Sunday, July 18, 2010

A Busy Weekend

This weekend was all about the dogs. On Saturday we were at All Dog's Gym for a CPE agility trial and Sunday we went to a New England Terrier Club earthdog fun day.

On Sat, Spot was entered in Snooker level 2, Fullhouse level 3 and Wildcard level 2. Snooker was first. It was a pretty easy course. The 7 obstacle was a combo of a jump and a tunnel. My plan was to do 7 twice and 6 once in the opening. It started out red, 7, but Spot ran around the jump part of the 7 obstacle, so I had to call him back, but then he took the next red, and then 6 jump, then a red, and then the 7 combo. The 2 obstacle was the tunnel, which was bidirectional in the opening and the closing, but the way we did it, Spot took the tunnel as part of 7, then I had him turn around and go back in, which worked fine. The closing was a big circle, so the flow was really nice, and we were able to run fast, which Spot likes. We got 50 points and first place. One question that came up for me (when scribing Snooker 3, 4, 5, C) was that people faulted the combo color, but just got a zero and were able to keep going. In May at the Act Up trial, I did the same thing but got whistled off...which I think was incorrect.

Next was Fullhouse. It was all levels together. Spot does better with contacts, but contacts take longer to complete, so it definitely was something I had to keep in mind when planning our course. Generally I like to do back to back tunnels when possible, and in this case there were 2 chances to do that, but I realized we could get the same number of points faster by doing the tire back to back, so that's what we did. The course was jump to the A frame, which I led out to, then 2 jumps, which Spot ran around the second one, so I called him back. In hindsight, I should have kept going, just for timing sake. Then I did a tunnel back to back, a front cross to the dog walk, then the tire 2x and a jump, and then we headed to the table and the buzzer sounded just as we hit the table, so I timed it pretty good. We got 26 points, and first place. Although Spot scared me at the start of this run! We walked in to get set up and as we approached the jump, Spot decided to take it while still on leash, and I ended up jerking him back in mid-air and he knocked over the jump. Thankfully he was fine. I guess he was just wanting to do some obstacles!

Then we had to wait a while for Standard to run. We didn't enter because Spot can't do poles yet. The last class of the day was Wildcard. We needed 2 As and 1 B. The first choice was the A frame (B) or the tunnel (A). The second choice was the tire (A) or the double (B) and the final choice was a jump (A) or the weaves (B). We chose the A frame, the tire, and the jump. I lead out to the A frame, and it went really well until the last two jumps, which Spot ran around and I had to call him back. We Q'd and got third place.

On Sunday, we went to the New England Terrier Club earthdog fun day. Spot ran Master and Shelby did IQ. Spot did well in ME, except for removing him (again). He backed up, but then came back and I was able to open the cover and praise him a bit, and then he was actually ready to come out. Shelby did IQ, and I was disappointed, because we took a step back and just did the short straight tunnel. She worked the rats, but not as well as she did at the Gardner practice. So I don't think I'll enter her at Brimfield.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Bo Gee CPE Trial June 25-26

Last weekend I entered Spot in the Bo Gee CPE trial at the Deerfield Fairgrounds in NH. We entered 2 classes on Friday and 3 classes on Sat.

Friday was planned to start at 4, but got off to a little bit of a slow start. The first class was Jumpers, and Spot was entered in Jumpers level 3. Spot and I really weren't in sync for this run. He ran around 2 jumps, then had an off course, and we were over time, so no Q. Second run was Jackpot. It was a non-traditional Jackpot and you needed to take 3 single jumps for the jackpot. Spot did much better in this run. I tried to keep him running, using the tunnels, and not as many jumps. There was a combo of 2 jumps worth 5 points, but Spot ran around the second jump, so I just kept going. I had planned it so we were in the area where the jumps were when the whistle blew and it turned out to be really good. Spot had just entered a tunnel when the whistle blew, so I was able to call him out, then send him over 3 jumps, then the table. A lot of people either were on the A frame when the whistle blew, or their dog took another obstacle on the way to the jumps,so they didn't Q. But we did!

On Saturday we were entered in Snooker level 2, Wildcard level 2 and Colors level 3. I moved Spot up to Colors level 3 not realizing there would be weaves. Oops! We started out well. My plan for Snooker was not to go for 3 7's in the opening because the flow would be not so good, so instead I went for the 3 tunnel, a 6 jump, and the 7 A frame. This made a little loop, which worked well for us. Spot finished the entire course and the whistle blew just as he jumped onto the table.

