# Agility classes....



## agility collie mom

Just wondered how everyone's classes are going. My instructor had me run Rio without hand signals and words last night. It was awesome! He actually ran faster just by my body language!! Woo who what a feeling! Now if Savannah could only figure out that she doesn't have to hang onto Mom sleeve when doing the weave poles. She gets a little ramped. lol.


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## Laurelin

I'm going with Summer right now to our first classes. She's doing amazing and outdoing all the big herding dogs. Makes me proud. It's been loads of fun so far.


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## agility collie mom

Go fly Summer!!! I love to see the teacups run. Some of them are super fast (especially Papillions! They are great little dogs!) We have a tiny (and I mean tiny) sheltie in our class that squeaks when he does the weave poles. He is a super fast little guy.


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## Kathyy

We changed to regular class recently as my handling has really suffered just doing gamble class. It has been a blast. My instructor is young and fast and makes us RUN with the dog She doesn't like us to use directionals, only obstacle names and body language. Max adores her and even ran with her once so I could see how to reward him off the dog walk. Now if I could just conquer the dreaded front cross...........


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## Shaina

Webster's just in an introductory class...he will likely be done with formal agility for a while after it and concentrate on obedience which is, I think, more his forte. However, I think it's easier/safer to intro the dogs to some of the equipment when you have helpers, so that's why we are doing this class.

Kim's on her 4th agility class...first was a flatwork, then an obstacle intro, then starting to string together obstacles, and now approaching more of a course. Honestly, I'm really frustrated and not especially thrilled with the courses. Kim is doing well in that she enjoys it, but she suffers from my poor handling. My poor handling is mostly due to not being taught ANY handling what so ever up to this point. One instructor actually said "we'll worry about what you guys need to be doing later...we're teaching the dogs what to do first," which seems ridiculous to me.

Fortunately a few of my more experienced friends, doing a lot of reading, and applying what I do know have been helping me improve, which combined with meshing very well with Kim means I don't completely confuse my poor dog.

At least she's having fun though...since that IS the point


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## agility collie mom

I agree you have to get ahead of your dog and if your dog is fast and has a big stride it's really hard to keep up! Plus we as humans become befuddled lol!


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## Kathyy

I think it all has to go together. My invisible usually perfect dog is really lousy at wraps for instance but my physical dog does them just fine. You cannot do everything without the dog. It is fun to play around with arm postitions, facing the dog and facing away and how early your cues need to be. A lot of how the dog does this stuff is instinctual not taught. WE have to learn that stuff and it is an amazing journey.


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## Shaina

Right but I mean things like...say crosses. Kim and I did crosses because we just kind of made stuff up because we needed to switch sides. I am yet to hear the word "cross" used or any suggestions on how to go about one yet. 

Most of the classes also teach the One Indoctrinated Way of doing an obstacle. You can *do* it other ways if they respect you enough as a trainer to not demand you do it there way, but you will never get a suggestion on another way to do anything. 

No mention of body language at all until now...I had an advantage there from working with horses for years and having to learn a lot due to Kim's early issues, but there would be people essentially body-blocking their dog out of the weaves and they would just be told they need to keep saying "weave"...even though the dog didn't know what that meant.

Anyway, sorry I'll stop ranting now lol. I do actually like a few of the instructors...just not the curriculum and style of class.


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## agility collie mom

Shaina said:


> Webster's just in an introductory class...he will likely be done with formal agility for a while after it and concentrate on obedience which is, I think, more his forte. However, I think it's easier/safer to intro the dogs to some of the equipment when you have helpers, so that's why we are doing this class.
> 
> Kim's on her 4th agility class...first was a flatwork, then an obstacle intro, then starting to string together obstacles, and now approaching more of a course. Honestly, I'm really frustrated and not especially thrilled with the courses. Kim is doing well in that she enjoys it, but she suffers from my poor handling. My poor handling is mostly due to not being taught ANY handling what so ever up to this point. One instructor actually said "we'll worry about what you guys need to be doing later...we're teaching the dogs what to do first," which seems ridiculous to me.
> 
> Fortunately a few of my more experienced friends, doing a lot of reading, and applying what I do know have been helping me improve, which combined with meshing very well with Kim means I don't completely confuse my poor dog.
> 
> At least she's having fun though...since that IS the point


I understand your frustration but please don't give up. If Kim really enjoys it than move forward. It is like learning to dance sometimes you step on your partners feet! Your handling techniques will improve it just takes time. Have you ever seen any of the clean run magazines? They have some awesome practices for handling . (And you only need one jump)
http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=447


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## Shaina

agility collie mom said:


> I understand your frustration but please don't give up. If Kim really enjoys it than move forward. It is like learning to dance sometimes you step on your partners feet! Your handling techniques will improve it just takes time. Have you ever seen any of the clean run magazines? They have some awesome practices for handling . (And you only need one jump)
> http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=447


Yeah I've read a lot of Clean Run (online subscription), watched endless hours of championship dog runs, plus my usual study into learning theory...and of course, most valuable, I just love working with my dogs. I have no intention of stopping something Kim so obviously loves. We really aren't as bad as I probably am making us sound; I just have high expectations for holding up my end of the conversation. Kim can mess up, goof around, etc., and it doesn't bother me at all...generally just makes me laugh (provided she's not interfering with anyone else). 

But you asked specifically about the CLASSES and well...I'm just not impressed with them lol. The greatest value we derive from them is practice working in a high-distraction environment, which is good but not an area with which she struggles.


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## agility collie mom

Shaina said:


> Right but I mean things like...say crosses. Kim and I did crosses because we just kind of made stuff up because we needed to switch sides. I am yet to hear the word "cross" used or any suggestions on how to go about one yet.
> 
> Most of the classes also teach the One Indoctrinated Way of doing an obstacle. You can *do* it other ways if they respect you enough as a trainer to not demand you do it there way, but you will never get a suggestion on another way to do anything.
> 
> No mention of body language at all until now...I had an advantage there from working with horses for years and having to learn a lot due to Kim's early issues, but there would be people essentially body-blocking their dog out of the weaves and they would just be told they need to keep saying "weave"...even though the dog didn't know what that meant.
> 
> Anyway, sorry I'll stop ranting now lol. I do actually like a few of the instructors...just not the curriculum and style of class.


You are already ahead of the game! However not everyone in your class would understand what you see. That is why your instructors are taking it slow. Be patient they will get to the front crosses and the body language. First they have to address the really "green" beginners in your class. Watch and learn from the others mistakes in your class. Having worked with horses you will be able to pick it out. (Just like the weave poles.)


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## Shaina

Thanks for the encouragement, agility collie mom. I think we were typing at the same time for the last several posts lol.


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## agility collie mom

You're welcome! I have two instructors for my advanced classes and both of them are excellent. But they both have different teaching styles. Last week the other instructor had me using sweeping hand signals (I tend to be a little too abrupt in my hand signals). She wants me to smooth out my style. It did help immensely. While the instructor this week had me run Rio without hand signals and verbal cues. I learned some wonderful things from two great instructors. In fact my one instructor went to the nationals. He didn't win but both of his dogs did great. He is going to Sheltie nationals in Georgia. I wish him only the best of luck!!!
As far as the beginners class with Savannah this will be our third round. I know that she is just not ready. She doesn't have the focus down yet. I am willing to wait for her to figure it out. We as partners are still stepping on each others feet!! lol


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## agility collie mom

Anyone else?


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## Squeeker

We had our last class of our Novice 1 session this week, and after Easter we will be starting Novice 2. It is going SO WELL... it's starting to feel like "real agility" in that we are doing a lot more sequences. Last week we did jump-teeter-tunnel-weave-table, which was AWESOME. Libby loves the A-frame the best, and if she is feeling particularly excited she will take off and do it instead of the obstacle I indicated 

We are learning a ton of handling techniques - post turns, lead out pivots, front and rear crosses... 99.9% of the time, if Libby makes a mistake, it was my handling that was to blame because I got confused! LOL

The other dogs in our class are doing well. I'm learning a lot just from watching them. We have a border collie that is absolutely brilliant, but his handler is an older woman (60's) so he runs slowly. We have a GSP mix whose handler is awesome, but the dog lacks drive. And we have a little poo mix who is quick, but he got spooked on the teeter and hasn't recovered since... he won't do the a-frame, teeter, or dog walk at all any more.


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## Shaina

Sounds fun, Squeeker!



Squeeker said:


> And we have a little poo mix who is quick, but he got spooked on the teeter and hasn't recovered since...


That happened to Kim as well, though, during her second agility class (obstacle introduction). We are still working on recovering from it, but after a couple months she will now go over it at a low height. We're just taking it really slow to build up her confidence...one thing that helped was getting a piece of 2' x 4' plywood for home and putting it on the floor...getting her used to that. Then putting a plush toy under it, then a small ball, then a piece of pvc...etc. Just getting her used to have a moving surface under her feet in a safe, relaxing environment.


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## agility collie mom

That's why I'm taking my time with Savannah too. Rio had a really bad "fly-off" on the teeter. He is still afraid. I do not want to make the same mistake with Savannah. Right now she just loves the teeter. Just have to slow the girl down or she will end up with a fly-off and become scared too. I just figure it is easier to take small steps than to have to go back to square one. Oh well live and learn I guess.


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## Solid Mutt

Hi everyone, 

I just loved reading everyones posts and hearing how everyone is doing. I will give a quick update on Voodoo and I. I apologize for no post last week, I was filling in for someone else at work and did not get a chanceto log on here. So, last week went ok, not great. Voodoo had some focus issues but did work every obstacle for me. She actually loves the obstacles. It is just in between she loses focus. Also last week she got jumped by the GSD in our class. This dog zoned in on her and it was all over. Voodoo was fine. The woman came and got her dog. The instructor had her take her away for a few minutes and walk her. We just stayed far far away from each other. I was told this dog did it to two others the week before. Anyways, I was pretty bummed out with everything that happened last week. So all week we have worked on focus and worked on some of our make shift obstacles at home. As well as stopping at a contact point. So fast forward to this week. LOL I brought better treats - seems the ones I use at home were not working in class. LOL Voodoo was awesome. Her focus was most of the time on me. It was an incredible transformation. Even others in the class commented on it. So, we first worked the tunnel from each side. Then we moved to the chute (it was our first time at the chute) She did great. Then we moved to the jumps. I am so uncordinated. Poor Voodoo I know if I could get my cordination she would do much better. We worked on front crosses and post turns. While at the jumps the german shepherd out of no where zoned in on Voodoo and this time pinned her to the ground. She was just looking up like - Get this thing off me. She was fine and the lady got her dog. She apologized and said she normally doesn't do that. The instructor talked with her about her dog and then we got back to work. She later came and apologized again and said that her dog used to play with a neighbor dog that looks like Voodoo and that they played together for months but then her dogs lip accidentially got bit when they were playing and now she attacks that dog, so they can no longer play together. I just so oh I see and went on. I mean I was not mad or upset it happened. I understand, things happen. Voodoo is fine, what else could I do in that situation? I think I will ask to be switched groups. Any ways we moved on to the weave poles which are actually just like two rows of poles with a fair distance in between just to get them to go threw the poles. I hope that makes sense. Well at end was a jump too. I was so proud of Voodoo she ran through the poles and across the jump. The instructor came over and told me Voodoo is going to make a great agility dog. That just made my night. LOL We practiced having our dogs beside us and doing our turns. Then we moved over to practice the contact stopping at the end of a contact. The instructor then commented on how fast Voodoo will be as well. LOL It just felt so good. We have a long way to go, this is just the intro to the stuff, but we are already loving it. 

Sorry to have wrote such a long post - but THANKS for letting me share! 

P.S. One of the main issues I am having is holding the leash in the opposite hand as the dog is on. Does that make sense?


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## Kathyy

Stupid teeter! I asked Max to do a 2o2o when he isn't supposed to do one as he doesn't put his weight on his rear enough to hold the board down, sure enough the board rose up and broke his rear dewclaw. I stopped doing classes with a teeter for a year. I had just thrown out my 6' board I had had for years and years because he had always been solid on it. I built a pretty 8' teeter with PVC base and sand painted board and all.

Last night class wasn't so good. It was very windy and Max #1 gets freaked by wind, #2 we arrived late, #3 I staked him instead of crating him,#4 he was hungry as I had fed him early on Tuesday and I am sure I can come up with other excuses with time. At the end of class we ran 3 jumps in a row were supposed to stop even with the last jump and the dog was supposed to curl in to us with no cue. Mr Mama's boy couldn't do it. He is so used to all my jabbering! I am going to attempt to shut up this week when working with him at home. Oh well, I was able to move away from him while keeping pressure on to take that jump out there which was the point of the sequence we were working on. And I did a bazillion front crosses and I can walk this morning, maybe I am doing them better now.


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## Kyllobernese

My sister and I have started back on Agility training with Remmy and Mikey, our two Shih Tzu x Maltese. They had some training last fall and are doing pretty well at it. The classes we are going to we do not have an instructor but we did classes in the fall with a really good trainer. Unfortunately, her classes were a little too advanced at the time for our two and we were having to push them too hard and having to expect them to do more than they were ready for. So, we have started back just making it lots of fun for them. We can go down on our own any time and use the equipment so we have been doing that, plus going to the classes. When we go on our own, we just bring out a few pieces of equipment and practice on them, then use all the equipment at the classes when there are more people to help us set up and take down the equipment. I take Susie with me and practice with her. at the classes and on our own. They are having a Fun Trial on the 26th of this month and we are trying to get all three ready for that. I have to work on the three jumps in a row as Remmy looks to me after a jump and if I am not quick enough to signal him to carry on, he comes towards me just enough to miss the next jump. I know it is my handling because if I do it right, so does he. Also, if I don't take a pretty good lead-off on the first jump he gets past me too fast, then looks back and again misses the jump.


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## Allie3985

An aside, wouldn't it be great if we had our own forum for agility and other dog sports?  I've been trying at this for a little while so anyone who agrees should express that on the post about it under "suggestions."


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## agility collie mom

Solid Mutt said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I just loved reading everyones posts and hearing how everyone is doing. I will give a quick update on Voodoo and I. I apologize for no post last week, I was filling in for someone else at work and did not get a chanceto log on here. So, last week went ok, not great. Voodoo had some focus issues but did work every obstacle for me. She actually loves the obstacles. It is just in between she loses focus. Also last week she got jumped by the GSD in our class. This dog zoned in on her and it was all over. Voodoo was fine. The woman came and got her dog. The instructor had her take her away for a few minutes and walk her. We just stayed far far away from each other. I was told this dog did it to two others the week before. Anyways, I was pretty bummed out with everything that happened last week. So all week we have worked on focus and worked on some of our make shift obstacles at home. As well as stopping at a contact point. So fast forward to this week. LOL I brought better treats - seems the ones I use at home were not working in class. LOL Voodoo was awesome. Her focus was most of the time on me. It was an incredible transformation. Even others in the class commented on it. So, we first worked the tunnel from each side. Then we moved to the chute (it was our first time at the chute) She did great. Then we moved to the jumps. I am so uncordinated. Poor Voodoo I know if I could get my cordination she would do much better. We worked on front crosses and post turns. While at the jumps the german shepherd out of no where zoned in on Voodoo and this time pinned her to the ground. She was just looking up like - Get this thing off me. She was fine and the lady got her dog. She apologized and said she normally doesn't do that. The instructor talked with her about her dog and then we got back to work. She later came and apologized again and said that her dog used to play with a neighbor dog that looks like Voodoo and that they played together for months but then her dogs lip accidentially got bit when they were playing and now she attacks that dog, so they can no longer play together. I just so oh I see and went on. I mean I was not mad or upset it happened. I understand, things happen. Voodoo is fine, what else could I do in that situation? I think I will ask to be switched groups. Any ways we moved on to the weave poles which are actually just like two rows of poles with a fair distance in between just to get them to go threw the poles. I hope that makes sense. Well at end was a jump too. I was so proud of Voodoo she ran through the poles and across the jump. The instructor came over and told me Voodoo is going to make a great agility dog. That just made my night. LOL We practiced having our dogs beside us and doing our turns. Then we moved over to practice the contact stopping at the end of a contact. The instructor then commented on how fast Voodoo will be as well. LOL It just felt so good. We have a long way to go, this is just the intro to the stuff, but we are already loving it.
> 
> Sorry to have wrote such a long post - but THANKS for letting me share!
> 
> P.S. One of the main issues I am having is holding the leash in the opposite hand as the dog is on. Does that make sense?


Sorry to hear that Voodoo was attacked. Glad she is ok. Yes it is very awkward to work from the right side of your dog (both for human and dog). When you practice at home work on the right side twice as long as the left to get comfortable. It will come but it takes awhile. Can't tell you how many times I tripped over Rio when we were learning!


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## terryjeanne

I could be off base, but if my dog was attacked twice at agility, I'd be complaining about the other dog being in my class. I've been in agility lessons for about a year and have come across the occasional dog that will come over to see Breeze, but the owner is quick to call their dog and I step in between. 

I've been very happy that the dogs we have in our classes have to pass a couple levels of obedience first, so the owners do have a good grasp of recall and focus.


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## lizalots

Sierra's first class was supposed to start Thursday night. Spike started Wednesday with obedience and it was nice out. Then on Thursday it started to RAIN!!  The weather has been SUPER nice for a month now and all of the sudden we get a storm come through!! What horrible timing!

So they cancelled class and we start next Thursday if the weather is better. I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO bummed!!!


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## agility collie mom

Hey Solid mutt.
How many dogs are in Voodoo's class? Is there a barrier between dog's waiting to run and the training area?

Lizalots,
I wish you sunny days on Thursdays!!! We are suppose to have some outdoor classes this year. I hope so because it would be fun to have a lot of room to run.


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## melgrj7

Lloyd and I aren't taking an offical agility class, but we worked in an advanced II class that does some agility, as well as obedience stuff. We jumped in on the 3rd week so the other dogs had already had more training than Lloyd in this stuff, but Lloyd picked up on it quickly and did really well. He went over the dog walk, A frame, jumps, broad jump pause box, did the tunnel and the tire jump. We also did all of those in a sequence and we both did really well. Lloyd and I are pretty good at understanding each other so I think that helped. 

I got "yelled at" (not really) for not going fast enough but I was concentrating on trying to keep my shoulders straight and directing Lloyd properly. I was also tired because I had already assisted in 3 classes prior to this one. In the mean time Lloyd was doing circles at the end of obstacles waiting for me I guess, lol. We did the dog walk, to the tunnel, through the tire, over the A frame, to the pause box, then over the broad jump, then over 3 regular jumps that were horizontal to each other so he went over one, then I had to push him out far enough so he could come at the 2nd one properly, then he had to pass in front of me to go over the 3rd.

The instructor told me we did better than the other dogs, some of who had taken the class a few times. That made me proud I need to work with Lloyd on not jumping up to me as much, though I think that will stop if I move faster. It used to be a problem when I started jogging with him, he would jump up on me and he was doing it while we were going through the little sequence. At least he wasn't grabbing my clothes like he did when I had first started jogging with him. I was suprised Lloyd did so well because he doesn't seem like a very agile dog! 

I'm thinking of doing the actual agility class with him, we will see! My coworker instructs the agility classes so it might be weird, but might not.


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## Jenna09

I have gone with Fibi to 2 beginner agility classes so far and we both have had a great time!

So far we have learned stretches and been testing out all of the equipment. We were also taught the first week "left" and "right" turns and "target" to practice at home for the next few weeks.

Fibi is the smallest dog in class so she gets alot of attention. Some of the equipment she is hesitant to try out (the A-Frame and the shoot) but once she has done it and isnt scared anymore shes trying to butt in line to get another turn!!! 

Overall all of the dogs in class are well socialized and behave greatly. And I really like the instructor. No messing around just getting straight to business!

Jenna


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## agility collie mom

My instructors don't teach right or left. I asked why and the reason they gave is that depending on what side of the dog you are on determines what direction you say. Agility just happens too quickly and you can mistakenly tell your dog to go right when you should have said left. Better to turn the dog with hand signals or body language. So I never taught my dogs right or left. And I have never needed it. imo.

Sorry just reread your post and I see that you did not say that you were teaching verbal commands of right and left. So sorry my mistake.


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## Allie3985

agility collie mom said:


> My instructors don't teach right or left. I asked why and the reason they gave is that depending on what side of the dog you are on determines what direction you say. Agility just happens too quickly and you can mistakenly tell your dog to go right when you should have said left. Better to turn the dog with hand signals or body language. So I never taught my dogs right or left. And I have never needed it. imo.
> 
> Sorry just reread your post and I see that you did not say that you were teaching verbal commands of right and left. So sorry my mistake.


Lol I wish I was a good enough handler to be able to yell "left" or "right" in the heat of the moment and not follow up with "oops, sorry dog, I mean the other way!" I was taught left and right in class but have NEVER used them. Way to hard for me anyway!


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## Kathyy

I taught Max left and right and he hates that I don't use it. If I manage to get out the words he does it so snappy! Heat of the moment is rehearsed during the walk through. I say the words as I walk thinking about exactly where he is and if he is committed to the obstacle yet.


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## Crazy for Collies

I have taught Angel 'right' and 'left' and use them both in trials and in training. She responds really well to them...

I have been trialling in agility for about 7 months, but am still taking handling classes and such. The classes (and the trialling) are going really well! Angel is having a blast with agility and so am I! Here's a video of our most recent trial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kGCG3lFxeY


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## Lonewolfblue

agility collie mom said:


> I agree you have to get ahead of your dog and if your dog is fast and has a big stride it's really hard to keep up! Plus we as humans become befuddled lol!


Keep up with a Border Collie??? hehehe.........

Looks like they re-arranged the class hours so now we can go to Agility I. I can't wait to get signed up. We still have a couple more weeks of the current classes to finish up, and the next go-around, we will be doing Agility I on Thursday nights at 7pm, which works well for my schedule. Wished it was 7:30pm, would give me a little more time to prep after work and take her out for a little frisbee to get the edge off, but I think we will be fine. They are combining Agility I and II, as they don't have enough students, so I'll get to move from one to the next in the same class.



agility collie mom said:


> Yes it is very awkward to work from the right side of your dog (both for human and dog). When you practice at home work on the right side twice as long as the left to get comfortable. It will come but it takes awhile. Can't tell you how many times I tripped over Rio when we were learning!



I haven't had that issue with Nell, as she works on either side just as well, as long as she can see me and what hand signals I'm giving her. But Chloe on the other hand, prefers to be on my left. I can get her on the right side, but then occasionally stops, turns, and gets on my left side, lol.



Crazy for Collies said:


> I have taught Angel 'right' and 'left' and use them both in trials and in training. She responds really well to them...
> 
> I have been trialling in agility for about 7 months, but am still taking handling classes and such. The classes (and the trialling) are going really well! Angel is having a blast with agility and so am I! Here's a video of our most recent trial:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kGCG3lFxeY


Awsome video. Can't wait to get into it and finally doing Agility I. It's been a long enough wait, bugging the kennel club to change some of the class times so I can continue, and they are finally doing it. Will be starting up once this round of classes finish up.


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## agility collie mom

Crazy for Collies said:


> I have taught Angel 'right' and 'left' and use them both in trials and in training. She responds really well to them...
> 
> I have been trialling in agility for about 7 months, but am still taking handling classes and such. The classes (and the trialling) are going really well! Angel is having a blast with agility and so am I! Here's a video of our most recent trial:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kGCG3lFxeY


Beautiful handling. Angel was brilliant! Congratulations.


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> Sorry to hear that Voodoo was attacked. Glad she is ok. Yes it is very awkward to work from the right side of your dog (both for human and dog). When you practice at home work on the right side twice as long as the left to get comfortable. It will come but it takes awhile. Can't tell you how many times I tripped over Rio when we were learning!


Thanks Agility Collie Mom! I have been doing lots of practice at home. LOL Well not to much to wear her out, but you know what I mean.  We will get there, I just have to get more cordinated. LOL You would think after riding and showing horses since I was a youngster that I would have more cordination. LOL But, this dog stuff is definitely different. LOL And LOTS of fun!



agility collie mom said:


> Hey Solid mutt.
> How many dogs are in Voodoo's class? Is there a barrier between dog's waiting to run and the training area?
> 
> Sorry I have not signed on over the weekend. I had a terrible migraine and then with Easter I normally am not on on the weekends. There are 16 in the class and we are divided into two groups. As for our groupls we are just in the Intro classs and we are all still on leash. So, we wait our turn on the obstacle we are working. But, like the weave poles, chutes and etc we let teh leash go when they enter the obstacle and that is when the GS zones in and runs at Voodoo. It is like in the blink of an eye literally. The instructors did talk with her, and I believe that they are moving the GS to the other group. Although I feel bad that is the smaller group that GS may eat one of them for a snack in between obstacles. LOL
> 
> 
> 
> terryjeanne said:
> 
> 
> 
> I could be off base, but if my dog was attacked twice at agility, I'd be complaining about the other dog being in my class. I've been in agility lessons for about a year and have come across the occasional dog that will come over to see Breeze, but the owner is quick to call their dog and I step in between.
> 
> I've been very happy that the dogs we have in our classes have to pass a couple levels of obedience first, so the owners do have a good grasp of recall and focus.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, they have spoken with the owner and I have been told that they are planning to put her in the other group and see how it goes. So, I guess we will see on Wednesday. I probably should complain. I am just very quite and laid back. If something had happened to Voodoo I would have been LIVID but since she was ok and they got the dog I was fine. I hate to cause any issues. So, I guess we will just see how the next class goes.
Click to expand...


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## agility collie mom

Solid Mutt,
Sounds like the GS is not ready for agility classes. At least not in a group setting. Someone's dog is bound to get hurt. Sixteen dogs, how many instructors?


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## MyCharlie

I'm in a lull right now. I've decided to stop doing agility with Charlie because of his teeter issues, which then spreads (of course) to the other contacts. 

I'll work with him and he'll get better and do all the contacts, teeter too, but then he'll have a brain fart (I would guess it's more someething I'm doing though) and won't wait for the teeter to tip, fly off, and then we're back at square one. I know we can work through it, but I just don't have the time or patience. He has just as much (or more) fun playing at the dog park, and it's free! So I'm pretty sure we're done.

But I have Kaya signed up for beginner classes!! They don't start until June, though, so pretty soon I will start working on commands ("center" and targeting, etc.) and basic "race me, chase me" and stuff to get her ready. She is a much less fearful dog than Charlie so I am excited to see what she can do!

ETA: Shaina, I totally understand where you are coming from! I'm a very analytical person and want to know what I'm doing and why before I get started. So I would be frustrated too! Our instructor is VERY body language oriented and amazes me with little tips she gives that make a world of difference.


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> Solid Mutt,
> Sounds like the GS is not ready for agility classes. At least not in a group setting. Someone's dog is bound to get hurt. Sixteen dogs, how many instructors?


I agree with you. The owners says that her dog is normally great with other dogs. But, she came after mine twice - because it looks like the neighbor dog. LOL I am not sure what the reasons were for it going after the two other dogs in our first class. I have been told they plan to switch her groups so we shall see tomorrow. I will be sure to keep you all posted. There are two instructors and a couple helpers.


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## Kyllobernese

We have the same problem in our Agility class with a German Shepherd going after our little dogs. The owner just keeps saying, Oh, she just wants to play but I think they should be under enough control that they should not bother the other dogs. Remmy got attacked by an English Cocker in one of our classes, made him let out a squeak when it pinned him down. Luckily he is brave enough that it did not bother him. Later while I was running the course, it got loose again and went after him but I was able to block it before it got to him. Our biggest problem in the classes is dogs "peeing" in the tunnels or on the obstacles. It makes it really hard for the rest of the dogs, especially the males as we don't want them to copy it. We are going to take the equipment and steam clean it but that does not help if they do it again.


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## Shaina

MyCharlie said:


> ETA: Shaina, I totally understand where you are coming from! I'm a very analytical person and want to know what I'm doing and why before I get started. So I would be frustrated too! Our instructor is VERY body language oriented and amazes me with little tips she gives that make a world of difference.


LOL glad we're on the same page...sounds like you are getting the instruction you want though 

My class is getting somewhat better in terms of handling instruction...there's hope!


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## MyCharlie

Kyllobernese, do you guys pour water on the area immediately after it's peed on? We don't seem to have much peeing problems but we have buckets of water all around the course and dump a bunch on the area as soon as it happens. 

Now that I think of it - are your classes outside or inside? How do you guys handle peeing if it's inside?



Shaina said:


> My class is getting somewhat better in terms of handling instruction...there's hope!


Glad to hear it!


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## Shaina

MyCharlie said:


> Now that I think of it - are your classes outside or inside? How do you guys handle peeing if it's inside?


Ours are inside. We haven't had any problems with accidents, but we have mop bucket on hand with two sprays bottles...one diluted vinegar, one Nature's Miracle, in the event of an incident.

The puppy classes make good use of it 

Honestly any dog that repeated marked/had accidents or who was harassing other dogs would be asked to leave. Or rather, their handler would be with the assumption they'd take the dog along.


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## Kyllobernese

The big problem is two dogs that pee in the tunnels. The one was told last week that he can do the other equipment but not the tunnels. He is never going to compete with the dog, just does it for fun so that won't be a problem. The other is a female and she squats and pees all through the tunnel and chute. I will take some Nature's Miracle with me tomorrow night in a spray bottle and try that. If she keeps doing it she will have to be banned from the tunnels and chutes as it is not fair to the other dogs. 

Our fun Agility trial is coming up at the end of the month so my sister and I are practicing over some of the equipment every few days, plus going to the classes on Wednesday night. I did not take Susie with me today as she found a very dead fish lying in the bush and rolled in it and smelled so bad I could not take her in the Van. I have some Nature's Miracle Skunk deodorizer that I sprayed on her and hope she smells better by tomorrow as it is too cold out yet to bath her. Still going below freezing at night and only up to 10c or 40f in the day.

Our classes and the trial are all indoors in arenas.


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## Lonewolfblue

The classes I go to for Nell's Agility is also indoors, and for any accidents, they have paper towels and Nature's Miracle as well.


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## agility collie mom

Solid Mutt said:


> I agree with you. The owners says that her dog is normally great with other dogs. But, she came after mine twice - because it looks like the neighbor dog. LOL I am not sure what the reasons were for it going after the two other dogs in our first class. I have been told they plan to switch her groups so we shall see tomorrow. I will be sure to keep you all posted. There are two instructors and a couple helpers.


So the GS dog has gone after three dogs total in class? She really is not ready for agility and the instructors should talk to the owner. (Not just switch to another group of dogs.) Since agility is fast paced it tends to make a dog with a high prey drive even more excited. So she needs to have a really good recall, sit, stay etc.


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## Lonewolfblue

When I was in Agility Foundations, we also had a GSD like that, but never actually attacked any other dogs as there's a distance rule that we cannot let the dogs get within 6 feet of another dog, and Foundations class is ON-LEASH. But he did react to other dogs in class. He ended up not going on in the class, and is now in the Focus class, which is where he really needed to go first. He may have to repeat the class a couple times, but this gives them an excellent chance for working through some issues, and working on getting the dog to focus on the handler, rather than what's around him.


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## MyCharlie

That's one thing with our classes - the instructor stresses that you need to be pretty proficient in obedience before starting agility. We do have certain dogs that don't want their space invaded so you really should be able to call your dog back to you if it is going over there.

ETA: The 6 foot rule is interesting. We don't let our dogs play because it's "work time" but they still sniff and say hello sometimes.


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## Lonewolfblue

They just use the 6ft rule as a safety issue. Especially in the first few classes. It towards the end of the classes all the dogs are good, the rule sometimes gets relaxed, like with me and Nell in Foundations. The last 3 classes were pretty much off-leash, as I could control her. Occasionally she would go to another BC owner, as he also had a frisbee, lol, but she would come right back, and his BC was good with other dogs too. But overall, after a few classes, you can get a good feel for the dogs in the class and the trainer works accordingly. As for the rule, it's called the 6x6 rule. 6ft distance, and 6ft leashes.


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## agility collie mom

Lonewolfblue said:


> They just use the 6ft rule as a safety issue. Especially in the first few classes. It towards the end of the classes all the dogs are good, the rule sometimes gets relaxed, like with me and Nell in Foundations. The last 3 classes were pretty much off-leash, as I could control her. Occasionally she would go to another BC owner, as he also had a frisbee, lol, but she would come right back, and his BC was good with other dogs too. But overall, after a few classes, you can get a good feel for the dogs in the class and the trainer works accordingly. As for the rule, it's called the 6x6 rule. 6ft distance, and 6ft leashes.


Yep same here. Our instructor always says "Everyone control your dogs. We have a whole lot of dogs in a small bit of real estate!" Especially whenever the next class is starting to come in. 16 dogs sounds like a lot of dogs in a beginners agility class. How big of a space do you work in? We normally only have a max of 8 and that is with two instructors and usually one or two helpers.


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## MyCharlie

We only have one instructor  She is awesome, but I definitely feel that sometimes I get sortof forgotten. I will ask her about something and she completely forgets. She also does obedience and field hunt training, so she is stretched very thin! 

We always practice in our outdoor ring, I'm not sure how big it is! It's the same place where we hold our trials if that makes a difference! LOL So it's pretty big.


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## MissMutt

We're hopefully starting our Beginner class Tuesday.


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## Lonewolfblue

At our classes we have 1 instructor and 1 helper, and usually 10 dogs max. Then by the end of the class, we are usually down to 6 or 7, some of the dogs drop out of the class. But there was one time where the trainer allowed a few extras and we had like 13 or 14 in the class at the start. It was a bit tougher in such a small area.


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## MyCharlie

Oh, I forgot to say we usually limit class to 6 dogs. But people just show up sometimes, even if they aren't on the schedule, so it can end up being 8 dogs... very annoying! 

A lot of times we just do drills, focusing on a certain thing like pivot turns or go outs or rear crosses or whatever. If a ton of people show up we sometimes only end up getting in two runs, which sucks! 

We did have a pretty cool class one night where all we did were jumps and it was set up with four jumps in the shape of a capital I. We did three or four drills using the same setup but working on different things and it was really fun. Plus it was an easy drill to set up by yourself if you wanted to go practice.


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## Laurelin

Our class is full with 10 dogs. 

Yesterday we did a big string of obstacles- teeter, jump, tunnel, jump, tire, table, tunnel, jump, chute. She did great! She did refuse the chute (last obstacle of course) but I tripped over the last jump and made myself look like an idiot! 

Gus, the Aussie jumped on top of the tunnel and ended up collapsing it. >.<

We have one lab that annoys the other dogs. Three dogs in the class are reactive (Summer, the JRT, and the JRTx ACD) and the lab annoys them all. He has to go stand on the other side of the field most the time. He's very bouncy and in your face. Other than him, though, the dogs are wonderful and I think really helping Summer's reactivity.


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## Shaina

Webster had his best agility class yet this week . He's just in an intro to obstacles class, but he tends to focus so intently he can overwhelm and confuse himself.

I've been doing a lot of channel weave work with him, since it's something where he could start off with his usual "dive in head first" method by just charging down the middle without thinking yet still succeed. By slowly upping the ante by moving the poles closer together until he had to think about his path, not just where he's going, I was hoping to teach him to keep sight of his goal while keeping his wits about him.

This week, after a few easy warm-ups, I moved the poles in enough that he actually had to wind around them a bit. He charged in with his usual heedlessness, then started to skip out on the fourth pole...I gave his no-reward marker and he hesitated, so I indicated the correct path and he finished the weave (6 poles).

The next run through he again almost skipped out on the 4th pole, but with no input from me corrected himself and finished the line. Jackpot! I was so proud of him for thinking about it and consciously choosing the correct path and finishing it. We ended there for the weaves.

I love those moments where something just "clicks" 


Kim has been working on pinwheels, serpentines, crosses, and distant work, and is having a good time. Her prey drive has recently skyrocketed though, and I have to work hard all class to not only keep her engaged, but sufficiently under threshold that she can settle while other dogs run without fixating on them. It's a balancing act of self-control, she's doing great with it, but I'm tired by the end of class, lol.


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## MyCharlie

That's awesome Shaina!!

What's a pinwheel? Is that where you stand in the middle with jumps around you, like you are the center and the dog is "pinwheel"ing?


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## Shaina

MyCharlie said:


> That's awesome Shaina!!
> 
> What's a pinwheel? Is that where you stand in the middle with jumps around you, like you are the center and the dog is "pinwheel"ing?


Yup, that's it


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> So the GS dog has gone after three dogs total in class? She really is not ready for agility and the instructors should talk to the owner. (Not just switch to another group of dogs.) Since agility is fast paced it tends to make a dog with a high prey drive even more excited. So she needs to have a really good recall, sit, stay etc.




Well here is the update from our class on Wednesday. When I got to the class, they asked if I would mind going to the small dog group and then the GS will stay in the other group. I said no problem. I like the small dog instructor a lot. We will talk about the GSD first. I heard her a couple times during class and was told by another student (in her group) that she proceeded to go after a couple other dogs as well. They were having a talk with her about this. I am not sure what will go on next week. I guess only time will tell when we go. I did at one point when we were at the same field at different obstacles the other instructor asked if I would make Voodoo be still that the GSD was going to go through the poles and that she had been focused on Voodoo. So, I did and the GSD refocused on her owner and was fine. But I was shocked not even being near her she was focused on Voodoo. Now on to our class. This class was not as successful as last weeks. Last weeks was awesome and we really felt like we were getting it. This week Voodoo being switched groups really wanted to play with the other dogs and go visit the other owners. (She is a social Butterfly)  So, I was quite disappointed in all the focus work we have been doing. I had her focus a majority of the time and I know she is still a pup. It was just disheartening. She did awesome going through the tunnel and everyone was so amazed. The instructor said once I get further in to this I will love Voodoo's enthusiasum. She is just go go go. I personally am more laid back. LOL Anyways back to the tunnel - she rocked it. Well I did our post turn and went to get her she was off leash and well she saw the weimaraner pup that is also in this group (he is not small but I guess because he is a pup he is) Anyways Voodoo leaves me and goes back thru the tunnel and goes and plays with this puppy. I was so embarrassed.  The instructor told everyone make sure that your dogs wants to be with you and not others. That totally bummed me out. We adopted Voodoo from the shelter in Dec. She is about 11mos now. She was at the shelter at least 3 mos prior to us adopting her. She has great manners at home and normally when we go places. But there is something about this agility that makes her VERY ENERGETIC! I am happy but I need to control it. My husband and I love her very much and I feel we have a bond. I just wonder if it is not strong enough yet or what I can do to make it better? Oh well enough boring stuff. I was going to go to practice tomorrow, but I have a horse show. So, next weekend I plan to hit the agility practices they have on Saturdays. I have a few things at home to work with for now. 

Thanks for letting me share!


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## Squeeker

We had our first Novice 2 class last night!

We hae 5 dogs in our class this time. 4 of us have been together for the past 3 sessions, and myself and another woman have been together since the introductory class. The 5th dog is a standard schnauzer, who was a bit intimidated (I think) by the 4 of us.

Our instructor is fantastic so far. Much better than our last one. Not that our last one was bad, but she was very quiet and not as willing to jump in if we were making mistakes.

We did the full sized teeter for the first time! We put the pause table under the end to minimize the tipping sensation. Libby did great!

Here are some videos!


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## agility collie mom

Great videos! Beautiful dog. Brittany?


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## Squeeker

> Great videos! Beautiful dog. Brittany?


Thanks! Yup, that's my Britt!


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## Lonewolfblue

Great videos. Looks like you are doing pretty well there.....


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## agility collie mom

Solid Mutt said:


> Well here is the update from our class on Wednesday. When I got to the class, they asked if I would mind going to the small dog group and then the GS will stay in the other group. I said no problem. I like the small dog instructor a lot. We will talk about the GSD first. I heard her a couple times during class and was told by another student (in her group) that she proceeded to go after a couple other dogs as well. They were having a talk with her about this. I am not sure what will go on next week. I guess only time will tell when we go. I did at one point when we were at the same field at different obstacles the other instructor asked if I would make Voodoo be still that the GSD was going to go through the poles and that she had been focused on Voodoo. So, I did and the GSD refocused on her owner and was fine. But I was shocked not even being near her she was focused on Voodoo. Now on to our class. This class was not as successful as last weeks. Last weeks was awesome and we really felt like we were getting it. This week Voodoo being switched groups really wanted to play with the other dogs and go visit the other owners. (She is a social Butterfly)  So, I was quite disappointed in all the focus work we have been doing. I had her focus a majority of the time and I know she is still a pup. It was just disheartening. She did awesome going through the tunnel and everyone was so amazed. The instructor said once I get further in to this I will love Voodoo's enthusiasum. She is just go go go. I personally am more laid back. LOL Anyways back to the tunnel - she rocked it. Well I did our post turn and went to get her she was off leash and well she saw the weimaraner pup that is also in this group (he is not small but I guess because he is a pup he is) Anyways Voodoo leaves me and goes back thru the tunnel and goes and plays with this puppy. I was so embarrassed.  The instructor told everyone make sure that your dogs wants to be with you and not others. That totally bummed me out. We adopted Voodoo from the shelter in Dec. She is about 11mos now. She was at the shelter at least 3 mos prior to us adopting her. She has great manners at home and normally when we go places. But there is something about this agility that makes her VERY ENERGETIC! I am happy but I need to control it. My husband and I love her very much and I feel we have a bond. I just wonder if it is not strong enough yet or what I can do to make it better? Oh well enough boring stuff. I was going to go to practice tomorrow, but I have a horse show. So, next weekend I plan to hit the agility practices they have on Saturdays. I have a few things at home to work with for now.
> 
> Thanks for letting me share!


She is still a puppy! She will make mistakes but, it sounds like voodoo and you are well on your way. Let us know how the horse show goes.


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## melgrj7

We had the advanced II class again today. I worked Lloyd in the advanced I just before it and then in the advanced II. It was an attempt to tire him out slightly so he wouldn't be as crazy, it didn't really work, lol. He_ really_ enjoys the agility stuff. He did great on all the obstacles, we did the weave poles for the first time today. After a few times he did them great, slowly, but great. He looked at me with this look of "I don't get the point of this, its not fun like the jumps!", but he did it anyway We need to work on him not being so close to me. He has the tendancy to draw in towards me, I know he wants to jump up on me and grab my clothes (he used to do this a lot when I first got him) but he controls himself. He used to do that when I first started jogging him too. His self control has improved a ton since we got him.

He did great on the dog walk, A frame, pause table, jumps, hes getting the weave poles. Next week we do the teeter. During the week maybe I will go in and work on getting him to push out away from me a bit with the jumps. He is really good at focusing on me though, which is nice At one point he went over a jump and then saw the target we had been using for send aways early and ran and got it and brought it to me, lol. He also didn't hit the contact coming off the A frame at one point, so I brought him around it and did it again, making sure he went down it properly.

Oh and we also need to work on working off the right side more. He did it but was telling me I was doing it wrong, lol (grumpling at me).


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## agility collie mom

I use "come jump" put him in a sit stay at the jump go to the opposite side of the jump and have him jump toward you "come jump." "Go jump" again sit stay in front of the jump and have him jump away from you "go jump." Start with a single jump once he gets it you can keep adding jumps parallel to each other.


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## lucygoose

Sqeeker, I loved the video's.....very interesting how they have that table for the teeter......I had a brittney for 14 years......I love the breed! Great dogs!

Willie and I enjoy agility very much!! We went to a CPE workshop in Ohio with Jim McKenzie and his wife a few weekends back....It was very nice!! We got all our games in a folder. I need to start getting Willie into trials as he is ready! Does everything but we need work on the weaves. We could do UKC or CPE.....We have been in classes for about a year? I forget how long.....lol....He is reactive, so we just keep going no matter what to keep him in something.....He is really coming along with that......but I always have to be ready for him. I love agility! I hope you all have fun.....


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## MyCharlie

We had a "fun trial" yesterday where we did a pretend trial and had different club members judge each game. It was fun! 

Since I'm not going to do agility with Charlie anymore I brought Kaya (who hasn't started yet) just to see how she would do in her crate while I was out and about scribing and timing and stuff. Plus to see how she would do with that many dogs running around (Charlie used to sometimes bark at the dogs on the course during their runs). She did awesome! Whined a little in her crate but not too bad. The other dogs running, whistle blowing, etc. didn't seem to bother her. Mostly she just wanted to play with all the other dogs, so it was a good lesson in self control. 

So she passed her first "agility test!" lol 

Squeeker, I like the videos! Her tail was so cute wagging like crazy on the teeter!


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## Squeeker

> Sqeeker, I loved the video's.....very interesting how they have that table for the teeter......I had a brittney for 14 years......I love the breed! Great dogs!


Thanks! I really like the way that our agility club teaches... everything is very broken down to be sure that the dogs are confident on each obstacle. 

Nice to see a fellow Brittany lover!



> Squeeker, I like the videos! Her tail was so cute wagging like crazy on the teeter!


Haha, yah, her tail never stops while we are at agility, lol!



> Since I'm not going to do agility with Charlie anymore I brought Kaya (who hasn't started yet) just to see how she would do in her crate while I was out and about scribing and timing and stuff. Plus to see how she would do with that many dogs running around (Charlie used to sometimes bark at the dogs on the course during their runs). She did awesome! Whined a little in her crate but not too bad. The other dogs running, whistle blowing, etc. didn't seem to bother her. Mostly she just wanted to play with all the other dogs, so it was a good lesson in self control.


I need to do this with Libby. I am volunteering at a trial next month, and I plan on doing this as well. It will be good practice for her.

Speaking of, does anyone here crate their dog during their lessons?


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## Kathyy

I do. I want to watch the other dogs work and not Max visiting around behind my back. It sort of mirrors a trial as well. Dogs spend a lot of time crated while the human half of the team walks the course, works the trial, talks with friends, etc. Then they get out, walk around and do their business, warm up and RUN. So at class I do all that several times in the hour class lasts.


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## MyCharlie

I normally don't crate during lessons, just clip him to the fence. But I did a trial prep class this year before our trial in November and we all brought our crates and used them. 

I guess if you are going to classes 1-2 times a week it's a pain bringing it out every time. But they have some really cool doggie tents and stuff!! Someday I'd love to get one of those! As long as you can trust your dog not to tear through the nylon


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## Kathyy

I am currently using that cheapo Target collapsible crate. Unless I put a chair on either side he turns it into an A frame. I used my 2' xpen before that, that is easy to carry too. When he was an untrained hooligan I did use my monster 4' pen and even had to put the top on so he wouldn't walk it out so it collapsed on the dogs. My school has a bunch of wire crates and pens to use at class as well but the reason they are there is they were left there and sometimes left because the doors don't work so well any longer. Max is good and all but leaving a door flapping is a bit much. I did clip him to the fence for a while but he was so scared of everything back then it wasn't good for him. He can pretend the crate is safe.


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## Squeeker

> I do. I want to watch the other dogs work and not Max visiting around behind my back. It sort of mirrors a trial as well. Dogs spend a lot of time crated while the human half of the team walks the course, works the trial, talks with friends, etc. Then they get out, walk around and do their business, warm up and RUN. So at class I do all that several times in the hour class lasts.


Yah, this is what I am thinking of doing as well. I have a collapsible crate for Libby that we use while travelling and such that I plan on using, I just want to get a small tarp to put underneath because our club has a dirt floor, and I don't want to track the dirt into the car and house.


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> She is still a puppy! She will make mistakes but, it sounds like voodoo and you are well on your way. Let us know how the horse show goes.


Thanks for the encouraging words! They are greatly appreciated!  We had a great weekend. I took Voodoo with me to the show 8 hours total driving for one day. LOL She did great though while we were there and while we were traveling. I was very tickled with her. The horse show was great my horse is young and just starting to get competitive and she did great too. So, I was so pleased. Yesterday, my tunnel I ordered off ebay arrived and so I set up a few obstacles I have and worked with Voodoo on them. I was pretty pleased when we worked them at home. We only have two classes left in the session. I have been thing about our next step and going back to obedience and start Level 2 in that just to get secure in our off leash handling in public. Then maybe start back to agility, but I guess I will see how the next two weeks go and decide. 

So how is everyone else doing?



Squeeker said:


> We had our first Novice 2 class last night!
> 
> We hae 5 dogs in our class this time. 4 of us have been together for the past 3 sessions, and myself and another woman have been together since the introductory class. The 5th dog is a standard schnauzer, who was a bit intimidated (I think) by the 4 of us.
> 
> Our instructor is fantastic so far. Much better than our last one. Not that our last one was bad, but she was very quiet and not as willing to jump in if we were making mistakes.
> 
> We did the full sized teeter for the first time! We put the pause table under the end to minimize the tipping sensation. Libby did great!
> 
> Here are some videos!


Very Cool Videos!!!


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## agility collie mom

Solid Mutts,
Glad the horse show went well. I've only shown a few times. Just too expensive. Glad that classes are going well for Voodoo and you. I'm sure that Voodoo is happy to have a tunnel at home. Most dogs just LOVE the tunnel!
I was suppose to have class tonight with Rio but, I'm sick and just too tired to go. (Worked 10 hours today to boot.) Hopefully I'll feel better by Thursday for Savannah's class....she's a real workout!


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## MissMutt

Gawd.. that was fun.

My agility class tonight gives me even less of an incentive to start my homework. I'd rather go train. And to think - this is only foundation work!!


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## agility collie mom

MissMutt said:


> Gawd.. that was fun.
> 
> My agility class tonight gives me even less of an incentive to start my homework. I'd rather go train. And to think - this is only foundation work!!


It does give you a rush doesn't it!!


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## MissMutt

It was SO cool!

We did things that I'm going to do a terrible time at explaining..

The first was having the dog turn away from you as you made an about turn such that they wound up on your opposite side. I think she called it shadow handling?  Anyway Marge is pretty good at it as long as I'm doing it right.

Then we practiced through uprights with the bars on the ground.. dog was either on the left or right, walked through the upright and around one pole, handler about turns, dog winding up on the same side again.

The last thing was paw targeting - this was actually really fun because it's something I've really never done with Marge before with the exception of the "give paw" trick. I mostly practiced this at home.. took a plastic lid, put it on the ground, clicked and treated when she put her paw on it. Supposed to help with contact zones.. I'm guessing maybe the instructor will put the lid in the contact zone of the A-Frame.

The instructor kind of overestimated Marge's fears repeatedly.. I guess she saw a more fearful dog than she really is. That was slightly irritating but not really her fault I suppose.

Let me know what you agility buffs think of all this..


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## Kyllobernese

Finally the snow is gone from the riding ring at my sister's place so we can use our "homemade" Agility equipment. We are going to move it out of the riding ring onto a grassy area as her mare is going to have a foal this year and we can't have the equipment where the foal might run into it. We are going to have to rebuild our dog walk as right now it is built over a big horse feeder, and our teeter needs repainting with something rough in the paint so they do not slip on it. We will still take the two dogs into the arena in town a few times a week to practice over the proper equipment but our equipment at home, especially the weave poles are nice to work with for a short time the other days. On the 26th of April we are having a "Fun Agility Match" which will show us where we need the most work. I have Susie entered in Standard, Jumpers, Snooker and Gamblers and Remmy in Jumpers and two Standard classes.
It will be in an indoor arena. Our next two trials after that are outside on grass which is more fun.


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## Solid Mutt

I am pretty excited after last night class. There ended up being only 11 of us showing up and so, our groups were smaller which was very nice. The GSD was not there. I am not sure why ( I had been told by someone else that they had planned to talk to her about her dog and its issues with the others including Voodoo) I have no clue if they did. Anywho, I was again in the small dog group which was fine I really like the instructor. The only issue is Voodoo thinks the smaller dogs are like toys I believe. LOL Anyways we started on some flat work with turns and etc, then once done we broke up in to our groups and we headed over to the jumps we would work two and practice our front crosses and post turns, then we moved to the tire jump and started to come at it from an angle and get the to take the jump square. After that we moved to the weaves which are just two rows of pole they run through and we had the table at the end and the would get on the table and then we would release. After that we moved up to the dog walk to work on contacts same with the "a" frame. We each got to work the teeter. It is only like a foot or so high, the small dogs all had the instructor hold the end as it teetered down. She held it with Voodoo the first time then said lets have her try it with out me holding it and so we did and she did great. Did not pay attention to it at all. Then we went to the broad jump. This is the first time we have done this. It wasn't bad at all. Then last but not least we went to the tunnel and chute. There is a small dog in our class (Chihuahua) maybe? Anyways she is very nervous at the tunnel and does not want to go through. Her owner is very good with her and she does all the other obstacles like a CHAMP off leash already. Tunnel is her downfall. She did get her to go through last week while it was still straight, this week it was bent in the middle. So, she went to go try and her little dog would not do it so the Instructor asked if I would take Voodoo through to show the others how to approach and go. (Talk about making my day) I tend to stay back in the pack and am usually last at every obstacle. So I sent Voodoo through the tunnel and she did great. They ended up straightening it some for the little dog and she went though. After we completed the tunnel from each side we moved to the Chute. The first time around the instructor held the sock open for the dogs. Then next time she said when they are almost through the sock I am gonna let it touch their back so they can get used to the feel of it touching them. So, everyone is going through and have completed their second go except Voodoo and I. I was walking up there and the instructor was walking towards us. (I guess I had a look on my face like - what about us) LOL She looked at me and said I know Voodoo likes this just send her though she doesn't need it open. I said GREAT - I would love to send her threw it with out it being held. So, I send Voodoo threw it and she is like a pro right threw she went and out the sock she comes. I was so proud of her! It was a GREAT NIGHT! The little dog that did not like the big tunnel the removed the sock and just got her used to the tunnel part of the chute and she did fine. It is just going to take some work. My only thing I need to really work on is being able to take Voodoo's leash off her more in class. Everyone else is off leash the majority of the time. We however are on leash just because Voodoo want to go play with the other dogs in between things. LOL But, hopefully that will just take some time. I was able to stay after class a little and Voodoo got to be off leash and play with a young Golden that is in the big dog group. It was so good for her socially to be able to rip and romp for a bit. She loves to rough house with other dogs but we don't have any others for her to do that with. The cats only take so much. LOL

Thanks everyone for letting me share how this weeks class went. 



agility collie mom said:


> Solid Mutts,
> Glad the horse show went well. I've only shown a few times. Just too expensive. Glad that classes are going well for Voodoo and you. I'm sure that Voodoo is happy to have a tunnel at home. Most dogs just LOVE the tunnel!
> I was suppose to have class tonight with Rio but, I'm sick and just too tired to go. (Worked 10 hours today to boot.) Hopefully I'll feel better by Thursday for Savannah's class....she's a real workout!


Agility Collie Mom, 

I just wanted to check and see how your are feeling and if you are better!


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## agility collie mom

[
Solid Mutts,
Thanks for asking. I still am not up to par so Savannah and I didn't go tonight. Hopefully I will be back to normal by next Tue to take Rio. And Savannah next Thur. It will be our last classes till next round starting in three weeks. I will caution you on one thing that I discovered. When Rio first started in agility I too let him play after class. He had a wonderful time however, I found that when we went to class he started to become more interested in the other dogs and less focused on me. So I stopped the after class play. Just a thought.


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> [
> Solid Mutts,
> Thanks for asking. I still am not up to par so Savannah and I didn't go tonight. Hopefully I will be back to normal by next Tue to take Rio. And Savannah next Thur. It will be our last classes till next round starting in three weeks. I will caution you on one thing that I discovered. When Rio first started in agility I too let him play after class. He had a wonderful time however, I found that when we went to class he started to become more interested in the other dogs and less focused on me. So I stopped the after class play. Just a thought.


Agility Collie Mom - 

I am so sorry you still aren't up to par. I hope you get back to feeling better soon. Surely by Tues when it is Rios class you will be ready for action.  Thanks for the word of caution I will definitely keep that in mind. I had not thought of that and with her focus issues on the other dogs it may end up being more issues to have to work on. I appreciate the heads up.


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## Squeeker

We had a really good class this week! We started with the teeter again, and Libby did really well. Still with the pause table under the end.

Next we did the weaves again. This week we started removing some of the barriers, and all of the dogs did FANTASTIC! Here is a photo! You can see that all of the barriers on the side closest to the camera has no barriers left!










Then we did two big sequences. They were both designed to be fast runs for the dogs, to teach us how to manage our movements to be efficient and save time on the course. Libby is too darn fast! 

Can't wait til next week!


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## agility collie mom

I like the barrier idea! I've never seen that done. Might try it with Savannah. Maybe she'll actually see the poles and not boing into them lol. I agree when they have speed it's tough to keep up. Sometimes when they are green you will get a spin like "where you at mom, what are we doing next?" Glad to hear that things are progressing well for both of you.


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## Squeeker

Yay, more videos from this past week's class!

First up - the teeter. We've progressed to using the shorter pause table under the end.



Weave poles, removing the other 3 barriers.



First sequence - fast one!



And the second sequence:


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## Squeeker

...and a photo of Libby waiting oh-so-patiently (and cutely) while I walked the course.


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## Shaina

Very nice ~ looks like you guys are doing great, Squeeker!


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## agility collie mom

What a great job you are doing together. Beautiful teamwork! We are off for two weeks. Maybe I'll finally get a chance to take photos of Rio and get his ILP registration done so we can start trialing this year.


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## Solid Mutt

More great Videos! Thanks so much for sharing. It looks like Libby is doing great! What a great team you two are.  


We finished our intro course last week. I was tickled with the compliments the instructors said about Voodoo. It was very encouraging. I was debating on taking the fundamentals class or taking the next level obedience. The fundamentals class starts in a couple weeks. I am leaning toward the agility because of the encouraging things they had to say and they only offer these in the spring/summer/fall, I could do obedeince in the winter. LOL 

It is weird thinking I don't have dog class tonight. Oh well I will just practice some at home.


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## Squeeker

> I am leaning toward the agility because of the encouraging things they had to say and they only offer these in the spring/summer/fall, I could do obedeince in the winter. LOL


Haha, we did the same thing 

Annnnnnd, here is a video of this week's sequence. Didn't video the weaves/teeter etc. as it was pretty much the same as last week.

I rewarded Libby after the chute in the sequence because we hadn't done it in AGES - probably 3-4 months at least. She did it without hesitation, so I thought she deserved a reward!


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## Solid Mutt

Squeeker said:


> Haha, we did the same thing
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> I am so glad I am not the only one that thought about doing that.
> 
> Libby looks great! I just love to see the progress.
> 
> I signed Voodoo and I up for Agility fundementals/Level 2 Agility it starts next Wednesday. I was waiting to find out from the instructor if the GSD that was such a problem was going to go on. I have been informed that she will not be going on. Whew, LOL. So, I am pretty stoked about starting the next level.


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## MissMutt

We're through three weeks of Beginner Agility class. Marge loves it and out of all the dogs is probably doing the best on jumping and paw targeting. She is not afraid of the a-frame or dogwalk at all, and is getting better at the tunnel. We only did the chute once, with it open.

We started weave poles and she seems to be doing well with the slanted poles method. She can take about three poles at a time. I wish I had poles in my backyard to practice more. *(Question: my instructor says to stand IN FRONT OF the dog while they are doing the poles such that the dog is basically weaving their way up to you. She said not to run alongside them because then you create a dog who will only weave with you next to them. Does this sound right? I can't really find the logic in it)*

Teeter is coming next week, along with the broad jump and I think one other thing that I'm forgetting right now. I have been laying a slightly unstable long plastic plank down in my backyard and have got her accustomed to moving across it even though it moves under her feet.

I've been saying I'm going to get pictures, but my sister, AKA designated camerawoman, has been unable to come with me.


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## Squeeker

We finally did the full-sized teeter in last night's class, with no tables under the end! Libby did fine and didn't even notice the difference! It was very exciting for everyone in the class! No videos or photos this week, we forgot the camera!



> Question: my instructor says to stand IN FRONT OF the dog while they are doing the poles such that the dog is basically weaving their way up to you. She said not to run alongside them because then you create a dog who will only weave with you next to them. Does this sound right? I can't really find the logic in it.


This may be true, but there are so many different methods of teaching the weaves, so who knows who is right? The problem I see with the method your are learning is that the dog may end up only being able to weave with you standing in front of the weaves (similara problem to what your instructor is trying to avoid!), which IMO is no better than having to run alongside them, and potentially even worse for competition when you would have to outrun your dog to get to the end of the poles before they even start weaving. I don't know about your dog, but with mine that would be impossible! I would be interested in seeing what your instructor has to say about that. I would imagine that in both methods, the presence of the handler will be faded as you and your dog progress.

Our agility club teaches the weaves while walking beside the dog and with the wooden barriers seen in my videos, but they are also starting a new technique from Clean Run called 2x2 weaves. I have no idea what it entails, but a friend of mine is taking the new class so I will find out from her.


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## MissMutt

I looked at your pictures and I really like the barrier idea. Would trying different techniques confuse her? I just feel like if sometimes I'm in front, sometimes I'm alongside, etc., it will make her less reliant on me in the end.

I want to purchase a set of weaves for my backyard, but I'm leary because I don't want to screw her up by practicing the wrong way.

I looked up the 2x2 method, my teacher said she's currently learning it too, but it confuses me a little bit.


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## MyCharlie

We started beginner agility (obility) this week with Kaya and she did great! There are only three dogs in the class and since I have already done agility with Charlie the instructor is focusing more on the other two (which is fine with me). We just did jumps and the pause table. 

But at the end of class when we were standing around talking, I was standing next to the A-frame and she ran up it!!  I was like, "sorry!! I didn't tell her to do it!" So I guess that's a good sign, that she isn't afraid of it. I'm guessing she must have thought it looked like fun or she wouldn't have done it! It still surprised me though! 

We'll see how she does Monday night at our next class. I know we're supposed to introduce targeting and I've been meaning to get started ahead of time, but I've been procrastinating. 

I don't know about the weave pole standing in front thing - it seems like unless you are doing some sort of jackpot or gamble you usually ARE next to your dog as they enter the weaves? So it wouldn't seem like a negative to teach it that way, then work up to moving around. But that was one obstacle Charlie got the hang of real well, so I'm not sure.


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## Squeeker

> I looked at your pictures and I really like the barrier idea. Would trying different techniques confuse her? I just feel like if sometimes I'm in front, sometimes I'm alongside, etc., it will make her less reliant on me in the end.
> 
> I want to purchase a set of weaves for my backyard, but I'm leary because I don't want to screw her up by practicing the wrong way.
> 
> I looked up the 2x2 method, my teacher said she's currently learning it too, but it confuses me a little bit.


Personally, this being my first dog, I think I am going to go along with what the teachers say and see how it turns out for now. Libby is doing really well, and I am afraid to mess things up. I can only hope that as we progress, the instructors will phase out the handler's position.

I want to check out the 2x2 method as well, but haven't had the time.


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## agility collie mom

MissMutt said:


> We're through three weeks of Beginner Agility class. Marge loves it and out of all the dogs is probably doing the best on jumping and paw targeting. She is not afraid of the a-frame or dogwalk at all, and is getting better at the tunnel. We only did the chute once, with it open.
> 
> We started weave poles and she seems to be doing well with the slanted poles method. She can take about three poles at a time. I wish I had poles in my backyard to practice more. *(Question: my instructor says to stand IN FRONT OF the dog while they are doing the poles such that the dog is basically weaving their way up to you. She said not to run alongside them because then you create a dog who will only weave with you next to them. Does this sound right? I can't really find the logic in it)*
> 
> Teeter is coming next week, along with the broad jump and I think one other thing that I'm forgetting right now. I have been laying a slightly unstable long plastic plank down in my backyard and have got her accustomed to moving across it even though it moves under her feet.
> 
> I've been saying I'm going to get pictures, but my sister, AKA designated camerawoman, has been unable to come with me.


I guess every instructor has their own method of teaching weave poles. When I taught Rio to weave I taught on both side of the weave poles and used a frisbee as bait. That way I could kind-of "body block" him when I was teaching. Later I used the frisbee to obtain speed. I can send him through the weave poles or call him through the weave poles so I don't really think that the way I taught had a big effect in the end. But then again who knows.


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## MissMutt

The one big thing is to never to lure through the weaves, right? Or is that a myth?


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## Squeeker

> The one big thing is to never to lure through the weaves, right? Or is that a myth?


Dunno, never heard that one... you have to start somewhere. We lured Libby the first time or two through the poles, but we faded that pretty quickly as she got the idea. I think that luring is fine, as long as it is faded quickly.


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## MyCharlie

Why would luring be bad?


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## MissMutt

I don't know. I thought I heard that somewhere. Guess maybe I misinterpreted. I don't think it was my instructor who said that.


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## agility collie mom

Here is Rio last summer doing weaves..

I am standing at the end of the weaves calling him through.


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## Kathyy

You can retrain dogs to do weaves as many times as you like. Sort of like the way teachers teach kids, hope one way will get into the brain somehow.

There are some videos on youtube showing the 2x2 method if you want to see what it looks like. I couldn't figure it out either but plan to try with my next pup. Luring isn't a good idea because a good weaving dog is too fast! I am way too uncoordinated to do that.

I taught Max with a clicker and me standing still. Result, I usually have to plant and wait for him to load into the poles. 

I am sure your instructor is planning on having you stand behind the dog and move on both sides in time. I would stick with the teacher's method now. If you could cobble up some poles, homework assigned AND not overdo it then that would be fine.


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> The one big thing is to never to lure through the weaves, right? Or is that a myth?


The belief is that the dog will be become reliant on the lure and just follow the lure and not pay attention to what he is doing. Like with any lure training, it's a matter of fading the target as soon as possible while still setting the dog up for success. 

My instructor told me the same thing but I'm mostly training Webster outside of class and decided to start him with a target to give him an idea what was expected, then move to shaping. Basically jump-start the process by luring then go from there. 

It has seemed to work well so far...he caught on to channel weaves after about 5 minutes with the poles set so he just barely had to weave. I dropped the lure after about 5 runs through the weaves, at which point he had a general idea what to do, and just used a clicker for the rest of the 5 minutes. He later transitioned seamlessly to weave-o-matics (took him about 3 run-throughs to learn that ducking under the poles leads to no reward lol) as well.

I've never used any sort of barrier or guide wires or anything like that, though I know they are rather popular. I prefer shaping whenever possible for this sort of thing as I think they learn it more thoroughly, and it really don't take any longer if the dog is shaping-savvy. (IMO of course lol)

Anyway that sad, this week is their last week of agility class for a while. Kim's doing very well other than her teeter-phobia which has resurfaced, so we are taking a long break from the teeter before readdressing the issue.

Webster has benefited from Kim being farther ahead and my new ability to access the equipment outside of class. The teeter is his favorite thing thanks to my determination to not have the same issues with him that I'm having with Kim , and he's currently learning front and rear crosses and other handling techniques that Kim and I didn't get to do til much later in the program. What a lucky kid  lol


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## MarleyandMe

I'm going to star my very first one with Marley in a few weeks. I can't wait, he's new to the whole Agility thing, and sometimes he's really bad around other dogs when he's excited, so hopefully we'll work through that. Erin, our teacher, is excited about Marley because he's the newest border collie they've had in a while.


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## MyCharlie

Shaina I love the idea of shaping with the weaves! I think I might try that with Kaya. 

We had another good class last night. We introduced the tire and the dog walk and linked two obstacles. She did allright with the linking, but she actually seems better on the contacts than the jumps!  I'm sure it's something I'm doing, but I haven't figured it out yet. And it was only her second class.  

But she did great on the dog walk! The first time holding her collar and luring her up with hot dogs, she did fine. So the second time I just put her in a sit, told her "walk it!" and up she ran! And did the same thing about four more times. Yay! I can't wait for her to progress and see how much different it will be than working with Charlie. It should be interesting. 

The only issue she had last night was being clipped to the fence. She didn't like that at ALL. Unfortunately both my dogs love to be near mom. Any suggestions how to get her over that? I ignored her when she was whining and jumping around like a lunatic and praised her when she was being quiet and calm. Other than that I'm not sure what to do.

ETA: Shaina, about the weave shaping with Web - after the initial lure and he started to get it and you started the actual shaping, did you click and treat when he got it right? I'm picturing you walking beside him and CT'ing when he went through and back through the poles? Sorry I'm so dumb! At our clases all she ever has us do after the initial luring is telling them "weave" "weave" over and over again as they are going in and out while we are sortof pointing them where they are supposed to be going.


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## Shaina

MyCharlie said:


> ETA: Shaina, about the weave shaping with Web - after the initial lure and he started to get it and you started the actual shaping, did you click and treat when he got it right? I'm picturing you walking beside him and CT'ing when he went through and back through the poles? Sorry I'm so dumb! At our clases all she ever has us do after the initial luring is telling them "weave" "weave" over and over again as they are going in and out while we are sortof pointing them where they are supposed to be going.


Mine did that too (the telling them "weave" thing) but fortunately they had 'class helpers' on the weaves and I know them pretty well so they just let me do what I wanted lol. For some reason the instructors here are big on using the cue words right away even though they mean nothing to the dogs...as though the dogs will suddenly have a divine revelation lol. Just different training styles I guess.

Anyway the shaping I started with channel weaves spread fall apart enough that he could more or less run through them without doing much weaving. I had him sitting on one end and a target on the other end and released him. When he was just reached the last pole (but hadn't "weaved" it yet) I marked it and rewarded (I say "marked" because clickers are banned from classes at my obedience club...I use them on my own time but in class I use alternates...all the same concept though as you know lol).

After a few times I took away the target as well and M/R'd when when he would run through anyway. When he was running through consistently I added the cue "weave". He wasn't weaving yet, but he could learn that "weave" meant to go for the poles and what to do with them in their current configuration. After a couple cued reps we took a break before he could get bored/distracted.

Next session we did one with the target as a reminder, then worked without, slowly moving the poles in until he had to deviate from his mostly straight line and actually weave a bit. I still only M/R'd on the last weave to increase his drive through the series. As I moved them in farther he skipped out once and I cued his no reward marker and started him over in the same direction, M/R'ing his correct run.

At the end of that second session he almost skipped out a second time, stopped himself, and chose the correct path...marked and JACKPOT! Showed me he was really starting to "get it". We ended there even though we'd only done a few runs because it was such a good note.

From there it is just a matter of narrowing the weaves to a straight line, introducing variables like different entry angles, etc. (I like the weave-o-matics for footwork).

Another thing I like to do is to take just two poles and work on entry angles without worrying about finishing the series...M/Ring the dog for choosing the correct entry whether you are right, left, ahead, behind, facing perpendicular, etc.

Anyway that's probably a longer explanation than what you are looking for, lol, but we do have a lot of fun with the weaves 

Now if only Kim thought the teeter was fun...


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## Squeeker

Shaina,

Our club actually teaches the weaves very similarly to the way you described with Webster, except we used the barriers on the sides instead of channel weaves. Lure once or twice to give them the idea, and then more or less shape them as they figure it out. However, we are allowed to click...



> I marked it and rewarded (I say "marked" because clickers are banned from classes at my obedience club...I use them on my own time but in class I use alternates...all the same concept though as you know lol).


...huh? What is their reasoning? That's strange..


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> Shaina,
> 
> Our club actually teaches the weaves very similarly to the way you described with Webster, except we used the barriers on the sides instead of channel weaves. Lure once or twice to give them the idea, and then more or less shape them as they figure it out. However, we are allowed to click...


What I described it not at all the way my club teaches weaves lol. But that's great  from your vids it looks like Libby enjoys the weaves so whatever you're doing is working, right? 

Regarding the clicker ban: their official statement is that clickers are too distracting for other class participants...but apparently yelling (encouragement or corrections), clapping, leash pops (which I find very distracting) and various other techniques are all good.

I don't claim to understand it.


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## MissMutt

So a couple of things from tonight's class..

- SHE IS DOING THE TUNNEL WITH NO PROBLEM, fully extended and bent! I am so proud of her! I'm even starting to be able to send her to the tunnel. It's awesome. 

- She's getting much better with the chute.. she pushed her way through it a couple of times today, fully extended. That's a BIG step.

- The contact equipment.. she's not afraid of it, she just can't keep her balance while following the treat. She fell off the A-Frame today. Thankfully it didn't scare her and she went right back up and over. The dog walk she's okay, but she gets so close to the edge..

- We started the teeter. She is afraid of it, but not ridiculously so. My trainer held up the tipping side, Marge walked across to the end, and then we lowered it gently. I don't think she has a very good hind-end awareness, because she keeps sliding her back legs off of it. I think next week I will try to practice a little slower with it. Hopefully my sister can come back out and help me. I don't want her to have a fear of it.

- We also did 180 degree jumps, where I send her over one jump and she has to take the one next to it too before coming back to me. She did it offleash; I was really proud of her and I think my trainer was impressed.

Marge's little reactivity issue that's starting (you can read about it in my other thread) showed up a TINY bit at class, when she let out one of those big nasty barks at a little Dox and handler about 30 feet away. Fortunately she refocused very quickly and I had her do LOTS of touching of people with her nose.


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## agility collie mom

MissMutt said:


> So a couple of things from tonight's class..
> 
> - SHE IS DOING THE TUNNEL WITH NO PROBLEM, fully extended and bent! I am so proud of her! I'm even starting to be able to send her to the tunnel. It's awesome.
> 
> - She's getting much better with the chute.. she pushed her way through it a couple of times today, fully extended. That's a BIG step.
> 
> - The contact equipment.. she's not afraid of it, she just can't keep her balance while following the treat. She fell off the A-Frame today. Thankfully it didn't scare her and she went right back up and over. The dog walk she's okay, but she gets so close to the edge..
> 
> - We started the teeter. She is afraid of it, but not ridiculously so. My trainer held up the tipping side, Marge walked across to the end, and then we lowered it gently. I don't think she has a very good hind-end awareness, because she keeps sliding her back legs off of it. I think next week I will try to practice a little slower with it. Hopefully my sister can come back out and help me. I don't want her to have a fear of it.
> 
> - We also did 180 degree jumps, where I send her over one jump and she has to take the one next to it too before coming back to me. She did it offleash; I was really proud of her and I think my trainer was impressed.
> 
> Marge's little reactivity issue that's starting (you can read about it in my other thread) showed up a TINY bit at class, when she let out one of those big nasty barks at a little Dox and handler about 30 feet away. Fortunately she refocused very quickly and I had her do LOTS of touching of people with her nose.


Do you have a ladder available? You can lay it on the ground and walk Marge though it it will help with rear end awareness. Sounds like you both had a great class!!
Rio and I started classes again tonight. He did wonderful! We did a three jump lead out to weave poles, than a-frame to a curved tunnel under the a-frame to an angled jump and than the tire, from there to weave poles again to jumps at various angles and ended at the tunnel again. 15 obstacles in all. It was great fun.


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## MyCharlie

Shaina said:


> Anyway that's probably a longer explanation than what you are looking for, lol, but we do have a lot of fun with the weaves


No way, are you kidding me? I like step by step directions - it allows me to picture it in my head. Thanks!!

That's great MissMutt and ACM!


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## Solid Mutt

Good Morning Everyone! 

We started level 2 agility last night. There was more in the class than I had anticipated. We were split in two two groups. Voodoo and I were lucky and got put in the group of people/dogs that we new from level one. There was 5 or 6 in our group. We started with some basic flatwork then moved to the contacts. We went over the A frame for the first time. Most of the dogs were leery at first but everyone did great. Voodoo however was gung-ho about the whole thing and went right over it. I was so surprised! We did that a couple more times each working on our contact at the bottom. Then we moved to the teeter and started with just the bang. Once we banged if we felt comfortable enough and our dogs were ok we could go over the teeter. The instructor laughed said "Voodoo has no issues with the teeter." It is not at full height it is at a lowered heigh I would guess around 2ft maybe. After that it was the weaves in sequence with the table. We are not weaving yet just setting the poles in closer and running through the poles if that makes sense. We started to add sequence to the rest of the class. One was weave-table-weave-jump. It was pretty darn cool. We headed to the tunnel and worked on rear crosses and did tunnel-jump. After that we switched instructors and headed to the jumps. We worked on doing pinwheels. Then did a 5 jump sequence with the pinwheel and a front cross. LOL We did more of the jumps and also added the tire in a sequence as well. I was most proud of the night because I was able to take Voodoo off leash when it was our turn. She loves the other dogs and people, so it has been something we have really been working on. She just wants to go play and rough house with them. LOL Luckily everyone is good about it. I am just excited though when I would set her up for our turn she worked for me and we were a team. It just was awesome! We are having so much fun. 

Well I will hush, I just wanted to share.


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## MissMutt

Marge is doing great with the 180 jumps.. we've been practicing in the backyard every day. Agility is really her drug.. It's pretty hot here yet she still wanted to go out and practice a little bit. She doesn't even do that for walks. 

Ordered a set of 6 weave poles, can't wait for them to come.

Hopefully on Tuesday at class we can do a little bit more offleash work. She was excellent this week.


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## Squeeker

Ugh, class did not go so well for us this week...

Libby weaved and did the teeter brilliantly, but then she lost ALL focus and had horrible sequences! She forgot to do her nose targeting at the end of every contact obstacle, she was doing zoomies... uber frustrating!

Today was the first really warm summer-like day we have had this year, so I think that might have had something to do with it. I hope that was it, anyway!

Better luck next week, I guess!


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## agility collie mom

Squeeker said:


> Ugh, class did not go so well for us this week...
> 
> Libby weaved and did the teeter brilliantly, but then she lost ALL focus and had horrible sequences! She forgot to do her nose targeting at the end of every contact obstacle, she was doing zoomies... uber frustrating!
> 
> Today was the first really warm summer-like day we have had this year, so I think that might have had something to do with it. I hope that was it, anyway!
> 
> Better luck next week, I guess!


Sounds like spring fever! You'll get those days.


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## agility collie mom

Savannah started intermediate agility again. She did wonderful tonight. I guess she is maturing and can focus so much better. Plus it was hot so it kept all the dogs kind of low key. We had a great night. I was so proud of my little girl. Hope everyone is having fun in their classes!!


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## MissMutt

We got rained out last night..

Gah.. it's very frustrating going two weeks between classes. Almost feels like it's less conducive to learning.


