I think I need to play games with it and just start by being close to her, then add duration and distance and then distractions. I am going to do more clicking and marking for the behavior when I am away and have other people move in to give treats AFTER I have marked the behavior (I am hoping that helps so she is not just running willy nilly to others for treats, this still keeps it a game between her and me, but she still will be guessing when a treat comes and having a treat whithout me having to go back to her). I am TERRIBLE about reinforcing about 60% of the time by going back, and sometimes releasing her to a ball or treat thrown behind her, so got to get better about all of that. I also have some games that she is good at where she knows if she wants to get a ball she has to stay while I throw it, so maybe I can do that in class at the start line, do it by the equipment at home, and just make the whole thing seem a little more clear and try to make some new associations where she views the start line as a little more fun. A little hodgepodge of solutions I suppose.
To work on Breeze understanding how to switch from handler focus to object focus and back, I am going to play some games that Wendy Pape talked about in her Games DVD. Basically you play tug with your dog so they are very focused on you, while you are playing drop a second toy-the dog should not really be seeing where the toy is, then when they are very focused on you-you use your body position to show them where to go to get the toy. They get that toy, you can tug and get them focused, and you get the picture. I also am setting up some sequences starting with the tunnel and then hopefully involving the weaves so she can get some good rewards in short sequences for figureing out how to switch from handler focus to looking for her obstacles. Hey I hope it works.
For Liz who is being a little butt with Chloe, or maybe it is Chloe being the butt, but who ever is responsible they are not being nice, so we are going to strengthen our crate games, get them both to stay in the crate with the door open, move the crates into the same room, side by side, then facing each other, then move that stay to a mat and move their mats closer. Liz especially is terrific at crate games so we should be able to move through the first steps pretty quickly just strengthening everything and cleaning it up so that the next steps go really well. Susan Garrett says that works for getting two dogs desensitized to each other and getting along better, so I am going to give it a whirl!
To help work on my trialing, and my performance, I am setting up sequences in the back yard, I use my cute little cones and then walk the course or sequence I am going to do. I leave and that afternoon or the next morning I go out and run the whole thing-without walking it again and remembering my plan. It is nice because it gets me used to remembering and being more comfy with that, makes me really plan my training sessions so when I walk out with the dogs I am not fiddling, I know what I am going to do and I concentrate just on my dog. Hopefully when things get harried in a trial too that will give me a few more skills and more confidence so we will handle those things better ;-).
I had the most wonderful time with Toni Dawkins yesterday at Sue's sand school. As all of you know Toni is our top handler eventhough she didn't run shelties (do you think I can persuade her to have a sheltie, well at least a blue merle sheltie?) Toni is very friendly and loving, I always feel so comfortable with her. I have picked up a lot from her training day yesterday and that will add a long list onto my winter project!
I trained Sizzle in the morning and Saturn in the afternoon. I made a lot of mistakes with Sizzle and Saturn, well, almost every exercise I ran, there was a mistake or imperfection but I was so happy I made the mistakes so I could learned from Toni how to handle it. I was exhausted at the end of the day but very happy.
The weather was glorious when we got there in the morning, cold but sunny. There were 8 of us in Sizzle's class, 3 gorgeous Goldies, a Visla x Lab, a Cross breed, a young blue merle BC, a JRT and Sizzle. What a mixture of class!
We started the class with this jumping sequence (this is just a draft from me, not sure about the correct distance):
Our first try was to start from jump #2, I lead out slightly so I could send Sizzle into the tunnel, then run to the back of jump #4, but Sizzle didn't go into the tunnel, he was checking on me and came with me to jump #4. After a couple of tried, he understands he needs to go into the tunnel but my handling was crap! My plan to run this sequence is to send him into the tunnel, pick him up from behind jump #4, wrap the right wing and send him back to the tunnel then run to the front of jump #6 and pick him up and send him to do jump #7. It all became a disaster! I wasn't fast enough to do what I want to do. I have tried a couple of times to trust him to take the tunnel #5 and ran to between #6 and #7 to do a front cross, hahaha ... Sizzle beat me to it every single time! Then, Toni had a go (or three goes!) with him. I never thought Sizzle will run for anyone but he surprised me, he didn't even hesitate, Toni got his ball and he run in his full speed with her. Toni tried to show me the front cross that she wants me to tried and after three goes, she admitted he is too fast, so not possible to do the front cross and I need to learn the rear across! I finally managed the rear across but he didn't take the jump #8. It was set a little further and the dog has to understand to take the jump. Sizzle is so much "into" me (I only found out yesterday!), he would not go and take jump #8 if I hang back. Why do I want to hang back? I don't know!! Maybe I am lazy!!We all had a go at the above sequence and many of them did the same way as I ran Sizzle; or some of them did the tight turn (turn right on the jump) to take a shorter route into the tunnel. Toni's best way is to set the dog far back from jump #1, because this is a straightline recall into the tunnel, you lead out to the tunnel and recall the dog to do the tunnel then jump #4, do a kinda front cross but close to the left wing, so the dog would wrap the jump (the dog jump left) and you spin to send the dog back into the tunnel. Then, the jumps #6, #7, #8 bits ... pick the dog on your left (when he is out from the tunnel), send him to do #6 and #7 then you cross into the box, make sure hand out to send him to do #8, then you can do whichever way you want on the #9. Phew!
It doesn't look like a hard sequence but when you run it, mmm ... I find it difficult even with Saturn!The morning class passed so fast ... we had so much to do and so little time to cover the contacts but we managed to squeeze in the DW which I wanted to prove so much. The sequence was jump, DW, turn right to a jump then 3 jumps like a zig zag for us to practise more on our "steerling" skill.
here is Sizzle's DW:
Saturn was a very good boy at training eventhough we didn't get much of the exercise right but he was willing to work. The only down side was I cannot really wind him up. Sue's sand school is located in her garden and she has a few neighbours. We have a restriction to control our dog barking. The only way I could wind Saturn up is get him to bark then he will get excited and hopefully to go faster. His speed is varies, soemtimes he is crazily fast and I won't be able to control and someitmes he has a steady speed which he will work sequence perfectly. With Saturn, I know I am going to work hard on his contacts this winter, so now I go back to reward him very often. He has beautifuly contacts at training and he does not hesitate like he used to be, maybe I released him quick is helping but this also risking that he will jump off the contacts sometimes if my release is too fast or too slow.
We just came back from our weekly club training. I was over the moon with Sizzle. Our hardwork on the running DW has once again prove it is all worth it! If you could recall that I mentioned in my previous posts that Sizzle always missing the DW at club training, and you know me, I blamed the DW being set down the hill and this and that (typical me!) and we all know that is not true! Anyway, he didn't miss a single one today and he was running in his full speed as well. We also did the pivot turn (like a pull through - see diagram below) perfectly, Sizzle didn't even bother to look at the other jump. WooHoo! That's awesome! The only obstacle that we still need to work hard on is the see-saw, he is hanging on the see-saw but not as long as I want and when I run in to reward him, he came off side way.
And the fireworks bit ... he did go into the garden quitely happily this morning, like there have been nothing at all. Hopefully there is just a one-off but I have to be very careful for the next few days when to let him out. I have to lock the cat/dog flap as he has learned to go in and out recently. The most annoying bit is his crazy daddy suggested we go to see the fireworks display tonight! Arrrrgggghhhh ...
