Saturday, November 08, 2008
Skipping School
Oops-I'm a bad mommy. I skipped class on Friday with Spot and Shelby. I was just not in the mood after driving home in the rain, through traffic, after a long week. It was much more attractive to stay in and be cozy. The dogs didn't seem to mind...
Sunday, November 02, 2008
A good class this week
Spot and Shelby both have class on Friday now, which is kind of good because it saves on gas, but it definitely makes for a long night. Spot has class from 6:30-7:30 and Shelby from 7:30-9 or 9:30 depending on when we finish.
Spot is doing well in class. Usually there are only 2 other dogs there, sometimes just 1 other. We're working on obstacle performance, targeting, working the clock and front and rear crosses. We haven't been doing weaves at all, which I need to bring up. I feel like we've taken a step back and are taking things really slowly. Spot doesn't care-he just loves going to class! He is happiest when he has a job. He was being really independent, taking the teeter without my cue-same thing with the A frame. We did work on the A frame release and throwing the toy.
Shelby is doing well in class. No hint of her disinterest from the trial 2 weeks ago. She's very excited in class, but focused. Last month I was having a so-so night and Shelby picked up on that and was having trouble with weaves. Denielle said she didn't think Shelby had independed weave performance, and I protested that she did, we were just having an off night. Plus I saw pictures from the trial and Shelby had great form. Well, last night the course had weave poles twice, 10 poles each time and Shelby did great. I rear-crossed the poles the first time and it didn't bother her, she drove to the entrance and kept her head down and did them perfectly. I was really proud of her, especially since the poles were near the gate and the other dogs were sitting right behind it. The second time we did the weaves she got all the way to the end but missed the last one, so we tried again. She got to the same spot and just stopped and looked at me, so I stood there and looked back! Finally I gave her a hand signal to take the final pole and she did it. I like to let her think about what to do before I step in. One surprise was some diffuculty Shelby had with the tire. She kept jumping through the side. I had to really step into the pocket and support the tire.
On Sunday I went to see Carolyn's new place in Hudson. It wasn't quite what I expected. It's a little small. Kind of long and narrow. Not sure how it would look with a full agility course set up. Supposedly there is space for an outdoor agility ring in the summer, but I didn't see it. She had demos of agility, carting and rally.
Spot is doing well in class. Usually there are only 2 other dogs there, sometimes just 1 other. We're working on obstacle performance, targeting, working the clock and front and rear crosses. We haven't been doing weaves at all, which I need to bring up. I feel like we've taken a step back and are taking things really slowly. Spot doesn't care-he just loves going to class! He is happiest when he has a job. He was being really independent, taking the teeter without my cue-same thing with the A frame. We did work on the A frame release and throwing the toy.
Shelby is doing well in class. No hint of her disinterest from the trial 2 weeks ago. She's very excited in class, but focused. Last month I was having a so-so night and Shelby picked up on that and was having trouble with weaves. Denielle said she didn't think Shelby had independed weave performance, and I protested that she did, we were just having an off night. Plus I saw pictures from the trial and Shelby had great form. Well, last night the course had weave poles twice, 10 poles each time and Shelby did great. I rear-crossed the poles the first time and it didn't bother her, she drove to the entrance and kept her head down and did them perfectly. I was really proud of her, especially since the poles were near the gate and the other dogs were sitting right behind it. The second time we did the weaves she got all the way to the end but missed the last one, so we tried again. She got to the same spot and just stopped and looked at me, so I stood there and looked back! Finally I gave her a hand signal to take the final pole and she did it. I like to let her think about what to do before I step in. One surprise was some diffuculty Shelby had with the tire. She kept jumping through the side. I had to really step into the pocket and support the tire.
On Sunday I went to see Carolyn's new place in Hudson. It wasn't quite what I expected. It's a little small. Kind of long and narrow. Not sure how it would look with a full agility course set up. Supposedly there is space for an outdoor agility ring in the summer, but I didn't see it. She had demos of agility, carting and rally.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
NETC Earthdog Fun Day
Today I took Spot to Glencoe Farm in Plainville, MA for the New England Terrier Club Earthdog fun day. I was excited because they were offering a non-sanctioned test including Masters level. Spot finished his Senior title in August. We had never tried Master and I thought this would be a good opportunity to try him out.