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## lucyloo2

What a great thread! I didn't see it before I started mine the other day. Mind if I join in? Lucy and I just had our first level 1 class last night  We are complete newbies! We really enjoyed ourselves last night though. They started teaching us targeting, and we got to do a tunnel and a hoop (Lucy zoomed right through with no fear at all!). We also did the 2on2off method on the contact, where we got Lucy to target with her front feet on the ground and back feet on the contact to teach her to finish them off. 

It was very interesting and a lot of fun! I can't wait until next week!


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## Solid Mutt

Welcome to the thread Lucyloo2!  It sounds like your first class was a success! I look forward to hearing your updates! 

Well, it sounds like everyone is doing great! 

We had our second level 2 class last night and it was AWESOME! We are putting more and more sequences together and it is lots of fun. We first practiced some flat work and making your dog turn away from you. Very interesting and good stuff. Then we went to a jump weave jump sequence. We did it both directions. After that it was a pinwheel sequence jump, jump, tunnel, jump, jump. Very FUN! There was 10 in the class and we split in to two groups of 5. It was a nice bunch to work with. Unfortunately there were a couple dogs that ran off course and was a real distraction but it made for great focus practice. LOL Voodoo loves to go and play. But, we worked on our focus while they were running loose. LOL She stays focused when we set up for our turn but in between is lots of practice for us not to play with the other dogs. LOL She was so much better last night. They keep reminding me she is young and a terrier. They promise she is doing just fine. We headed next to the A frame and I have to say I am so proud our first go she went across and I used my cue word at the contact she did and stayed as I walked away and waited to release. I was pretty excited about that one. After that we switched instructors and ends of the field. our next sequence was a pinwheel again jump, jump, table front cross wait 5 seconds , jump, jump. Then do it again but from the opposite direction. Voodoo hit the table the first time moving fast it rained earlier in the afternoon and she slid off the table. LOL The second time was better I had her approach slower. After that we did a tire tunnel front cross, double jump sequence and it was lots of fun. We ended on the same thing but doing a rear cross at the tunnel instead of a front. VERY VERY FUN. I stayed and played for minute on the A frame working on our "Stick It" and wait and also the teeter. We are doing it at full height next week we are told. So, I had her bang it. Then I worked her on the full height one and she did great both directions. I am phych'd about next week. LOL I was so excited when we got home last night. It just felt so awesome. I am excited we are able to do this all off leash and complete the obstacles. I put the leash on as soon as we are done, but it is just so much fun. LOL 

I will hush now. I can't wait to hear how every one else is doing.


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## MyCharlie

We've had three classes with Kaya now and she is still doing great. I am really enjoying how different she is from Charlie when it comes to training methods. It's neat learning what makes her tick! So far she seems to be better at contacts and tunnels than jumps though - kinda weird. So I am REALLY going to have to focus on her contacts. I didn't have to worry about it with Charlie so we didn't do a whole lot of target practice.

Question - how do you wean off of targeting for the contacts? Eventually you will have to take away the object they are touching/targeting, so then do you still tell them "touch" (or whatever) even though there is nothing there to touch? Or at that point it has sorta morphed into touching the end of the contact and not the lid? Am I making any sense at all? lol


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## Jenna09

I am really enjoying class as well! We are having the 3rd class of the second phase of agility training. 

We are working on "rights" and "lefts" coming out of the tunnels and when going over the jumps. We have done a full run of 10 pieces of equipment at once and we work with 3-4 sets of different pieces adding different pieces each week.

Fibi is I think the best in class tied with a golden doodle. They both were in the beginner class together along with another dog. The other dog is very good as well but has some crazy dog moments and he is truly a character!

Jenna


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## Jenna09

Last night we also began to work on cross-overs. Everyones dogs had problems when we had to cross behind them and we are supposed to work on this during the week.

Our facility is indoors and because it is so humid here the floor mats were so slippery we couldnt run the full course as planned. Hopefully the weather improves next week because all of the owners were wiping out while there dogs ran fine!

It was definitely an eventful and hilarious night! 

Jenna


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## MissMutt

I wish my club had a big indoor facility. Their indoor is only used for Obedience and Rally, and the ring is really not that big  The agility field is approx 100 x 100 so it's a good size, but we've been getting rained out SO much!


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## Jenna09

Our indoor facility is huge...the whole dog place I believe is 10,000 sq.ft. with 7,000 sq.ft being used for the agility and other training classes.

I am glad we arent outside because the bugs have been so bad in my area lately.

Jenna


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## Solid Mutt

I agree Miss Mutt it would be awesome to have an indoor facility. We have classes at an out door facility, now granted it is a large one but still it is out side. We don't get rained out either. They say - we can train in the rain but never lightning. LOL I have went in the rain for classes. Makes for a fun and interesting time. LOL Luckily this week it rained that afternoon but quit by the time class started.


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## Squeeker

We had our last Novice 2 class last night. Thankfully, Libby was her usual self and not suffering from spring fever this week! We did a whole bunch of sequences: Table-weave-tunnel-weave-table, jump-teeter-tunnel, and others. It was a really good class for our final one of the session!

Novice 3 starts next week. Can't wait!


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## Shaina

Jenna09 said:


> Last night we also began to work on cross-overs. Everyones dogs had problems when we had to cross behind them and we are supposed to work on this during the week.
> 
> Our facility is indoors and because it is so humid here the floor mats were so slippery we couldnt run the full course as planned. Hopefully the weather improves next week because all of the owners were wiping out while there dogs ran fine!


That's funny about the rear crosses...gotta love when the dogs start doing 360s looking for their handler...or better yet bail at the last second then the handler is doing a 360 looking for their dog 

About the humidity -- do you think the club would considering buying dehumidifiers? We have three running all the time...two in the big part of the building and one in the smaller part...as members stop by for various things we just dump the water and make sure they are running before we leave...helps a lot!


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## Jenna09

Im not sure if they have dehumidifiers...something loud was running lol. The trainer said that they have never experienced such slippery floors before.

The rear crossovers were hilarious!! Everyones dogs were turning around half-way through whatever they were doing! And for the owners to compete with the slippery floors made it even more of a comedy event!

Jenna


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## lucyloo2

Our facility is outdoor as well. The club does rent an indoor facility for during the winter though (it's cold here in winter! LOL!). I love working outside! Hopefully we don't get rained out much. The weather has been nice here lately!


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## MissMutt

Wee! Sequencing! Oh - don't mind my flailing arm and terrible voice (I neither sound like an 8 year old nor say "tunnel" so gruffly in real life) - just focus on Marge. 






Couple of things going on with her agility skills:

I don't know if it was because of the heat and soggy obstacles, but Marge refused a LOT of tunnels. She'd go through with some coaxing, but I could NOT send her into any of them for the life of me (except for the straight one above).

Very good work on the teeter yesterday! Jessica came and helped me out. Marge has no problem walking across to the middle of it completely alone. I didn't let her go farther than that, though, unless my sister was on the other end, easing the other side downward as Marge stood on it. I'd say that was our big success of the day.

Her recall STINKS. I have no idea what happened.. she used to come to me at the drop of a hat. She wandered off a bit offleash yesterday to try to steal some of Chase's treats. I also leashed her because she was eyeing some new dogs suspiciously towards the end of class. Don't know what this whole thing is all about.

We did the Dog Walk.. one time, she went over and jumped off, and the next time, she went over perfectly and I fell on my face. LOL! We need to work on our coordination. Wasn't too bad though considering we've only done the Dog Walk a select few times.


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## lucyloo2

Sounds like Marge is doing pretty good! I can't see the video here but I'll look at home tonight  Maybe she was just having an off day with the tunnels and recall? I'm sure next time will be better! Sounds like she's doing great on the teeter and dog walk! We haven't done those yet.

Lucy and I had a great class yesterday! We had so much fun! We did some more 2on2offs and I put her on the top and she ran down and targeted/bottomed so that was good. We also started the weave poles which was so fun! We did it with the gates and started out with 3 targets and went down to 2. Hopefully next time we can go down to just 1! She did really well on those. Then we also did tunnels again, which Lucy loves so no issue there LOL We added a hoop on either side as well. So fun!


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## Solid Mutt

MissMutt said:


> Wee! Sequencing! Oh - don't mind my flailing arm and terrible voice (I neither sound like an 8 year old nor say "tunnel" so gruffly in real life) - just focus on Marge.
> 
> <center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cduHOXR9FrY&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cduHOXR9FrY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center>
> 
> Couple of things going on with her agility skills:
> 
> I don't know if it was because of the heat and soggy obstacles, but Marge refused a LOT of tunnels. She'd go through with some coaxing, but I could NOT send her into any of them for the life of me (except for the straight one above).
> 
> Very good work on the teeter yesterday! Jessica came and helped me out. Marge has no problem walking across to the middle of it completely alone. I didn't let her go farther than that, though, unless my sister was on the other end, easing the other side downward as Marge stood on it. I'd say that was our big success of the day.
> 
> Her recall STINKS. I have no idea what happened.. she used to come to me at the drop of a hat. She wandered off a bit offleash yesterday to try to steal some of Chase's treats. I also leashed her because she was eyeing some new dogs suspiciously towards the end of class. Don't know what this whole thing is all about.
> 
> We did the Dog Walk.. one time, she went over and jumped off, and the next time, she went over perfectly and I fell on my face. LOL! We need to work on our coordination. Wasn't too bad though considering we've only done the Dog Walk a select few times.


Wow, great video. It sounds like you and Marge are really coming along. How fun! The teeter andthe dog walk are great accomplishments! As far as the tunnels go, I was told in class that there is a peroid when dog will come to class and act like it forgot everything. They said it is just a phase and they all go through it.  

We have class this evening. It is raining here at the moment, so I am waiting to hear if we get cancelled this evening. They say we will train in the rain but not lightning. LOL So, hopefully it will clear up and we can go tonight. I am pumped and excited.


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## agility collie mom

Nice job for Marge and you! Getting her to go through the wet soggy tunnels was good practice for her and you. If you decide to compete you never know when it will rain when you are at a trial outdoors. But you two will be prepared! I use the word "here" to call my dogs to my side. Practice on both the left and the right. That way you can draw her to you when she gets distracted. You are both doing great just remember not to get too frustrated she is young. (Savannah and I went through 4 rounds of beginner agility before she could focus well. I took my time though because I realized that she is young and wasn't quite ready to move on. Rio had the focus from the get go and still does. Savannah is one of those "busy" dogs.) Wishing Marge and you blue skies on Agility class days!!


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## MissMutt

I *wish* we would train in the (light) rain instead of canceling every other week  It wasn't rainy while we were there, but it had thunder stormed earlier and it was SO humid. So I think that, combined with the wet tunnel, probably made her not want to go through. Maybe the air was flowing through the straightened tunnel better so it wasn't as hot inside. 

She focuses well when we're doing a sequence, but I leashed her only because I had a feeling that at the _end_ of the sequence, she'd take off and go see these other dogs. In between exercises she's in her own little world too. 

She got through the class without reacting to any of the other dogs until a little dog - maybe a Lhasa - started running ridiculous zoomies around the field as we were leaving. I don't think it was the same fear reactivity that she was exhibiting a few weeks ago, I think it was a chase/prey drive kind of thing. She used to do that back when I was dumb and took her to our cruddy DP.

If her self-control in those kinds of situations doesn't improve, I may choose to hover in Advanced Beginner for a couple of sessions. This is only Beginner, and she's way ahead of some of the other dogs, so I would at least like to go to the next level before repeating a class.


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## Squeeker

Great video! Looks like you guys are having a blast!

We have yet to practice outdoors... we were supposed to have two full sessions outside last summer, but it rained EVERY agility night for us, and when it rains we have class inside. Hoping we will have some outdoor classes this year!


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## Laurelin

Her'es my recent update. (can be found in another thread too)

Okay, it's not -THAT- much especially compared to some of your agility brags. But anyways...

Today was our first time to run a full course (well, sans weaves). Summer did SO good! She did refuse the tunnel on the first run, but she's come a long long ways from always refusing the tunnels and chutes. We timed each other and Summer (despite being the oldest and smallest dog there) was the second fastest time! (We have 6 dogs in class). She finished right between the border collies and above the bc mix and the aussie. I was so proud. I know she's not physically as fast as them but she seems much less apt to go careening off course. Burst the bc was by FAR the fastest. She had quite a bit of a cushion on Summer. But still, I am proud. Summer started off as probably the slowest dog in the class.

Also, Summer went an entire class without a single growl or snark at another dog. She didn't even react to Meekah who reacted right next to her to another dog. Whoot!

The most important thing is Summer has decided agility is FUN! The bad news is she's started getting so worked up, she screams when we first get to the field. Think similar to the toller scream only toy dog pitched. It's AWFUL and I keep apologizing to everyone. I've never heard a dog make such a god-awful noise. Ugh...


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## agility collie mom

It was a good night for agility last night! Savannah stayed focused almost all night. In fact there is a GSD and a standard poodle in class that do not get along so Savannah was used to seperate them in class. And guess what almost no barking! The instructor calls her the ra ra girl. We started contacts (Savannah has done them previously). I like how this instructor teaches contacts. A-frame not at full height, teeter on the table (like Squeeker's Libby's video) and learning to touch at the contact zone. I'm so worried about a fly off (that's what happened to Rio twice and he is now afraid of the dogwalk and the teeter.) Plus weave poles, chute and tire. We also did some sequences. Great night for Savannah. Sounds like Summer and Lucy had a great class also Yeah! Solid Mutts did it rain last night and did you guys have class?


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> It was a good night for agility last night! Savannah stayed focused almost all night. In fact there is a GSD and a standard poodle in class that do not get along so Savannah was used to seperate them in class. And guess what almost no barking! The instructor calls her the ra ra girl. We started contacts (Savannah has done them previously). I like how this instructor teaches contacts. A-frame not at full height, teeter on the table (like Squeeker's Libby's video) and learning to touch at the contact zone. I'm so worried about a fly off (that's what happened to Rio twice and he is now afraid of the dogwalk and the teeter.) Plus weave poles, chute and tire. We also did some sequences. Great night for Savannah. Sounds like Summer and Lucy had a great class also Yeah! Solid Mutts did it rain last night and did you guys have class?


Thanks for asking Agility Collie Mom!!! It did stop raining for a while and we had class. We could see the rain/storms brewing so they tried to hurry along the best they could. We ended up getting rained on about 15-20 minutes at the end, not too bad. We had an interesting and funny class. Voodoo was great when it was our turn for the sequences but while we waited our turn is another story. She actually was good most of the time except once. We were all extremely close to each other and this dog was barking and whining and it got Voodoo extremely excited. She thought it was play time and wanted to go play with any dog she could come close too. LOL After a couple minutes I did get her under control. It was nothing bad but she was like a mexican jumping bean on my leash. LOL We worked on the teeter and our contacts at the end. We got introduced to the dog walk and doing our contact work at each end. We worked weaves and bringing them in closer. Voodoo was not sure about them being in so close. We did move them out just a hair and she did great. We will practice them at home this week. We also did sequences which was a jump and then the tunnel. We practiced these at 3 different angles leading to the tunnel. We did straight on first, then a 45 degree angle and finally a 90 degree angle. Voodoo Rocked. It was great. We also did a sequence tire-front cross, jump, jump, jump (in a pin-wheel format, rear cross - chute. Voodoo did awesome but my crosses were less than par. LOL Those dang crosses sometimes can get you mixed up. HA HA I tried hard though and we did get it correct the second time. I was thrilled. Class was EXTREMELY comical though. We split in to two groups as usual. Out of the 13 or so there was 3 dog (2 from my group and 1 from the other group) that had a case of the zoomies. Everytime the owner would start the sequence with the dog right in the middle of it the dog would go zooming off and run around the field 2-3-4 times and go through the other group. It was hilarious!!! I know that it is not funny as far as training, personally I know I would be frustrated. In the back of my mind after the laughing  because it was so funny to watch - you would think after say 3 or 4 times thru the night the owners would put a leash on the dog and leave it on if possible for the exercise. Personally with Voodoo being a pup I trust her for our sequences but not in between. I know she wants to go play... I am working hard on our focus all the time but she is still distracted at times. But, if I feel my dog needs a leash for something I will use it until she becomes reliable. Does that make sense? It is not a vent at all, but I just think it is maybe good for the training and also for respect to the other students. LOL Oh well the storms ended up coming in at the end thunder and lightning and all. I am thrilled we had class and only minorly got soaked. LOL Ok, I will hush now!!!


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## agility collie mom

Solid Mutt so glad you had class! Sounds like Voodoo and you had a great time. Our instructor tells us that if you even have a small doubt as to whether your dog will stay with you than do the class on leash. And yes I agree the zoomies can be very comical. Don't our pups just enjoy life to the fullest!!


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## Kathyy

Max was a relatively good boy yesterday. He did focus and run fast and happy when it was our turn but he sure was Mr. Sniffy when I was trying to warm him up! My big brag is my knees are still mostly functioning in spite of a bazillion front crosses in the sequence we did yesterday! AND I successfully did a pretty decent post turn [even more scared of post turns than I am of front crosses]. AND Max was a robot dog and did what I told him to and didn't get upset when we did it over so I could do a better job of telling him what to do. So awful when I mess up and he thinks he did it wrong.


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## Squeeker

Just got home from class... our first night of Novice 3! There was a new dog in our class as well, a sheltie named Sky.

New level, so new rules - any extra people had to remain outside the ring. Usually DH and I take turns doing focus practice and whatnot between turns (I am the handler for the sequences, though), but tonight we started getting more serious.

We learned "flips" tonight, as well as 270 degree turns. We also did "competition" weave poles instead of the set that we used to use that was a bit offset of center. We did a few sequences, as well.

It was a great class!


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## Skeeski

I just came across this thread and read through it all. Sounds like everyone is having fun and doing great in the classes 
I'll join in here too (it'll be nice to look back on too)
This will probably get long sorry in advance haha. 

Last year, my mom and I took an agility class with the dogs (me with Luke, my Catahoula Leopard, and her with Codi, her Golden Retriever) We were looking for something fun to do with the dogs and well, it was a BLAST and we're hooked!
Luke did well for the most park, he was somewhat more reactive last year though. We had one week where, out of nowhere (really, no where) he decided he didn't want anything to do with another Golden that was in our class. He kind of went in to a blind rage and barked and growled and I could no get his attention even with the biggest piece of hotdog we had. We went outside of about 20 minutes just to chill out and get our focus back. We returned to a pretty stressful rest of the class, he would do what I asked but still wasn't really focusing. The following week was similar - doing the obstacles and all just not focusing. The remainder of the classes went well and he got over his issues for the most part. But needless to say I was really discouraged, and admittedly somewhat scared and we didn't go on to next level. 
We agreed to take a year off and work on our basics some more.
That was a good idea to say the least- We started the beginner class again in March and have had nothing but a blast the whole time. 
Luke focuses and has lost the majority of his "reactive-ness"
this last week, in particular, I've got to brag about. We got split in to our regular three groups and ours went outside first (there is both an indoor and outdoor "arena" ) we worked on the dog walk and keeping balance and none of the dogs had a problem so we got to run out little "course" (jump-low dogwalk-hoop) a bunch of times. Then we moved inside and worked on the tunnel setup, which is a fully extended tunnel to the shoot to a hoop and back. This week we would be leaving the shoot down (I don't remember if we did this in last years class or not). Luke, the tunnel loving bomb proof dog he is - wasn't phased by it at all. He loved it and had a blast running through it and popping out the other side just wagging his whole (big) body. The rest of the class was just the normal, the tire, jumps, a low a-frame, the table and bunch of hoops. At the end of class every week we walk through the whole course, three rows of obstacles. Everyone always laughs when he tears through the tunnel cause he wags all the way through and sounds like thunder. Luke was fantastic. His attention was on me the whole time and really, it was one of our best weeks, he's just taking everything in stride. I'm blown away with the improvement he's made.
This was probably way too long and probably didn't make much sense - it's really late and I'm falling asleep haha. Thanks for reading and letting me brag.

I hope everyones classes this week go well


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## agility collie mom

Kathyy I know what you mean by the dreaded front crosses, I'm just awful (post turns not too bad.) I tend to use rear crosses more often (which I shouldn't since I need practice on fronts.) Squeeker glad to hear you guys had a great class. You're really progressing quickly! Welcome Skeeski I'm going to guess that Luke was a puppy last year. I think the hardest thing for the puppies to learn is to focus. Savannah is 18 months now and is finally becoming focused. Before there was just too much to look at and see. Too many dogs that looked like fun to play with. I know that she will still get her moments but, it's coming. But what a fun, fun, sport for all!


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## Jenna09

I took Fibi to class last night hoping it would be better then last week. She was slightly better but has no interest in jumping the hurdles! She wont wait/stay for me to get into place and then wants to just run around them. I have no idea why she has developed this behaviour because 2 weeks ago she was loving everything!

The first quarter of class was just jumping the hurdles which was a write-off for us lol! I am going to setup some practice stuff at home to help her get over her issue lol!

We worked on the teeter totter just getting them used to it and she did suprisingly well at that! 

She loves the A-Frame, what we call "walk-it", chute, and tunnel. She is great with her targets as well! She is also not distracted by the front and back crosses even though Im tripping over my own feet!!

Hopefully next week she will be more into class!

Jenna


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## MissMutt

My Marge is EATING up the Weaves  I bought a set of 6 for my backyard and in two days, she's almost weaving them! We have to use the V method because those poles aren't designed for channel weaves, but honestly she's doing so well with it. 

I wonder if it'd be okay to switch to channel weaves when practicing in class? The bad thing about the V weaves is that I don't think it defines the entry point very well.


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## Jenna09

Can you better describe the different kind of weaves to me? I didnt know there were different kinds.

Thanks
Jenna


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## lucyloo2

I love reading everybody's posts here! So much fun! I've only had 2 classes and I think both Lucy and I are addicted LOL! I went to the dollar store and bought some hula hoops and toilet paper holders to build myself some practice stuff LOL! I tried to find one of those smaller, cheap tunnels at PetSmart but they didn't have any 

I'm wondering the difference between channel weaves and V weaves as well? Our trainers showed us 2 different ways to teach weaves as well....one involving gates (same as channel maybe?) and one where the dog looks through 2 poles and you throw a toy so they run through it when they look and then reward them and build on it from that. We are doing the gates and targets with Lucy


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## MissMutt

I'll try to find some video.

Here are the V weaves.





Right now my Marge is running then with them almost completely upright. They're a little lopsided in this picture because she was banging into them a bit but this should give you the idea










And the channel weaves.

There was a good video I watched, but I can't find it 

It starts out like this:






And as you progress, you move the poles closer together:






There is also the 2x2 method, but that confuses me.


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## Jenna09

Interesting. Our weave poles are just in a straight line and we lure them through. We have only done it 3 times and Fibi is getting the idea lol!

I also am going to be making a poor man's version of the equipment from the dollar store and stuff I have at home. I looked online and it was way to pricey for me!!

Jenna


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## MissMutt

I bought weaves for $18 through ebay. Jumps I make myself out of two plastic chairs and some sort of bar across.


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## lucyloo2

Thanks Miss Mutt! I think the 2x2 method is one that my trainers were using, with throwing the toy or whatever. Too confusing for me! We set up gates around the poles and use 3 targets to lure them through, and then down to 2 targets and then 1 at the end eventually.

Ebay is a good idea! I'll have to look on there. My toilet paper stands work okay for Lucy for now but it'd nice to have some better stuff LOL

Jenna09 the dollar store is awesome LOL I bought hula hoops and toilet paper stands, then taped the hoops to the stands with hockey tape and they work great for hoops! I use the toilet paper stands for weave poles for now too, and bought gardening type gates there to use for my "gates" around the poles LOL If your dog is small like Lucy the toilet paper rolls work alright for weave poles!


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## Jenna09

Awesome!

I am going to use wrapping paper rolls as hurdles and a hoola hoop for the tire. And I am going to set something up for the weaves, but Im not sure what yet.


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## Solid Mutt

lucyloo2 said:


> I love reading everybody's posts here! So much fun! I've only had 2 classes and I think both Lucy and I are addicted LOL! I went to the dollar store and bought some hula hoops and toilet paper holders to build myself some practice stuff LOL! I tried to find one of those smaller, cheap tunnels at PetSmart but they didn't have any
> 
> I'm wondering the difference between channel weaves and V weaves as well? Our trainers showed us 2 different ways to teach weaves as well....one involving gates (same as channel maybe?) and one where the dog looks through 2 poles and you throw a toy so they run through it when they look and then reward them and build on it from that. We are doing the gates and targets with Lucy



Hey Lucyloo2 - I just got home and am headed outside, but I wanted to tell you I had the same issues when looking for a "more reasonable tunnel" I got recommened to look for a childrens tunnel at Toys R Us. They did not have any at our local store but I found them online. I got mine off ebay for like 35 dollars I think but I got a 20" or 22" opening and 12 foot long. They have lots of other sizes. I totally woudl recommend getting one of them. They are much cheaper. Here is a picture of mine at home. This is not the best picture sorry in advance. I will sign on later and write more!


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## agility collie mom

You can build your own jumps quite easily here is a link with instructions. 
http://www.caninecrib.com/dog/training/standard-jump.asp
The only thing different I would do is to buy these jump cups instead.
http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1191&ParentCat=335
I also built my own tire jump and weave poles. There are also books with instructions on building your own agility equipment.
http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTA232
Enjoy!!


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## Shaina

Well the latest class session is over...Webster was first introduced to agility equipment 8 weeks ago...his class was just single obstacle introduction and no series. Kim just finished an intermediate class which just started to introduce some crossing techniques and things like that. We (both dogs) have been playing around a lot outside of class though.

DH is visiting this weekend and wanted to see how they were doing so we headed out to the club...both dogs (plus me) were tired plus they were excited that DH was there...not only have they not run with him there before, but they hadn't seen him in a while so it was twice as distracting lol. But he did take a vid (with goofy commentary) of each dog's second and last run through the course I set up, and they are the only vids I'm likely to get for a while, so here you go, lol...enjoy. 

Webster:


Kim:


ETA: Yes my jeans are really old and have holes in them lol...but I can put greasy treats in the pockets (I really dislike bait bags) and not worry about making them less presentable than they already are. They are my dog training jeans haha


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## Squeeker

Hey, great vids! The goofy commentary was amusing!

Considering the dogs were wound up, they still did fantastic! WTG!


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## melgrj7

Lloyd can now do all the obstacles without hesitation and sequencing. I am still having trouble getting him to push away from me. I think he wants to bite me.  When I first got him we had problems with redirecting excitement/frustration and biting me. He never broke the skin but left bruises. I think what I am going to do is go back to doing one obstacle at a time and work up the speed on single obstacles until he is doing those well, without the grumbling and coming in towards me. Then 2, then 3 and so on. I can't tell if he thinks we are playing or if he is redirecting to me. He growls when he plays, so its hard to tell when he is running the obstacles. In class I've been taking him out of the room for a few minutes when he starts doing it (grumbling and moving in towards me more).


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## MissMutt

Awesome vids, Shaina  Sometimes I honestly wish we had an indoor training facility like that.. I don't know, it just seems to be so much more conducive to offleash learning than our field is. 

Marge is progressing VERY well with the 6 weaves in the backyard. She can get a little lazy with them.. but when she's focused she can weave all 6 with them upright. Tonight I started practicing jump jump weave sequences to help solidify for Marge where the entry point is. I had all the poles up except the first one, which was slightly bent. 

Class will most likely be cancelled this week because there's rain in the forecast  Was really looking forward to see how she'd do weaving at class.


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## lucyloo2

Solid Mutt said:


> Hey Lucyloo2 - I just got home and am headed outside, but I wanted to tell you I had the same issues when looking for a "more reasonable tunnel" I got recommened to look for a childrens tunnel at Toys R Us. They did not have any at our local store but I found them online. I got mine off ebay for like 35 dollars I think but I got a 20" or 22" opening and 12 foot long. They have lots of other sizes. I totally woudl recommend getting one of them. They are much cheaper. Here is a picture of mine at home. This is not the best picture sorry in advance. I will sign on later and write more!


What a great idea!!! Thanks so much! It looks like it works great to me, and you can't beat the price LOL!

Thanks for the great links agility collie mom!!


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## Solid Mutt

Shaina - GREAT videos. I totally loved the commentary was hilarious! 

I agree with Miss Mutt and indoor training facility would be nice. The facility you train at looks amazing!  

Miss Mutt - I hope you don't get rained out this week.  I can only imagine how disappointing that would be. It sounds like Marge is doing great on the weaves! That is awesome! 

I got some of the Fence posts from TSC this weekend that stick in the ground. The said this is a nice alternative to weave poles. They seemd to work well. We are training the 2x2 method as well. Last week the moved them in quite tight and Voodoo was not sure about going through. I worked her last night at home and she did good just took her a couple tries to understand she could fit. We did go to practice on Saturday she did great but she got so hot in the sun. We just worked on a few things and then she got some play time with a few of the other dogs. I can't wait for class this week. We are supposed to have rain too, but I am sure we will have class anyways. LOL



lucyloo2 said:


> What a great idea!!! Thanks so much! It looks like it works great to me, and you can't beat the price LOL!
> 
> Thanks for the great links agility collie mom!!



You are very welcome, just thought I would share incase it would help you. The price was good and it works for something at home. 

I also bought this 
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3055772&CAWELAID=155683071

It is about too small for Voodoo but it does work at the moment for a tire jump. For 9.99 why not. We made a couple other jumps out of PVC as well. I need to make a couple more. LOL


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## lucyloo2

Shaina > those videos are too cute! I love your dogs!

Solid Mutt > Oh wow you can't beat a $10 tire jump LOL! Awesome! Lucy is small, it looks like it would be able to work for her. Thanks! This forum is so awesome, such a wealth of information!

We had rally o last night, and agility tonight! I will post afterwards


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## Solid Mutt

well I am bummed out... 

It has rained on and off here all day. Seems to be clearing up but the local forecasters are predicting storms from 5-8pm. I just got the word our class tonight has been cancelled. Talk about bumming me out. LOL I know it is the smart thing to do and no one wants to be out in the rain, but it totally is a bummer. I was so looking forward to class. LOL 

Lucyloo2 - how was your class last night? 



How is everyone else coming along?


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## agility collie mom

Rio's class was good this week. The instructor had a 17 obstacle course set up for the first two runs. Mom got lost on the last part of the course lol. We got it the second time thru though. Then she set up a more open faster course. Rio rocked it. With him being a large breed dog sometimes it is hard for him to run the really tight courses. Especially the first course ended with a jump very close to a wall (could run into the wall to be exact if he had misjudged it.) It just made him jump more rounded (not flat like when he is moving fast.) Savannah on the other hand had focus issues again. Not as bad as previously but, then everyone had focus issues last night. I thought that maybe it was the heat but, a storm rolled in right after class was over. My guess is that the dogs knew it was coming thus the excitement and lack of focus. She did good otherwise. Just was not sure of the tunnel last night but then again looking at the other dogs sometimes and focusing on treats instead of the tunnel were her biggest downfalls. Oh well she is still very young and will get those days. Sorry to hear you were rained out Solid Mutt. Do you guys do line walking?


----------



## Lonewolfblue

Well, Nell did really good last night as well. I know what you mean by really tight courses, even though Nell is a medium-sized breed, she's lightning fast, and I have the exact same problem, she's too fast, lol. (large dog+tight course=fast dog+tight course) lol. We still have to work more on her focus. But she's getting better with it. We've been working on more crosses in the course as well. It was set up to where we would do a front cross at the entrance to the A-Frame, and then a rear cross after the A-frame to hit the Teeter. We also worked on some Go Outs as well, where you send the dog out to hit a jump without you having to run to the jump with the dog. This will help with the last obsticle in competitions, as you can send your dog to go out as fast as they can and hit that last obsticle, which we've been working with the jump as the last obsticle. It was a pretty fun time.


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> Rio's class was good this week. The instructor had a 17 obstacle course set up for the first two runs. Mom got lost on the last part of the course lol. We got it the second time thru though. Then she set up a more open faster course. Rio rocked it. With him being a large breed dog sometimes it is hard for him to run the really tight courses. Especially the first course ended with a jump very close to a wall (could run into the wall to be exact if he had misjudged it.) It just made him jump more rounded (not flat like when he is moving fast.) Savannah on the other hand had focus issues again. Not as bad as previously but, then everyone had focus issues last night. I thought that maybe it was the heat but, a storm rolled in right after class was over. My guess is that the dogs knew it was coming thus the excitement and lack of focus. She did good otherwise. Just was not sure of the tunnel last night but then again looking at the other dogs sometimes and focusing on treats instead of the tunnel were her biggest downfalls. Oh well she is still very young and will get those days. Sorry to hear you were rained out Solid Mutt. Do you guys do line walking?


 Thanks, it turned out to be abeautiful evening too. LOL Just our luck. Tell me what line walking is? I am unfamiliar with the term. LOL


----------



## Squeeker

> Tell me what line walking is? I am unfamiliar with the term. LOL


I don't know either, but assume it is pattern work/box work, AKA heeling exercises to get the dog focusing on you?


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## Solid Mutt

Squeeker said:


> I don't know either, but assume it is pattern work/box work, AKA heeling exercises to get the dog focusing on you?


k, That would make sense. I just have not heard that term before. It is new to me. If that is what it is we do lots of what our instructors call "flat work." We do it at the beginning of every class along with practice at home. It varies from different things each week. It is something new to work on along with the previous things LOL It is amazing though how much your dogs reads your body language. It was a big eye opener for me on our A-frame work a couple weeks ago. Really helped us at our contact point.



agility collie mom said:


> Rio's class was good this week. The instructor had a 17 obstacle course set up for the first two runs. Mom got lost on the last part of the course lol. We got it the second time thru though. Then she set up a more open faster course. Rio rocked it. With him being a large breed dog sometimes it is hard for him to run the really tight courses. Especially the first course ended with a jump very close to a wall (could run into the wall to be exact if he had misjudged it.) It just made him jump more rounded (not flat like when he is moving fast.) Savannah on the other hand had focus issues again. Not as bad as previously but, then everyone had focus issues last night. I thought that maybe it was the heat but, a storm rolled in right after class was over. My guess is that the dogs knew it was coming thus the excitement and lack of focus. She did good otherwise. Just was not sure of the tunnel last night but then again looking at the other dogs sometimes and focusing on treats instead of the tunnel were her biggest downfalls. Oh well she is still very young and will get those days. Sorry to hear you were rained out Solid Mutt. Do you guys do line walking?


Wow, 17 obstacles that is awesome! Go Rio! It sounds like a great night even with the tight courses. I can only imagine having a bigger dog flying around obstacles in a tight area. Sorry Savannah has some focus issues. You are right she is young and they have their days. Seems Voodoo and I have those days as well. The instuctors and experienced handlers in my class keep reminding me the smae thing she is young and it will happen.  Treats and other dogs can definitely be tempting especially to a young dog. Voodoo isnt worried about the treats it is wanting to play with EVERY dog in class while we wait our turn. LOL 



Lonewolfblue said:


> Well, Nell did really good last night as well. I know what you mean by really tight courses, even though Nell is a medium-sized breed, she's lightning fast, and I have the exact same problem, she's too fast, lol. (large dog+tight course=fast dog+tight course) lol. We still have to work more on her focus. But she's getting better with it. We've been working on more crosses in the course as well. It was set up to where we would do a front cross at the entrance to the A-Frame, and then a rear cross after the A-frame to hit the Teeter. We also worked on some Go Outs as well, where you send the dog out to hit a jump without you having to run to the jump with the dog. This will help with the last obsticle in competitions, as you can send your dog to go out as fast as they can and hit that last obsticle, which we've been working with the jump as the last obsticle. It was a pretty fun time.


It sounds like Nell had a great night and it was lots of fun. She is really doing good! The crosses are so much fun to work on, but can get confusing. LOL (Could just be me though, I am uncoordinated and Voodoo is fast. So, that leads to funny moments) I am glad you had such a successful night!


----------



## Lonewolfblue

Another thing for 'flat work' that could be considered 'line walking' is when you are going in one direction with the dog on your left, then flipping a 180, keeping the dog on the same side where the dog will now be on your right side. This helps in allowing the dog to work with you on both sides, and not just your left. You can do this walking, as well as running, you just do it in a straight line. Then another thing you can add, if the dog is turning towards you when he turns around, you can then teach him to also turn away from you when he turns around. So then you do some where the dog turns into you and some where the dog is turning away from you. We learned this in this class as well, it's part of our warm-up before class actually starts.


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## agility collie mom

Lonewolfblue said:


> Another thing for 'flat work' that could be considered 'line walking' is when you are going in one direction with the dog on your left, then flipping a 180, keeping the dog on the same side where the dog will now be on your right side. This helps in allowing the dog to work with you on both sides, and not just your left. You can do this walking, as well as running, you just do it in a straight line. Then another thing you can add, if the dog is turning towards you when he turns around, you can then teach him to also turn away from you when he turns around. So then you do some where the dog turns into you and some where the dog is turning away from you. We learned this in this class as well, it's part of our warm-up before class actually starts.


That's exactly what I am talking about. It is a great focus exercise. Glad to hear that Nell and you had a fun class. That's what it's all about, fun and team work. My instructor also told me that we will have peaks and valley and that they may be at different times for the dogs and me. In other words they dogs may make the connection first and "get it" before I do and visa versa. She said that sometimes it can be frustrating because it takes time before you became a well oiled team.


----------



## Lonewolfblue

Another thing to add, when talking focus, the running back and forth really helps with this. When you start running, your dog is more than likely going to get really amped up. This is where you really want to teach him focus, when he's amped up. In Agility, you not only want him to be fast, but focused. When I did this 'flat work', Nell was fine til we started running, then she would go bonkers. But now, I would say she's focused about 85-90% of the time, but then sometimes loses it, lol. If you can get to the point where you can run and switch directions at whatever distance you choose, and the dog remains focused, then you've had a huge accomplishment.

Also, when you are doing the flat work, I also forgot to mention that you don't go back and forth at the same distances. Make it challenging for the dog by changing up the distances, you might go the entire distance for the first leg, then come back about 2/3 of the way and turn, and maybe go 1/4 and turn fast, then go to the end, then come back about half way and turn, then go 2 steps and turn again, then 15 steps and turn, and 6 steps and turn. Be completely random.


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## Squeeker

> Another thing for 'flat work' that could be considered 'line walking' is when you are going in one direction with the dog on your left, then flipping a 180, keeping the dog on the same side where the dog will now be on your right side. This helps in allowing the dog to work with you on both sides, and not just your left.


Ahhh, gotcha... these are what I called "flips" in my post about last week's class.

This week went really well! Weaves, teeter, and then a couple of sequences. The sequences were all jumps this week, working on front crosses and focus/communication. The jumps were arranged in side-by-side squares, like this:

_ _
| | |
_ _


where each line was a jump. We did all of our sequences using this setup, in various paths of 8-ish jumps apiece. It was challenging and FUN!

(OK for some reason when I post my pretty diagram loses its formatting... but the lines are supposed to make two boxes side-by-side)


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## Solid Mutt

Squeeker said:


> Ahhh, gotcha... these are what I called "flips" in my post about last week's class.


Got it too!  We also call it a rear cross in motion or a flip turn. Our flat work consists of many different things from post turns, front crosses, rear cross in motion (aka flip turns) wide circles, small circles. We work at all paces and both sides. We also work on focus to keep your dogs attention while being around so many distractions. Always keeping it fresh. 

Hope this made sense. LOL


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## Shaina

Sorry for replying so late...been out of town all week. Just wanted to say thanks for the vid comments, lol.

Glad everyone's training is progressing


----------



## lucyloo2

Wow everybody is doing so great!!! 17 obstacles for Rio, that is amazing! We have done...3 in a row now LOL!!! We've only had 3 classes though!

Ours went pretty well on Tuesday  They had a couple of the dogs who had been there before doing a tunnel, 2 hoops, then another tunnel but that was too much for Lucy so we focused on doing a hoop, tunnel, and then another hoop and she was able to do that. 

Do any of the rest of you use "bingos"?? We have little containers we put treats in (their bingo!), and tell the dogs to "go bingo" which means for them to basically go through every obstacle in front of them (hoops and tunnels right now) and you throw the bingo to the end of the last obstacle, and when the dog runs through everything and to it you open it up and give them all the treats inside. It's pretty fun and seems to work!

We also worked on the little contact again, we were doing 2on2offs and now Lucy is going over it too! Woo hoo! The first time she wanted to run beside it but when she figured out the treat was at the top she had no problems going up ther LOL


We've done some of this too, but don't call it line walking 


Lonewolfblue said:


> Another thing for 'flat work' that could be considered 'line walking' is when you are going in one direction with the dog on your left, then flipping a 180, keeping the dog on the same side where the dog will now be on your right side. This helps in allowing the dog to work with you on both sides, and not just your left. You can do this walking, as well as running, you just do it in a straight line. Then another thing you can add, if the dog is turning towards you when he turns around, you can then teach him to also turn away from you when he turns around. So then you do some where the dog turns into you and some where the dog is turning away from you. We learned this in this class as well, it's part of our warm-up before class actually starts.


----------



## Lonewolfblue

We don't call it line walking either, one of the trainers calls it 'flat work'. I also call it warm-ups, lol. As for the 2 on, 2off's, we don't do that either. Our trainer has gone over with us that she's done a lot of research on it with her dogs, which are mainly ridgebacks, she has found that the 2 on 2 off is hard on the dogs shoulders, and have a higher risk of injuring their shoulders due to stopping at the bottom of things like the A-Frame with the rear legs higher than the front legs. She also said that if the dog slows down before stopping at the bottom, it helps reduce the chance, but many dogs are taught to not slow down and then stop at the bottom. So she doesn't teach the 2 on 2 off.


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## lucyloo2

Lonewolfblue said:


> We don't call it line walking either, one of the trainers calls it 'flat work'. I also call it warm-ups, lol. As for the 2 on, 2off's, we don't do that either. Our trainer has gone over with us that she's done a lot of research on it with her dogs, which are mainly ridgebacks, she has found that the 2 on 2 off is hard on the dogs shoulders, and have a higher risk of injuring their shoulders due to stopping at the bottom of things like the A-Frame with the rear legs higher than the front legs. She also said that if the dog slows down before stopping at the bottom, it helps reduce the chance, but many dogs are taught to not slow down and then stop at the bottom. So she doesn't teach the 2 on 2 off.



Interesting! It's good to hear other theories and how other trainers do things  It does make sense that it could wear and tear on their shoulders.


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## MegaMuttMom

MissMutt said:


> I'll try to find some video.
> 
> Here are the V weaves.
> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9Q_sfKxKpGk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9Q_sfKxKpGk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
> 
> Right now my Marge is running then with them almost completely upright. They're a little lopsided in this picture because she was banging into them a bit but this should give you the idea
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the channel weaves.
> 
> There was a good video I watched, but I can't find it
> 
> It starts out like this:
> 
> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mtZ-HtPtvAs&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mtZ-HtPtvAs&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
> 
> And as you progress, you move the poles closer together:
> 
> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e8aemhf23qI&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e8aemhf23qI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
> 
> There is also the 2x2 method, but that confuses me.


Our trainer gets out the V weaves when he wants us working on speed. We don't have channel weaves, we just have straight weaves that you add or subtract gates to. The gates help the dog get into the weaves in the right pattern.

Now we are working without any gates and just use our finger as a target to help direct.

Shaina, do you always stop at the bottom of the A-frame? We are encouraged to slow our dog down on the incline if they are likely to miss the target but, not to stop.
I love your videos and especially the love and pride I hear in your DH's voice. Clearly you are not the only dog crazy member of your family!!!!!


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## MissMutt

Have to go on a little bit of a rant.. I'm trying to get ready to sign up for the next session and I had a couple of important questions I wanted answered.. I got no replies to my e-mails from the registrar! I had to go find my instructor's e-mail myself and ask the question.. I understand it's trial season but I waited 3 or 4 days, the check is due now.. I'm not going to send in my money without knowing everything I need to know.. yet I don't want to be rude and send it late..

Don't know if Agility at my club is unorganized or what.. any of the questions I've asked the Obed. people they've answered with lightning speed and were extremely helpful.. I feel like I've gotten several half-assed responses back from some others though..

Anyway not much to report this week. I can't remember if I posted about our class on Tuesday but it went well, except for the fact that Marge's play/prey drives came out. She went over the A-Frame at full height all by herself, without me asking, too. LOL! I got a kick out of that.


----------



## Jenna09

Fibi's class went really well on Thursday...so much better then the 2 previous classes where all of her obedience and agility training seemed to have slipped her mind lol! She was back to her old self and running the course great!

However I was slightly disappointed at the end of class when I asked when the next session would be starting and the instructor I believe said not until October!! We were walking out and I am hoping I didnt hear her right because having to wait until October seems a little silly. I will of course be checking next week at our final class of Agility 2...hopefully the next round of classes starts asap!

Jenna


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> Have to go on a little bit of a rant.. I'm trying to get ready to sign up for the next session and I had a couple of important questions I wanted answered.. I got no replies to my e-mails from the registrar! I had to go find my instructor's e-mail myself and ask the question.. I understand it's trial season but I waited 3 or 4 days, the check is due now.. I'm not going to send in my money without knowing everything I need to know.. yet I don't want to be rude and send it late..
> 
> Don't know if Agility at my club is unorganized or what.. any of the questions I've asked the Obed. people they've answered with lightning speed and were extremely helpful.. I feel like I've gotten several half-assed responses back from some others though..


Sorry to hear that...I know it was awful trying to get in touch with people at my obedience club when I first moved here to get into upper level classes...it's really easy if you start at the bottom and work your way up, but trying to get them to let me start way up the tier was a pain...

Granted now it's part of my job to ensure that new people like I was aren't met with the same barriers. If the registration staff isn't helping, try talking to the board of directors to let them know your concerns...I know I want to know that sort of thing immediately so I can take it up with the coordinators...students should be able to get what they need.


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## Shaina

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!! 

Okay so it's not agility CLASS...we're between classes right now...but we just had an awesome training night.

Our two limiting factors, as with many people, are the weaves and the teeter...so that's what we focused on tonight.

*Kim*
_Teeter_
She hasn't been within 20 feet of a teeter in a month. She hated it, didn't even want to look at it, so I gave her a break. Tonight she seemed really confident and psyched so I pulled it out, set it to low, and wedged a table under one end so I couldn't move. Goal: To have her approaching a teeter that *looks* like it will move with confidence and going up, and also going back down the other side to great confidence on that side of things. She. Did. Awesome! Had a great time, grinning, bouncing, tail flying, etc. So good to see.
_Weaves_
She was also doing 6 straight weaves from both sides with confidence and no input from me whatsoever (besides of course telling her to go Weave in the first place). Considering the angles of approach I was throwing at her, she's getting near competition-ready on the weaves. Not a lot of speed but not dallying either...she still "thinks" a lot as she goes through, and she's an awfully long dog anyway.

*Webster*
_Teeter_
Left the teeter on low since he hasn't done it in a while, but with nothing to stop it from freely rotating. The minute I let him out of the crate he ran over and did the teeter...while I was still 30' away by his crate lol. So ummmm no problems there. His 2 on/2 off is going well too...he's voluntarily offering it without reminders now.
_Weaves_
I tried straight weaves with him and while he did well on entrances (just two weaves up), four in a row was confusing him a bit so we went back to channel weaves for the night. They were only barely offset, but it was enough to remind him what weaves are, and he zipped through them as fast as his feet could go lol. Considering he first weaved a weave just 3 months ago and we haven't really been focusing on that obstacle he is coming along pretty well.

So I am really just thrilled with both of them...one of those nights where things just really "clicked" and we made very nice progress  I think their 2 week agility hiatus helped to refresh them a little...whatever it was, it worked!


----------



## MissMutt

I'm so worried about the Teeter with Marge.. we do it in dribs and drabs in class because honestly, the other dogs need more handling attention than she does (in terms of the basic obstacles/flat work) so the instructor's time gets spent that way. We did it last night and she was pretty afraid of it. I don't want it to get to the point where she won't even get on it. She was almost at that point yesterday. Think maybe I'll do some c/t'ing on it next time.

As for everything else.. I don't have time for a long update but I put together this short video of us from last night. I had a bunch of short clips so it just made sense to upload them all as one. Don't mind my handling.. I run like a duck with a stick up it's butt 






The instructor offered for us to move up a level, but I honestly want to take things slow.. and I really want to stay with the same group of dogs to minimize any reactivity that might arise. Seems like anything she's doing, though, is play and prey drives and not fear/dog aggression. Which is good.


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## MegaMuttMom

Shaina said:


> YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
> 
> Okay so it's not agility CLASS...we're between classes right now...but we just had an awesome training night.
> 
> Our two limiting factors, as with many people, are the weaves and the teeter...so that's what we focused on tonight.
> 
> *Kim*
> _Teeter_
> She hasn't been within 20 feet of a teeter in a month. She hated it, didn't even want to look at it, so I gave her a break. Tonight she seemed really confident and psyched so I pulled it out, set it to low, and wedged a table under one end so I couldn't move. Goal: To have her approaching a teeter that *looks* like it will move with confidence and going up, and also going back down the other side to great confidence on that side of things. She. Did. Awesome! Had a great time, grinning, bouncing, tail flying, etc. So good to see.
> _Weaves_
> She was also doing 6 straight weaves from both sides with confidence and no input from me whatsoever (besides of course telling her to go Weave in the first place). Considering the angles of approach I was throwing at her, she's getting near competition-ready on the weaves. Not a lot of speed but not dallying either...she still "thinks" a lot as she goes through, and she's an awfully long dog anyway.
> 
> *Webster*
> _Teeter_
> Left the teeter on low since he hasn't done it in a while, but with nothing to stop it from freely rotating. The minute I let him out of the crate he ran over and did the teeter...while I was still 30' away by his crate lol. So ummmm no problems there. His 2 on/2 off is going well too...he's voluntarily offering it without reminders now.
> _Weaves_
> I tried straight weaves with him and while he did well on entrances (just two weaves up), four in a row was confusing him a bit so we went back to channel weaves for the night. They were only barely offset, but it was enough to remind him what weaves are, and he zipped through them as fast as his feet could go lol. Considering he first weaved a weave just 3 months ago and we haven't really been focusing on that obstacle he is coming along pretty well.
> 
> So I am really just thrilled with both of them...one of those nights where things just really "clicked" and we made very nice progress  I think their 2 week agility hiatus helped to refresh them a little...whatever it was, it worked!


What an exciting night you had!!! My trainer firmly believes that the dogs learn while resting. Maybe you just proved him right?


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## agility collie mom

Miss Mutt I would agree with you and take your time. Rio has teeter issues (he is afraid) because of a fly off. Which lead to issues with the dog walk because they look alike for the dog's point of view. Take your time it is much more difficult to fix a problem than prevent it in the first place. Rio and I didn't go to class last night. I hurt my back at work trying to hold a very rude mastiff for a nail trim. I don't know if I will take Savannah tonight. I really hate to miss classes with her. Oh well. (By the way great work on Marge and your part!)


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## lucyloo2

Our class last night went awesome!! Lucy is going up and bottoming on the contacts really well now, and we did a tire jump and a row of 3 jumps. We also starting turning the dogs (go over a jump and turn left or right and over another jump) and she caught onto that quick too. Only 2 more weeks of classes though  We are having so much fun! I will definitely be signing up for more!


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## Shaina

MissMutt -- Good plan on taking it slow. I didn't stick to my guns with Kim and let my first instructor talk me into pushing her too fast on the teeter...still being reminded that was a bad idea because we're still working through the ramifications months later...

You vid was very nice! On the dog walk...does Marge run it without your hand there? It almost looked like she was focusing on where she was putting her feet and your hand meant nothing at best...distracting her at worst. Might just be the angle of the camera though.

MMM -- Oh it was wonderful lol. And yeah I think your trainer is right...I read a study a while ago which basically found that in many circumstances dogs learn a new item more quickly and thoroughly if they are not taught it too frequently...I think they used once a week with the intermediary time given to unrelated topics.


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## MissMutt

> You vid was very nice! On the dog walk...does Marge run it without your hand there? It almost looked like she was focusing on where she was putting her feet and your hand meant nothing at best...distracting her at worst. Might just be the angle of the camera though.


You're right, Shaina, she WILL run without my hand there... But the problem is, she'll run so darn fast that she'll flop off the side.  I tried the reverse of what we did in the video and had her go tunnel and then come to the dog walk, and she went to it with such speed that she took two steps on it and then fell off. So I decided we weren't ready for getting on the Dog Walk in a sequence and was probably a liiittle bit protective of her doing it altogether.

The darn thing is supposed to be lowered next week.. in which case, I'll just let her be and run alongside.. if she flops, she won't be far from the ground that it'll hurt/scare her.


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> You're right, Shaina, she WILL run without my hand there... But the problem is, she'll run so darn fast that she'll flop off the side.  I tried the reverse of what we did in the video and had her go tunnel and then come to the dog walk, and she went to it with such speed that she took two steps on it and then fell off. So I decided we weren't ready for getting on the Dog Walk in a sequence and was probably a liiittle bit protective of her doing it altogether.
> 
> The darn thing is supposed to be lowered next week.. in which case, I'll just let her be and run alongside.. if she flops, she won't be far from the ground that it'll hurt/scare her.


Oh yikes! Thanks for explaining  I had the same problem with Webster but in a different way...the intro to equipment class he just finished was hardcore about using targets at the far side of obstacles and I flat out refused to use them with him because, like Marge, he would end up zipping along top speed even though he was not familiar enough with the equipment to pull that off and it was a safety hazard.

The fun and scary things about vids, especially at our levels, is that you can really critique yourself...any vids of our runs always make me wince lol. It's so much easier to pick out flaws when watching myself than to prevent them from happening during a run...and I have a LONG way to go as a handler.


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## MissMutt

Shaina said:


> Oh yikes! Thanks for explaining  I had the same problem with Webster but in a different way...the intro to equipment class he just finished was hardcore about using targets at the far side of obstacles and I flat out refused to use them with him because, like Marge, he would end up zipping along top speed even though he was not familiar enough with the equipment to pull that off and it was a safety hazard.
> 
> The fun and scary things about vids, especially at our levels, is that you can really critique yourself...any vids of our runs always make me wince lol. It's so much easier to pick out flaws when watching myself than to prevent them from happening during a run...and I have a LONG way to go as a handler.


Yep.. I have a long way to go, too  There's no doubt Marge has progressed much quicker than I have. Fortunately we get to practice a little bit at home with weaves and some makeshift jumps. I think maybe I'm more relaxed at home and look a little better when I'm handling. 

I love having my sister record it so I can see what we look like running. Sounds mean, but I'm hoping some of the other dogs drop out.. the instructor said it herself, to divide herself up between 6 dogs in one hour is asking a lot. She might be able to bring in an assistant next session. I think both my dog and I could benefit from a little more 1-on-1 time.


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## agility collie mom

it's great that you have someone to video you. I wish my hubby would but he rarely goes to classes with me. Savannah and I didn't go to classes last night. We had violent storms go though. There was a tornado warning, hail, flooding, and downpours. I looked like the end of the world was near lol. Hopefully we will be back on track next week.


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## Jenna09

We had our last class last night and it went great! We ran a 20 piece jump course that was at the advanced level. Fibi was distracted by a few smells but other then that she had no faults and did great!

Unfortunately the next level of classes wont be starting until October!!! I hope Fibi doesnt forget everything we have learned! I will be practicing with my dollar store made course over the summer lol!!

I was disappointed about the next class being so far away but we are signed up for a flyball class starting July 15! We originally wanted to do flyball but there was definite class time scheduled so I did agility instead. My boyfriend is also bringing his dog to the flyball class which I think will be fun!

Jenna


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## Squeeker

Class this week went really well! Libby was very focused this week, which was awesome! We did some teeter and weave work (competition weaves with medium barriers, Libby did perfectly so next week we go down to the smallest barrier), practised our flips, and then did two sequences. This was the first:



Normally, one would not start from the side of the tunnel that I did, but we were purposely practicing the front cross coming out of the tunnel. 

The second sequence gave us a bit of trouble. The sequence was jump-tire-jump-jump-wrap to tunnel-jump-aframe, but Libby balked on the tire EVERY time. We restarted 3 or 4 times, then I skipped the jump off the start and just put her through the tire, which she did fine . No video of that one, DH was too busy chatting


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## agility collie mom

Hey Squeeker,
Really good handling. As for the tire what color is it? Is it black by chance?


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## Squeeker

> Hey Squeeker,
> Really good handling. As for the tire what color is it? Is it black by chance?


Thanks!

Actually, the tire is mostly white with blue "highlights", I believe you can see it in my video.


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## agility collie mom

Can't see the actual tire. Can only see the sides. Is the tire its self white? The only reason I asked is that sometimes dogs will balk if the tire itself is dark colored. They have trouble seeing it against a dark background.


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## Lonewolfblue

Here's a couple pointers that my trainer has gone over with us. As for the Dog Walk, it is best for the novice dog to enter straight on, so if you aren't straight on, we've been taught to swing out wider so the dog has a more straight-on entry. As for the teeter, Nell started with it on the lowest setting. Once she was used to it, we would raise it to almost halfway. Then finally we've been working in it at almost full-height. So when class starts up again in a couple weeks, we will probably be working with it on full height.


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## Shaina

Lonewolfblue said:


> Here's a couple pointers that my trainer has gone over with us. As for the Dog Walk, it is best for the novice dog to enter straight on, so if you aren't straight on, we've been taught to swing out wider so the dog has a more straight-on entry.


Also if you plan on doing UKC agility, straight entry and exits to the contacts is required...if they aren't straight you are penalized.


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## Squeeker

> Can't see the actual tire. Can only see the sides. Is the tire its self white? The only reason I asked is that sometimes dogs will balk if the tire itself is dark colored. They have trouble seeing it against a dark background.


Haha, you're right.

Nope, the tire itself is predominantly white.

She's had no trouble with it before, it was just last night. I'm not overly concerned, she's still new to the game and we don't use the tire every week, so I figure she just had "one of those days"!


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## Solid Mutt

Hi All, 

It sounds like everyone has had a great week. Keep up teh good work. 

ACM - I am sorry you had terrible storms. I know what you are talking about. We had a terrible one come thru here yesterday. It also seemed to rain/t-storm everyday when I would get done work and be headed home. Just enough of a pain not to be able to do anything outside horse or dog wise. 

Miss Mutt - Nice video. You sound like you are doing great. I agree with everyone taking it slowis a great idea!  I love the video and agree you are lucky to have someone video you. One day I will get hubby or my mom to go with me and video. LOL 

We were however fortunate enough to evade rain/storms on Wednesday for our class.  It was a great class considering we missed last week due to the weather. We did many more sequences including a couple of them being numbered and us having to walk it to figure out the course. It was pretty neat. Although I did however screw up my own foot work. I am so uncoordinated. Voodoo was like Mom come on. LOL She did great and I was pretty pumped about class. I was excited when we did our turn of the dogwalk post turn teeter. When we did our sequence and finished our instrctor said "beautiful - that was perfect." LOL That made my day. Silly I know...LOL We did have issues with the weaves coming in closer but after a couple attempts we got it and once she had it she did great. I can't wait until next week.


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## agility collie mom

Lonewolfblue said:


> Here's a couple pointers that my trainer has gone over with us. As for the Dog Walk, it is best for the novice dog to enter straight on, so if you aren't straight on, we've been taught to swing out wider so the dog has a more straight-on entry. As for the teeter, Nell started with it on the lowest setting. Once she was used to it, we would raise it to almost halfway. Then finally we've been working in it at almost full-height. So when class starts up again in a couple weeks, we will probably be working with it on full height.


Great tips! I agree with the straight on entry especially when it comes to the teeter and the dog walk. Otherwise the dog could get hurt.

Solid Mutt,
Sounds like Voodoo and you had a great time! (By the way I always meant to tell you I just love the name Voodoo.)

Miss Mutt,
Yeah tunnels usually get them ramped up and produce a lot of speed. Until she is consistent on the dog walk for you I would suggest not using the tunnel as the obstacle right before the dog walk or the teeter. (But you could use it after.)

Jenna09,
20 obstacles is awesome! Let us know how flyball goes.

Squeeker,
Yeah sometimes they can have just one of those days.

I must say I really enjoy hearing and seeing everyone's experiences at class. I learn something almost every post from you guys! Thanks.


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## Kyllobernese

We had our last regular Agility class last Wednesday. We set up a course and were timed. Remmy, my Shih Tzu/Maltese had a clean run and the fastest time until I went through with Susie, my Bernese cross. But neither of my dogs could keep up with the two Mini Ausies, they just fly especially through the weaves. Had a great time though. On Friday night we set up another course for the few of us that are going to some trials coming up and everyone ran through a couple of times. The footing in the arena was a little loose so sure tired out us "people" but did not seem to bother the dogs too much. Our next trials are outside on grass which is sure a lot better.


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## Shaina

Took the kids to the club again last night...went well in general, though the highlight was...

Kim went over the teeter with it moving! I put the low (4-8" dogs) table under the up end (teeter was on low) with a piece of padding to help muffle the bang...the high end fell about 6" before hitting the pad.

She did great...after doing a couple she would sit in her stay ready and eager to spring forward onto the teeter to go across, and never once even threatened to bail.

Another step in the right direction!


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## agility collie mom

Shaina said:


> Took the kids to the club again last night...went well in general, though the highlight was...
> 
> Kim went over the teeter with it moving! I put the low (4-8" dogs) table under the up end with a piece of padding to help muffle the bang...the high end fell about 6" before hitting the pad.
> 
> She did great...after doing a couple she would sit in her stay ready and eager to spring forward onto the teeter to go across, and never once even threatened to bail.
> 
> Another step in the right direction!


Woo Hoo great news. Go Kim!!!!


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## Squeeker

Fantastic!


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## Shaina

Kyllobernese said:


> We had our last regular Agility class last Wednesday. We set up a course and were timed. Remmy, my Shih Tzu/Maltese had a clean run and the fastest time until I went through with Susie, my Bernese cross. But neither of my dogs could keep up with the two Mini Ausies, they just fly especially through the weaves. Had a great time though. On Friday night we set up another course for the few of us that are going to some trials coming up and everyone ran through a couple of times. The footing in the arena was a little loose so sure tired out us "people" but did not seem to bother the dogs too much. Our next trials are outside on grass which is sure a lot better.


Sounds great! Good luck prepping for your trials!



agility collie mom said:


> Woo Hoo great news. Go Kim!!!!





Squeeker said:


> Fantastic!


Thanks guys! 

I'm trying to not get my hopes up and just take it slow. She's not only tolerating it, though, she's having fun with it! Which makes me very very happy!

I sent in their CPE registrations a couple days ago as well...you know...just in case...


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## MissMutt

> Miss Mutt,
> Yeah tunnels usually get them ramped up and produce a lot of speed. Until she is consistent on the dog walk for you I would suggest not using the tunnel as the obstacle right before the dog walk or the teeter. (But you could use it after.)


Yep ACM - I found that out the hard way.  I thought she would have enough room to get herself positioned, but nope, she flew off the side LOL. Thankfully it didn't phase her as she was only a foot or two off the ground.

She is probably really only ready for jumps and tunnels/chutes in sequences.. she's too iffy on the contact obstacles for me to send her to them at a full run. And of course the teeter is out.

Is there anything cheap I can buy to simulate the moving of the teeter in my own backyard? I'd buy my own teeter, but I really have nowhere to put it and they're darn expensive..

Shaina - congrats on Kim's teeter! Muffling the bang sounds like a good idea - I may suggest that to my instructor for Marge and maybe some of the other teeter-timid dogs.


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> Is there anything cheap I can buy to simulate the moving of the teeter in my own backyard? I'd buy my own teeter, but I really have nowhere to put it and they're darn expensive..


I used a 2' by 4' piece of plywood with a bit of leftover 1.25" PVC (from building my aquarium). It's nice and broad, and simulated the motion of the teeter without really *looking* or feeling like a teeter...which was the idea because if it had seemed "teeterish" to Kim she would have had nothing to do with it. Started it off flat on the floor, then put a plush toy under it, then a small piece of pvc, then the 1.25"...with only being 4' long even a little piece of PVC does wonders.

If you want something more teeterlike, you can get a 1' wide 8' board pretty cheaply, and use various sizes of PVC under that. Make sure you bolt the PVC to the board, though, to prevent slippage. Trouble is if you use it outside you have to move it a lot to bring it in.

I really think doing that stuff at home is the only reason Kim's even as far as she is...otherwise we would still be circling 20' from the teeter 



MissMutt said:


> Shaina - congrats on Kim's teeter! Muffling the bang sounds like a good idea - I may suggest that to my instructor for Marge and maybe some of the other teeter-timid dogs.


Thanks!


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## agility collie mom

Class was great last night with Rio. They had a jumpers course set up. It was a fast course. 20 jumps in all. Rio flew! Unfortunately he jumped a little flat on a few (the trouble with running fast.) So he pulled a couple bars. Especially when we did the serpentine. Except the last time he ran it he ran clean. It was set up with an angled jump at the beginning with two others jumps that kind of were lined up on an angle. So we did a three jump lead out, to a 6 jump pinwheel to a 3 jump serpentine, to a single, a double, single, tire, to 4 jumps to home! Savannah and I have class tonight.


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## Solid Mutt

Shaina said:


> Took the kids to the club again last night...went well in general, though the highlight was...
> 
> Kim went over the teeter with it moving! I put the low (4-8" dogs) table under the up end (teeter was on low) with a piece of padding to help muffle the bang...the high end fell about 6" before hitting the pad.
> 
> She did great...after doing a couple she would sit in her stay ready and eager to spring forward onto the teeter to go across, and never once even threatened to bail.
> 
> Another step in the right direction!


WOO HOO Go KIM! 



agility collie mom said:


> Class was great last night with Rio. They had a jumpers course set up. It was a fast course. 20 jumps in all. Rio flew! Unfortunately he jumped a little flat on a few (the trouble with running fast.) So he pulled a couple bars. Especially when we did the serpentine. Except the last time he ran it he ran clean. It was set up with an angled jump at the beginning with two others jumps that kind of were lined up on an angle. So we did a three jump lead out, to a 6 jump pinwheel to a 3 jump serpentine, to a single, a double, single, tire, to 4 jumps to home! Savannah and I have class tonight.


Wow 20 jumps! That sounds like a great class! Go Rio and ACM... 

I can't wait to hear how Savannah's class went.


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## lucyloo2

Sounds like everybody is having a blast!! Last night our class went pretty well too, we worked on weaves and the contact trainer again. We also worked on left and right turns and Lucy is catching on quick to that! Next week is our last class. We are going to do a mini course so that should be interesting! LOL!! Hopefully they will have more classes this summer, I want to take more!


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## agility collie mom

Savannah and I had agility classes last night. She did wonderful. The instructor had two small courses set up. Savannah and Gus are the two large breed dogs so we worked together with one instructor while the other instructor worked with the small breed dogs on the other course. Than we combined the two small courses into one large course which ended up to be 13 obstacles. It was jump, jump, turn left, jump, front cross, jump, turn right, tunnel, turn left, table, a-frame, wrap to tunnel, right turn, jump, front cross, small serpentine, (go jump, come jump.) finish. Plus at home she normally will only jump 16" because she will limbo under the bar if it is set at 24". The instructor placed another bar under the top one at the first jump (which was set at 20"). She jumped that one and consistently jumped all the rest even though they had only a single bar! I had great attention with her (my barkey party girl) last night. The trick was an afternoon walk in the heat! Just like a horse turned out in the afternoon it took the "edge" off of her and helped her to concentrate. We had a wonderful night. We even did touch coming down the A-frame. What a good girl she was!


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## Shaina

That's excellent, ACM! 

Last night we went to do some jump training...basically just improving our communication and teaching the dogs (read: Kim) to collect over jumps instead of flying over all of them with the same gleeful abandon lol. (Webster is SO SO SO handler focused on the course that to get him to run extended at all is tough...so we worked on language (body/verbal) cues but his collection is almost too good so we just touched on it).

At the end I pulled out the teeter...started Kim off with the short table and bit of carpet for padding again and, based on her body language and attitude, took the legs totally off the table and just had it on the floor...still not even a blip in her reaction so I finally took away the table altogether and had her go across the teeter on low with just the carpet to pad the bang...and she did AWESOME! No hesitation, offering a 2 on/2 off at the end w/ no (verbal) cue from me, thus showing no desire to hurry off the (formerly evil) teeter!!  

Next time we'll go back to just the table top with pad, and then assuming that goes well, quickly to just the floor with pad...once she's comfortable there I'll start her back with the medium table at the end and no pad (so with a BANG) and work her back up again.

Also...Webster did his (our) first ever full height teeter. We've been building up to it for a while and last night was the night...he was tired enough from his other training to focus, but still energetic enough to want to do it. Did a quick "reminder" at low, moved it up to halfway between low and full height (no sweat), then up to full height. He did great 

It was another good night lol


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## Solid Mutt

ACM - WOO HOO that is great!  

Shaina - It sounds like you had another good night as well. That is just awesome!  


My night was not so hot. LOL Well it was hot literally but seems every dog in class decided they did not know or remember anything. It was funny and frustrating. I guess something must have been in the air. We did work on some more sequences. Which was fun. We started to learn about pulling and pushing your dog. We did the teeter at full height! WOO HOO, luckily that is one thing Voodoo did remember and loves to do. HA HA I was pretty stoked about it. Seems most had some issues with it. One sequence was tire, post turn- weave-tunnel-weave-tire. Voodoo decided she forgot the tire at first. LOL I ended up starting her from the side on it instead of in front. She did get the weaves once I corrected my body lanquage. She got the whole sequence after a couple times and she did good. My biggest issue to work on is getting my commands out earlier than I do. Another sequence for the night was Chute-jump-tunnel-broad jump-table-jump. Hard to explain what we did but he had to push them to the opposite end of the tunnel not the closest to us. Anywho Voodoo did good not great. First time thru the chute, the chute came off and she was stuck in it running around. Luckily she thought it was a great game. Some said their dogs would have been scared to death afterwords. NOT VOODOO!! She was like Oooh this is fun. LOL Anyways we did complete the course from both sides then also did it reverse as well. It was a good class just not great. Seems every dog just lost their mind last night. LOL Hopefully next week will be better. Next week is our last class for this session. I just hope the graduate us to the next level and we don't have to repeat this one. (Keep your fingers crossed for us)


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## Squeeker

ACM, we have to run Libby before class as well to take the edge off. It wouldn't be so bad if our class wasn't 8:30-9:30 PM... after we get home from work, she's just ready to move. If we didn't run her beforehand, she would be nonstop-zoomies.

Shaina, great job! I'm glad to hear that Kim is getting over it. We have a dog in our class that had the exact same thing happen with the teeter. He just did his first full-height teeter last week. It was a real great sight to see!

Solid Mutt, it happens to everyone! We had ours a couple weeks ago!

This week's class went well! It was SOOOOO hot... youu can SEE the humidity in my videos. It was rediculous. Luckily, Libby kept her head on straight most of the time! She even went through the Tire with no problems 

First we did the weaves... we are down to the smallest barriers set up on the competition weaves. All of the dogs are doing brilliantly!

Then, we did the teeter and chute. Video:



The "theme" for the sequences this week was "Front Crosses!" Yay!

The first sequence was our best. Don't mind the little dance I did at the beginning... I was trying to remember the sequence! I treated Libby at the end of the chute because we don't do it very often.



The second sequence was difficult for Libby because of the angle of entry of the tunnel. She ran right by on the first try both times we did the course. It was also hard for me... I did a wrap on the second-last jump instead of a front cross! However, she was the only dog in class that nailed the double-jump leadout! All of the other dogs ran around the first jump.


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## agility collie mom

Shaina Great job on the teeter with both of your kids (does happy dance!)

Lucyloo. Can't wait to hear how you two do on a full course. Will be on pins and needles till next week.

Solidmutt, That is awesome that Voodoo loves the teeter. I agree the heat can sometimes be distracting for both dogs and handlers.

Squeeker. You two just get better and better as a team. Your handling is very fluid. Great job!

You all are simply great! I love hearing about your classes and your wonderful pups.


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## lucyloo2

Great videos Squeeker!! You and Libby make a great team 

I have a friend who is hopefully coming this Tuesday, so maybe I'll be able to get a video! *fingers crossed* LOL!


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## MissMutt

We finished up the first session of classes on Tuesday. We didn't do too much because it was humid, rainy and there were a LOT of people and dogs around, but we did some jump sequencing with the instructor. Also some tunnels and weaves, and that was really it. Weather permitting, we'll start Session 2 on Tuesday.


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## MyCharlie

I really need to get Kaya out to practice now that our beginner agility class is done and another one won't be starting for a while with this HEAT, but it's so hard when you have so many other things going on!  

Squeeker, you guys really are doing great. On that last video there were a lot of traps where Libby could have totally done a different obstacle, but she didn't. Awesome!


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## Squeeker

I feel so bad for you who are at the mercy of the weather... even though our arena has a dirt floor, it is nice to be away from the bugs and the rain! Unfortunately, we still get the heat, cold, and humidity... can't win 'em all!



> I have a friend who is hopefully coming this Tuesday, so maybe I'll be able to get a video! *fingers crossed* LOL!


Let's hope! It's so much better to watch! And it's great to see yourself on video!



> Squeeker. You two just get better and better as a team. Your handling is very fluid. Great job!





> Great videos Squeeker!! You and Libby make a great team





> Squeeker, you guys really are doing great. On that last video there were a lot of traps where Libby could have totally done a different obstacle, but she didn't. Awesome!


 Thanks everyone! We have a lot of fun!


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## MissMutt

*squeal* We had a great night tonight. The rain (that ceased 1/2 hour before class started) scared the other dogs in our class away, so we were the only ones who went to the field. We essentially had a private lesson, and it was the COOLEST #@%[email protected] THING IN THE WORLD!

We started with this jump sequence. Please pardon my horrendous drawing skills.. goes yellow to orange to red to brown to blue (tried to color code it so it looked less jumbled) I think it is a pretty common sequence though? Or at least set up of jumps, I know that for sure










There is a front cross between 5 and 6 and a back cross right before 11. We split it up into two halves before putting the whole sequence together. It was the first time I've ever done a back cross so that was pretty cool. I am consistently late on my crosses but I did notice some things in my handling that I thought I was doing better than I did last time (the kind of things that are hard to explain, lol). Marge really enjoyed it and my teacher says she really loves agility and looks for the next obstacle to take.

Before starting one of our runs through it, we all (including Marge spotted a rabbit at the far end of the field.. but she didn't move   The field is not fenced at the far end so it's very important that she listens to me and doesn't bolt.

After the jump sequence we did the teeter.. O. M. G. huge success! It's at the low height with the table underneath it, but still. What my teacher did was have Marge on the table, and reach up to push the high end down with her paw, such that SHE created the bang and I guess learned to expect it coming. Let me tell you, it worked like a charm. After maybe 15 repetitions she was putting her front paws on the teeter and slamming it down, lol. She went over it a couple of times and while she did brace herself a little bit seemed to be better about it. At one point when we were working on something else she flew up to it like it was the greatest thing in the world, without een being asked to go to it. I was so happy!

Worked on the weaves and A-Frame contacts a little bit, but not much to report.

It was a VERY good class and I learned more tonight than I did in 8 weeks of beginner. I might eventually inquire about private lessons because my teacher does offer them.


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## Shaina

Sounds like a fantastic nice, MissMutt!! Congrats on the teeter success!

I love box games with jump like that...endless possibilities with easy setup, even if you are working solo


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## MissMutt

Yeah, it was great. The previous week was one of those "bleh" classes, with awful weather and lots of commotion, but this week there was no one there, wasn't too hot, and we got a lot done. I'm hoping that a lot of people decided not to continue with the classes so that there are only a few of us. There are only 5 as it is, but I'd love it if it got down to 4 or even 3.


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## Solid Mutt

Squeeker said:


> This week's class went well! It was SOOOOO hot... youu can SEE the humidity in my videos. It was rediculous. Luckily, Libby kept her head on straight most of the time! She even went through the Tire with no problems
> 
> First we did the weaves... we are down to the smallest barriers set up on the competition weaves. All of the dogs are doing brilliantly!
> 
> Then, we did the teeter and chute.


Squeeker - I just love your videos! You have great handling skills! Good WORK! Libby is just making huge leaps and bounds in her classes! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! 


Miss Mutt - So glad you finished up your first session of classes! Now on to the next level! How exciting!!! Session 2 sounds like it was awesome! WOO HOO, I bet it was great being the only one there and essentially having a private lesson. VERY COOL! It sounds like you and Marge ROCKED!!! I am so glad the weather subsided for you! I know all about crazy weather. We have had the same here hot, humid and rainy.  

This week so far has been BEAUTIFUL though. I can only hope it sticks around. High of only 76 today with sunshine! Tonight is our last class for this session. I can only hope we pass and are allowed to go on to the next level. I do know only a few in our class are going to move up the rest will have to repeat.  I just hope we don't. LOL I have been practicing at home and had huge success with Voodoo. Hopefully we can do as well at class this evening. Keep your fingers/paws crossed for us! LOL


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## agility collie mom

Rio's class this week was a little rough. He was ramped and I was tired, not a good combination. Plus it was a lesson with the other instructor. He is a good instructor just that I really like the other instructor much better. I get more out of her classes. Oh well he and I will be off for a couple of weeks before classes begin again.

Savannah on the other hand was wonderful last night. She was so focused. The instructor set up a course with a jump tunnel lead out. My good girl sat and stayed while I went to the tunnel and stood on the other side of it (it was curved) and called her through both! I never thought she would get to this point. Out of the tunnel to wrap to a jump. Then turn left jump, weave poles (her weaves were fantastic), left to a jump (angled), front cross to a two jump serpentine which became a threadle, to the tunnel again. Then the instructor switch the course up. She had us do a difficult exit from the weave poles that included a front cross before the next jump. Savannah got it! The only thing she did was grab my hand (which she hasn't done in a while) I know she just wants to play but, I had to correct her. It only happened the one time so I suspect that my daughter was playing tug with her. Other than that she was awesome. Next week is her last class for a couple of weeks.