Next was Wildcard. This was a pretty easy course, but Spot didn't want to get set at the start, so I ended up running with him instead of leading out as planned. And he took the first two jumps, but then didn't take the tunnel, which was a wildcard. He never misses tunnels, so I wasn't sure what was going on. The rest of the course he did well, except for running around a jump, but I brought him back around and then we finished the course and got a Q.

Last was Colors. The course was super easy except for the poles. He did great with the first 5 obstacles, which were jump, jump, tunnel, jump, tire. But then he just basically ignored the weave poles. I almost got him through, but then he wouldn't do the last one, so I just tried to finish the course, but I guess he was stressed out because he skipped a couple of jumps. Oh well.

So it is becoming imperative that Spot learn weave poles at least at a basic level, or all I will be able to enter him in is Jackpot and Fullhouse and Jumpers!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Earthdog practice!

Today we had earthdog practice in Gardner. Of course, I was too tired to show up at 9, so I rolled in around 10:30. Thankfully a few other people arrived after me, but the early arrivals were a little peeved, I could tell.

First I tried Shelby in IQ. In the past, she hasn't wanted to go around the corner in the tunnel, so we started with a straight piece and she went in no problem. So then we just added the corner piece. She was hesitant, but when she backed out a little I gave her a little push and encouraged her to go back in, and she did. She was really working the rats well. She barked, dug and bit at the bars, which is great.

So then we added another piece to the tunnel, and she went in and hesitated just a second and then went around the corner all on her own. We did that twice to make sure she was good with it. I'm very excited-I hope this is the breakthrough she needed. Hopefully we can practice again next Sunday if it doesn't get cancelled.

Spot was last. I actually took him to the IQ tunnel because we just needed to work on taking him out of the tunnel. So we took all the pieces out except for the end piece and had someone stand in the tunnel so he couldn't back out. He worked and I took him out, then put him right back in, and we did that about 5 times. Hopefully it reinforced that getting taken out means he gets to go again, not that the fun is over. We'll see what he does next week!

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Courses from this weekend

Here are the courses from this weekend.

Standard level 2-Almost Qd-slightly over time.



We Qd in Level 3 Jumpers-our first level 3 Q!



We Qd in Colors level 2, finishing our Colors level 2. We did the circle course.



We did not Q in Jackpot due to a handling bobble on my part.



We did not Q in Snooker level 2 because Spot got distracted then back jumped a red.



In Wildcard level 2 we only got as far as jump 1 before Spot disengaged and I left the course.



We did not Q in Standard level 2 because we can't really do weaves yet, and Spot wasn't engaged in general. We left the course after he skipped a tunnel and A frame.



We did not Q in Fullhouse because we did not get enough points.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Gemini Dogs CPE Trial June 5-6, 2010

Well, I had high hopes for this trial held at our training center, but it didn't turn out very well. We got 2 Qs out of a possible 8. We came close on 2 more, but Spot showed some behavior I wasn't very happy with.

Saturday was miserable. The temperature was about 82 and sunny, but the humidity was also very high. It really sapped my energy, and I think Spot's too. I definitely didn't plan my courses too well. Plus, I was working every class and it was just too hectic. I didn't really have time to study the course maps.

First class was Fullhouse. If I recall correctly Spot broke his startline say, and then ran around jumps and we were over time. Next was Standard Level 2, which I knew Spot would have trouble with the weaves. He did the course well and I got him through the weaves with some effort, but we were 6 seconds over time, which meant 6 fault points, and you can only have 5 faults to Q. So 1 second faster and we would have made it. Next was Snooker. The 7 point obstacle was the A frame, which Spot likes, so I planned to do that twice, then the 3 tunnel. Spot got through the A frame the second time, took the next red, but then disengaged and was sniffing. When I called him, he back jumped the red, so that was the end of that. Last was Wildcard. We started, took 1 jump, then Spot disengaged and was sniffing and the judge gave us a majot fault, which I still don't really know why. She didn't really give me a chance to get him back in line. So when that happened I just left the ring and Spot followed me.