The rules for Master are that the dogs are tested in a brace, which means 2 dogs at a time. The first part of the test is the "walk up." The two owners walk with the judge and the two dogs off leash through the woods on a pre-determined path that has been scented in a few areas and has one false den. Your dog must show that they are hunting by ranging in front, behind and along side the trail, sniffing and investigating. You must also be able to call the dog back to have them check areas you indicate. The dog must investigate the false den.
When you reach the tunnel, the dog needs to find the entrance and mark. The rats are placed behind bars at the entrance of the tunnel. Once both dogs have marked the entrance, the first dog is allowed to enter the tunnel while the second dog is tethered and required to "honor" the working dog. After the first dog finishes, they switch places.
The Master tunnel has a couple extra obstacles. It has a constriction which makes the tunnel narrower for a short section and it has a roller, which the dog has to crawl over. The dog has 90 seconds to reach the rats and then has to work the rats for 90 seconds. Then you have 15 seconds to remove the dog from the tunnel.
Spot did really well at the fun day. He stayed with the group, while investigating the area and hunting with the other dog. He came when I called and investigated the false den when I pointed it out. The only weird thing was that when we exited the woods into the field where the tunnel was Spot stayed really close and I had to tell him to go look for rats. He was second to mark the tunnel so he had to honor first. That was tough for him. He was barking and I had to give him treats, which wouldn't be allowed in a real test. Once he entered the tunnel he had no problem finding the rats in time. He worked the full 90 seconds. The only hitch was removing him from the tunnel. He backed up when the cover was removed and it took me 19 seconds to remove him. Overall not too bad for the first time and he had a lot of fun. Hopefully we will be able to practice a bit in the Spring.
The rules for Master are that the dogs are tested in a brace, which means 2 dogs at a time. The first part of the test is the "walk up." The two owners walk with the judge and the two dogs off leash through the woods on a pre-determined path that has been scented in a few areas and has one false den. Your dog must show that they are hunting by ranging in front, behind and along side the trail, sniffing and investigating. You must also be able to call the dog back to have them check areas you indicate. The dog must investigate the false den.
When you reach the tunnel, the dog needs to find the entrance and mark. The rats are placed behind bars at the entrance of the tunnel. Once both dogs have marked the entrance, the first dog is allowed to enter the tunnel while the second dog is tethered and required to "honor" the working dog. After the first dog finishes, they switch places.
The Master tunnel has a couple extra obstacles. It has a constriction which makes the tunnel narrower for a short section and it has a roller, which the dog has to crawl over. The dog has 90 seconds to reach the rats and then has to work the rats for 90 seconds. Then you have 15 seconds to remove the dog from the tunnel.
Spot did really well at the fun day. He stayed with the group, while investigating the area and hunting with the other dog. He came when I called and investigated the false den when I pointed it out. The only weird thing was that when we exited the woods into the field where the tunnel was Spot stayed really close and I had to tell him to go look for rats. He was second to mark the tunnel so he had to honor first. That was tough for him. He was barking and I had to give him treats, which wouldn't be allowed in a real test. Once he entered the tunnel he had no problem finding the rats in time. He worked the full 90 seconds. The only hitch was removing him from the tunnel. He backed up when the cover was removed and it took me 19 seconds to remove him. Overall not too bad for the first time and he had a lot of fun. Hopefully we will be able to practice a bit in the Spring.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Worst...Weekend...Ever
It's been a while since I posted. September is a really busy month and I had to take time off from agility.
This weekend I entered Shelby in the Bo Gee CPE trail in Deerfield NH. On Sat we were entered in Jumpers, Snooker, Jackpot, and 2 rounds of Standard.
The temperature when I arrived Saturday morning was 31! Brrr. I had my Winter hat, gloves and scarf on for the first walk.
Jumpers started out ok. Shelby went wide at a turn and I had to call her back. We got going again and were going pretty fast and she got ahead of me and ran around a jump. When I called her back she backjumped it. So we had one off course, but we got a Q and 4th place.
I was excited for Snooker. It was an interesting course. We got 1 red, the tunnel, second red and the Shelby took a pee on the course. That was a first for me.