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> Rio's class this week was a little rough. He was ramped and I was tired, not a good combination. Plus it was a lesson with the other instructor. He is a good instructor just that I really like the other instructor much better. I get more out of her classes. Oh well he and I will be off for a couple of weeks before classes begin again.
> 
> Savannah on the other hand was wonderful last night. She was so focused. The instructor set up a course with a jump tunnel lead out. My good girl sat and stayed while I went to the tunnel and stood on the other side of it (it was curved) and called her through both! I never thought she would get to this point. Out of the tunnel to wrap to a jump. Then turn left jump, weave poles (her weaves were fantastic), left to a jump (angled), front cross to a two jump serpentine which became a threadle, to the tunnel again. Then the instructor switch the course up. She had us do a difficult exit from the weave poles that included a front cross before the next jump. Savannah got it! The only thing she did was grab my hand (which she hasn't done in a while) I know she just wants to play but, I had to correct her. It only happened the one time so I suspect that my daughter was playing tug with her. Other than that she was awesome. Next week is her last class for a couple of weeks.


ACM - Sorry Rios class was a little rough. Seems we all have those days. LOL I like you tend to have a favorite when it comes to instructors and see just to get more from it with certain ones. LOL I am sure the break will be good for you and Rio and then you can kick it back in to gear!  It was great to read how awesome Savannah did! What a fun night and fun course! I love a good challenge it sounds like you all ROCKED IT!  

ok, so I have to brag about our last night at class for this session. They had a 14 obstacle course set up. Oour insructors walked us thru it a couple times and talk over stradegy. We were to do it in like 3 sections. We had a contact point to stop look at our next section and move on. So, we completed it all together but just took a few seconds or minutes depending on the person to go on. The first part was Tire, weaves (not weaving just 2x2 with guide wires, jump, dog walk stop at bottom of contact. Think about the next section. Next section was jump, front cross, tunnel, Table. They count to 5 (this is a think point again. Then it was double jump, jump, jump, jump, A-Frame stop at the bottom. Last two things were broad jump and chute. 

Small dogs first. Then the next size which was us were up. I was so excited and nervous. They had practice obstacles thru out the areas to work on in between runs and people could practice while others were doing their go. I hoped Voodoo would stay focused but you never know. LOL I did a lead out with the tire because she is fast and I need to be at the weaves. LOL My first section she did great but I was slow getting the commands out (me being uncoordinated and all) LOL so she seemed to wait on me. The next section (had I been thinking correctly I should have done a rear cross at the tunnel) insead of doing the recommended front cross. She is so fast I held her up doing the front cross but we did it. Got to the table. We then rock 'n' rolled over the next section all the way to the bottom of the A-frame. I was totally getting my game on track. LOL She was awesome even though she tended to wait on me for direction at first. LOL Then off to the broad jump and the chute. She did great except she went in the chute and again me learning to set up my own footwork. I should have switch sides at the A frame but I did not. I sent her and she went in and came back out. She hasn't done that before. LOL (Almost all the dogs did it last night) Must have been something good they smelled. I did not feel so bad knowing she was not alone. I did take her back to the other side of the broad jump and redo those last two obstacle where she rocked it. It was great, I felt so bad because she did awesome and uncoordinated me had her waiting for direction. HAHA I got back to everyone else and they were like wow, she looked great. I was like really? LOL It felt so good. (That was the biggest course we have ever have done) Seems quite a few people and their dogs were having issues staying focused last night. But it was a great night. I had so much fun. After everyone ran the course the instructors met with us in a group and talked about who would move up to the next level and who would be recommended to repeat level 2. I have been so nervous about this night. LOL Voodoo has done awesome but we are both new to it all so I was just hoping we would move on. As the instructors say who is moving on the came to Voodoo and I and they recommended we MOVE ON to level 3... WOOO HOOO I was so excited. There was about 12 dogs ther last night, I think there was 13-15 most nights. Only 5 of us were recommended to move on. I have to say I feel great because 3 of the 5 are experienced handlers as in already run and show AKC agility. The 4th is a repeat dog from last year who had a medical issue and has just started back this spring but she is a repeat level 2'er from the earlier session. That means we were the only novice dog/handler to move up with out any repeat courses. I am sooo excited and proud of my pooch! It was just amazing!  We are off one week then start level 3. They say you will repeat level three 2/3/4 times to go on to Comp Prep class. They say it is HARD! LOL The instructors took time and spoke with us all individually as well. They told me how fantastic Voodoo and I have been doing. They siad they would take her home with them anyday of the week. LOL They said they have enjoyed watching us progress and Voodoo could go on to do awesome things if we so chose. There is more to type but I am at work so I guess I will hush and get back at it. I just had to share because I am SOOOO EXCITED and PROUD!  There was a photographer there (his wife was in the class) lol and they took pictures. When they get online and I get them ordered I will make sure to post them. 

Ok, so enough blabbing (sorry to go on so long) How is everyone else doing?


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## ara28

I guess I'll start to chime in on this thread now since I've read the whole thing. Everone sounds like they're doing great! 

Dohggy and I haven't started agility yet. Our first class is the 11th. I'm really excited. I think we'll both have a lot of fun. 

Right now we're in a class that teaches simple tricks and they have small obstacles that we learn to go on. They have a little dog walk, little a-frame, little jumps, little tunnels, etc... Dohggy LOVES the dog walk apparently. It's only 1.5 feet off the ground but he thinks it's the greatest thing. He's not so good with the tunnel, but everything else he seems to have caught on to. 

The agility class that we'll be starting is called pre-agility and it's aimed more towards getting the dogs comfortable with the normal size equipment and things of that sort. The only thing is, is that it's not at the same place we've been taking classes since October. they do agility there but didn't have any classes that fit with my schedule so our agility class that starts on the 11th is at a place we've never been to. I've spoken with the trainer over the phone and I really like her so far.

One of the things we have to have for class is a flyball collar. Do any of you guys use those? I'm not sure what it's purpose is.

Hopefully once we start the agility class, I'll have good things to share too!


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## MissMutt

I've never even heard of a flyball collar but after Googling, it seems they want it so that you can grab onto the handle. There are some obstacles that it's not a good idea to do onleash at full height, like the Dog Walk and A Frame, because it could get caught on something and your dog could get hurt. That's the only thing I can think of.

I can't wait to hear about your classes. Our first session was mostly getting used to the equipment, too; only the last few weeks did we start sequencing.

Is it indoors or outdoors?

Solid Mutt THAT SOUNDS GREAT!! And I can't wait to see pictures.. I am an agility picture junkie. 

I can't wait til we start doing courses.. it is frustrating having so many dogs who are WAYY behind in terms of progress than Marge is.


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## CorgiKarma

I'm so excited to start our agility classes! Unfortunately, it looks like it might have to wait another 7 weeks. I would miss two classes this session and you can't make them up. I would hate to pay for 6 classes and only get four out of it


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## agility collie mom

Solid Mutts..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knBGOIr5KrU

Congratulations to Voodoo and you!!

ara28 
We are only allowed to use flat collars because of safety issues. Any other type of collar could get hung up on equipment. For dogs just learning we use this with a flat collar no loop.

http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies...storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=41166

Corgikarma,
Before you know it classes will start. You guys will have a ton of fun! We all can't wait to hear about your classes.


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## ara28

MissMutt said:


> I can't wait to hear about your classes. Our first session was mostly getting used to the equipment, too; only the last few weeks did we start sequencing.
> 
> Is it indoors or outdoors?


I think it's outdoors since they do make-ups if the weather is bad.



agility collie mom said:


> ara28
> We are only allowed to use flat collars because of safety issues. Any other type of collar could get hung up on equipment. For dogs just learning we use this with a flat collar no loop.


I haven't asked the trainer if the flyball collar is what she wants us to use. That's just one of the items on their "equipment to bring to agility classes" Each trainer may have a different preference. I guess we'll just have to find out and see.


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## CorgiKarma

So I'm actually thinking I'll stick with the original class I'm assigned up for. I'd only miss one class when we go to New Mexico and I'm not exactly sure when that will be so it could even cut into the next session. I made a phone call and it turns out I wouldn't have to miss a class when we go to Chicago.

So I need some opinions, is it still worth it if I miss one class?


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## MissMutt

I would do it. As long as you get some kind of practice at home (with paw targeting, maybe makeshift jumps, ground work) you will be just fine. I'd rather start now than wait another 2 months.


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## MyCharlie

CorgiMama, check with the facility. At our place they will often let you make up a class with a one-on-one session if you know you are going to miss one of the classes ahead of time. If not, I agree with Miss Mutt, go for it any way! 

I've been thinking of getting a grab tab for Kaya as we are transitioning from the lower level heights to normal level. In her beginner class she was leashed and dragging it going through tunnels and stuff and some jumps when we started sequencing, which seemed to bother her a bit.  Plus I'm thinking it might be useful in other situations as well, maybe even on heeling-only walks. Those of you who use the tabs, do you like them?


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## Shaina

MyCharlie said:


> I've been thinking of getting a grab tab for Kaya as we are transitioning from the lower level heights to normal level. In her beginner class she was leashed and dragging it going through tunnels and stuff and some jumps when we started sequencing, which seemed to bother her a bit.  Plus I'm thinking it might be useful in other situations as well, maybe even on heeling-only walks. Those of you who use the tabs, do you like them?


In my experience...they serve to make the handler feel better without really being functional in any other way. The dogs that went loopy with a tab on were no easier to catch than the ones without a tab because in order for the tab to be long enough to really be helpful it is also long enough to pose a hazard (but still better than a full leash). The shorter "safe" tabs don't really help with catching a zippy dog, since there's no way you're getting close enough unless the dog wants you to. The only use I saw for them was to lead a dog quickly off the course after one finishes a run and the dog returns, but a slip lead in the pocket is just as quick.

Just my opinion and observations  I've never used them personally, but a lot of people I know/have classes with do.


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## Squeeker

> So I need some opinions, is it still worth it if I miss one class?


We will be missing next week's class because we are going camping. I'm not exactly thrilled, but I'm not worried either. It's up to you, but one class shouldn't be a big deal if you can work on what you can at home. There's lots you can do at home, btw!

Our class this week was... interesting. Our normal instructor was absent as her Golden Retriever bitch had a litter of 7 puppies last night... can't say I blame her! Our substitute was really nice and helpful and all, but I didn't like some of the ways she handled things. For instance, we spent half the class on the teeter, and she had a lot of dogs end things on a failure. Libby skipped out of the weaves on her second attempt with one barrier removed, and she told me to leave it at that... I said no, thanks, please replace the barrier and I wll put her through one more time! Video:



We also worked on our flips. I was thrilled with her progress! Heeeeeere's Libby!



And finally, our short sequence. The point was to work on wraps. The first time Libby ran short on focus:



For the secont attempt, the instructor actually had me talk _less_ and give _fewer_ cues to try to get Libby to reorient to me. I was skeptical, but it really worked!


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## Shaina

Looking good, Squeeker!


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## MyCharlie

Nice vids Squeak, you guys are coming along great! We will sometimes have classes where we are not allowed to talk to the dog at all during the run except the release word to start the run. It's amazing how much better the dogs do without us crazy humans blabbering on!

Thanks for the input on tabs Shaina! I totally get your point and hadn't thought of it that way!


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## CorgiKarma

MyCharlie said:


> CorgiMama, check with the facility. At our place they will often let you make up a class with a one-on-one session if you know you are going to miss one of the classes ahead of time. If not, I agree with Miss Mutt, go for it any way!


Unfortunately they do not do make up classes 


MissMutt said:


> I would do it. As long as you get some kind of practice at home (with paw targeting, maybe makeshift jumps, ground work) you will be just fine. I'd rather start now than wait another 2 months.


Thanks for your opinion, that's what I'm leaning towards...


Squeeker said:


> We will be missing next week's class because we are going camping. I'm not exactly thrilled, but I'm not worried either. It's up to you, but one class shouldn't be a big deal if you can work on what you can at home. There's lots you can do at home, btw!


Thanks for the input, Libby looks great, by the way!

This is all we've done at home so far:


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## agility collie mom

ara28
If you can or decide to use a tab you can make your own inexpensively by simply cutting on old leash off (if it is nylon just melt the end with a match so that it doesn't fray.) 

corgikarma

I agree with starting the classes now. We've missed a few classes. Just ask your instructor to go over with you what you have missed. 

squeeker,

You guys look great! I've run Rio without both verbal cues and hands. It is amazing what they pick up in your body language! My instructor told me that where your shoulders are is where your dog goes. He is so right.


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## MissMutt

If you can get something more upright (like the sides of a regular agility jump) to put the PVC pole on I think it'd benefit you. Doesn't have to be now, see how you and her like it first and then you can amp up your backyard equipment. Uprights might help with things like post turns (which is the dog jumping and coming back around the jump to you). I used lawn chairs, but that's probably too tall for little miss Bailey 

But that is great for now! You can work on lead outs by having her sit on one side of the jump until you release her.

Squeeker, great vids. We've never done flips before. Great work on the weaves too.


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> If you can get something more upright (like the sides of a regular agility jump) to put the PVC pole on I think it'd benefit you. Doesn't have to be now, see how you and her like it first and then you can amp up your backyard equipment. Uprights might help with things like post turns (which is the dog jumping and coming back around the jump to you). I used lawn chairs, but that's probably too tall for little miss Bailey


Could also just stick two poles in the ground each side but still have the bar supported on the rocks...just for visual effect.


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## MissMutt

True, didn't think of that


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## MyCharlie

Shaina said:


> Could also just stick two poles in the ground each side but still have the bar supported on the rocks...just for visual effect.


That's exactly what I was thinking!


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## Solid Mutt

Hi all! 

It seems like everyone is doing so GREAT!

CorgiKarma & ara28 Welcome to the group! You both will get addicted trust me! LOL I look forward to hear all about your classes! 

I don't have much time to much.  I am almost done work and we are headed out of town for the weekend! 

I just wanted to drop in and say " HAPPY 4TH of July Everyone" 

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday!


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## MyCharlie

Thanks Solid Mutt, hope you have a great holiday too! 

We went out and practiced today and it was a little disappointing, in the aspect that I think Kaya is going to take a lot more work to train than Charlie did! I think she is just slower to "get it." But that's my issue, not hers haha!! She loves the contacts and does the tunnel fine, but keeps running around the jumps!  I'm planning on setting up a private lesson with the trainer to get us straightened out.


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## CorgiKarma

How many of you use a clicker? I never have but I will be when I start classes.


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## MissMutt

I use one on and off. It's good for contact training.


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## Shaina

*@CorgiKarma* - Yes I use it (or an equivalent since the actual physical "clicker" is banned from my classes) for teaching new behaviors and refining existing behaviors.

--------------------------

Kim starts advanced-level agility class tonight...heading off to the club to do a quick refresher on weaves and teeter so we are prepared...not really sure what this class is going to all entail...wish us luck lol

Webster's taking the summer off of classes and we will be working agility stuff on our own, but his main focus is going to be obedience & rally to prep for an upcoming trial. Kim's going to the obe and rally trials too but she has a longer history of obedience work and doesn't need quite as much work to be trial-ready.


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## MyCharlie

Good luck Shaina, Web, and Kim (with class tonight AND with the upcoming trials)! How soon are the obe/rally trials? My plan is to do that with Charlie but we haven't been to any trials yet (there are NONE near us anytime soon  )

Corgimama - I don't use the clicker regularly but want to incorporate it more (I'm a horrible procrastinator and can sometimes be lazy when it comes to doing what I know I need to do). The clicker is a wonderful, magical tool!


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## Shaina

A couple pics from this morning's trip...most of the time was spent with Webster running...Kim just did a few refresher items that she either needs extra practice on or that she hasn't done in a while.

This is what poor (for a camera) lighting conditions and a person unfamiliar with the camera they are using do to agility pictures lol...

Kim flying through the straight weaves:









Webster looking for a little reassurance:









Kim being reminded that even though she hasn't done a broad jump in a few months and it looks like something to walk on, it is in fact not a contact:












MyCharlie said:


> Good luck Shaina, Web, and Kim (with class tonight AND with the upcoming trials)! How soon are the obe/rally trials? My plan is to do that with Charlie but we haven't been to any trials yet (there are NONE near us anytime soon  )


Next month and approaching fast!


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## MissMutt

I love the pictures, even with bad lighting and an inexperienced photog.  

Hope to get some from my class tomorrow night.


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## MyCharlie

I love the pics too! Kim has awesome form.


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## MissMutt

We had an interesting night last night. Not much got done, at least compared to last week, when we were the only ones there.

We worked on going over the Dog Walk.. she's much more controlled than she has been and I don't have to run with my hand in front of her face anymore. She targeted a lid on the floor at the bottom of the off ramp, too, on the way down. Never did that before. She hasn't generalized it to the A-Frame though. Think it might be the steepness.

Did the teeter a couple of times, both with the table and without the table at low height, and although she is going over it, she is bracing herself in the middle rather than coming on to the yellow contact while it comes down. Not as good as last week, but she is showing enthusiasm to go over it. She tried to jump up the wrong side of it. LOL

Our jump sequences were awful, she was very easily distractible (too many darn people around!) and we need to work on our back crosses more. Oh well, there's always next week!


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## agility collie mom

Class again was pretty good tonight for Savannah and I. She only was distracted once. I think that was really good for the rah rah girl. I have to keep reminding myself that she is still very young (not even two yet). She jumped 20" tonight but I prefer to only jump her 16" until she is two. (Hard on the joints.) This was the final class in this session. We will be off for two weeks and than resume classes. We are staying in intermediate agility. I am not willing to rush her. I think that it would be a big mistake. I am in the process of making a teeter for home. Then I would like to make a table. (So that I can use it in conjunction with the teeter.) Savannah loves the teeter just runs too fast and I am afraid that she will fly off and get scared. So we need to practice two on two off.


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## Shaina

Thanks for the pics comments, guys 

MM and acm -- glad to hear your classes are going well 

Kim started advanced Monday, it was a breeze after the stuff my agility sport group and our little group of friends have been attempting (open course elements or worse). It was basically a big oval with 3 jumps in a straight line on each side and curved tunnels at each end...first ran around it, then used front crossed and reverse flow pivots to switch it up (having the dogs enter different sides of the tunnels after patterning them the other way, etc.). I think the main idea was for the instructor (who did not teach the previous class) to have a chance to assess everyone in the class. 

Kim was SUPER amped up...she stayed totally focused (even when a BC got loose and started stalking her as she started her run), but man was she fired up. On one sequence we ran a line of 3 jumps, entered the off side of the tunnel with a pivot, then ran back down the same line to enter the off side of the opposite tunnel with a front cross. The pivot was not problem since I started with a 2-jump lead out, but on the return even though I was nearing jump 2 when she came out of the tunnel I was barely ahead of her going over the third jump, making the front cross tough to pull off. Fortunately she saw my indicator arm in time and jumped the last jump with collection so we were able to pull off the tight turn without a collision or me falling on my face lol. Given my handling choice I would do a rear cross here but I wanted to see if we were up to the challenge.

We've been kind of ho-humming it during the break, just doing drills and such, so it was an absolute blast to handle her all wired up like that again. She's such a fun girl to work with  especially when she's in the zone.

Oh and they pulled out 12 straight weaves at the end for us to run...after only going 6 *channel* weaves at the hardest in the previous class level. We've been working on weaves a lot on our own so Kim was fine and nailed it, but I felt really bad for those in the class who didn't have that option or didn't take advantage of it because that was a really ridiculous increase in difficulty.

All equipment in the class will be full height...including the teeter. Kim's improving steadily and we are slowing raising the teeter, but if they use it in the class before I think we are ready we won't do it...and I have a feeling (based on a comment by the instructor) that I will likely have to fight to stand by that decision. But maybe we'll be ready by then...who knows. *Not* going to rush!

Okay whew that was a long update lol...thanks for reading


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## Lonewolfblue

Looks like everyone is doing well, and great pics. Nell starts up again tomorrow night. I can't wait. They are doing something different this time, not sure the reasoning for it. But for the first class, they are only having 2 class times, and it's going to be all Agility levels combined for the first day (both novice and competition levels), and the class is going to be an hour and a half rather than the hour. So we get our choice as to which class time we want to go to. After that class, then it's back to the normal class times for each individual level. Maybe they are going to see where everyone is at and move people up that need to be in a higher level, who knows, lol. But it will be interesting. I can't wait. I had Chloe's class tonight and all went very well.


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## ara28

Well, we were supposed to have our very first class this morning but it was cancelled due to the heat advisory  so we start next saturday hopefully. I was really hoping I would have something to report this week, but maybe next week!


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## Shaina

Last week Kim was at the top of the class.

This week I'm not even sure she was really IN the class. Totally insane. Beyond insane. Through the roof spastic. Herding drive overflowing to a degree I haven't seen even in most border collies. Retrieving drive not far behind. 

The next person that comes on the forum saying that mixed breeds have "tempered" characteristics of the breeds that comprise them is going to get an earful...

We got through...we did all the courses (and with great enthusiasm), but my word I think I need a nap...


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## Solid Mutt

Hi Everyone! 

Sorry it has been a few days. I am filling in for someone at work and when I get home and finally done outside I am exhausted. LOL 

It sounds like Everyone is doing really GREAT! That is wonderful news. Keep up the good work. 

Shaina - I loved the pictures! 

ACM- It sounds like Savannah is doing great! I think it is great you are not rusing her and are keeping her in intermediate at this moment. No need to rush.  

All is well here. We start Level 3 (Nov. Comp agility) Wednesday evening. I am pretty excited. I can't wait to get back at it. In the mail we got our "Graduation" gift. LOL 










I have a Martingale collar on Voodoo makes her look like she is suspended from the tire doesn't it? HA HA There is a Show 'N Go this weekend I would love to take Voodoo to. So we shall see. LOL I have just been practicing some things here at home with her to keep her busy. LOL I am getting ready to send off for her CPE number. YEAH!  

Ok I will hush for now!


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## CorgiKarma

Bailey and I have our first class tomorrow at 7:45! I'm so excited!


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## Shaina

Solid Mutt said:


> LOL I am getting ready to send off for her CPE number. YEAH!


Looking great  very nice pic! Just wanted to say...if you have your eye on an upcoming trial do NOT hesitate to get that CPE app in...it took me about a month to receive my registration #s and such from the time I sent it in.

*@CorgiKarma* - Good luck!


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## Solid Mutt

Shaina said:


> Last week Kim was at the top of the class.
> 
> This week I'm not even sure she was really IN the class. Totally insane. Beyond insane. Through the roof spastic. Herding drive overflowing to a degree I haven't seen even in most border collies. Retrieving drive not far behind.
> 
> The next person that comes on the forum saying that mixed breeds have "tempered" characteristics of the breeds that comprise them is going to get an earful...
> 
> We got through...we did all the courses (and with great enthusiasm), but my word I think I need a nap...


Shaina - I can completely relate. Voodoo did that a couple weeks before class ended. She just lost her mind at class. She did not go insane but I would say had a temporary loss of her brain. LOL We could not get a course complete for nothing. LOL I am sure Kim will be back to her normal self for next week. They all have their days (even though we hate when they do lose it in class) LOL



CorgiKarma said:


> Bailey and I have our first class tomorrow at 7:45! I'm so excited!


CorgiKarma - That is wonderful news. You all will have a ball I have no doubt! Let us know how it goes!



Shaina said:


> Looking great  very nice pic! Just wanted to say...if you have your eye on an upcoming trial do NOT hesitate to get that CPE app in...it took me about a month to receive my registration #s and such from the time I sent it in.


Thanks Shaina, when I got it in the mail I was so excited. LOL Then I was like LOOK at her. HA HA HA. It is a cool picture though. Thanks for the heads up about CPE. I had no idea. I really don't have a trial in mind but a few people from class are trying to talk me in to some. LOL I will get it in ASAP.


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## MissMutt

Holy crap.. Voodoo is GORGEOUS! Why have you been hiding that hot mama from us?!

We have class tomorrow night, but it's supposed to be near 80 so I have a feeling we won't get a ton done. Some work on the teeter would be nice, though.


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## Shaina

Solid Mutt said:


> Shaina - I can completely relate. Voodoo did that a couple weeks before class ended. She just lost her mind at class. She did not go insane but I would say had a temporary loss of her brain. LOL We could not get a course complete for nothing. LOL I am sure Kim will be back to her normal self for next week. They all have their days (even though we hate when they do lose it in class) LOL


Yeah I mean she's "gone goofy" in class before (zoomie crazy play type), particular when she was younger and I was just learning how to teach her impulse control, but this wasn't "zoomies"...this was like all of a sudden she had so much work drive she didn't know what to do with it and would just direct onto something and have complete and utter focus on that...and redirecting her to agility was like pulling teeth. 

For comparison I have a friend I often watch run her high drive Malinois and I would say Kim was right up there with the Mal on a particularly drive-y day last night. She wanted to herd any moving objects, and she wanted to herd NOW. Any dogs acting out of line by not listening to their handlers or running amuck she wanted to correct (nevermind that she was barely listening herself...hypocritical dog ). In retrospect I should have left the building between my runs and brought her back down to Earth...20/20 hindsight I guess...and again we got through but just not in the way I would expect us to at this point.

Sooo we are going back to impulse control and redirecting attention this week...I thought she was settling down now that she turned 2 back in March so we kinda slacked off on that sort of thing, working more on other skills for agility/obe, but now I think her apparent improvement was mostly due to obscene amounts of exercise taking the 'edge' off...got home late from work yesterday so she didn't get her pre-agility run  didn't really just how critical it was especially considering our instructor always says things like "make sure your dogs are rested up and ready to go!" lol


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## ara28

Near 80?? Lucky you!!  It's been over 100 here every day. Even at 9:30 at night its still in the upper 90s. which is pretty much why class was cancelled last week. the heat index was up to 110. 

If class gets cancelled again this coming saturday I'm going to have to withdrawal from the class because normally I have school on Saturdays, but since it's the summer I don't. I start school again on August 29th and If we start class on July 18th and go every saturday without missing one then we finish on August 22nd which is just in time for school to start so if we can't start this coming saturday, I don't know when dohggy and I will get to take agility.  

Solid Mutt, I just love that picture of her jumping through the tire, it's great!


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## MissMutt

Shaina you're not the only one with reac this week! Marge was OFF THE WALL. Ran at another dog who was practicing a tunnel/jump sequence. She just barked, went up to him, I called her and she came back. I don't think it was a fear or aggro thing, she likes this dog and I think she wanted to play. She was also very unhapppy about the Pit Bull who she does NOT like when he was going over the A-Frame. 

She met one dog before class for the first time, a Golden.. He was a very respectful kind of dog so I figured what the hell, why not. Unfortunately she got a little riled up playing with him and snapped at him. Fortunately we ended on a good note with him - zoomies and play bows. And I left it at that.

Seriously trying to figure out what's better for Marge.. to be able to interact with the other dogs at class, only interact with dogs outside of class, or to not interact at all. She has done more interacting than usual the past few days, meeting up with some old friends and even getting in some new sniffs too. I don't know if there's a connection between so much greeting and so much reactivity. There's also the fact that she did not get much exercise today, but I did that purposely because it's hot and I wanted her to be fresh for class. Guess I got what I wanted!

Fortunately our runs were pretty good. Didn't do anything outrageous.. Had one jump jump tire (frontcross) jump jump sequence, got that on vid, might upload later. I've noticed I'm *finally* not running as slouched as I used to, but as my instructor said, my arm movements are spastic. LOL

Teeter was good, too.. trying to stop her from hesitating in the middle, she ran over from end to end once, the rest of the times I had to coax her (she would have went over all the way, but braces herself for dear life in the middle). And not too much else..


----------



## Solid Mutt

MissMutt said:


> Holy crap.. Voodoo is GORGEOUS! Why have you been hiding that hot mama from us?!
> 
> We have class tomorrow night, but it's supposed to be near 80 so I have a feeling we won't get a ton done. Some work on the teeter would be nice, though.


MM - Thank you so much. LOL We think she is quite a cute pound pooch ourselves.  

Wow, 80 isn't too bad we had class a few weeks back at like 92 or so. It was HOT and the dogs were just not in to working in the heat. I hope you have GREAT class and it gets cooler for you! Let us know how it goes! I love keeping up with everyone!



Shaina said:


> Yeah I mean she's "gone goofy" in class before (zoomie crazy play type), particular when she was younger and I was just learning how to teach her impulse control, but this wasn't "zoomies"...this was like all of a sudden she had so much work drive she didn't know what to do with it and would just direct onto something and have complete and utter focus on that...and redirecting her to agility was like pulling teeth.
> 
> For comparison I have a friend I often watch run her high drive Malinois and I would say Kim was right up there with the Mal on a particularly drive-y day last night. She wanted to herd any moving objects, and she wanted to herd NOW. Any dogs acting out of line by not listening to their handlers or running amuck she wanted to correct (nevermind that she was barely listening herself...hypocritical dog ). In retrospect I should have left the building between my runs and brought her back down to Earth...20/20 hindsight I guess...and again we got through but just not in the way I would expect us to at this point.
> 
> Sooo we are going back to impulse control and redirecting attention this week...I thought she was settling down now that she turned 2 back in March so we kinda slacked off on that sort of thing, working more on other skills for agility/obe, but now I think her apparent improvement was mostly due to obscene amounts of exercise taking the 'edge' off...got home late from work yesterday so she didn't get her pre-agility run  didn't really just how critical it was especially considering our instructor always says things like "make sure your dogs are rested up and ready to go!" lol


Oh I see now. It sounds like she has a strong drive. Don't ya just love when your instructors say stuff like make sure your dog is rested. LOL 
I did not mean zoomies in the last post. LOL Voodoo is a HIGH ENERGY DOG! LOL In my last post I just meant she had a mental block like she had no clue what any of the obstables were. Weirdest thing... Oh well they all have their moments. I am sure your next class will be much better.


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> Shaina you're not the only one with reac this week! Marge was OFF THE WALL. Ran at another dog who was practicing a tunnel/jump sequence. She just barked, went up to him, I called her and she came back. I don't think it was a fear or aggro thing, she likes this dog and I think she wanted to play. She was also very unhapppy about the Pit Bull who she does NOT like when he was going over the A-Frame.
> 
> She met one dog before class for the first time, a Golden.. He was a very respectful kind of dog so I figured what the hell, why not. Unfortunately she got a little riled up playing with him and snapped at him. Fortunately we ended on a good note with him - zoomies and play bows. And I left it at that.
> 
> Seriously trying to figure out what's better for Marge.. to be able to interact with the other dogs at class, only interact with dogs outside of class, or to not interact at all. She has done more interacting than usual the past few days, meeting up with some old friends and even getting in some new sniffs too. I don't know if there's a connection between so much greeting and so much reactivity. There's also the fact that she did not get much exercise today, but I did that purposely because it's hot and I wanted her to be fresh for class. Guess I got what I wanted!
> 
> Fortunately our runs were pretty good. Didn't do anything outrageous.. Had one jump jump tire (frontcross) jump jump sequence, got that on vid, might upload later. I've noticed I'm *finally* not running as slouched as I used to, but as my instructor said, my arm movements are spastic. LOL
> 
> Teeter was good, too.. trying to stop her from hesitating in the middle, she ran over from end to end once, the rest of the times I had to coax her (she would have went over all the way, but braces herself for dear life in the middle). And not too much else..


LOL I get yelled at for slouching too, though I think (hope) I am also getting better...

Congrats on the teeter progress too 

Regarding the dog interactions...for me personally I do not let Kim interact with other dogs while "working" unless she is released to do so...it's too self-rewarding. We're to the point now that (normally) when she is released to meet a dog she will go and greet, then reorient and return to me right away for a reward and simultaneously turn her back on the other dog. I encourage this because it keeps her from getting too ramped up, promotes refocusing in a potentially stimulating situation, and also keeps the other dog from getting too ramped up since having a dog turn its back to him is normally pacifying.

Granted there are nights like last night where "normal" flies out the window. And while it can be frustrating, I'd rather have to deal with that sort of thing than have a "robotic" dog on the opposite end of the spectrum. We'll just keep working that self-control.

Also I'm being talked into entering Kim in her first trial this weekend...we shall see.


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## Squeeker

> Seriously trying to figure out what's better for Marge.. to be able to interact with the other dogs at class, only interact with dogs outside of class, or to not interact at all.


At our agility club, the dog are not allowed to interact before or during class, but after class is OK. This is done to teach the dogs that ring time is work time, and all of the dogs have done really well with this routine.

The 4 of us dog/handler teams in our class have regular dog park get-togethers on the weekend, which is a ton of fun, and I think that socializing the dogs outside of class actually helps the dogs to define when it is ok to play with their friends, and when it is time to work.


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## Solid Mutt

ara28 - Wow over 100 I can't imagine. I hope class doesn't get cancelled for you & Dohggy this week. You will have to keep us posted. 

Thanks, I thought it was a neat picture too. 

MM - I am sorry Marge had one of those nights, maybe it is in the air. It is great you had teeter progress though! WOO HOO! You and Shaina are not the only ones that get in trouble for slouching. HA HA I do too. We definitely need as much work as our dogs or more for that matter. LOL 

I think Shaina has some great thoughts on dog interactions while working. That is something major for Voodoo and I. She is great when we "WORK" but teh in between stages she is like a jumping been on crack on the end of my leash. HA HA It is getting better, something we have worked on. They told me be thankful for the energy now I will appreciate it later. LOL 

Shaina - WOO HOO Kims first trial! That is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!


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## MissMutt

Yeah.. I think it was foolish of me to let her interact with the Golden. Thing is, some of the dogs who are around before class aren't around after class - they're in the class before us, and I don't really let her socialize with the two that ARE in my class because a) she hates the Pit Bull and b) while she does get along with the other dog, he himself is iffy around other dogs sometimes and his owners try to keep him from interacting at all while at class. I guess it isn't a big deal if she doesn't socialize at all while at class as long as she's getting stimulation from dogs elsewhere.

Going to try to cut out dog-dog interactions before class and try to maintain some socializing at other places, as Marge has been doing okay with other dogs and is showing me a lot more positive body language. I'm still being very selective, though.

Shaina that is such exciting news about Kim's first trial. Keep us posted! (BTW, I feel like I've asked this before, but how long have you been training in agility with her?)

Oh, here's the aforementioned sequence.. nothing stellar, as you can see, but I was proud of how well she was focusing and happy with her speed! And yes I am quite aware that I'm swinging my arms like a monkey and need to cut it out.


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## CorgiKarma

I had so much fun in class tonight! Bailey did so well! It only took her a few tries to get the tunnel down. The balance board, tire and chute went really well! The "dog walk" on the ground was the most challenging. They said she was a fast learner! I'm so proud! I can't wait for our next class!!!


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## Shaina

Solid Mutt said:


> Shaina - WOO HOO Kims first trial! That is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!


Well whether it is awesome or disastrous is yet to be determined but thanks lol 



MissMutt said:


> Shaina that is such exciting news about Kim's first trial. Keep us posted! (BTW, I feel like I've asked this before, but how long have you been training in agility with her?)


Will do...we're only running one day because (a) I don't want to overwhelm her and (b) I have work stuff going on the second day. 

Kim's first agility class was in October 2008 but to be honest I don't think we really started to learn a lot until March 2009 when I got my key to the club building and was able to go on my own, meet up with people, and/or join the agility sport group. The classes are more to help her work stuff she already knows when we are both more stressed due to all the people/distractions. As I've mentioned before I don't really care for the format of the classes because I think it tends to confused the dogs more than anything.



CorgiKarma said:


> I had so much fun in class tonight! Bailey did so well! It only took her a few tries to get the tunnel down. The balance board, tire and chute went really well! The "dog walk" on the ground was the most challenging. They said she was a fast learner! I'm so proud! I can't wait for our next class!!!


Hurray!  I'm glad you had a great first class!!


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## MissMutt

> Will do...we're only running one day because (a) I don't want to overwhelm her and (b) I have work stuff going on the second day.
> 
> Kim's first agility class was in October 2008 but to be honest I don't think we really started to learn a lot until March 2009 when I got my key to the club building and was able to go on my own, meet up with people, and/or join the agility sport group. The classes are more to help her work stuff she already knows when we are both more stressed due to all the people/distractions. As I've mentioned before I don't really care for the format of the classes because I think it tends to confused the dogs more than anything.


Hm, interesting. I can definitely understand only trialing one day. I don't believe my club lets anyone use the agility field outside of classes, which stinks, but we do have some agility equipment in the indoor building. I have been considering checking out the price of a rental so we can work on stuff 100% distraction free.


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## Kyllobernese

I do not go to classes as the only instructor in our area is too advanced for my dogs but I am lucky enough to be able to use Agility equipment in an arena, twice a week. There are five of us, we set up the equipment, practice on the equipment, then usually have a couple of run-throughs on a course. My sister and I also built some home-made equipment at her place so we use that for a short period every few days. I am just starting a new pup, she is one year old so should have fun with her. She is Maltese x Shih Tzu and quite small so only set the jumps at 6 inches at the most. I have just had her on our homemade equipment so will take her into town with me tonight for her first look at the "big equipment".


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## Shaina

Had fun doing agility arts and crafts today after work...with PVC...

*easily amused*

Took Web to a new club last night with a friend to try it out...they have an outdoor arena which was new for him but he did great. Thinking of taking them both Saturday...still undecided.

Will be a super long day though since lower levels run last but they'd have to be there first thing to get measured since it's their first trial...so basically it would be ALL day then I would come home and go straight to work since I have to go in and work Saturday and Sunday nights (special circumstances)...

Starting to think I'm a little insane lol


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## CorgiKarma

At agility trials, what kinds of courses are there? I know by size, but do they have beginners courses also?


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## Shaina

CorgiKarma said:


> At agility trials, what kinds of courses are there? I know by size, but do they have beginners courses also?


There are different levels of difficulty as well as different "types" of courses...the specifics depend on the venue.

For instance, AKC has Novice, Open, and Excellent (in increasing order of difficulty). Heights are 4", 8", 12", 16", 20", 24", and 26". They also have different type of runs...offhand I know they have Standard ("normal" courses), Jumpers (tons of jumps with some other obstacles), Weavers (lots of weaves and I think no teeter), and Fast. NADAC, UKC, CPE, USDAA all have their own variation of levels, types of courses, and even jump heights and how they are assigned, not to mention different equipment or different specs for the same equipment.

The variety of options available for what is more or less a single sport is pretty amazing.


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## MafiaPrincess

CorgiKarma said:


> At agility trials, what kinds of courses are there? I know by size, but do they have beginners courses also?


We play AAC agility. It's USDAA like. Three levels.. starters, advanced and masters.. standard, snooker, jumpers and gamblers are the usual titling classes which you move up the levels, and challenge and steeplechase are stand alone games with no levels.

Everyone starts at starters (novice) and you work your way up. Need less points in games, get a little more time, challenges are easier, and what is counted as refusals are less equipment, and courses usually flow a little easier.


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## Squeeker

MafiaPrincess, we will likely be doing AAC when we are finally at a competitive level  Will you be at Nationals this month? I am volunteering!

Last night we had our last night of Novice III. We missed last week because we were camping, so class was a bit rough for Libby. Despite a good walk before class, she still had a case of the zoomies. We did the weaves first, and it went weave-zoomies-weave-zoomies, lol. 

However, she did great on the teeter; I have stopped treating her at the pivot point, but she remembered to tip it herself. 

We also did a few nice sequences, and we managed to get through those with minimal zoomies!

We have a break before the next session starts in 2 weeks. The next Level, Intermediate I, will be in the "big dog" ring!!


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## ara28

Well, we actually had our first class today!  It was fun but really hot. in the shade and with the breeze it was ok though, but just right in the sun was really hot. 

We walked the field to let the dogs sniff all the equipment and then we were told about all the different obstacles, what their called, etc. and a bit about how an agility course works. 

Then we went over a few jumps. Dohggy knocked the poll down a few times but most of the time he jumped over without knocking the poll off. We went on the dog walk, he loved that. 

we went through the tunnel and he actually did it with no hesitation!  I was very proud of him. No one else in the class did the tunnel though, I just wanted to see if he would do it since before with the little tunnels he was wanting to walk around them, not through them. Then we did the weave poles. They had a training set that they split apart and we just had the dogs walk through the middle and the trainer said they'll start putting the two sides closer and closer until they're in a straight line.

All in all it was a fun first class and now dohggy is pooped.


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## MafiaPrincess

Sadly no Squeeker, I volunteered to scribe, the Nats committee goofed and thought you had to time and scribe both days.. Couldn't do sat and sun.. They offered me scribing the steeplechase friday last night.. but now it's kinda late and I lack anywhere to stay. 

Kinda wish I was going, but I hope to run regionals next year (we ran last year and I was a ball of stress). If we make it, I'll drive to Nats, I hear it may be Alberta. Easier drive than the year it was in BC


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## Squeeker

Aww too bad, you could have stayed with us.... we are in Ottawa, not far from the site actually.

I'm lucky that the first year I even found OUT about regionals and Nationals that they were local! It has been a blast to watch and volunteer!

I get my volunteer positions Monday... can't wait!


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## MafiaPrincess

LOL, aww that's sweet that you'd take in strays from a dog forum  I was going to ask where you were located. That is definately awesome that you could attend regionals and Nats as you are local. I went to the 2007 Nats for a day to just watch. Was my first year competing and it was amazing to see that level of competiton.


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## Solid Mutt

Miss Mutt - great video! Marge is looking great! 

Shaina - How was your trial? I can't wait to hear all about it.  I can completely understand only trialing one day as well. I would do the same thing. It does sound like a busy weekend if you have to fit work in with it. LOL Sometimes that happens though doesn't it? 

Kyllobernese - That is awesome your sister and you have your own equipment. Your new pup sounds like a fun project. 

CorgiKarma - That is awesome you had such a great class. I am telling you once you have your first class under your belt it is easy to get hooked. I was hooked immediately and could not wait for the next week. LOL 

Squeeker - It sounds like Libby did great on the teeter. Congrats for going on to the next level!WOO HOO Big dog ring. How exciting!

ara28 - Congrats on your first class. Welcome to AGILITY.  Sounds like Dohggy really had some fun and did great! 

Wednesday we had our first level 3 class. There was 12 in the class. About half are repeat students from last session. They said that you will normally repeat this level once and maybe twice. Anyways, it was a new instructor but the "assistant" instructor is one from our last level. This level basically works on the handler and handling skills. We did a sequence of 6 jumps it was three rows of two. We practiced doing front crosses, rear crosses and post turns while running these as a sequence of 6. It was pretty fun. Voodoo did great. I was so proud of her. The instructor even commented on how focused she is and I could probably start sending her to things and not keep her close to me. The second half of the class we worked on sequences with the Weaves, tunnels and jumps. One sequence was jump, weave, Front X, tunnel weave jump. There are a couple others that involved a second tunnel and going from one tunnel to the second one then back to the first one like a figure 8 but I would probably have to draw a picture. LOL I am not great at explaining. It was a great class. I am pumped about this class. LOL 

Now on to the exciting news. The "School" we are taking agility from had a show 'n' go today at the horse park during the Breyerfest. LOL They were in a field away from it but there was lots of spectators coming over to watch. Anywho , I went to check it out and was super nervous. They did convince me to go ahead and enter. They had walk thrus about every hour. So I did that and then waited. I have to admit it was exciting. I was sooo nervous though. Our first run was ok but I was slightly nervous and almost missed one obstacle. LOL I was uncoordinated as usual. LOL All of my instructors from previous classes and current were there and pep talked me during the walk thru. LOL So our second go was much better. I still had a couple mistakes. But she did great over all. The only thing is at the teeter I praised and rewarded when I got ready to release the dogs in the crates outside the area barked and distracted her so she did not realease. LOL But that was really her only mistake. I had a few though. I do have to say though after it was all said and done I could not have been prouder or more excited. It was an amazing feeling. It was so funny too it seems like it took me 30-45 minutes to get back to my leash because everyone was stopping me and tell me how awesome Voodoo is. LOL Let me tell you I was on cloud 9. LOL I have a video and I will post it but prior to watching please understand it is shakey and not realy steady. My mom went along and videod and she is not the greatest at it, LOL. My husband watched it when I got home and was like oh my gosh that is horrible. LOL (I am just happy to see a video) LOL You may want to by pass the first minute. I went to set her up to go and the dog prior well it's handler did not exit the ring as it was supposed to and just strolled through the course to come out where we were set up to go. PLEASE EXCUSE that part and the shakiness. I am just excited to post. LOL Oh one more thing. We did not do the weaves because they are in line so after the tunnel I took the jump insteadyou will see my terrible rear cross. LOL Oh well it was such a BLAST! LOL I will hush now SORRY! LOL


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWWr0BcHUBI

Sorry all - I am not good with posting videos. I hope this works.


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## Squeeker

Solid Mutt... that was great!! You and Voodoo tore up the course!! And FYI, I didn't think your back cross was that terrible at all! Congrats!


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## MyCharlie

Okay question - we have a trainer coming to do a seminar (Lynne Stephens out of North Carolina) and the second day she is here we have the opportunity to get private lessons from her. Yippee!! I guess she is really good and even writes some things for "Clean Run." Anyhow, I can't decide what to sign up for for my private lesson!! Help!! 

Here is a link to her website that tells about different things she offers:

http://www.doglogictraining.com/host-one.php

For those of you who have been doing agility longer than me, what do you think would be the most beneficial? 

Background on kaya - she has only done one round of beginner agility so she is still very new to it even though I have competed with my other dog. She loves her contact obstacles and does okay with tunnels, but doesn't do as well on jumps (often goes around instead of over).  

I'm leaning toward weaves since Lynne teaches channel weaves and our instructor only teaches luring through. I also love the clicker and Lynne is the only Karen-Pryor-certified-whatever in NC. But I think anything would probably benefit us since Kaya is new and doesn't have very much focus yet, although I'm thinking crosses might be a little over her head still. 

Argh!! lol What do ya think?


----------



## MissMutt

If it were me, I'd probably take the jumping one. I just feel like weaves are the kind of thing you can work on by yourself.. for example I got a set of six weaves for my backyard and now my dog is an excellent weaver. Keep in mind though that I've only been agility for like 4 months so I'm not really experienced at all. 

BTW Solid Mutt great video! I watched yesterday but didn't get the chance to comment. You and Voodoo look great and I think that back cross is totally fine.. better than I could have done anyway.

Shaina where are you? Did you go to the trial?


----------



## Solid Mutt

Squeeker said:


> Solid Mutt... that was great!! You and Voodoo tore up the course!! And FYI, I didn't think your back cross was that terrible at all! Congrats!


Thanks Bunches Squeeker. I love watching your videos! 

I was sooo excited to have one to post. I have to say I was sooo proud of Voodoo. It was such an awesome day. I know we have a long way to go, but I was on cloud 9 that day! 

MissMutt - Thanks so much. I was soo nervous! LOL The rear cross definitely looks better on the video that it felt in person. HA HA HA I was just stoked to be there and that she did so well. (I am a proud momma) LOL  
Are you ready for class this week? I can't wait to hear how Shaina's trial went. LOL


----------



## MissMutt

We have no class this week sadly.  My trainer is going to a concert. I told her last week how upset I was that she was abandoning us for Nickelback. LOL

We've REALLY gotta get to working on backs again.. but my dog HATES to use the grass in my backyard for agility. To her, that is her pee/poop grass and nothing more. I've had to go so far as to set up my weaves on the concrete! But I obviously won't do that with jumps. Trying to get her to potty in one spot so that maybe we can use the rest of the grass for training. 

I also found out that we're having a NADAC trial here on Nov 1. Wondering if we'll be ready for it.. I would LOVE to enter.. a) it will be cold b) there will likely not be a huge crowd because of how late in the season it is and c) I just really want to start trialing lol.


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## Squeeker

> I told her last week how upset I was that she was abandoning us for Nickelback.


*SNORT* no kidding, she could at least abandon you for a GOOD band...


----------



## ara28

Solid Mutt, sounds like you guys did awesome! I haven't had a chance to watch the video yet, that'll have to wait until I get home.

MissMutt, sorry class is cancelled. I know that when our first class was cancelled I was so disappointed. 

They had a dog show in houston this weekend and I went on sunday and watched agility among other things. They had two jumpers courses (i think that's what their called) and two courses set up with all the equipment. It was really fun to watch. Some of the dogs on the jumper course were so excited that at one point, they broke away from paying attention to their handler and just started jumping over all the jumps at random. It was cute, but I'm sure the handlers were a little frustrated, i think they were all in the beginner level. 

There was this one dog that was really hesitant to do the course so after the handler tried to lure the dog onto several peices of equipment, he decided to just call it quits and let his dog run through the last jump. I thought that was good because he was really keeping it positive for the dog. 

Also, pretty much every single dog after they finished the course were so excited they were jumping up and down like 'i did it! i did it!'  that was really fun to watch.

Then i watched a bit of flyball and boy, that's a fast sport.


----------



## Solid Mutt

MissMutt said:


> We have no class this week sadly.  My trainer is going to a concert. I told her last week how upset I was that she was abandoning us for Nickelback. LOL
> 
> We've REALLY gotta get to working on backs again.. but my dog HATES to use the grass in my backyard for agility. To her, that is her pee/poop grass and nothing more. I've had to go so far as to set up my weaves on the concrete! But I obviously won't do that with jumps. Trying to get her to potty in one spot so that maybe we can use the rest of the grass for training.
> 
> I also found out that we're having a NADAC trial here on Nov 1. Wondering if we'll be ready for it.. I would LOVE to enter.. a) it will be cold b) there will likely not be a huge crowd because of how late in the season it is and c) I just really want to start trialing lol.


Oh no Miss Mutt no class this week? I am sorry. I guess it is ok, I am not a die hard nickelback fan, but do like some of their tunes. LOL 

I am sorry that Marge doesn't like to use the grass to practice on. That is all Voodoo and I have to practice on. 

That would be so exciting if you could start trialing in Nov. It looks and sounds like so much fun. I can't wait until we get to the level we can do that too. I sooo want to do it. LOL



ara28 said:


> Solid Mutt, sounds like you guys did awesome! I haven't had a chance to watch the video yet, that'll have to wait until I get home.
> 
> MissMutt, sorry class is cancelled. I know that when our first class was cancelled I was so disappointed.
> 
> They had a dog show in houston this weekend and I went on sunday and watched agility among other things. They had two jumpers courses (i think that's what their called) and two courses set up with all the equipment. It was really fun to watch. Some of the dogs on the jumper course were so excited that at one point, they broke away from paying attention to their handler and just started jumping over all the jumps at random. It was cute, but I'm sure the handlers were a little frustrated, i think they were all in the beginner level.
> 
> There was this one dog that was really hesitant to do the course so after the handler tried to lure the dog onto several peices of equipment, he decided to just call it quits and let his dog run through the last jump. I thought that was good because he was really keeping it positive for the dog.
> 
> Also, pretty much every single dog after they finished the course were so excited they were jumping up and down like 'i did it! i did it!'  that was really fun to watch.
> 
> Then i watched a bit of flyball and boy, that's a fast sport.


 That show you went to this weekend to watch sounds like lots of fun. I would love to go watch some around here. There is just not too many that close. I am waiting there is supposed to be some trials coming up so I am excited to go check it out.

Oh and I have watched the flyball on TV. I can only imagine what it is like in person. LOL


----------



## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> Shaina where are you? Did you go to the trial?


We didn't go. I had to work so it just didn't work out. I think it's for the better though...I saw the courses after the fact and we could have easily Q'd, but I'd like to have the dogs running at easily Open level before starting to trial, since trialing adds a lot of stress and such. The only reason I considered it was because CPE Level 1 doesn't have teeter (Kim) or weaves (Webster). Both are okay on their respective "weak" obstacle but not where I want them to be, and our handling isn't as flowing as I would like, especially regarding distance work. If we wait a while and are really solid we can skip ahead and start CPE at Level 3 anyway, which is good for my poor dog-abused wallet.

Plus we have (possibly) an obedience trial and (definitely) a rally trial next month so we are going to take things easy from an agility standpoint for a while (other than Kim's weekly class and the occasional get together) then go back to it hopefully refreshed...and with a more educated handler lol.


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## Squeeker

Weee, I will be a "scribe assistant" all day Saturday and Sunday for the AAC Nationals next weekend! It's the perfect job... basically, I take the paper from the scribe and hand it to the runner... and that's it. The rest of the time I get to watch the dogs run! I am totally bringing my camera (as long as the weather cooperates) and will post photos!



> We didn't go. I had to work so it just didn't work out. I think it's for the better though...I saw the courses after the fact and we could have easily Q'd, but I'd like to have the dogs running at easily Open level before starting to trial, since trialing adds a lot of stress and such.


Shaina, I don't blame you for skipping it. Trials do look stressful for the dogs, especially their first time out.


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## MyCharlie

That sounds great Squeeker, I bet it will be a lot of fun! I scribed and timed at our trial last year and I liked it a lot, but it is hard to just watch the judge and not watch the dogs running! So your job sounds perfect 

Too bad about the trial Shaina, but good luck at rally!


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## Solid Mutt

Shaina - Sorry you did not get to the trial. Gotta work to pay the bils.  Your obedience and rally trials sound great! I can't wait to hear how they go. Will you trial both Kim and Webster in them? 

Squeeker - That sounds like sooo much fun! I can't wait to hear all about it! What an awesome thing to be doing! 

Where is ACM? Has anyone heard from her? 


Wednesday night we had our 2nd level 3 class. LOL It was pouring down the rain and we still had it. I was the first student there and the last to leave. HA I was soaked and so was Voodoo. Only 9 of us were STUPID enough to go "play" in the rain. LOL We worked on 270/90 jumps. We did a mini course that was jump, weaves, jump, tunnel, jump, weaves and the jump. It is hard to describe with out drawing a picture but anywho it was quite fun and entertaining. We also worked on a large pinwheel with 5 jumps and sending our dog up and back and us not rounding the area with them. Very interesting. Lots f fun but when we got done I ended up cold. LOL I can't wait until next week. 

Oh the pictures from the show -n - go got posted online. I plan to order a couple. When I do I will make sure to post them.


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## ara28

Solid Mutt - sounds like an interesting class. I hate the rain, and so does my dog. I'm not sure how you guys did it! It sounds like voodoo is doing really great! 

We had class on Saturday and we worked on the tunnel, the dog walk, the a-frame and the tire jump. Dohggy did the full height dog walk and the full height a-frame!  We were the only ones that did the a-frame and the full height dog walk. we stayed after class to do the a-frame because rebecca, our trainer, said she usually waits until the last 2 weeks to do the a-frame in the pre-agility class because a lot of the owners tend to freak out and that could possibly be dangerous for the dog but I wanted to try. 

so first i thought, well i'll let him get used to it so i was going to let him walk up it and rebecca said you might want to give him a running start and i heard her say that, but i didn't take her advice, so dohggy started walking up it, didn't get very far and started sliding back down because it was so steep. so she goes, here i'll show you, and took the leash and gave dohggy a running start and up and over he went!  FULL HEIGHT! And then, he did it again!! I was very proud of him! seems like he really enjoyed himself. 

The tunnel was curved this time and at first he was a bit reluctant to go through but after a couple of times he was going right on through.

Then, after class dohggy found himself a girl friend  There was this woman there and her dog who also stayed after class for a little bit and dohggy just loved this dog. he wanted to be right next to her the whole time. rolling on her, giving her kisses, etc... he tried to mount her head a few times but i said 'dohggy no mounting' and he stopped before he actually mounted her head....silly boy. 

but back to agility class, it was TONS of fun! We won't be going this coming saturday because i'll be out of town, but we'll be making that class up next wednesday night, but then there will only be 3 weeks left after that  I'm hoping they put an agility 1 class on thursday nights for the fall so we can sign up for that because during the school year, thursday nights are my only free nights.


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## MissMutt

Sounds like fun ara. Isn't it nice to see your dog progress so fast?

We're supposed to be going tomorrow night, but I'm not banking on doing a ton because a) I will most likely have Marge on melatonin and b) it is going to be SUPER hot and humid.


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## ara28

MissMutt said:


> Sounds like fun ara. Isn't it nice to see your dog progress so fast?
> 
> We're supposed to be going tomorrow night, but I'm not banking on doing a ton because a) I will most likely have Marge on melatonin and b) it is going to be SUPER hot and humid.


It definitely is wonderful to see him progress so fast. Watching him enjoy himself is awesome too. I'm so glad we found something that we both enjoy and that we both have fun doing!

I can relate to the hot and humid thing since it's like that 24/7 here. Right now we're at 90 degrees with 70% humidity. The only reason it's not hotter is because it's cloudy since it's supposed to rain. The dogs start to get a little tired after only 30 minutes because of the heat and humidity. What's the melatonin for if you don't mind me asking?


----------



## MissMutt

Marge's fear issues are through the roof right now (as you can read in this thread) so I'd rather have her calm and ever-so-slightly downed than off the wall reactive. She's usually okay at class but I'd just like to see how she does while on it there. The results seem pretty good as of last night and today. It doesn't dope her up or anything, nor does it make her sleepy or drowsy, so it should be fine.


----------



## ara28

MissMutt said:


> Marge's fear issues are through the roof right now (as you can read in this thread) so I'd rather have her calm and ever-so-slightly downed than off the wall reactive. She's usually okay at class but I'd just like to see how she does while on it there. The results seem pretty good as of last night and today. It doesn't dope her up or anything, nor does it make her sleepy or drowsy, so it should be fine.


Oh, well that's good. Hopefully it helps!


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## Solid Mutt

ara28 said:


> Solid Mutt - sounds like an interesting class. I hate the rain, and so does my dog. I'm not sure how you guys did it! It sounds like voodoo is doing really great!
> 
> We had class on Saturday and we worked on the tunnel, the dog walk, the a-frame and the tire jump. Dohggy did the full height dog walk and the full height a-frame!  We were the only ones that did the a-frame and the full height dog walk. we stayed after class to do the a-frame because rebecca, our trainer, said she usually waits until the last 2 weeks to do the a-frame in the pre-agility class because a lot of the owners tend to freak out and that could possibly be dangerous for the dog but I wanted to try.
> 
> so first i thought, well i'll let him get used to it so i was going to let him walk up it and rebecca said you might want to give him a running start and i heard her say that, but i didn't take her advice, so dohggy started walking up it, didn't get very far and started sliding back down because it was so steep. so she goes, here i'll show you, and took the leash and gave dohggy a running start and up and over he went!  FULL HEIGHT! And then, he did it again!! I was very proud of him! seems like he really enjoyed himself.
> 
> The tunnel was curved this time and at first he was a bit reluctant to go through but after a couple of times he was going right on through.
> 
> Then, after class dohggy found himself a girl friend  There was this woman there and her dog who also stayed after class for a little bit and dohggy just loved this dog. he wanted to be right next to her the whole time. rolling on her, giving her kisses, etc... he tried to mount her head a few times but i said 'dohggy no mounting' and he stopped before he actually mounted her head....silly boy.
> 
> but back to agility class, it was TONS of fun! We won't be going this coming saturday because i'll be out of town, but we'll be making that class up next wednesday night, but then there will only be 3 weeks left after that  I'm hoping they put an agility 1 class on thursday nights for the fall so we can sign up for that because during the school year, thursday nights are my only free nights.


Ara28 - Thanks so much, I am not sure how we survived the class either. LOL And guess what 60% chance of severe T-storms tomorrow here too. I will be waiting to see if we have class again in the rain. HA HA HA 

It sounds like you had a GREAT Class. That is so exciting. It sounds like Dohggy is enjoying the class and so are you. Are you hooked on Agility yet? It did not take me long to get hooked. LOL


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## Solid Mutt

MissMutt said:


> Sounds like fun ara. Isn't it nice to see your dog progress so fast?
> 
> We're supposed to be going tomorrow night, but I'm not banking on doing a ton because a) I will most likely have Marge on melatonin and b) it is going to be SUPER hot and humid.


Miss Mutt - I hope you have a great class even thought you aren't banking on doing much. Marge has been looking great! I can't wait to hear how class goes!  I enjoy keeping up with everyones progress. It is so GREAT!


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## MissMutt

Can't believe this -- no class tonight either..2nd week in a row.. "impending forecast".. umm, there's no rain in my forecast until 1 pm tomorrow.. somehow I think the impending forecast bit was thrown in only because the real reason is that her bitch is due for puppies this week.. wonder what'll happen next week..


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## agility collie mom

Last night at class as usual the trainer really tortured us with awkward entries and many traps. Rio was really fired up and we were both awful for the first run. In fact Rio ran off course and shoved his head into another members bag of goodies (deer meat) I caught him before he got any the brat. After that incident we only got better together. In fact I finally got him back up on the dog walk (twice) yeah! He used to love the dog walk until he got frightened on the teeter. From the dog's point of view they look the same. So I was very pleased with him! It was hot last night so by the last run most of the dog's and handlers were losing touch. But all in all it was a good class.


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## Solid Mutt

MissMutt said:


> Can't believe this -- no class tonight either..2nd week in a row.. "impending forecast".. umm, there's no rain in my forecast until 1 pm tomorrow.. somehow I think the impending forecast bit was thrown in only because the real reason is that her bitch is due for puppies this week.. wonder what'll happen next week..


Oh no Miss Mutt I am so sorry.  That is a real bummer. I sure hope you get back on schedule next week.


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> Last night at class as usual the trainer really tortured us with awkward entries and many traps. Rio was really fired up and we were both awful for the first run. In fact Rio ran off course and shoved his head into another members bag of goodies (deer meat) I caught him before he got any the brat. After that incident we only got better together. In fact I finally got him back up on the dog walk (twice) yeah! He used to love the dog walk until he got frightened on the teeter. From the dog's point of view they look the same. So I was very pleased with him! It was hot last night so by the last run most of the dog's and handlers were losing touch. But all in all it was a good class.


Hi ACM! I have wondered where you were. Don't you just love it when the instructors decide to torture you with odd things. I have heard that is the way Level 4 is for us. If you can conquer her courses you can easily go to AKC. LOL It sounds like Rio was using his nose last night and (tracked the deer) LOL  I am so tickled to read you got him back on the dog walk! That is wonderful! WOO HOO!!!!


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## agility collie mom

Thanks solid mutt! Haven't had classes for two weeks. We are trying to get our house ready to sell so we have been kind-of busy. We nailed down hardwood flooring the last two weekends and I've been really tired. Husband was on vacation but, I was not. 
Hey Miss Mutt how old is Marge now? I'm so sorry to hear that she is having fear issues. She is such a beautiful girl. Stupid fireworks, it's not bad enough that she had to endure them on the 4th. Have you had a lot of storms lately too? Give her a hug for me poor little girl.


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## MissMutt

Sounds like you had a productive class. It's always hard to do alot in the heat.

Marge just turned two, and yeah, we've been having storms, too. The thing about storms is, though, that we can sort of predict when they'll happen and treat it accordingly. These idiots setting off fireworks happen at the strangest and, in some cases, inopportune times - like when we're out on a walk..


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## Shaina

Sorry you guys have been unable to have/attend so many of your classes  that would be very frustrating.



On the other hand I probably should have skipped Kim's class this week...Kim was insane. Her actual obstacle/course execution was great but in between her head was everywhere and she was reacting to all the other dogs, particularly the herders.

My fault mostly...been working every day for over two weeks now, long days to boot, and got home from work only 25 minutes before we had to leave for class...DH has been taking them on walks and such but it's not the same and Kim's "mom-centric" enough that she is never really happy unless she gets to spend a lot of time with me, weird as that may sound.

On the other hand both she and Webster were fantastic on Sunday at our unofficial agility group, which is more controlled in terms of people/dogs but more challenging in terms of course/obstacle difficulty.

Back on a regular work schedule now though so hopefully Kim's reactivity will (re-)improve with time and loooots of work


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## MissMutt

Good luck Shaina. I HATE the feeling of coming home from an agility class after Marge has gone hogwild towards all the other dogs. 

Really want to inquire about renting either the field or training hall.. I think Marge would enjoy it immensely..


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## Solid Mutt

agility collie mom said:


> Thanks solid mutt! Haven't had classes for two weeks. We are trying to get our house ready to sell so we have been kind-of busy. We nailed down hardwood flooring the last two weekends and I've been really tired. Husband was on vacation but, I was not.
> Hey Miss Mutt how old is Marge now? I'm so sorry to hear that she is having fear issues. She is such a beautiful girl. Stupid fireworks, it's not bad enough that she had to endure them on the 4th. Have you had a lot of storms lately too? Give her a hug for me poor little girl.


ACM - Wow you have been busy! I can only imagine how tired you have been. We have considered putting hardwood down in our house. We just haven't done it yet. LOL 

Miss Mutt - How is Marge doing on her medication? 

Shaina - Sorry about your night with Kim. Youhave been busy lately. I am sure when you get back on schedule she will get back to herself and more unreactive at class. It sounds like she worked well though when she was working. Voodoo is the same way as it sounds like your Kim is. She is very focused when it is our turn but in between she can get a little active and thinks everybody should play with her. We have worked hard on controlling it. 

Last night class was bittersweet. We did get rained on but not too bad. Before teh rain we did a short 5 piece couse to warm up. Then practiced the contact A-Frame and Teeter. Then we did a training exercise to send your dog to an obstacle away from you and move laterally to the next one. That was sort of hard for Voodoo and I. She tends to keep eye contact and and looks to me for direction. She doesn't go away a head of me. Well there were a couple dogs in a pen about 6-8 feet from the second jump and well Voodoo went to them instead of coming back to me to the 3rd obstacle. Anyways after she ran to them she ran to her Boyfriend in the group. LOL I was SOOO embarrassed. We did get it the next two times with out any issue. We also did the ame course as last week with the jump, weave, tunnel weave jump. She was fine with that. I was tickled at the end of the night though they set up a course with other obstacles sort of in the way to get us to direct our dogs and not let them go to the wrong thing. The course was jump, a-frame teeter, jump, tunnel, dog walk, tunnel jump and teeter. Our instructor is great but she always has a suggestion or a but after anyone goes. Well we got done and she was like GREAT. I was like really she was like yes that was great. I was like wow, but where is the BUT? LOL She said there isn't one. I was just shocked and so excited. It was awesome! LOL 

Voodoo has a vet appointment today please keep us in your thoughts. Her toe is not healing and they may be considering Blasto or Histo... I will keep you all updated. I am getting worried...


----------



## Shaina

Solid Mutt said:


> Shaina - Sorry about your night with Kim. Youhave been busy lately. I am sure when you get back on schedule she will get back to herself and more unreactive at class. It sounds like she worked well though when she was working. Voodoo is the same way as it sounds like your Kim is. She is very focused when it is our turn but in between she can get a little active and thinks everybody should play with her. We have worked hard on controlling it.


Thanks SM. It's odd for Kim because she's really the most dog-friendly dog I know...she's the type who will draw a shy dog out of his/her shell or meet head to head with a dog that wants to play rough. I think it was the excitement of the club/course, that she was stressed since I'd been gone, and her history with a member of the class that all combined to take her over the edge. She had a doggie "playdate" the other day and I took her to the park last night and she was her usual relaxed self. 

It's good to know it's a limited thing but it's something we need to address now to ensure it doesn't spread to other areas. At the time I was tired and frustrated...now I'm just determined we will overcome this too 

The waiting while other dogs run is the rough part, like you said...some dogs I've worked need to work, then take a short break, then work again (Webster is one of these)...Kim on the other hand needs and wants to work constantly. Further, if she's on the sidelines while another dog is working, she's okay watching...but if that dog messes up she gets frustrated and wants to herd them back into line...since she can't do that she will slip into her "herder stare" and give them the evil eye until they correct themselves, and bark if I don't ask for a quiet.

On one hand it makes me laugh because, well, she's my girl and I find her quirks amusing as long as they are harmless/under control. On the other hand, if I give an inch...



MissMutt said:


> Really want to inquire about renting either the field or training hall.. I think Marge would enjoy it immensely..


I think you both would


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## Solid Mutt

Hi All, 

I would like to ask you all for some kind thoughts and prayers. Voodoo's appointment yesterday went ok but has left some questions yet to be answered. They decided to x-ray her toe well her toe looked fine but on they found a Fibrosis lesion on the bone of her forearm. It has them quite concerned. They have decided to test her for Blasto and Histo. They are concerned it is Blasto but hope we caught it early enough that we should be fine. She acts GREAT (wild and silly) as ever. I hope she stays feeling well. We will have results next week and go from there. If it is negative and the chest x-ray looks clean we will have to see what the next plan of action will be. I got her pictures from the show n go. I will post them for you all to see.


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## MissMutt

*squeal*

I just inquired with my club and renting the building is INSANELY CHEAP!!  

I'm thinking I'll do it a couple of times this summer, see how she likes it, and then maybe get a key membership in the fall (which I believe means getting to use the building whenever it's available).

Agility jumps/tunnels/tables and available! Don't know about weaves but no big deal either way!

*squealsquealsqueal* It will be SO nice to practice indoors without having to worry about distractions! 

In other news, we have no other news. I'm going to bet class is going to be cancelled again tomorrow, just because I have bad luck and because it's supposed to hit 90 or above.



> Hi All,
> 
> I would like to ask you all for some kind thoughts and prayers. Voodoo's appointment yesterday went ok but has left some questions yet to be answered. They decided to x-ray her toe well her toe looked fine but on they found a Fibrosis lesion on the bone of her forearm. It has them quite concerned. They have decided to test her for Blasto and Histo. They are concerned it is Blasto but hope we caught it early enough that we should be fine. She acts GREAT (wild and silly) as ever. I hope she stays feeling well. We will have results next week and go from there. If it is negative and the chest x-ray looks clean we will have to see what the next plan of action will be. I got her pictures from the show n go. I will post them for you all to see.


Voodoo looks great in the pics SM. I hope whatever it is isn't anything serious. What is blasto?


----------



## Shaina

Awesome MissMutt!!! Sounds like a great opportunity!

Kim's class is tonight...she got to play with about 10 dogs last Thursday and spent the whole weekend surrounded by about 40 dogs and their handlers without having a single issue about working among them...while this proves her reactivity seems to be limited to this class, I'm hoping it also helps take the edge off for tonight. With any luck the BC that went after her will be absent...

ETA: I also took Kim and Web to practice on Friday afternoon and Kim did the full height teeter for the first time and hardly even blinked!! She can now officially do all the obstacles at their "competition" setting, including 12 weave poles!!


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## Squeeker

I went to agility this week, but Libby did not come with me as she is still recovering from her ordeal. Hopefully she'll get to go this week.

We had a good class, though. We have moved to the full-height a-frame and dog walk, and are working on getting the dogs solid on thee 6 weave set so that we can move to 12. 

It was also our first night in the "big dog" ring! No more puppy ring! I thought the other dogs would be less attentive because of the new ring, but they didn't lose focus at all, which was great. Not sure what Libby will do, though.


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## Shaina

Sorry to hear about Libby, Squeaker -- hopefully she recovers quickly!

Kim's class went well tonight. The courses were ridiculously easy but my main worry was keeping her focused and under threshold around her trigger dog, and we pulled that off with the help of a crate cover and freeze-dried liver. Would be 1000x easier if I could use a clicker since she associates the clicker with Look at That! games and such, but as they are banned from classes I can't do that. Oh well, we did it anyway so it's all good


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## Squeeker

> Kim's class went well tonight. The courses were ridiculously easy but my main worry was keeping her focused and under threshold around her trigger dog, and we pulled that off with the help of a crate cover and freeze-dried liver. Would be 1000x easier if I could use a clicker since she associates the clicker with Look at That! games and such, but as they are banned from classes I can't do that. Oh well, we did it anyway so it's all good


What about using a word instead of the clicker? It can accomplish the same thing... or a tongue click, lip smack, etc.

Or, split hairs and bring a retractable ballpoint pen and click that instead of a "clicker". 

I don't understand the "no clicker" rule, but if it is a rule, there's not much you can do.



> Sorry to hear about Libby, Squeaker -- hopefully she recovers quickly!


Thanks... she's getting better. I would say that she was back to about 80% normal today. We are weaning her back onto kibble and, so far so good. Hopefully we'll be ready for class this week.


----------



## ara28

Solid Mutt - awesome pictures, look at voodoo go! 

I hope everything turns out ok, and isn't serious! keep us updated.


----------



## Solid Mutt

MissMutt said:


> *squeal*
> 
> I just inquired with my club and renting the building is INSANELY CHEAP!!
> 
> 
> Voodoo looks great in the pics SM. I hope whatever it is isn't anything serious. What is blasto?



Hey Miss Mutt - That is awesome you checked in to renting the building. How exciting. That will be awesome for you! I hope you get to have class this week. Keep us posted. 

Thanks for asking about Voodoo. I am pretty worried, but all we can do is wait. Blasto is actually - Blastomycosis. Here is an overview about this disease. Blastomycosis is a systemic disease caused by a fungus present in the soil of certain regions, such as Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio River Valley. The organism is present in the soil and infection occurs by inhalation of the fungus. Once infection is established in the lung, the fungus changes its characteristics by converting from the mycelial form into the yeast form and spreads to other organs causing a disseminated infection. Hunting dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors and live in endemic areas are at risk for inhaling this organism and developing the disease. Some animals may be infected but not show clinical signs for a long time. These animals are not a risk for contagion of other animals and people because the stage of the organism present in the animal's tissues is not that of an infectious stage. If left untreated, these dogs can become seriously ill. Dogs may develop infection in the kidneys, eyes, brain and bones. According to the organ that is affected, the clinical signs may vary. They may have ocular problems or neurological signs like seizures and head tilt. In some dogs lameness may be the primary complaint due to infection in the bones.

I have been around dogs before than have had this disease. I have soon great results and then some grave results. Fortunately Voodoo feels great and is doing great. That is a huge plus. After we get the results we will do a chest X-ray to see if it is in her lungs or not and if so the extent of it.



Shaina said:


> Awesome MissMutt!!! Sounds like a great opportunity!
> 
> Kim's class is tonight...she got to play with about 10 dogs last Thursday and spent the whole weekend surrounded by about 40 dogs and their handlers without having a single issue about working among them...while this proves her reactivity seems to be limited to this class, I'm hoping it also helps take the edge off for tonight. With any luck the BC that went after her will be absent...
> 
> ETA: I also took Kim and Web to practice on Friday afternoon and Kim did the full height teeter for the first time and hardly even blinked!! She can now officially do all the obstacles at their "competition" setting, including 12 weave poles!!


Shaina, that is great new about Kim! It sounds like she did great this weekend. WOO HOO full height teeter! That is GREAT!


----------



## MegaMuttMom

agility collie mom said:


> Last night at class as usual the trainer really tortured us with awkward entries and many traps. Rio was really fired up and we were both awful for the first run. In fact Rio ran off course and shoved his head into another members bag of goodies (deer meat) I caught him before he got any the brat. After that incident we only got better together. In fact I finally got him back up on the dog walk (twice) yeah! He used to love the dog walk until he got frightened on the teeter. From the dog's point of view they look the same. So I was very pleased with him! It was hot last night so by the last run most of the dog's and handlers were losing touch. But all in all it was a good class.


This sounds like a standard class for me and Cherokee.  His temptation is not deer meet but his "girlfriend" Bea, who stands near the door to the play yard. When running any obstacle towards her, if I don't keep his attention with a fistful of treats against his nose and other such antics, he has to stop and say hello to her and/or run to the door. I go and collect him up and we continue our run. In competition, it would be a bit of a time waster.....

He too became afraid of the dog walk after seeing the teeter. And one time we were working on one end while another dog was working on the other. Well, the other dog jumped off and the dog walk shook EVER SO SLIGHTLY, and now he approaches it like there could be an earthquake if he should dare to reach the flat part. We have taken a break from the dog walk for a while and he will now go half way up the teeter but we haven't challenged him by letting it move yet. My trainer is very keen on slow and steady progress.

I am so glad that we have class indoors. I would be very disappointed if weather was an issue. We have had pouring rain almost every class this summer, we may have had class once


----------



## Solid Mutt

Squeeker said:


> I went to agility this week, but Libby did not come with me as she is still recovering from her ordeal. Hopefully she'll get to go this week.
> 
> We had a good class, though. We have moved to the full-height a-frame and dog walk, and are working on getting the dogs solid on thee 6 weave set so that we can move to 12.
> 
> It was also our first night in the "big dog" ring! No more puppy ring! I thought the other dogs would be less attentive because of the new ring, but they didn't lose focus at all, which was great. Not sure what Libby will do, though.


Hey Squeeker - I am so sorry about Libby I hope she is getting back to normal. Bless her heart! 

That is very exciting no more puppy ring hello big dog ring. YEAH! I am sure you can't wait to get Libby in there. 



ara28 said:


> Solid Mutt - awesome pictures, look at voodoo go!
> 
> I hope everything turns out ok, and isn't serious! keep us updated.


Ara28- Thanks, I like the pictures too. LOL We had som uch fun that day. 

I will definitely keep you all updated as we go.


----------



## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> What about using a word instead of the clicker? It can accomplish the same thing... or a tongue click, lip smack, etc.
> 
> Or, split hairs and bring a retractable ballpoint pen and click that instead of a "clicker".
> 
> I don't understand the "no clicker" rule, but if it is a rule, there's not much you can do.


Yeah I use a marker word as well...it's just a training issue. I use the marker work after fading the clicker and I tend to use it more as a bridge word than anything else. 

I've used a finger snap for a marker as well, but haven't done it enough for it to be a sufficiently strong association to overcome Kim's reactivity to her trigger if she gets rev'd up suddenly (such as when the BC (berserker collie)'s handler lets the leash slip and the dog charges into the ring ahead barking like a fiend. If I see it coming we're fine...if not then it's an uphill battle and that's where the strong positive clicker association helps.

Anyway we'll be fine and I'm not too worried at this point. We are steadily working around it by managing the situation rather than addressing it directly, which is the safest way of keeping the situation from escalating, especially since the whole circumstance has a finite duration (ie. end of class = not seeing that particular dog again, so it's my job at this point to make sure her reactivity doesn't extend itself to other dogs/situations...giving her no opportunity to react accomplishes that goal).


----------



## MissMutt

That stinks Shaina. There are a couple of dogs at Agility that I wish were not there.. dogs who just send Marge into a stupor when they run. 