Sunday the weather was iffy. It was cooler, but it rained and there was a threat of thunderstorms all day. We started with Jackpot, and it rained. By the time we went, it had stopped, but everything was soaked. It was a non-traditional Jackpot where the gamble was a tunnel/A frame combo in any order, then a distance to a jump and table. Spot actually did really well, and was faster than expected so I had to fill time by having him take the A frame and tunnel a few times while I waited for the whistle. Once the whistle blew, I asked him to do the A frame, and then the tunnel, but when I released him from the A frame I didn't come out far enough and he turned around and went back up. I kept going, because I didn't hear a whistle, and we completed the rest of the gamble. Some people thought I got it because they didn't think Spot had actually come off the A frame, only turned around, but in the end we did not Q.

Next was Standard again. We started well, but then got the weaves and Spot didn't do them and we got a major fault, so I kept going, but then he skipped a tunnel, and then the A Frame, so I left the ring. After that was Colors, which we actually Qd in! The course I chose had fewer jumps and more tunnels so we could just keep on running as fast as possible. Spot actually listened and we had a good run. We came in second. The last class of the day was Jumpers level 3. This was a fast course as well, and the first 7 obstacles were the same as the Colors course we had just run, so I had high hopes. The course went well, except for one off course that was my fault. Spot took the near tunnel entrance rather than the out tunnel because I didn't cue fast enough. Really I should have been on the other side for that section. Other than that it went really well and we Qd and got 4th place.

So we were able to end on a high note, which was good. I really need to get Spot learning the weave poles, and also to go ahead and take jumps that are ahead of him.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Photos from Act Up Trial, May 15, 2010

Spot was entered in the Act Up CPE trial on May 15th at Canine Mastery in Seekonk.
We were entered in Fullhouse 2, Snooker 2, Colors 2 and Jumpers 3. We Q'd in Fullhouse and Colors. I'll give the full rundown later, but here are some photos! Spot looks so happy and shows great form. I love the A frame picture where he's looking over at me.



Sunday, May 23, 2010

GBAEC Earthdog Trial, May 22-23, 2010
























This weekend the GBAEC hosted its first trial of the 2010 season. Spot was entered in Master both days and I entered Shelby in IQ Sunday morning just for the heck of it.

On Saturday, Spot was in the first brace with Buzz, a border terrier. The walk up went well, they both hunted together and Spot found the scent line on the way up. When we got to the tunnel, both dogs were ranging around and Buzz marked first. Once Buzz was picked up, Spot ran over and marked. He barked twice and the judge said, that's a good mark, pick him up. I was really surprised because a lot of judges want the dog to mark for a while and be really vocal. Also, Spot didn't stay at the mark, he left to come to me and be picked up, which I think some judges would fail.

Buzz worked first and Spot had to honor. Buzz actually wouldn't go into the tunnel. Spot was good at honoring, just barking a little bit. When it was time for Spot to work he went right in and got to the rats in about 20 seconds. He worked like a champ, and when it was time to take him out, the judge removed the cover, which I wasn't expecting, so I wasn't quite ready. Of course, he backed up, and wouldn't come out. Instead he backed up all the way to the entrance! the judge said the whole run was perfect up until that point and he would have passed if he had come out.

On Sunday, Spot was in the third brace with Phoebe, a female fox terrier who already had her ME title, but was going for the EE title, which is Q'ing in ME and SE in the same day. The walk up went well, Spot was hanging back a little more than on Saturday. He likes to run ahead, then stop and look back, then come to me, then run ahead again. Judges generally like this when the dog checks in on his own. I did have to call him back to check the false den, which was no problem. When we got to the tunnel, Phoebe was checking out around where the rats were, while Spot was checking out the whole tunnel. Well, the cover to where the dog gets taken out was left off the tunnel, so Spot went in! There was a momentary panic as the rat steward ran to where the rats were to make sure Spot didn't get to them from the other side. He was actually at the exit and was stuck because it was barred. So I went over and let him out, and then he was able to mark and did a nice job. He was a little noisy on the honor, getting excited when Phoebe was vocal, but not too bad.

Then Spot got to work the tunnel. He went right in and came out the exit, turned around and got to the rats. He worked the rats for 90 seconds, barking and digging, and then it was time to take him out. This time I opened the cover, and he backed up, but then came forward again and I was able to grab his scruff. I praised him a bit and let him work for a second, and the judge was telling me to get him out because I was running out of time. So I pulled him out, and we Q'd! So now we just need 1 more leg.