Jackpot was next. Shelby wasn't really feeling it. I had to cheerlead her through the course. I just tried to keep in front hoping it would motivate her to keep up. It worked pretty well. When it came to the gamble it was jump, tunnel, jump, table. She did the jump but blew past the tunnel. I called her back and she got it and got the table, but we were over maximum time by 5 seconds. That really sucked because it was a short opening of only 30 seconds, rather than the possible 35. So we could have Q'd if we had just a little more time. We did get 3rd place.
Then came Standard Round 1. Again Shelby was slow and I was the head cheerleader. I really had to work hard to get her around the course. The A frame was super slow, the teeter was super slow. Our time was almost 90 seconds, so no Q. Round 2 was the same thing. We were a little quicker with a course time of 78 seconds, but still too slow so no Q.
I was disappointed with the day overall, but Shelby worked with me and paid attention. She just wasn't very motivated.
On Sunday we were entered in Standard, Jackpot, Fullhouse and Snooker. Our Standard run was crazy. Shelby missed contacts, ran around jumps, etc. I knew she wouldn't like the opening because it was a jump to the dogwalk, which was slatless. She tends not to like that I think because it looks like a teeter when you approach head on. Yesterday she hesitated, but I encouraged her and she continued. On Sunday she started, then bailed. We kept going and I had her for a while over a few jumps and a tunnel. Then we tried the weaves 3 times and she just wasn't even really trying, so we went on. At the end she ran around the last jump and left the ring. I called her back and she backjumped it and before I could get her over the right way the whislte blew, so we had an NT.
Next was Jackpot. I had a nice course planned with 2 jumps to the A frame, which Shelby usually likes. She took the 2 jumps and then went around the A frame to see the judge, which she never does. Then I tried to get her back and she went around 2 more jumps and then into the tunnel. But then she went off again, so I called her over and picked her up and we left the ring. I was really disappointed because Shelby was mentally checked out. I felt like I was putting in 90% of the effort and she was only doing 10%.
After that I decided that since Shelby wasn't feeling like doing agility, we were going to go home. I knew it would be a lot more fun for me! I was really frustrated to the point of tears. It's so frustrating when you know you are capable of so much more than what came out on the field. And it's not because of stress or nerves, it's simply a lack of desire. I know some people will say that I just have to find a better way to motivate her, but I'm doing all I can and I don't see what else I can do. So if Shelby needs more to compete then I'm obviously not the handler for her. We entered the All Dogs trial in Nov. Not sure if we got in. If we did, I'll be interested to see how she performs there. I really hope this was just an off day.
This weekend I entered Shelby in the Bo Gee CPE trail in Deerfield NH. On Sat we were entered in Jumpers, Snooker, Jackpot, and 2 rounds of Standard.
The temperature when I arrived Saturday morning was 31! Brrr. I had my Winter hat, gloves and scarf on for the first walk.
Jumpers started out ok. Shelby went wide at a turn and I had to call her back. We got going again and were going pretty fast and she got ahead of me and ran around a jump. When I called her back she backjumped it. So we had one off course, but we got a Q and 4th place.
I was excited for Snooker. It was an interesting course. We got 1 red, the tunnel, second red and the Shelby took a pee on the course. That was a first for me.
Jackpot was next. Shelby wasn't really feeling it. I had to cheerlead her through the course. I just tried to keep in front hoping it would motivate her to keep up. It worked pretty well. When it came to the gamble it was jump, tunnel, jump, table. She did the jump but blew past the tunnel. I called her back and she got it and got the table, but we were over maximum time by 5 seconds. That really sucked because it was a short opening of only 30 seconds, rather than the possible 35. So we could have Q'd if we had just a little more time. We did get 3rd place.
Then came Standard Round 1. Again Shelby was slow and I was the head cheerleader. I really had to work hard to get her around the course. The A frame was super slow, the teeter was super slow. Our time was almost 90 seconds, so no Q. Round 2 was the same thing. We were a little quicker with a course time of 78 seconds, but still too slow so no Q.
I was disappointed with the day overall, but Shelby worked with me and paid attention. She just wasn't very motivated.