(One actually left and is rumored to be coming back.. OMG I hope not  )

Our class tonight was alright. Marge was somewhat reactive before class. She saw some sort of Northern Dog setting up in the ring and was like "OMFG WHO IS THAT AND WHAT IS HE DOING?!" She settled down quickly though and we played LAT as he ran his course. She is MUCH better at watching dogs run, especially from outside the ring.

Strangely she reacted towards a woman that she knows and likes.. long throaty bark/growl and hackles up. I backed her up calmed her down asked for her attention and rewarded. She was fine with her afterwards though. VERY strange. The only thing I can think of is that she was a) holding a huge tug toy for her dog and b) was walking straight towards us.

As for the class itself she was VERY good. She didn't react at all in class and wasn't as distracted as she's been some other times. I popped her 1.5 mg of melatonin before we left so I don't know if that helped at all. Will likely do it again next week.

Worked on the teeter. She is so darn eager to go over it but then gets scared at the end. It's the strangest thing! 

Did some simple, mostly one-sided sequencing. The most important thing tonight is that I was able to handle her decently and she was keeping her head in the presence of other dogs, which she did. I wish we were doing more sequencing in the class but I don't feel comfortable doing long sequences with other dogs/people working in such close proximity. 

The chute was back out for the first time in awhile.. she went through it like it was nothing. Didn't do the big contact obstacles too much, she still has no idea about the target zones lol

Going to look into renting the ring within the next couple of weeks. Want to do some boxwork and weave entries.


----------



## ara28

Well, we went to agility class last night to make up for this past saturday and the instructor never showed up, but these other people that are in the wednesday night class showed up so we went into the ring and they had their dog off leash but i kept dohggy on leash and we did mini sequences that i made up. It was so much fun. and we did one obstacle after the other, no stopping in between. 

so the first little sequence we did was dog walk --> jump --> tunnel

then we did jump--> dog walk --> tire

then we did tire --> dog walk --> jump --> tunnel

He did so good. I tried to get him to go over the a-frame but he was too tired. once when he went in the tunnel, he stopped in the middle and started rolling around inside the tunnel and came out covered in dead grass  

althought we didn't have instruction, it was still fun to practice getting more familiar with the obstacles and it was fun watching the other people work, their dog was pretty good so i learned a lot from watching them.


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## MissMutt

Very cool! You're progressing so quickly!


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## Shaina

Kim & Web had an agility fun run today -- went pretty well. 

Webster hasn't been on equipment for a little while so run 1 was pretty much a refresher, but the second run went well.

Kim's first run was like WEEEEEEEEEEEEE THIS IS SO MUCH FUUUUUUN!!! lol. Her second run was money though, despite an error on my part which made her look at me like "ummmm wtf?" 

They both ran a Novice/Open course followed by an Excellent level course -- a friend took vid of the Excellent level runs so will try to post them whenever I get them...

Good times 


ETA:
Here are the courses in case any of you are interested, with diagram translation (in case some are not familiar with the symbols used). They are nested courses so the layout will look suspiciously similar between the two...

*
Novice/Open Course*


Jump w/ Wings
Tunnel
Teeter
Single Jump
Dog Walk
6 Pole Weaves
Single Jump
A Frame
Jump w/ Wings
Tire
Wall Jump
Table
Collapsed Tunnel (Chute)
Single Jump
Single Jump
Broad Jump

*
Excellent Course*

Jump w/ Wings
Tunnel
Teeter
Single Jump
Dog Walk
Tunnel
Single Jump
Single Jump
Double Jump
12-Pole Weaves
Single Jump
A Frame
Jump w/ Wings
Tire
Wall Jump
Table
Collapsed Tunnel (Chute)
Single Jump
Single Jump
Broad Jump


----------



## agility collie mom

Solid Mutt said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I would like to ask you all for some kind thoughts and prayers. Voodoo's appointment yesterday went ok but has left some questions yet to be answered. They decided to x-ray her toe well her toe looked fine but on they found a Fibrosis lesion on the bone of her forearm. It has them quite concerned. They have decided to test her for Blasto and Histo. They are concerned it is Blasto but hope we caught it early enough that we should be fine. She acts GREAT (wild and silly) as ever. I hope she stays feeling well. We will have results next week and go from there. If it is negative and the chest x-ray looks clean we will have to see what the next plan of action will be. I got her pictures from the show n go. I will post them for you all to see.


Look at that beautiful girl go! Show them your stuff Voodoo!!!

Miss Mutt,
Can we all come when you rent the building? 

Mega mutts mom,
No deer meat mishaps this past week. 

Shaina,
The excellent course kind-of looks like the courses my instructor sets for Rio and I. A lot of times he adds some very awkward entries. He tells us that he makes are courses more difficult than what we would find at a trial. He says that way it would make it easier for us. That we shouldn't have any surprises!

ara28,
Rolling in the tunnel sounds like something my Savannah would do! Other than that sounds like you both are doing great and having a lot of fun.


----------



## ara28

Saturday went FANTASTIC!!! We learned the teeter, weaves and the chute and dohggy did great! 

He didn't hesitate on the teeter at all. What the trainer did was grab the end that was going down and helped ease it down so it wasn't such a fast/loud drop but dohggy didn't seem bothered at all. It was probably about 3 feet high i'd say. 

Then we did the chute, only a couple of times though and he did really well. 

He rolled around in the tunnels again and stopped in the middle of one and just layed down for like 5 minutes. I guess he was cooling off or something 

Then we did a little bit of off leash work. Went over the a-frame off leash and then did jump -> pause box -> tunnel all off leash and then we did tire->dog walk->jump->tunnel all off leash.

He seemed to pick up the weave polls pretty well. 

His girlfriend, teeka, was in class too. Actually teeka and dohggy were the only ones that came to class. Everytime we took a break they made it a point to lay right next to eachother, face to face giving each other kisses and sharing water.


----------



## Squeeker

Libby's class went OK last week. She had not done agility for 3 weeks due to a short break and her sickness, so she was not her normal drivey self. She acted like a complete doorknob... running around jumps, zoomies, and even a simple leadout was difficult. It was really frustrating for me.

Unfortunately, we are on vacation this week so we will miss class. Next week will be rough for us.

Sounds like everyone else is doing well, though!

Shaina, thanks for posting those courses. I am really getting the itch to build some equipment for practice at home... though my back yard is the size of my dinner table, lol!

Dohggy sounds like he had a blast! Cute about him and his girlfriend!


----------



## ara28

Squeeker, hopefully you guys will get back in the swing of things when you guys get back from vacation.


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## MissMutt

ara, sounds like you had another prodcutive class! Dohggy is progressing so quickly.

Squeeker, sorry to hear your class was so-so. I'm sure Libby just needs to get back into the swing of things and will be fine next time. 

My class tonight went great. It was pretty humid so we didn't do *too* much, and there was only a JWW course out, but it was okay.. I honestly didn't mind having a break from the contact stuff, especially the teeter.

I ran this course with Marge a couple of times. Only screw up was the tunnel, as you'll see. I did it a couple of times and kept making the same mistake. 






Also did an 8 jump sequence with a back cross in it. Marge did it PERFECTLY. Very happy about that! We still need to practice more on her "weak side" when it comes to backs, but at least she's getting it on one side so far..

She did react at all to anyone and socialized again at the end of class. *So* happy for that.

I'm renting the training hall Friday, will also be a jumps/tunnels/weaves session. You guys can come if you happen to be in town  I've got the place all to myself for two hours, so I'll take my time with setting up and such, and get in a full solid hour of work. Honestly 2 hours is going to be alot of time, but I don't think one hour would have been enough. Maybe I'll put the stuff away early and do Rally or something to conclude.


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## Shaina

Awesome MissMutt -- you guys are improving by leaps and bounds!

Have fun Friday -- you might be surprised how long 2 hours is when you have it all to yourself (as opposed to waiting for someone else to run). When we go work on agility at the club I rarely go much more than an hour, even including solo setup/tear down, and that's with two dogs...but then I'm big on quitting when they still really want more. I'm sure you two will have fun regardless


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## MissMutt

Yeah - I can't imagine we're going to use up the two hours. She hasn't been there in awhile though, so it might be better off for me to have extra time in the event she's gotta sniff out the surroundings again lol. I'll have my boyfriend with me and since it's not the heavy equipment I won't have to do too much moving around of equipment, but I'll take my time and change courses up and such. Worse case I waste a few bucks - but it's only $30 so I'm not too worried.

Also might take private sessions with my trainer to work on contacts, as that's the one thing I'm having alot of trouble teaching Marge.


----------



## Solid Mutt

Hi All, 

It looks like everyone is doing great!

Squeeker I am sorry libby was just ok. I am sure she will get back in the swing of things once you get back to regular class. It is hard when you miss some, I can compltely understand. 

Miss Mutt - Marge looks awesome. Keep up the great work. It is so exciting you are renting that building this week. How fun, I wish we were closer. 

Ara28- Dohggy sound like he is really learning fast! That is awesome!

ACM - Thanks so much for the compliments on the Photos.  I just love them and had so much fun. LOL How is your gang? 

Shaina - Those courses look very challenging! How fun! It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I can't wait to see the videos. 

All is well here. We got teh results back and Voodoo is Blasto negative. WHAT A RELIEF! We missed class last week because I had to work. That was a huge bummer for me. We are back on track though for class tonight! WOO HOO. Because of work thought I haven't had anytime to work with her. I hope everything goes ok tonight. I got the premium for our first possible CPE show. I am looking it over and just debating on it.


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## Squeeker

> All is well here. We got teh results back and Voodoo is Blasto negative. WHAT A RELIEF!


YAAAAAY!!!

Missmutt, great video! I am jealous that Marge can do a full 12 weaves! She looked great doing it! You guys ran the sequence very well, you just need to keep moving foreward until the dog commits to the tunnel, but otherwise it was a nice run! What height does Marge jump? She's clearing the bars with ease! Libby does 16" in practice, but will end up doing 22" in competition (19.5" at the whithers), and we'll start practicing at that height when she's back into the swing of things.


----------



## CorgiKarma

Solid Mutt said:


> All is well here. We got teh results back and Voodoo is Blasto negative.


So glad to hear that, Solid Mutt!

It sounds like everyone is doing great with their classes!

Bailey has been doing great in her classes, even better than I thought she would. She's taken to everything wonderfully. Five classes in we have started jumps, tire, tunnels, chutes, A-frame,seesaw, dogwalk and the table. We have also done some sequences such as tunnel/dogwalk/tunnel, tunnel/tire/chute, tire/jump/jump and a few turns. Last night she had an off night but I would chalk that up to us being out of town the majority of the last two weeks and having a different trainer. Our normal trainer had a dog drown over the weekend  it was the top agility Westie in the country. We all signed a card for her but she's very upset (as anyone would be!) and may not make it to the next class either.


----------



## agility collie mom

Savannah is finally jumping 24" (instead of limboing under.)










































Th...th...th...that's all folks!!!


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## Squeeker

> Our normal trainer had a dog drown over the weekend it was the top agility Westie in the country. We all signed a card for her but she's very upset (as anyone would be!) and may not make it to the next class either.


Oh, no... that's horrible. 

A guy in our Pointing club had his German Shorthair drown after it got trapped in a culvert while out hunting last year. This dog was cream of the crop; it was one of the highest-ranked NAVHDA dogs in North America. What a blow that was.



> Savannah is finally jumping 24" (instead of limboing under.)


WTG Savannah!!


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## Shaina

Solid Mutt said:


> Shaina - Those courses look very challenging! How fun! It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I can't wait to see the videos.


Well first off, wonderful news about the neg Blasto!

About the vids...having some file conversion issues hence the delay...


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## MissMutt

SM, very happy to read about Voodoo's negative test. What good news!

Squeeker, Marge is jumping 20" right now for the most part. I'm not 100% sure of her height but I believe she's just under 21". I've been meaning to ask my trainer if she could measure her for me.


----------



## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> Squeeker, Marge is jumping 20" right now for the most part. I'm not 100% sure of her height but I believe she's just under 21". I've been meaning to ask my trainer if she could measure her for me.


Are you gearing her toward any particular venue? Just curious since the height req's vary.

For example, my dogs' jump heights:

Kim (23") 
CPE: 20"
UKC: 20" 
AKC: 24"
NADAC: 20 or 24" 
USDAA: 26 or 22" 

Webster (17.5")
CPE: 16"
UKC: 14"
AKC: 16"
NADAC: 16"
USDAA: 22 or 16"

Quick Ref


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## MissMutt

Yeah I've looked at that site a million times because I always forget which heights go with which venues lol. Right now I'm leaning towards NADAC. I don't really understand the whole 20" or 24" thing. Which is it? Does it depend on the trial? 20" seems like a very ideal height for Marge. When AKC starts allowing us I'm pretty sure she'll be 20" there, too.


----------



## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> Yeah I've looked at that site a million times because I always forget which heights go with which venues lol. Right now I'm leaning towards NADAC. I don't really understand the whole 20" or 24" thing. Which is it? Does it depend on the trial? 20" seems like a very ideal height for Marge. When AKC starts allowing us I'm pretty sure she'll be 20" there, too.


Well the NADAC handbook says 20" is the max jump height and specifically says dogs may not jump higher than their measured/assigned jump height, but the dogs that jump 20" are divided into two classes (20" and 20+). So maybe that first link is outdated and reflects old rules?

If I remember tomorrow night I'll ask a friend of mine who runs a lot of NADAC to explain. She may or may not know...she runs toy/small breeds...worth a shot though


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## Shaina

Vids!!


First up...the Blooper vid from Kim' novice run, lol...it "skips" to the end just to include the ring judge's comment...which is so true... 







Webster's Excellent Lvl Run was first so he's the little tyke:





Followed by Kim:





Something akin to an explanation is in the vid info if you actually go to You-Tube, including a little commentary on the many mistakes in Kim & my run lol


----------



## agility collie mom

Wow Shaina great job! Really enjoyed watching you guys run.


----------



## Lonewolfblue

Well, we had Nell's class tonight and she just blew me away, lol. This was the best class she's ever done. She was absolute superb. The only mistakes made were by me being too slow, lol. She was like a bullet coming out of a gun, lol. She's definitely going to be one that needs to work at a distance, and I have to work with her on the names of the obsticles. She knows some pretty well, but when distance is increased, she needs more work with it. And the A-Frame is like a magnet, she couldn't stay away from it, lol. It's also been a while since they took the Chute out with the sock on, and she tore that up too, lol. Just flew through it, lol.

What we did was worked on some warm-ups at first, then started working some sequences. Nell was fantastic as long as I got enough of a lead on her. If there were 3 jumps before another obsticle, I would have to be between the 2nd and 3rd jumps at a minimum before I released her, or she'd be 3 obsticles ahead of me, lol. I would usually release her when I'm next to the 3rd jump. And she would still sometimes get ahead of me, lol. She is FAST, lol.

We started out with 2 Jumps and a Table. She over-ran the table the first time. So on the 2nd time, I set some hot dogs on the table first, then took her to the starting point, walked to the 2nd jump and then released her. The hot dogs stopped her on the table. Then from that point, I never had to put hot dogs on the table, she slowed enough so she wouldn't slide across the table, then sit. It was great. 

After that, we then changed things around and worked some Jumps with the Tunnel. She loves the Tunnel as well, just flies through it. After the Tunnel, we worked on the Chute a few times, then added some Jumps to it. Then we worked on some A-Frame and jump combinations. It was awsome, Nell just flew through it all. 

After the sequences, then we worked a little on front crosses, then it was the end of the class, and the trainer offered to stay a little extra if anyone wanted to work a little on rear crosses before going home, so we all stayed, lol. We were there about an hour and a half total tonight with my dog and 2 others. It was a great class. Nell did so well that I was pumped when we were done, lol. She was so fantastic. I think she's starting to see that she needs to focus on me more than the other people and dogs, lol. She just loves the trainer as well, lol. Anytime she got the chance, she would break from me and try and get the trainer to play with her, lol. It was an awsome night, and I'm still flying high, lol. She just completely blew me away, lol.


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## agility collie mom

Lonewolfblue,

Videos of Nell please! We would all like to see her run. Sounds like you both had a great class!


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## Lonewolfblue

I wish I had a video camera. Chloe's trainer has one which she used on our Rally class. Then I've used my laptop cam a couple times here at home, but doesn't work that great, the sound lags by about 3 seconds.


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## Shaina

Since I don't always have the time and/or desire to go all the way to the club to practice (I know, woe is me...), I decided to bring agility practice to me...

So far I've just done two jumps and two stick-in-the-ground weaves...not sure what I'll do next as my yard doesn't have room for much. Either way, these were fun.

The Jumps, 48" bar, 30" uprights (don't have the bar cups on yet, though I do have the cross bars. The bottom bar is about 4" above the ground:









Getting ready to glue the weaves together:









Stuck in the ground as (sloppy) weave-o-matics:









Set of 12 straight weaves for Kim (looking down from the deck):









Not sure how well this will work...we shall see.


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## Lonewolfblue

I ordered the spikes for the PVC online, how do you keep the nails from pushing back through when you push the poles into the ground? Seems like what you did would be cheaper than buying the pre-made spikes online, lol.


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## Shaina

Yeah I just bought big 8" nails from the hardware store and 24 flat-ended endcaps....12x 3/4" ones and 12x 1" ones. Drilled holes in the bigger ones and sandwiched the nail head between them, glueing it to hold it.

They still wiggle a little bit though so I'm sure your purchased ones are nicer.


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## Lonewolfblue

The only thing I don't like about the ones I got is the spikes don't have a sharp tip. It's just a metal cylinder about 3/8" wide and is flat on the end. So if I'm somewhere where the ground is dry and hard, it's near impossible to push them it. I can get them in, but it tales a lot of work. If the ground is moist, then it's not so bad. Wished I had a grinder, lol. Would try and sharpen them a little, lol.


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## Solid Mutt

Thanks everyone for the kind words! We are so thrilled it was Negative.  

CorgiKarma - It sounds like Bailey is doing great! I am so sorry to hear about your instructors westie! 

ACM - Savannah looks great in those pictures! Wow 24" 

Shaina - GREAT VIDEOS!!! I love watching them. Kim and Webster are looking great! Great job!!! 

Lonebluewolf - It sounds like Nell ROCKED IT at your class! Congrats! That is so wonderful to read. I know you have to be so proud. Nights like that make it all worth while!!! If you ever do get videos I would LOVE to watch them!!! 

We had class last week. It felt great to get back there after missing a week. We worked on obstacle discrimination. It was quite fun and challenging at times. The first one was a jump then they had a tunnel set u pright next to the dog walk and you had to send your dog to the tunnel and not the dog walk. Well most dogs chose the dog walk. LOL Not Voodoo she went to the tunnel. After about 3 times though she was bored. The other dogs needed the 3 times to get it right. Our 4th attempt she did the dog walk instead. Just my luck. Oh well then we did work on the jump and send to teh dog walk not the tunnel Very interesting scenario. Most dogs went to tunnel. HAHA After that our next sequence was jump, tunnel, table a frame then a jump at the end if we chose. Voodoo did it great so we only had to do it once. Others had some trouble. It was quite a great thing to practice and work on. Last the had a small course set up but it was actually like 3 courses you could pick the one to work. We started moving Voodoo to jumping 16" instead of 12" I believe she will be in the 16" division in CPE anyways so mind as well start now. The course we did was jump, teeter, pinwheel of 3 jumps, weaves (with guide wires) then jump. It was so fun and great to be back to class. This week is our last week for the session. We will repeat this level again when the next session starts. I can't wait for it to already! I am still debating on the CPE trial the middle of Sept. Decisions, Decisions!


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## CorgiKarma

So, Bailey and I graduated from our beginer's agility class tonight! She has done so well! Tonight we did sequences and finished with putting everything together. The only mistake was her new adversion to the A-frame. She just one day started refusing the A-frame on the first try, so we're working on that...the sequence was tunnel->see-saw->tunnel->jump->dog walk->pause table->tire->wide jump->A-frame...I was so proud of her! The instructor and owner suggested that she was ready for advanced beginner's class!

My concern is, tonight and one other night after class I noticed she seemed sore and limped for a few seconds later that night after getting up. Do any of your dogs experience any discomfort? She had been asleep for awhile and we she got up she seemed stiff. I felt all around, moving her hip,knee,foot and when I was done she was fine. She really seems to love agility and I would love to continue with the advanced beginner's class but I'm nervous now...


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## Lonewolfblue

Nope, my Nell never feels sore afterwards. I don't think she gets enough, lol. Especially since it's gotten cooler here. But now we are back into the 100's, lol. Will see how Nell does. It's indoors with AC, but not the best AC, it still gets a little warm once we start running around, lol. At least it's not outside, lol. I think it all depends on the dog as well whether they get sore or not, or if there's medical issues. I know Chloe would probably favor her front left shoulder, as she does on long walks. She might be getting slight artheritis. So that's why we are doing Rally instead, or I would be doing Agility with her, I know she'd have a blast.


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## agility collie mom

CorgiKarma said:


> So, Bailey and I graduated from our beginer's agility class tonight! She has done so well! Tonight we did sequences and finished with putting everything together. The only mistake was her new adversion to the A-frame. She just one day started refusing the A-frame on the first try, so we're working on that...the sequence was tunnel->see-saw->tunnel->jump->dog walk->pause table->tire->wide jump->A-frame...I was so proud of her! The instructor and owner suggested that she was ready for advanced beginner's class!
> 
> My concern is, tonight and one other night after class I noticed she seemed sore and limped for a few seconds later that night after getting up. Do any of your dogs experience any discomfort? She had been asleep for awhile and we she got up she seemed stiff. I felt all around, moving her hip,knee,foot and when I was done she was fine. She really seems to love agility and I would love to continue with the advanced beginner's class but I'm nervous now...


Hey CorgieKarma,
My friend has a little Jack Russells Terrier "Heidi". She started refusing the A-frame and seemed sore. I told her that it could be that her back was sore and to take her to the vet. So being that she is a corgie I would take her in and have her back/neck checked. It could be that she has some inflammation somewhere there and the pressure is more noticeable when she is trying to push going up the A-frame. By the way "Heidi" was given meds by her vet, rested and was fine within two weeks. Hope this helps.



Shaina said:


> Since I don't always have the time and/or desire to go all the way to the club to practice (I know, woe is me...), I decided to bring agility practice to me...
> 
> So far I've just done two jumps and two stick-in-the-ground weaves...not sure what I'll do next as my yard doesn't have room for much. Either way, these were fun.
> 
> The Jumps, 48" bar, 30" uprights (don't have the bar cups on yet, though I do have the cross bars. The bottom bar is about 4" above the ground:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Getting ready to glue the weaves together:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Stuck in the ground as (sloppy) weave-o-matics:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Set of 12 straight weaves for Kim (looking down from the deck):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure how well this will work...we shall see.



Shaina,

Nice job on the jumps and weaves. I built 2 jumps, a tire jump, set of weaves and am in the process of building a teeter. 
Here is a link for some clip and go jump cups. (I keep meaning to buy these but money is kind-of tight with two kids in college.)

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-STYLE-JUMP-...in_0?hash=item5ad2b41f29&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

You could also make it look like a panel jump by adding fabric (slide old curtain panel onto your jump bar.)


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## Squeeker

Shaina, 

I have been meaning to put together a jump and a set of weaves... though I have next to no yard (much less than you!) we have a little park next to our building that I could use. If you don't mind, I will be stealing your designs!



> So, Bailey and I graduated from our beginer's agility class tonight! She has done so well! Tonight we did sequences and finished with putting everything together. The only mistake was her new adversion to the A-frame. She just one day started refusing the A-frame on the first try, so we're working on that...the sequence was tunnel->see-saw->tunnel->jump->dog walk->pause table->tire->wide jump->A-frame...I was so proud of her! The instructor and owner suggested that she was ready for advanced beginner's class!
> 
> My concern is, tonight and one other night after class I noticed she seemed sore and limped for a few seconds later that night after getting up. Do any of your dogs experience any discomfort? She had been asleep for awhile and we she got up she seemed stiff. I felt all around, moving her hip,knee,foot and when I was done she was fine. She really seems to love agility and I would love to continue with the advanced beginner's class but I'm nervous now...


I would guess that the aversion to the A-frame and the limp are related. A trip to the vet would probably not be a bad idea, just in case. Sport injuries can really get worse quickly.

How often do you trim your dog's nails? The pressure put on the dog's nails when it is going up and down the A-frame can REALLY hurt if the dog's nails are not kept short. We were told when we started agility that we should be trimming WEEKLY to keep the dogs from developing foot problems, pain, and jammed/broken nails. Just throwing that out there.


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## Shaina

Kim's class this week went great! The BC that sets her off was "moved up" to the next level of classes (ironic since he's totally out of control...though he does perform obstacles well if his handler can keep him calm). She has no issues with any other dog in the class (or any other dog in the world) so we were both more relaxed and had a great time. 

Ran two Novice/Open standard courses -- she did great. All three runs (one run of course A, two of course B) were completely clean and she was on the ball...was even able to send her out ahead about 20' to a jump and wrap her back around to save myself some steps where the course looped back on itself...I was thrilled. 

The best moment, though, was at the end of our first course B run...the course went from a tunnel, sliced deeply across a single jump, then to a set of weaves that were almost exactly perpendicular to where the jump was. I had intended to do a RFP to pull Kim back and send her to the weaves "straight" but forgot to set myself up for that and was on the wrong side...sending up a prayer I sent her 15' ahead to the weaves at almost a full 90 degree angle...and she pulled it off like it was no big deal!! (Huge party waiting for her at the end for sure). So basically she totally saved my butt lol



CK - No my dogs are not sore after agility. Relaxed, yes. Occasionally tired if we were doing a lot of jump training, but not sore. Do you do warmup exercises/stretching?

agil cm - Thanks for the link. I think I can get the same strips from jjdog or cleanrun for the same price/pair but with a warranty. Might go for the individual snap-on cups though since I only really need 2 jump heights.

squeeker - Go right ahead lol. The reason I have the kind of convoluted bottom (with the bar at 4" instead of on the ground) is that I would have had to order 4-way T's in and it cost less (and took less time) to just use regular T's like that since I could get them for $0.39/each.


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## CorgiKarma

agility collie mom said:


> Hey CorgieKarma,
> My friend has a little Jack Russells Terrier "Heidi". She started refusing the A-frame and seemed sore. I told her that it could be that her back was sore and to take her to the vet. So being that she is a corgie I would take her in and have her back/neck checked. It could be that she has some inflammation somewhere there and the pressure is more noticeable when she is trying to push going up the A-frame. By the way "Heidi" was given meds by her vet, rested and was fine within two weeks. Hope this helps.


Thanks for the info!


Squeeker said:


> the aversion to the A-frame and the limp are related. A trip to the vet would probably not be a bad idea, just in case. Sport injuries can really get worse quickly.
> 
> How often do you trim your dog's nails? The pressure put on the dog's nails when it is going up and down the A-frame can REALLY hurt if the dog's nails are not kept short. We were told when we started agility that we should be trimming WEEKLY to keep the dogs from developing foot problems, pain, and jammed/broken nails. Just throwing that out there.


I have a call in to the vet, so I'll see what he says. I do keep her nails trimmed fairly short.



Shaina said:


> CK - No my dogs are not sore after agility. Relaxed, yes. Occasionally tired if we were doing a lot of jump training, but not sore. Do you do warmup exercises/stretching?


We do some warming up at home and I've started to stretch/massage after we get home.


Thanks for all the responses! I've done quite a bit of reading and notice that it seems like a lot of Corgis have stiffness in joints after sleep. Also, they are prone to kneecaps slipping. It's only occasionally and only for a few seconds, as soon as she stands up. Like I said, I have a call in to the vet so I'll let everyone know what he says. I'm hoping it's something some supplements can take care of. I hope she can keep going with her classes, she really does love it!


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## agility collie mom

Class was great both nights. Shelly had us run a course where one of the jumps was at a really tough angle and it was right after a tunnel. (Speed speed speed.) We sent our dogs though the tunnel and to pick them up on the other side and push them to the jump (which was set up so that you had to wrap them behind the jump) kind of hard to explain but it was tight. Plus coming out of the tunnel most dogs would want to take the jump from the side that was facing the tunnel but we were wrapping them to jump from the opposite side. Anyway she had us stand with our backs against the jump standard pull the dog with our hand motion, turn and send the dog. It was pretty cool. Than at the end of class she just set up a fast, fast easy run though no brainer course and told us her "run like your hair is on fire." It was exhilarating and fun for the dogs. She always tells us you should just run with your dogs for fun and I agree. 

Savannah was awesome last night. We worked on figure eight wraps on one jump and than two jumps. We didn't use front crosses at all! Then Amy set up a course with a tight serpentine in it and a angled jump. I screwed up the first time. But the second time Savannah nailed it. That girl flew last night! Fast and confident. I am so proud of her. She has come such a long way. From the barky, squiggly goofball to an attentive, willing.


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## Lonewolfblue

Pretty cool, good job. Can't wait til Nell's class tonight. I want her to go fast, fast, fast, lol. She's going to have a lot of fun. At the last class, the trainer said we were going to have our choice of what to work on tonight, so many of us said the weave poles and the teeter. So we will see what we will be working on tonight.


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## Squeeker

Agility Collie Mom, it sounds like you had a fabulous class! It's so much fun when things go right!

Corgikarma, what did the vet have to say?

Lonewolfblue, how did Nell's class go tonight?

Libby and I had a really good class last night, considering that we had missed the previous week because we were on vacation. I was also concerned about how class would go because Libby is experiencing a really crazy environmental allergy right now that we haven't quite gotten under control. She is super itchy and a bit miserable, and I wasn't sure that she would be able to focus at class (or want to, for that matter).

However, she did really well, all things considered! She was focused (though she did do a scratch session on the start line before every sequence) and she remembered how to do stuff even though we had missed the previous class. 

Here are two of our sequences. In the first one, at the end, I was SUPPOSED to go around the far side of the jump to create a "layer" between the dog and myself as she came out of the tunnel and headed towards the last jump. However, I forgot in the heat of the moment... you can't hear it on the video, but my instructor reminds me JUST as I start to pass the jump, and so I did a pretty rediculous manoeuver to get around the jump on the proper side. Good thing that Libby somehow knew what I wanted from her!



In this video, we do a short sequence (it was the final one of the evening). I was proud because she took the jump at the end ahead of me! (I edited the video to remove the endless scratch session at the beginning...)


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## CorgiKarma

Squeeker said:


> Corgikarma, what did the vet have to say?


He's been off so has not yet gotten back to me...I'm actually looking at switching to a holistic vet. I like my vet a lot, but if I'm going to start giving her supplements and what not I'd rather they be natural ones. She only limps occasionally and for a few seconds and since we have a few weeks without classes I'm thinking I'll just wait and get her into this holistic vet...

Great videos, you guys look great!!!


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## Lonewolfblue

I had it updated on Nell Starts Agility thread, lol....

Well, Nell had another awsome performance last night (Thursday night), but not to the level as last week. But it was close, lol. We were working sequences most of the night, and were doing longer, and longer sequences. She did very well. Still has to get used to the teeter, she did well at first, but then started slowing on it, and jumped off it once. But we redid it and she did it fine. It's hard to remember all the different sequences we did, lol. But the last one, the long one, was like this.

Jump-Teeter-Jump-Front Cross-Jump-Jump-Tunnel-Dog Walk-Rear Cross-Jump-Tire-Jump

She did really well, I was really impressed. We had a really good night. Can't wait til the next classes start, this was the last class for this round. We are going to do the Agility 2 now.


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## agility collie mom

Hey Squeeker,
Just lovely runs for both Libby and you. I know what you mean about "the heat of the moment" it's so easy to forget a lot of things but, you guys just kept going and did great! Wish we had someone to video for us.


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## Solid Mutt

CorgiKarma - Congratulations on graduating!!! I am sorry Bailey is getting a little sore. Have you decided to try the holistic vet? 

Shaina - It sounds like you had a great class last week. Great news about the BC that sets Kim off is going to a different class! Kim sounds like she is doing AWESOME! 

ACM - It sounds like both of your classes were great too. The courses sound like they have some very challenging entrances! I bet they are fun to work on. I am lmbo about the "Run like your hair is on fire" that just carcked me up.  

Squeeker - Libby looks great as usual! I just love your videos! How is her itchiness? I can totally relate to the getting caught up in the heat of the moment too. Hehehe 

Lonebluewolf - It sounds like Nell is doing great! How fun, congrats on the going to the next level! You should be so proud of her. When does your next round of classes start? 


Last Wednesday was our last class for this go of Level 3. It was sad it is over but we will start again this week. Last weeks class was good. They divided us up into two groups (repeat level 3'ers and Level 3 first timers) lol Us first timers had a small course it was Jump, weave, table, tunnel, A-Frame, jump, jump, table, teeter. The tunnel was actually right beside the A-frame and went under it and around it. So this was a good obstacle discrimination place. Some dogs took the A-Frame and not the tunnel. Very interesting scenario. We did this 3 times and then did it backwards while we waited for the repeaters to finish with the course. After a few times Voodoo got board and blew me off a time or two. We went back and corrected it. The instructor seemed to think she was bored with the same ole while we waited. I was sort if disappointed and worried what the rest of the evening will bring. Hahaha After we all got done with our seperate sections, they had us run a bigger course. They of course divided it up between jump heights, and inline weaves or almost inline. There was either 14 or 16 of us there total. Voodoo and I were the very last dog to go. So, the course went a little something like this. Chute, weave, tire, front cross A-frame, (pinwheel of jumps - jump, jump, jump, table, tunnel, second tunnel, jump, pinwheel of jumps - jump, jump, jump, then jump and double jump. I have to say the adrenline kicked in and Voodoo rocked the entire course. I was so proud of her. It felt sooo incredible. After that the instructor met with us all as a group and the repeaters get to move up to level 4 which is the competition class and all of us first time lever 3's will repeat this once more. After the group talk she spoke with us individually and when she got to Voodoo and I she said we did GREAT, and her goal is for us to be in the level 4 class this next time around. Seems most repeat level 3 at least twice sometimes 3 or 4 times before moving up. She gave me somethings to work on with Voodoo while we are off until the next session. We start class a week from today. I have to say I am super excited and can't wait!


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## Lonewolfblue

Her next round of classes starts on Sept. 2. I can't wait, it's not too far away.


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## ara28

Well dohggy graduated from Pre-Agility on Saturday. We start Agility 1 in like 2 weeks. It will be on a Thursday evening, which I'm really happy about since I've got school m/w/s and we go to the hospital 1st and 3rd Tues and I work my 2nd job on Sundays, so Thursday is my free day and we get to take Agility 1. YAY! 

He's doing really good with the teeter. the sound doesn't seem to really bother him all that much. when he gets to the middle and it starts going down, as soon as it hits the ground he looks a little surprised and then recovers immediately. I was really concerned that he was going to have issues with the teeter, but I'm glad he doesn't.

Hopefully we'll be more successful in Agility 1 because for 1 its in the evening so it's not so hot and it's not in the middle of summer so it's not so hot. During our saturday morning class it was always like 90 outside so he got tired really fast and we weren't too productive towards the end of each class.


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## Solid Mutt

ara28 said:


> Well dohggy graduated from Pre-Agility on Saturday. We start Agility 1 in like 2 weeks. It will be on a Thursday evening, which I'm really happy about since I've got school m/w/s and we go to the hospital 1st and 3rd Tues and I work my 2nd job on Sundays, so Thursday is my free day and we get to take Agility 1. YAY!
> 
> He's doing really good with the teeter. the sound doesn't seem to really bother him all that much. when he gets to the middle and it starts going down, as soon as it hits the ground he looks a little surprised and then recovers immediately. I was really concerned that he was going to have issues with the teeter, but I'm glad he doesn't.
> 
> Hopefully we'll be more successful in Agility 1 because for 1 its in the evening so it's not so hot and it's not in the middle of summer so it's not so hot. During our saturday morning class it was always like 90 outside so he got tired really fast and we weren't too productive towards the end of each class.


Congrats on going to the next level. It sounds like Dohggy is really doing well. Glad that this next level fits in to your schedule and maybe cooler for your boy too. On real hot days here when we have class Voodoo will not be so energetic as she normally is. The heat slows her little tail down too.


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## ara28

Solid Mutt said:


> Congrats on going to the next level. It sounds like Dohggy is really doing well. Glad that this next level fits in to your schedule and maybe cooler for your boy too. On real hot days here when we have class Voodoo will not be so energetic as she normally is. The heat slows her little tail down too.


lol. not even the heat slows dohggy's tail down.  it's just a thumpin' all the time.


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## Shaina

Wow, sounds like everyone is graduating!! Congrats to Solid Mutt & ara28 


Kim's graduated this week as well. Our last course was a really tricky excellent course which was just a blast. We ran it twice and were supposed to chose our own handling method but do it differently each run. The first time we played it safe, but the second time I tried a rear cross into the weaves and a pull instead of a front cross at an obstacle discrimination b/w a tunnel and A-Frame (Kim pulls heavily to contacts but needed to go to the tunnel here), and we managed to run clean both times, despite the BC being back and insane as usual (he's now triggering about half the class because he's so spastic).

The next class requires you to have an agility title and/or have earned Q's at two different trials so we won't be in that. There's a new class to bridge that gap between the one we just finished and the next one, but apparently that BC's handler signed up so I decided against it...it's just not worth it and since there's only one dog that sets her off like that, I don't see the value in knowingly repeatedly exposing her to an out of control overstimulated dog.

I signed them both up for classes at another club which is farther away but clicker-friendly and with more (#'s and experience) instructors...but apparently it's really tough to get in (wait lists, member-priority) so we'll see if we get lucky.


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## Squeeker

> Squeeker - Libby looks great as usual! I just love your videos! How is her itchiness? I can totally relate to the getting caught up in the heat of the moment too. Hehehe


Hey, thanks! Libby is on a new med and it has really helped her allergies. Her hair should start growing back now 

Sounds like you had a great class! I didn't realize that your classes had so many dogs... man! 14-16? How long is class? Your classes must not be structured like ours, or it would take hours!



> Well dohggy graduated from Pre-Agility on Saturday. We start Agility 1 in like 2 weeks. It will be on a Thursday evening, which I'm really happy about since I've got school m/w/s and we go to the hospital 1st and 3rd Tues and I work my 2nd job on Sundays, so Thursday is my free day and we get to take Agility 1. YAY!


Congrats to you and Dohggy!



> Kim's graduated this week as well. Our last course was a really tricky excellent course which was just a blast. We ran it twice and were supposed to chose our own handling method but do it differently each run. The first time we played it safe, but the second time I tried a rear cross into the weaves and a pull instead of a front cross at an obstacle discrimination b/w a tunnel and A-Frame (Kim pulls heavily to contacts but needed to go to the tunnel here), and we managed to run clean both times, despite the BC being back and insane as usual (he's now triggering about half the class because he's so spastic).


That sounds like a lot of fun! 

Good luck on getting into the new facility... it sounds like you made the right choice, for you and your dogs.


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## agility collie mom

Hey everyone,
I had terrible news when I went to work today. Toby who has been in our agility classes from the start has been diagnosed with grade 3 lymphoma. He is Rio's buddy. They have always been in agility together. I feel absolutely awful. What do I say to Lucy his mom? She is going to do the chemo, she had an appointment today for a consult and blood work. Toby is the same age as my Rio in fact they were born in the same month. (He is only a little over 4.) Please everyone pray for Toby and Lucy. 
Here is a link with pictures of Toby he is the sheltie. He not only does agility but, entertains with a group called the K9ers at nursing homes etc. He is a registared therapy dog and can "read" flash cards that say sit, down, etc, And has titles in rally o. 
http://www.keystonecanine.com/K9ers/K9ers.htm
Please please everyone pray for Toby. This is breaking all of our hearts at the club.


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## MissMutt

Woo I haven't been here in awhile! Looks like everyone's doing great, with all this talk of moving up in the class. 

ACM I'm very sorry to hear about Toby.  His family must be heartbroken. Please keep us updated on his condition.

Marge is doing well. We had class tonight after another two-week layoff. We didn't get much done because my instructor got a NASTY bite from a dog in the class. She wasn't hurt too bad, but OOOF he really tried to nail her. Not sure what's going to happen to him now.. the behavior problems are amassing and they are serious.

We did try one sequence.. one sequence that, I must say, was really out of our league. It was a jump, to the A-Frame, and then swing around underneath the A-Frame to go under the tunnel, then come back out and go the original direction foreward over a jump, then go to the farther end of a tunnel, come back in and do jump-frame-jump again. 

The problems were:

1. Marge has no concept of the contacts. LOL
2. Marge has no concept of a back cross into a tunnel.
3. I'm so used to moving forward that moving diagonally away from Marge so I could flip her around into the right end of the tunnel was nearly impossible.

 Guess we have some things to work on!

I was kind of bummed that we didn't get much done, because Marge has been on fire.. the past few classes have been really good, she hasn't been reacting, and we even almost entered a trial over the weekend. 

I'm trying to rent my training hall for an hour on Friday so I can do some work with back crosses, and maybe some simple object discrimination with a jump-tunnel-jump kind of thing. Also going to try to recreate the latter half of the above sequence, so I can get my handling down right. Or maybe it's better not to even touch that without my trainer being there to help.. hmm.


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## MegaMuttMom

2 weeks ago Cherokee was a distracted, out of control, nutcase at class. He only wanted to run around and flirt with the other dogs. (especially his best girly dog Bea) I came home and felt frustrated, sad, and discouraged.

Well, we missed last week because I had to take my daughter to college.

Well, today, Cherokee was ON!! We worked on all kinds of strange entrances to weaves, including going from one set of weaves into another from wierd angles. As long as I get Cherokee entering staight into the weaves, he can do them like a champ.

Moral of the story: one really bad day does not mean you should give up  and, Cherokee is not as stupid as he can look sometimes


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## MissMutt

This is what I hope to be working on tonight. I made this up and I like it because I can handle her a number of different ways through the course.

I can take the easy way out, lead her out over jump 1 so she's on my left side to get to the far end of the tunnel, OR I can set up the situation that I was faced with Tuesday at class, where I need to move outward away from the tunnel with Marge on my right side to push her back into the far end at the last minute. Tons of crosses in here too potentially, which I can handle different ways.

Any suggestions? I've got an hour to work with, I'm going to be working on alot of back crosses and this course, and I don't know if I have time for much else.


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## MissMutt

The result of the evening: 

(you might want to turn your volume down as the fans are blowing really loud lol)






I thought we did alright. I had to do some adjusting of the jumps for us to get it, I'm no course builder lol. The front cross between 4 and 5 was really tough.. at first I guess I wasn't there quick enough and Marge went barreling over jump 1/11 and into the chute lol. She was kind of zoomy in the beginning.. which is why I'd really like to have some kind of practice where she does NOT get to be in the ring with me first, and just have her run her course. Maybe I can do this at the beginning of class next week.

Also, what do you guys think about my handling between jumps 6-7-8? I feel like I didn't keep my right arm up long enough to guide her out and over jump seven.

The one good thing I can say is that we did this decently, but probably wont see anything like this in Novice.. so if we can do this, we can do the novice stuff.. and, on top of that, I'd probably have a lot more room between obstacles at a trial.

Also worked on back crosses and she is doing SO much better with them.

Critique me please.. I need it..


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## Shaina

Well I'm in a hurry packing up the dogs but had to watch lol. You guys are looking better every time I see you...you had a few late cues (don't we all) but your body language was pretty consistent and Marge read it...I honestly think you could have run it silently with the same result lol

I don't know if it would work better for you, but instead of doing a blind cross from 4 to 5 then a push to 6, you could try a pull/pole turn between 4 and 5 (nice place to get ahead of your dog a bit) then FC into 6 for clearer communication, a shorter handler path, and the ability to easily block 7. Then do the 270 etc. Just something to try FWIW

In general that's probably the way I would have handled it otherwise. Did you change up the course at all while you were there?


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## MissMutt

Ahh so that's what a blind cross is lol. I was trying to to a front cross in that spot but since it was so tight to get her from 7 to 8, I didn't execute it right and wound up (unknowingly) doing that.

I can't remember whether I tried to do a regular post turn at 4 or not. Originally I did _something_ different and she wouldn't come back into me, and would instead go out to jump 1 and through the chute. 

I did do one other course with this set-up, but didn't upload the video. I don't think it was anything special.


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## Squeeker

Great job, MissMutt! Marge was very focused for that run. Great teamwork!



> I don't know if it would work better for you, but instead of doing a blind cross from 4 to 5 then a push to 6, you could try a pull/pole turn between 4 and 5 (nice place to get ahead of your dog a bit) then FC into 6 for clearer communication, a shorter handler path, and the ability to easily block 7. Then do the 270 etc. Just something to try FWIW


I agree with Shaina WRT the above. You did a bit more running than you needed to, but it worked for you. Was it just me, or was that a TIGHT course? 

I would have done a leadout front pivot at 1 to go to 2, sent the dog into the tunnel (3), FC while the dog was in the tunnel to 4, post turn at 5, FC to 6, post turn to 7, post turn again at 8, false turn and then into 9, FC while the dog is in the tunnel to go to 10, on to 11. 



Libby and I had a FANTASTIC class on Thursday! She was SOOOOOOOOO focused! A side effect of the meds she is on for her allergies is that she is always hungry, so I think that helped with the focus!

Here are vids of 3 sequences we did. The first is a simple tire-tunnel-teeter. The tunnel was REALLY long, and the exit to the tunnel faced away from the teeter, so the tricky part was getting the dog to come out of the tunnel and turn towards us in time.



The second sequence was an obstacle discrimination course for the dogs. Ath the beginning of the sequence the dogs had to take the tunnel (not dog walk), and the tunnel exit was on the opposite side of the DW to the handler. The dogs had to take the jump, with the dog walk in between. On the way back, the dogs had to take the dog walk (not jump). It was a lot of fun, and we handlers really had to run to be sure that we were ahead of the dogs coming out of the tunnel!



The 3rd sequence was another layering exercise for the handlers. We did a leadout pivot over the jumps, and then tunnel, table. We were to layer the tunnel with the chute. This is the first time that Libby has done a full-sized table. (This was our second run... the first run Libby did pretty much the same, but I forgot to layer and ran the long way around the chute! Oops!)


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## MissMutt

> I agree with Shaina WRT the above. You did a bit more running than you needed to, but it worked for you. Was it just me, or was that a TIGHT course?
> 
> I would have done a leadout front pivot at 1 to go to 2, sent the dog into the tunnel (3), FC while the dog was in the tunnel to 4, post turn at 5, FC to 6, post turn to 7, post turn again at 8, false turn and then into 9, FC while the dog is in the tunnel to go to 10, on to 11.


Yes I purposely made it pretty tight  I figure if we practice on a tight course, it'll be easier on a course in a trial. Besides, the room isn't very big, so this was kind of the only way to set it up.

I got confused by what Shaina said, must have read it wrong.. I thought the cross between 4 and 5 was a front cross and she was talking about my handling at 6-7-8. I sent her over jump 4 and then as she was coming back to me I faced her and switched sides. It's too bad it wasn't caught in this video.

I might be the only one in class on Tuesday, so I might ask to set this course up at the field since it's pretty small.. if I know my instructor, I know she will not be thrilled with my handling thru 6-7-8. She also said she doesn't like blind crosses, so I'm wondering what she'll say about my cross between 4 and 5.

Those sequences are awesome, Squeeker. Especially the one with the dog walk in between! You guys are great and Libby really does look focused.


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> I would have done a leadout front pivot at 1 to go to 2, sent the dog into the tunnel (3), FC while the dog was in the tunnel to 4, post turn at 5, FC to 6, post turn to 7, post turn again at 8, false turn and then into 9, FC while the dog is in the tunnel to go to 10, on to 11.


Yeah with a leadout one would handle it differently, but I'm trying to train as if I may run UKC someday, and you can't be in the plane of the jump on a leadout which limits the effectiveness of a RFP sort of deal here IMO...leading out I would probably line her up to slice the first jump and position myself by the second jump...I dunno I'd have to be able to see the spacing I think.

The 6-7-8-9 I guess it just depends on your dog but I would FC to 6, push her out to wrap around to 7, FC to 8 and send on to the tunnel to avoid having to go deep into the 6-7 pocket. Depends on how solid your dog's 270s are, though, and how well you can send them ahead to tunnels...I would have to post turn to 7 with Web but could probably cue Kim from well back. I kinda want to go try this now lol.

BTW you guys are looking good  Nice layering exercise!




MissMutt said:


> Yes I purposely made it pretty tight  I figure if we practice on a tight course, it'll be easier on a course in a trial. Besides, the room isn't very big, so this was kind of the only way to set it up.
> 
> I got confused by what Shaina said, must have read it wrong.. I thought the cross between 4 and 5 was a front cross and she was talking about my handling at 6-7-8. I sent her over jump 4 and then as she was coming back to me I faced her and switched sides. It's too bad it wasn't caught in this video.


Sorry bout the confusion...sounds like you did a FC instead of a blind cross which is definitely better lol.

I don't know how Marge is but a lot of dogs find the really small tight courses very demotivating. I find myself starting off with that sort of thing when they are fresh, then opening the course up so they can really stretch out to end on a fun note


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## MissMutt

> Sorry bout the confusion...sounds like you did a FC instead of a blind cross which is definitely better lol.


To be honest, I'm not totally sure WHAT I did lol. I think it was probably a really bad front cross that wound up being a blind cross. If that makes sense. I basically waited for her to get over the jump before I switched leads. It wasn't a "normal" front cross, that's for sure 



> I don't know how Marge is but a lot of dogs find the really small tight courses very demotivating. I find myself starting off with that sort of thing when they are fresh, then opening the course up so they can really stretch out to end on a fun note.


Hmm. I'll think about this next time I'm out. I ended the night with the teeny tiny teeter (lol) and some work on back crosses with only 3 jumps set up. So I guess that was more "open" than this extremely tight sequence.

Next time I think I'm going to try to have two courses made up for when I go.. so I can do a harder one first, and then an easier, more relaxed one.

I just wanted to share this picture of her on the mini teeter. Even though Marge will go over the regular sized teeter (albeit a little bit timidly) she treats this thing so seriously. You can see her trying to muster up all her bravey to get across it. Even though it does kind of freak her out, she still loves doing it.. with no pressure from me. It is very very strange.


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## agility collie mom

Hi everyone,
Miss Mutt you and Marge are doing great! She is very in tune to your body movement. Just for the fun of it try running her with your hands behind your back. I bet you'd be surprised how much she really knows!!

Squeeker,
Libby and you make layering look easy. What great videos. 

I am so excited. I have completed building a teeter for home practice. It turned out great . Will post pictures tomorrow. But the very best part about it is that Rio will do the teeter now. Not like dynamite yet but he does it!! Savannah of course loves it. Also here is a great video of one of my instructors with his dog Dawson at a Georgia trial. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYEbxue1bEg

He is a great little dog to watch run and Pete is a great handler.

By the way my friend's dog Toby went for his first chemo treatment. His lymp nodes are back to normal after one treatment. He looks really good and Lucy says that he is allowed to do whatever he wants and eat whatever he wants. So he had a few treats from me just because. So far so good.


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> I just wanted to share this picture of her on the mini teeter. Even though Marge will go over the regular sized teeter (albeit a little bit timidly) she treats this thing so seriously. You can see her trying to muster up all her bravey to get across it. Even though it does kind of freak her out, she still loves doing it.. with no pressure from me. It is very very strange.


She looks very intense, lol.

It cracks me up how there are so many similarities between Marge and Kim. When I was retraining the teeter there was a long time in there where Kim would be begging and pleading to be released to do the teeter because she was DYING to try it...then as she started to go across she would be super focused and tense, exhibiting all sorts of stress signals. But once she finished and was rewarded she would like "Oh! Oh! Can I do it again pleeeeeeeeeeease?????!!" lol...crazy dogs...


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## Squeeker

> Yeah with a leadout one would handle it differently, but I'm trying to train as if I may run UKC someday, and you can't be in the plane of the jump on a leadout which limits the effectiveness of a RFP sort of deal here IMO...leading out I would probably line her up to slice the first jump and position myself by the second jump...I dunno I'd have to be able to see the spacing I think.


Really, you can't be in the plane of the jump? As in, the plane of the opening? That's an interesting rule, I have never heard of that. AFAIK, there is no such rule in either AAC or CKC. Thank goodness! 



> The 6-7-8-9 I guess it just depends on your dog but I would FC to 6, push her out to wrap around to 7, FC to 8 and send on to the tunnel to avoid having to go deep into the 6-7 pocket. Depends on how solid your dog's 270s are, though, and how well you can send them ahead to tunnels...I would have to post turn to 7 with Web but could probably cue Kim from well back. I kinda want to go try this now lol.


I agree. Our 270's are not solid, we have only really practiced it once. I also want to try this out! (On a side note, the DH landed a job on Friday, so we officially start house hunting ASAP! Looking for a house with a yard to practice in!)



> Yes I purposely made it pretty tight I figure if we practice on a tight course, it'll be easier on a course in a trial. Besides, the room isn't very big, so this was kind of the only way to set it up.
> 
> I might be the only one in class on Tuesday, so I might ask to set this course up at the field since it's pretty small.. if I know my instructor, I know she will not be thrilled with my handling thru 6-7-8. She also said she doesn't like blind crosses, so I'm wondering what she'll say about my cross between 4 and 5.


OK, that makes sense. It's good to practice all kinds of courses, tight and open! You never know what you'll get at a trial!

My instructor gives us hell every time we do a blind cross, too... 

Marge looks very serious going over that wobble board! You can see that she respects it!



> By the way my friend's dog Toby went for his first chemo treatment. His lymp nodes are back to normal after one treatment. He looks really good and Lucy says that he is allowed to do whatever he wants and eat whatever he wants. So he had a few treats from me just because. So far so good.


Oh, what great news! I am glad they found it so early.



> Those sequences are awesome, Squeeker. Especially the one with the dog walk in between! You guys are great and Libby really does look focused.





> BTW you guys are looking good Nice layering exercise!





> Squeeker,
> Libby and you make layering look easy. What great videos.


Thanks guys! It was a really fun class!


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## Shaina

agility collie mom said:


> Squeeker,
> Libby and you make layering look easy. What great videos.


*seconds this* !



Squeeker said:


> Really, you can't be in the plane of the jump? As in, the plane of the opening? That's an interesting rule, I have never heard of that. AFAIK, there is no such rule in either AAC or CKC. Thank goodness!


Yeah UKC has allll sorts of rules that no one else cares about lol. Plus all their funky extra equipment...




Squeeker said:


> (On a side note, the DH landed a job on Friday, so we officially start house hunting ASAP! Looking for a house with a yard to practice in!)


Hurray for house hunting!!!!!!!!  Good luck!


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## agility collie mom

Hey everyone,

Here is a picture of the new teeter we built at home for practice....










And here is Rio trying it out (with Savannah supervising ....












than Savannah...


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## MissMutt

That's awesome! I love the deep blue color. I thought about buying or making one, but we really don't have that much space and I don't know how much my parents would appreciate that... the practice would be extremely beneficial though.


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## CorgiKarma

agility collie mom said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> Here is a picture of the new teeter we built at home for practice....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here is Rio trying it out (with Savannah supervising ....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> than Savannah...


That is awesome!!! How???

Update on Bailey, she's had two weeks off from agility in case she had pulled something. Yesterday I set up some jumps in the backyard to practice and she is doing great! Very full of energy and I had a hard time keeping her off the jumps! No limping since. I'm still going to switch to a holistic vet and if it happens again look into some herbal meds or acupuncture or both. I'm also going to try Yucca Intensive as that is supposed to help with allergies also. I am very excited for class to start again in a week! Apparently, she's missed it!


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## MissMutt

CorgiKarma, I'm glad to hear Bailey is doing well. Now that fall's around the corner I bet she'll be extra fast and happy on agility days. 

We had a private lesson tonight because we're the only ones left in the class. It didn't run the full hour, about 30-40 mins instead. Did some more box work with alot of crosses (at least 2 front and 2 back) some teeter work and some A-Frame work.

She's still pulling her whole "OMG I LOVE THE TEETER BUT IT SCARES ME" deal.. she went flying over to it more than once tonight, only to brace herself and get scared once it moved. It's so weird. So we played a game where she ran back and forth across it, with two tables underneath either end. She seemed to be okay with that. Thinking I'm going to have to build one or something..

And, the A-Frame .. she still doesn't have her 2o2o contacts down, but now my instructor says she could potentially do well with a running contact.. we put up the zone honors that stick out of the ground at the bottom of the A-Frame and it took her a total of like three tries to figure out that she was supposed to run through it. She also said that the way she strides over the A-Frame is conducive to a running contact.

Now the big thing is figuring out what I'm going to be doing after next week.. I have another private session with her because it's the last week before re-registration. Since I'm the last one, though, I might have to join her slightly more advanced class, where all the dogs pretty much have their obstacle performances down pat, and are working on sequencing. I don't think it'll be detrimental to Marge, as she knows most of the dogs and people in the class, but I was enjoying my small (or nonexistent) class size and got alot of work done. From what I here they don't get to do nearly as much in the later class because there are 6+ dogs.


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## agility collie mom

Hey Miss Mutt,
Just a suggestion. With my two dogs that I have one that does running contacts and one that does 2O2O. I prefer the 2O2O. Why? Because the first dog that I trained Rio who does the running contacts doesn't miss the contacts if he is going slower but get him revived up and which increases his stride and he misses the contacts. I am now in the process of retraining Rio for the 2O2O contacts (Savannah does them.) Also it would help keeping mishaps from happening on the teeter. Found this article thought that you might find in interesting. 

http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-shows/3-2-1-contacts-in-agility.aspx

As far as moving up because Marge and you would be the only ones in the class I would suggest not to do it for that reason. Why? Because in my experience I did that with Rio and regret it. It left a lot of "holes" in his training. I didn't know the difference because he was my first agility dog. With Savannah I have a different instructor. Her teaching methods are really different than the beginning and intermediate instructors that I had with Rio. There are things that I am learning in her class that I never was taught with Rio. Part of it was my fault because I wanted to move on. Take your time with Marge. You both are doing great! Please do not feel the need to move on if you do not feel comfortable doing so. 

This is just imo.

By the way if you want the instructions for the teeter we built I can pm them to you.

This is the next piece of equipment I will be building to teach Rio contacts at home.

http://www.affordableagility.com/contactcombo.htm


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## MissMutt

ACM, I really _do_ want to stay where I am now.. but they are doing away with my class completely. It isn't profitable for them, I guess, to continue having it with just me in it. So it's basically either switch classes or don't go at all anymore. 

Honestly, based on what the people in this class said, we don't do much of anything.. so I guess I really have no choice but to just see what happens. I'm probably going to do some private lessons too, so I can work my contacts and the teeter there.

I really like your teeter, BTW, but I think I probably need one with an adjustable base for Marge. I'm thinking it might be best to retrain it altogether.. start with it flat on the ground and raise it up slowly.


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## agility collie mom

Squeeker said:


> We had our first Novice 2 class last night!
> 
> We hae 5 dogs in our class this time. 4 of us have been together for the past 3 sessions, and myself and another woman have been together since the introductory class. The 5th dog is a standard schnauzer, who was a bit intimidated (I think) by the 4 of us.
> 
> Our instructor is fantastic so far. Much better than our last one. Not that our last one was bad, but she was very quiet and not as willing to jump in if we were making mistakes.
> 
> We did the full sized teeter for the first time! We put the pause table under the end to minimize the tipping sensation. Libby did great!
> 
> Here are some videos!


Miss Mutt,
I really like how Squeeker's instructor taught the teeter in this video. Savannah was taught in a similar manner. (Except the instructor had the entry side of the teeter was the end up on the table and she walked the teeter to the down side don't know if this makes sense.) My instructor stood behind and minimized the banging (held the back) until Savannah got comfortable. I do agree with taking the private lessons. I understand that cost wise it is not profitable for your club.

By the way if you do buy or build and adjustable teeter base stay away from this style.
http://cgi.ebay.com/AKC-Dog-Agility...in_0?hash=item518c4c4a64&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
Rio flipped the whole thing and that started the problem on the teeter. There is another style made of pvc but I don't have any experience with it.


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## Kyllobernese

I have been following this thread and have found it very interesting and informative. Unfortunately in our area we just have two choices in Agility classes. One has no instructor but you can go twice a week and use the equipment. The other class I have tried but the instructor overdoes it for the type of dogs my sister and I have. (Shih Tzu x Maltese) as she is more used to more of the working dog types where you can go full tilt for an hour. As Remmy was just over a year, he started to shut down on me so I finished the six weeks and did not go back.

My sister and I built a teeter, jumps, dog walk, tunnel and table and practice for 10 or 15 minutes a day which keeps our dogs happy and interested. We go to the other place to use the regulation equipment and run through a couple of courses twice a week. It is working as Remmy has earned five Q's in three trials and my sister's dog got his first Q in snooker last weekend but I know both of us could stand to have more HANDLING training, just don't know where we can get it.


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## CorgiKarma

MissMutt said:


> CorgiKarma, I'm glad to hear Bailey is doing well. Now that fall's around the corner I bet she'll be extra fast and happy on agility days.


Thanks, I bet she will be!



> Now the big thing is figuring out what I'm going to be doing after next week.. I have another private session with her because it's the last week before re-registration. Since I'm the last one, though, I might have to join her slightly more advanced class, where all the dogs pretty much have their obstacle performances down pat, and are working on sequencing. I don't think it'll be detrimental to Marge, as she knows most of the dogs and people in the class, but I was enjoying my small (or nonexistent) class size and got alot of work done. From what I here they don't get to do nearly as much in the later class because there are 6+ dogs.


We had 6 dogs in our class last session and we still did a lot. Of course, we usually had our instructor and an assistant so we split up. This session we will probably have a full class of 8 dogs since there is only one Advanced Beginner's class. I may supplement with a few private lessons also.



Kyllobernese said:


> It is working as Remmy has earned five Q's in three trials and my sister's dog got his first Q in snooker last weekend but I know both of us could stand to have more HANDLING training, just don't know where we can get it.


Have you searched the web? I hope you find a solution soon!


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## Solid Mutt

Hi All! 

Gosh I just love this thread! Everyone is doing so awesome. 

Miss Mutt - Marge is doing so great. Have you figured out what you are going to do about your classes? Move up? I just love teh picture of Marge on the Mini Teeter. Hehehe 

Squeeker - You and Libby look awesome! I am so glad her allergie meds are helping her and her skin. I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!  

ACM - I LOVE YOUR Teeter, would you PM the info on it to me? Your pictures are so awesome of it and your kinds trying it out. Hahaha They are beautiful BTW! 

CorgiKarma - I am so glad Bailey is doing better. It sounds like you have a good plan for your future classes! It is so exciting isn't it? 

Well Voodoo and I started back to class last night. I was a little worried about how she would be. She seemed to want to stay with "Daddy" and not come with Mom. HAHAHA We got to class I figured she may be ummm a little flightly. There was only 11 of us in class this time seems small compared to the 14-16 we have been having. HA There are 6 of us repeaters and 5 newbies.  They kept us split like that. We went with the assistant instructor first and the newbies went with the main instructor. We had 3 courses to walk and do just as a refresher. It was mainly like this Jump, 90 turn to the weave poles, send out to a jump to the left, tunnel then to a jump bringing back in to you, then weave and jump. They mixed it up more than that but that is the basic. Just working on our turns, sending out and pulling back in to you. We worked on that. Voodoo the first time I mis-cued her and she was late taking the jump after the weaves. I changed my body position and we nailed it. The other students all clapped it was hilarious. Voodoo seems to have more energy than most of the dogs there except the 
weimaraner. After we all did the three courses and corrected our handling issues. HA We went to the main instructor. She had a 8 and 10 piece jump course set up. It was awesome. It was quite a rush and quite a blast. Voodoo nailed them both. It felt great. We practiced our turns and what is best in these sequences for us and our dogs. In between our turns we went a played on the contacts. After class before we picked everything up I went up to the inline weaves with guide wires and was sooooo EXCITED AND PROUD. Voodoo GOT'em. We just started inline at home earlier this week. I was so excited. She made my day. All in all it was an awesome class. I am just so happy we have started back again.


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## agility collie mom

Solid Mutt said:


> Hi All!
> 
> Gosh I just love this thread! Everyone is doing so awesome.
> 
> Miss Mutt - Marge is doing so great. Have you figured out what you are going to do about your classes? Move up? I just love teh picture of Marge on the Mini Teeter. Hehehe
> 
> Squeeker - You and Libby look awesome! I am so glad her allergie meds are helping her and her skin. I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!
> 
> ACM - I LOVE YOUR Teeter, would you PM the info on it to me? Your pictures are so awesome of it and your kinds trying it out. Hahaha They are beautiful BTW!
> 
> CorgiKarma - I am so glad Bailey is doing better. It sounds like you have a good plan for your future classes! It is so exciting isn't it?
> 
> Well Voodoo and I started back to class last night. I was a little worried about how she would be. She seemed to want to stay with "Daddy" and not come with Mom. HAHAHA We got to class I figured she may be ummm a little flightly. There was only 11 of us in class this time seems small compared to the 14-16 we have been having. HA There are 6 of us repeaters and 5 newbies.  They kept us split like that. We went with the assistant instructor first and the newbies went with the main instructor. We had 3 courses to walk and do just as a refresher. It was mainly like this Jump, 90 turn to the weave poles, send out to a jump to the left, tunnel then to a jump bringing back in to you, then weave and jump. They mixed it up more than that but that is the basic. Just working on our turns, sending out and pulling back in to you. We worked on that. Voodoo the first time I mis-cued her and she was late taking the jump after the weaves. I changed my body position and we nailed it. The other students all clapped it was hilarious. Voodoo seems to have more energy than most of the dogs there except the
> weimaraner. After we all did the three courses and corrected our handling issues. HA We went to the main instructor. She had a 8 and 10 piece jump course set up. It was awesome. It was quite a rush and quite a blast. Voodoo nailed them both. It felt great. We practiced our turns and what is best in these sequences for us and our dogs. In between our turns we went a played on the contacts. After class before we picked everything up I went up to the inline weaves with guide wires and was sooooo EXCITED AND PROUD. Voodoo GOT'em. We just started inline at home earlier this week. I was so excited. She made my day. All in all it was an awesome class. I am just so happy we have started back again.


Thanks Solid Mutts. I just love running a fast course too. Go Voodoo wiggle girl. Weaves are tough to teach great job. I will pm the instructions for the teeter either later tonight or this weekend. Been kind of busy at work. One tech is on vacation this week so things are a little crazy.


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## Squeeker

We had a pretty good week at class again this week!



> Squeeker - You and Libby look awesome! I am so glad her allergie meds are helping her and her skin. I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!


Thanks!!! Unfortunately, this will be my last set of videos for the forseeable future as my videographer (AKA DH) has a new job that requires him to work the afternoon shift. So, unfortunately, he won't be able to come to class with us any more...

This week I decided to try Libby jumping at her competition height, 22". I had been waiting as it was a big step up from the 16" she had been doing , but we decided to just try it out. I don't think she even noticed!

The first thing we did in class was a bit of table work. Sorry about the crappy camera angle and the "crowd" of classmates! We did table-jump-tunnel here. The point was to get the dogs good and steady on the table, and not anticipating the "go".



Next was some practice on the weave poles. Libby has been REALLY slow in her progression with the weaves... we are stil using two barriers to keep her in the weave pattern. I blame her lack of progress on missing 2 classes this session due to her illness. We did weave-tunnel-chute.



Next up was teeter work. The sequence was jump-teeter-tunnel. We have stopped treating the dogs at the pivot point on the teeter (provided they are comfortable on the teeter, which Libby certainly is). I was going to do a front cross while Libby was 2o2o, but she broke. Oops!



And finally, a big sequence to end the class. You'll see me pick up some treats off the ground right at the start, but I guess Libby didn't trust that I got them all, as she had to see for herself both times we did the tunnel! The sequence was tunnel-jump-wrap to dog walk-jump-post turn to tunnel-jump-table.



Thanks for looking!


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## Shaina

Nice Squeeker!

Went out with the pooches to do agility for pretty much the first time since the fun match several weeks ago (we've been doing a lot of obe/rally) and we had a blast. Worked on layering tonight as distance work is a challenge, especially for Webster who likes to stay glued to my hip. However with the help of a rope toy I've been working on them with to build toy drive, they were both gleefully doing a three jump series with a tunnel between us...I was absolutely thrilled . Kim's been there for a while but for Webster this was just such a huge leap...and once he figured it out he was running better layered than he does with me right next to him


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## Squeeker

Awesome, Shaina! It's great to see the lightbulbs come on! Layering is one of those skills that really makes me feel like we're going somewhere... it's not flashy, but it's certainly a handler accomplishment!


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## CorgiKarma

Squeeker- Great videos, as always! Libby lookds great. We're starting the dreaded weave this session...it'll be interesting...

Shaina- Sounds like Kim and Webster are doing great, too!

SolidMutt- Glad you and Voodoo had such a great class! Talking about energy levels, theres a Visla in my class who looks tired all the time, never runs, doesn't quite fit the standard for a Visla!


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## Solid Mutt

Squeeker - The videos look great! Libby is doing so awesome.  It sounds like you had a super class again. I am sorry your video videographer won't bere there to video anymore. I enjoy your videos a ton. You and Libby have come so far it has been great to watch. 

Shaina - Great job. Layering is an accomplishment to celebrate. It sounds like Webster and Kim did awesome!

We had class last night. I am not sure what was up but only like half the students where there. I was actually excited because with so many dogs it can get a little mixed up at times. There were 4 newbies and 4 repeats. Hehehe We all worked together doing an exercise where we set them up for a jump and stood in place and sent them with our body and arm to "OUT TUNNEL" Well I was totally full of mistakes and bobbles ha. The first time I stepped to push her towards the tunnel. The second time was perfect but I used the words "GO TUNNEL" and not "OUT TUNNEL" so that was a mistake. HA After this we all split in two our two groups. It was so nice only having 4 dogs in my group. We did two small courses they had set up and coned out for us. The first one was the hardest it went broad jump, weaves, jump, tunnel, jump, weaves, jump and table. We ended at the table. This was to work on our handling skills and our crosses. After we did that the next course was easy. It was jump, weave, jump, tunnel and then push them to teh broad jump. Voodoo was high on energy last night which was great but also bad. She was easily distracted by other things - she did focus for us on these exercises so that was great. After we got done with these we had to wait our turn with the other instructor. She had a 12 piece course set up and we had to add the original exercise of the night (Jump, out tunnel to the beginning of it) so it was really 14 pieces. Hehehe She has been working on building my confidence and trusting my dog. I was excited and decided to go first (WHICH I NEVER DO) we are always last. Anyways I set Voodoo up get in position and boom Voodoo takes off and runs to another dog. She would not come back when I called her she was too interested in playing with this dog. After a couple minutes I was able to get her with calling her. They had me put her in time out. (That was new to me) I was soooo embarrassed she did that. One thing I can think of is she normally has a slip collar on at class and I forgot it. All I had was my slip leash and she was naked when we ran? Well right before our turn finally one of the other instructors brought her competition dog out and started to work on the course. She stopped when Voodoo and I were going. The sequence was Jump, out tunnel, dog walk, jump, teeter, triple jump, tire, tunnel A Frame, chute, Pinwheel of jumps) jump, jump, jump. When we got the teeter I realized I did not make the front cross I wanted to, the instructor had me set her back up on the dog walk and get the FC I wanted after the jump and before the teeter. It was great. she was rocking and rolling I was so proud of her. When we came down the a-frame to the chute I had chosen a rear cross and it just did not feel right. The instructor had me back to the A-frame and do a front cross there while she is coming down it. It went perfect. Then we did the jump, jump, jump. Well she got two jumps and the other lady with her competition dog was right there and was working her dog on the dog walk and I did not push Voodoo over for the 3 jump and she went barreling to this other dog. I called her however and she recalled. My instructor was like praise her praise her praise her. Which I did, she even got a nice treat from our squeeze tube. hehehe After words she had some words for me of things to work on and think about. I was/am entered in our first CPE trial for this weekend and I am really second guessing myself and all this work at the moment. I left the class last night crying... It was awful, I was just so embrassed. I am much better now after sleeping on it. It is still hard to know what is best to do. Recall / other dogs that want to play are a real issue and we working on it everytime we are out. I thought we were getting better and I guess I was wrong. We will keep working on it, but this has just been a major blow to my confidence in trusting her. My biggest thing to remember is I am doing this for fun not to become some insanely GREAT handler. I just want to have fun with my girl.


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## CorgiKarma

SolidMutt- Good job in class, and yes, it is about having fun with your dog!

We had our first class tonight, and one of our sequences included the dreaded A-frame  so I tell the new instructor about her aversion to it when it was our turn to go...and Bailey makes me out to be a liar  the first time I messed her up thinking she would refuse, so we start over and she does it perfectly. Apparently the three weeks off between session was good for her, she was very focused and did everything I asked, I was so proud of her!

Now I need to vent... we split up between two instructors, three dogs to each group. One of the handlers in my group was a young girl who has no business being in the class. She was completely uninterested, talked over the instructor, ran around, kept asking when it was over... it was frustrating to say the least. The other handler had no control over her dog (I believe it was a welsh terrier.) Couldn't make him sit, stay, do anything. This dog is not fixed and apparently has some dog aggression issues. So our group was focused on getting this dog to focus, which he never did. At one point, the young girl threw her dog's toy and the terrier grabbed it. It would not let go, the handler could not pry his mouth open to even get it out. It was ridiculous. This is an advanced beginner's class, and, in my opinion, these two dogs/handlers were not ready for it. I emailed the instructor to ask to be placed int he other group next week. I felt bad, but I know the handlers in the other group (they were in the last session with me) and they are much more focused and in control. Am I overreacting? It was just to frustrating, it was difficult to focus on how well Bailey did because I was so annoyed by the other handlers. End of rant


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## Shaina

Thanks SM 

Congrats on the Frame, CK  I don't blame you for asking to be put in the other group...it's so frustrating when a dog has been advanced farther than they should be and end up slowing the whole class down. The disinterested handler...yeah I really don't understand why she's even there...


At the big agility Club group last night, we ran an interesting Open/Excellent level course. Kim was solid on everything in it so for fun we ran it silently. Each dog/handler has a three minute slot to do whatever they want on the course...Kim was so fast we ran it twice then played fetch for a bit just for fun  

Webster, on the other hand, did his super-handler-focus thing and looked at me when jumping through the tire...and as a result he missed, hit the tire, and sent the whole thing crashing down on top of himself. Totally freaked out. He was fine physically but would shy away when we were even heading in the general direction of the tire at a walk...

I stayed after and worked with him for about 3 minutes...started the tire low and moving it back up. Between shaping and tempting with his favorite toys & behaviors he was jumping through it again pretty well so I jackpotted after one of the better jumps and called it quits...we'll see how this comes back to haunt us...

Kim's almost definitely trialing next month for the first time...I'll probably wait a while with Webster though as I don't think he's ready for the stress of a trial even if he bounces back from this tire incident and masters the weaves...


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## Squeeker

Solid Mutt - sounds like you had both a good and bad class! I love it when there are fewer students, but I know what you mean when you say you were embarassed when Voodoo decided that playing was more interested. Don't feel too bad... it happens to all of the dogs. I saw a great dane doing zoomies in the ring tonight... it happens to all of them!

Corgikarma - oh, man, you were really stuck in class! I don't blame you for asking to be put in the other group for next week. It's not fair to the other students to just push dogs through... hopefully the organizers will be understanding!

Shaina - I can't wait til they start having us run silently. I am going to have trouble with that, I'm sure! But the tire... that really sucks for poor Web. We're lucky in that we can stake our equipment down because we have a dirt floor, but so much can still happen to freak them out. I am sure he will get over it in time, I just hope it doesn't take too long!


Libby and I had a fantastic class this week! I really, really wish I had video! 

We had a substitute instructor today, one of the owners of the facility, who we have never had before. 

Our first sequence was A-Frame, tire, FC to jump, table. Tonight was Libby's first attempt at a 22" tire since we increased her jump height to 22" last week. She... went under  so the instructor had us practice the tire a few times. She was fine at 22" on the tire alone, but if I tried it in a sequence she would go under, so we left it at 16" for the night.

Next, we worked on the broad jump for the first time. All of the dogs did the broad jump first at one height lower than normal to get them used to it, and then if they were OK with that, we did it at full height. Libby jumped beautifully! 

Then we worked on the weaves. Libby is the slowest in the class at learning the weaves... I really want to make a set for home, but I am afraid of screwing her up!

The next sequence was jump-table-jump-chute-FC with a layered jump pushing out to a jump, tire. The push out was necessary because the end of the chute was just about parallel with the mouth of the jump that the dogs had to take, but there was a large space between the chute and jump. If we didn't push out properly, the dog would come out of the chute and cut in, missing the jump. We also had to throw in the FC to get to the tire. Well, thankfully I was feeling coordinated tonight, so I acutally did the layer, and my body language was correct for the push-out... and Libby was paying attention.... so we looked like a million bucks in that sequence!! It was such a great feeling!

We finished up the night with a simple jump-jump (I led out both jumps)-teeter.


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## Laurelin

I miss agility classes! I'm desperately trying to find a trainer here but I moved to the middle of nowhere.