Shelby was entered in IQ on Sunday. I just wanted to see what she would do. I went in and I put her down and he nose picked up the scent right away. She followed it right to the tunnel and stuck her head in and then went in. I was optimistic, but then she came back out. She was scenting around, obviously interested, but not wanting to go in the dark tunnel. I went up and encouraged her, and she went in again, but even with the judge rattling the cage, she wouldn't go all the way. That's ok, I was encouraged that she followed the scent in. We just need to work on the corner.

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Spot shines at Bo Gee CPE trial

On Saturday, Spot was entered in the Bo Gee CPE trial in Deerfield, NH. He was entered in Jumpers, Snooker, Jackpot and FullHouse. He Qd in all 4, got 51 points in Snooker, 2 first places, and 1 second place. It was a great day!

Jumpers was first, and of course Spot was excited. He was fast off the start, but held his stay while I lead out. The course was pretty easy. Spot had a couple of jumps he ran around, but I was able to call him back and we finished the course under time. However, we were the slowest, so we got a Q but didn't place. Ok with me!

Next was Snooker. This was an awesome course because the 7 obstacle was a tunnel. So I did the 7 tunnel 3 times, and we finished the entire closing, earning 51 points out of a possible 51, getting a Q and first place. It was a thing of beauty if I do say so myself. I really planned well, calling him out of the tunnel each time, and calling him around the jumps so his turns would be tighter. He listened to me, did a great contact on the dog walk, did the tire twice correctly, and the only bobble was coming out of the 7 tunnel in the closing, I didn't get ahead enough and we almost collided on the way to the table. I need to check the scores once they are posted to see how many others were able to get 51 points. :-)

Then came Jackpot. It was a standard Jackpot, with the gamble being jump, tunnel, jump, table. There was a tunnel under the dog walk, and that was worth 7 points the first time, so I took advantage of that. I started with a single jump, then the double, then the tunnel once and then back again, then another jump, then the 7 point tunnel, then a 5 point combo, then the tunnel under the dog walk again. Then the whistle for the gamble blew, and we were in a great position for me to send away to the jump, then the tunnel, then I called him towards me out of the tunnel so I could send away to the second jump and then the table.

Last class of the day for us was Full House. It was pretty hot by then, so I wanted to make it as easy as possible for Spot, and planned a course with a lot of tunnels. There were 3 tunnels on the course and I did 2 of them twice. Also, there was supposed to be a triple as a joker, but they just used the double instead, so I used that instead of the A frame or dog walk. I did a single jump, then a tunnel twice, then the double as my joker, then another tunnel twice, then three single jumps, then a tunnel again, and then one more jump as I headed to the table. We ended up with 25 points, which is enough for level 4,5 C, so I consider that a success!

Overall the day was a huge success. I don't know if it's because Spot is so bomb-proof that nothing bothers him, or that I have more experience and can keep my head on course, but we are doing really well. Spot loves doing agility, but he's not so hyped up while he's waiting that he loses his edge. He's ok if we have to wait a little bit, and he's ok if I don't have food. He's happy just being with me and getting attention. I hope that he stays healthy and we can play agility for a couple more years.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Opening the Gardner site for GBAEC

Today we opened up the Gardner Fish and Game Club site for earthdog season. I seriously did not want to get up and get there this morning. It was rainy and cold, only 40 degrees. I didn't bring the dogs because I figured I would be dying to get out of there ASAP because I wasn't expecting too many workers to attend.

It actually wasn't that bad. There were about 20 people there to help, and the work went quickly. I helped put in Master and then finessed Junior. It only took about 90 minutes. Then I stayed and helped train Senior.

In hindsight, I should have at least taken Spot. He doesn't like to get wet, but it wasn't raining too hard and I think he would have enjoyed it. I was worried we would have to wait around to do training, but that went fast too.

Oh well. Next training day is in a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping the weather will be better.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Spot Was an A** Last Night

Spot had agility class last night and was a total jerk. So much so that I was tempted to just leave, except I didn't want to waste the money.

We were warming up and everything was ok, and then he pooped. He tried to poop on the A Frame, but thankfully I caught him in time. That alone is not such a big deal-poop happens.

But all night he was sniffing the floor, pulling on the leash, and not paying attention to me at all. We did a jump grid and he would not get set up. He just kept running around. We were trying to work ow weave poles and he kept going over to the teeter instead. If Shelby had been there I would have put Spot away and worked Shelby instead.