On Sunday we were entered in Standard, Jackpot, Fullhouse and Snooker. Our Standard run was crazy. Shelby missed contacts, ran around jumps, etc. I knew she wouldn't like the opening because it was a jump to the dogwalk, which was slatless. She tends not to like that I think because it looks like a teeter when you approach head on. Yesterday she hesitated, but I encouraged her and she continued. On Sunday she started, then bailed. We kept going and I had her for a while over a few jumps and a tunnel. Then we tried the weaves 3 times and she just wasn't even really trying, so we went on. At the end she ran around the last jump and left the ring. I called her back and she backjumped it and before I could get her over the right way the whislte blew, so we had an NT.
Next was Jackpot. I had a nice course planned with 2 jumps to the A frame, which Shelby usually likes. She took the 2 jumps and then went around the A frame to see the judge, which she never does. Then I tried to get her back and she went around 2 more jumps and then into the tunnel. But then she went off again, so I called her over and picked her up and we left the ring. I was really disappointed because Shelby was mentally checked out. I felt like I was putting in 90% of the effort and she was only doing 10%.
After that I decided that since Shelby wasn't feeling like doing agility, we were going to go home. I knew it would be a lot more fun for me! I was really frustrated to the point of tears. It's so frustrating when you know you are capable of so much more than what came out on the field. And it's not because of stress or nerves, it's simply a lack of desire. I know some people will say that I just have to find a better way to motivate her, but I'm doing all I can and I don't see what else I can do. So if Shelby needs more to compete then I'm obviously not the handler for her. We entered the All Dogs trial in Nov. Not sure if we got in. If we did, I'll be interested to see how she performs there. I really hope this was just an off day.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
I guess there is a benefit to the whole leash tug-thing
This is really funny video. Watch it all the way to the end. Although that lead out is pretty darn big!
I don't think I would be comfortable competing in a non-secure (fenced) ring. Luckily all our local outdoor trials at least have snow fencing and some have chain link. It looks like this one just had poles with tape, like crime scene tape. :-) I think that's the way they do it in the UK too.
I surprised stuff like this doesn't happen more often.
I don't think I would be comfortable competing in a non-secure (fenced) ring. Luckily all our local outdoor trials at least have snow fencing and some have chain link. It looks like this one just had poles with tape, like crime scene tape. :-) I think that's the way they do it in the UK too.
I surprised stuff like this doesn't happen more often.
Friday, September 05, 2008
A weavepole breakthrough for Spot
Spot is very handler-focused, which is somewhat different than Shelby who is more obstacle-focused. So I'm used to Shelby giving me more leeway as far as following my hand signals and verbal cues and knowing that she should take the next obstacle, not caring so much about exactly where I am, or my path.
Spot is super tuned-in to me, so if I don't run the right line and have to take a step out, it can pull him right off a jump. He's also very into treats, so he watches my hands closely.
I had been having a problem with the weave poles because it was like he didn't even see them. I would try to cue them with my hand, and he would run right by them, around them, etc. So then I tried putting the jackpot toy on the ground just beyond the poles and seeing if that would draw him through. That worked a little better. This is using the 2x2 method, BTW.
Last night I asked Carolyn what else I could try. She suggested not cuing at all. Just having him at my side and walking close to the poles. It worked really well! He wanted to be next to me, and he saw that the poles were there, so he did them. It only took a couple tries before he understood that he needs to go between the poles to get me to throw the jackpot toy. I practiced on the right and the left and he did pretty well.
Spot is super tuned-in to me, so if I don't run the right line and have to take a step out, it can pull him right off a jump. He's also very into treats, so he watches my hands closely.
I had been having a problem with the weave poles because it was like he didn't even see them. I would try to cue them with my hand, and he would run right by them, around them, etc. So then I tried putting the jackpot toy on the ground just beyond the poles and seeing if that would draw him through. That worked a little better. This is using the 2x2 method, BTW.
Last night I asked Carolyn what else I could try. She suggested not cuing at all. Just having him at my side and walking close to the poles. It worked really well! He wanted to be next to me, and he saw that the poles were there, so he did them. It only took a couple tries before he understood that he needs to go between the poles to get me to throw the jackpot toy. I practiced on the right and the left and he did pretty well.