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## Solid Mutt

ok, our first trial update : I have no idea where to start. We went up Friday after work and spent the night. I was excited because my husband came along to watch us and support us. He had not seen Voodoo and I in action outside of practice at home. It made my day him being there!!!!!!! Where we stayed a couple instructors from prior class were also staying so, we got to visit with them. One was very excited because her one little dog got his First Q that evening. We got up early Saturday morning and headed to the trial grounds to get measured. Voodoo was some what WILD that morning with all the dogs around and the excitement. I at one point thought oh no what did I get myself into. Hahaha The trial started around 8:30 there was lots of people from our schools group there - instructors and students. A couple I have class with were kind enough to introduce us to everyone. I have to tell you though you would not believe how incredibly FRIENDLY, WELCOMING and HELPFUL everyone. I mean we had numerous people just come up and start talking to us and welcoming us to the world of agility. It was just incredible. I felt almost overwelmed and felt bad I could not remember everybody names to watch them go. It was amazing. They said they had over 600 runs yesterday. Our first class was Level 1 standard round 1. After we measured I took her for a walk to get her focused on me and get it together. It was not long and she was right on the money I was so excited. It just felt like ok this is worth being here. It got to our class and we were right after another student and her dog from class. I had Voodoo do the practice jump and couple times then entertained her with the touch game while we waited to go in. It was then our turn, it was a pretty simple course that started with a tunnel which was GREAT! I went in got her set and off we went. When we got to the A-frame I did a front cross while she came down which is something I had not done with her much until this week at class. Front cross are hard for me most times because she is fast. Anyways, it went great except she was slow coming down the a-frame but, it was new equipment so hey no worries. We did have one bobble at the tire which was handler error. hehehe but she went through it and did not go off course. When we finished our run it was just pure excitement and of course she got rewarded like crazy hehehe. I am excited to say we recieved our First ever Q and we had no faults and we were 1st place. I was so shocked about the Q and excited I mean it was awesome, but then when they had the placings done and I found out we won can we say wow what a HIGH! I went in with an open mind and what happened, happened. We headed back to the pop up tent of our classmates she let me crate Voodoo with her dogs. I have to say after that run, Voodoo mellowed out the whole rest of the day. It was amazing that, that was actually my dog. She chilled out in her crate and napped and laid around. I was just amazed. She is usually so energetic. The other student was so happy and of course said I told you she would be fine, just trust her. hehehe About 4 or so I would guess was when our 2nd round of standard level 1. It was in the other ring. They had two rings going. Unfortunately it was warm in the sunshine and Voodoo was hot. I got her out of her crate walked her to get her mind on me and then we headed to the shade and played our touch game to get her excited and yet focused. In the back of my mind I was thinking she is liable to head to the shade as soon as I take her collar off. I set her up and off we go. This run felt so much better than the first. She was a little slow in the heat but I kept encouraging her and we finished our go. It felt so good and I was just so proud of her. She was awesome. We started to pick things up while we waited for the Level 1 to finish and them to get the results in. My husband and I headed over and chatted with one of the instructors (They are also photographers). My hubby went to check results and came out with my 2nd Q ribbon of the day and get this our 2nd 1st place ribbon of the day. The 2nd course was actually longer than the 1st course and our time was like 8 secs faster than our first. hahahah The 2 Q's in level one means Voodoo achieved her first title as well in Standard Level 1. It was an awesome day of firsts. First trial, first Q, first placings and first title. Voodoo gave me the best birthday present she could have. It is my birthday weekend so I have to say it has been quite an awesome weekend! I am so sorry to ramble I am just excited.


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## Squeeker

Oh, wowwwww!! Congratulations! That's fantastic! Way to go!!!


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## agility collie mom

Woo Whoo!! Go Voodoo and Solid Mutt!! Congrads for your first trial and TITLE. What a awesome b-day for you and Voodoo. So glad that your hubby was there to share it with you both. Can't wait to see the pics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiRe6oveE7g


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## MissMutt

Congrats, SM and Voodoo!

Sorry I've been extremely absent from this thread. I just wanted to share this video from last night. It is full of mistakes, but I think she had a really good time in the Advanced Beginner Class.






That opening jump sequence, we did better the other few times we ran the course. It was the end of the night so as you can see she kept getting distracted.

Very proud of how I handled her into the second tunnel because she has the tendency to pull to contacts. 

As you can see she flew off the A-Frame.. we had a zone honor up but since this was run in the last few minutes of class, we didn't put it up for this run. Dog Walk 2o2o is looking alot better though!

As for the teeter. She wasn't supposed to go on it.. she was supposed to swing wide after my crappy FC and take the jump, and then go to the weaves. I'm surprised, watching the video, at how well she handled the full sized teeter. I'm just hoping that her subsequent running off isn't a stress reaction. My treat bag fell out of my pouch at the beginning of the run so I had very little to give her for such a job well done. Does she look okay on it/after it to you guys?

Well, I'm glad I joined this class. The dogs are great, the people are great, and Marge was actually extremely social while we were there. She did have one reactive incident when she saw a fuzzy little dog run zoomies around the course. This isn't the first time with this particular dog. I played LAT with her as the dog ran and she was okay.

Going to do some private lessons to work on contacts and the teeter. In the meantime we'll keep doing 2o2o on the Dog Walk and running on the A-Frame, and hopefully avoid the teeter (even though she doesn't want to!)


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## Squeeker

Haha, don't you hate it when your treat bag falls off? 

Though Marge was a bit distracted, when she was on she was ON! The dog walk was fantastic, and I thought she looked really good after the teeter as well. Great job!!

We've still never done a course outside... I think Libby would have a hard time focusing!


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## Lonewolfblue

Well, we went to class today, Chloe went first to her Obedience class, then Nell in Agility. Nell did awsome tonight, she hit everything with all she had. And she was FAST. She wasn't thinking straight last week, but this week she was like a Pro on some of the obsticles, and was quite focused. We had a lot of fun. Then we tried the weave poles with 4 poles. She wasn't quite getting it, so we took a break. Then we went to do it again, and she slipped by me and did it perfectly, so I threw a party, lol. I wasn't ready, and she did it. It was cool. Then we started doing some sequences, and Nell was like a rocket. We did Jump and Tunnel combos, as well as Jump, Tunnel, and A-Frame combos. We even threw in the Chute a few times as well, then added a couple tricky turns. One time she flew by me, missing the jump, then hit the Tunnel and 2 jumps like we did before, lol. So the next time, I got her to slow with a treat at that point, then hit the proper jump and then to the tunnel and 2 jumps. The next time we did it, she didn't need the treat, I got her to make the quick turn to hit the jump, then the tunnel and other 2 jumps. It was great. Another sequence we did was 2 jumps, the tunnel, 2 jumps, then a 180 and hit a 3rd jump, back into the tunnel then the last 2 jumps. And she did it, and fast. And I barely kept up with her, lol. I got it to where I was calling the tunnel out at a distance, then going away from the tunnel and by the time she exited the tunnel, I was between the last 2 jumps and she rocketed her way over the last 2 jumps. We had a blast. And she was pumped up, lol. Overall, we had a great night.


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## Solid Mutt

Thanks Everyone. I was pretty excited. 

Miss Mutt - I love this Video. Marge is looking great, it just takes time to put it all together. I am so glad you are happy with this class you are in.  Keep up the good work. You both are looking Good! 

Lonewolfblue - It sounds like Nell was right on for your class. That is awesome. It sounds like you both were rocking on! I bet she can flat out fly! That is exciting she did the weaves even thought you weren't prepared for it. GO NELL! WOOHOO!!!!

We had class Tues night. The instructor started it with what they call a "Brag Session" talking about the trial we went to. Then we started our class. This week we worked on Threadles and Serpentines. Very interesting work. There was a new dog in class that is another instructors. Voodoo knew they were NEW. (They were headed to a trial so they were going to do a few things before they left) Anyways we set up for a threadle and everyone was very tight in the area we were working in and I set Voodoo up and she jumped the first jump then ran to the new dog. I was mortified but yet it was hilarious. Everyone was just so close that she was distracted. They other issue I think is where we were is the area I have let her play after class with other dogs. Needless to say that won't happen anymore. Anywho she went in to a time out and we headed out to the big field where there was a big 12pc course set up. We had to walk it and then decide what is best for us and our dogs to handle it. It was a pretty extensive course. We worked on using and trying out Lateral movement to save us some steps and keep the dogs going on to the next obstacle. The course was (Tire, Jump, Jump, Jump, all lateral from one another, then straight tunnel, teeter, curved tunnel, a frame,(we moved laterally from the teeter to the a frame to save steps and make our dog go out to the obstacles) then it was the straight tunnel, jump, jump, double jump, all lateral. I set Voodoo up and if I use the word tire she won't take the jump but if I say jump she will. So after I realize she was GREAT and FAST FAST FAST. It was crazy. I could not believe how fast she was going. Not quite as typical for her. She did awesome on the whole course I just have to get the next cue out for her so she can go on. It is a learning experience. Anyways we were able to do this course twice and she rocked it both times. We went back to the little field and work sone small 5-7 piece courses doing serpentines and threadles. It was FUN, my happiest moment though was her doing the 12 weaves inline. It was great. We still use guide wires but I am thrilled she is doing them in line.


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## Solid Mutt

The photographer has got the pictures up from the trial we went to. Here are some links to some of Voodoo's photos.  

http://vwperryphotos.com/DogAlbums/Gem_city/Saturday/Standard_Round_1_level_1/slides/DSC_6793.html

http://vwperryphotos.com/DogAlbums/Gem_city/Saturday/Standard_round_2_level1/slides/DSC_7436.html

http://vwperryphotos.com/DogAlbums/Gem_city/Saturday/Standard_round_2_level1/slides/DSC_7446.html

http://vwperryphotos.com/DogAlbums/...nd_2_Level_1_Extra_of_16/slides/DSC_8365.html

This one is hilarious!!!
http://vwperryphotos.com/DogAlbums/...nd_2_Level_1_Extra_of_16/slides/DSC_8366.html

http://vwperryphotos.com/DogAlbums/...nd_2_Level_1_Extra_of_16/slides/DSC_8362.html

http://vwperryphotos.com/DogAlbums/...nd_2_Level_1_Extra_of_16/slides/DSC_8369.html

ok I will stop with them now.  I just wanted to share...


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## MissMutt

Awesome pictures Solid Mutt. Looks like a ton of fun. 

I'm revisiting the possibility of a possible Nov. 1 trial debut for Marge. Talking with alot of people to make sure that the location will be okay for her and such. I know the above video looks really sloppy but she's really alot better than that especially on Jumpers courses. She enjoys it immensely, did well at the NADAC trial in August.. 

Might be able to take a ride down to where this particular trial will be to get a feel for the place. Also going to see what happens next week at the vet, and I guess I'll decide by mid-October.


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## Squeeker

Solid Mutt, Voodoo is one gorgeous dog! I love the second picture you posted!!

MissMutt, I say go for it. Marge did great at the last trial, and the only way you can find out how it's going to be is to just give it a try. 

Libby and I had a really good class again this week. We had a substitute instructor again, which was fun. We did the weaves first; still a couple of barriers, and it took her a few reps to remember the point of the drill, but she is getting there SLOWLY. We did just the weaves, and then jump-tunnel-weave, which she did well. Then, we practiced the teeter, and then a sequence which was jump-tunnel-teeter. No problems with that!

Next was a tunnel entry discrimination exercise. We did Jump-post turn to tunnel-jump-jump-false turn to tunnel-dog walk. It was a great exercise. All of the fast dogs in the class pulled away from the 3rd jump, but otherwise it was great!

Our last sequence of the night was jump-tunnel-wrap to a-frame-wrap to tunnel-jump-jump. THAT was a really fun sequence because it was so close! Libby's contacts are getting really good, so I was able to move away from her while she was 2o2o on the a-frame and get in position before sending her to the tunnel. I love when it clicks!

I have also discovered the trick for getting Libby to focus on me for the entire class and not do a burst of zoomies every 5 minutes - I have to run her silly before class. Our instructors have always advised that the dogs come into class fresh and hungry, so I had been taking her for a 30 minute walk beforehand, but it just wasn't cutting it. Now we do a 5km run and then hit the dog park for 15 minutes for some offleash time, and that takes enough of the edge off so that she is focused


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## MissMutt

Wow, Squeeker, talk about high energy! I'm thankful Marge doesn't require a whole lot of exercise because due to her fear problems we seldom walk for more than a half hour at a time, unless we're in the woods.

Congrats on the contacts.. Marge just DOESN'T get them lol. Do you have weaves at home? I bought a set for really cheap and it helped Marge get better at them.

There is a trial at the same place next weekend so I might go down there and check it out. Not sure if I should bring Marge or not.


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## Squeeker

> Wow, Squeeker, talk about high energy! I'm thankful Marge doesn't require a whole lot of exercise because due to her fear problems we seldom walk for more than a half hour at a time, unless we're in the woods.
> 
> Congrats on the contacts.. Marge just DOESN'T get them lol. Do you have weaves at home? I bought a set for really cheap and it helped Marge get better at them.
> 
> There is a trial at the same place next weekend so I might go down there and check it out. Not sure if I should bring Marge or not.


Yah, Libby is a high-energy kinda girl! I wouldn't have it any other way, though. She is always completely lazy in the house, though, which is a blessing!

I don't have a set of weaves, but I want to build a set like Shaina made. The only reason I haven't is because I am afraid I will screw up her training.

I would go, and I would bring Marge if they allow spectator dogs. It can't hurt to get her used to the atmosphere, IMO.


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## MegaMuttMom

I got really super discouraged at agility yesterday and was considering quitting. A "reactive" dog came back to class after he had been gone for a session. Cherokee has gotten into a bad habit of running over and visiting his girlfriend dog mid run. Well, reactive dog is sitting near Cherokee's "girlfriend" and so reactive dog owner panics when Cherokee runs over to visit his girlfriend in close proximity to reactive dog. Reactive dog doesn't react and does fine but, it feels so stressful knowing there is a dog that I have to try to keep Cherokee away from when running to other dogs is our trouble spot right now. It is added pressure on me and just took the fun out of it. So, I left early. 

Fast forward to today where I decided to go watch one of my classmates in an agility trial. Another classmate is there also. I talked to both of them and they don't see Cherokee as a problem and tell me all kinds of stories about things their dogs have done. And, Cherokee did great watching the trial. We hung out and watched for a good 2 hours and he did fine.

So, now I am energized again. i just wish I could figure out how to keep Cherokee's attention better when he gets site of his girlfriend. And, girlfriend dog's owner has a habit of feeding him cheese after class so, he loves her too. There is no food in the world that is more motivating than that dog when Cherokee is thinking about her. By the way, girlfriend dog is the one we went to see compete today.


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## agility collie mom

MegaMuttMom said:


> I got really super discouraged at agility yesterday and was considering quitting. A "reactive" dog came back to class after he had been gone for a session. Cherokee has gotten into a bad habit of running over and visiting his girlfriend dog mid run. Well, reactive dog is sitting near Cherokee's "girlfriend" and so reactive dog owner panics when Cherokee runs over to visit his girlfriend in close proximity to reactive dog. Reactive dog doesn't react and does fine but, it feels so stressful knowing there is a dog that I have to try to keep Cherokee away from when running to other dogs is our trouble spot right now. It is added pressure on me and just took the fun out of it. So, I left early.
> 
> Fast forward to today where I decided to go watch one of my classmates in an agility trial. Another classmate is there also. I talked to both of them and they don't see Cherokee as a problem and tell me all kinds of stories about things their dogs have done. And, Cherokee did great watching the trial. We hung out and watched for a good 2 hours and he did fine.
> 
> So, now I am energized again. i just wish I could figure out how to keep Cherokee's attention better when he gets site of his girlfriend. And, girlfriend dog's owner has a habit of feeding him cheese after class so, he loves her too. There is no food in the world that is more motivating than that dog when Cherokee is thinking about her. By the way, girlfriend dog is the one we went to see compete today.


Don't know if this will help but, Savannah was a hugh barker in class. so I asked a friend who trains in agility if she had any suggestions. She told me that she was "self rewarding" by barking and then running agility. She suggested taking her outside until she would stop barking and only return when she was quiet. Well let me tell you we must have been outside 50 times the first night I tried it but, it did work. Maybe if you remove Cherokee everytime he runs off the course to visit he will no longer be rewarding himself by visiting the girlfriend and this may stop the behavior. Just a thought.


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## Solid Mutt

Miss Mutt - I think Marge will do great when you do decide to debute her. Nov. isn't that far away. I think she will be great. You are doing great with her. 

Squeeker - Thanks the second picture I liked but is not one I ordered. I am unsure about those A-Frame Pictures. HAHAHA It sounds like you and Libby had a great class again. How awesome. That tunnel dogwalk discrimination can be a challenge. We worked on that a couple weeks ago. It is great you found a way to get Libby more focused during class. I know I need to try it with Voodoo to see if it would help her but I get home at 5 change clothes get her things together and back on the road by 5:30 to get to class by 6:30. It is 50 minutes - 1 hour for me to drive to class one way. 

MegaMuttMom - I am sorry about you being discouraged earlier, I am glad you are re-energized now though. I know how that can go. 

ACM - Great Advice!


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## MissMutt

MMM - isn't it frustrating when all they want to do is go see someone else? Since Marge is so scared I don't mind TOO much, but when it gets excessive it makes it really hard to get anything done!

We had a very good class last night. Marge was uncharacteristically happy all day, and that definitely poured over into class. She would stop in the middle of sequences to go say hello to the crowd  My treats apparently weren't good enough because she wanted everybody else's... I brought chicken and bits of scrambled egg because she had the runs a couple of weeks ago. Think I'm going to switch back to the good stuff next week.

Here is the vid of the first half of our sequence:






You can see in the beginning she's eyeing the crowd because they're giving their dogs treats. She really gets into it though after the tunnel. I am VERY VERY VERY proud of her dog walk.. she's still only hitting her contacts about 1/2 the time, but she BARRELS over the dog walk so that'll be a really nice time saver. As you can see we bypassed the teeter again this week.. we did it after class a few times at half height (and with peanut butter) and she was fine.

We've been running excellent level courses.. in one way I feel like it's good because it makes Open and Novice easy, but on the other hand I'm concerned because we're not succeeding as much as we used to be (obviously) back when we used to do simple 3-piece straight sequences and the like. I want to rent the hall again soon so I can do some easier stuff with her, because I want to make sure her confidence level stays up.


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## Squeeker

Hey, nice running! It was much smoother this week! Great job on the contact, too... I don't think that she lacks confidence at all!


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## Squeeker

Well, we had a pretty good class today!

First things first: we worked on the teeter. We did jump, double jump, teeter. Libby had no problems.

Then we worked on the weaves, annnnnnd....

*LIBBY DID 6 INLINE WEAVES WITH NO BARRIERS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!!!*

Which, as you can see, I am not thrilled about in the least 

After that, we did a couple of sequences. Lots of jumping, lots of false turns, lots of traps with very tempting obstacles, and lots of fun! Libby and I were a little off on our timing tonight, but she listened very well (in other words, it was all handler error  ) but we had a great time as usual!


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## MissMutt

Woohoo! Congrats on the weaves!


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## Shaina

Hurray, Libby!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Shaina

Couple of pics...



















Start Line:


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## Shaina

One more


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## MissMutt

Awesome, Shaina!

My dog club moves to a bigger building this week, which means more space for me to practice. Really excited.. have a whole bunch of courses thought up.. lol


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## Solid Mutt

Miss Mutt - Great video. Marge is looking great! You are right it is great you are working excellent level courses then the novice and open won't be as complicated. They have told us that Level 4 in our group it is called competition class - well that it is hard and excellent level courses. They say when you go to her class the trials won't seem like anything. Hehehe I know what you mean about succeeding though. Our courses can definitely be hard sometimes but then some of the easy stuff gets boring too. Marge is working so good for you, you should be so proud of both of you.  She has come sooo far this summer. 

Squeeker - WOO HOO congrats on the weaves! YEAH!!! GO LIBBY! That is so exciting!!! 

Shaina - Great pictures!


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## ara28

Well I haven't been on DF in forever, almost a whole month! 

Dohggy and I still haven't started our next agility class so it's now been about 6 weeks since our last class. I'm a little disappointed, but our trainer totalled her car and she can't start class back up until she gets a new car because she lives about an hour away from the agility field, so we're just playing a waiting game. I hope we're not too out of practice when we start up again, who knows when that will be. Hopefully by the beginning of october.

Everyone sounds like they are doing awesome. I'm so envious of you guys!


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## Solid Mutt

Hi all, I am like a week behind... Last week was week four of our repeat level 3 classes. It was a good week. Seems some of the students are not coming like before we started out with 12-14 and there was only 7 last week. It made it nice we had more time but less time because they are very dedicated to each student and instead of like 1 hour class it has always been 2 hours at least. We started out working lateral movements along with pushing and pulling your dog. Voodoo had a moment of weakness and decided to go visiting on our first try. I knew it was about to happen but I have to say my MOMENT was not ruined but EXTACTIC I called and she came to me - instead of her WOO HOO let play usual attitude. So it was a GREAT NIGHT if she happened to veer away towards another dog I could say HERE or Voodoo come and she was right there instead of having a WILD woman moment. Our first sequence was Jump, weave, tunnel (far side) then jump, jump, jump. Then we switched it to Jump, jump, lateral push to the tunnel, jump and a crazy tight weave entrance and a jump afterwords. That was the first half of class. The 2nd half was two much larger courses. 2 or 3 ahead of me all had great goes and it was awesome to watch they have come so far in class. Very cool to see. Well I set Voodoo up and off we go. We go through the tire, tunnel and get midway through the dogwalk and the instructor says stop come back. I am thinking - oh no what did I do wrong. I get back to the instructor and she said I want you to listen to me (RUN with your dog, I know you are athletic and can run, your dog has a huge stride, I wish you could see it. Don't not hold her back and keep her slow RUN that dog. (I have been keeping her slow thinking it is best of her to learn as well as for me to learn. Especially me) I need to work on my arm and my foot work. I feel I am going to screw up if we go fast. Well anyways I listen to the instructor and WOW it was awesome. She was sooo fast. It was just awesome. I was so proud of h er. The instructor was like - GOOD now you see RUN with that dog. Don't hold her back. So all in all it was a great night. WOO HOO...

We had last night. This is our last class though. I am bummed because next week is graduation week in this session and we will be gone on vacation. The last week is always so FUN. Well I have to say last night did not go as planned at all. The assistant instructor was gone so they had both groups in the same arena doing different works. It was very busy and loud and Voodoo and I just weren't on top of our gang. She was easily distracted away from me and our turn to go visit with other dogs. Seems they were right there by the obstacles we were working. I was embarrassed at her behavior. However I put her in time out and helped with some of the rest of the class and once the newbies finished the instructor came and talked to me and a couple others. Then she had me take Voodoo out and work a sequence and she did GREAT. My best part of the night is she works the inline weaves (with guide wires) she worked them AWESOME. No one else in our group is inline but us. It was awesome.  The instructor had a big talk with me after class and it was really motiviating and encouraging. I think she could tell I was shocked at Voodoo's recent behavior in class. I can only chalk it up to letting her play after class. The instructor made sure I did not think she was being mean by having me put Voodoo in timeout. He I was like no no way I know she needs it. She said if I have seemed harder on you it is because I have been hard on you because I can see you and Voodoo going a long way. She said most of the people here won't go as far as I know you can, I don't want you to make mistakes we all have made in the past with our first dogs I want to see you all succeed and do well. She doesn't want us getting stuck in the Novice or the open forever. She told me I have a GREAT partner and she is super fast. She is still young only 16 mos and look how great she is. She recommended I work on letting her know when she can play and when she can work. Start discriminating between the two. She was sooo excouraging and it just meant the world to me to hear this from her. I have tried so hard and just want to do our best. That is the majority of it in a nutshell. It was super awesome and definitely what I needed to hear. Oh and we did pass to go on to Level 4 which is the Competition Class. WOO HOO!!!!!! I am so pumped!


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## MissMutt

Hope to see you back in there soon, ara 

SM - Voodoo is doing so well. She sounds like a joy to work with! Congrats on the move up.. when are you two going to start trialling?

Well guys, Marge was a psychopath at class last night. She much preferred running RIDICULOUSLY FAST zoomies around the field and going to visit the other dogs than working the course. My trainer made me stick her in the car by herself  I don't like to use punishment like that, but I don't think it really bothered Marge because she got out and she was all bouncy still lol. 

Here's the beginning of our course from last night. All jumpers this week. She pretty much had this half nailed except for the weave entry (I wasn't supporting her enough, she kept skipping poles because of her speed), and then it all went downhill because the next obstacle after that last jump was a straight tunnel which she went barreling through and wouldn't listen to me or watch where I was. Silly dog!






My trainer says to go for the Nov. 1 NADAC trial.. still thinking about it..


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## Lonewolfblue

Well, no Agility for Nell tonight, as she's got a bit of a tummy ache and lots of gas and soft stools. So I'm leaving her home tonight. But going to ask if Chloe can try a couple runs in her place, since we are doing her Obedience class right before the Agility class. Hope she will let me.


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## Shaina

Sorry you had a rough night in class, MissMutt. Your vid made Mira sit up and get excited though, lol. I didn't even think about it...Kim and Web are used to odd sounds coming from my computer (including barking) but Mira has never heard it before 

Lonewolf - I hope Nell feels better soon.


Kim and Web both started back up in agility this week. Kim is in a course analysis type class...working exclusively on different handling techniques. The first night was just a "refresher" -- running an open level course and then an excellent level course to give the instructor a chance to see where everyone was since she hadn't had some of the student before/in a while.

Kim did great and just had a blast...For some reason she loves working in class more than any other time and just really tears up a course...ran both courses flawlessly and fastest in the class *cheers Kim*


DH is actually taking class with Web so I didn't get to see him work but DH said they both had a blast and that Web did really well *cheers Web too*.


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## MissMutt

Just e-mailed the trial secretary regarding the Nov 1 trial.. wanted some questions cleared up.. *excited*


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## Squeeker

Oh, man, we had a fab-fab-fabulous class tonight!

We started out with a sequence: Leadout front pivot to tire-jump-jump-jump-tunnel-FC to dog walk. Libby jumped a 22" tire tonight (she had been going under previously at 22")!! WOOHOO! 

Next we worked on the weaves. Libby did all 6 weaves, from both sides, with NO BARRIERS AT ALL! We even did a jump-weave sequence, which she nailed! I think she finally figured it out!!!

Then, we did a really fun sequence. It looked like this:










So, I did a leadout and stood opposite to the opening of 1, and directed Libby to the tunnel. Then, post turn at 2, send to 3 and layer to 4 instead of running all the way around the tunnel. Then I was set up at 5. It was fast and FUN! Some of the dogs had a hard time going to 3 and not taking the wrong tunnel. A lot of the handlers had a hard time remembering to do a pivot after 2, and not a wrap! It was a lot of fun!

Then, our final sequence of the night was dog walk-weave. Again, Libby did all 6 without barriers! It was a really great teamwork night!

Missmutt, WTG on deciding to do the trial! I think you guys will do just fine! Libby was having spastic running-around-the-course syndrome for a few weeks as well... remember, this too shall pass.

Shaina, yay to Kim and Web! I think Kim is going to have a stellar agility carreer!

Lonewolfblue, did Chloe get to substitute? How is Nell feeling?


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## Lonewolfblue

Nell is much better today, stools are firming up and she doesn't stink anymore, lol. As for Chloe, I did get to try her out, but all she did was the tunnel and jumps. She wouldn't go on the A-Frame or Teeter, and didn't jump through the tire, lol. No Dog Walk either. But we gave up early and let the others get their time in, didn't want to hold everyone up to try and get her to do something, lol. But it was a good time.


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## Shaina

YAY Libby!!!!

Very glad to hear Nell is feeling better as well 




Squeeker said:


> Shaina, yay to Kim and Web! I think Kim is going to have a stellar agility carreer!


She is just so much fun to play with...likes to throw me curve balls but also saves my butt from time to time by knowing what I mean despite what I "say" lol. I can't wait to start trialing...I think we're going to give it a shot this month! Her obstacle performance is solid...our handling is getting more fluid and more two-way...getting more distance...of course it could all fall apart at a trial especially since it will be in a new place, but I think we're ready to give it a shot and see what we need to work on next.

*dances*


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## agility collie mom

Hi everyone,
Been kind of busy. I am thrilled to hear that everyone is doing just great! Last week in class Savannah was very distracted. There is a little chihuahua named T-Bone in class that she just loves (sound familiar Megamuttsmom?) She ran over to visit him after she did the table and then a jump (was suppose to go to the weaves next) but at that moment T-Bone popped out of the chute and it was just too much for her. She just had to go see him! Other than that she had a couple of pretty good runs. Sometimes it is very hard for me to switch gears with her because I am so use to Rio. Their are many things I can just send him too. Weaves are one of his favorite things. She is still so very green. 
Rio's class was awesome. We were working on sending them to tunnels and then the teeter. He was great with tunnels no problems. He did the teeter but is still a little hesitant. He would take it but I could not send him too it. My instructor couldn't believe the improvement in our communication! He is now registered ILP so we can enter AKC agility trials. I also going to register him CPE. 
I have been busy building equipment. Will post photos when weather permits. Gotta run work is calling.....


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## MegaMuttMom

We had an awesome class today 

I changed up many things today. I got to class early and I came in through the pens outside where the dogs play after class and just let Cherokee sniff to his heart's content before we went inside. The door from the pens leads directly into the ring. So, we avoided having to go thorough the area where Cherokee has to maneuver through lots of dogs in a cramped space (including puppies waiting for puppy class). He came into the ring astoundingly calmly (everyone in class noticed) and the instructor commended me on a brilliant idea coming in that way.

After we came in, I let him wander and sniff all the areas he likes to run off to in the middle of our runs. By the time class started his curiosity seemed to be satisfied.

Also, I brought chicken today. When waiting our turn I fed him the usual natural balance roll but, when it was our turn, I got out the chicken. He stayed focused on my chicken like a champ! He wanted that chicken so badly that, after 3 tries, he went all the way over the dog walk! It was a victory!! The trainer was bursting with pride, as was I. By the end of class we were able to do dog walk to weave poles to jump to weave poles to jump with no errors.

I am glad I got really frustrated a couple of weeks ago, it made me do some serious thinking on how to try to make us more successful. I hope next week is good


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## Shaina

That's wonderful, MMM -- I'm glad you guys could figure out a solution and that Cherokee had a great time 

*sends Cherokee a good belly-rub*


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## MissMutt

My entry is in the mail.

  

If everything goes as planned, Marge will have competed in her first agility trial ever exactly four weeks from today!!!

This is going to make my school work VERY hard to concentrate on.. and this sure is a busy month..


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## agility collie mom

MissMutt said:


> My entry is in the mail.
> 
> 
> 
> If everything goes as planned, Marge will have competed in her first agility trial ever exactly four weeks from today!!!
> 
> This is going to make my school work VERY hard to concentrate on.. and this sure is a busy month..


Good for you both. Marge and you will be fine. Tune out everything and everyone around you and play with her. 

Rio, Savannah, hubby and I went to a demo over the weekend. It was for Barktoberfest. There were tons of people and dogs milling around. People were jogging by because it was set up right next to the track. They had set up the demo ring with a very large opening facing the track. I was a little nervous but decided to run Rio. Savannah is just too green she would have been out greeting everyone so I didn't run her. My hubby took her for a walk. Well we weren't allowed to walk the course before running it since it was just a demo. Of course I got lost the first time running and Rio was a little pumped. But it felt good just to have fun. He ran over the table and missed his weave pole entry. I didn't care we were playing. The third run he was great but in our excitement he jumped out of the ring, my heart went up in my throat because he was face to face with a dog walking by on the track but, I called him back and he jumped back into the ring and we finished the course! The very last run was so very very good my instructor told me he would have q'd with it. We had fun and I forgot all about the people around us (except when he was face to face with the unknown dog) and just played with my dog. It was a great feeling. One that I will try to replay in my head when we go to our first trial.

One more thing I have plans for some agility equipment-dog walk stands, teeter, winged double jump, broad jump, and channel weaves. Please pm me.


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## Shaina

Yay Miss Mutt! Good luck!




Kim's first trial will be this weekend. Sunday to be specific, as I am unable to make it Saturday due to work stuff. For added pressure it will also be the first time she's done any sort of agility outdoors since our flatwork class back in Ohio in early summer 2008, lol. 

Whether success or disaster, it will be fun  

Down side is my camera died on me today which means possibly no pics unless someone happens to bring their camera along, and even worse, no new puppy pics of the baby!


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## MissMutt

You're entering a trial without a camera?! Ugh! If I wasn't so mad at the Post Office for loosing Marge's thyroid test blood I'd mail you mine to use.. lol. Good luck, can't wait to hear all about it!! Is it a CPE trial?

We had an AWESOME class tonight with a really fun sequence.. I am SO mad that my sister only got half of it on camera. My boyfriend is the complete opposite when he comes - he films everything and anything lol. 

Here's the first half:





Dogwalk was pretty good - did it kind of slow a couple times tonight but she's hitting her contact pretty well. Now I have to work on having her WAIT on her contact rather than just hitting it and flying off. That's why I put her back on it.

The 180 was pretty cool.. I thought for sure we'd flub it but we nailed it almost every time.

Tunnel to A-Frame was also a lot better than I expected.. based on the way I was moving I wasn't sure if she was going to go over it every time. Into the tunnel was a little bit sticky.. she chose the A-Frame a couple of times.

Jump to Table is self explanatory.. I'm happy with the way she plopped down on the table, impressive for a dog who's only seen it a handful of times.

After that it was lead out, jump frontcross weaves.. she NAILED this, I was so happy! Her weaves were AMAZING tonight. Then it was just some biiig jumping, over a broad jump (which she's never seen before), and then go on to the final two jumps. She did wonderful! I wish it was on tape. 

She was very reactive, but at least we had a good class from an agility point of view.


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## agility collie mom

Shaina,
Good luck this weekend. 

Miss Mutt,
Glad you had a really great class with Marge! 

Savannah and I missed class last week (we had to buy a new van.) Anyway I expected her to not be focused at all in class. She surprised me and did terrific. I think she really missed going to class last week. Anyway they had the dreaded broad jump out and I figured she would just walk over it. She jumped it I was thrilled. We also had the A-frame out and the teeter. We did serpentines and then threadles. The later she had a little tough time with. The weave poles were on the side for anyone who wanted to practice. The course we did was A-frame, jump, turn right broad jump, turn right teeter, right turn to the tunnel (under the A-frame), jump, broad jump, then serpentine. Run was going well until the teeter Savannah had jump finished her 2O2O when I heard this enormous bang. I turned and looked at the teeter behind us, it had collapsed, the bolt on the chain had let loose and it just went flat. Savannah was fine. We finished the course and the instructor made me have her go back on the teeter. She did it with no problem. I was glad that it was her that it happened to and not any of the other dogs in class because most of them would never have gone back on. It didn't even faze her! We had a great night and I am so proud of her.


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## Shaina

At the end of the night tonight (bunch of stuff going on) Kim and I ended up at the dog club so I decided to do a quick practice session before this weekend.

First we did crazy weave entries...90's, 90's with a rear cross, me ahead, me behind, me off to the side, etc.

Then I decided to do a layering exercise. The original intent was to do a single jump with an obstacle discrimination between another jump and a tunnel in which I would send her out to the jump which led to another jump while I ran on the far side of the tunnel...

The problem is she nailed it too easily so...of course I had to make it harder lol. The course below is what I ended up doing and she got it on the first attempt, and at speed. I started at the H and followed the purple line...she started at the D and followed the orange line. Basically jump - jump - toward me into the tunnel - jump - away turn/distance rear cross - jump - jump *toss toy out and away*

Basically we just had a blast messing around and Kim was fantastic. One down side? No camera!









(sorry for the quality I only can only draw freehand on this computer..distances are approximate because it's grossly not to scale)


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## Squeeker

Shaina,

That's awesome, it's so great that you guys are at that point for distance work. Libby is getting there, but we've got a ways to go. 

We had a really good class again this week... Libby gave her first attempt at 12 weaves, just for fun... she did 11 and then popped out, every time  We went back to 6 and she was just fine. She is having a real trouble with entering the weave poles when we do the poles with her on my right, when she has to enter the poles on the far side from me. I was thinking about this problem, and I figured out that she wants to enter the poles on the side closest to me because when we walk, she has to go around obstacles on the side closest to me so that the leash doesn't get caught. I really need to make some weave poles and do a clicker session with her. I know she will get it quickly, but we need to focus on that for a session.

Otherwise, we worked on the usual teeter and did some sequences. She was very focused again this week, which was awesome, and the only mistakes were ones I made, of course!


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## Shaina

Thanks Squeeker



Squeeker said:


> I was thinking about this problem, and I figured out that she wants to enter the poles on the side closest to me because when we walk, she has to go around obstacles on the side closest to me so that the leash doesn't get caught. I really need to make some weave poles and do a clicker session with her. I know she will get it quickly, but we need to focus on that for a session.


I had the same problem with Kim. We did a ton of long lead work when she was a pup and I always let her work out tangles on her own, so she learned quickly to see which path I took and stay on the same side.

We did a lot of clicker session with just 2 poles (still do them occasionally as refresher) to work on JUST entrances without running the whole line. Allows for a lot more runs and ensures she's focusing on the right part of the sequence, and allowed for a mark/reinforcement as soon as the decision. Then when running a whole line I would use a intermediary marker when she chose the correct entrance and the marker/reinforcer once she completed the sequence. 

There are so many way to train weave out there though lol


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## Squeeker

That's exactly what I plan on doing. From what I've seen, that's the first step of the 2x2 program.


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> That's exactly what I plan on doing. From what I've seen, that's the first step of the 2x2 program.


Yeah it is.

I basically trained by the 2x2 program before knowing what it was lol. And being told by my instructors that that is not the way to train weaves


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## MissMutt

I thank doG every day Marge was easy to weave train. I know there are SO many dogs that just don't get it with the Weave-O-Matics or Channel weaves like I used for her. I don't think I'm advanced enough to have trained her any other way!

We actually had a private lesson at my instructor's house. Marge was pretty scared the whole time because it was a new place, but she's now starting to hit her A-Frame 2o2o for the first time. So it was successful in that sense.

Good luck, Shaina, isn't the trial tomorrow?


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## Shaina

Yup it's tomorrow, and it's going to be FREEZING.

And I do mean literally...supposed to be 25 degrees tomorrow morning...

Needless to say, the baby is not coming along for the ride.

Kim was actually started with the channel weaves and weave-o-matics and she basically learned to weave that way because that's the way it was done in class. Then I used the 2 pole method on my own to teach her entrances. If I did it over again (say, in a year with Mira ) I would start with shaping via the 2 pole method from the start. The channel/weave-o-matic method works well IMO to build muscle memory and teach what to do in the weaves, but quite often entrances are neglected. It took dedicated entry work to get to the point where Kim can hit a perpendicular approach from the right side with her on my left and rear-crossing into the weaves. At this point she's maybe 90% accurate on that, with it being our most difficult entry. Obviously NOT something I would try when it counts lol...


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## Shaina

Well today was our first agility trial -- CPE

Ran 5 runs...

Standard Level 3 -- Q -- clean run -- 1st place of 3
Standard Level 3 (2) -- Q -- clean run -- 1st place of 3
Fullhouse Level 3 -- Q -- clean run -- 1st place of 3
Jumpers Level 3 -- Q -- clean run -- 1st place of 4
Colors Level 3 -- NQ -- 3rd place of 3.

She really did great. We took a few extra strides here and there in areas that I knew would give her trouble...her speed made up for it and we were well under course time/over points required for each so it was a good decision I think...better than letting her get sloppy right away. It was also something like 30 degrees when we started the first run so yeah that was fun lol. One of the standard courses in particular was tricky...a very awkward course...not flowy at all but she pulled through.

The Colors course was our last run of the day and I changed my mind on how I was going to handle it at the last minute...ended up bobbling a tight area (twitched my shoulder left too soon) which threw us both off then in a typical Kim move she sensed my moment of indecision/weakness and ran across the ring toward a barking dog/the lunch stand without me lol...then turned back partway to rejoin me...but returned over a jump...lol. So yeah we got a failure to perform the obstacle we were supposed to be doing and an offcourse and ended up NQ'ing that one...oops. Lesson learned.

All in all it was a good day. Looking forward to doing it again!


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## Squeeker

Congrats, Shaina and Kim! I'm so glad it went well for you guys!

What are the fullhouse and colors courses? I am not familiar with them...


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> Congrats, Shaina and Kim! I'm so glad it went well for you guys!
> 
> What are the fullhouse and colors courses? I am not familiar with them...


Full House has an assortment of obstacles laid out at random and assigned point values. For example today's course had single jumps (1 pt each), 3 tunnels and a tire (3 pts each) and a double jump, triple jump, and weaves (5 pts each) and a table (end point).

The goal is to gather at least a set number of points (for Level 3 it's at least 23 points) in 30 seconds including at least 3 singles, 2 "circles" (tunnel/chute/tire), and one "joker" (the 5 pt obstacles). When the whistle blows at 30 seconds you have 5 seconds to get your dog on the table and stop the clock. 



Colors is actually really simple so it's kinda embarrassing that that was our NQ lol. Basically there are two integrated courses laid out, marked with two different colors of cones. The courses have to "overlap" at least three times. Each team chooses which course they will be able to complete the fastest and most accurately and does just that color. Usually one course is a bit longer but the other is trickier. All times/scores are evaluated against each other regardless of which color you chose.


Hope that makes sense...


Snooker, Jackpot, and Wildcard are the other 3 of the 6 games...and they are harder but they were on the other day of the trial. They involve a lot of on-course decisions and distance work. Should be fun lol.


The "leg" system is also different in CPE. In say AKC you need 3 legs to get Standard, 3 for Fast, 3 for Jumpers titles no matter what level you are on. And the different course types really have nothing to do with each other when it comes to titling/points...they are independent.

In CPE there is standard plus the 6 games. For level 1 you need 2 standard legs to get the standard title, and one each game to get the three paired game titles: Handler (Colors & Wildcard), Strategy (Snooker & Jackpot), and Fun (FullHouse & Jumpers). 

For level 3 (our level) you need 6 stanard legs, and 3 each of the games. So in order to get our CL3 (level 3 title) we will actually need to get 24 legs.

Levels 4, 5, and C require even more legs per level.

It's a whole different world lol.


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## MissMutt

Oh that's so cool Shaina! I wish you had pictures! Congrats to you guys!

You're making me excited for my upcoming trial lol. I waver between being terrified and excited. I've been practicing as much as my small backyard will allow.. contacts on my stairs, weave pole entries, jumping send outs, lead outs, serpentines, 180's, rear crosses, oh, the list goes on..


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> Oh that's so cool Shaina! I wish you had pictures! Congrats to you guys!
> 
> You're making me excited for my upcoming trial lol. I waver between being terrified and excited. I've been practicing as much as my small backyard will allow.. contacts on my stairs, weave pole entries, jumping send outs, lead outs, serpentines, 180's, rear crosses, oh, the list goes on..


Thanks MM  There's an off chance I will be able to get a few decent pics from someone who was there taking pictures but I'm not banking on it, sadly.

We may be trialing again next week now, lol.

And don't be terrified! The worst that can happen is that you NQ. It stinks but you learn from it and get over it. I'm glad I had a chance to deal with my first NQ in rally...made today's NQ disappointing but not upsetting, if that makes sense...I'm over it. 

Your trial will be fun no matter what and chances are you and Marge will tear up the course...and if not, there's always next time . Just remember it's all a game


----------



## MissMutt

I'm actually not worried about the agility at all. If we Q, great, if we NQ but she was enjoying herself, I'll be just as happy. Since I have her fear to contend with, THAT is what I'm most worried about. She has been so much less flighty lately, but we've only done agility in very few locations, so I'm a little nervous to see how she reacts to being in a ring at a brand new place.

I'm fully prepared to see that she's too scared to do it, inform the judge and take her over one jump and leave the ring on a happy note, but I remember how nervous I was in my first agility classes about Marge being offleash in an unfenced area. Of course nothing ever happened there, but still, this is a whole new ball game.. granted, the ring will have 2 ft fencing around it, but I'm just so scared lol.

I'm doing a run through Tuesday at my club in place of agility class because my instructor is at the GSD nationals.. I think I'm going to bring her crate and treat it as if it were a real trial.


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## Shaina

Sorry if my above post came off as lecture-y...I was battling a migraine and was in bed and asleep within 10 after posting that lol.

Keeping my fingers crossed that Marge stays focus on agility and not on everything else. You guys will be great


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## Solid Mutt

Wow everyone, I have no clue where to start. I go off on vacation and come back to lots of catching up to do. 

First off Shains - CONGRATS! That is absolutely AWESOME about the trial. You have to be so proud and excited. I know I would be. That is just exciting news to read! Do you have your next one in mind yet? hehehe 

MissMutt - Are you getting excited about your trial with Marge? It sounds like she has been doing great in class. I just love watching your videos! Will you have someone to video you at the trial? I am sure you and Marge are going to ROCK IT!  

Squeeker - It sounds like Libby is doing great and you have figured out what will help her with the weaves. How is her skin - still doing better? Any trials in your near future? 

ACM - GREAT news - first the demo sounds like it was LOTS OF FUN! It sounds like class last week was great too. I can only imagine how scary it was that the teeter collapsed. YIKES! It sounds like Savannah is LOVING agility! WOO HOO 


There is not much happening in our world. We have been gone on vacation. We had to miss our last class for this session. The next session starts the beginning of Nov. I can't wait. There is a little fun canine olympics deal this weekend, I may take Voodoo and just hang out. Hubby is off to hunt so I will chill out with the pooch.  

I am looking at tunnels, I am ready to get a decent one to last us for practice. I have heard good and bad about NTI Global. They just seem so reasonable and free shipping. I am looking at Rocket Tunnels as well. Anyone got any input on what is best?


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## Squeeker

Shaina,

Got it, thanks. AAC has a bunch of games, and the leg system isn't so different. We have Gamblers, Snooker, and Relay as well as Standard and Jumpers. 

Missmutt, 

Shaina's post made me anxious to trial too... too bad we aren't as ready as you and Marge are! You'll do great!

Solid Mutt,

Libby's skin is better, thanks for asking. She's still on meds, but we have started to wean her off of them, thank goodness. Hope you had a good vacation!


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## MissMutt

Thanks guys. 

We had a run through tonight and Marge was pretty good.. got distracted/zoomy towards the end but I guess I can't really blame her because the course was really hard and we ran in like 8 times.

Had a ton of problems with the tunnels tonight. NO idea why, but she did NOT want to go in them.

Her teeter was actually excellent.. she rides the pivot point (which I don't mind and actually would rather her do.. safer/less scary) and just waits for it to come down.

Weaves were nice.. she's getting a little more independent with them and she had no problem finding her entry.

2o2o is coming along.. doing it no problem on the Dog Walk, very iffy on the A-Frame especially when you factor in speed.

Oh, and the tire is still a work in progress.. she prefers making it into a crawling exercise lol.

Less than 3 weeks til the trial! AHHH!


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## Squeeker

MissMutt, it sounds like you and Marge are doing well! Don't stress too much, I am sure you will do great!

We had a really great class again tonight!!!

We did our first serpentine: 3 jumps. We started by training the redirect after the second jump, and to do this the instructor wanted us to throw toys. We have literally NEVER used toys in agility, only treats, and though I had been working to get Libby interested in a tug for the past month or so at home, we hadn't brought it on the road yet. Well, she did her jump and I threw her toy... and she thought it was the BEST reward since sliced cheese! She grabbed it, shook it, tugged it, had a blast, and dropped it when I asked her to. She was SO eager to go again! It was fantastic! We did that a few times, and then ran the full serpentine sequence. She did it perfectly! I was thrilled to bits!

We also did some small sequences, as well as a 2 jump leadout into the weaves, which Libby did without a problem. She's starting to get a hang of the different entry angles, but I still want to work on it at home. I just need time to get to Canadian Tire to get some building supplies.


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## Shaina

Well there was a photographer at the show and I'm ordering a few of his pics (it was her first show after all!), so here are a few of the proofs while I wait for the pics to arrive...


















Waiting our turn (yes I'm wearing huge snow pants...it was freezing):


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## Shaina

that's all!


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## Squeeker

Haha, awesome! I like the dog walk and weave ones best. Which ones are you going to get?


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> Haha, awesome! I like the dog walk and weave ones best. Which ones are you going to get?


Those are my favorites as well . Also considering either the triple jump in the first post or the single jump that's #3 in the second post. Undecided.


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## MegaMuttMom

Great pictures Shaina!

I am so happy that Cherokee had another great day at agility. We came in the back way again and it did the trick. He is much better able to focus on why we are there. We spent the whole class just working on patterns first using only front crosses and then only back crosses. It is really good to have some time to cement those into the handler muscle memory book. Sometimes the most simple things can mess us up 

I have a question about the 2 on 2 off. Is that mandatory to pause like that at some trials? My trainer has never had me stop like that because Cherokee doesn't miss the contact points. I am just wondering if it is a skill he will add or if people only do it if they have trouble hitting contacts.


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## Shaina

MegaMuttMom said:


> I have a question about the 2 on 2 off. Is that mandatory to pause like that at some trials? My trainer has never had me stop like that because Cherokee doesn't miss the contact points. I am just wondering if it is a skill he will add or if people only do it if they have trouble hitting contacts.


Nope as long as they hit the contact zone they are fine. 2o2o is just a very "clear" behavior for most dogs.


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## MissMutt

I love the pictures too, Shaina! The weaves are my favorite as well. Glad we got to see some pics of her.


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## Solid Mutt

Shaina - LOVE those pictures! They are awesome. The one of the weaves is my favorite!!!!!! I like the triple jump one as well.  Have you decided what you are ordering yet? They are all so good. I know it is hard to decide. Hehehe 

Any more trials in the near future?


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## agility collie mom

Great photos. I like the dog walk one she just looks so happy with her tail up! I also like the single jump under the picture of the dog walk one. It's cool how she is turning to look for you and the next jump mid-air!


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## Shaina

Thanks guys  We had a blast, despite the weather. Looks like it'll be just indoor trials for a while...the prairie is awfully cold in the winter!



Solid Mutt said:


> Any more trials in the near future?


Yup


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## Shaina

Kim and her ribbon collection from our first two days of trialing:









Fortunately she enjoys agility MUCH more than picture-taking lol


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## Squeeker

Your dogs must have the largest trophy case ever!

I think that's a nice photo of Kim, BTW! She's posed so nicely, with her tail in the air!


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> Your dogs must have the largest trophy case ever!
> 
> I think that's a nice photo of Kim, BTW! She's posed so nicely, with her tail in the air!


Bulletin boards in the dog room, actually, lol. What can I say I'm proud of my babies.

That's actually an "ambivalent" tail position for Kim...neither high nor low. She has a funky hook tail lol. My sweet muttly girl


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## Squeeker

This week's class was fun! Libby wasn't as focused as she has been for the past few weeks, but we still did well and had a blast!

We did two different jump sequences tonight. In one, we were practicing rear crosses, and in the other we practiced long leadouts. Libby had no problem with the rear cross, which was awesome, as we hadn't done one in a long time! She had a bit of a problem with the long leadout, but I think it was because of the angle of the first jump. After she went around it a few times, I had her jump just that jump and then tried again, and she nailed it.

We also did teeter work. Tonight we practiced the teeter at high speed, so we did a quick jump-tire-tunnel-jump-teeter designed to build the dog's speed up to the teeter so that they could practice their control. Libby did a bit of a flyoff on her first try, but on the second try you could see her little brain working, and she didn't make the same mistake again!

We also worked on 12 weaves. She is really progressing with the weaves, but when we do 12 she misses the last one or two poles almost every time. So, we put a few barriers up, just at the end, and she got it just fine! We'll get those darn weaves yet!


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## Shaina

Awesome, Squeeker! Sounds like you guys are making great progress!


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## Shaina

Kim and I trying another exercise, focusing on "turning away" at the ends. Threw in a bit of layering for fun.


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## Squeeker

Nice videos, Shaina! 

Kim looks so great! That was a nice little sequence. How long had you been practicing before you did the video? You can see she is figuring it out.

Mira is adorable!! She sure knows what the click means! What were you treating her with? Looked messy!


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> Nice videos, Shaina!
> 
> Kim looks so great! That was a nice little sequence. How long had you been practicing before you did the video? You can see she is figuring it out.
> 
> Mira is adorable!! She sure knows what the click means! What were you treating her with? Looked messy!


That was our first run through the whole thing. We had done 3 or so reps each turning out around the end jump and around the tire, then did the whole thing. She was solid on a single obstacle, since that wasn't anything new, but when added to a minicourse she had to really think about what she was doing. She had a tendency to backup across the end jump...turn out then go back over...so you can see I hang out there a little longer than was probably necessary to ensure she knew what I was asking. 

And yeah my handling needs work. That's why I took the vid lol...see where my biggest issues are.

Thanks...that was NB roll but it was the bottom of the bag as I had used most of my stash already with Kim...thought there was more in my bag than there actually was when I left home


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## agility collie mom

Hey nice video Shaina. What a great class Sqeeker. Miss Mutt trial time is getting closer for Marge and you can't wait to hear how everything turns out.

Rio and I had class last night and the instructor set up a fun, fast jumper course. The last thing we did was play a game where we had 30 seconds to rack up points. Jumps were one point, tunnel and weaves were three points. Well everyone had a strategy and used the weaves and the tunnel with one jump in between. Rio and my strategy was to "run like your hair is on fire." So I just let Rio open up and run the outside jumps and tunnel and weaves. Guess who had the most points? Rio and I! Wow can my boy move!


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## MissMutt

Yes, trial time is, um, SUNDAY  I'm taking Marge to the trial site for run throughs on Friday doG willing. If she can't run Friday because she's too scared, I'll just feed her cookies and maybe sneak her into the rings to take a jump or dog walk etc. And then re-evaluate her on Sunday. Thanks for the well wishes, we need them!


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## Squeeker

Wow, that came up quick! For some reason I thought you still had a couple of weeks to go! GOOD LUCK!


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## MissMutt

Thanks. I've been absent from this thread because we've had some class cancellations. Of course, I'm not really able to practice this week at all, either, with all the rain.  At least Marge will be fresh for the trial.. she flew through my PVC weaves so fast tonight because she's been cooped up all day with the rain.


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## Shaina

Yay! Goooo Marge! I can't wait to hear how Friday night goes! *cheers wildly*











Kim and I's class went really well this week. We did two courses which both emphasized front crosses. When practicing I tend to do a LOT of rear crosses with Kim, both because she's way faster than I am and because they are less intuitive so I feel like we need the practice. However, our next trial I am going to have to figure out a way to handle the course to incorporate more front crosses because Kim just ran beautifully...I was so proud of her. I think after the last two trials she was happy to be back on familiar turf, lol.

Our next trial is this weekend...first attempt at doing both days of a single trial...and again at a new location...should be fun lol.


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## Kyllobernese

We had our last Agility class on Monday night until they get it sorted out whether the arena is going to be repaired or demolished. The hard thing about it being our last class is that I have both Susie and Remmy, and my sister has her two dogs, in a trial on the 
7th & 8th of November and we will not be able to practice between now and then. We did manage to get a few extra practices in last weekend so we will just have to see what happens at the trial.


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## Solid Mutt

Squeeker, you are Libby sound like you all are doing great! It makes it even better when you just go and have a blast! She is such a good girl! Is her skin still doing well? 

Shaina, I love the photo of Kim and all of her ribbons. What an awesome girl! I bet your dog room is fixin to be full of bulletin boards and ribbons! WOO HOO... I love that video of you and Kim and also Mira (She is a DOLL)

ACM, sounds like you and Rio had an awesome class. That is so exciting. He sounds like he is lightning fast! I love the idea of "run like your hair is on fire" lol 

Miss Mutt, I can only imagine the excitement you are feeling about this weekend. I think it is great that you plan to take her Friday and let her check things out and to let her get comfortable. I just can't believe how time has flown and it is already time for your trial. I am so excited for you. I can NOT wait to hear all about Friday and Sunday! You and Marge will do GREAT!  Just remember HAVE FUN!  

Kyllobernese , sorry you just finished your last class. I hope the make a decision about the arena for you all to know what to do. You will have to share your trial new as well when you go.  

Voodoo and I have been done with classes for about a month and have been bummed not to have it every week. I have practiced and worked her at home as much as I can to continue our training. We start Competition Class this sunday. I am pretty pumped about starting back to class. I entered Voodoo in our first AKC trial and it will be coming up in like 2 weeks. I am super nervous but plan to go and just do our best. She has been working GREAT at home. Hubby at this exact moment is actually working on a teeter for us. I am so pumped... I can't wait for it to get done and be able to use it.


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## Solid Mutt

Well I arrived home from work to a very PLEASANT SURPRISE. My hubby is self employed and took a day off to rest. He mention about wanting some teeter info and he researched online and well when I arrived home he was in the garage with the door open putting the second coat of paint on our teeter.  I was just shocked it was not only started but actually done. I am SOOO PUMPED UP right now. I am married to the BEST HUSBAND EVER! lol

Ok, I will hush now and post the pictures! lol


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## agility collie mom

Everyone is going to want to "borrow" your hubby!!


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## Shaina

agility collie mom said:


> Everyone is going to want to "borrow" your hubby!!


Me first! 

That is awesome, Solid Mutt!


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## Solid Mutt

ACM - hehehe 

I am an extremely lucky to be married to him!! He ROCKS!!! 



Shaina said:


> Me first!
> 
> That is awesome, Solid Mutt!


Shaina - LOL Thanks, I think it is awesome too. I can't wait to try it out.


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## MegaMuttMom

Cherokee is doing great in agility since I started coming in the back door. It was not a fluke the first time. His girlfriend Bea has her own website! Bea's owner makes agility equipment and I am thinking of buying some from her. Anyway, I wanted to post a picture of Bea because she reminds me so much of Kim in the ears and smile. We have been sitting next to Bea at class and she and Cherokee lay on the floor chewing on each other. 











And, here's Bea's website:

http://www.beasbackyard.com/main.html?src=/


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## MissMutt

Well, Marge dunnit again..

Proved me wrong.. did GREAT at the run-thru. Vid to come later.

Granted, there were literally a dozen people there and that's it, but it's a start, and it makes me much more confident about Sunday. Let's hope the weather holds up.


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## Solid Mutt

MissMutt said:


> Well, Marge dunnit again..
> 
> Proved me wrong.. did GREAT at the run-thru. Vid to come later.
> 
> Granted, there were literally a dozen people there and that's it, but it's a start, and it makes me much more confident about Sunday. Let's hope the weather holds up.



 WOO HOO Way to Go Miss Mutt and Marge!!! That is awesome! 

I can not wait to hear about Sunday! WOO HOO


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## Squeeker

> Squeeker, you are Libby sound like you all are doing great! It makes it even better when you just go and have a blast! She is such a good girl! Is her skin still doing well?


Thanks!! Her allergies are starting to subside with the change in the weather. We are weaning her off the meds, and it is going smoothly. Hopefully she'll be off in a few more weeks.

Solid Mutt, that is a fabulous teeter!! I can't wait until I have enough room for agility equipment... JEALOUS!



> Cherokee is doing great in agility since I started coming in the back door


Haha, whatever works! Dogs are so funny... Cherokee's girlfriend is a cutie!



> Well, Marge dunnit again..
> 
> Proved me wrong.. did GREAT at the run-thru. Vid to come later.


Fantastic!! Can't wait to see videos and hear how it goes this weekend!

We had a good class again this week! It was the last class of the session, and to start we pulled out the official dog measurer and measured all of the dogs. It is confirmed: Libby will be running 22". Glad I measured right at home, lol!

We did 12 weaves, and Libby did all 12 with no barriers! 3 times! WOOHOO! 

We did two short sequences, as well. Both included many wraps and crosses, and both were very tight courses. My timing was a bit off last night, but otherwise we had a blast! 

Our next session starts next week. Same time, day, and instructor. Yay!


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## MissMutt

Squeeker, great to hear about the weaves. It has been a long and slow process but it sounds like it's all coming together with those darn poles. 

Here is the video from today. My handling was AWFUL, my arms were flailing all over the place and I really didn't strategize or anything while I was walking the course because I was so nervous and had Marge out there with me so that she could sniff and get comfortable. So I definitely think the couple of errors that there are had a lot to do with me.

She had NO 2o2o, especially not on the A-Frame, thanks to her speed, I think.

I decided to carry a toy, but honestly, she really didn't look like she was "running for the toy" or anything..she was driving ahead better than I think I've ever see her do, and, although she was a little bit reckless with the A-Frame and in a couple of other spots, she was having fun.

The one time she broke from me is because she was coughing.. I think she had a piece of treat or something stuck in her throat. Other than that, the only time she broke from me (in my other run) was to sniff the tunnel bags that were laying just beyond the weave poles.

This is a NADAC Elite Regular course, BTW.






Please send us your good vibes for Sunday.. it's going to be a whole different ballgame because I will have none of those things like toys and a leash or a collar to make me feel safer. Fortunately she showed NO sign that she wanted to run out of the ring like she does at class, and, even though there were noises and distractions going on in the background (setting up tents, whining dog, mowing the lawn) she really didn't look scared. Hope you see the same thing from her when you watch the video.


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## Squeeker

Great video! She didn't look scared at all!

I think the two of you did very well! I'm so excited for you guys for Sunday! Just keep yourself calm and great things will happen!


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## Solid Mutt

Squeeker - That is excellent news about the weaves this week. WOO HOO go Libby. It is wonderful her allergies too.  

Miss Mutt - Awesome Video! squeeker is right, she did not looked scared at all. Voodoo and I are sending Good Vibes your way for tomorrow. We can wait for an update of how it goes!


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## MissMutt

Getting the jitters now big time.. I'm heading to sleep in a couple of hours so I can really rest up. 

It's raining right now and supposed to shower on and off during the night. Marge hates running on wet grass, so I really hope we still get to run. I'm not going to run her if it's soaked, because I feel that her first trial experience should be amazingly fun and awesome.

I originally wanted to enter the Touch N Go class as a day of show entry because it's the first class, but I have a feeling the grass is going to be very wet in the morning so it's probably not a good idea. I'll have to wait for Regular 1, which is the third class to go, and they're running Elite to Novice so we'll have a good bit of dogs ahead of us.. any idea how long it usually takes to move through the classes? Apparently the classes are a "nice size" and not very big at all.


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## Shaina

Looking good, MM -- good luck tomorrow!


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## MissMutt

Oh boy I am SO tired lol.

We are not doing this again for a LONG time. I'm happy we ran today because it was a great learning experience and it came together after a rocky start, but we definitely need some work.

First off all, Marge wasn't scared at all. I thought she was going to be, so I purposely left her pretty "fresh" for the trial. I decided to enter her in Touch n Go because they were taking Day of Show entries and it was the first class.

What a major disaster, LOL. She had no concept of the hoops and I think found them downright boring. She took off doing zoomies. Not once, twice, but three times. The third time she left the ring, went over to my boyfriend to play bow to him and convince him to continue rebelling with her LOL. 

I wasn't that scared, but in retrospect I'm terrified playing it over in my head. Next time, I am going to walk her and run her all over to make sure she doesn't get the zoomies. Of all the scenarios I considered, zoomies were not one of them.

After that, I didn't know whether or not to run her in Regular, which is what I signed up for earlier, but ultimately after a lot of walking, more running around with her, practicing recalls, etc., I decided to give it a shot.

The result:






My handling was AWFUL which is I think the reason we had that off course at the jump. I was supposed to front cross after the 180 but I think I just kind of froze and forgot about it. VERY happy about how she handled those two tunnels.. it's obvious that she was listening to me. The failed weaves were a combination of speed coming from the tunnel and me sending her too late. Not her fault at all, and I didn't want to break her momentum to have her run off again. 

She ran like a crazy girl down the line but I think she looks really drivey.. went out ahead with no problem (up to the little boy leash runner!) and finished without bolting off lol. Obviously it was an NQ, but even with all of the mistakes she was a good 7-8 seconds under course time and wound up 8th out of 11.

I can't stop thinking about the zoomies.. I was expecting her to be slightly timid and want to stick right by me, but honestly she just seemed to be having a grand old time with herself lol. At least we ended better than we started rather than vice versa. I think we'll run the speedy classes like Tunnelers and Touch n Go in the summer months.


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## Shaina

But did you both have fun (I know Marge did lol)?

As I would have said this weekend...the Spirit of Kim is strong in this one 

We hit our first course Saturday...first time on a packed dirt course...Kim started the course, then stopped, grinned, playbowed HARD, then zoomed like a maniac. She came back and we finished but she was definitely on a joyride for about 5 seconds...seemed like an eternity...lol

Basically, I feel your pain


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## agility collie mom

Miss Mutt,
You and Marge did a wonderful job. I know how nervous you were but, Marge did great! They do tend to get the "zoomies" especially if it is cool out. Rio had them when we went to the demo. But they tend to settle down after they are there a while. (Either that or we are not as nervous and they sense it!) Great first trial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9NIZOvfKpc


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## MissMutt

We definitely did both have fun, Shaina. She was more comfortable at the trial than I ever imagined she would be, and it made for some really goofy moments. I really had fun on the Regular course, too.

Thank you, ACM! Maybe I''ll post the video of it.. people keep asking me to see it lol. I honestly wasn't all that nervous going in, but it was definitely a more-jittery moment than a regular class.


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## MegaMuttMom

I love the video of Marge, she looks so happy and motivated! Even though mistakes were made, you finished and, from my perspective, it was very successful  Way to go!!


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## Solid Mutt

Miss Mutt - WOO HOO, you both did GREAT! I think it sounds like it was sucessful and you all gained experience. It sounds like Marge was really feeling good and no worries about being scared. That is GREAT NEWS! I love the video, you two did so good for your first time! You should be so proud! The best and most important thing is you BOTH HAD FUN! 

So are you ready to go again? lol


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## Squeeker

I was waiting for this!!! Wow, great job! The two of you did a great job! Marge wasn't nervous at ALL, which is fantastic! 

I think it was a very successful meet for you! You both learned a lot about each other, and had fun doing it! Can't ask for much more than that! The Q's will come.

When's your next meet?


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## MissMutt

It probably won't be for a while. I'd like to do some more run-throughs (especially ones where I can use treats) because I don't want to push her too hard, and I want to make sure it stays really fun for her. I'm looking at some trials between March and June of next year. There are some indoor ones coming up, but I think I should do a few indoor run-throughs with lots of cookies before entering a real trial, because I know it'll be very different for her.

The pictures are up on the photographer's website. The only pics he got from Touch n Go are from the dog walk and she doesn't look happy in them at all! These are two from the Regular run. The tunnel one is my favorite, and I think I'll order it as an 8x10 print and a mousepad


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## Solid Mutt

Miss Mutt - GREAT PICTURES! I LOVE THEM, she LOOKS AWESOME! I would order an 8 x 10 as well... I like the mouse pad idea too. Makes me think I need a mouse pad at work with Voodoo on it. lol


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## agility collie mom

Well everyone Rio and I had our last class of the year tonight. We will be starting up again in Jan. It was a bittersweet night however. I have posted about my friend's dog Toby before. He is the wonderful little sheltie friend of Rio's. He was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this year, he is not doing well. He has been through quit a few rounds of chemo but unfortunately his liver is shutting down. He came over to me tonight and just leaned against me so that I could rub, pet and kiss him. I had tears in my eyes. I could just see the sadness in his face. His Mom Lucy looked so tired and sad. I wish so much that there was something I could do for both of them. Every time I read the next new medical report (I work for Toby's vet) I just want to cry. Please keep Toby and Lucy in your thoughts and prayers. 


. 

http://www.keystonecanine.com/Brags/Brags.htm


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## Shaina

A few pics from a recent trial:








(yes she hit her 2o2o)










Might have a vid from our latest trial sometime soon if I can get a copy of it.


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## MissMutt

agility collie mom said:


> Well everyone Rio and I had our last class of the year tonight. We will be starting up again in Jan. It was a bittersweet night however. I have posted about my friend's dog Toby before. He is the wonderful little sheltie friend of Rio's. He was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this year, he is not doing well. He has been through quit a few rounds of chemo but unfortunately his liver is shutting down. He came over to me tonight and just leaned against me so that I could rub, pet and kiss him. I had tears in my eyes. I could just see the sadness in his face. His Mom Lucy looked so tired and sad. I wish so much that there was something I could do for both of them. Every time I read the next new medical report (I work for Toby's vet) I just want to cry. Please keep Toby and Lucy in your thoughts and prayers.
> 
> .
> 
> http://www.keystonecanine.com/Brags/Brags.htm


 So sad about the little guy. Hoping for a miracle, somehow. 

Great pics, Shaina. I would love to do an indoor trial but I'm just so worried about pushing Marge too hard. Also all the indoor trials are CPE so there will be the added stress of measuring. (Speaking of which, does CPE use wickets or something else?)


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> (Speaking of which, does CPE use wickets or something else?)


Yeah I've seen this kind:









And ones that are basically pvc U's of different heights which are placed over the dog. Kim wasn't a fan of those at all.


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## MissMutt

Yeah, I'm a little worried about that. I know she's not going to want to stand with one over her.. I'm actually thinking of making one out of PVC to desensitize her to it.


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## Solid Mutt

ACM - I am so sorry about Toby, that is just so sad. Many hugs and prayers go out to his sweet little body... 

Shaina - GREAT PICTURES!!!!!!


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## Squeeker

Libby and I had an OK class this week. We were both a little off. My body language was apparently confusing her, and she apparently forgot what a tunnel was 

We had a good weave session again, and did some fun sequences, but we just weren't "on". That's OK, it happens rarely!


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## MissMutt

Squeeker said:


> Libby and I had an OK class this week. We were both a little off. My body language was apparently confusing her, and she apparently forgot what a tunnel was
> 
> We had a good weave session again, and did some fun sequences, but we just weren't "on". That's OK, it happens rarely!


That's okay, Marge has forgotten for the past week or so what weaves are..  

My handling has also been awful. I think the trial is actually to blame, because I was so worried about her running off that I started my ol' slumping routine.. I NEED to learn to run up straight.. lol

Here's a video from our practice tonight. This is the first time Marge was even in this building, we had private practice for an hour and just kind of played around. She was very stressed at class on Tuesday, so I wanted to make sure that I did something totally fun and motivational with her.


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## Kyllobernese

Just got back from our two day trial. Remmy Q'd in his third Starter's Standard so now has his ADC ( Agility Dog of Canada) title, plus he had already had 2 Q's in Starters Jumpers, and one each in Starters Gamblers and Starters Snooker. He got his second Q in both of these classes so also got his SGDC ( Starters Games Dog of Canada) Title. He has already earned one Q in Advanced Jumpers.

He just started trialing in June and has only attended five trials. As he just turned two in October, he has earned a good rest till spring. This was his first indoor trial as all the other trials were outdoors and he was fantastic. It will be a lot tougher next year so want to give him time to mature more.


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## RaeganW

*We has it!!!*

I'm soooooo excited, I finally found a class that's open now and don't have to wait until the new year! It's in an "unheated riding area on a dirt surface," and a 45 minute drive away, but that's about par for what's available around me. It doesn't start until next week though,  I can't wait!!!

Any tips on what Gatsby and I need to know before we have our first class? The class description is below. He has his basic obedience, but it can be a little shaky in high distraction areas. 



> Sit stay w/release word, developing and maintaining drive, playing with your dog/relationship building, contact end position training, foundation jump training, foundation teeter training, weave poles, left, right and switch commands, front and rear crosses on the flat, and much, much, more!!


Ahhhhhh, I'm so excited! Agility is half the reason I wanted a dog, I've been in love with the sport since I was eight years old.


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## agility collie mom

Go with really good treats, a flat buckle collar and a great sense of humor. Believe me dogs do the funniest things and so do we as handlers. I've gotten lost on the course more than once! lol Good luck and let us know how things go.


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## MissMutt

Congrats RaeganW! Sounds like news for the blog *poke poke* lol

Here is our sequence from last night's class. Marge ran like a dream!






The opening sequence was tricky.. the first time we ran I started at jump #2 because I didn't want to freak Marge out with having to redo everything (she pulls to contacts like crazy). Honestly though she was just SO easy to handle. My trainer didn't want us doing a back cross through that 180 before the A-Frame but I like backs and she read me just fine. 

2o2o needs a lot of work as you can see. She's fine on it on the dogwalk (though she hasn't seen the dogwalk since the trial) but the A-Frame it's a little harder. Not doing a teeter contact as she's still getting comfortable with the teeter AND always hits the yellow anyway. I did catch her trying to do a 2o2o on it, though.

That jump sequence in the back was crazy. Marge jumped a little too big and had to come back in but again, she read me so well!

Weaves were terrible. She wasn't the only one who flubbed them so I'm thinking they weren't aligned right or something. She has been hving some trouble with them, though, so I'm going to keep an eye on it.

Next week is our last class at the field and then we move inside.. going to miss doing these big ol' sequences!


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## Kyllobernese

This is Remmy's Advanced Jumpers in his last trial. We had a clean run but were 1.7 seconds too slow, my fault, will have to run faster.



This was Remmy's other Advanced Jumper class. He didn't Q in it because I thought he was going off-course and called him off a jump, he was right and I was wrong. Didn't get any videos of the three classes he Q'd in.


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## Solid Mutt

Great Videos everyone!!!

How is everyone doing? This thread seems to have slowed down  

Miss Mutt - You two are really looking great! Marge is working awesome! 

Kyllobernese - Remmy is absolutely adorable! Love your videos too!!!

I will give an update and try to keep it brief. HA you all know me and my books I tend to write. Voodoo and I attended our first AKC trial this past weekend. First thing I regret is NOT entering both days. Silly mistake. We had a blast while we were there. There were lots of instructors from our group at the trial, which was great! I enjoyed watching them run their dogs. You can learn a lot from watching.  They gave me lots of support and encouragement while we were there! Our first class of the day was Standard, it did not go as planned and ended in an NQ. I was very tentative and it showed. I was not trusting myself or her... She however ROCKED and had I given her better direction we would have probably Q'd. She got ahead of me a couple times and burned some extra energy she had. LOL One of those times I was sending her to the weaves but my body sent her back to the table where the judge happen to be standing and well she decided to visit him and pay her respects. HAHAHA. It was hilarious! She nailed all of her contacts and her weaves, which was awesome. Unfortunately, we were 2 seconds to slow to Q. 2 seconds Seems I need to do my job better and worry less about her.  Our other class of the day was JWW. I felt much more confidant this time around. Voodoo and I also had that moment where it just "CLICKED" I had my game plan however, I did not execute it the way I had planned. Who would have guess that? That would be too easy. I blame the agility jitters for it but, oh well. I had a couple little handler bobbles where I did my rear crosses a jump too soon. But, then in a moment it clicked "We can do this" and BAM we went for it. It felt incredible! When we got done everyone cheered and 3 of the instructors from my group all met us at the gate. They all gave us big hugs and just shared in our excitement. They said you did it. You Q'd - I was like really? They were like Ah, YEAH! We finished the course 14 seconds faster than the SCT even with my bobbles. We Q'd and little bit later the results came out and we won 1st place. I cannot even begin to express in to words how awesome it felt. We had a blast watching all the other dogs go and some pretty funny bloopers at times. There was lots of laughs and good times.... Seems the cool morning not only affected Voodoo. hehehehe


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## Kyllobernese

A "Q" sure makes you feel like you must be doing something right, Congratulations. Remmy's first Q, he was under the time by a fifth of a second and it was his first trial. Maybe we will have to start a new Thread so it will show up in New Posts. People may not be looking through these older ongoing threads. I know our Agility here has stopped for the winter as the only Indoor arena in the area has been closed down and it is too cold and snowy to train outdoors. Sure miss doing it and so does Remmy.


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## RaeganW

We're down to hours before out first class; I'm so jittery! To kill time I'm reading old posts over at AgilityNerd. It's one of my favorite blogs: combining agility and nerdery, what could go wrong?! I keep checking the trainer's website and there's three other dogs in the class. For a long time it was only one other dog, and what was that dog's name? Odis. 

That doesn't sound like a big deal, but what did Gatsby's previous owners call him? Otis. He hardly (if at all) responds to that name now, so I'm not really nervous, but it was kind of funny.

Question: What do I do about feeding? At first I wasn't going to feed him tonight because I want him to be hungry. I have some dried (lamb?) liver for a really high value treat tonight because I know we're going to have attention issues. I feel like eventually we could progress to toy rewards (and I plan to bring one tonight) but he doesn't drop it very well and he'll take food more reliably. It's going to be so late when we get home I don't know if it's really worth it to give him his dinner kibble, but it kind of feel like letting him have ice cream for dinner with the liver at class. Is it really a big deal? Should I just let it go, or feed him early (the earliest it could be would be two hours before the class)?


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## MissMutt

I usually give Marge a tiny bit of her usual meal just so she has SOMETHING. Be prepared to use a LOT of treats if your class is anything like mine.. lol.

We had our last class of the season outdoors today. No agility for about three weeks  , then we're moving indoors.

Here's the video.. I put the notes in there so I'm not going to re-type them out here.. lol






BIG Congrats to you, Solid Mutt, and Voodoo! I don't think we'll EVER go to AKC even though some trials next year near me are accepting mixes.


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## Alex927

really fun videos everyone! great work guys. You guys must be so proud!!

It's so funny, last night my dog started playing with his toys and bouncing around for the first time and I was bubbling over with happiness so I can't imagine how proud you guys feel of your dogs!! really great stuff. inspiring actually..


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## Squeeker

Kyllobernese, great vids! You and Remmy remind me a lot of a dog in my class. The two of you make a great team! Congrats on the Q's!

Solid Mutt, sounds like you and Voodoo had a great weekend!! Congrats on your Q, as well as the first place finish! You must be thrilled!

RaeganW, how did your first class go? I never feed Libby before class. She gets more than enough at class, and the added bit of hunger never hurt the attention span  

MissMutt, Marge just didn't want to go in that tunnel for some reason! Silly girl... Libby did that at class two weeks ago. It's frustrating, but you also can't help but laugh! Great run otherwise, though! Marge seems to be reading you really well.

As for Libby and I, well, we missed last week's class because we had to pick my MIL up at the train station. She's been visiting us for the past week, and we just couldn't pick her up and then haul it out to class in time. We have class tomorrow, though, and we'll be going!


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## MissMutt

She actually WAS going in the tunnel some of the time and running all the way through, but then heard me calling her from all the way over by that jump... and I guess thought the best way back would be to go back through the tunnel. LOL. So, to solve it, I got right up near the tunnel opening and then had to do that awkward back cross the to dog walk. Can't wait for Libby's report from tomorrow's class.


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## RaeganW

Our class was AMAZING. Gatz was spectacular, he made my every word a lie ("he's got surface issues, he's not going to like the A-frame" "The teeter is going to scare the crap out of him" "I don't know that he'll take food this keyed up"). He was still himself, mind. I don't want you guys thinking I had an entirely different dog at class. He was reactive, and barky (some of the sounds he made are not in the human register), and totally a spaz, but I learned A LOT about what his threshold is, how to keep him below it, and how to bring him back. That alone is worth it, to me. I need to find some dogs to work with outside of agility, though.