At the end of the night we ran a course and that actually went well.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Bo Gee Trial at American K9 Country

On Friday, I took the day off and entered Spot in the Bo Gee trial at American K9 Country in Amherst, NH. There were 2 classes offered: Jumpers and Jackpot. Spot was entered in level 2 Jumpers and level 1 Jackpot.

Due to some crazy circumstances, I got really lost on the way there and was late, but thankfully there were running Jumpers tall to small, and level 345C, then 1-2. So we had a little bit of time to walk around before I walked the course and got Spot ready. He was a little crazy, so I wasn't sure how we would do.

The jumpers course opened with 3 jumps in a row, then a left turn to a double, 2 jumps, then a tunnel. Then 2 jumps to another tunnel, 2 more jumps and ending with a tunnel. I was able to lead out to the 3rd jump, but then Spot ignored jump 4 and decided to go exploring! I called him back, and did a rear cross between 5 and 6 to the tunnel, then he did fine with the next 2 jumps and the tunnel. I did a landing side front cross after jump 11, calling his name while he was in the tunnel, and it worked well to get him headed in the right direction coming out of the tunnel. Then it was easy 2 jumps and ending with the tunnel. Spot Qd and got 1st place!

Then luckily, Jackpot was all levels together, small to big. So we had time to cool down, I put Spot back in the car while they changed the course, and then the briefing. It was a non-traditional jackpot, so people had a ton of questions. The jackpot was a 2-part combination. You had to do jump/tunnel on one side, then the same thing on the other side. You had a choice of distance lines. The first line had both the jump and tunnel behind it, and that was worth 20 points. The second line only had the tunnel behind it and was worth 15 points. You could do the jackpot at any time during your run and didn't have to do them consecutively.

Spot needed 32 points to qualify. My plan was jump, A frame, double, dogwalk, jump, jump, jackpot 1, jump, jackpot 2 (for 15 points), then table. Spot ended up missing on of the jumps after the 1st half of the jackpot, so I added a tire at the end for 3points. We Qd with 35 points and got 1st place!

Overall it turned into a good day, even though it started out horribly. Spot just needs 1 level 1 snooker to finish his level 1 title!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Spot gets his level 1 Fun Games title at All Dog's Gym

Today Spot was entered in the CPE trial at All Dog's Gym in Manchester, NH. He was entered in Jumpers, Snooker and Fullhouse-all level 1. This was my first trial at All Dog's and I have to say I think it is my favorite indoor trial facility. It it only 45 minutes from home, and is large and bright.

The first class of the day was Jumpers and Spot was I think the 4th dog. So we were a little excited!
Here is the Jumpers course map:
























We started out ok, but after the #5 tunnel, Spot missed the double at 7 and then the jump after at 8. I put in a rear cross between 9 and 10, and then the pinwheel was good, but in the ending, Spot got ahead and missed 15, so we had to come back around. Overall, the main issue was that he was very fast and I didn't get cues to him fast enough so he would run past the jump. But he was very obedient and I was able to call him back each time, without any backjumps, so we had no faults! Also I was very happy that he set up for me and did a nice rear cross, which have been tricky in class.

Here is the video of our run:


Snooker was not so bad. The course was challenging. Here is the original course:
























At the start, Spot saw himself in the mirror and ran over to see it. He came right back, but that used up time. I had a pretty good flowing course, but could have maximized points better. The course wrapped around itself a couple times, and both 4 and 5 were combo obstacles. Our plan was red, then a combo jump and tunnel (5), then red, then tire (7), but Spot decided to do tunnel, so I had to go along with it for 4 points, then red, then 4 again, then the closing, 2 and 3 and then the buzzer...We were 5 points short from a Q. I should have tried to use the 6 instead of the 4 combo, and maybe we would have made it. Oh well, other than going off course to 4, Spot followed cues really well and I was actually able to get ahead at a couple points.

Here is my intended course lined in red:




























Here is my actual course in green:


























The third class was Fullhouse. Here is the course map:

























Spot needed 19 points, plus one 5 point obstacle (in this case a 2-jump combo, double or weaves) 2 tunnels or tires, and three single jumps. Once again, Spot did a really good set up. He was distracted my the mirror, but I got his attention and held it and was able to lead out one jump. My plan was jump (1), combo jump (5), tire (3), jump (1), double (5), tunnel (3), jump (1), jump (1), tunnel (1), jump (1), tire (3), table. Spot did really well, doing a rear cross at the first tire, then he ran around the double and I had to get him back, and be careful since it was not bidirectional. That went fine and we coninued on, then he skipped the jump before the tire, but I kept going because I didn't need to points, and then he ran past the tire, but I called him back and then we went to the table before the whistle. Turns out we went to the table half a second before the whistle would have blown, so the timing was great.