Eau No!
I reached a milestone as a dog owner last night. My first dog/skunk encounter!
Around 10:45pm, Shelby asked to go out, so I opened the door and as she ran down the steps, she suddenly zoomed across the lawn and started growling. Usually that means there's a cat outside or something.
But this time she was right next to the porch, so I peered over the railing and saw the black with the white stripe and I knew immediately it was a skunk. I tried to call Shelby off, but she wasn't having it. I didn't want her to get sprayed. I didn't want to get sprayed either. Unfortunately almost immediately I smelled a nasty odor. I was just hoping it hadn't been a direct hit.
I ran inside to get my shoes and my flashlight so I could keep an eye on the skunk. Shelby had it cornered under the front stairs. When I took a look I could see it was a small skunk, not quite a baby, but not full grown either. I tried to grab Shelby, but she kept evading me, running under the stairs from side to side, barking her head off the whole time. I'm sure the neighbors were loving this.
This went on for about 15 minutes, until Shelby started getting tired. Finally I was able to grab her by the tail (thank goodness for the Parson tail handle!) and pick her up. She was definitely stinky, but not too overwhelming. Her eyes were watery, so I washed off her face. She was panting really heavily, for about 15 minutes afterwards. I was a little concerned, but she eventually calmed down.
The little skunk was very valiant. It was stomping its feet and charging at Shelby if she got close. This morning when I let the dogs out, Shelby headed directly under the porch, but thankfully the skunk was long gone. I'll be checking the yard before I let them out tonight!
Around 10:45pm, Shelby asked to go out, so I opened the door and as she ran down the steps, she suddenly zoomed across the lawn and started growling. Usually that means there's a cat outside or something.
But this time she was right next to the porch, so I peered over the railing and saw the black with the white stripe and I knew immediately it was a skunk. I tried to call Shelby off, but she wasn't having it. I didn't want her to get sprayed. I didn't want to get sprayed either. Unfortunately almost immediately I smelled a nasty odor. I was just hoping it hadn't been a direct hit.
I ran inside to get my shoes and my flashlight so I could keep an eye on the skunk. Shelby had it cornered under the front stairs. When I took a look I could see it was a small skunk, not quite a baby, but not full grown either. I tried to grab Shelby, but she kept evading me, running under the stairs from side to side, barking her head off the whole time. I'm sure the neighbors were loving this.
This went on for about 15 minutes, until Shelby started getting tired. Finally I was able to grab her by the tail (thank goodness for the Parson tail handle!) and pick her up. She was definitely stinky, but not too overwhelming. Her eyes were watery, so I washed off her face. She was panting really heavily, for about 15 minutes afterwards. I was a little concerned, but she eventually calmed down.
The little skunk was very valiant. It was stomping its feet and charging at Shelby if she got close. This morning when I let the dogs out, Shelby headed directly under the porch, but thankfully the skunk was long gone. I'll be checking the yard before I let them out tonight!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
That's what I call a sticky situation!
So, here's an example of what you expect from Parson Russell Terriers.
We were out at Holly's barn for a BBQ, and I had the dogs off leash. They were doing fine, keeping themselves occupied. They had cornered a chipmunk under the port-a-pottie and were trying to figure out where it went. Everyone was entertained by their hunting behavior.
I'm hanging out and talking, and turn around to see this:
They were covered with these little round briar-type things. All over their faces, their bodies, feet, tails, you name it. Spot wasn't too bad. We had a horse comb and they came off pretty easily. Shelby decided to rub her face on the ground and they got all tangled in her hair. I just finished getting them all out yesterday. :-)
We were out at Holly's barn for a BBQ, and I had the dogs off leash. They were doing fine, keeping themselves occupied. They had cornered a chipmunk under the port-a-pottie and were trying to figure out where it went. Everyone was entertained by their hunting behavior.
I'm hanging out and talking, and turn around to see this:
They were covered with these little round briar-type things. All over their faces, their bodies, feet, tails, you name it. Spot wasn't too bad. We had a horse comb and they came off pretty easily. Shelby decided to rub her face on the ground and they got all tangled in her hair. I just finished getting them all out yesterday. :-)
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