Food was not an issue, he had treats in his mouth as fast as he could swallow 

We did a little restrained recalls, chase, and jumps, then focused mostly on starting contacts. The jump setup was interesting, it was a series of four jumps with gates on both sides so to get to the end (me, with treats) he had to go over the jumps.

Gatsby was FEARLESS on the contacts. I'm so so so proud of him. We started 2o2o. I need to find something around the house to practice on. As a rule, Gatsby has no concept of anything below his neck, except perhaps a paw to smack me in the face with, but I think he started to get the idea that I wanted him to do something with his butt. 

Then the dogs were exposed to a teeter moving centimeters under their feet. Gatz wasn't as nervous as I thought he would be, very curious about smacking that thing and making it move. By the end, he was "calm" enough to play some tug. We gotta work on "out" though.

Can't wait 'til next week


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## MissMutt

You can use stairs to practice on. They've helped me SO much with starting to solidify Marge's contacts.

Sounds like you had an awesome time with a lot of cool stuff! All we did in my first class was use uprights with the bars on the floor.. lol


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## Squeeker

Wow, I just got back from a great class!

Libby was on FIRE tonight! It was the total opposite of our last class!! 

Our first sequence was a-frame, 180 to teeter, jump, jump, tunnel (and there was a TON of space between the teeter, each jump, and the tunnel, so I had to BOOK IT). She did fantastically!

Next up was a weave sequence. We did a jump, jump, turn 90 to dog walk, left flip to tunnel, and out of the tunnel with the weaves at a 90. So, it was just a matter of lining the dogs up properly to take the weaves. She weaved like a pro... she didn't make a single weaving mistake tonight, 6 for 6! YAHOOOOOO!

Then we did a fun sequence that consisted of the table and two tunnels, shaped like the letter C, nested inside each other. The point of the exercise was entry discrimination. That was a bit of a lesson in handler communication!

Our last sequence was a speedy one: Broad jump, jump, jump, 90 to dog walk, flip to tunnel again. She did it perfectly! She is really getting good at the flips.

I wish we hadn't missed last week's class (they did a full course, timed and everything...) but it seems that a little break really did the two of us some good! 

RaeganW, it sounds like you had a great first class! They really threw you guys right into it! Congrats!


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## RaeganW

It sounds like they did! LOL, I'm glad we got right down to obstacles, I have a huge issue with patience  I made the mistake of going to Fleet Farm today (it's like someone crosses a Home Depot and a Walmart and produced PURE AWESOME) and they sell PVC pipe for like $3 a six foot pole. Must... make... agility equipment!

Go Libby! That tunnel set up sounds awesome. Can you define a flip? I keep picturing an X-wing doing some sort of complicated turning maneuver, and I'm pretty sure dogs can't do that


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## Shaina

Well Kim and Web's classes wrapped up this week. Both are doing well and having a lot of fun.

Mira's class is at a neighboring club. I took the big kids along tonight to work them in obedience in a new setting before class...while I was goofing around the instructor for Mira's class (who was there early) asked if I would do one of the last-night-of-puppy-class demos. So Kim did an agility demo in a new building on new equipment at the end of Mira's class...went pretty well though we knocked a bar on a tight corner because I was focused more on the 12 weave set ahead and shifted my shoulder too early...oops. It was fun, though, and I got to give a quick plug for mix breed doing performance sports, which is always good 



RaeganW said:


> Can you define a flip?


A flip is when the dog completes one obstacle and does a sharp 180 turn off of it to another obstacle. Usually used to refer to going from a contact to a tunnel (or vice-versa) when both entrances face the same direction right next to each other.

Better explination, with an explanation of alternative methods:


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## Squeeker

Yay!!! I have videos this week!!! 

DH had a rare day shift instead of his usual afternoons, so he came out to our class and took some videos for me. He was a bit busy chatting sometimes, so I don't have a lot of video, but I DO have one of Libby doing a full set of 12 weaves!!! I'm just thrilled that she finally caught on to weaving!!!



Next up is us practicing a rear cross over the a-frame. All of the other dogs in the class balked when their handler crossed behind, but I'm pretty sure Libby didn't even notice 



And finally, a short sequence.



Shaina, thanks for the flip video. Congrats on the successful demo, as well!


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## Shaina

Kim at her second CPE trial running Level 3 Jackpot (from quite a while ago...just got the vid). Considering the distraction level, new place, and having never run on pack dirt/mulch before, she did pretty well. You can see her start to disengage on several parts of the course but she reoriented.

Traditional Jackpot is a 2-part game somewhat similar to AKC Fast in which each obstacle is assigned a certain number of points (1-5). During the first part of the game, the team has "course time" to make their way around the course collecting at least 20 points.

When the judge's whistle blows, they have a short time to complete the second part, the "jackpot" sequence, which is a series of four obstacles which must be performed in order while the handler remains behind a line set by the judge. Here the jackpot is tunnel - tunnel - jump - jump.

No matter how many points are accumulated in the first part of the course, if the "jackpot" is not clean (dog and handler), the run is an NQ.


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## Squeeker

Sounds a lot like AAC's Gambler.

Nicely run! You and Kim make a great duo! Congrats!


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## MyCharlie

I haven't been on in forEVER!! But it's nice to see this thread still alive! You all seem to be doing great. We moved a few months ago and haven't had the dogs in any classes in ages but I'm going to the new local club here in our new city on Thursday night and can't wait to get back into it!!

Shaina - awesome job on the jackpot course! The jackpot jumps were pretty far away from you, Kim did great! What level is she at now? I'm bummed that where we live now doesn't have CPE, the club here does AKC trials. But at least they do more events (we didn't have rally back home).


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## Shaina

Thanks Squeeker 



Glad to see you are still around, MyCharlie!  Thanks too. We're doing CPE Level 3 -- we started in Level 3. The vid was from our second trial...we've been to three now. And then we took a break to work on the things we learned when trialing, lol. The crazy thing about CPE is that we now have 12 legs and are only halfway to the Level 3 title, lol. And the legs work out by availability and what we entered we don't have any of the four titles that make up the Level 3 title either, lol. 4/6 Standards, 1/3 Jumpers, all 3 Wildcards, 1/3 Jackpot, 1/3 Snooker, 1/3 FullHouse, 1/3 Colors... good times  We'll just keep poking around and eventually get them...no hurry 


I think I just OD'd on smilies. What can I say we're enjoying ourselves lol


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## MyCharlie

Shaina said:


> I think I just OD'd on smilies. What can I say we're enjoying ourselves lol



Haha!! That's what it's supposed to be about!!  That's why I'm a little worried about AKC, I'm afraid they'll be agility snobs! lol But that's just me, I'm sure they'll be fine. I already emailed and asked if Kaya could train even though she can't compete and they said it was fine, so I'm sure I'm worried for nothing!

Yeah, I still get confused about all the titles. I was just looking through Charlie's stuff tonight and it's funny, he actually has his level 1 "fun" and "handler" titles because that's just what we happened to Q in, the other legs he's got nothing!  Oh well.


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## RaeganW

Two weeks to recap today! I've been slacking. 

Last week we started the rest of the obstacles. Tunnel work was interesting. Gatsby is clearly too smart for this, I was standing right over there! Why should he go through the dark space when he can see me right there? He loves the dogwalk and A-frame though. He tends to bail out of the dog walk a little early but he can do it off leash very nicely. Most of the class was devoted to jump and handling drills. We learned to direct with the hand closest to the dog over the jump and then pull him back around the upright to the other side and send from there. This would work better, I feel, if Gatsby looked at my hands. 

Then I went home and built a jump! I made two, matter of fact. They cost about $15 a piece, and I got this awesome PVC cutter. We practiced at the dog park a little, and Gatz was pretty good about staying focused. Plans are from here: http://www.instantagility.com/2008/04/14/bar-jump-or-hurdle/ and one jump drills are from here: http://agilitynerd.com/blog/agility/courses/steve/OneJumpDrills.html

Last night we started the tire, and a tiny tiny bit of sequencing. Tunnel -> dogwalk and then later tire -> A-frame. The first time on tunnel -> dogwalk *I* almost took the dogwalk instead of Gatsby. More off-leash stuff is starting. I need to work on recall. G has almost none. I r bad trainer.

Gatsby wasn't the naughtiest dog though!  There was a rough collie that kept darting off and running zoomies around the arena. Gatsby wanted to play sooo bad! At one point he lept off the peak of the A-frame to go sniff her. I swear this dog has zero pain receptors. I did get told that I need to speak to him a little calmer, he's nutso as it is and he doesn't need me amping him up to uncontrollable levels. At the end we did let the dogs off leash to just play for a little bit. So proud of my little guy, keeping up with the big bad herding dogs.  Our trainer said something about putting Earthdog tunnels down in our area! Very excited to see how that pans out.

Two more weeks to go for this year. I'm thinking of making weave poles next, but I'm a little hesitant about that since I'm leery of training them wrong. I might make another jump and try to rig up a jump chute. PVC is fun!


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## MissMutt

I'm sorry I haven't been around this thread much, I feel like I can't get a moment to just sit down and relax.. don't know why! At least the semester will be over soon.

Squeeker, I watched all 3 of your videos the other day and I am so impressed with you guys.. her weaves were a LOT quicker than I expected them to be - she has obviously progressed so far!

And Shaina, your trial video scared the crap out of me lol, because I'm thinking about an indoor CPE trial in a couple of months. I'm actually taking a 1 1/2 hour drive out to the facility on Friday to do some practice there with Marge.. we'll see how it goes.

Raegan, glad to hear all the good news but we NEED VIDEOS OF YOU AND GATZ IN ACTION!!!


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## MyCharlie

RaeganW said:


> We learned to direct with the hand closest to the dog over the jump and then pull him back around the upright to the other side and send from there. This would work better, I feel, if Gatsby looked at my hands.


Raegan, what kind of dog is Gatsby? I've read that little dogs will actually tend to look at your feet instead of your hands when running. So you may want to just be aware of what your feet are doing.  

Sounds like you guys are doing great though!! A LOT of dogs get the zoomies, especially in the beginning before they learn that the ring is a place to "work," not run around and do what you want! lol 

Can't wait to hear how he progresses!


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## MegaMuttMom

Well, after seeing all your videos I am a little embarrassed to show me and Cherokee but, Joe came with me today so, here goes!!

In this first video the big happening was, Cherokee gets rewarded for 2 paws on the teeter since he is so afraid of it but, he was brave and put 3 paws on. I celebrate small victories.

http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/MegaMuttMom/?action=view&current=SANY0005.flv

In this next video, we had run a fast course several times and we changed it up and I didn't get his attention soon enough so he wouldn't head to the teeter.

http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/MegaMuttMom/?action=view&current=SANY0007.flv

Next, Mike put the jumps up to 20" just because he wanted to see Cherokee do them. We always jump 16.

http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/MegaMuttMom/?action=view&current=SANY0008-1.flv

And last, we worked on changing direction after going over a jump. I have to work on sending Cherokee ahead of me over jumps so I can do back crosses better. Because he can be so distractible we have not really worked on working at any distance form each other. This is a good thing to think about going forward since I have worked on his naughty behavior in class.

http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/MegaMuttMom/?action=view&current=SANY0012-1.flv

I think I need to add one more video of Cherokee and his girlfriend Bea playing together. 

http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/MegaMuttMom/?action=view&current=SANY0003.flv


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## RaeganW

MissMutt said:


> Raegan, glad to hear all the good news but we NEED VIDEOS OF YOU AND GATZ IN ACTION!!!


There are plans to have some!  Tomorrow night I'm "renting" a hall (sneaking into the hall at my aunt's motherhouse after hours, it's cool the sisters love him ) and I'm going to try to rig up an impromptu tripod. My aunt thinks we could work there a couple night a week, which is super exciting as the Christmas tree is now both blocking the back door and taking up the space I push the living room furniture to when we practice indoors.  I'm thinking of bringing both jumps and working a little sequencing.


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## Thracian

I love all the photos and videos. Looks like you all have a blast!

I'm planning to do agility with Clayton. He has so much energy and loves to jump around and play. Yesterday he started jumping in and out of the bathtub. He's such a funny one.

He's had puppy class, so we need to do level 1 obedience. Then we'll do an intro to agility class. In the meantime, do you have any books or videos to recommend? Or other suggestions for things we can do until we start the agility class?

Thanks!


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## Squeeker

MegaMuttMom, your videos were awesome! You are really motoring! Look at him weave!! Your class sounds really attentive; I like how everyone is cheering you on!!

So, RaeganW, how did your hall rental go?

Thracian, to prep for agility I would get a really solid sit-stay down pat, a good recall, and get your dog working on both your right and left. Get your dog used to walking on raised surfaces (go to the park and get him up on benches, for example) and get him used to walking on different textures. Also, get him used to stepping on things that move under him. A wobble board is a great tool for this - get a 3x3 sheet of plywood and place a tennis ball underneath in the center. Assuming you clicker train, shape the behaviour of the dog getting on the board. If you have an extension ladder, lay it out on the ground and have your dog slowly walk through the rungs. Also, check out youtube for videos on hind-end awareness. That should get you started!

We had a very good class again this week! I can't believe I forgot to post! I don't remember the exact sequences, but Libby did some awesome weaving again this week, even smoothly taking a set of 12 after coming out of a tunnel that was not in line with the entry. Yay!! One thing I am noticing: she is tired by the end of class. She needs a lot more exercise in the summer before agility class, but I think I need to cut down her exercise before class in the winter so she doesn't run out of steam!


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## Shaina

Agility practice this week -- Kim:





Kim still fetches like a 4.5 month old puppy as well...what a goon:


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## Squeeker

Nice work, Shaina! You two make it look so easy! 

Wow, Mira has really grown! She looks like she loves the fetching! Great job! I love to see pups bound away to pounce on a toy! Even if they're big pups


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## Shaina

Thanks Squeeker 

Over the weekend Kim and I went to a CPE trial...and we finished our first two agility titles! The CP3-S (CPE Level 3 -Strategy: 3 legs Snooker, 3 legs Jackpot) followed by our CP3-F (CPE Level 3 -Fun: 3 legs of FullHouse, 3 legs of Jumpers).

This because...she went 10Q's for 10 runs over two days!! We had one fault all weekend, a knocked bar, but otherwise all were clean runs and she was really "on" and engaged through all the runs. Sunday I got my times mixed up and we arrived late...after the small dogs had already started running the first course of the day -- a Jumper's course that was convoluted enough that one of the judges got lost on it, along with many others...and we ran it without getting to walk it first. Kim managed to run it beautifully in spite of me lol.

As (if not more) important...our ever-ongoing conditioning exercises seem to be working...Kim was able to sit ringside waiting for her turn with a zippy, slinking, wild young bordercollie (her trigger-type of dog after the incident in class a few months ago) running the course, but offering me attention and playing games instead of going into herder-fixation mode or stressing out. Yay Kim!

So it was a great weekend -- feels like we turned a corner with agility trialing...we still have a LOT to learn and finesse but we were finally working as a team in a trial setting...if anything we were better than we are in practice, much less compared to previous trials...it was just so much fun!


The Queen Herself:


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## RaeganW

Congratulations Shaina! It sounds like an amazing weekend. What big accomplishments for you and Kim! (Love the fetching videos, BTW)

The hall rental fell through, which was a disappointment. I do have some videos of free shaping 2o2o with a box, but YouTube is being difficult. He's almost got it rock solid by climbing on to then off the box; I'm thinking of setting up a model A-frame (some plywood held up at the correct angle) so it's a bit more like actual equipment. Boy does that dog love his contact obstacles. 

I want to make a wobble board too. Does anyone know where I can find some cheap plywood? I am due to make a trip to Fleet Farm again soon, weave poles are next on my list to make. 

Speaking of which... last week we had that crazy insane snowstorm on agility night, so no class  But this week we were back! It was just us in class this week. Most of the class was devoted to weave poles. Our instructor uses regular weaves with an X-pen around them, so there's only the correct path and the dog can't pop out. Some lightbulbs started flickering on! Gatz is starting to find his entrance and a couple of times absolutely NAILED it!

We started some pinwheel exercises. I learned that I need to be more interesting than dirt.

This was our last class for the year! We may go in for another private over the break. In Jan classes start up again, and if I can afford it and schedule it I might sign up for a class at a kennel club so we have agility class twice a week.


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## Squeeker

Great job, Shaina and Kim!! Way to go, you must be so proud! 

Raeganw, sounds like you are coming along! Try Home Depot for plywood... sometimes they have ends from cutting.

Libby and I had another fun class! She is weaving like she has always known how. It's blowing me away. She's even doing some pretty steep entrances now, which is awesome!

We've been working on distraction training. Our instructor has been placing interesting objects on the ground around the course, and the dogs have been pretty good at ignoring them, or leaving them if told. However, this week we stepped up the level of distraction with a squeaky toy. Well, one squeak and Libby was lost. It took forever to get her attention back, and then her performance was very sloppy. We'll have to keep working on it!

This was our last class until the new year; our agility club takes a winter break for the months of January and most of February. We'll be taking an intro to flyball class in the meantime!


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## Shaina

Sounds like lots of people are on break for Christmas...we are too, though we aren't actually in agility classes next session...we will continue working on our own for now. I hope everyone's having a good holiday break!


I've apparently been on a video-taking streak lately so here's a bunch of vids...they are all pretty short...think they range from 15 seconds to a minute.


Anyway...enjoy! (I hope)


Mira's second collapsed tunnel (chute) practice. This was done entirely by shaping, after having already shaped the tunnel. This vid is her second trip through the full-length chute.


Weave practice with Kim, working on lateral distance (1/2 set of poles):



Goofy vid of Web tugging after a run, lol


Web doing a short sequence:


Kim doing a full sequence, which begins with the sequence Web did above:


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## Squeeker

Great videos! I haven't seen many of the Web-man... he's really coming along!

Mira is such a cutie! She really tore through that tunnel! Are you taking classes with her yet?

Any reason you aren't taking classes next session?


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> Great videos! I haven't seen many of the Web-man... he's really coming along!
> 
> Mira is such a cutie! She really tore through that tunnel! Are you taking classes with her yet?
> 
> Any reason you aren't taking classes next session?


Mira's in a puppy socialization class and will be again next session, if we got in. I'm not sure she will ever take an agility class here since I'm training her entirely by shaping, and the classes here use a lot of props/luring and aren't very open to alternatives.

Mira won't be actually doing equipment for a long time...we are laying a lot of foundation right now for anything and everything (recalls, bite inhibition, acting calmly around dogs running agility, crate-training for anywhere, uber socializing, how to play appropriately, impulse control, understanding my body movement and how it relates to her, etc. etc.). Just started with the collapsed tunnel with her as something that bothers a lot of dogs...have been doing the wobble board since she came home for the same reason.

Kim is on a wait list for Open-level obedience -- she is out of agility classes to take here so we would just be repeating most likely. There is a competition class I would love to put her in, but it's really far away and on the absolute worst night of the week...we would be able to make one class a month, tops 

Webster is in a competition obedience class next term...his agility situation is weird. He's much more advanced then his actual class level because, well, most dogs in his classes aren't doing agility a couple days a week and Web has the advantage of my having learned a lot with Kim. The class he's "supposed" to be in next doesn't even use full height equipment...but he's not allowed to skip ahead either. So I haven't decided what I'm doing on the agility *class* front with him, yet.


We will still go out and practice agility with friends (the 'course' vids above are from such a session, not from class) plus work on our own so it's not like we are walking away from agility by any means.



I hope that all makes sense lol...I get a bit babbly when talking about my pups


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## Squeeker

Makes a lot of sense to me. I know you mentioned before that your agility club wasn't very clicker-friendly, so it didn't surprise me that you weren't doing as many classes. Especially since you seem to have a good idea of what you should be doing, I am sure you will be able to do a lot of stuff on your own now. All of your dogs are coming along so nicely in their extra curriculars 

I can't WAIT until this spring when I'll be able to practice at home; the new house has such a yard! My DH is excited to make me a bunch of agility equipment. Bad thing is that we'll be moving away from our agility club... it's going to be an hour's drive for classes 



> Mira won't be actually doing equipment for a long time...we are laying a lot of foundation right now for anything and everything (recalls, bite inhibition, acting calmly around dogs running agility, crate-training for anywhere, uber socializing, how to play appropriately, impulse control, understanding my body movement and how it relates to her, etc. etc.). Just started with the collapsed tunnel with her as something that bothers a lot of dogs...have been doing the wobble board since she came home for the same reason.


Ah, puppies... oh the things I have learned that I did improperly with Libby! I think I did OK for my first dog, but all of these things will be so much easier the second time around! For me and the dog!


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> Bad thing is that we'll be moving away from our agility club... it's going to be an hour's drive for classes


That stinks! The yard is totally worth it, but Mira's puppy classes are just over an hour away (yes I'm bypassing my local club so I can use a clicker in the class...the instructor don't teach with clicker there, but let me use mine without harrassment), and let me tell you it kills the whole evening!



Squeeker said:


> Ah, puppies... oh the things I have learned that I did improperly with Libby! I think I did OK for my first dog, but all of these things will be so much easier the second time around! For me and the dog!


Yeah...same here with Kim lol. She didn't have as good a start as Mira, but still, I feel like I could have done a lot more for her once I got her. She's still my sweet girl, though, and has managed to rise above having a rookie owner lol. Webster's puppyhood shall be forever a mystery...all I know is he received no training beyond housetraining and "don't touch anything!", and didn't know what to do with other dogs...


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## RaeganW

@Squeeker - I remember when you posted pictures of the yard! Spring probably can't come soon enough, huh? 

@Shaina - Ok. I give up. I have no idea what size anyone's dogs are (specifically Webster, who looks totally different in relation to a human vs. Kim). It's got to be frustrating that he can't skip ahead, I always though there should be a "test in" option.


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## Shaina

RaeganW said:


> @Shaina - Ok. I give up. I have no idea what size anyone's dogs are (specifically Webster, who looks totally different in relation to a human vs. Kim). It's got to be frustrating that he can't skip ahead, I always though there should be a "test in" option.


Webster is deceiving, lol. People always think he's big when he's in a picture alone, but he's really only a 17-18", 24 lb. dog. Kim on the other hand is a 23.5" (official wicket) dog and 47 lbs.

Here it seems like dogs can "test in" because both of my older ones skipped ahead when we first moved here, but it seems like once they are in it's hard to skip ahead again. Web already did once, since he was "placed" in an obedience class which was a level below where he should have been, but apparently that is rare and not encouraged.


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## Solid Mutt

Hi All! 
It has been a while! Work has been keeping me swamped lately. I wanted to get on here and say MERRY CHRISTMAS to everybody and I hope everyone has safe and happy holidays! Voodoo and I have been great, no classes but working some at home weather pending. Voodoo and my Christmas came early when Hubby gave us our presents early... 




























I have to say we are super excited! It is awesome, I set up a whole course yesterday to try it all out. I am so stoked I just had to share! 

Here is Voodoo's Christmas picture, I typically would not worry about doing this but, it was to benefit the local humane society... 










ok, I will quit with the pictures now. LOL 

Squeeker - it sounds like you have been having awesome classes lately! CONGRATS! It sounds like Libby is smokin the weaves! I bet you can't wait to get into your new place in the spring and get more equipment.

Shaina - Congrats on all the success with Kim. She is doing excellent! GOOD WORK and KEEP IT UP! I loved the videos of Webster and Mira too. You do are a wonderful handler! Love watching your videos!

RaeganW - It sounds like you are learning alot. Keep up the good work. Sorry your classes are over for now but, I am sure they will pick back up soon! It sounds like you are getting some equipment at your house too, that is wonderful!

How is everyone else doing? 

Well I wanted to drop in a say hello. I have missed everyones posts. It took me a bit to get all caught up. LOL 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Amanda & Voodoo


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## agility collie mom

Hey everyone,
I haven't posted in a while in this thread. Classes are done until Jan. Weather has been awful so no practice for us. They were suppose to have run thrus at the club this past Sat. but, we got snowed out. I don't really like to practice in the snow or mud (other than muddy paws and ripping up the grass.) I worry about ACL tears in the crappy footing. Can't wait for classes to start up again. Kind of glad we don't have them right now with the holidays. Happy Holidays to all of you! 
ACM


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## emily445455

If we had more time and money I'd love to get my girls in agility.


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## Nargle

Agility is actually something I'm pretty interested in. I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions about agility classes!  I figured you guys would be the people to ask 

What kind of dog is a good dog for agility? What exactly is expected of them? Basil is pretty quick and agile, and I'm sure he'd enjoy running the obstacles, but he isn't very drivey or high-energy at all. He also has some minor anxiety issues that I'm working through, but he can get overwhelmed if I'm not careful. He's fine around other dogs off-leash, but if there's a whole ton of excitement, like a whole bunch of people jumping around and cheering, he gets a little freaked out. We've made a ton of progress with his anxiety, though, and I think the'll be doing a lot better in the future. He also doesn't have a lot of off-leash training, and if I understand correctly, agility is all off-leash. 

Also, what are the classes like? Are they expensive, or like regular obedience classes? How about practice? I live in an apartment with no yard, is there still a way we can practice? 

I'm sorry if this is derailing your thread! Though some advice from experienced agility people would be wonderful


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## Shaina

Okay this is just based on my experience so take it with a grain of salt...the relevant parts being four dog clubs in two states, two different dogs one of whom started out with reactivity/fear issues, and having lived in both an apartment and a house. But I'll do my best so here goes...



Nargle said:


> What kind of dog is a good dog for agility? What exactly is expected of them? Basil is pretty quick and agile, and I'm sure he'd enjoy running the obstacles, but he isn't very drivey or high-energy at all.


Any dog that's physically sound. Seriously. 

Okay if your goal is to be on the U.S. National team then you are somewhat limited in breed type, but any dog can do agility...a dog that is food- or toy-motivated at all is the easiest to train but it's amazing what people come up with to motivate their dogs for the game. 




Nargle said:


> He also has some minor anxiety issues that I'm working through, but he can get overwhelmed if I'm not careful. He's fine around other dogs off-leash, but if there's a whole ton of excitement, like a whole bunch of people jumping around and cheering, he gets a little freaked out. We've made a ton of progress with his anxiety, though, and I think the'll be doing a lot better in the future.


It's often said that agility really helps boost the confidence of anxious dogs and from what I've seen this is very very true, provided the training is done at the dog's pace and is entirely positive. You know your dog best though...I can't really say how he would be, having never met the little guy.



Nargle said:


> He also doesn't have a lot of off-leash training, and if I understand correctly, agility is all off-leash.


Recall Recall Recall! Cannot possibly be understated. If he's that anxious he will probably stick near you anyway, but he will need to be able to deal with other dogs running about as well. And if he stayed by you because he's nervous, don't let that be an excuse to skimp on recall training. If, as we hope, he becomes more confident as he trains, then skimping now could really burn you later!



Nargle said:


> Also, what are the classes like? Are they expensive, or like regular obedience classes?


Depends on your area -- here they cost roughly the same as obedience, maybe slightly more due to larger area needed and the wear and tear on equipment.



Nargle said:


> How about practice? I live in an apartment with no yard, is there still a way we can practice?


Like an other dog sport, attention exercises, moving together on the flat, staying focused in strange places, etc. play easily as big a role (bigger, IMO) as obstacle execution. So the little things you work on at home, on walks, at the store, where ever, are far more important to enjoying agility and staying safe than how many times you go over a regulation-sized dog walk between classes.




Hope this helps...sorry for the delay...wandered off mid-post lol


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## RaeganW

Shaina's got me beat on the experience side of things, but since Basil has similar issues to Gatsby (I swear, they should start a focus group or something) I thought I'd chime in. Definitely work on some off-leash skills, but in my class the dogs are generally only off-leash during their turn. This is good for control, but Gatsby likes to shriek when it isn't his turn. -_- This can vary by location, some places will require really strong obedience skills while others will take less advanced dogs. I've found clubs are more stringent vs. private trainers. www.googility.com is a search engine for agility stuffs.

Agility is a whole lot of management. I find that giving him something to distract him with (pushups, targeting, on the table-off the table, c&t contact position over here while they're running over there) helps LOADS. Keeping him moving helps. "I can't bark, I have to look where I'm going!" We do the loose leash "crazy owner" game a lot. I ask for things really fast (things he knows very well, like down and touch) and then just shovel food down his throat.

Don't be afraid to tell your instructor when something isn't working/going to work, but don't be afraid to let Basil try anyway. Gatsby makes my every word a lie at class.


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## agility collie mom

One other thing. Most clubs offer a agility fundamentals class. It teaches focus for dogs and prepares them for obstacle training. Remember the "game" of agility is a game of chase with you and your dog. If you find a local club ask to sit in on a class without your dog. Talk to the people in the class and talk to the instructor. (Go to a beginners class to see if you like how that instructor teaches. Also it would give you an idea of what goes on in class.)


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## CorgiKarma

Sounds like everyone has been doing great with their classes! I've been so busy with the holidays and work that I haven't been on in months! Bailey and I are now in Competition 1 agility. Our biggest challenge so far is the weave poles, but we're getting there! Our club also just started a league where small teams compete gains one another once a week.


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## agility collie mom

Classes start again this week Yeah! Shooting for March for Rio's first trial. He's been ready I just don't know if I am (nerves.) Going to start CPE first because I heard that it is less stressful than AKC. Any tips from you guys would be helpful. Thanks.


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## Shaina

Hurray for classes starting back up 

Here's a recent vid of Kim and I playing around with part of a jumper's sequence I saw recently (that's Mira having a tantrum in the background ):


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## Squeeker

Nicely done! You really handled well at the 2nd jump after the tunnel, using your body to pull her to that jump and then pushing her away to go to the next one. I love how the pair of you run so smoothly!


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## agility collie mom

Shaina said:


> Hurray for classes starting back up
> 
> Here's a recent vid of Kim and I playing around with part of a jumper's sequence I saw recently (that's Mira having a tantrum in the background ):
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqrqwravGsc


As usual beautiful run with talented dog!


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## RaeganW

My dog is really, really fast. Like, "where the heck did my dog go- oh he just lapped the barn and is back looking for his cookie" fast. That is what I got out of our class tonight.

We're up to some real sequences now (table-weaves-jump and tunnel-3 pinwheel jumps) although that second one was tunnel-jump-race around the barn more often. Tunnels are a lot less scary when they're straight. 

We're at the point where I have to start figuring out where to be, which is hard because Gatsby wants me to be running with him (which I can't do, not even a little bit) and I have a habit of running straight into the obstacle myself. I'm telling ya, if the AKC didn't have that pesky rule that handlers need to not be doing human agility, we would be so set. Even so, I definately think we could be trialling by the end of the summer. I'd really love to debut at home in April, and we might be able to make that deadline if we really haul butt; it's just so cold! At least the tree is finally down, now we can be doing living room agility again.


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## Shaina

Had a startling reminder over the weekend that safety is of utmost importance when we do this sport with our dogs...

Took Kim and Webster to a fun match on Saturday. Webster's not ready to trial but he needs exposure in new places so it was good for him, and of course Kim just had a blast (well all did!).

During the third rounds of runs, an experienced Golden Retriever (has his AKC excellent title in standard and jumpers) was pounding up and across the dog walk. About two feet before the end of the middle plank he tripped and did a full front-somersault in the air before landing on the ground on his feet.

I think the heart of every person in the building skipped a beat as one.

Fortunately the dog is well-conditioned and had been warmed up and stretched prior to his run...he seemed to be fine, just enjoying all the wonderful attention being lavished upon him as people checked him over for injuries. Whether he was sore or an injury became apparent later I do not know...he was moving comfortably when they left a while later.

Scary stuff!


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## agility collie mom

Glad to hear the golden was ok! Savannah had a similar experience last night. The second or third time we did a short practice run teeter, tunnel, A-frame she fell from the top of the A-frame (full height) scared the crap out of me. She was fine because she landed on her feet and I grabbed scruff hair (only thing I could get a hold of) on the way down. Didn't faze her in the least. We did the tunnel and A-frame and she was air-borne over the apex of the A-frame! Our instructor on Tues. night with Rio had us run a couple of courses to see if our dogs were handler motivated or obstacle motivated. Both my dogs are handler motivated. Don't know if that's good or bad. But both classes were awesome. Savannah goes again tonight. She is my wild child and needs more handling that Rio. I also signed Rio up for his first trial the weekend of March 12-14. Keep you fingers crossed for me that he stays focused!


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## Lonewolfblue

Well, Nell has started another round of Agility classes. We are in Agility 2. She did great last night. We did get to work a little on the weaves as well, which is what she needs the most help with. Other than that, she does pretty well. Then towards the end of class we were doing long sequences. We were doing about 10-12 obsticles, and the only one making the mistakes was me, lol. Can't blame Nell because she was doing exactly what I was asking, and I got turned around a couple times, lol. But overall, I can't wait til next week. She's really loving it.

As for her shyness, she's really come a long way. She's getting better and better, and loves her trainers. We have a new trainer this time, and she barked a couple times at first, but as a little time went by, she was actually wanting her to pet her, lol. That was pretty fast, usually it took a few classes for her to get used to new people. But she's really loving it.


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## pamperedpups

How are you training the weaves? Have you looked into Susan Garrett's method? 12 poles... 12 days. http://www.clickerdogs.com


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## Lonewolfblue

We are doing 2x2's at the kennel club. As for at home, we have not been able to work on them as the ground is solid, and all I have is the stick in the ground poles. But Nell is catching on now, but the only problem is she gets so excited, she's so fast that she misses poles.


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## Lonewolfblue

And we just need to work some more on her entries. If the poles are on my left, she does pretty good, but if they are on my right, she still gets a little confused. So we are still working with angles of entry as well.


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## RaeganW

How do you like the 2x2 method? I'm super tempted to try it, but they're so darn expensive!

In other news, I got permission to use the barn + equipment when there aren't lessons going on! I'm going to try to go tomorrow during the day and so some tunnel work. Those are very scary, you understand.


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## Lonewolfblue

I think the 2x2's is pretty good. I'm still learning, and have tried a variety of different things that other trainers showed us. But I think I'll stick with the 2x2's for now. Since class is only one day a week, learning will be slow, but once it starts to warm up and the ground thaws, we'll get out much more and hope to master the weaves.

As for the tunnels, never had any problems with them with any of my dogs. They've always rocketed right through, and it's Nell's fav obsticle besides the A-Frame. The only other one that Nell sometimes does great and sometimes not so great is the teeter, due to the motion. So last night we got to work a bit with the teeter as well, then worked with slamming the teeter for the noise. The way this is done is have a table under the end of the teeter so the other end is about 8-12 inches off the ground. Then have the dog get on that end of the teeter from the side facing the end of the teeter. Nell was really slamming the teeter and loving it because she was getting treats for the loud bangs, lol.


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## agility collie mom

Lonewolfblue said:


> I think the 2x2's is pretty good. I'm still learning, and have tried a variety of different things that other trainers showed us. But I think I'll stick with the 2x2's for now. Since class is only one day a week, learning will be slow, but once it starts to warm up and the ground thaws, we'll get out much more and hope to master the weaves.
> 
> As for the tunnels, never had any problems with them with any of my dogs. They've always rocketed right through, and it's Nell's fav obsticle besides the A-Frame. The only other one that Nell sometimes does great and sometimes not so great is the teeter, due to the motion. So last night we got to work a bit with the teeter as well, then worked with slamming the teeter for the noise. The way this is done is have a table under the end of the teeter so the other end is about 8-12 inches off the ground. Then have the dog get on that end of the teeter from the side facing the end of the teeter. Nell was really slamming the teeter and loving it because she was getting treats for the loud bangs, lol.


Hey Lonewolfblue,
How are you? I've wondered where you have been. You are right as far as practice goes. With the crappy weather my Savannah is wild in class. It is so hard for her also to hit the weave poles at speed. She usually misses the entry pole and goes to the second one. But we are getting there it's about 50/50.


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## agility collie mom

RaeganW said:


> How do you like the 2x2 method? I'm super tempted to try it, but they're so darn expensive!
> 
> In other news, I got permission to use the barn + equipment when there aren't lessons going on! I'm going to try to go tomorrow during the day and so some tunnel work. Those are very scary, you understand.


There are free plans for weave poles made out of pvc on line. I will post a link later today. They are free standing so you can use them anywhere. Have to leave for work right now.


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## Lonewolfblue

We are doing pretty good here. I'm still a bit sore, but my lower back is doing quite a bit better. And the girls are just loving having Lucky around. They got a big treat last night, brought home some soup bones. They loved it.


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## agility collie mom

RaeganW said:


> How do you like the 2x2 method? I'm super tempted to try it, but they're so darn expensive!
> 
> In other news, I got permission to use the barn + equipment when there aren't lessons going on! I'm going to try to go tomorrow during the day and so some tunnel work. Those are very scary, you understand.


Here is the link with the plans
http://www.instantagility.com/2008/05/05/adjustable-channel-weave-poles/


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## Lonewolfblue

Well, we were going to go to Dog-ercise and Agility Practice last night, but when I got home from work, I noticed some blood in Nell's crate. She had chewed off one of her nails, and all that was left was the quick hanging loose, so we didn't go. I had contacted the vet after hours number, and they let me know that it was ok, and just to keep an eye on it and keep it clean. He said I can give her some asperine for the pain as well til the nerves recede and the nail should grow back. So I'm having her take it easy as it looks like it hurts. Hopefully it will be healed up enough by next week so we can do her Agility class.

As for the Dog-ercise class, it's a new class that the club has and is free. It's where we get to go and exercise with our dogs. Lots of fun, lol. They may charge for it later, but to see if there's any real interest, it's free for now.


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## MissMutt

I haven't updated in here in a while. We've been doing well; we're currently doing indoor classes in my club's small ring, and we're getting some good "skills" practice in.. threadles, offset jumps, weave entries, distance, things like that.

Our next trial will hopefully be April 2nd or 3rd - an AKC trial. I'll probably wind up sending in my entry and then just playing it by ear. If she's doing as well behaviorally then as she is now, we'll be in good shape.


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## agility collie mom

Rio and I went to an agility clinic today with trainer Donna Rohaus. It was a great clinic. She had us do weave pole entries and exits, threadles, wraps, post turns, etc. She also told us that the shortest path on course is not always the fastest. Rio and I have things we really need to practice. I learned a lot from her today. Whenever she comes back to the club I will definitely take Rio again!


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## Lonewolfblue

Last Wed. we went to Nell's agility class, even though the previous Friday she chewed off one of her toe nails. But we went to just get her out, since she's been couped up for so long while her injury was healing. Thought we would do the weaves a few times and watch everyone else, but she really wanted to join, so we did. She did very well. Her toe is healed up nicely as well, and she had no issues with anything. And she was the best one out there. The course we did was several jumps, along with the A-Frame, Teeter, Tire, and 2 tunnels. She did fantastic.


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## GottaLuvMutts

Now that we've started agility classes, I can finally post here! 

We're in week 9 now, but we didn't really see much equipment until about week 6. Things are finally getting really interesting! So far we've done tunnels, table, a very low dog walk, and hoops. And lots and lots of target work. I'm proud to say that Kit is the only dog working off leash already. She has also developed an interesting habit: when something new is demonstrated, she watches carefully, and then repeats it herself. Then she looks back at me as if to say "See? I don't need you to tell me what to do! Gimme the **** treat already!"

After class last night, I stayed for a minute to ask for clarification on an exercise. The instructor answered my question, and in the mean time, the assistant came wandering over. Then the instructor says "By the way, we're both absolutely DROOLING over your dog! Her attention is squarely on you, which is great, especially at this stage of the game." Made me so proud! I'm pretty used to Kit's admirers now because she's a fairly unique looking dog, but compliments on things other than her appearance are rather rare.

Can't wait to graduate to the big doggy equipment...but right now, we have some exercises to practice.


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## Lonewolfblue

Well, we missed last week's Agility class. Nell's toe started swelling up again, and started walking on 3 legs, so we went to the vet. The swelling was just due to the nail coming back through and pushing against the skin, and he didn't see much for any infection, but we have her on antibiotics and anti-inflamatory anyways to help her. So we skipped the class. He said she's probably going to be sore for a couple of weeks til it gets out past the skin and growing out again. But other than that, he said the nail bed looks really good.

As for Lucky, my new rescue, he's doing great. I've been working with him a little in Obedience now. I think he's going to do fantastic in Obedience, as he has a very mellow personality and loves people. So he won't have any issues being touched by the judge, he just may not stay when he's supposed to and go and greet the judge, lol. He's also a great jumper as well, he just glides through the air. When he runs to the bedroom and jumps up on my tall bed, it's like he glides in slow motion, lol. He leaps from about 6 feet away from the bed and lands perfectly on the bed. And he's got great form too. But as for jumping courses, we are not doing that yet. He's still too young, and don't want to mess with his joints. The only jumping he does is jumping on his own, like on and off the bed, the sofa, or over the couple of large rocks in my yard when they are playing.

As for Chloe, she's doing great as well. Since the Competition Obedience trainer doesn't do the classes at the Kennel Club during the winter, she's had a break away from classes. The next one starts in March, I'll definitely have Chloe in the class. And hoping we can get her Rally Advanced title this summer. I haven't worked with her much lately though, as I've had other things going on as well as getting injured at work a while back ago and was limited in what I could do for 3-4 months. But I recently got off L&I now, but still do get a bit sore, and have to take it easy. So it's time to start getting back into training mode again, Rally for Chloe and Competition Obedience and Rally for Lucky, and continue Agility with Nell.


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## LazyGRanch713

Gotta join in on this thread 
Tag has been in agility since the beginning of november (he started at 6 months old), and is a natural. Me, not so much. The only obstacle he bulks at is the teeter, the farthest he's gotten is going up one side, stopping at the center (the trainer holds the teeter so it doesn't slam down on him), and he turns around and goes back down (and stops at his contact zone, lol). Every time another dog runs the course and makes the teeter crash to the ground, he gets a treat. He really spooked at the sound the first night, but I pretended not to notice. He was clicked for looking at it, sniffing it, placing a paw on it, etc, and we've worked up to this point. I've also done the "boogie board" thing at home, put a board on a book and clicked interaction with it so he gets used to things moving under his feet. 
OTOH, we started him on weave poles a few weeks ago. For the last 2 weeks, he's done 6 poles in a row with me just telling him to weave, which is pretty awesome! (I think weave poles are fun, so maybe he does too?) 
I'm loving this class!


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## RaeganW

Man, it's been a while since I posted! Not a whole lot to update, really. Tunnels are less scary, but also kind of stupid because he can _see_ me right over there, why should he have to run farther? In the dark no less. 

Loves contacts and the table.

Attention continues to be my biggest hurdle. There was a course set up already when I went to use the barn, which was nice because I use more equipment if I don't have to drag it around myself.  He'll run with me (and stay with me better if we're doing a sequence than just one obstacle), but isn't watching me to know what obstacles to take. Then I lose him and run into a wing because I'm trying to find him. 

Sigh, we really just need a stronger foundation. There's talk of a foundations class at the kennel club in the Spring that I'd like to take.


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## Lonewolfblue

I finally took Nell to Agility class again, her foot is doing really well. And she had a blast. We were the only student tonight, so we got to do lots of runs, and after about 40 minutes, she layed down and looked at me like, ok, I'm done, lol. We did some jump sequences, the tire, the dog walk, some teeter practice, and weave poles. I couldn't believe the very first try she hit all 6 weave poles perfectly, then after that, couldn't get a repeat of it, lol. Then we worked a bit on other things, then came back to the weaves again and it took a bit, but we got another good one in. Her problem is she's tending to enter between pole 2 and 3, skips the first one. So we need to take a step back and work some more with the 2x2's. Now that things have thawed out here, I'll be taking my weave poles out in the yard, they are the stick-in-the-ground type. We also did some figure-8's with a jump, she did really good. Overall she had a great class. And I was pooped as well, lol.


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## agility collie mom

It's been a long time coming but Rio and I just finished our first agility trial together. We did CPE Level 1 24". We played fullhouse and wildcard. We did standard and jumpers. We Q'd in all four runs! The only one we had faults in was standard he knocked a bar down because I turned him too tight. He took first in all four runs! I am so proud of my boy! We both are very tired after a very long day. Guess I will have to look for the next trial that we can attend!
We had so much fun!!!!


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## Shaina

Congrats, ACM! CPE is so much fun


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## nneessaa

Scruffs and I have completed agility 1. He can do everything but the weave polls. That was months ago and he has only been working on jumps and tire jumps (that's all I have here!) so he probably forgot the chute and tunnel. It is so funny he just loves everything since it always means he gets a treat! 

I'm not going to lie, he was the BEST jumper in the entire class. They would all watch him since he was so cute . He just looks straight forward to the next jump and takes like huge strides in between each one. 

My problem would be his "drive." He has NO interest for anything other than treats outside. We did exercise pens to start introducing the weaving technique and he would go through it so slowly the entire class would just laugh at him haha. I'm like GOOO SCRUFF LETS GO!! and he is like la dee da... any suggestions? The trainer brought out a squeaker toy that was scented with some animal and all the dogs in the class wanted it and Scruffs didn't even pay attention to it at all.

He does like toys in the house. He has an on/off switch for when he wants toys but I can't figure out how it works. As soon as there is a treat, toys don't exist anymore to him.

We are going to take agility 1 again since it has been so long and there are no open agility 2 classes right now. I can't wait!


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## Squeeker

Great job, Agility Collie Mom! That's awesome! Rio deserves a pat!

I have been taking a special agility course this session that is handler-only. Its goal is to teach all of the rules and technicalities of the different games in AAC agility, and how to strategize for each course. 

It's been VERY interesting and also very helpful as some of the courses (like snooker and gamblers) are a bit intimidating at first glance.

I have one more lesson of this and then Libby and I will be taking Starters in preparation for competition. We'll also be doing Canine Cup, which is basically a series of fun matches to get ready for the real deal. I have already registered Libby in AAC and we've received our competition card, so we should be ready to compete this summer!!!

One of my friends in class lent me a book, "Dogged Pursuit" by Robert Rodi. It was a very entertaining read! It's about a guy and his rescue sheltie, Dusty, and their competition experiences in agility. It's really funny! I recommend it!


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## agility collie mom

Squeeker said:


> Great job, Agility Collie Mom! That's awesome! Rio deserves a pat!
> 
> I have been taking a special agility course this session that is handler-only. Its goal is to teach all of the rules and technicalities of the different games in AAC agility, and how to strategize for each course.
> 
> It's been VERY interesting and also very helpful as some of the courses (like snooker and gamblers) are a bit intimidating at first glance.
> 
> I have one more lesson of this and then Libby and I will be taking Starters in preparation for competition. We'll also be doing Canine Cup, which is basically a series of fun matches to get ready for the real deal. I have already registered Libby in AAC and we've received our competition card, so we should be ready to compete this summer!!!
> 
> One of my friends in class lent me a book, "Dogged Pursuit" by Robert Rodi. It was a very entertaining read! It's about a guy and his rescue sheltie, Dusty, and their competition experiences in agility. It's really funny! I recommend it!


Thanks Squeeker! In your handlers class did they have you reading the maps, planning your strategy and than walking the course? The maps are very helpful. It helps you memorize the course. I found that it was a lot easier than memorizing them in class. You are right about the games. In wild card I walk three different strategies just in case I missed the first b that is required. I'll have to read that book.


Thanks Shaina!!!


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## Squeeker

> Thanks Squeeker! In your handlers class did they have you reading the maps, planning your strategy and than walking the course? The maps are very helpful. It helps you memorize the course. I found that it was a lot easier than memorizing them in class. You are right about the games. In wild card I walk three different strategies just in case I missed the first b that is required.


The class is really neat. First we learned all of the rules for the game, and then we plan our strategy and walk the course. Then, we take turns judging and scribing while some demo dogs run the course. It's great as we get to see what can go wrong and where one might be whistled off, as well as different strategies for the different games. It's great! I'm so glad I took this course.


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> The class is really neat. First we learned all of the rules for the game, and then we plan our strategy and walk the course. Then, we take turns judging and scribing while some demo dogs run the course. It's great as we get to see what can go wrong and where one might be whistled off, as well as different strategies for the different games. It's great! I'm so glad I took this course.


Sounds like a good class! I basically learned the CPE games (jackpot, snooker, wildcard, colors, fullhouse) on the fly...I may have been more confident if I'd had something like this lol. 

One of the best things I've learned is to walk the course the first time from the dog's viewpoint. Try to see what the dog sees coming off of each obstacle without regard to what _you_ know the course is...then plan your handling strategy based on where your dog needs the most guidance and where they can be trusted to figure things out the most easily.


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## agility collie mom

Shaina said:


> Sounds like a good class! I basically learned the CPE games (jackpot, snooker, wildcard, colors, fullhouse) on the fly...I may have been more confident if I'd had something like this lol.
> 
> One of the best things I've learned is to walk the course the first time from the dog's viewpoint. Try to see what the dog sees coming off of each obstacle without regard to what _you_ know the course is...then plan your handling strategy based on where your dog needs the most guidance and where they can be trusted to figure things out the most easily.


I agree. I've heard that colors and jackpot are harder games. Did you find that to be true? I've not heard anything about snooker.


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## Shaina

agility collie mom said:


> I agree. I've heard that colors and jackpot are harder games. Did you find that to be true? I've not heard anything about snooker.


I think jackpot and snooker are generally seen as the most difficult...colors is actually really simple once you see it. It's just that the descriptions in the rulebook can be rather convoluted lol. In colors there are basically two courses out at once...you pick one of them and run it, ignoring the other one. That's all there is to it lol.

Jackpot is probably the most confusing because the game changes depends on the judge...there's traditional and non-traditional jackpot, and you don't really know which is being played until the judge's briefing. There's a lot of strategy involved if you want to win...if you are just trying to Q it's not too bad.

Snooker is fun but more complicated to explain. Like Jackpot, there's a lot of strategy involved if you want to win...if you are just trying to Q it's not too bad.


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## Shaina

Back in the saddle...

After taking a nearly 3 months off agility (mostly, anyway) to focus on obedience, Kim & I are back to it, prepping for a May trial...we're going to give this AKC thing a shot since a local club I really like is putting on a trial...between now and then we are moving and I am traveling out of state at least one week, probably two. Should be fun lol.


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## agility collie mom

Good luck to both of you and let us know how things go. (Trial and the move.)


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## Squeeker

Moving again? I don't envy you! Good luck with the move and the trials!


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## Shaina

agility collie mom said:


> Good luck to both of you and let us know how things go. (Trial and the move.)


Thanks  We're re-taking a competition class Kim has taken before to get us back in the groove of doing agility in crowded room, etc, since I've had a hard time making our weekend agility group practices lately.



Squeeker said:


> Moving again? I don't envy you! Good luck with the move and the trials!


Yup, moving again...now with a third dog and a 90gallon fish tank, lol. Fortunately we're moving about 20 miles instead of 300 like we did last time, so it won't be too bad .


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## Squeeker

I had a 77g tank but opted to sell it before we moved. I miss it more than I thought I would. A 20 mile move is not nearly as bad as a 300 mile move, though!

In agility-related news, I volunteered as a scribe at our club's first trial of the year yesterday. It was a good competition, and I learned a lot!

After the trial I was helping to tear down and I was talking to one of my friends (who is also an instructor at the club) and was mentioning how I was excited to build my own agility equipment now that I had the space to use it. She mentioned that the club had recently gotten rid of some of their old, worn equipment, and that I should ask the owner if it was still kicking around. So I did, and I came home with 3 tunnels and their sand bags, a latticed double jump with bars, and a set of weave poles!!! There's nothig wrong with the stuff; the tunnels just a little too worn to use for competition any more, and one of the lattice pieces fell off the lattice jump (it just needs a few screws), but it'll be fine for us! I'm SO excited! Photos this weekend! Of course I can't set it up yet because we're getting freezing rain here...


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## agility collie mom

Squeeker said:


> I had a 77g tank but opted to sell it before we moved. I miss it more than I thought I would. A 20 mile move is not nearly as bad as a 300 mile move, though!
> 
> In agility-related news, I volunteered as a scribe at our club's first trial of the year yesterday. It was a good competition, and I learned a lot!
> 
> After the trial I was helping to tear down and I was talking to one of my friends (who is also an instructor at the club) and was mentioning how I was excited to build my own agility equipment now that I had the space to use it. She mentioned that the club had recently gotten rid of some of their old, worn equipment, and that I should ask the owner if it was still kicking around. So I did, and I came home with 3 tunnels and their sand bags, a latticed double jump with bars, and a set of weave poles!!! There's nothig wrong with the stuff; the tunnels just a little too worn to use for competition any more, and one of the lattice pieces fell off the lattice jump (it just needs a few screws), but it'll be fine for us! I'm SO excited! Photos this weekend! Of course I can't set it up yet because we're getting freezing rain here...


Wow that's really great!! It was great that your friend and the club gave you that equipment. I just took all my stuff out of storage for the winter. Set everything up in the back yard including the teeter. I'm going to have to finish the double that I started last year. The weather got too bad and I quit working on it. But now that spring is here.......


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## Squeeker

I know!! I can't believe they gave it to me for free! I was willing to fork over some cash... that stuff isn't cheap!

Next I'm going to build more jumps from PVC, and a tire and pause table witll be pretty easy too. Eventually I'll get around to building a teeter, A-frame, and dogwalk... I just want to make sure it's light enough that I can put it away by myself, or it will be a nuisance.


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## Kyllobernese

We set up our equipment at my sister's place, trained one day, then we got more snow. It has cleared up since but been really windy and cold. My sister is going to be moving probably in May, then instead of being a couple of miles from me, she will be about 17 miles away. She does have a small outdoor arena though that will work out really well for the equipment as the ring is really too small for riding the horses in, so that is good.

The arena in town is still closed but hopefully it will all get settled up for next winter. The people who have the proper Agility equipment are going to set it up in their field once the snow all goes. They are only about seven miles from me so I will be able to train there as well as at my sister's. Can hardly wait to start doing it regularly again.


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## Solid Mutt

Hi Everyone! 

It seems like it has been a long time since I have posted.  It is so great to read how everyone is doing and that with spring here that everyone is getting back in to gear for the season.  

ACM - CONGRATS on your CPE Q's and Placements! YAY!!!

Squeeker - That is AWESOME news about all the equipment! You GO GIRL! That was so super NICE!!!  

Shaina - I do not envy the moving part for you. I hope it all goes smooth and easy. At least it is a shorter distance than the last time.  

All is well here. A couple months ago I started training with a new instructor that has a limited amount of students instead of the mass classes we had been attending. We have been to 3 trials since Jan. This past weekend was a large trial in our area. It was in conjunction with AKC conformation, obedience and rally. It was awesome, lots of shopping and a crazy amount of dogs. I was pretty nervous about it. I was told it can be very distracting on a young dog. Made me second guess attending. After talking with my instuctor it sounded like no matter what it would be great experience and also a good place to just get her out in big crowds and practice focus. I will keep this short but my only goal for the weekend was to keep her in the ring with me, have fun and just work on focus. To my surprise my girl had her game face on. We went 7 for 8 for Q's and placements. We earned 3 titles including our NF, NAJ, OA  I can NOT even begin to say how proud I am of my girl. The best part was we just had fun. 










I however caught the flu while I was there apparently and well have been on the couch since Monday night.


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## agility collie mom

Wow!! Look at that beautiful girl with all her ribbons. Congratulations to both of you for a job well done. It is fun playing agility!!!


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## MegaMuttMom

Ditto on the wow with all those ribbons!!!!!

I am so proud, today my instructor took the time to comment on what a nice team Cherokee and I have become. We've come a long way 

We've been working a lot on all kinds of turns and crosses and really confusing patterns. We haven't used a lot of different equipment lately because I think the teacher is focusing really strongly on handling and communication skills between you and your dog. It doesn't make for exciting video but, it is giving me confidence that Cherokee and I might get to a trial some day because he will do whatever I ask, IF I ask him clearly enough and keep my eye on him so I don't let him get lost. It is quite interesting to learn how closely he watches the slightest movements in my body and, if he gets confused, he finds something else to do, which is often searching for crumbs on the floor. He acts like a doofus but, he is really in tune at the same time.

One of my classmates is really asking me if we are going to trial. I don't know.....we might.........


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## Shaina

Congrats SolidMutt!


That sounds awesome, MMM -- I would love to see a vid. I really wish we had learned handling in classes...it's just not covered at all here, really, so I had to learn most of it on my own (and am still learning). Your instructor sounds great every time you talk about him.


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## Solid Mutt

Thanks Everyone. Yes, ACM you are right agility is LOTS of fun!!! 

MMM- It sounds like you have a great instructor! Like Shaina I wish I had that when we started, definitely would have been a GREAT benefit! I have that now with my current instuctor and enjoy it so much! It sounds like you and Cherokee are doing GREAT!!! If you decide to trial I have no doubt you will become addicted. I know after my first trial I was HOOKED!


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## LynnI

Hi,

I am new to this forum and I am completely addicted to agility and have been for a long time now.

I compete in AAC at a Masters level with my one dog and my other dogs are at various levels. I have a new puppy that I bred and she is 7 months old. At this point I am focusing her training on obedience and Rally along with some tricks. But she is getting a little bit of foundations agility training too! Now that the warmer weather is here and the footing is ok, I'll start taking her down to my agility ring for a little more serious training.

Oh, btw I have 6 Jrts. 

Cheers,
Lynn


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## Squeeker

Solid Mutt, Woah, great boatload of ribbons!!! Your pup looks so humble in that photo, too! WTG!

MMM, it sounds like your classes are going really well. I think you and Cherokee will do great when you decide you're ready to trial!

Lynn1, welcome to the forum! I see you compete in AAC - where in Canada are you? We'd love to see some photos or video of your pups in action if you have them!

As for me, I had my last AAC Games class last night. We worked on "Team". I think it's my least favourite of the games, but we had a TON of fun last night! Everyone in the class really started to get to know each other and we were all talking and laughing so it was a great time. We were having so much fun we didn't realize the time... Class ended at 8:30 but we were all still working an hour later 

I picked up the last of the agility equipment yesterday! I really want to get outside and do some work with Libby this afternoon... she hasn't done agility since before Christmas  and I have the itch!

We will start classes after Easter. I've also signed up for the K9 Kup, which is a series of fun matches to prepare for trialing. I can't wait!


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## Kyllobernese

My sister got a new camera and it has a delay so missed the first part of Remmy's weaves. Our classes don't start for another couple of weeks as we have to do them outside but we started doing some practice on our homemade equipment. My sister's dog Mikey decided to get in on the action.

Our first trial will probably be the 1st of May and I am sure looking forward to it although Remmy will be showing in Advanced so will have to speed myself up a bit.


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## LynnI

Hi Squeeker,

Ha, welcome to the club of people who don't like Team!! I am familiar with K9 Kup but have never gone.

I live about 2 1/2 hrs west of Ottawa and I trial a lot in the Kingston area plus I use to go to Dreamfields years ago, but tend to not trial as much now or travel as far. I trial about once every 2 months during the winter and once or twice a month during the summer now instead of many times each month.

Here is a couple of pic's 










At Regionals










And at Nationals.










All photo's copyrighted to Ado Jack Russell Terriers.


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## Squeeker

kyllobernese, cute video! The other dog really wanted to join in! Remmy's weaves look good!

LynnI, nice photos! Haha, you went to Dreamfields... small world! I was at both Regionals and Nationals this year as a volunteer so I probably saw you and your dog run 

Here is Libby with the new equipment! Weave poles are absent... they need just a little refurbishment before they're useful.


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## RaeganW

Squeeker that is some NICE STUFF! I'm super jealous!


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## agility collie mom

Just curious as to who does 2o2o contacts and who does running contacts. Squeeker we are all coming to your house. Really nice equipment!


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## Lonewolfblue

I do running contacts. I can't get Nell to stop at the bottom of the Aframe, and only sometimes on the teeter, so we just slow her down by saying Slow and when I see her hit the yellow, I give her the Break command and she takes off for the next obsticle.


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## LynnI

My dog has running contacts, stopped for teeter, I instruct my students for a very fast 2o2o or stopped (depends on what they want)

With my pup, DW stopped, Frame (2o2o fast release), teeter stopped.


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## MissMutt

We're still alive! (lol)

I do a 2o2o A-Frame, 2o2o Dog Walk and a running teeter (primarily because what I want right now is for her to get over the teeter without getting scared)

Our first AKC trial is Friday. I'm excited and nervous. This is so much bigger than our NADAC trial in November!


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## Squeeker

We do 2o2o contacts. 



> Squeeker we are all coming to your house. Really nice equipment!





> Squeeker that is some NICE STUFF! I'm super jealous!


Haha, thanks! We're loving it so far!

I've finished refurbishing the weave poles so I hope to do some weave work this weekend. We're supposed to have FANTASTIC weather this weekend, so we'll be outside a lot! Yay to a 4-day weekend!


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## RaeganW

We do 2o2o (which are looking NICE btw ) on the A-frame and Dogwalk, and a 4o on the teeter because Gatsby's a delicate little flower that makes the teeter tip over oh so gently. 

This weekend I'm going to build him a little mini teeter and see if we can't get a some more enthusiasm for slamming that thing down, and also weaves. I'm on break these two weeks and the weather has been gorgeous! I'm really nervous about trying to teach weaves at home though, I don't want to mess my dog up.  Sooo close to buying Susan Garrett's 2x2 DVD, but it's so darned expensive!

In general though, SUPER proud of my boy. Sometimes it's starting to look like he's got a brain in there after all, not just scent receptors. 



> Our first AKC trial is Friday. I'm excited and nervous. This is so much bigger than our NADAC trial in November!


Best of luck to you and Marge! Have FUN!


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## Squeeker

Good luck tomorrow, MissMutt! The two of you will do great!

Libby and I practiced with the newly-refurbished weaves this evening  I set up something really easy for her because she's never done weaves outside of our agility club. I think she liked it! Here's a video (pardon the awful watermark... I used to edit my videos on Photobucket, but they seem to have removed that feature )



I think it's interesting that she'll take a ball as a reward at home, but nothing but food will do in agility classes. I think it's funny that she returned the ball to me by going over the jump... I have never taught her to do that!

I'm happy with how those 6 poles turned out, so I am going to do the other 6 the same way.

Our next class starts on the 15th! Can't wait!


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## Shaina

Awesome, Squeeker!! Libby is so cute. And your yard....oh your yard is just lovely lol. 


Kim & I are going to miss our first week of class since I'll be out of town


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## LynnI

Lol, yes that equipment looks very familiar, believe we've Q'd a few times on it as well. Nice of her to give it too you.


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## GottaLuvMutts

A little agility update...

We're now ~10 weeks into classes, so really still just getting started. We're working on multiple-obstacle courses now. We've done table, tunnel, dog walk, hoops, and we've started weave polls. I'm looking forward to the teeter. We're also working hard on contact zones and practicing this on stairs at home. 

Things are going pretty well for us in class. Biggest challenge right now is that Kit loves to talk back (excitement barking) right after the release. It's high-pitched and REALLY annoying. I'm loving how nicely she ignores the other dogs/people/food while we're in class.

As soon as my backyard dries out a bit, I have some borrowed equipment that I'm looking forward to using: 2 jumps, a set of weave polls, and four smaller jumps that I'm going to convert into hoops tomorrow. Things should really start moving fast as soon as I can get all of that set up. Come ON nice weather!!!

And one small brag: The people in our class were never formally introduced at the beginning, so most of us are still struggling with each other's names and the dog's names. Someone told me last night that they just think of Kit as "the lightning dog" cause she's so darn fast! I've been wanting a middle name for her for a while now (her first name is so short!), so I think I just found it.


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## MegaMuttMom

Agility was so much fun yesterday! The puppy class in the other ring was full of children because they had the day off of school so, they were all hanging over the wall watching agility. When my trainer asked if Cherokee was ready for his second run, one of the kids said "I bet he is!" They were so excited by how fast he is 

But, the biggest treat was showing off that Cherokee is actually obedient. Cherokee has a reputation of being VERY exuberant and excitable. He is pretty close to over threshold with stress and/or excitement when we are in the building so, I have done tons of work on getting and keeping his attention. I reward him fairly steadily for calm and quiet while we are waiting our turn.

Well, I had left his leash at the beginning of the course which was across the room so I told him to down stay so I could walk and get it. You should have seen the jaws drop on the other people when he just lay there quietly until I got back. They never believe me when I say that Cherokee is a quiet couch potato at home. I would never survive him if he was as amped up at home as he is at agility! So, my good boy was just that, a very good boy.


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## MissMutt

We did it! We did it! We Q'd in Novice Standard! (And got really close in JWW!)

I'm so happy I made the decision to try AKC!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DApLRmoab48










I know I haven't been around this thread much, but now that my outdoor classes are starting back up, I'll have lots more to talk about! Sounds like everyone is doing really well!


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## Kyllobernese

Congratulations, your dog did really well. You should have lots of fun with him. I couldn't do Agility all winter because the only arena was shut down. The weather got a little better and we got in a couple of days at my sisters, then it has been so windy and cold with snow flurries off and on, that we are back on doing nothing for a while again. Love to watch videos of other people doing Agility when I can't do it myself.


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## Shaina

MMM -- That's fantastic! Hurray for you & Cherokee (I love Cherokee)

MissMutt -- Congrats on your Q (and your valiant attempt in JWW). Are you running again today/tomorrow?



Kim and I...well it's going to be interesting lol. I signed us up for an agility seminar at our club quite a while ago...then ended up concentrating on obedience for a while...then she twisted something a bit about a week ago so I didn't want her doing agility...and I leave for a business trip Monday and don't return until Friday...the seminar is Saturday...yeah...

And we're registered to try AKC agility in May...which is only a few weeks away and we are moving in that time...yeah it's going to be interesting.


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## MissMutt

Thank you! No, Shaina, I decided to do only one day. I have to rely on other people (AKA my boyfriend of 3 yrs lol) to go with me, since I don't drive on the highway and don't like going alone anyway. I thought it would be too much for all of us to do more than one day, especially since I had no idea how it would go. Our next trial is May 7 and 8, though, and we will be doing both days.

I hope you like AKC. They've been really cool about this whole mixed breed program thing. A money making ploy, maybe, but it's one that a lot of people could benefit from since AKC trials are so much more widespread (here, at least) than the other venues. And everyone there was so supportive.

I hope Kim's leg is OK!


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## MegaMuttMom

MissMutt said:


> We did it! We did it! We Q'd in Novice Standard! (And got really close in JWW!)
> 
> I'm so happy I made the decision to try AKC!
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DApLRmoab48
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know I haven't been around this thread much, but now that my outdoor classes are starting back up, I'll have lots more to talk about! Sounds like everyone is doing really well!


She looks so beautiful with her ribbon decoration!! Congratulations!!


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## Squeeker

> Awesome, Squeeker!! Libby is so cute. And your yard....oh your yard is just lovely lol.


Thanks Shaina! We're taking full advantage of the yard this weekend. Libby's not used to spending so much time outside, but it's been 28C the past two days so we've been doing yard work and maintenance on the house, so she's been outside a lot. It's our own little paradise!

So what did Kim twist? Leg, back...? Hope she feels better soon. You sound like you have a busy month or so ahead of you...



> Lol, yes that equipment looks very familiar, believe we've Q'd a few times on it as well. Nice of her to give it too you


Yup, you probably did! I was super lucky to be in the right place at the right time!

GottaLuvMutts, your class sounds like it's going well! Kit sounds like a character... we need to see video of your lightning dog!

MegaMuttMom, Cherokee sounds like such a good boy! Isn't it nice when they make us proud in public? 

MissMutt, congrats! Very nice run, and what a great ribbon! Are there any big differences between AKC and NADAC that you had to prepare for?


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> So what did Kim twist? Leg, back...? Hope she feels better soon. You sound like you have a busy month or so ahead of you...


Back right leg. Honestly she acted like nothing had happened 15 minutes later, but I'm a bit paranoid about making my dog lame over a game and played it ultra safe.


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## MissMutt

> MissMutt, congrats! Very nice run, and what a great ribbon! Are there any big differences between AKC and NADAC that you had to prepare for?


Thanks so much! And, before I forget, let me say CONGRATS on getting all of that nice equipment - it is going to be so nice for you to train on your own turf (at that BEAUTIFUL house of yours!)

The difference between AKC and NADAC.. umm, hm. Well, the trial was a whole lot bigger, so I couldn't really get away with just walking around the park in between runs. I don't have a tent, but my friend from the club was nice enough to let me set up Marge's crate in hers. If we didn't do that, I don't think the day would have been pleasant at all!

The whole measuring thing was pretty big, too. Since Marge jumps 20+ in NADAC, she didn't have to get measured. In AKC, she had to be measured, regardless of jump height. I worked with her and the wicket quite a few times before trial day to prepare for that.. and it didn't go badly at all (the measuring official was very nice).

Otherwise, it was pretty much the same. The courses are more twisty turny, there's more equipment (teeter, table, etc. not in NADAC) but that was otherwise it.. I was really happy with how "simple" the whole thing was!


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## agility collie mom

MissMutt said:


> We did it! We did it! We Q'd in Novice Standard! (And got really close in JWW!)
> 
> I'm so happy I made the decision to try AKC!
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DApLRmoab48
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know I haven't been around this thread much, but now that my outdoor classes are starting back up, I'll have lots more to talk about! Sounds like everyone is doing really well!


Congratulations!! What a great run for both of you.


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## Squeeker

> Back right leg. Honestly she acted like nothing had happened 15 minutes later, but I'm a bit paranoid about making my dog lame over a game and played it ultra safe.


I don't blame you one bit. It's not worth it! Glad she's OK though.



> Thanks so much! And, before I forget, let me say CONGRATS on getting all of that nice equipment - it is going to be so nice for you to train on your own turf (at that BEAUTIFUL house of yours!)


 Thanks! 

It sounds like you had a really good experience with AKC. I didn't know there was no teeter and table in NADAC... strange. I'm sure you'll be raking in the titles in no time!


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## Shaina

Well I met up with a few friends today and we ran some agility...Kim did just wonderfully. Absolutely fantastic. She was going back and forth between handler- and obstacle-focus exactly where she should, nailed the weaves at turbo speed, stuck her contacts, etc. I bobbled once and she took off and made up her own course but (a) that's my fault and (b) the course she made up was the most logical course based on my bobble, so she really was doing what I asked as far as she was concerned. 

She was running full out though and dang I forgot how fast she is...even faster after a couple months of conditioning without equipment (ball diamond, ball park, woods, walks, jogs, rollerblading, etc.) I needed a 2.5 jump leadout to pull off a properly timed front cross into the fourth jump. The next month is going to be fantastic...I am so excited lol.


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## Solid Mutt

Squeeker - I love, love, love all your equipment!!! Your video is great too. Libby is just such a good girl!!!

MM- Congrats on your Q and placement at your first AKC trial! I LOVE Marge's Picture! She looks GREAT!!!  I have fallen in LOVE with AKC, I am so glad you enjoyed it and everyone was so welcoming! That is the same type of atmosphere I felt as well.  

Shaina - I am sorry about Kim tweeking her leg. I hope all is well now.  It sounds like the near future has LOTS of exciting things going on. YIPPEE!!!

MMM - It sounds like Cherokee and you had a great class. Nights like that are GREAT!  

ACM - Voodoo and I use the 2o2o method. I like to get her on the contact and hold so I can get prepared for the next set of obstacles if that makes any sense. (I can gain her focus back if needed as well, especially with us still being green) LOL 

Kyllobernese - Sorry about your weather, hopefully it will break soon so you can get back at it.  

GottaLuvMutts - Keep up the good work. 

A little update on us. We had class last night and it was a great class, just did short courses like 10-12 pieces but we are now outside and out of working inside (although I loved being inside) There is 6 in our class and we all just have a great time. Voodoo is really focusing when we are on course. I couldn't be prouder of her. Now while we are waiting she is still the hyper silly terrier as always but, hey we are getting there. I do have one little mention - last week at class my instuctor watched us work a course and after words asked how I trained her contact behavior. (She teaches basically running contacts only) anywho she did not mind myself and a lady from our prior place of training doing our 2o2o even though the other students do running. Back to class last week, she asked me how I trained for this behavior and I told her. Nothing else was said, it sort of had me wondering ok, should I be doing something else? At the end of class I had to ask, I wanted to make sure it was ok. Well she said oh yes, I asked how you trained it because she has such an awesome contact behavior. (Can we say that totally relieved me and made my day) I was so worried something may have been wrong. LOL 

Ok, I will hush now!!! Hope everyone has a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!!


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## MegaMuttMom

Tomorrow we are going to work on a lot of contacts. I will be curious to see how the instructor approaches it. So far we have only done running contacts but I do know some more advanced students do 2o2o. 

I think he doesn't want me slowing Cherokee down because he almost never misses contacts if I give him proper direction and he LOVES Cherokees speed. Plus, the faster Cherokee is moving, the more focused he is on the course. His weaves are best when entered from a fast run out of a tunnel, which is the exact opposite of all the other dogs in class.


----------



## And

Hello all,

I am new to the forum but I came across this thread and thought I had to post! 

I currently have one dog (my first dog) Belle who is a Sheltie/Bichon mix. We are currently taking two agility classes! One is close to home and focuses more on handling techniques, and the other deals with handling/running courses but on TDAA equipment.

We have done 2 or 3 TDAA trials and Belle has earned her Games III title and her Beginner Dog title (we are so close to intermediate!) We have our next trial for TDAA next weekend, and will be going to our first CPE trial the following weekend... we are hooked!

I hope chat with some of you about agility and your dogs!!


----------



## Shaina

Kim's seminar was yesterday and it went quite well. I got some excellent advice on the timing of my body cues and ways to use acceleration/deceleration to signal turns and course even from a distance. All in all very enjoyable...and everyone loved Kim, who was the only non-AKC breed (Golden Ditzhund) taking part. 

Kim loved them all right back.


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## Squeeker

Awesome! Good to hear the seminar went well. Kim doesn't seem like the kind of dog that dissapoints too often.

Libby and I start agility again on Thursday... and I will have my videographer back as well! Can't WAIT! It's a Starters-level class, so we will be focusing on entire courses and how to run them. The only sad part is that we won't be with any of the dogs that we have been doing agility with since Puppy 1 - that's 10 full sessions with most of them. We'll miss all of our friends.


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## LynnI

I am signed up for a Webb Anderson seminar next month, should be a good warm up for Regionals. I love workshops, but my boy is getting some age on him, so I limit him to half day ones now.

Later this year my pup should be able to handle some lightweight seminars. I am not in any agility classes with her at this time. But working on send outs, contacts, plank work and flatwork at home along with the wobble board but that is getting to be old news to her. I had a small wobble board in with the pups by the time they were 4wks old lol. But now that the weather is nice, it is time to head to my agility ring and start some more serious training.

As a side note, because of the early wobble board and plank/targetting work, it appears she has no fear of movement. Before class a few months ago when she was about 5 months old, she was loose playing with another dog. The next thing I see is her running up the training teeter which was stored up against the wall. Before I could get there she rode it down, waited for it to settle then she raced around and ran up it again.........all before we could get there. Who had found a new toy lol. We of course braced and blocked it, so she couldn't play again on it. Wonderful that she had no fear, but she still needs the training to go with the confidence lol.


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## Squeeker

We had our first Starters-level class last night! I was so excited (and nervous) about it... Libby hasn't been in the ring since before Christmas, and hasn't seen any equipment since then either, aside from our few tunnels and jump at home. I was excited, but worried that she'd be a crazy spaz...

However, it went very well! We also ran our first ever full sequence! 

Practicing portions of the sequence first:



In this one she was distracted by what I can only assume was a mouse. I'm amazed I managed to get her attention back at all!



Our first full sequence! Not bad for our first one, and our first week after a 3 month break! I know what I need to work on - obstacles into weaves 
At least I can do that at home!


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## Shaina

Nice job, Squeeker!

About the weaves...my 2cent feedback (cuz that's about what it's worth) is that the problem isn't having an obstacle so much as your position relative to hers. When you "redo" you go through with her, starting back from the obstacle and she seems like she's done that a lot. When doing the sequence you are doing a pretty long lead out so she's driving to you..._right_ to the entrance of the weaves...so it seems like she has more speed than she can handle, plus she's more focused on driving to you than to the weaves and her entrance.


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## Squeeker

> About the weaves...my 2cent feedback (cuz that's about what it's worth) is that the problem isn't having an obstacle so much as your position relative to hers. When you "redo" you go through with her, starting back from the obstacle and she seems like she's done that a lot. When doing the sequence you are doing a pretty long lead out so she's driving to you...right to the entrance of the weaves...so it seems like she has more speed than she can handle, plus she's more focused on driving to you than to the weaves and her entrance.


I always appreciate feedback! In fact, I want feedback!

Yes, I realized when I watched the videos that that was what was happening. The excercise was to do a lead out to the weaves, and I KNEW that she wasn't ready for that, but my instructor encouraged me to give it a go, so I did. What I wish I had done was stand between the jump and the weaves the first time or two to practice going in with speed first, and then worked on moving further towards the weaves as she "remembered" what she was supposed to do. 

We haven't really practiced going into the weaves with speed yet. This is what I think we need to practice before I add a longer lead out.


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## Squeeker

We worked on it today and she did a lot better! Classes are a lot more stimulating, so we'll see how this practice translates into Thursday's lesson.


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## moluno

Looks like we'll be jumping into this agility thing sometime in May.  It'll actually be a while till we get into the "meaty" stuff, the school I want to train at requires a general "sports foundations" class and THEN an agility foundations class. But the sports foundations focuses on front and rear crosses, sending to a target, stay and recall, and building focus... so should be good. Juno can be a nutcase sometimes so we need it lol. 

I'm just getting antsy because the registration form is wonky. I got in contact with the instructor last week but she's been slow to correct it... she finally added this class to the list of upcoming classes, but it's still not on the registration form. Makes me paranoid I'm going to miss it!