Here is the intended course in red and our actual course lined in green:























Here is the video of our Fullhouse run:

Our runs weren't perfect, but we had good progress on things like set up and rear crosses, so I'm very happy with today.

Friday, February 05, 2010

Spot and Shelby at Harvard Canine Cognition Lab

Today I took a vacation day and brought Spot and Shelby to Harvard's Canine Cognition Lab. They have both been once before, but this time was for different experiments. They each did 2 different ones today.

The first experiment had Spot and Shelby in front of a set up almost like a puppet show theater. It was a black wall with a section that opened up to show the experimenter in a scene. The scene was the person, an object on the left and one on the right. The experimenter would choose one object each time and they videotaped to time how long the dog looked at each scene. The objective was to see if the dog would recognize that the person was making a choice and also notice if after making the same choice several times, would notice a change in the choice. This is a test they also do with human infants to see if they intent and goals. I think Spot paid more attention in this one. For some reason, Shelby was very anxious and whined the whole time. I've never seen that behavior before.

Next we moved on to an experiement to see if a dog would interpret actions of a 2D projected person the same way they would a real person. The experimenter first had me hold Spot or Shelby facing them, and they showed the dog they had a treat and would put it in one of two cups. Then I would release the dog and see if they went to the correct cup. They also tried it where the dog couldn't tell which cup the treat was in, but the person pointed to it, and then I released the dog to see if they could go to the correct cup. Then we did the same thing, except the experimenter was an image projected on the wall. Shelby had a little bit of a problem because she knew the experimenter had the actual treats, so she kept focusing on him, and I had trouble turning her around to face the wall. Spot did really well on this test. He was very enthusiastic and reacted to the 3D and 2D experimenters the same way, including barking at them!

Diagonal Jump Grids

Thursday night we worked jump grids again, but this time on a diagonal. I learned that Spot has no idea about what lead leg to use when.

When doing the diagonal grid, the dog should naturally want to use the lead leg on the inside. Spot did an extra step after the first jump a couple of times to get on the correct lead. Other than that, he had no problem with it. Well, except for set up. Spot doesn't really like to set up between my legs. Shelby will push her way between your legs without even asking. Not sure why Spot doesn't like it. I may break out the chicken and practice this weekend. I want to have something worked out for next Saturday.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

More jump grids for Spot

In Thursday's class, Spot was the only one there! The weather was iffy and traffic horrible, so I was 15 minutes late.

We warmed up, did some contacts and some weaves. We did 2 sets of 2x2s, and he did very well. He's definitely improving.

Then we did some jump grids. First we did a 2 jump grid with a single and a double, which we raised and lowered. Then we tried some with me running with him, which he did fine with.

Then we did a 5 jump grid, starting out all at the same level, then changing the height of every other one higher, then back down. I also did some running with him on this one.

Finally we did a grid with 5 jumps. The first 4 jumps stayed the same distance away from each other, but the fifth jump we moved closer and then further away. This was to teach him to evaluate distance and figure out how to determine a set point. We also wanted to see how much of a distance he could bounce jump. We got it to about 12 feet.

Overall Spot did very well. He's a natural jumper. He actually would sometimes not wait for me to give the ok. He would self release and take all the jumps.

The next step will be setting up turns.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Serpentining the tunnel

So in Spot's class on Thursday we worked on some serpentine handling. We worked on serpentining the tunnel entrance and exit. I don't think I've done that with a tunnel before. I've done it with the A frame or dogwalk. So we had to send the dog to the tunnel, then call and feed with the outside hand, then send again and throw the reward toy. The timing was hard! But Spot got it.

We also worked on weaves again. I used 2 sets of 2x2 poles. Both pretty open. Spot did better than I thought. I tried not to send to the poles, but instead position myself so that he would take the poles on his own. Surprisingly he did better on the right, which is the off side. I'm happy that he is making progress. If he can get weaves, I can enter him in level 2 standard.

We also did the jump grid again. Spot did some grids with jumps at various heights so he could work on collection. He loves to jump, so much that I had to have him held back at the start. He has some good form, I think part is natural and part is from flyball, which we did a few years ago.