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## Shaina

*cheers Squeeker!*


Kim & I had class tonight. She did well but I was a little frustrated...it was "front cross night" so we were told where we had to do front crosses on the course...I disagreed with some of them because they were clearly designed for a small dog's running style and not a large dog's. Front crosses are awesome when used correctly but when forced where they don't belong they are just rough on the handler and demotivating to the dog. We did it, technically, but I treated it as more of an upright-wrapping exercise which turned it into a fun challenge for Kim. 

Ah well, there were some tough jump angles and I had the golden girl jumping 24" and she handled it with style and aplomb, and had fun doing it...what else can I ask for? And next week is rear cross week...yay!


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## MissMutt

Yeah, we're fans of the rear cross here, too. And, it's funny, because we did a TON of front crosses yesterday, too. I'm happy we're working on them, though. I can do them, but I'm never confident enough to properly execute it.

When is your AKC trial? I'm anxious to find out how you like it.


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## MegaMuttMom

That's so funny because front crosses are taught in my class as easiest because the dog doesn't lose sight of you. I find them quite natural. We work on back crosses later......


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## Shaina

I agree front crosses are super easy...one of the great things about them is that they are almost impossible to mess up...but when you are forcing them into places in the course that don't need a front cross and which are best run with a bit of distance (if you have a fast dog) so you can set up for a proper front cross at a tricky spot down the course, it frustrates me...

There's one FX in particular I'm thinking of but it's so hard to describe in text lol.


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## Shaina

Okay here's the section of course I had problems with:











We were instructed to do a FX off the end of the teeter then treat 8, 9, 10, as a pinwheel, FX'ing to 11.

The problem is that to do a FX off 7 into 8, you have to run WAY out around 8...it makes the handler's path really really inefficient and forced you to be running toward 10...I ended up running around it while keeping my feet and shoulder pointing toward 9 and Kim read it right, but there were a lot of off courses and spins there as the many dogs were confused. 

I would have preferred to stay on the left side of 8, using a rear cross into 9 with the direction change to set her up for the sharp turn, then pulling her through 10 with a deceleration cue and off hand signal to pull the front cross on the landing side of 10 and send her through 11 and toward the A-frame which is off the diagram. Handler needs to be on the lower side of 11 as they leave the diagram.

Hope that description kinda makes sense.


----------



## And

Shaina said:


> Okay here's the section of course I had problems with:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We were instructed to do a FX off the end of the teeter then treat 8, 9, 10, as a pinwheel, FX'ing to 11.
> 
> The problem is that to do a FX off 7 into 8, you have to run WAY out around 8...it makes the handler's path really really inefficient and forced you to be running toward 10...I ended up running around it while keeping my feet and shoulder pointing toward 9 and Kim read it right, but there were a lot of off courses and spins there as the many dogs were confused.
> 
> I would have preferred to stay on the left side of 8, using a rear cross into 9 with the direction change to set her up for the sharp turn, then pulling her through 10 with a deceleration cue and off hand signal to pull the front cross on the landing side of 10 and send her through 11 and toward the A-frame which is off the diagram. Handler needs to be on the lower side of 11 as they leave the diagram.
> 
> Hope that description kinda makes sense.


I have to agree with what you said about using a rear cross after sending the dog over 9. Unless the dog has a nice 2o2o contact I would imagine many dogs would go from 8 to 10, not 8 to 9 if you put in a front after the teeter.


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## Shaina

And said:


> I have to agree with what you said about using a rear cross after sending the dog over 9. Unless the dog has a nice 2o2o contact I would imagine many dogs would go from 8 to 10, not 8 to 9 if you put in a front after the teeter.


Yeah, Kim has a solid 2o2o (though it's not totally independent, which is irrelevant in this case but is a handicap elsewhere) which helped. Some of the other dogs did as well but were released too soon or while their handlers were still moving so they locked in on the direction and sailed over 10 before their handlers could correct the course.


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## GottaLuvMutts

Ok, newbie question: What are the "H" and the "D" for in your diagram: "Handler" and "Dog"?

Small brag: At class tonight, the instructor asked to work with Kit for a couple of minutes. Kit did well, and the instructor said "Just let me know when you're sick of this dog. I want her!"

We'll be moving to an outside venue with full-sized equipment in about a month. Can't wait for that.


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## And

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Ok, newbie question: What are the "H" and the "D" for in your diagram: "Handler" and "Dog"?
> 
> Small brag: At class tonight, the instructor asked to work with Kit for a couple of minutes. Kit did well, and the instructor said "Just let me know when you're sick of this dog. I want her!"
> 
> We'll be moving to an outside venue with full-sized equipment in about a month. Can't wait for that.


I assumed they stood for handler and dog as well.

Congrats on your class!! I wish my dog would work with our instructor.. but she is glued to my side and only works for me (which I guess is a good thing!!) 

Good luck when you move outside!! The closest we have been to doing agility outside is astro turf for a trial...  haha

What kind of dog do you own?? (If you don't mind me asking)


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## GottaLuvMutts

And said:


> What kind of dog do you own?? (If you don't mind me asking)


She's a mutt (hence the SN). Border collie x pointer, I think. Whatever she is, her food/toy motivation is off the charts, which is why the instructor loves her. IMO, it's a personality trait more than a breed characteristic or anything achieved through training.


----------



## LynnI

Shaina said:


> Okay here's the section of course I had problems with:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We were instructed to do a FX off the end of the teeter then treat 8, 9, 10, as a pinwheel, FX'ing to 11.
> 
> The problem is that to do a FX off 7 into 8, you have to run WAY out around 8...it makes the handler's path really really inefficient and forced you to be running toward 10...I ended up running around it while keeping my feet and shoulder pointing toward 9 and Kim read it right, but there were a lot of off courses and spins there as the many dogs were confused.
> 
> I would have preferred to stay on the left side of 8, using a rear cross into 9 with the direction change to set her up for the sharp turn, then pulling her through 10 with a deceleration cue and off hand signal to pull the front cross on the landing side of 10 and send her through 11 and toward the A-frame which is off the diagram. Handler needs to be on the lower side of 11 as they leave the diagram.
> 
> Hope that description kinda makes sense.


Makes perfect sense to me  and your right imo. The second I looked at the diagram, that was my plan on how to run it. Dog on right pulling the dog with you so they don't take 10 for a OC, RC at 9, treat 9/10 like a mini 270, Driving FC on the landing side of 10 then power thru............I have a small stink'n fast dog, 13 1/4 inches tall, but his take off and landing is in the same zone as a fast large dog and that is how I would have to run that sequence lol.


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## Shaina

Agility this weekend - AKC debut for the Kiminator. She QQ'd on Saturday and Q'd today in standard with an NQ in JWW.

Yesterday's runs were decent but slow (for her). I was nervous and she knew it. She popped the weaves both runs and I had to put her back in...very rare for her. She placed 1st and 2nd of 4 teams...the 1st in jumpers was because we were the only ones to manage a Q lol.

Today's were much better...she was engaged and in the game, and I was much more relaxed (the two are probably related ). Her JWW run today was the best run of the weekend IMO...except that she went in the wrong end of the tunnel which is an auto-NQ. I really didn't see it coming at all...walking the courses for traps, I didn't even consider that end of the tunnel a viable temptation  oh well.

The standard run today was wicked -- general consensus was that it was more of an Open course but with 6 poles. Kim ran it cleanly though and took 1st in that as well (21 seconds under course time!). No hesitation on the weaves today...she wasn't driving hard through them but she was confident and steady. 

Hopefully I'll have vids in a few days...two people were video'ing the runs on Sunday (no Sat. vids) so I will try to get the files. 

Oh, and did I mention that the trial was outside, and Kim had only done outdoor agility once before, ~6 months ago?


----------



## And

Congrats Shaina and Kim!! Can't wait to see the videos! 

I am not sure how AKC agility works.. Would you mind explaining to a newbie?? What are the classes they have?? What's the difference between a Q and a QQ??


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## Squeeker

WOO, go Kim!! Sounds like a successful weekend! So what did you think of AKC?

Our classes have been going well. We had our 3rd week of the session on Thursday. Libby's been having some attention issues in class, which I believe to be a combination of spring fever, an abundance of field mice in the agility barn, and the fact that this is our first agility class since December. When she is paying attention, things go well! When she loses concentration, though... *shudder*

This week's lesson focused on running sequences in different ways (ie front cross the first time through, rear cross the second, etc) which has been a awesome for course analysis. Practicing at home has been a great help, too, especially with the weaves.


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## MegaMuttMom

Ugh, we just started a new session and a 5 year old male doberman has entered our class and Cherokee is REACTIVE to him  The doberman walks very proudly and tall. When he came in the room Cherokee LUNGED to the end of his leash and barked. He didn't growl and bear teeth, but it was a clear stay away form me! I had to try to find a spot a little out of the way but the course was very crowded to the edges of the room and I stuffed food into Cherokee's mouth whenever the doberman was running but, each time the doberman had to run in the direction towards Cherokee, Cherokee barked and lunged, even if I had chicken in his face.

Ugh, this is going to be stressful for a while. I was exhausted by the end of class.

Cherokee ran fine and was OK otherwise because she crated the doberman in between turns.

I asked Mike, our trainer, if the doberman is dog friendly and Mike said well...kind of. So, once again, Cherokee's over-active radar was working on overdrive!


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## Shaina

No vids, but here's a few pics. Photo credit is entirely to a club member who was also at the trial.

Coming out of the collapsed tunnel









Weaves:









Flaps up!









Think she's enjoying herself? (rear crossing from her left to her right here)


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## MegaMuttMom

Spectacular pictures of the queen in action!!!


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## LynnI

Awesome pic's, she looks great. In the Flap's Up photo (btw my fav) what information were you giving her with the opposite hand up? A wrap? There is so many different options as to what you are doing at that point and I want to know lol. 
Also do you always wear pants with stripes on them when running agility? I do.........


----------



## Shaina

LynnI said:


> Awesome pic's, she looks great. In the Flap's Up photo (btw my fav) what information were you giving her with the opposite hand up? A wrap? There is so many different options as to what you are doing at that point and I want to know lol.
> Also do you always wear pants with stripes on them when running agility? I do.........


Yeah there was a 180 after that jump (in my direction) to the weaves, so I was front crossing. Calling it a wrap would be pretty generous though lol, since it was at the beginning of the course and there were a lot of distractions so I waited longer than usual to cue to the turn and ensure she was totally committed to the jump she was doing.

And yeah I do, at least for trials/fun matches. For training I'm more lax, though I still try to wear lighter clothes if it's not striped so she at least doesn't have to deal with the depth perception issues of really dark clothes.


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## MegaMuttMom

Shaina said:


> Yeah there was a 180 after that jump (in my direction) to the weaves, so I was front crossing. Calling it a wrap would be pretty generous though lol, since it was at the beginning of the course and there were a lot of distractions so I waited longer than usual to cue to the turn and ensure she was totally committed to the jump she was doing.
> 
> And yeah I do, at least for trials/fun matches. For training I'm more lax, though I still try to wear lighter clothes if it's not striped so she at least doesn't have to deal with the depth perception issues of really dark clothes.


That's interesting. The fleece I wear is black and our floor is black. I may have to change that up and see if it has any effect..


----------



## LynnI

I would be interested to know if it helps you Mega. We always try to wear striped and lighter coloured clothing/shoes for agility esp when competing. For years now, many trainers believe it helps, I have never heard of anyone defunking it at any rate


----------



## Shaina

MMM - Since Cherokee's rather shorter than you are, the color of your clothes relative to the walls of the place is probably more relevant than the floor...I also avoid wearing all white when training at my club since all the walls are white as well. I just don't like wearing plain black while training with motion cues in general because of the 2D visual side effect. I have two black jacket/pant deals that I wear, but they are stripped with a lighter color.

Hey, I wore the black striped clothes on Saturday and the lighter pants and tshirt on Sunday...she ran better Sunday...maybe I'll go ahead and blame the clothes...yeah must be the clothes...not that I was nervous and transmitting my anxiety down the leash...I like the clothes theory better let's go with that 

Mostly I train in holey jeans and ratty old t-shirts...classy, I know.

On a related note, we have a few unpainted white jumps at my club as well, and if they are places near walls the dogs have a hard time seeing them...it seems like they can see the bars (which have patterned contact paper and tape on them) but not the uprights and have a harder time judging the angle of the approach.


----------



## MegaMuttMom

Cherokee did much better with the Dobe today  At one point he wanted to lunge but I held him by the collar so he did not have the opportunity and I got him focused on licking the wad of cheese in my hand. I left Cherokee in the outside pen before class so I could come in and get advice on the best way to handle the situation. I got to talk to the Dobe owner and love on her very sweet, handsome dog. She said her dog often has dogs react to him and she feels bad when she sees people scolding their dogs for reacting. She thinks her dog starts it with hard stares. I think she's right. I was thrilled to be able to talk with her about it and let her know it's not a fear of her dog on my part and that I have every intention of working on helping Cherokee to be comfortable with her dog moving about. 

Though the Dobe is 5 years old, he is so goofy. He looks like a giant puppy when he gets confused. He just bounces on his mom looking for treats or something to do that he understands so he can earn a treat.

Anyway, our progress has been astronomical lately. Cherokee is running 12-14 obstacles without losing any focus and looking to me for more. He now weaves reliably with me at a distance. As long as I cue him early enough, he knows exactly how to enter and what to do. He still only goes half way up the teeter but, at least he does that without hesitation  It is getting more fun every time we go, and I was so happy to not have the high level of stress we had last week when I was shocked by Cherokee's reactive behavior to the Dobe.

I love agility!!!!!!!


----------



## Shaina

*dances for MMM & Cherokee*


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## Shaina

Well the trial vids won't be for a while probably...videographer went out of town and I didn't get them beforehand so...

From practice on Wednesday, here's Kim!


"Can I go next?"









And yes there was a dog running the course when the pic was taken...and the crate form the edge of the course, there's no other barrier. My baby girl's growing up...


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## LynnI

I am so disappointed, we were suppose to go to a Masters Gamblers clinic today to prep for Regionals and it was cancelled due to thunderstorms  Another clinic is on for next Sunday, hopefully the weather is good. Regionals are at the end of the month and I would also like to get in a one day trial, since he hasn't run outdoors yet this year except for training here at home. Although, he worked a huge distance (gamble) serpenine of two jumps to 12 weaves the other day for me  
I have posted a little diagram (my course building program is on the other cp)
I am the X, distance to weaves was 30 ft from gamble line, this week I'll add a couple of jumps side by side to each other after the weaves and have him go out over the furthest one (hopefully lol).


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## Shaina

LynnI said:


> I have posted a little diagram (my course building program is on the other cp)
> I am the X, distance to weaves was 30 ft from gamble line, this week I'll add a couple of jumps side by side to each other after the weaves and have him go out over the furthest one (hopefully lol).


Sorry to hear about the clinic 

I'm looking forward to seeing the vid of you guys running that course (hint hint hint )


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## LynnI

Shaina said:


> Sorry to hear about the clinic
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing the vid of you guys running that course (hint hint hint )


Which? the diagram that I posted? That would be easy to do


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## Shaina

LynnI said:


> Which? the diagram that I posted? That would be easy to do


Well if there are more vids on offer I would be happy to see those too lol. It's always fun to see different teams running!


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## RaeganW

You know what might be kinda fun? If all of us set up the same mini-course/sequence and video'd it and looked at how everyone ran it. Shaina's immediately pops to mind and is about the right length I'm thinking, but I'm certain there's others out there on the internet.



Shaina said:


>


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## Squeeker

RaeganW, I love the idea of everyone doing similar courses! I just don't have the equipment of my own... yet 

Awww, LynnI, too bad your clinic was cancelled... looks like a nice gamble, though! I second the video request!

That's such a great photo of Kim, Shaina! You can see every ounce of her personality in her eyes 

Our class this past Thursday was the best yet of this session. Thankfully, Libby forgot about hunting mice. Unfortunately, despite a 45 minute offleash session plus a half hour rollerblade (with her in her pull harness pulling me along), she STILL had a bit too much energy. Enjoy the major zoomies in this video... except for the zoomies, everything was perfect  I was supposed to layer the weaves, but instead I decided to run next to the dog walk to keep her from going off on a zoomie spree again.



She is really LOVING the weaves lately, made obvious by the little jump she did on exit in the vid! I think practicing at home has really made a difference for her!

Out of our four-dog class, Libby and I are the only team who haven't started to compete yet. Because of this zoomie business, I don't think we're ready.


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## Shaina

Nice, Squeeker 


Have the vids from the trial as well. Both vids are our first agility trial in...well a really long time. Also our first agility run ever at this location, and our first outdoors. 

Novice JWW - had some serious disconnection at the start on both our parts, and I missed the timer's "go" so was double-checking to make sure they were ready. Recovered for the most part then NQ'd on the tunnel entry. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z-FVqOG1ts

Novice Standard - We still have a long ways to go but we both had fun and stayed in the game - this was a clean run, first place. She cheated on the dog walk 2o2o so I stopped her to give her guff about it, then moved on. The biggest trap of the course was at the first tunnel...the two jumps leading up to it seem set the dog up perfectly for the A-Frame (one of Kim's favorites, to boot), and they had to pull off that line and take a hard turn to the tunnel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdA-Dz6nBWQ


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## Squeeker

Nice vids! The two of you run so nicely together! Congrats on the Q!


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## MegaMuttMom

Shaina and Squeeker, I love all the videos! 

Squeeker, the only reason I haven't seriously thought about competing with Cherokee is that I'm not sure I could trust him not to jump the fence to go visiting. I have to take him to more events to see how he does but, so far we have only trained in one place that is very familiar. Change it up, and who knows what will happen to his focus


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## LynnI

Great vids everyone, promise to post some soon.

Squeeker- Can I tell you what I noticed when she blew you off and started the zoomies after the frame?


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## MissMutt

Squeeker, you and Libby look like you're doing awesome. Zoomies can some times be from stress. The whole video wouldn't load for me (my internet must be acting up again) but was there a point where you became disjointed from each other or she got confused or something? That's what usually sets Marge off.

Shaina, what a nice standard run. I don't know if I should get getting on Marge's case for not holding the 2o2o at trials. So far she's held 2 of 3 dog walks and NO A-Frames. Don't want to start getting in to bad habits. What made you decide to FC before the weaves? It could be that I'm not seeing the angle right (and the fact that I hate FC's lol), but I back crossed in to the weaves today during JWW and it worked really well.

Well, we earned our NA title this weekend. Two Standard Q's, one 95 and 1 clean run, for placements of 2nd and first, respectively. Here is the second (clean, but ugly!) run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=469_FShkjAw

And our JWW run later that afternoon. We went home in between, and I almost didn't go back.. really wasn't feeling well and thought to myself that it wouldn't be so bad to end the weekend on the high note of our title. But I sure am glad we went back. First place by 5 big ol' seconds!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXqFQhGwA7Y


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## Shaina

MissMutt said:


> What made you decide to FC before the weaves?


It seemed like a good idea at the time 
It was over a 90 degree turn (barely) and I would easily be ahead of her there. I would have had to force a rear cross there and basically stop to let her get ahold of me...in retrospect stopping there would have probably put her over the preceding jump with more collection and a better angle so it would have had its advantages, but I would probably front cross it again, just cuing early and making sure I had her attention. As you can see if the vid she was distracted right at that moment plus I cued late...hence the really _really_ ugly front cross.

At any rate, congrats on the NA! So this wasn't your first AKC show then?

You guys are improving by leaps and bounds (kinda literally, seeing as it's agility...).


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## LynnI

I don't know if I should get getting on Marge's case for not holding the 2o2o at trials. So far she's held 2 of 3 dog walks and NO A-Frames. Don't want to start getting in to bad habits.

I would say yes to that, it is well known that if you don't hold your training critria especially on contacts that the dog learns that we train one way and trial another 
The other thing to consider is that contacts, pause and startlines are control points on course. It isn't uncommon to see a dog start to loose their critria on the other ones given enough time and trialling as well.
We have all done it and depending the dog as to how deep the ramifications go lol. For my one dog, first we had a terrible start (horrible instruction), then trialled WAY to early, never had a clear critria for contacts and he just very beautifully strides over the down contact on the DW. I have trained and trained to fix it............he'll do a lovely stopped contact in training but a trial not on your life. It has only been the in the last couple of years that we have been allowed to train in the ring in AAC.......would have been nice if I could have trained in the ring many years ago when it was important.......now it's so ingrained in him........the question is, Is it worth it to stress him?


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## And

Congrats Shaina and MissMutt on the Q's!!! 

We were moved up and just started the 'Advanced Agility' class this week. I guess we will see how this goes for the next 2 months! 

I entered Belle in a TDAA trial and a CPE trial at the end of this month..I am excited!! We are starting our journey for our TACh.. 15 standards and 10 games to go....  haha


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## Squeeker

> Squeeker, the only reason I haven't seriously thought about competing with Cherokee is that I'm not sure I could trust him not to jump the fence to go visiting. I have to take him to more events to see how he does but, so far we have only trained in one place that is very familiar. Change it up, and who knows what will happen to his focus


Yah, that'll be the next hurdle. Libby has only ever done agility in our backyard and in the training ring... our first trial (if we decide to trial this year) will most likely be outdoors at a facility she's never been at before. We definitely need more focus before we decide to start. 



> Squeeker- Can I tell you what I noticed when she blew you off and started the zoomies after the frame?


Yes, please! That's why I post the videos! Bring on the criticism!



> Squeeker, you and Libby look like you're doing awesome. Zoomies can some times be from stress. The whole video wouldn't load for me (my internet must be acting up again) but was there a point where you became disjointed from each other or she got confused or something? That's what usually sets Marge off.


I don't know if it's stress per se. I chalk it up to spring fever and getting back into agility after a 3 month break. I probably gave her confusing body language when I indicated the tunnel.

As for your 2o2o problem, I've been told that if you need to take an NQ to reinforce a few times, do it. Otherwise your dog could become ring-wise. JMO. One of the dogs in my class is having this problem. I, personally, think they started trialing too early, but they are doing very well otherwise.

Nice handling in your JWW run! Nice and smooth, good job! The two of you have come a long way!

Shaina, I would have FC'd at the weaves too. Libby would need the refocus.

Good luck, And! I've never heard of those agility venues.


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## LynnI

Squeeker said:


> Yes, please! That's why I post the videos! Bring on the criticism!
> 
> Ok, thanks  After you released her to the tunnel, you took about two strides and started to turn...........she followed. As you probably know, it is very common for novice dogs to do that when we don't support them until they are absolutely commited to the obstacle. And of course their commitment point can change until they are far more experience, so it doesn't make it easy lol.
> 
> With novice dogs I try to move laterally and stay facing the obstacle until they are committed, usually it is only for one step/stride, then turning and running hard. Ok that is it, my two cents worth  Thoughts?


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## And

Squeeker said:


> Good luck, And! I've never heard of those agility venues.


CPE: Canine Performance Events - Contains standards along with 5 or 6 different games. I really like it. A lot of room to run in the courses and you don't have to have perfect runs for most of the levels in order to qualify. I think this makes it a lot of fun for everyone and a little less stressful.

TDAA: Teacup Dogs Agility Association - It is a venue designed for dogs that measure under 17". The equipment and courses are smaller.. I started with TDAA, but I have had second thoughts.. It is rather difficult with faster dogs. All of your standard runs have to be perfect in all levels to qualify.. this makes it quite the challenge! I want to *try* and get Belle her TACh before I stop doing TDAA because she has done rather well for just starting agility (and being my first dog ever).

I eventually would like to look into other venue possibilities, but being a beginning dog owner and agility handler I like the two I chose!  Sorry for my rambling. Haha


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## LynnI

Squeeker, there are CPE trials held just north of Kingston every year, Jennifer of Absolute Agility puts them on. CPE is a lot easier than AAC, most of the games are different but certainly fun. Very low key, courses are pretty open, generous in time etc.


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## Squeeker

> Ok, thanks After you released her to the tunnel, you took about two strides and started to turn...........she followed. As you probably know, it is very common for novice dogs to do that when we don't support them until they are absolutely commited to the obstacle. And of course their commitment point can change until they are far more experience, so it doesn't make it easy lol.


haha, I re-watched the video and that's exactly what I did! Oops!  My poor confused pup! I'm just glad I was able to get her back on track to finish the run. Thanks for pointing that out!

And, thanks for the descriptions of the different venues. I wasn't aware that there was anything other than AAC and CKC in Canada. Very cool! Good luck withh your titles!


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## LynnI

Squeeker said:


> haha, I re-watched the video and that's exactly what I did! Oops!  My poor confused pup! I'm just glad I was able to get her back on track to finish the run. Thanks for pointing that out!
> 
> And, thanks for the descriptions of the different venues. I wasn't aware that there was anything other than AAC and CKC in Canada. Very cool! Good luck withh your titles!


Your Welcome Ah videos one of our best tools when training and trialing!! One of the things I tell my students to do, is freeze when something goes wrong, especially their dog doing a OC. If they can freeze and immediately try to remember what they were doing with the last two strides, the cue of what they did is usually there. Actually I wouldn't say poor confused girl, but Good girl for listening to me, intended or not. Dogs will follow our body language over a verbal typically. Once a dog is past being a novice I train call offs to equipment during a sequence, because it does happen that we make mistakes by getting lost/confused on course or by being late on a cue. So imo, why not train them to redirect and reward with jackpots for doing so?? Because it is guaranteed to happen on course sooner or later, then we panic, raise our voices and beg our dogs to not to do that obstacle. Some dogs will shut down to a degree or become at the very least very disconnected, plus now the handler is rattled as well. If it has been trained, dogs get yippy skippy (happy), know what is being asked of them and away you go.

I asked if I could give my opinion because we are just getting to know each other and I don't assume that someone wants my opinion 

Btw, there is a new agility org as of this year, their trials will start this summer in Kingston. Here is the link, the info is on the first page of the site. I know for a fact that it has been very well received.

http://www.mstardogacademy.com/


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## Squeeker

Like I said, no problem  I am very open to criticizm! Interesting idea about training call-offs. I'll have to remember that as we progress in training.

Interesting link! Let me know how it goes. Do you train at Morning Star?


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## LynnI

Squeeker said:


> Like I said, no problem  I am very open to criticizm! Interesting idea about training call-offs. I'll have to remember that as we progress in training.
> 
> Interesting link! Let me know how it goes. Do you train at Morning Star?


Dawn (owner/instructor @Mstar) is my friend first and foremost, also one of my mentors. I have taken Rally classes there and had my pup there for a series of classes including Rally. I have gone to different mini clinics that she has put on over the years and last year I took 3 private lessons for Gamblers. We were not Q'ing enough in Masters Gamblers, I went to Dawn because all her dogs are gambling fools. Smartest thing I ever did, after those 3 lessons, our Q rate went up to over 80% in that class  To give you an idea of how good she is, she has put over a 100 Titles on her dogs, mainly in Agility. She is also the only one to ever have Qualified 5 dogs in one year for Nationals at Regionals, from a Min Pin to a Mal, all her dogs tend to be rescues that others have labelled untrainable, aggressive etc.


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## Shaina

Can I come too?


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## Squeeker

We had a good class this week... in some ways. We worked on more interesting weave entrance angles, front crossing, and flips. 

This first vid is a great one of Libby's progress with the weaves, but a horrible flip. I dropped a treat so she came off the A-Frame, and that just screwed up the flip completely.



Then we tried just the flip portion again and all was well:



The second sequence had a front cross and a wrap with a very tempting tunnel just over the jump, but we pulled through!



Those were our good runs. The rest of the time we had major "zoomie" problems. Part of it is that she gets excited when the dogs come in for the next class - 3 of them are doggie friends, so she wants to go socialize. Other reasons for the zoomies may be confusing body language on my part like last week, or some other reason I haven't found yet... I'm not sure how to get her to stop this behaviour, and I am open to suggestions from the more experienced people here on the forum. Another problem we've been having is that I am unable to recall her in the ring. This is new.

Here's an example of a "zoomie run" from this week. It was the "full course", putting the previous two parts together.



Ideas I have for solutions:

- New treats, vary them more than I have been. I've been using hotdog and cheese pretty exclusively. I used to use charlee bears, NB rolls, ham, etc. as well.
- Do more focus exercises before and after runs. I admit, I haven't been doing this very well.
- tire her out more (or less?) before class. We currently do a good hard 30 minute rollerblade, or some offleash time, a long walk, etc. before classes. She is very tired after the exercise, but she gets an hour or so of recoup before class due to the car ride.
- put her in her crate immediately after a zoomie. I am skeptical of this; I don't know that she'll make the connection.
- put her e-collar on. Not use it, that's not allowed, but it might put her in more of a "work" mindset. I don't like this idea for many reasons. 

Thoughts?


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## Shaina

Looks like you guys are having fun, Squeeker!

When Kim was having zoomies issues, I did a TON of extra recall work in various situations, and ceased running long sequences...basically we would run part of a course then suddenly break off and have a huge play/jackpot session just for staying with me and focusing...then running a bit more than another jackpot...etc.

We had some zoomies the first time we ran in a horse ring, but otherwise haven't had problems with that since. That's just one dog though so take it for what it's worth lol.


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## MegaMuttMom

To help Cherokee on zoomie days, I reward more often during the course, sometimes 3 or 4 times during a course. It's my way of making sure he knows it's worth his while to stick with me even if his best girlfriend is barking and swishing her bushy tail at him 

I used to always run Cherokee before class but I found out that he doesn't behave any worse if I don't run him first and, he may actually be more able to focus because his energy and drive is strong. When he gets tired his focus goes down and he starts to look for something else to do mid-run. Mind you, tired for Cherokee isn't really physically noticeable, it is more of a mental fatigue that I can sense in him.

One other observation, sometimes it means he needs to poop!


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## Squeeker

Intermittent rewards aren't a bad idea. I'll add that to my list of options.

I may try not running her before class this week, just to see if that helps. I have a hard time believing it will, though! Just going by past experience.

Haha, funny about the poop, but Libby gets a chance to poop on our run before class (that's the "normal" time for her). Thanks for the idea, though!

For the recall in the ring problem, I think I am going to practice recall a bit more around home this week, and then practice some on-leash recalls and controlled recalls in the ring before class. She may need a bit of a refresher. It is certainly a problem we need to fix FAST.


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## LynnI

Squeeker, your allowed to put an E-collar on your dog for agility training, even if you don't use it?

Personally I would go back to more focus work and higher valued rewards, try salmon cakes (I have the recipe if you need it).

How long have you been training for? Because I am JUST seeing some novice dog and handler mistakes, that can be fixed with more focus work and higher valued rewards, etc. Stop stressing about it.


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## moluno

LynnI said:


> try salmon cakes (I have the recipe if you need it).


Mind posting it?  We start class later this week so I'm thinking I should try some new and tasty treats.


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## Squeeker

LynnI, not sure about the e-collar actually. It was an idea that was thrown out there. I don't think it's a good idea for many reasons, and I doubt it would get favourable reviews at the training facility. Just brainstorming, really.

I'm interested in the salmon cakes recipe, I could use a new treat in my arsenal!

So based on the responses I think I am going to try better treats and more focus work this week. We'll see how that goes, and then I may experiment with exercise/no exercise before class later. 

Thanks, guys.


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## LynnI

I have yet to met a dog that doesn't love these  And they are at the top of my list of value of rewards with my dogs and I don't use them very much........kinda like bringing out the big guns lol.

1 can of Red Pacific Salmon
1 egg
1 cup of flour (any kind)
2 tablespoons of oil (any kind)
Some people also add cheese.

Mix, roll out onto cookie sheet to be cut up or make cookies
Bake at 250 for 20 minutes, you want them soft and not dried out.


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## Squeeker

Well, this week went much more smoothly!

I decided to use better treats this week (Natural Balance Lamb as I didn't have time to make the salmon treats...), did focus work before our runs, and I rewarded her a bit more frequently during the runs. We kept the before-class exercise routine as it had been and did not use the e-collar. 

Before our runs I would take her out for a few minutes and do some heel work, focus work, and tricks, as well as controlled recall. 

The first sequence we did three times. The first time was a bit hairy - she zoomied right off the mark, but I gave her a few seconds to let off steam and then recalled her when she got closer to me and she came blazing back. The second time she lost it again, but she didn't get very far before she decided to come back on her own. After that the only mistakes were my own 

Here's the last run of the night - it was HOT, as well it was the longest, and most distracting run due to the classes after us coming in during the run. I'm very, very happy with how it turned out (except for my mistake at the A-frame )

Thanks again for everyone's help! I feel a lot better now!


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## Shaina

Glad to hear things are going more smoothly, Squeeker -- and nice run!


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## Shaina

Realized I never did post how our last trial went...

Kim earned her AKC Novice title (1st, clean run!) and another Novice JWW leg (1st, clean run!)
We also did our first FAST run and Q'd no problem...got second to the beauceron (66 pts to 65 pts!), and just had a lot of fun.

Sunday was a great day in terms of experience, not such a good day in terms of Q's lol. 
First was Open Standard -- she had a great run but we NQ'd when she skipped from the 7th to the 9th pole...which she has never done before, even in practice. She dove back in and completed the set without any input from me. I think it was a combination of things: (1) it was raining, and 98% of her weaving up til now has been indoors, and certainly never in rain (2) 22" weaves when she's been doing 24" for several months now and (3) being tired. Otherwise it was a great run and I was thrilled to see how she was handling potential traps, etc.

I was really hoping to get her JWW title and make a clean break from this 6-pole novice thing, but it was not to be...we had a great run but toward the enter there was a tunnel set really right to a double...she exited the tunnel and went for the jump...I don't think she realized it was a double until the last second, and attempted to adjust her stride, but was too late and ticked the jump on the way up. I thought we still Q'd but apparently the bar fell after we had passed. I think this one was just a green dog mistake...and she was initially trained on a CPE double which has staggered top bars (first one lower then the second) and I think that's what she cued off of, so we'll be going back and retraining to see the crossed bars.

All in all it wasn't a great Q rate but it was a great weekend and we both learned a lot about running at another new place, outdoor, in really nasty weather lol. Plus we had a lot of fun, and she was eager to work, play, and engage from start to finish. Stayed under threshold for flapping popup canopies, that dratted automatic "Go" voice some trial use, and psycho screaming BCs


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## MissMutt

Ah, the dramatic "Go" voice    I've grown fond of it. 'Grats on your success! I think we're going to start FAST in the Fall so that way we'll get through our Novice Fast title easily.

I don't have any trials until next month. Going through withdrawal x.x


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## LynnI

As promised a short video taken recently at a Webb Anderson clinic in Toronto. Sadly my camera stopped working part way through the run. The run was ok, weaves were slow and I was babysitting him  and he was running about half speed because it was a tight area inside and of course training and not a trial. I was SOOOOOOOOOO late on my cue to turn him after the DW, which resulted in a beautiful OC to the tunnel. I should have told him to turn when he was halfway down the down side of the DW by picking up my other arm/hand then do the cross. As you can see I didn't lol. 
It was this point the camera stopped, the rest of the couse was challenging and tight and he handled it great. After our oops, we started it over and of course while the camera wasn't running ran the entire course clean ha, ha lol.

Hope you enjoy my ol man 

http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p62/adojrts/?action=view&current=MVI_0563.flv


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## And

@Shaina- Thanks for the update, sounds like you guys did great!

@Lynn- Not sure if you mentioned your dog's name, but he is speedy!! Nice video!


So I had a TDAA trial today. I was pleased. We Q'd 2/5. 

-First run was a game called 'Timewarp.' It was a standard course, but it had a few distance challenges for bonus points. We were SO close to a Q, but we back jumped...other wise it was a great run.
-Next was another game, called Lucky 13. You had to take 13 obstacles exactly, with the last being a tire. Each obstacle had a certain point value, and you needed something like 55 points for a Q. We ended up with 89 points and a 1st place!
-The following 2 runs were Superior Standard runs..we had table issues and NQ'd on them. Belle would not sit or down today!
-Our last run was another Standard. The table performance was a stand, and we ended up with a Q, 1st place, and a very nice run! Im hoping to get a few videos from our runs and if I can figure it out I will post em! 

So I was happy. It was very short trial, and we got done by 2PM!! On top of it all, we won the free raffle and got a basket full of stuff! 

On a side note, some one mentioned to me about 'Shaping the table.' I have NO idea what this means, and the person had to leave before they explained what it meant..  Can anyone help us with this??


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## LynnI

@Lynn- Not sure if you mentioned your dog's name, but he is speedy!! Nice video!

Thanks! His name is Petie and it's hard to believe that is him running at half speed lol. Just about kills me to run him, plus he is starting to slow down a bit at almost 11 yrs of age. But he still loves the game, I have to keep him quiet before running or he gets too over the top but afterwards he tucks his bum and scoots around before jumping up into my arms 

As for Shaping the Table, you allow her to offer doing the table and doing downs without you telling her too. Clicking and rewarding for it. Playing games on and to the table also works i.e. recall games to the table.


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## GottaLuvMutts

It's been a while, so here's a little update:

I went to a trial today and since Kit isn't ready to compete yet, she stayed home while I set bars, ran leashes, and built courses. It was very instructive. 

When I got home, I measured Kit because I want to know what height she'll be jumping. She'll have to be measured officially, but from what I can tell, she's right around 21" at the withers. So 22" jump height in USDAA, and 20" jump height in CPE and NADAC . It sounds high. One thing's for sure: she'll be one of the lightest dogs in that jump height - she's all legs.

Classes are going well. Wet weather has been preventing our move to the great outdoors, but it's scheduled to happen in two weeks. I can't wait to see some real speed!! (The area we've been working in is a little small for real agility, and our dogs can't really get up to speed, which is great for us newbies).


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## agility collie mom

Rio and I went to our second cpe trial today. He Q'd and got 1st place in Fullhouse Level 2 24". I blew the snookers level 1 game. He had just jumped a red jump when I took my eyes off him and looked at the next red jump and naturally he followed where I was looking. I didn't feel too bad though because the majority of the dogs and handlers got whistled off the course. This was our first attempt at Snookers. I also blew the Fullhouse level 2 course. I should not have tried to layer it (three jump combo right next to a tunnel) I know he would have Q'd. Stupid me. Jumpers level 2 he Q'd and got 1st place.
All in all it was a fun day. Two out of four is not too shabby!


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## GottaLuvMutts

LynnI said:


> I have yet to met a dog that doesn't love these  And they are at the top of my list of value of rewards with my dogs and I don't use them very much........kinda like bringing out the big guns lol.
> 
> 1 can of Red Pacific Salmon
> 1 egg
> 1 cup of flour (any kind)
> 2 tablespoons of oil (any kind)
> Some people also add cheese.
> 
> Mix, roll out onto cookie sheet to be cut up or make cookies
> Bake at 250 for 20 minutes, you want them soft and not dried out.


Just finished making these. Kit approves!!!


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## LynnI

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Just finished making these. Kit approves!!!


Awesome!!! Give Kit a pet for me


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## MegaMuttMom

OK, today my agility trainer bullied me into the first step to trialing. I just ordered the Noz2noz crate so I can be ready when I get the nerve. Yikes, what have I done??????? I worry that Cherokee will jump the fence, I worry he will bark and lunge at another dog. My trainer says these are just excuses. I think he's right. I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking of it. I'm ridiculous


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## MissMutt

How exciting, MMM  Do you have a trial/organization in mind?


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## MegaMuttMom

MissMutt said:


> How exciting, MMM  Do you have a trial/organization in mind?


I just registered for a NADAC # and the next trials close to me are in September. Now I think I'm feeling a little excited 

There's a CPE trial in August. I will have to think about that one.......


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## MissMutt

Awesome! Just a word if you're going to do NADAC - I would definitely train with the hoops before hand. I really don't think they're very easy for the dogs to see on the course if they've never seen them in sequence before. There are no hoops in the Tunnelers class, though, or in Jumpers.

I really like CPE, though I've never actually ran it. My club was supposed to have a trial this year but it got cancelled because we couldn't get everything together in time.


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## Finkie_Mom

I posted a new thread in the general section, but no one really commented, so I figured I would post something here since it falls in the right category (about agility ).

I just started Kimma (6 months old) in beginner puppy/agility class. It's more heel work, basic skills needed for agility (turns, switching sides, intro to equipment, etc.), so I know she's nowhere near ready to compete yet, but I would like to run her in the future. 

I guess I was just wondering what has worked for you guys as far as getting involved in the sport, like attending trials, meeting people, and just gaining more experience. 

Kimma is my first dog sport dog, as well as my first dog in general, so I have no idea where to start 

If anyone has any ideas on how to get my feet wet a bit, I would appreciate it. And FWIW, I'm located outside of Houston, TX. 

Thanks in advance!!!!!


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## MissMutt

Getting involved in agility just kind of happened for me. I started agility classes just as I was starting to get active in my dog club, which led me to volunteer at trials and stuff like that. Going to trials and seeing how things work is really helpful for learning about the sport. Go to AKC.org and click on Events to find the event search to see what AKC trials are being offered in your area. A quick search yielded a few trials coming up in June in TX.

Also try CPE's website (www.k9cpe.com), NADAC's website (www.nadac.com), and USDAA's website (www.usdaa.org) for similar event calendars.

There aren't many forums online dedicated to agility, but there are a lot of blogs around.. AgilityNerd.com is a famous agility blog, and several competitors (including myself) have personal blogs detailing training routines, or have videos of courses or trials, etc. You might be able to get something out of things like that. 

Welcome to the sport.. you will get bit by the bug in no time.  My dog is also my first dog and first agility dog.


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## agility collie mom

Here is a link that covers all venues.
http://www.agilityevents.net/index.php?page=Events
I agree with volunteering at an event. I have been a timer, scribe, leash runner, course builder, chute fluffier, bar setter, and at the last trial the awards person (I am going to be the awards person at the next trial we have in October.) You will meet a lot of nice people. The most important thing to remember is that you and your dog have fun. Sometimes people forget that is the reason we started this in the first place. I've only done two CPE trials so far (I really enjoy the games) and will be attending more this summer. I am thinking of attending an AKC trial with my office manager (who is also from Texas). She is a very experienced handler. From what I gather it is a little bit different. There is a lot of really great posts here. I have learned a lot just from reading the posts of others and watching the videos since I started this particular post. Welcome to the wonderful, fun world of agility!


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## Shaina

MMM for what it's worth, CPE is really fun and laid back. At the lower levels the rules are pretty lax too, so you can do more "training in the ring" than with many other venues. And if you do a game like Fullhouse, you get to pick what obstacles you want to do and in what order...or Colors or Wildcard, which are both short courses that give you some flexibility (so if you get there and it's his first trial and you think the club's teeter - for instance - is a bit too sketchy to throw him at his first time out, you can opt for a course avoiding the teeter).

Anyway, good luck! *does an excited happy dance for MMM & Cherokee*


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## Shaina

Oh, also Kim's last agility class was this week. 

I got home from work and we were back out the door 4 minutes later. Literally.

She ran great...the folks working the registration table were impressed lol. She was really wanting to go go go...hit the weaves and drove through them from start to finish (often she enters carefully then picks up speed as she goes), read all my cues without hesitation...it was a very good night. If we run 1/2 that well this weekend we are going to have an absolute blast.


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## agility collie mom

Shaina said:


> Oh, also Kim's last agility class was this week.
> 
> I got home from work and we were back out the door 4 minutes later. Literally.
> 
> She ran great...the folks working the registration table were impressed lol. She was really wanting to go go go...hit the weaves and drove through them from start to finish (often she enters carefully then picks up speed as she goes), read all my cues without hesitation...it was a very good night. If we run 1/2 that well this weekend we are going to have an absolute blast.


Good luck this weekend. I do enjoy watching you videos and reading your posts. I just do not post very often anymore (pretty tired when I get home from work.)








9


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## agility collie mom

MegaMuttMom said:


> I just registered for a NADAC # and the next trials close to me are in September. Now I think I'm feeling a little excited
> 
> There's a CPE trial in August. I will have to think about that one.......


Here is a link to some course maps for CPE games.
http://agilitynerd.com/blog/agility/courses/misc/potts_2007_06_30.html The level one maps are the courses you start with.


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## Finkie_Mom

MissMutt said:


> Getting involved in agility just kind of happened for me. I started agility classes just as I was starting to get active in my dog club, which led me to volunteer at trials and stuff like that. Going to trials and seeing how things work is really helpful for learning about the sport. Go to AKC.org and click on Events to find the event search to see what AKC trials are being offered in your area. A quick search yielded a few trials coming up in June in TX.
> 
> Also try CPE's website (www.k9cpe.com), NADAC's website (www.nadac.com), and USDAA's website (www.usdaa.org) for similar event calendars.
> 
> There aren't many forums online dedicated to agility, but there are a lot of blogs around.. AgilityNerd.com is a famous agility blog, and several competitors (including myself) have personal blogs detailing training routines, or have videos of courses or trials, etc. You might be able to get something out of things like that.
> 
> Welcome to the sport.. you will get bit by the bug in no time.  My dog is also my first dog and first agility dog.


Thanks!!! I'm so excited to get in to it. I hope Kimma is too! She has soooo much drive and can be very focused at times. I can't wait to put that in to something more productive than say barking or chewing 

I looked at the links you gave me (the USDAA one is a .com, not a .org, just for future reference! ), and wrote down the dates for everything in my area. I will have to ask the training place I joined where they usually compete, as they have a team of their own. If they do not, should I just join a club in my area? What are good things to look for in a club like that??? 

Thanks for all the advice so far!!! 



agility collie mom said:


> Here is a link that covers all venues.
> http://www.agilityevents.net/index.php?page=Events
> I agree with volunteering at an event. I have been a timer, scribe, leash runner, course builder, chute fluffier, bar setter, and at the last trial the awards person (I am going to be the awards person at the next trial we have in October.) You will meet a lot of nice people. The most important thing to remember is that you and your dog have fun. Sometimes people forget that is the reason we started this in the first place. I've only done two CPE trials so far (I really enjoy the games) and will be attending more this summer. I am thinking of attending an AKC trial with my office manager (who is also from Texas). She is a very experienced handler. From what I gather it is a little bit different. There is a lot of really great posts here. I have learned a lot just from reading the posts of others and watching the videos since I started this particular post. Welcome to the wonderful, fun world of agility!


I've been reading some of the posts, and I think I'm slowly catching on. The videos are also really helpful. 

I was actually shocked because I got Kimma to go through a tunnel today at the dog park. She did it on her own, and since we were the only ones there, I decided to shape it and treat her each time she went through on cue. 

Can you tell I'm excited already??? 

I will definitely look in to volunteering. If I'm going to go to an event, I might as well help out 

I can't wait to learn more from everyone!


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## agility collie mom

Tunnels are great fun for puppies. They just seem drawn to them naturally. Belonging to a training club is great. There are many perks and learning with friends (fellow club members) makes it really fun. If your pup is small enough you can buy a kids play tunnel and practice at home!


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## And

So we had our 2nd CPE trial this weekend... and both Belle and I are exhausted.. It was our first time EVER running outdoors and I was impressed as always!! It was 80-90 degrees, hot, humid, and this is Wisconsin!! I was shocked. Haha We ended up with 8 out of 10 Q's and all 1st places!

*Saturday:*
Standard: NQ Made an offcourse and forgot we could correct it.. this was our first run ever outside so I was nervous. And a dog peed in the ring a few runs prior and all I was thinking was don't pee in the ring!! Of course she never did it but it was on my mind 
Jackpot : NQ Made the gamble, didn't make the time... their timing system was set of weird for this game.. and A LOT of people NQ'd and were just confused 
Jackpot: Q 1st Level 2
Wildcard: Q 1st Level 2 
Colors: Q 1st Level 1

*Sunday:*
Standard: Q 1st
Snooker: Q 1st
Snooker: Q 1st
Fullhouse: Q 1st
Jumpers: Q 1st
(Perfect day!) 

So, I was beyond impressed with how good she did today. She ran faster the 2nd day, and it was even hotter than Saturday! We ended up finishing Level 1 this weekend, because we needed our only Color run still. Also, she is now in Level 3 for Snooker and Jackpot! Finishing up the day, they were giving out "high in trial" awards: 1 for levels 1/2 and 1 for levels 3/4/5/C. So we were told we were in the running for the level 1/2. So at the end of today, we waited around to see our JUmpers result and the high in trial... I guess we tied with another dog.. but it must have come down to average times or maybe faults? Well the dog ended up being a Border Collie owned by one of the trial organizers/workers.. so they got it. I was bummed a little because it would have been fun to get it of course. However, I think we did a great job showing off those Small Dog skills!! We got a lot of compliments, and a lot of Q's! (We also got asked to start USDA ) 

Well anyways, I will probably have to read this over tomorrow but I am too tired and done rambling!!  It was a nice weekend


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## agility collie mom

And said:


> So we had our 2nd CPE trial this weekend... and both Belle and I are exhausted.. It was our first time EVER running outdoors and I was impressed as always!! It was 80-90 degrees, hot, humid, and this is Wisconsin!! I was shocked. Haha We ended up with 8 out of 10 Q's and all 1st places!
> 
> *Saturday:*
> Standard: NQ Made an offcourse and forgot we could correct it.. this was our first run ever outside so I was nervous. And a dog peed in the ring a few runs prior and all I was thinking was don't pee in the ring!! Of course she never did it but it was on my mind
> Jackpot : NQ Made the gamble, didn't make the time... their timing system was set of weird for this game.. and A LOT of people NQ'd and were just confused
> Jackpot: Q 1st Level 2
> Wildcard: Q 1st Level 2
> Colors: Q 1st Level 1
> 
> *Sunday:*
> Standard: Q 1st
> Snooker: Q 1st
> Snooker: Q 1st
> Fullhouse: Q 1st
> Jumpers: Q 1st
> (Perfect day!)
> 
> So, I was beyond impressed with how good she did today. She ran faster the 2nd day, and it was even hotter than Saturday! We ended up finishing Level 1 this weekend, because we needed our only Color run still. Also, she is now in Level 3 for Snooker and Jackpot! Finishing up the day, they were giving out "high in trial" awards: 1 for levels 1/2 and 1 for levels 3/4/5/C. So we were told we were in the running for the level 1/2. So at the end of today, we waited around to see our JUmpers result and the high in trial... I guess we tied with another dog.. but it must have come down to average times or maybe faults? Well the dog ended up being a Border Collie owned by one of the trial organizers/workers.. so they got it. I was bummed a little because it would have been fun to get it of course. However, I think we did a great job showing off those Small Dog skills!! We got a lot of compliments, and a lot of Q's! (We also got asked to start USDA )
> 
> Well anyways, I will probably have to read this over tomorrow but I am too tired and done rambling!!  It was a nice weekend


Congratulations! What a great weekend you both had!!!


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## Kyllobernese

I have Remmy entered in his first trial this year, this coming weekend. It is a three day trial so he is entered in a lot of classes. This year he has to compete in Advanced classes so not sure how we will do. Our big problem is doing it in the time allowed. Remmy could do it but not sure about myself.

It is an outdoor trial (all but one of his trials last year was outdoors) and it will probably be really hot out. I have his coat clipped down so hope that will help. Wish me luck.


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## mrslloyd09

Ok I have to ask because I LOVE reading this thread. I've been looking into agility clubs in our area, as well as getting Melodie started in her basic obedience classes. I'm noticing a lot of BCs and Aussies, but when I looked at some video of smaller dogs, there was a schnauzer, although they were mainly paps and shelties. Is this something I could realistically do with Melodie or do I need to wait for our next next dog (DH has already called a rottie for our next dog *rolls eyes*)?


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## And

mrslloyd09 said:


> Ok I have to ask because I LOVE reading this thread. I've been looking into agility clubs in our area, as well as getting Melodie started in her basic obedience classes. I'm noticing a lot of BCs and Aussies, but when I looked at some video of smaller dogs, there was a schnauzer, although they were mainly paps and shelties. Is this something I could realistically do with Melodie or do I need to wait for our next next dog (DH has already called a rottie for our next dog *rolls eyes*)?


Realistically, any dog without physical ailment can do agility. I have a small 10 lb. mutt that loves agility! I have seen malteses, doxies, VERY small yorkies, etc. etc. do agility. I would definitely at least give it a try! You never know, your dog could hate it or love it! Just beware, once you start it is VERY addicting  I am already looking into adding another dog to train for agility!


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## Squeeker

Wow, And, that sounds like it was a busy couple of days! Congrats on all the Q's!



> Ok I have to ask because I LOVE reading this thread. I've been looking into agility clubs in our area, as well as getting Melodie started in her basic obedience classes. I'm noticing a lot of BCs and Aussies, but when I looked at some video of smaller dogs, there was a schnauzer, although they were mainly paps and shelties. Is this something I could realistically do with Melodie or do I need to wait for our next next dog (DH has already called a rottie for our next dog *rolls eyes*)?


Are you going to be world champions? Unlikely. However, can you compete, earn titles, and have a ton of fun? Heck ya! Don't let breed or size dissuade you. As And said, any dog that is physically sound can do agility!

As for me, I missed last week's class because I had to travel home due to the death of my grandmother. Looking foreward to this week's class, though.

Tonight we were practicing in the yard and the neighbours were out in the yard. Libby and I weren't really paying attention to them, but they must have been watching us because they brought their two dogs over to watch. I noticed them standing at the side of the yard, but Libby was so focused that she didn't see them. Before she had the chance to realize they were standing there I ended the sequence and treated her, and then leashed her. That's when she finally noticed there were strangers in the yard, and she was a bit startled! It was really funny to see her "in the zone" that much!

The dogs greeted each other (the neighbours said they had come to see how "well behaved dogs act", LOL) and we had a fun little chat about agility and stuff. It's only the second time we've met them, they seem really nice.


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## GottaLuvMutts

mrslloyd09 said:


> Ok I have to ask because I LOVE reading this thread. I've been looking into agility clubs in our area, as well as getting Melodie started in her basic obedience classes. I'm noticing a lot of BCs and Aussies, but when I looked at some video of smaller dogs, there was a schnauzer, although they were mainly paps and shelties. Is this something I could realistically do with Melodie or do I need to wait for our next next dog (DH has already called a rottie for our next dog *rolls eyes*)?


The best small dog in my area is a shelter mutt. I would be hard pressed to even venture a breed guess, but there's clearly not a drop of herding blood in him. No pap, either, for that matter. He's so fast he puts a lot of the larger dogs to shame.


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## LynnI

I agree, lots of mixed breeds compete in agility and they rock at it. I say go for it, but be warned agility is VERY addicting


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## MegaMuttMom

Well, after being goaded into getting my NADAC number last week, I bought a soft sided-crate to get Cherokee used to before we did our first trial this coming September. But, guess what? One of my agility classmates is a Facebook friend and yesterday afternoon she posted that she was going to a trial today. So, I posted that I was going to come and watch and bring Cherokee just to get a feel for how he would be in the environment and so I could learn the procedures.

Well, guess who else is Facebook friends with my friend? The registrar for the trial. She chimed in that I should sign up and come on down. She basically ordered me to give her my NADAC #. So, I did! 

I went down today and we hung out and got the lay of the land and.............I am signed up to do a jumpers and regular run tomorrow morning  I was going to do jumpers and tunnelers because Cherokee is still afraid of the dog walk but, the the jumpers and tunnelers are the FIRST and LAST runs of the day. I don't feel like putting him, or me, through that long of a day. So, I am just going to take the fault and skip the dog walk. We rarely practice the dog walk in class because our trainer is in a wheelchair and can't set it up by himself.

Cherokee did OK with his unfamiliar new crate and only barked reactively at 2 dogs, one of which whose owner decided, while Cherokee was barking his head off, to ask her dog for a sit, basically front of my crate. I'm not sure what she was trying to do but, it did not calm Cherokee down! It made me feel better to hear other dogs haveing bad moments and it really helped me to watch a lot of novice dogs screw up  

We practiced a number of times in the little warm-up area they had. Cherokee saw his first hoop and it didn't phase him in the least. His weaves were good 7 out of 10 times. The biggest thing is to not have any treats in my pocket. We have never trained without treats in my pocket. I got rid of the bait bag a long time ago. I rarely treat him for any obstacles anymore except, of course, the dog walk. But, he knows the treats are there. I was going to work on that between now and September 

Wish us luck tomorrow!


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## MissMutt

RE: the treats.. I usually don't let her see that I removed them from my pocket (especially in my first few runs because I was so paranoid about her running off). Also, you can treat while you're waiting on deck (or maybe the 3rd dog in line) as long as you're a few feet away from the ring.. at least I (and many other) people do (including my trainer) at AKC trials..

You're not in Illinois, are you? Lisa Bonker has a ton of NADAC trials out there.. she's such a nice woman..


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## MegaMuttMom

MissMutt said:


> RE: the treats.. I usually don't let her see that I removed them from my pocket (especially in my first few runs because I was so paranoid about her running off). Also, you can treat while you're waiting on deck (or maybe the 3rd dog in line) as long as you're a few feet away from the ring.. at least I (and many other) people do (including my trainer) at AKC trials..
> 
> You're not in Illinois, are you? Lisa Bonker has a ton of NADAC trials out there.. she's such a nice woman..


I'm in Massachusetts but the trial is in Rhode Island. I plan to have treats on me while we are waiting and just stuff what's left in his mouth right before it's our turn. I want him to stay as calm as possible while we are in that area for the first time. It was great to go there today. There are so many details that aren't listed on the web site. My friends (another from our training facility was there) told me so much. Just figuring the difference between proficient and skilled was confusing LOL In class he jumps 20" but I entered him in skilled just to make it a little easier for the first time.


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## MissMutt

I don't know why I thought you were in the midwest! lol

You'll do fine, I'm sure - you've already got the right frame of mind if you're telling yourself you'll skip the dog walk to make Cherokee feel better. Can't wait to hear all about it - GOOD LUCK


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## MegaMuttMom

MissMutt said:


> I don't know why I thought you were in the midwest! lol
> 
> You'll do fine, I'm sure - you've already got the right frame of mind if you're telling yourself you'll skip the dog walk to make Cherokee feel better. Can't wait to hear all about it - GOOD LUCK


I did grow up in Illinois


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## Squeeker

UGH, we had a bad practice this week. Of course, my MIL just so happened to be in town this week and was there to catch all the mayhem... I was SO embarassed!

Libby was acting like SUCH a puppy this week in class - preferring to socialize instead of work, zoomies, forgetting how to weave, forgetting what a tunnel was... At least SOMEONE was having fun out there  the only things she did well were contacts and recalls (thank goodness). 

After each of her "episodes" I was able to refocus her and do a complete run, often cleanly. Just never on the first try.

I was feeling a bit down after class. We've now seen some of our classmates compete and actually move past starters, we've seen other classmates progress with leaps and bounds. I feel like we've plateaued. I don't know if it's me, or her, or both, or if I'm just too impatient... but we're still having fun so I guess it doesn't really matter.


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## LynnI

Squeeker said:


> UGH, we had a bad practice this week. Of course, my MIL just so happened to be in town this week and was there to catch all the mayhem... I was SO embarassed!
> 
> Libby was acting like SUCH a puppy this week in class - preferring to socialize instead of work, zoomies, forgetting how to weave, forgetting what a tunnel was... At least SOMEONE was having fun out there  the only things she did well were contacts and recalls (thank goodness).
> 
> After each of her "episodes" I was able to refocus her and do a complete run, often cleanly. Just never on the first try.
> 
> I was feeling a bit down after class. *We've now seen some of our classmates compete and actually move past starters*, we've seen other classmates progress with leaps and bounds. I feel like *we've plateaued*. I don't know if it's me, or her, or both, or if I'm just too impatient... but we're still having fun so I guess it doesn't really matter.


Ok, first things first stop comparing how you are doing with others that are/were in your class. Some people just have it easier and often the dogs are velcro dogs, which are much easier to run but those dogs often struggle with Gambles. It is a well known fact that the fast/drivey dogs with the most talent take longer to train and both the handler and the dog must have higher skills.........period. And your dog has lots of drive and is certainly not pokey or slow.

Another thing, we often have to work very hard to *find* that perfect warm up to get our dogs to work to their full potential. One thing I was thinking about from one of your recent posts was the amount of exercise you did with her before your class i.e rollerblading (I think that is what you said, if I am wrong please say so). Have you tried not doing all that? Maybe she is too tired and the zoomies are her stress relief. What about giving her some free off leash time with no demands from you prior to class, allows her to relax and bomb around without wearing her out. At the very least trying something like that wont have long term ill effects to your training.

Also, try to think if there is a pattern as to when she gets the zoomies. 
And don't sweat it if she has plateaued, really it isn't a big deal and it does happen to everybody sooner or later. What is important when they plateau is to take the training back to where she can be absolutely sucessful and where you wont get frustrated. Work her through it, revisit everything you have trained, stopped trying to run courses, do piece work and shorter sequences and you'll be surprised at how fast it comes back 


Good luck.


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## Shaina

MMM I'm dying to know how Cherokee does!!! Good luck!!!

Squeeker --- All I can say is good luck and keep with it. My MIL came with me to class too one night...Kim was a naughty brat of course lol...about halfway through the class I (literally) forgot MIL was even present, and Kim started working great again. I probably looked really stupidly surprised when my MIL said "great job!" at the end of class though, lol.



Just a quick note: I'm off into the wild blue yonder for a week and have no idea how my internet access will be, so before I go...
In the month of May, Kim earned her Novice Agility (NA) and Novice Jumpers with Weaves (NAJ) titles in AKC agility! We had a really rocky trial toward the end of the month, but managed to finish the NAJ title and try out open standard, which was fun. I can't say often enough what a great dog she is with whom to work, live, and share my life.


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## MegaMuttMom

Boy, am I exhausted! I was so nervous this morning and I had to get up way too early to make it for the judges talk. So, this is how it went........

For some reason, in his crate, Cherokee decided that golden retrievers going by were going to set him off, especially this one that was with a young girl. After a while, I went out to the car to see if we had anything to cover his crate. I pieced together some stuff and covered him and that helped with that problem. That's the first lesson I learned today-bring a sheet to cover the crate.

So, we entered jumpers and there were 3 dogs jumping at our height and who would be on deck while I'm running but the golden Cherokee has been barking at all morning. We got off to a good start but I lost his atention a couple of times but I was able to get him back without any faults and then....jump 10 came along. I didn't realize that jump 10 was jumping straight towards the golden way in the distance so, instead of seeing me for our front cross, Cherokee saw the golden and ran over to sniff his butt  Thank goodness it was only butt sniffing and the girl didn't give a care about it so, the moral of the story is we were eliminated but, up to that point, we had no faults. When I left the ring, the gate steward said that, if I had told them before hand, they would have kept the golden out of the chute while we were running. Second lesson-ask for what you need to help your dog.

Next was regular and it took a million years for them to set the course because the judge was being judged by an outside judge so he had to set up the course by himself. So, on that run, the golden was in line behind us again so I asked them to keep him back and they did. After going through a hoop to start, the first obstacle was the A-frame. Now, Cherokee LOVES the A-frame. He will choose it over almost any other obstacle. But, he balked on this A-frame and went to sniff and explore under it and in his wandering, found a tunnel. I called him back to try the A-frame again, and he just wouldn't do it so, I moved on. 

He did well with me losing his focus a couple of times but he always refocused easily and didn't really zoom and hit his weaves just right! I was so proud of him for that! So, we finished the rest of the course with no faults besides skipping the dog walk.

After the run, I was talking with a few people and they were complaining that the yellow contact area on the A-frame was too worn and looks black. It was true so, maybe it just looked too black plus, he has only run over a wooden frame and this one was rubber. He is always fearful of new things and this was new 

So, all in all, it was interesting, exhausting, I learned a lot, we had 2 runs with good segments in them. We got no ribbons, but we got free toys and treats and applause. I was not really nervous at all for the second run, I was just caught off-guard by the balk on the A-frame and just had to think on my feet from there.

I'm not sure I can say I had FUN but, I think it could be fun if we do it again. I hate feeling so nervous. It sure is a challenge having a doofus of a dog but, I sure do love him


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## MissMutt

Reminds me a bit of my first experience.. my first run was a disaster (Marge did zoomies and took off out of the ring) and the second was a bit better, but still had some mistakes. It was a good learning experience for me, and sounds like for you, too! Congrats on getting this far! The worst is now over - you know what to expect at trials - so I'm sure the Q's will come in the fall.


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## Squeeker

> Ok, first things first stop comparing how you are doing with others that are/were in your class. Some people just have it easier and often the dogs are velcro dogs, which are much easier to run but those dogs often struggle with Gambles. It is a well known fact that the fast/drivey dogs with the most talent take longer to train and both the handler and the dog must have higher skills.........period. And your dog has lots of drive and is certainly not pokey or slow.
> 
> Another thing, we often have to work very hard to find that perfect warm up to get our dogs to work to their full potential. One thing I was thinking about from one of your recent posts was the amount of exercise you did with her before your class i.e rollerblading (I think that is what you said, if I am wrong please say so). Have you tried not doing all that? Maybe she is too tired and the zoomies are her stress relief. What about giving her some free off leash time with no demands from you prior to class, allows her to relax and bomb around without wearing her out. At the very least trying something like that wont have long term ill effects to your training.
> 
> Also, try to think if there is a pattern as to when she gets the zoomies.
> And don't sweat it if she has plateaued, really it isn't a big deal and it does happen to everybody sooner or later. What is important when they plateau is to take the training back to where she can be absolutely sucessful and where you wont get frustrated. Work her through it, revisit everything you have trained, stopped trying to run courses, do piece work and shorter sequences and you'll be surprised at how fast it comes back


LynnI, thanks for your response. I really appreciate it!

It's true, Libby is a fast, drivey dog, and she's also my first. We're both learning together. I know I shouldn't compare her to the other dogs, but it's hard not to. I also don't want to rush into trialing, but it's hard not to think about it when our classmates are doing so well.

About the exercise thing: it's interesing, it's possible, and I'm willing to give it a try, but I honestly don't think it's that. I used to do less with her before classes, and it wasn't enough so I had to increase the pre-class routine (and it worked). And we're not talking about 45 minutes here, it's only a 2-3k rollerblade at a pace where she's trotting, and then she has 2 hours of recovery before class. And it's not always rollerblading, sometimes we go for a run, some fetch, or offleash in the yard. I mean, she is a hunting dog and is training for scootering; she can go for a LONG time.

I'm not sure if there's a pattern beyond the fact that it's usually after the first obstacle or two, and almost exclusively during the first attempt at a particular sequence. I'll pay more attention to that, though.

I'm just going to focus on keeping it fun for the both of us for the next bit. I know that my frustration is probably compounding the situation!

Thanks again for the help.

Shaina, congrats on the titles, and good luck with the move!

MMM, sounds like you learned some valuable lessons, and aside from a couple of small issues it was pretty successful! I'm sure you'll have Q's in no time!


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## Shaina

I already moved -- I'm at the Flatcoat Nationals this week. Turns out I do have 'net after all 

And good luck...I've been there, and all I can say is...you're not alone lol.


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## moluno

I want to start playing with equipment.  I feel like there will be snow on the ground by the time I finally get to do AGILITY, and then I won't be able to practice at home. 

I'm halfway through this 6 week foundation course and I'm not sure how likely it is that we'll be ready to move forward at the end of it. So far we've done mat work, LLW (getting them used to being on the right and left without crossing in front), sending to target, crate games, reorienting, and we're supposed to do this "ready 1-2-3" game (I'll call it a game... I don't really know what it is). Juno's done really well with it all but the trainer made it seem like it's not typical for dogs to be ready to go to the agility side after the 6 weeks. It just sounds so fun over there, I want to start! 

I also got an email from my trainer that there is a trial in a couple weeks that they need volunteers for. The place is practically in my backyard so it'd be super convenient, but I'm not sure if I want to do it or not.


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## LynnI

moluno said:


> I want to start playing with equipment.  I feel like there will be snow on the ground by the time I finally get to do AGILITY, and then I won't be able to practice at home.
> 
> I'm halfway through this 6 week foundation course and I'm not sure how likely it is that we'll be ready to move forward at the end of it. So far we've done mat work, LLW (getting them used to being on the right and left without crossing in front), sending to target, crate games, reorienting, and we're supposed to do this "ready 1-2-3" game (I'll call it a game... I don't really know what it is). Juno's done really well with it all but the trainer made it seem like it's not typical for dogs to be ready to go to the agility side after the 6 weeks. It just sounds so fun over there, I want to start!
> 
> I also got an email from my trainer that there is a trial in a couple weeks that they need volunteers for. The place is practically in my backyard so it'd be super convenient, but I'm not sure if I want to do it or not.


I know you want to get doing equipment, but the more time you spend on foundations and flatwork skills the faster you will progress through the higher levels once you get there. It seems like it takes forever to get there, but the wonderful thing about is, once there you can do more. Those who skip it tend to have more frustration and time spent reworking what should have been taught first.

I agree with your trainer, 6 weeks isn't long enough and many people don't want to wait. I have seen so many people rush through or not do proper foundations training and then watch them try to run sequences or courses and it is painful to watch. Also many of those folks give up because of the lack of success at that stage. It is a balancing act for a trainer to keep students happy and progressing when they want to move ahead too soon.


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## GottaLuvMutts

moluno said:


> I also got an email from my trainer that there is a trial in a couple weeks that they need volunteers for. The place is practically in my backyard so it'd be super convenient, but I'm not sure if I want to do it or not.


I'd advise you to volunteer if possible. I've done this now at 2 trials (and attended several more) and it has been a great learning experience. They'll tell you what they need you to do, but mostly it will be easy jobs like running leashes, setting bars, and moving equipment. The best part is that you'll get to see the action up close and personal - best seat in the house! Ask permission first, but you can probably walk the courses with the handlers, and think about where you would be giving what signals. I know it's really hard, but while dogs are running, try to watch the handler rather than the dog. You can learn a ton just by watching their body language, watching where they do their crosses, etc. 

You'll also meet a lot of people, most of whom will wonder what you're doing there without a dog. Good chance to get your foot in the door and meet the local gurus. Ask tons of questions - everyone likes to teach the newbie about their passion!

I'm thinking next time I volunteer at the place where I have recently, I'll probably bring Kit and leave her in a crate off to the side out of the way. I'd like to get her used to the setting before we start trialing. If she's barking or bothering people or dogs, home is only 5 minutes away.


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## MrsBoats

LynnI said:


> I know you want to get doing equipment, but the more time you spend on foundations and flatwork skills the faster you will progress through the higher levels once you get there. It seems like it takes forever to get there, but the wonderful thing about is, once there you can do more. Those who skip it tend to have more frustration and time spent reworking what should have been taught first.
> 
> I agree with your trainer, 6 weeks isn't long enough and many people don't want to wait. I have seen so many people rush through or not do proper foundations training and then watch them try to run sequences or courses and it is painful to watch. Also many of those folks give up because of the lack of success at that stage. It is a balancing act for a trainer to keep students happy and progressing when they want to move ahead too soon.


I have to echo Lynn about making sure you have a good foundation in agility and handling before you trial. I have been working foundation and equipment skills for the past year and a half. I'm still not ready for competition and I have a dog who is driven and lives for agility. If my timing isn't perfect he's on a completely incorrect path from what I need him to be. Agility most definitely isn't something you can take a class or two and you're ready to hit the big time. It takes time and patience to be proficient at it and for your dog to learn how to jump correctly through drills and grids as well as using equipment safely. 

Enjoy the journey of training and teaching your dog. The journey can be as rewarding at the end product and a lot of us forget this when we get a specific goal in mind.


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## Squeeker

We had a much better class this week. I'm not sure if it was the weather (much cooler), the exercise (Libby had a playdate before class instead of a rollerblade etc.), or the fact that I was less stressed (MIL was gone! LOL).

She only had one zoomie but came right back when I recalled her. She lost focus a couple of times otherwise, but I just tried to stay calm and not get stressed and just have fun, and we did...

...Until class was over. I loaded Libby into the car, put her bag inside, and closed the hatch JUST as I realized that the car keys were in the bag and the doors were locked 

Have I ever mentioned that our agility club is in the middle of nowhere, an hour from home?

I borrowed someone's cell phone, called DH, who called me a tow truck. One hour and $80 later I was on my way home. 

Libby slept through the whole thing


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## And

So we had day 1 of our TDAA trial for the weekend. The weatherman said it was supposed to be 80's, sunny, and humid... it was cold, rainy, and windy. We had 3 standard NQ's and 2 games Q's. 

We are definitely a team more suited for venues like CPE, but we always have a blast with the people no matter how it goes. Belle decided she didn't want to listen today. I'm not sure if it was the weather, the fact it was only her 2nd outdoor trial (1st TDAA outdoor), or that we didn't get a chance to practice as much as I had wished! We are really working on re-training her table performance... if you could call it a performance right now  So I was hoping to get a feel for how she was progressing, but we only were able to make it to the table once to do a stand..the other 2 runs she was nuts! And for TDAA everything has to be perfect in standards... from beginners to superior..tough venue!

So we are still 4 Q's from our TSAD, 14 from our TAM.. but only 5 away from our TMAG! 

We are going back tomorrow, hopefully it is not as cold!!


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## MrsBoats

Here's a drop in class we did on Friday night...it was a tough one for us. It was an excellent course that was squished together. The distances were tight and for Lars and his momentum and stride...not easy. But it wasn't horrible...and I even did jazz hands at one point. LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcbCgYV0Nmc


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## LynnI

MrsBoats said:


> Here's a drop in class we did on Friday night...it was a tough one for us. It was an excellent course that was squished together. The distances were tight and for Lars and his momentum and stride...not easy. But it wasn't horrible...and I even did jazz hands at one point. LOL
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcbCgYV0Nmc


Lars is lovely, you had some really nice spots out there. Tight lines and squishy is often what we see at our AAC courses and it is so hard with long strided and/or fast dogs. Have you competed yet?


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## MrsBoats

Oh god no...we haven't hit the big time yet with trialing. We're starting to head out and do drop in classes at different places. But, we've come a long way even in the past 3 - 4 months. I'm hoping to start trialing later this summer or early fall. 

I just sent in his NADAC registration and would like to start there I think. At least there a dropped bar is 5 points instead of the NQ in AKC. I'm not ready to give them regular donations of entry fees. LOL Lars had a HUGE problem of hitting bars with his chest and the fact he can leave them up for the most part is big. Plus, NADAC has big dogs jumping 20" which is where we are now. We're slowly bringing Lars up to 24" (he measures in at 24.5") and we would show in prefered in AKC for starters. 

We've got some more work ahead of us, but I can see trialing off in the distance somewhere.


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## mrslloyd09

MrsBoats said:


> Here's a drop in class we did on Friday night...it was a tough one for us. It was an excellent course that was squished together. The distances were tight and for Lars and his momentum and stride...not easy. But it wasn't horrible...and I even did jazz hands at one point. LOL
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcbCgYV0Nmc


This was fun to watch. Lars looked like he was having so much fun.

I've emailed the two local groups that do agility for the second time; I'm hoping this time I get a reply. I really need to get Melodie into one of their Beginner obedience classes (I've heard really good things about both of them). I guess I'll have to keep my fingers crossed.


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## That'llDo

So, today I signed Rigel up for a CGC class at the place where I think I want to take agility classes. Sort of testing the waters, as it were, to see how I feel about this trainer. If all goes well, in about 8 weeks, we will get to start taking agility classes! I am excited, and have been enjoying watching this thread to see what everyone else is doing. I want to join the club!!


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## Kyllobernese

Remmy doing the tire at his May trial. He got a Q in







Advanced Gamblers.


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## MrsBoats

Remmy looks like a man on a mission! What a great photo!!! Congrats on the Q too!


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## Squeeker

And, sounds like you had a crazy day! How did day 2 turn out?

MrsBoats, nice video! Lars is so focused... I'm jealous! He looks like a sweetie 

mrslloyd09, I hope you can get into a class!

That'llDo, it sure is fun! We did a CGC class a while back and that was very interesting as well, though obviously in a different kind of way! Hopefully you like the facility.

Kyllobernese, Remmy looks "in the zone" in that one! So nice and clear!

Libby and I had an interesting lesson last night. I didn't lock my keys in my car this time, but I DID forget all of her training treats  I panicked for a minute or two and then sucked it up and asked some of my classmates for a few to get us through class. The result was a mixed bag of pupperoni, cheese strings, wellness wellbites, and charlee bears. I didn't think Libby would go for it, but she really seemed to enjoy the variety. I think I am going to start mixing up the treats I use even more than I do now.

So our first sequence was 4 jumps in a row with the third one off-center, and then a tunnel. The object of the exercise was to work on long lead-outs, plus working laterally from a jump. We ran it 4 times, each time with a longer leadout and a larger lateral from the 3rd jump. Libby did really well! She was super-focused, had a fantastic start line, and I was able to get as far lateral from the jump as possible, plus lead out a bit past the 3rd jump. Video!



The second sequence also went really well. This one went dog walk, jump, weave, with a front cross and somewhat difficult weave entry. Again, she did all 3 tries beautifully:



And finally, we put both parts together. That's when she completely lost it. She wasn't interested at all, zoomie-ing all over the place. Ah, well... at least the pattern was different this week 

Sunday, Libby and I are going to an agility fun match. It's run like a trial, judged and everything, but toys, treats, targets, etc. are allowed in the ring. I'm excited, but also apprehensive... we'll see how it goes! It will be Libby's first outdoor experience (aside from our backyard).


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## And

Squeeker said:


> And, sounds like you had a crazy day! How did day 2 turn out?


Day 2 was not AS crazy. It was warm!! We ended up with 3 Games Q's. Now we are only 2 Q's away from our Teacup Masters of Games title! We were SO close in one of the standard runs... everything was perfect until Belle looked up at me and ran right into a winged jump.. knocked the whole thing over  She was ok and looked at me like.. "What? Why did you stop?" So we had no standard Q's.. but our Table performance is getting better! 

Our teacher is judging a UKI trial this weekend... the first UKI trial in the midwest.. There are only like 11 dogs entered and they are taking Day of Show entries... I think we MAY go on Sunday to check it out and maybe enter. I have two friends running Saturday so they can fill me in!

Anyone hear anything about UKI??

@Squeeker - Sounds like your class went well for the most part! I am ALWAYS waiting for the time I forget the treats! But all the agility people are so nice that it wouldnt be a problem to find some!!  I wish my laptop wasnt so slow so I could watch the videos... good luck on your fun match on Sunday!! Is it shaped around a certain venue?? Let us know how it goes!!