I sent in 2 entry forms for upcoming trials. I am hoping to get into the trial Feb 13th at All Dogs Gym in Manchester and the Bo Gee trial at American K9 Country in Amherst. But All Dogs is always tough, and I messed up sending in the Bo Gee entry. I sent it in postmarked by the 18th, but they were doing first received by the 18th. I only entered the Friday classes, so hopefully I will get in!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Spot agility January 14th

So, Spot had agility class last Thursday. I decided not to take Shelby, since she doesn't have any competitions coming up, and hopefully Spot will get into either the next All Dogs trial or Bo Gee trial.

This class we did some work on weave poles. Spot isn't great at them. He could do 6 poles if they were open. When we closed up the first set, he missed them and went to the second set. He gets so hyped up, it's like he just doesn't see them. It doesn't help that we don't work on them at home, but I just don't have enough space.

Next we did a jump grid. This is where you set up 4 jumps at a low height in order to encourage the dog to bounce through them. This means landing and taking off right away without a step in between. Like flyball jumping. This helps the dog learn their optimal take off point and learn how to jump more efficiently. The first time we tried it, we had 2 jumps. Well, Spot took off and jumped both at once! Once he understood, he did really well. He had no problem with 4 jumps. Some dogs don't plan well, and by the time they get to the 4th jump, they are off balance.

Then at the end we did a small sequence. Part of the sequence was a rear cross. I feel like Spot's rear crosses are suffering the longer we train. Like before, he just charged ahead and didn't care, but now he's actually paying attention, so he sticks with me. So I need to do some rewarding for going ahead.

Monday, January 04, 2010

Bissell MVP Contest is starting

Bissell is starting their MVP contest again. You can enter a photo of your dog each week, and then people vote. Your dog could end up on the packaging!

I entered Spot, but voting doesn't start until next week.

MVP Pet Photo Contest sponsored by BISSELL, maker of pet vacuum cleaners.

Sunday, January 03, 2010

New Year's Day Agility

Wow-can't believe I haven't posted in a month! We had a little break from agility class, but New Year's Day Spot and Shelby both had a session.

In Spot's class, we are up to running courses of 16-20 obstacles now. It feels weird because to me he is still a beginner! The course we did opened with 2 jumps in a row, then a jump diagonal to the right, then left to the A frame. I opted to handle it on the right, and call Spot to me, then send over the jump and handle the tunnel on the right. I did that rather than the front cross, because Spot is so fast, and I just don't have the timing down right. My instructor didn't really like the way I did it, because I used the Linda Mecklinburg system of calling to heel position, and I didn't cue the turn well, and Spot slid, which can be danerous. So to make it work, I ust needed to cue like a serpentine, so Spot knows the turn is coming. I did it a second time, but tried a rear cross, which Spot usually does well, but he was super slow this time.

The second section of the course was A frame to a tunnel underneath on the left, then weave poles, a jump with a 180 to the dog walk. I ran the A frame on the right, and then did a front cross to the tunnel and the weaves on the right, to the jump and dog walk. That worked fine, but my instructor suggested doing a post turn-type move off the A frame to make it easier for me to run to the other side of the A frame to get the weave poles. That did work better!

After the dog walk, it was a left turn, over 2 jumps, to a tunnel, then a 3 jumps in a pinwheel, to the final jump. I ran it so that I was past the jump after the dog walk when Spot was hitting the contact so I would be able to call him over the jump. That worked well and he held his contact. The sequence went well, until the pinwheel. I tried to send, and Spot missed the last jump. For some reason, I feel like I should send whenever posible, because it's more advanced or something...when in reality, running with the dog works better.

For Shelby's class, we had the same course, but in different order. We added a tunnel after jump 3. Then we went to the tunnel under the A frame, the A frame, then a jump, and the dog walk the opposite direction from the first class. We worked a lot on how to handle the tunnel/A frame combo, like rear crossing the tunnel, running the tunnel on the right and flipping to the A frame, front crossing the tunnel, etc. The end section was the same, so I actually skipped out, since we had been there more than 90 minutes and I had to go get ready for the party.

We talked a lot about matching your stride to the dog's stride, and I have to say, it worked. I felt like Shelby and I were more connected somehow. Like we were running the whole thing together, I wasn't sending her to go run and standing there. Shelby seemed to be having more fun too.