I think my parents desktop computer is getting fixed tomorrow so I will try to upload some pictures soon.


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## Squeeker

Yup, AAC. It's supposed to be sunny and warm... fingers crossed!


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## MissMutt

We did one day of a three day agility trial this weekend.

Our first run:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Ue0O0GQlE

This was our Open Standard debut. It was a really nice run other than the contacts. I cued her to hit it on the dog walk and she sorta slowed down but ultimately didn't 2o2o.. which messed up the A-Frame (which I've been working SO hard on) which messed up the teeter, because I don't think I cued "teeter"  Argh! After next week's trial we're taking the summer off from trialing and we WILL have solid contacts in the fall.

This was our second Novice Jumpers Leg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35zhJt1sdj4

Nice run, I was a little sloppy because of how hot/tired I was, but I'm so happy I stuck to my gut and went with the back cross right before the second tunnel near the weaves. I wouldn't have been able to front cross in there.


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## Squeeker

MissMutt,

You and Marge are really looking good! The first run was REALLY nice up to the point of the flyoff... sucks. The second course was solid too. Congrats on the Q!


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## Shaina

Nice Miss Mutt!!! Congrats!


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## And

Sooo Belle and I went to Day 2 of the FIRST UKI trial in the Midwest!!

I decided to go to support the club hosting it (I take private lessons with the owner), and to support the judge (who is my teacher for TDAA lessons)! Also, a lot of my agility friends were there!

All in all, I liked it! We ended up with 1 Q and 3 NQ's. It's separated into three categories: Agility, Games, and Speedstakes 

In our Agility run we either missed a weave pole entrance, so NQ!
In the 2 Games runs we dropped a bar in one and missed a contact in the other! So 2 NQ's!

And finally, our last run, Speedstakes, we got our first UKI Q! All jumps and tunnels. Belle was the smallest dog but had the fastest time out of all levels and heights!  

The trial lasted less than 4 hours, not a HUGE turnout, but it was a nice first UKI trial for everyone! I encourage everyone to TRY it if given the chance!

@*MissMutt* Those were 2 really nice runs!! Too bad about the teeter, it was so perfect up until then!! 

And just a picture from a recent trial we are going to purchase. All rights to Steve @ pawprintpictures!


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## RaeganW

And, I almost went to the UKI trial to watch and help out! Couldn't afford the gas in the end though.  I've been dying to get into UKI, it looks like a blast.

What a great picture!


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## Squeeker

Wellllll, we went to our first "fun match" today. It was set up just like an AAC trial, but treats, toys, and training were allowed in the ring. I was really, really nervous because of our past zoomie issues, the fact that Libby has never run outdoors or on grass before, and naturally I was just nervous to be in front of a crowd in general.

We started with two standard runs (starters level). Here's the first run:



As you can see, I was really nervous and made a couple of dumb mistakes (Like why did I lead out BEFORE the tire instead of after? And why did I rear cross before the jump, not the tunnel)? but I was just thrilled that Libby didn''t lose focus! I made the split-second decision to not make her go back and do the tire again at the start and I'm glad I did as it kept her energy high, her confidence in tact, and just fun in general.

This is the second run:



CLEAN! Would've been a Q! I was THRILLED!!! 

Then we did two gamblers runs. We've never done gamblers, and we've also never worked away as far as we had to in the closing. I'm not surprised she didn't do the gambler's sequence the first (or second) time, but she was so close! I dont' know what made her turn back. She nailed it the third time, though!

Here's the first run:



My DH didn't get video of the second run. It was a little bit different the second time as I decided to try a different approach, but she was really tired at the end and I didn't press the closing after 2 attempts.

I'm very


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## LynnI

Squeeker, you guys look great for you first time away and on different equipment. Congrats.

May I give an opinion on those gambles?  And one tip is, when working and/or training gambles, stay at least an additional 4 feet away from the line, that way if you have to step in you still wont come near it


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## Squeeker

LynnI, thanks for the tip! I had heard that before, but it's WAY harder to actually do it in your first try!

This week's class went really, really well. The first sequence was another practice in leadouts. Libby entered the weaves SO well, she's really getting the grasp of the entries now.



The second sequence we ran twice, once with a front cross and once with a rear cross. The rear cross went WAY better, but DH didn't get the video. Here's the front cross one... I was a bit late on my cross.



And finally, putting it all together. I forgot to slow her down before the table so she bounced off (oops), I was a bit late in communicating the second jump before the A-frame (but did a nice RC), and she totally blew the teeter (all the dogs did, I think because the dog walk had been there for a few weeks).



This weekend we have K9 Kup, a fun series of fun matches run in the AAC format but it's not for official titles. My whole class is on the same team, so it should be a blast! 

Thanks for looking!


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## Squeeker

So K0 Kup was fun this weekend! We did three courses: jumpers, standard, and finally gamblers.

Jumpers went pretty well - we had one OC and thus went over on time, but it was pretty good otherwise. 

Standard was a different story... Libby refused the tire and it all went downhill from there. We didn't finish the course properly, I elected to end on a good note instead of pushing too hard.

Gamblers went really well! Libby was distracted a bit at one point, but I was able to get her back on track. She also completed the gamble... but I stepped on the line  Stupid handler! 

Our team had fun and we had some really good runs... and some really bad ones! Can't wait for next month!


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## Squeeker

How are everyone's classes going? This thread has been quiet... everyone on vacation? 

Our classes have been goingreally well. Libby's focus has been improving, and our whole class has made a lot of progress. We start a new session on Thursday.

We've had a few more show and go matches since my last post. The one two weeks ago was a pretty bad showing on our part... focus was not there, but we learned a lot as it was our first snooker run; we also did a standard run.

This past weekend we had another match and it went a LOT better! We played snookeer first, and actually pulled off a qualifying time and score!! I was estatic! Next we did Steeplechase (first time ever), and it went OK but not stellar. Finally we did a Standard run and we were SO close to a Q - just one back-jump. So close!

We're having a ton of fun together!


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## Shaina

Web and Mir are actually in obedience classes at the moment, and Kim has the term off. Working on agility, but doing specific skills work that I'm better off doing on my own or in a casual group setting rather than in a structured class. Am helping out with an intro class though, so that's fun. We did trial recently, which I covered here: http://www.dogforums.com/2-general-dog-forum/81313-agility-trials.html


Squeeker -- glad to hear the match went well! hurray!


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## LynnI

I haven't done anything with Petie, no training nor trialling. However with Who my pup (she is almost a year old now) I have continued with her foundations training. Working on her contact criteria, sending out and around everything and anything, recalls of course, stays, and working on skills with one jump (no bars up). Tonight I started her formal agility training on equipment, started with a little bit of box work and then backchaining a short straight line sequence. 3 jumps (4 inches) to a tunnel. She was amazing, I ended up doing a lead out to the tunnel, she flew over the 3 jumps, blasted into the tunnel, turn to another jump and then another tunnel. She loves the game! I introduced her to the tire jump and that also went great. I also introduced her to the lowered dog walk and back chained it, she never missed her contact criteria and we finished with her running over the DW, nailed her contact, released to play a game of tug.
I know it sounds like a lot but we only trained for about 20 mins and she just gets it, which goes to show that with foundation training it makes the rest of the training go so much faster and easier  I am so proud of my baby dog!!!


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## Shaina

Awesome, LynnI!! Sounds like Who is loooving it!

I'll still be in the foundation work phase with my pup for a while...but being a large breed dog, I'll be waiting til she's 18 months to get her really jumping and working contacts, as she is still growing and filling out. One of the nice things about a small dog  There's always more foundation work to be had, though, so it works for me!


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## Laurelin

Summer had her first 'real' class in about a year yesterday. It went pretty well overall.

I set her up and tried to run her through the weaves. She trotted past them. Set her up again and she entered them then popped out. Set her up again and she ran straight past them.

So my instructor gave me her dog and took Summer. Immediately Summer was super excited. "OMG, I can plays agility with other peoples?!" She ran through them all perfectly each time for my instructor. Not only did she run them perfectly, she ran them faster than I have ever seen her do. 

Brat. 

It's so fun to see her come alive doing agility though. I really think other than people, it's her first love. She's got a cute little bounce to her when she runs too lol.


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## And

My computer would not let me log onto Dog Forums for the longest time, so I totally forgot about it until I got an e-mail saying someone had posted here!

As for Belle and I, we have stopped going to one of our classes. It was close to home, but I found a new instructor who I REALLY like.. and a lot of my agility friends go there. However, I will see my 'ex-instructor' (? ) at CPE trials and I think she is judging a trial around here soon... So that will be awkward, and she really doesn't have the nicest demeanor about her.. Ah well! So we will start classes soon, but the extra 15-20 mins of driving will be worth it I think!

We attended our 3rd CPE trial this past weekend, and came home with 6 Q's. It was HOT!! So I ended up pulling her from a few runs on Saturday, but it really helped on Sunday I think. We have a TDAA trial this weekend, and we are 2 Q's away from our Master of Games Title..so cross your fingers for that!! This is the only TDAA trial for like 3 months! 

Still having some table issues, and now Belle is having some bar knocking and contact issues!! But if we didn't have anything to train then what would be the fun in that?

It is nice hearing everyone's class updates


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## Finkie_Mom

It sounds like everyone's classes are going well!!!

We just started working with some jumps - only a few times a class since they're still puppies, and at the lowest level. Kimma is AWESOME at just sitting and waiting for me to call her over, and also letting me go around the side and lure her over the "jump," more like it would be running an actual course. She also loves tunnels, which I'm glad for. The only thing that surprised me was that she was scared of the weaves! Well it was one of those training ones that all go out to the side so it makes more of a tunnel, but she was like "Wait, you want me to go WHERE? No, I'd much rather go around the outside of this thing," LOL. Luckily, our trainer is great and seems to really know how to get the puppies to want to work with the equipment. She also understands my crazy mess of a dog, which helps me feel better about life LOL.

I must say, though, that I attended my first trail this weekend as a spectator (at the Reliant show) and it was AMAZING. It made me want to do this even more! I'm hooked already, and we haven't even done any hardcore work, hahaha.


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## And

We had Day 1 of our TDAA trial today  Out of 5 runs we had 3 Q's. 

Out of the 3 superior standard runs we Q'd once, but ALL we did wrong on the others were knocked a bar and an off course handling error. SO close to a perfect day!

Also, we got our last 2 games Q's we needed to earn our TMAG (Teacup Master Agility Games) title! Now we ONLY need 13 more standard run Q's for our Teacup Agility Champion title  One day one day...

All in all I was VERY impressed/pleased/happy! Belle did her table performance all 3 times, and only gave me troubles with it one of the 3 times.  No missed contacts, although we got lucky on one of our standard runs that they didn't call us for a missed contact! And only 1 knocked bar, and perfect weaves.  Day 2 tomorrow! Wishing for more Standard Q's!!


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## Lonewolfblue

This was a run in our class last week. Can't wait til class again tomorrow....

When Nell went off screen, she hit the tunnel, which was part of the course. Was getting her attention before she came out so she wouldn't go to her favorite trainer standing behind the tunnel, lol. Then the teeter was kind of a magnet for her too, but was able to get her back on track to the table.


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## MegaMuttMom

Since last week's class, my training center rubberized the A frame and dog walk and Cherokee went over the dog walk for the first time! It messed him up for the rest of the class because he became obsessed with it and kept going over it, and over it. It was funny and a great thing. I guess it changed it just enough that he felt secure  It's a huge development for him! He is such a dork.


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## nikkiluvsu15

I've just signed Harleigh up for Intro to Agility starting on September 13th  Very excited because we've been waiting for this club to have another Intro class for quite some time.


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## Shaina

@MMM -- that's great!!! The first time Kim was on rubberized contacts was at a trial...fortunately I knew they had rubberized so signed her up for FAST in the morning as a practice round...she loved them too!


We haven't been in class per say, but Kim and Mira have both demo'd in the intro class I'm helping with, and we stick around to help set up for the next class and run their course before we leave (there's 45 minutes between the classes so we are long gone before the class starts). Otherwise, just working on various skills with each of the dogs on our own as usual.

Going to an agility seminar this weekend -- Kim was in an Excellent section today, Webster will be in a Novice one tomorrow, and Mira has a private lesson also tomorrow. I've sat in on this instructor's stuff before and think she has an excellent eye and is quite frank -- I thoroughly enjoyed Kim's session today and getting some knowledgeable feedback...looking forward to more of the same tomorrow.


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## LazyGRanch713

nikkiluvsu15 said:


> I've just signed Harleigh up for Intro to Agility starting on September 13th  Very excited because we've been waiting for this club to have another Intro class for quite some time.


I just signed Dude (9 year old pap) up for agility last week, weird!!! The little brat did the A-frame and sat at the bottom (not 2o2o but who cares--I've never taught him either) and he did the dogwalk which I figured he'd bulk from. Also did the chute. What a show off. At home he acts like anything out of place that moves is going to rush down and bite him  We're working on learning how to learn with more shaping for now. I think he likes it!
Tag has been doing well. He's been in agility since November, not quite a year, and has already gone from beginners class to advanced, so I'm proud of him. He's becoming a weaving junkie, which I'm SO glad, and he's just now starting to really drive through the poles instead of hop through them. People who see him weekly say he could Q in the novice courses, and perhaps they're right--it's ME who wouldn't be able to Q just yet


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## That'llDo

Rigel is officially enrolled in a beginning class, as of this morning. 

Of course, it doesn't start until the end of September, and I am already waaaaaaay too excited about it. I am so impatient. I guess it is another month of jealous lurking in this thread and the sport forum for me. You may now roll your eyes at me.


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## Squeeker

Yay, lots of new joiners! I'm sure you will all be agility addicts in no time! 

Our classes have been going really well. Libby's zoomies have pretty much come to an end, thank goodness. 

Last week we had another practice trial; Libby did really well except she decided to blow EVERY CONTACT. She has NEVER done this before, so we've been drilling them a lot since. Hopefully we'll be ready for our first real trial in a few weeks!!


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## LazyGRanch713

That'llDo said:


> Rigel is officially enrolled in a beginning class, as of this morning.
> 
> Of course, it doesn't start until the end of September, and I am already waaaaaaay too excited about it. I am so impatient. I guess it is another month of jealous lurking in this thread and the sport forum for me. You may now roll your eyes at me.


No way (to your "rolling eyes now"!). You'll have a blast! When I was prepping Dude I went through the "learning to learn" phase, as he's not very operant and doesn't offer new stuff a whole lot, even if it earns a click. He waits for a cue. That's been our biggest challenge for the past few weeks. 
When Tag signed up we had done a lot of shaping and a lot of contact stuff (shaping 2o2o with a magazine, and later a tippy board). There's a lot of stuff you can do in preparation of your first night if the wait is killing you!!


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## GottaLuvMutts

Just wanted to update quickly before bed...

Things have been awkward lately with agility class. For a while, I felt like we were progressing ok, but for the past 6 weeks or so, I feel like progress has stalled. Mostly I blame the trainer, and I won't go into all the details here (I could write a book...). She made it clear last week that she blames me for any lack of progress, although Kit and I have been the best team there since day 1, 10 months ago. Everyone in the class is pretty unhappy, we've already lost several folks, and more are considering leaving.

Anyway, I'm getting a little private instruction tomorrow from a friend, and I'm hoping that things go well and that we can get back on track. Hopefully we'll be switching to a new trainer within a couple of weeks, and we'll definitely be moving to a better training facility, so maybe that will jump-start our progress. For now, I'm just excited to get a fresh perspective.


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## LazyGRanch713

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Just wanted to update quickly before bed...
> 
> Things have been awkward lately with agility class. For a while, I felt like we were progressing ok, but for the past 6 weeks or so, I feel like progress has stalled. Mostly I blame the trainer, and I won't go into all the details here (I could write a book...). She made it clear last week that she blames me for any lack of progress, although Kit and I have been the best team there since day 1, 10 months ago. Everyone in the class is pretty unhappy, we've already lost several folks, and more are considering leaving.
> 
> Anyway, I'm getting a little private instruction tomorrow from a friend, and I'm hoping that things go well and that we can get back on track. Hopefully we'll be switching to a new trainer within a couple of weeks, and we'll definitely be moving to a better training facility, so maybe that will jump-start our progress. For now, I'm just excited to get a fresh perspective.


That's too bad. I hope you get a new trainer and can get back on track. A good trainer makes all the difference, especially if you're fairly new to the game.


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## agility collie mom

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Just wanted to update quickly before bed...
> 
> Things have been awkward lately with agility class. For a while, I felt like we were progressing ok, but for the past 6 weeks or so, I feel like progress has stalled. Mostly I blame the trainer, and I won't go into all the details here (I could write a book...). She made it clear last week that she blames me for any lack of progress, although Kit and I have been the best team there since day 1, 10 months ago. Everyone in the class is pretty unhappy, we've already lost several folks, and more are considering leaving.
> 
> Anyway, I'm getting a little private instruction tomorrow from a friend, and I'm hoping that things go well and that we can get back on track. Hopefully we'll be switching to a new trainer within a couple of weeks, and we'll definitely be moving to a better training facility, so maybe that will jump-start our progress. For now, I'm just excited to get a fresh perspective.


Yes sometimes you do outgrow your instructor. Than again sometimes you will hit a plateau and kinda of hover there for a while before you move forward. A new facility and trainer how exciting. Where i train we are lucky enough to have two instructors that alternate weeks. (I have had four different ones in this class.) It is interesting because they all had different methods of teaching and I learned a lot from all of them. In my beginners class I had three different instructors. Intermediate four different instructors. Plus I have had a few private lessons with Donna Rohaus. Good luck. (Sometimes if you take a break from classes you and your dog will come back better than ever. We usually have two breaks a year from classes. It is amazing how excited both the dogs and I are whenever we return to class!)


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## That'llDo

LazyGRanch713 said:


> No way (to your "rolling eyes now"!). You'll have a blast! When I was prepping Dude I went through the "learning to learn" phase, as he's not very operant and doesn't offer new stuff a whole lot, even if it earns a click. He waits for a cue. That's been our biggest challenge for the past few weeks.
> When Tag signed up we had done a lot of shaping and a lot of contact stuff (shaping 2o2o with a magazine, and later a tippy board). There's a lot of stuff you can do in preparation of your first night if the wait is killing you!!


Any suggestions? I have been working on some "back end awareness" exercises with him (seriously, that dog has NO IDEA where his butt is), like having him put his front feet on a phone book and turn around by moving his back ones, and I have been working on his distance drop command, but since he is the first dog I'm doing this with, I don't really know what else would be helpful.


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## LynnI

That'llDo said:


> Any suggestions? I have been working on some "back end awareness" exercises with him (seriously, that dog has NO IDEA where his butt is), like having him put his front feet on a phone book and turn around by moving his back ones, and I have been working on his distance drop command, but since he is the first dog I'm doing this with, I don't really know what else would be helpful.


Teaching a back up and backing up shallow stairs often helps. You can also use a ladder to teach hindend awaremess, even safely teach them to back up on a ladder laying on the ground for more advanced work. One of the best ways to teach body hindend awareness is to also let them run on very hilly terrian, over logs and rocks etc of leash if possible as long as they don't go to crazy and the risk is too high of injury. Are you also looking for suggestions on what to train to prepare for agility classes? If so I have a ton of stuff that I can tell you 



GottaLuvMutts said:


> Just wanted to update quickly before bed...
> 
> Things have been awkward lately with agility class. For a while, I felt like we were progressing ok, but for the past 6 weeks or so, I feel like progress has stalled. Mostly I blame the trainer, and I won't go into all the details here (I could write a book...). She made it clear last week that she blames me for any lack of progress, although Kit and I have been the best team there since day 1, 10 months ago. Everyone in the class is pretty unhappy, we've already lost several folks, and more are considering leaving.
> 
> Anyway, I'm getting a little private instruction tomorrow from a friend, and I'm hoping that things go well and that we can get back on track. Hopefully we'll be switching to a new trainer within a couple of weeks, and we'll definitely be moving to a better training facility, so maybe that will jump-start our progress. For now, I'm just excited to get a fresh perspective.


Well as an instructor in agility I can only think of one reason why someone wouldn't be progressing and that would be not doing their homework. Having said that, if the student is trying it is the instructors job to find methods and ways to make that team successful and they typically shouldn't blame the student. If most of the students are unhappy for any reason, that is not a good sign as you know and a change could be good for you.
Recently I had a new student start training with me and I am stunned at what they don't know for a years worth of training at another place. 
Good luck!!


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## GottaLuvMutts

LynnI said:


> Well as an instructor in agility I can only think of one reason why someone wouldn't be progressing and that would be not doing their homework.


Problem is, there's never any homework. For the past 6 weeks or so, I have left class wondering what we learned, and the answer is nothing. Everyone is frustrated with the lack of structure, and I feel like we're doing nothing but treading water. It also doesn't help that Kit and I are sort of an anomaly in our class: she's a VERY high-drive dog who lives to do the equipment. She literally quivers with anticipation at the start line. Our biggest issue is controling the drive. The class is tailored to the other folks, who mostly have low-drive dogs that aren't particularly interested in agility equipment. Many of the participants don't really have any interest in doing agility competitively. A few don't even have a decent "stay" on their dog. To top it off, the instructor REFUSES to recognize that my issues are any different than anyone elses, so she's constantly trying to build Kit's drive, just like she does with everyone else, and that usually has us spinning out of control. But then somehow *I* get blamed for not working on control. Makes me so *angry*. Rant over, I promise.

Anyway, my friend did a big favor for me tonight by watching us on some equipment and giving me pointers. He pinpointed a lot of our issues and gave me some stuff to work on, which is exactly what I've been craving. I should know within a couple of weeks what's going to happen with our class arrangement, but I think I've decided that enough is enough with our current instructor.



LynnI said:


> Are you also looking for suggestions on what to train to prepare for agility classes? If so I have a ton of stuff that I can tell you


I'd love to hear whatever you have to offer, because as I've just finished telling you, I feel like I'm not getting anything out of classes lately.


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## LynnI

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Problem is, there's never any homework. For the past 6 weeks or so, I have left class wondering what we learned, and the answer is nothing. Everyone is frustrated with the lack of structure, and I feel like we're doing nothing but treading water. It also doesn't help that Kit and I are sort of an anomaly in our class: she's a VERY high-drive dog who lives to do the equipment. She literally quivers with anticipation at the start line. Our biggest issue is controling the drive. The class is tailored to the other folks, who mostly have low-drive dogs that aren't particularly interested in agility equipment. Many of the participants don't really have any interest in doing agility competitively. A few don't even have a decent "stay" on their dog. To top it off, the instructor REFUSES to recognize that my issues are any different than anyone elses, so she's constantly trying to build Kit's drive, just like she does with everyone else, and that usually has us spinning out of control. But then somehow *I* get blamed for not working on control. Makes me so *angry*. Rant over, I promise.
> 
> Anyway, my friend did a big favor for me tonight by watching us on some equipment and giving me pointers. He pinpointed a lot of our issues and gave me some stuff to work on, which is exactly what I've been craving. I should know within a couple of weeks what's going to happen with our class arrangement, but I think I've decided that enough is enough with our current instructor.
> 
> 
> I'd love to hear whatever you have to offer, because as I've just finished telling you, I feel like I'm not getting anything out of classes lately.


Oh my goodness, if I didn't know better I would swear you had been with the same instructor as one of my new students!!!
Nothing worse than feeling like you are learning squat and there should always be homework when training at the lower levels, little things that you can be doing to improve so much that doesn't require any equipment. 
Actually the worst is someone trying to get you to ramp up and high drive fast dog to the point where the poor dog loses it's mind and blows a gasket. I feel your pain there, my first agility dog was/is a very high drive, stinking fast dog and one of my first instructors wanted me to 'get him excited', good grief I had just spend a year calming the dog down and getting him under control!!! This instructor kept insisting, finally I showed him, pitched my voice high, got him all excited and he promptly leaped up and bit me (not hard but all the same........), needless to say my dog got so over the top and he couldn't focus on the tasks at hand and the training at that point was pointless. That was the last time I went to that instructor because it should have never come to that and he should have understood and knew that not all dogs need to be jazzed up to do agility!!! Building drive and speed wasn't what we needed!! One thing I would suggest is to ensure that your timing is good, clear consistant information sooner than later for a high drive dog, keep your voice happy but level and don't pitch it high as that tends put many of those types of dogs over the top. I had one student once that had a hearing impairment, she didn't know how high her voice got, by the 4-5 obstacle her dog's mind had left the building. I had her run him silently and it was amazing at how much he focused and got the job done. Smooth clear body language often works like a charm on these types of dogs. 
As for suggestions, I was replying to the other poster but I would be more than happy to suggest some stuff to you too. Give me an idea of what your skill level is and what you have been working on. Good luck!!


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## Shaina

Lynn I wish you were closer lol -- I ran out of agility classes a while ago (and was really just taking them for working around other dogs...they are pretty bad around here), and have started signing up for interesting seminars in lieu of classes...would love to take one of your classes and get instructions from someone who gets it and who cares!


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## That'llDo

LynnI said:


> Are you also looking for suggestions on what to train to prepare for agility classes? If so I have a ton of stuff that I can tell you


Oh, yes, please? I am taking notes already. 



GottaLuvMutts said:


> Our biggest issue is controling the drive...To top it off, the instructor REFUSES to recognize that my issues are any different than anyone elses, so she's constantly trying to build Kit's drive, just like she does with everyone else, and that usually has us spinning out of control. But then somehow *I* get blamed for not working on control. Makes me so *angry*. Rant over, I promise.


Jeez, that sounds so frustrating! I hope you find an instructor that understands your needs (and Kit's!) better soon.


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## LazyGRanch713

Teaching a back up and backing up shallow stairs often helps. You can also use a ladder to teach hindend awaremess, even safely teach them to back up on a ladder laying on the ground for more advanced work. One of the best ways to teach body hindend awareness is to also let them run on very hilly terrian, over logs and rocks etc of leash if possible as long as they don't go to crazy and the risk is too high of injury. Are you also looking for suggestions on what to train to prepare for agility classes? If so I have a ton of stuff that I can tell you 

*I taught Tag targeting with paws and gradually raised it to rear feet only. He'd do his darndest to back up to a book and climb his rear feet up there, staring at me like "whenyagonnaclickmomwhenyagonnaclick!?!?" I've done some ladder work with Dude, but not Tag, and none of us have gone hiking yet  I've also got a set of doggie stairs that I let them climb around on.*


Well as an instructor in agility I can only think of one reason why someone wouldn't be progressing and that would be not doing their homework. Having said that, if the student is trying it is the instructors job to find methods and ways to make that team successful and they typically shouldn't blame the student. If most of the students are unhappy for any reason, that is not a good sign as you know and a change could be good for you.
Recently I had a new student start training with me and I am stunned at what they don't know for a years worth of training at another place. 
Good luck!!
*I think a lot of that is the "He does it at home!" syndrome. Taking it on the road REALLY helps. For simple stuff Tag knew at home that earned him a piece of kibble, he would earn a click and hot dogs for the same behavior in a different setting. Auz could do all sorts of fancy stuff at home, but once he got to the training building his mind was elsewhere and it was a very difficult thing to get him to do anything while paying attention to me at all. Upping reinforcement, and using CU really, really helped that. *


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## That'llDo

LazyGRanch713 said:


> Teaching a back up and backing up shallow stairs often helps. You can also use a ladder to teach hindend awaremess, even safely teach them to back up on a ladder laying on the ground for more advanced work. One of the best ways to teach body hindend awareness is to also let them run on very hilly terrian, over logs and rocks etc of leash if possible as long as they don't go to crazy and the risk is too high of injury. Are you also looking for suggestions on what to train to prepare for agility classes? If so I have a ton of stuff that I can tell you
> I taught Tag targeting with paws and gradually raised it to rear feet only. He'd do his darndest to back up to a book and climb his rear feet up there, staring at me like "whenyagonnaclickmomwhenyagonnaclick!?!?" I've done some ladder work with Dude, but not Tag, and none of us have gone hiking yet  I've also got a set of doggie stairs that I let them climb around on.


You started by having him target with any paw? Rigel will do things with his front paws, but I haven't been able to get a lot with his back ones. I've been trying to shape him to do things involving his back feet, but he doesn't seem to be making the connection between moving his back feet and getting the click. It's like he doesn't know he controls them! (Which is frequently hilarious, but hard to train with.


----------



## LynnI

LazyGRanch713 said:


> *I think a lot of that is the "He does it at home!" syndrome. Taking it on the road REALLY helps. For simple stuff Tag knew at home that earned him a piece of kibble, he would earn a click and hot dogs for the same behavior in a different setting. Auz could do all sorts of fancy stuff at home, but once he got to the training building his mind was elsewhere and it was a very difficult thing to get him to do anything while paying attention to me at all. Upping reinforcement, and using CU really, really helped that. *


I will agree on the 'he does it at home', but I do many things to ensure that doesn't happen in my classes. First in my Family Dog Obedience and Manners courses of 8wks, the last 3-4 weeks (depending on the students) we do take the class on the road and instead of training at my facility we meet at local parks and towns to work on everything learned in class. The other thing is I stress that people have to do their homework, just 30 seconds here, 1 minute there, 3 minuters here etc everyday. And I really don't want people coming to class with a list of why they didn't do their homework. That is a waste of everyone times and if people consistantly don't do the homework, why bother to come to class? So I am pretty strict about that, now having said that, I will give them extra time outside of the class, and always look for other methods to to suit them but they have to be trying. It is a team effort, the owner, the dog and me for them (and me ) to be successful 
And people are kidding themselves if they don't think an experienced instructor doesn't know that they aren't doing their homework  So the question becomes Why? and if we can figure out a way to make it work, however sometimes there are people that are expecting miracles and don't want to do the work. Which makes the students that do work, want to learn and are successful that much more appreciated. Sorry I am rambling again...........



Shaina said:


> Lynn I wish you were closer lol -- I ran out of agility classes a while ago (and was really just taking them for working around other dogs...they are pretty bad around here), and have started signing up for interesting seminars in lieu of classes...would love to take one of your classes and get instructions from someone who gets it and who cares!


Shaina, thanks  but I think you are on the right track by going to seminars and workshops. Plus once a dog is well trained, I believe that they don't have to have regular lessons. Just some tweaking every once in a while ususally keeps most teams on track along with some good seminars/mini clinics or workshops  And thanks for the vote !!!


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## GottaLuvMutts

LynnI said:


> Oh my goodness, if I didn't know better I would swear you had been with the same instructor as one of my new students!!!
> Nothing worse than feeling like you are learning squat and there should always be homework when training at the lower levels, little things that you can be doing to improve so much that doesn't require any equipment.
> Actually the worst is someone trying to get you to ramp up and high drive fast dog to the point where the poor dog loses it's mind and blows a gasket. I feel your pain there, my first agility dog was/is a very high drive, stinking fast dog and one of my first instructors wanted me to 'get him excited', good grief I had just spend a year calming the dog down and getting him under control!!! This instructor kept insisting, finally I showed him, pitched my voice high, got him all excited and he promptly leaped up and bit me (not hard but all the same........), needless to say my dog got so over the top and he couldn't focus on the tasks at hand and the training at that point was pointless. That was the last time I went to that instructor because it should have never come to that and he should have understood and knew that not all dogs need to be jazzed up to do agility!!! Building drive and speed wasn't what we needed!! One thing I would suggest is to ensure that your timing is good, clear consistant information sooner than later for a high drive dog, keep your voice happy but level and don't pitch it high as that tends put many of those types of dogs over the top. I had one student once that had a hearing impairment, she didn't know how high her voice got, by the 4-5 obstacle her dog's mind had left the building. I had her run him silently and it was amazing at how much he focused and got the job done. Smooth clear body language often works like a charm on these types of dogs.
> As for suggestions, I was replying to the other poster but I would be more than happy to suggest some stuff to you too. Give me an idea of what your skill level is and what you have been working on. Good luck!!


Thanks for the support. I know you're 100% right about needing to have homework at the lower levels - particularly stuff that doesn't require equipment. I feel like I've missed out on pretty much all of that, because the instructor doesn't want students to get bored with flatwork, so she never teaches it.

Along those lines, I'd love some suggestions...
Contact zones are coming along nicely and I borrowed a plank and a speed bump (makeshift teeter) from my friend last night. Footwork in the weaves is gorgeous - it's time to start removing the guides. Start-line stays are very nice, but we discovered last night that Kit needs more practice holding them consistently when there's a bigger enticement (a person other than me who has food) at the end of the obstacle. We've started stringing together a few obstacles in class (I think the most was 11). That has gone ok, except that Kit is so darn fast that I can't keep up (I'm young and fit, but she was clocked at 27mph), and then things tend to go sour because she doesn't have enough experience to do distance work. Front/rear crosses and turns have been introduced, but haven't been emphasized yet.
Like I said, Kit is a very driven dog, and although that's not something I would change, it can be frustrating at times. She's a speed demon, which makes the early stages of agility training rather challenging. She's also more food motivated than any dog you've ever met. And as an extra bonus, she loves all people (particularly jumping on them), so other people on the course can be distracting for her. Luckily, she tends to ignore other dogs during class. She has no fear at all, so new equipment is easy to teach, and a little cheese will make her comfortable with anything. She learns very quickly, which has helped us stay at the top of our class despite the challenges that come with drive.
Anyway, anything you have to offer would be appreciated. We're headed to the park now for some flatwork


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## LazyGRanch713

That'llDo said:


> You started by having him target with any paw? Rigel will do things with his front paws, but I haven't been able to get a lot with his back ones. I've been trying to shape him to do things involving his back feet, but he doesn't seem to be making the connection between moving his back feet and getting the click. It's like he doesn't know he controls them! (Which is frequently hilarious, but hard to train with.


I actually started wanting to teach him a front paw target, but he got creative and started his rear feet. It was so hilarious I kept rewarding, not really realizing that we could put that to good use in agility  (If I witheld a click when his rear paws were on, he would get annoyed and start flinging his front feet back, "digging" at the magazine. It was an absolute riot). 
Dude is like yours, he's not getting the 2o2o thing. Yet. We're still working at it, hopefully he'll catch on


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## Shaina

LynnI said:


> Shaina, thanks  but I think you are on the right track by going to seminars and workshops. Plus once a dog is well trained, I believe that they don't have to have regular lessons. Just some tweaking every once in a while ususally keeps most teams on track along with some good seminars/mini clinics or workshops  And thanks for the vote !!!


I don't even necessarily mean the weekly class thing, so much as having someone with a good eye to observe and point things out "in the moment", so to speak. I've never really had that...the best critiquing I've had is videoing myself doing a obstacle/series/run different ways, and watching it over, first watching the dog so see where his/her focus is, where extension/collection's happening, where uncertainty is occurring...then watching over to see what issues are cause by my handling and what are caused by lack of training.

I can honestly say I learned more in the last weekend than I have in a long time...and it was a blast. I love getting criticism of my handling because even if I end up disagreeing with the point made, it makes me think about what I'm doing and why. Doing a session with Kim and Webster back to back in the same seminar was also extremely valuable as well since their handling styles are so different. 

Classes here (all levels) tend to be more "do it like this because this is how it's done". Flatwork is taught very late in the game and in brief...most of my handling training came from studying on my own and trying things to see what works with each dog. Which in many ways is valuable, but can be tough on my poor first dog (good thing Kim's such a trooper!).


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## LynnI

Shaina said:


> I don't even necessarily mean the weekly class thing, so much as having someone with a good eye to observe and point things out "in the moment", so to speak. I've never really had that...the best critiquing I've had is videoing myself doing a obstacle/series/run different ways, and watching it over, first watching the dog so see where his/her focus is, where extension/collection's happening, where uncertainty is occurring...then watching over to see what issues are cause by my handling and what are caused by lack of training.
> 
> I can honestly say I learned more in the last weekend than I have in a long time...and it was a blast. I love getting criticism of my handling because even if I end up disagreeing with the point made, it makes me think about what I'm doing and why. Doing a session with Kim and Webster back to back in the same seminar was also extremely valuable as well since their handling styles are so different.
> 
> Classes here (all levels) tend to be more "do it like this because this is how it's done". Flatwork is taught very late in the game and in brief...most of my handling training came from studying on my own and trying things to see what works with each dog. Which in many ways is valuable, but can be tough on my poor first dog (good thing Kim's such a trooper!).


I love seminars/workshops, however I don't fall into the trap of change your running style to suit the instructor at that seminar. But I do tuck as much as I can to be possibly used at a later date and I always learn a bunch.  And I always come away having improved at least something........I am glad you had a great time at the seminar!

You know I really dislike the attitude of 'this is how you do it and it's the only way'. I often question the depth of knowledge and think that it is a cop out by trying to mold all students and dogs into one way of doing things or one method/system. There are just too many variables with each dog and handler to mold like that, when an instructor should be helping them find the best way that suits them, not what suits the instructor or what is easiest.

Kudo's to you on figuring things out on your own and using a video to train with. I have done the same thing and I often have 'video lessons', with students that want to compete. Huge benefit and learning tool. We tape everyones runs, cool the dogs down and put them away and then watch the videos. Everyone is encouraged to give an opionion but it must be constructive and kind. Then we have a group disscussion on each persons run. Next stage is for everyone to walk the course again, run their dogs which we also video, back to the t.v !!! So people can see how they have improved. Another thing that I love doing is to video a sequence and have students do the sequence a couple of different ways, but before they do I ask them which way they think will work best for their dog. Cool to see who knows their dog best. 
Cheers,



That'llDo said:


> Oh, yes, please? I am taking notes already.
> 
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> There are easy things to prepare you for agility.
> -having a solid sit stay that has been proofed is a good start. Putting your dog into a stay, turning your back and working on as much distance as possible is best. Also running away from them and having them remain in the stay until released is a great tool to have. But don't stress your dog over this, some dogs can be demotivated by long distance stays, so make sure your training expectations are reasonable and your dog is happy.
> 
> - working your dog on both sides at a walk, jog and run, they don't have to be in a tight heel or side position but keeping loosely beside you while you move in straight lines, circles and spirals. Very important for your dog to learn not to bump or crash into you when they are on the inside.
> - in straight lines, work on acceleration which is usually easy for most dogs, as we move forward to run, our bodies (esp our upper torso (head and shoulders) lean forward, this is a cue to the dog to speed up and go fast.
> -deacceleration is when we teach our dogs to slow down when our bodies lean backwards as we slow down or stop, so dogs are very good at this right from the get go, but others need to learn it.
> -it is important in agility to always reward (food or toys) with the hand closest to the dog, for the simple reason we don't want to encourage them to come across in front of our bodies which can be dangerous when running.
> - also important to not always reward our dogs in the front position (dog sitting in front of us), again this encourages them to get into that position and they will try to when running agility.
> -also important not to have food or toys in our hands all the time using them as lures, get the behaviour and then reward instead. Luring (working with food/toy in hand) usually has the dog paying to much attention to our hands (or bait bags), and this can be dangerous especially when a dog is on equipment such as the Dog Walk or Teeter. They are so busy watching our hands instead of focusing on the task at hand which is safely and quickly running on the equipment. I have seen so many dogs fall off the teeter or DW because of this, therefore it is dangerous and should be avoided.
> -teaching distances skills on the flat. Take any object that is no higher than your dogs shoulders and narrow enough for you to reach over, mid sized trash cans, big water cooler bottles, small bush or tree etc. works nicely. Stand facing the object about one stride (your stride) away, have your dog beside you. If you start with your dog on the left, take one step forward, raise your arm and guide your dog around the object from the left to the right, saying Yes/Click when they are on the backside of it, turn and take one step with the object now behind you and your dog is still on your left, reward with food, tug or throwing a toy. Remember to always reward at your side and on the same side that your dog is working. The purpose of this exercise is to get further and further away from the object and being able to send your dog to it and around it, to then return to you. Always remember to keep your arm up at as high as your shoulder, this will be your 'Out' cue for distance skills and as long as your arm/hand is up, they learn to keep going out. I also don't label it anything until they are very successful and then using 'out or away' is a good choice. Don't use 'go' as that is typically used for another skill. Once a dog is trained, you can use almost anything to send them out and around and if they love the game and will go the distance it is fun to send them a 100 feet or more to race around a tree in a park. Work both sides too!!. This can be taught inside or outside and you can also progress to sending them out and around multiple objects in different directions. Almost forgot!! as your dog is coming back to you, drop your arm to your side. This is a natural cue that we have taught our dogs whether we intended to or not, because everytime we reward our dogs our arms and hands tend to be low and near our sides. So it is really easy to remember, arm up= go out/away, arm down= come to me
> 
> I hope this is the kind of things that you were looking for, good luck!


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## Squeeker

Great post, LynnI!

Libby and I had such a great class last night! 

Our regular instructor was away on vacation so we had a substitute teach our class. He met us in the parking lot and asked if we'd rather have class outdoors. Amazingly, in the 2 1/2 years we'vee been doing agility, we've never had the opportunity to have an outdoor class... so we said YES!!

There were only two dogs in our class last night because the other two were on vacation. (Actually, it's been just us and one other dog the past few weeks because of vacations, which has been great for us as we've been able to really focus on specific issues.)

Libby did FANTASTIC! Not a zoomie to be had, even considering we were in a new ring, with a new instructor, under lights as it was dark out, AND we saw two new obstacles: a board jump, and 24" weaves (the new regulation for spacing in AAC). She was fast and focused! It was great!


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## GottaLuvMutts

Man, I wish you were closer Lynn. Your classes sound GREAT! 

I took some mental notes on your suggestions for That'llDo. As a small addition, someone suggested to me recently that in addition to straight lines, circles, and spirals, figure eights are also great for flatwork - when the dog is on the inside, they have to go slowly, and when they're on the outside, much faster, as the handler keeps their pace constant.

Squeeker: what's a board jump?


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## LynnI

this is a board jump


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## Shaina

Thanks, LynnI.

I too wasn't sure whether that was similar to the U.S. broad jump or the panel jump...appreciate the clarification


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## LynnI

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Thanks for the support. I know you're 100% right about needing to have homework at the lower levels - particularly stuff that doesn't require equipment. I feel like I've missed out on pretty much all of that, because the instructor doesn't want students to get bored with flatwork, so she never teaches it.
> 
> Along those lines, I'd love some suggestions...
> Contact zones are coming along nicely and I borrowed a plank and a speed bump (makeshift teeter) from my friend last night. Footwork in the weaves is gorgeous - it's time to start removing the guides. Start-line stays are very nice, but we discovered last night that Kit needs more practice holding them consistently when there's a bigger enticement (a person other than me who has food) at the end of the obstacle. We've started stringing together a few obstacles in class (I think the most was 11). That has gone ok, except that Kit is so darn fast that I can't keep up (I'm young and fit, but she was clocked at 27mph), and then things tend to go sour because she doesn't have enough experience to do distance work. Front/rear crosses and turns have been introduced, but haven't been emphasized yet.
> Like I said, Kit is a very driven dog, and although that's not something I would change, it can be frustrating at times. She's a speed demon, which makes the early stages of agility training rather challenging. She's also more food motivated than any dog you've ever met. And as an extra bonus, she loves all people (particularly jumping on them), so other people on the course can be distracting for her. Luckily, she tends to ignore other dogs during class. She has no fear at all, so new equipment is easy to teach, and a little cheese will make her comfortable with anything. She learns very quickly, which has helped us stay at the top of our class despite the challenges that come with drive.
> Anyway, anything you have to offer would be appreciated. We're headed to the park now for some flatwork


It is wonderful that your girl is so fast and drivey, but here is the down fall (to a degree), both of you will need specific skills to handle all the speed, as I am sure you already know or suspect. I have been thinking about this for a few days now and unfortuntately I can't come up with anything more other than teaching lateral distance skills, rear crosses on the flat, a 'Go', layering and you may also want to consider teaching her a left/right. But all those exercises will only take you so far, you need instruction with equipment, lots of control work (without loosing that speed) etc.
How long have you been training for? You said that you had done a sequence of 11, how was that layed out?


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## Squeeker

LynnI, nope, not a broad jump... a board jump. Maybe I have the name wrong, but it looks like a normal wing jump but with boards instead of poles. Like a flyball jump, but with agility heights.


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## Shaina

Squeeker said:


> LynnI, nope, not a broad jump... a board jump. Maybe I have the name wrong, but it looks like a normal wing jump but with boards instead of poles. Like a flyball jump, but with agility heights.


We call those panel jumps in the U.S., if I'm understanding you correctly.

Looks like this (with or without wings):


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## LynnI

I know that as a Panel jump as well, thanks Shaina


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## Squeeker

Woops! Yes, panel jump, that's it! Thanks!


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## GottaLuvMutts

Wow, I guess that was a two for one question: I learned what a broad jump and a panel jump are!



LynnI said:


> It is wonderful that your girl is so fast and drivey, but here is the down fall (to a degree), both of you will need specific skills to handle all the speed, as I am sure you already know or suspect. I have been thinking about this for a few days now and unfortuntately I can't come up with anything more other than teaching lateral distance skills, rear crosses on the flat, a 'Go', layering and you may also want to consider teaching her a left/right. But all those exercises will only take you so far, you need instruction with equipment, lots of control work (without loosing that speed) etc.
> How long have you been training for? You said that you had done a sequence of 11, how was that layed out?


We've been training for around 10 months. Considering that, I think our progress is rather pathetic. Luckily, I have disc (a.k.a. frisbee) to help me feel like we're actually accomplishing something. Surprisingly, I find a lot of the skills we learn for one sport are useful in the other. 

Last week, my friend recommended working on "sends", which I think is what you mean by "go". I can start working on that with whatever object I happen to have at the park. 
Regarding left & right, our instructor said that she prefers "turn", which tells the dog to look at the handler for instruction on which way to turn. She says handlers mess up left/right too often. Do you disagree? How can I start teaching left & right? (Kit already knows "turn" both ways, but only does it by my side).
Our distance skills could definitely use some work. Kit seems to think that if I'm not right there with her, she's free to make up her own course. *Groan* Any way to work on this without a ton of equipment?
I don't remember too much about the sequence of 11 obstacles - we did it only once. I'm thinking there were a couple of turns and maybe a front cross? As I remember, Kit missed one or two of the hoops (too darn fast to even notice they were there), but the instructor prefers that we don't go back to pick up missed obstacles.

I forgot to mention...we've been practicing serpentine movements for a while with sets of 3 hoops, 3 jumps, or combinations. Kit is really starting to understand my hand signals, and she rarely goes over/thru the wrong way, even at speed. Practicing this is helping me be more consistent with my signals. I wish I had more feedback, though, on how to give the right signals. I wouldn't want to teach her the wrong way!


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## Kyllobernese

I am lucky enough to be able to use regulation equipment once a week. Unfortunately we have no instructor, just go and run some courses. Now that Remmy is in Masters Gamblers, I am discovering what I have to start teaching him. He is awfully good about being sent to obstacles but reading some of the previous posts, I can see how I can teach him at home just using trees and other obstacles. At his trial last week, we had an interesting Mini Gamble. It was a straight chute, five feet from that was the weave poles and five feet from that was another tunnel, all running side by side. You had to send your dog up one tunnel, across and down the other tunnel. The big problem was that the tunnels are ten feet whereas the weaves, now being 24 inch spacing, were considerably longer than the tunnels. Remmy did it perfectly the first time, but the second time, he went through the top two weaves so did not get the Gamble. He finished the closing Gamble but did not have enough points. If I start working on his sending OUT, it should help in an set-up like this.


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## MegaMuttMom

We had a funny class today! For the past many weeks, Cherokee has had attention issues because there have been new dogs in class and one time we had a substitute teacher. When anything is different for him, he worries and loses focus, which results in the zoomies.

So, today we are doing a barrel racing game to work on turns. The first run was a jump with the dog on your left and then counterclockwise turns around 3 barrels then back to the jump. Well, Cherokee jumped and then half way around the first barrel got the major zoomies and lost his turn. So, when the other dogs advanced to going counterclockwise around the barrels (turning away from handler) we were still working on attention through the clockwise course. 

By the end of the class the course was 6 weave poles, to counterclockwise barrel, to clockwise barrel, to counterclockwise barrel, to clockwise barrel and finish with the weave poles. We were competing against the other dogs for speed and, guess what! Cherokee and I won by 8 seconds! He was the unfocused doofus dodo to start but, once he got it, he thought it was great fun and we were fast! Who knew!! It sure was nice to feel some success  I do find that the faster we are going, the more focused he is. Give him a split second to think of something to do on his own and he comes up with doofus behavior. I sure do love him, in spite of it all.


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## Squeeker

MMM, the barrel course sounds like a rreally fun exercise! Way to go!

We had another really good cllass this week. We had a sub instructor again, and wwe also were only one of two dogs in class. No zoomies, and Libby REALLY got excited about weaving - she was actually acclerating through the weaves! The instructor and the other handler in class both went "woah!!!!" when she ran! 

Actually, a lot of the dogs are really dong well with the 24" weaves. I think it has been a positive change.

We also ran a full standard course and were timed and scored. We got tor run it twice, and both times Libby was 20+ seconds under course time! I hope we have a repeat performance at our first trial tomorrow...

I'm so nervous! Wish us luck!!!


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## GottaLuvMutts

Good luck, Libby!

Can someone explain to me what 24" weaves are, and what that is opposed to? I have a set of six polls in the backyard (split weaves), but I don't know how far apart the polls are. We've been practicing a lot on them lately, and it's beginning to show: Kit is weaving successfully without the guides. She's done it a couple of times with them pushed all the way together (woohoo!), and lots more with a narrow channel (1-2 inches) between the bases. My goal is to have it 100% before we go back to classes in 8 more days!


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## LynnI

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Good luck, Libby!
> 
> Can someone explain to me what 24" weaves are, and what that is opposed to? I have a set of six polls in the backyard (split weaves), but I don't know how far apart the polls are. We've been practicing a lot on them lately, and it's beginning to show: Kit is weaving successfully without the guides. She's done it a couple of times with them pushed all the way together (woohoo!), and lots more with a narrow channel (1-2 inches) between the bases. My goal is to have it 100% before we go back to classes in 8 more days!


AAC as of Sept 2010 increased the distance between weave poles from 20-22 inches to 24 inches spacing. I has been a positive change and the dogs are loving it, plus going faster and it will be easier on their bodies.


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## Shaina

I love the 24" poles...several US venues made the change as well.

And yeah Squeeker it's the distance from the midpoint of one pole to the midpoint of the next. So the overall length of a 12-pole weave series at 24" is 24 feet (2'/pole)


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## Jacksons Mom

I can't wait to start posting in here!

Jackson begins his first agility classes October 2nd. He will be 2 years old on October 11th.


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## LazyGRanch713

*I can't wait to start posting in here!

Jackson begins his first agility classes October 2nd. He will be 2 years old on October 11th. *

Good luck, and HAVE FUN!!! 

*I love the 24" poles...several US venues made the change as well*
As far as the weave pole spacing goes, I haven't trained in 20 or 22 inch spacings but I feel comfortable with Tag and 24 inches. He's gone from "hopping" through the poles to bending his body to run through them. I am very, very excited


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## nikkiluvsu15

We had our first Agility class last night, it went pretty good and Harleigh seemed to enjoy it.  Harleigh was the biggest dog in our class, LOL. There is a Sheltie, Mini Aussie, Cocker Spaniel (he is GORGEOUS and so sweet!), Scottie, Terrier mix and Poodle/Terrier/Shih Tzu mix. 

There was 2 other classes going on at the same time, so she was a bit distracted at first, but eventually she settled down a bit. Though, she was a pulling maniac My hand is red because she wanted to meet and see everyone/everything, I'm on my way to buy a different type of leash... We needed a new one anyways.

Harleigh did great with the back end awareness and mini jumps, as well as the tunnel. She had a blast running through the tunnel and couldn't wait her turn... Anytime someone would call their dog to run through the tunnel, Harleigh thought they were calling her and would try to run off I can see how much worth I am in her eyes.... Who cares about Mom, that other lady has treats too! lol

She did lack confidence on the A-Frame (lowered as low as it could go) and "wobble board", but I know she'll build up the confidence. The teacher said she just lacked that confidence and she would build it up eventually and this was a good thing for her to be in. There was also another dog that was a bit unsure about those two, so we'll both be working extra on those next week. 

The teacher also complemented me by saying Harleigh had a good handler that worked with her : 











































Anyways, all in all, we had a blast and can't wait for next week!


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## LazyGRanch713

Very sad now. Dude has 2 bad discs and a bone spur on his spine  The vet would like to see us do no more agility classes, _at least_ while it's cold out. She said VERY low impact exercise would be good (walking, etc). Dammit. I was so happy seeing him find something he LOVES to do, and now he can't freakin' do it anymore! 
Anyone have any backyard agility TYPE games he could do that wouldn't aggravate his spine/back? Apparently barreling over the tunnel and doing repeted jumping wouldn't be a good thing, nor would weave poles, but do you guys think he could at least do the tunnel and the chute? (He's a proud guy when he does the tunnel, he thinks he's king turd, lol). I'm thinking about those two obstacles plus the table, he excels at the table...


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## LynnI

LazyGRanch713 said:


> Very sad now. Dude has 2 bad discs and a bone spur on his spine  The vet would like to see us do no more agility classes, _at least_ while it's cold out. She said VERY low impact exercise would be good (walking, etc). Dammit. I was so happy seeing him find something he LOVES to do, and now he can't freakin' do it anymore!
> Anyone have any backyard agility TYPE games he could do that wouldn't aggravate his spine/back? Apparently barreling over the tunnel and doing repeted jumping wouldn't be a good thing, nor would weave poles, but do you guys think he could at least do the tunnel and the chute? (He's a proud guy when he does the tunnel, he thinks he's king turd, lol). I'm thinking about those two obstacles plus the table, he excels at the table...


If he loves agility, I wouldn't stop, however I would lower everything, frame almost to the ground (do running contacts and no 2o2o, bars for jumping almost on the ground, lower the teeter and put a very thick sweater under the side that comes down to soften the impact, DW should be fine, tunnels and chutes good as well, and drop the weaves. Listen to your dog, he'll tell you what he does or doesn't want/can't do. I would also be taking him to a very good canine chiropractor if your are not already  I would also be very careful about warming him up and cooling him down along with some massage and stretching which a chiropractor can teach you do safely. Good luck (and yeah that sucks


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## RaeganW

LazyGRanch713 said:


> Very sad now. Dude has 2 bad discs and a bone spur on his spine  The vet would like to see us do no more agility classes, _at least_ while it's cold out. She said VERY low impact exercise would be good (walking, etc). Dammit. I was so happy seeing him find something he LOVES to do, and now he can't freakin' do it anymore!
> Anyone have any backyard agility TYPE games he could do that wouldn't aggravate his spine/back? Apparently barreling over the tunnel and doing repeted jumping wouldn't be a good thing, nor would weave poles, but do you guys think he could at least do the tunnel and the chute? (He's a proud guy when he does the tunnel, he thinks he's king turd, lol). I'm thinking about those two obstacles plus the table, he excels at the table...


Oh poor Dude! I think the tunnel and chute would be fine, I don't think that's any higher impact than normal running. You could look into puppy style agility and foundation games, most of those are low impact so they don't ruin puppies. I think I've recommended the book Agility Right From the Start to you before, it is chock full of agility games that I'd imagine are fine. If we ever actually move I'll pull out some exercises for you (which I think I said I'd do already as well.) Swimming of course is the ultimate low impact sport, maybe underwater hurdles?


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## LazyGRanch713

LynnI said:


> If he loves agility, I wouldn't stop, however I would lower everything, frame almost to the ground (do running contacts and no 2o2o, bars for jumping almost on the ground, lower the teeter and put a very thick sweater under the side that comes down to soften the impact, DW should be fine, tunnels and chutes good as well, and drop the weaves. Listen to your dog, he'll tell you what he does or doesn't want/can't do. I would also be taking him to a very good canine chiropractor if your are not already  I would also be very careful about warming him up and cooling him down along with some massage and stretching which a chiropractor can teach you do safely. Good luck (and yeah that sucks


Thanks  I am having a friend build me an A-frame this fall. I've got jumps, a tunnel, a chute, weave poles, a pause table, and I'll have an A-frame. Gotta make sure it's low/adjustable...
The owner of the outdoor field was telling me about some massage/warm up/cool down stuff she does with her older poodle who still runs for fun. I'm going to recheck with her and ask her for ideas. I don't want to over-do it, and I don't want to over-stress him. His problem is, he'll do ANYTHING if he thinks I'm asking him to, and I don't know if he'd be bright enough to realize he can't do this, or that, without getting hurt. 
I use a holistic vet along with a conventional vet (who is more about preventatives than cures and fix-its, anyway) so I feel OK with his care. How often would you recommend a 9 1/2 year old small breed, not VERY active, gets a chiro adjustment? (FTR, I'm sold on chiropractic work. Dude never PLAYED until his first chiro visit. I got him home, walked him into the side yard and he promptly found one of Auz's old tennis balls and took off with it. He played for the first time in probably 5-6 years!)



RaeganW said:


> Oh poor Dude! I think the tunnel and chute would be fine, I don't think that's any higher impact than normal running. You could look into puppy style agility and foundation games, most of those are low impact so they don't ruin puppies. I think I've recommended the book Agility Right From the Start to you before, it is chock full of agility games that I'd imagine are fine. If we ever actually move I'll pull out some exercises for you (which I think I said I'd do already as well.) Swimming of course is the ultimate low impact sport, maybe underwater hurdles?


Good idea! I didn't order the book yet, but I'm going to order it anyway. I don't want to turn him into a fragile china doll who isn't allowed to do ANYTHING, but I want to keep it safe, kwim? 
I don't have a pool, or a pond. I do have a friend who has a pond but it's getting almost too chilly out to swim anymore. I thought about buying a large basin that farmers use for cattle outdoor waterers, it would be tall enough and all he would need to do would be to tread water for a few minutes a day?


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## LynnI

LazyGRanch713 said:


> Thanks  I am having a friend build me an A-frame this fall. I've got jumps, a tunnel, a chute, weave poles, a pause table, and I'll have an A-frame. Gotta make sure it's low/adjustable...
> The owner of the outdoor field was telling me about some massage/warm up/cool down stuff she does with her older poodle who still runs for fun. I'm going to recheck with her and ask her for ideas. I don't want to over-do it, and I don't want to over-stress him. His problem is, he'll do ANYTHING if he thinks I'm asking him to, and I don't know if he'd be bright enough to realize he can't do this, or that, without getting hurt.
> I use a holistic vet along with a conventional vet (who is more about preventatives than cures and fix-its, anyway) so I feel OK with his care. How often would you recommend a 9 1/2 year old small breed, not VERY active, gets a chiro adjustment? (FTR, I'm sold on chiropractic work. Dude never PLAYED until his first chiro visit. I got him home, walked him into the side yard and he promptly found one of Auz's old tennis balls and took off with it. He played for the first time in probably 5-6 years!)
> 
> 
> 
> Good idea! I didn't order the book yet, but I'm going to order it anyway. I don't want to turn him into a fragile china doll who isn't allowed to do ANYTHING, but I want to keep it safe, kwim?
> I don't have a pool, or a pond. I do have a friend who has a pond but it's getting almost too chilly out to swim anymore. I thought about buying a large basin that farmers use for cattle outdoor waterers, it would be tall enough and all he would need to do would be to tread water for a few minutes a day?


I have been taking my sport dogs to a chiropractor for over 10 yrs now. Usually for wellness adjustments as preventive instead of for injuries but we did go twice for injuries and I let the chiropractor dictate that. At first we went every 10 days or so for the first three months, then after that we played it by ear.
We have to be careful, because dogs can because dogs hide injuries, I always run my hands over them, searching for heat. My chiropractor has also taught me several tests to do on my dogs to know when they are tightening up and need to be seen. There are several good books on massage and stretching at Clean Run, another excellent book is The Agility Advantage by Zink on keeping performance dogs sound (not lame).

Good luck.


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## LazyGRanch713

LynnI said:


> I have been taking my sport dogs to a chiropractor for over 10 yrs now. Usually for wellness adjustments as preventive instead of for injuries but we did go twice for injuries and I let the chiropractor dictate that. At first we went every 10 days or so for the first three months, then after that we played it by ear.
> We have to be careful, because dogs can because dogs hide injuries, I always run my hands over them, searching for heat. My chiropractor has also taught me several tests to do on my dogs to know when they are tightening up and need to be seen. There are several good books on massage and stretching at Clean Run, another excellent book is The Agility Advantage by Zink on keeping performance dogs sound (not lame).
> 
> Good luck.


Last night Dudes rear end was warm to the touch. I know he was poked and prodded a lot yesterday, and today it feels cooler.
I posted these questions on the health board but so far, no takers. I hate hijacking this thread, but I'm not sure what to do here. All his bloodwork came back WNL's, except his thyroid is STILL low (.7 when it should be at least 1.0). The protein levels in his urine were a little high, but that could be due to the thyroid, too. We're going to try him on Metacam once a day for 5 days, then every other day to see if it helps. In the dead of winter he usually gets very stiff, and once in awhile has really bad days where I basically give him a baby asprin and crate rest him. Other than that, he "seems" perfectly normal for himself. I'm going to run all this by the agility teacher tonight and let her know what's going on.
Again, sorry to hijack such a positive, happy thread but I know there's a lot of people reading who might have some insight or be dealing with something similar.


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## LynnI

Lazy,
I personally don't feel you are hijacking this agility thread (but that is just my opinion lol). These are issues and concerns that everyone should have when training for agility whether it be for non competitive or competitive. All of the dogs are then athletes and people should know what to look for and what to do or more importantly what not to do.


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## LazyGRanch713

LynnI said:


> Lazy,
> I personally don't feel you are hijacking this agility thread (but that is just my opinion lol). These are issues and concerns that everyone should have when training for agility whether it be for non competitive or competitive. All of the dogs are then athletes and people should know what to look for and what to do or more importantly what not to do.


Thanks  I hope no one else has to deal with this! He was prescribed Metacam once a day for 5 days, then every other day or daily if needed. She thinks he might be back on daily over the winter months when it's cold and he gets stiffer, but hopefully this will put a bounce back in his step. 
To keep it agility class related, I was AWFUL last night, I think because this was bugging me all evening. Tag did do a good "get out" (moved away from me to the right to take a jump) and I was impressed. People were yelling "RUN!!!" because he was practically lapping me, lol. But, that's OK. He really nailed his contacts and was precise, even though I wasn't too fast for him  At one point he did a running contact and quickly backed up a few steps, did 2o2o and then kept going. What a li'l overachiever! We did a crappy 270, next time around I angled him at the first jump and took an extra step out to bring him around and he nailed it. So our plans were good, our excecution was so so, and my speed sucked, lol  No class for 2 weeks which might be good; hopefully by then Dude will be feeling better and I won't be so preoccupied.
ETA: he DID nail 12 weaves without missing a beat and without popping a single pole, TWICE. I was so pleased! He's getting to the point now where I can pass him slightly and he stays in the weaves and looks ahead; not worrying about where I'm at. He can really jet out of the last pole to the next obstacle; ordering my own set of weaves has really come in handy and as far as I'm concerned have paid for themselves.


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## Kyllobernese

Our one and only arena in town is still closed down so we are considering practicing in the Community Hall on rubber mats. We will not be able to run courses but can at least work on individual obstacles, sending left and right etc. Do you think that just working on individual obstacles is a good idea or not? Most of the dogs in our group have been taking their dogs to trials so they are not beginners, but it would give us a chance to do Agility over the winter.


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## LazyGRanch713

Kyllobernese said:


> Our one and only arena in town is still closed down so we are considering practicing in the Community Hall on rubber mats. We will not be able to run courses but can at least work on individual obstacles, sending left and right etc. Do you think that just working on individual obstacles is a good idea or not? Most of the dogs in our group have been taking their dogs to trials so they are not beginners, but it would give us a chance to do Agility over the winter.


We practice in a building during the winter. We don't do full blown courses but we do small sequences and really work on foundation stuff and flat work as well. I like it  It's easier for me to work on my own handling if we're dealing with 4 or 5 obstacles vs. a whole course, and it's easier and quicker to break down into small increments to polish our handling.


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## GottaLuvMutts

Old thread, but I'm going to revive it...

4 weeks ago we moved to a much nicer indoor facility with tons of great equipment. When we moved, several class members including myself voiced some concerns to the instructor about our lack of progress. Put together, these two factors have led to a lot of progress over the past month. I'm finally getting some real handling skills and gaining more control over Kit's ridiculous drive. At the end of class tonight we did a "speed loop" which consisted of hoop-hoop-A frame-hoop-hoop-dog walk-hoop arranged in a big U configuration. Obstacles were pretty widely spaced so that the whole thing took up the space of a standard ring. Kit held her start line stay with a long lead out, nailed both contacts, and took the dog walk entrance with me nearly 15 feet behind her. She just flew! It was a nice little taste of what it's going to be like for me to handle her on a real course: totally exhilarating!

We still aren't ready to trial, but there's a fun match coming up in a little less than a month that we'll probably do. Training, treats, and toys are allowed in the "ring", we'll only do 2 runs maximum, and Kit isn't going to get scared or shut down, so I see no harm in trying it. If nothing else, I'm hoping it will boost my confidence and make our first real trial less nerve wracking for me.


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## MegaMuttMom

Aren't those speed loops fun? Last week our trainer set up 2 speed tracks, side by side, and we had 2 dogs compete head to head. No dog can beat my Cherokee in those races. When he gets going fast, his focus is 200%. One classmate squealed that he looked like a gazelle jumping!

Class has been great lately with our trainer really focusing on different skills each week. Cherokee has started being really good with back crosses, which seemed to take forever for him to do. It really helps because he can be very fast 

We start a new session next week which means we will probably get some new dogs which I am hoping won't send him into another round of "intruder alert" barking and unfocused behavior. He does best when he is with a core group of dogs that he is comfortable with.


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## LynnI

I love Speed Circles almost as much as the dogs do lol. I actually introduce them quickly to novice dogs and handlers by backchaining them. Gives the owners and dogs a real feel for doing agility, not to mention it builds speed and drive. It is also a great way to increase distances between obstacles, especially jumps and tunnels, simple, easy and fast.....everyone loves them Awesome way to motivate handlers and dogs, dogs know where they are going and burn it up A trainer at a seminar I had a working spot in called it Doggy Nascar!!!


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## Shaina

Sounds like everyone's having a great time! 

I'm in the Speed Loop fan club as well...love those things. Kim especially just adores them as well. Webster likes them but his confidence still isn't quite to where he will run flat out...he gained mechanical skills so quickly when he started that I went too far too fast with him so we are just doing lots of easy super fun speed loops to help his confidence and desire. The only other thing we are doing right now is weaving, which he is ADORING...it's hilarious. Kim is having a lot of fun as well and our teamwork is really building. Her running style is changing as she matures and becomes more confident and find agility more self-reinforcing, which is presenting some new opportunities/challenges from a training standpoint...I love it. Mira and I have been doing mostly obedience lately but continue with agility fundamentals to lay a really solid foundation...she turns 18 months in January...*dances*

None of mine are in class right now though I'm helping teach an intro class (not the head trainer). It's both fun and frustrating, as the club is quite stringent about using only training techniques in the curriculum regardless of what works best for the dog...

Anyway, HURRAY AGILITY (just saying)


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## LazyGRanch713

LynnI said:


> I love Speed Circles almost as much as the dogs do lol. I actually introduce them quickly to novice dogs and handlers by backchaining them. Gives the owners and dogs a real feel for doing agility, not to mention it builds speed and drive. It is also a great way to increase distances between obstacles, especially jumps and tunnels, simple, easy and fast.....everyone loves them Awesome way to motivate handlers and dogs, dogs know where they are going and burn it up A trainer at a seminar I had a working spot in called it Doggy Nascar!!!


Is a Speed Circle basically a "circle" (duh, lol) of jumps and stuff where the handler stays on one side, to build speed? I've never heard the term Speed Circles before and was curious as to if I've ever done any, lol!


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## LynnI

LazyGRanch713 said:


> Is a Speed Circle basically a "circle" (duh, lol) of jumps and stuff where the handler stays on one side, to build speed? I've never heard the term Speed Circles before and was curious as to if I've ever done any, lol!


Yes, it is a circle or oval (easier) of obstacles, we tyically put curved tunnels at the ends at first, espcially for dogs that *may* run out on a jump. As a dog becomes better trained, gives independant contacts and weaves, you add those obstacles as well. It is also a great way to improve upon distance skills, esp for the velcro dogs. I like doing them after a hard class of learning a new skill, gives the dogs and handlers a break, lets them turn it loose and just run without too much thought into where they are going or what to do next  It is a good way to end or start a class, depending on the class.


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## Squeeker

Sounds like everyone is doing well! I'm glad this thread was revived!

Libby and I have a few classes left in this session. Classes have continued to go very well for us as she's been very focused and FAST! Next session we'll be moving up to the Advanced level of classes!!

We are attending our second trial this weekend. We'll be running Gamblers, Snooker, and Jumpers courses, and it will be our first trial at our training facility. I'm nervous because we'll be performing in front of our classmates and instructors, but I'm excited as well!

I haven't put Sawyer in class yet; he's just turned 16 weeks. He finished his puppy kindergarten class last weekend and he has a really good grasp on basic obedience now. We've started doing fundamentals like short tunnels, wobble board, shaping the table, hind end awareness, etc. and it's going really well! We'll continue working on our own until classes start again in February.


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## LynnI

PetIDeXpress said:


> This thread was eye opening! My little shiz-tsu Wesley would love agility class. What is a good age to start agility classes?


You can start puppies, but they shouldn't be jumped or taught weaves. We teach them, foundation skills and on the flat handling and focus skills. General rule of thumb with older puppies or young adults is to jump them nothing higher than half the distances between the elbow and the ground. However, the larger the breed the lower that distance is. 

The younger you teach them the focus and flat skills the better


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## LazyGRanch713

LynnI said:


> Yes, it is a circle or oval (easier) of obstacles, we tyically put curved tunnels at the ends at first, espcially for dogs that *may* run out on a jump. As a dog becomes better trained, gives independant contacts and weaves, you add those obstacles as well. It is also a great way to improve upon distance skills, esp for the velcro dogs. I like doing them after a hard class of learning a new skill, gives the dogs and handlers a break, lets them turn it loose and just run without too much thought into where they are going or what to do next  It is a good way to end or start a class, depending on the class.


OK, we've done those several times. I didn't know they had a name!!  I like running those, the adrenaline really kicks in and Tag turns into a flag with legs (he streches himself REALLY long when he runs/jumps). 
We had a really nice class tonight. It's getting colder, and Tag and I (both) definetely run better when it's chilly vs. too warm. At one point I did a front cross too late (with Tag coming out of the tire) and he was headed for the dog walk (straight ahead), and I called him to the chute. He did a 180 and went OUT of his way to avoid the dogwalk and hit the correct obstacle. What a guy


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## Kyllobernese

For the past four weeks we have been doing Agility classes indoors at the Community Hall. We set up the obstacles on rubber mats and it seems to be working out alright. We have a few new dogs just starting, a Sheltie, a Papillon and a Pom cross.

I am finally able to start practicing more on the chute with Kiska so she is doing better at it. We have an Agility trial on the 6th and 7th of November. Remmy has 8 classes and Kiska has two jumper classes so I am going to be busy. My sister's dog has six classes. It is an indoor trial, the only trial that we have been to this year that is completely inside.


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## LazyGRanch713

This thread has been quiet!

We've had a 2 or 3 week long break due to the trainer being out of state for the holidays visiting family. We've practice mostly front and rear crosses, and worked some weaves. Tag actually nailed a 1:00 entry, something that we've never done before. He realized he had to wrap around the first pole to get the entry right, and he got it! (I refrained from doing what I usually do--get so hyped up from excitement that I have him do it over and over again). We re-tried it the next night and after one or two missed tries he got it. I'm excited to see if he will generalize this to class. Unfortunately we didn't do any contact work; his contacts are very good but I'd like to take some time to work on me being in motion and having him hit the bottom and stop until released (sometimes he gets so amped he wants to pause 1/2 second and then go), and I'd also like him to drop his head a bit more. I worry about his shoulders.
We start again on Wednesday. A friend from class brought me some AKC novice course maps she ran at a trial, and I think Tag can do them. Me? That remains to be seen  
Tonight we start rally up after a month of being absent. The only thing we did for rally was practice front-end-pivots. After a month off, it will be interesting to see how rusty we are 

Anyone else practicing anything new?


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## That'llDo

Rigel and I just finished our second 7-week series of classes. What we have learned so far is that Rigel's handler is too dumb to do front crosses. Seriously, I keep turning the wrong way. And Little Bossy Border Collie is NOT AMUSED when I mess him up. It is embarrassing enough to screw it up, without being scolded by the dog afterward!

I am working on a "go" command with him. He really doesn't want to work far away from me at all. If I am close, he will do anything (he was the only dog in the class who happily did the pinwheel a couple of weeks ago) but put a little distance there, and he always heads for me, to nip at me and tell me to hurry up. So I am working on tasks that send him away, to try to convince him the world will not end if he has to work a little farther away.


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## MegaMuttMom

We had a one week break and I had to miss a second week in a row. I am itching to get back!

At our last class we worked a lot on weaves. We had 3 sets out. A set with gates to work on entries for dog's that are having trouble, a regular straight set and the weave-o-matics. Cherokee hasn't missed an entry in ages and is quite good getting through the weaves so, we worked with the weave-o-matics to increase his speed and footwork. 

Our trainer has been working on tricky handling skills with awkward angles. Our group has been working together for a long time and he is trying his darndest to challenge our brains and, I swear, he is going to get us humans to fall down tripping all over ourselves. Once you start getting dizzy, you start thinking of better ways to approach a course LOL.


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## LynnI

We have been working on serps, threadles, 270's, lateral distances, distances, finding the line, RFP's and call offs to various obstacles. She is rock'n on 6 weaves with some awesome entries, I'll soon introduce the 2nd set of 6 at a distance and start closing them. We have our first lesson with a world team member this coming Saturday, hopefully she doesn't come into heat before then. She'll also hold a lead out stay for 50 ft. We have been in a couple of fun matches which showed where our weaknesses are, which resulted in the increased call off training lol.


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## Shaina

I'm moving again so had to pull the dogs from their upcoming classes...I'd taken a break from classes for a bit but decided to put Web & Kim into competition classes this winter (basically a set up course where everyone runs and gives one another feedback). Also just finished my teaching apprenticeship but can't move into teaching...as I'm leaving the program.

Worse part is we won't have much in the way of equipment access for a while, though I have some of my own DIY stuff to play with in the interim. Plus leaving all our friends and such in dog sports...

Have a private with a former world team member next Monday, and signed up for a seminar with another in Feb with both Mira and Kim...the dogs are starting to mature into themselves a bit more which is fun.

Readdressing Kim and Web's contacts. Kim's were consistent but slow so we are working on increasing confidence and enthusiasm on the contacts. Web is trying out running contacts and really enjoying them, though he tends to bounce. Deciding whether to continue with running contacts or to add a stop in there...either way it's increased his fun-o-meter so that's a big plus.

Mira is just starting to be introduced to full height obstacles. Loooove seeing how a good foundation is paying off. I am really really really looking forward to her career.


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## RaeganW

Good for you for waiting on Mira! That's one of the biggest things keeping me off the puppy wagon, I'm afraid I'll push a pup too hard and ruin him. And congratulations on finishing your apprenticeship!


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## Shaina

RaeganW said:


> Good for you for waiting on Mira! That's one of the biggest things keeping me off the puppy wagon, I'm afraid I'll push a pup too hard and ruin him. And congratulations on finishing your apprenticeship!


It's so worth it in the end. She picks things up so quickly anyway, and part of that is that we have such a great working relationship after working and playing together for 15 months now (she's just shy of 18 months old). We've done a lot of flatwork handling, but she just did her first jump introduction this past weekend...me sitting on the ground and her offering jumps (GO will NOT be a problem for Mira...I want to see nice rounded collected jumps before we start adding motion)...she was up to 20" in her first 2-minute session, and up to 24" in her second, then we were done. Beautiful natural jump. So we are revisiting single jump skills (flat bar) and getting confident and fluency in two-/three- jump series, then we'll start adding in height. 

We did two-pole entries for a brief period when she was younger (about a year?) then quickly stopped because she picked it up too quickly and I didn't want her getting stuck on the two poles and didn't feel she was physically ready to actually weave. She went from 2 to 6 poles in two weeks last month (practicing 2 short sessions/week...maybe 10 minutes per week tops) then I had her out on the floor while K & W's 12 poles were set up and the little stinker weaved all 12 when I was moving a tunnel and not watching her closely enough...jackpotted then put the poles AWAY...took a week or two off...last week got out two sets of 6 (spaced apart) with "blind" entrances (out of a tunnel) and she did pretty well though she's not as efficient as she could be yet so we will stick with 6 until she tightens up a bit. Weaved six outside today since all the snow is gone and the ground is softened, and if anything she's better outside even though she mostly trains inside. 

Just started running contacts too (running a 15' board) and that's coming along nicely. Played games on a low (2') dogwalk in a few locations to get her totally comfortable with jumping on/off, turning around, etc. Safety first. First intro to a full height dog walk was last week as well...it was funny to watch her gain confidence as she went. 

So we've done a lot and yet most of it is fairly recent...just a long history of playing together, trusting one another, and both inate and learned body awareness...and yeah I'm biased...

/me cuts self off


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## LazyGRanch713

LynnI said:


> We have been working on serps, threadles, 270's, lateral distances, distances, finding the line, RFP's and call offs to various obstacles. She is rock'n on 6 weaves with some awesome entries, I'll soon introduce the 2nd set of 6 at a distance and start closing them. We have our first lesson with a world team member this coming Saturday, hopefully she doesn't come into heat before then. She'll also hold a lead out stay for 50 ft. We have been in a couple of fun matches which showed where our weaknesses are, which resulted in the increased call off training lol.


During one of my rear cross moments, I decided to send Tag into a serpentine with a rear cross. I think my biggest issue that screws us up is I pause and wait to make sure he's doing X obstacle the right way, and I forget to MOVE, and either he drops bars or slows down. I gotta remember to move!! Good luck this Saturday, and have fun!!


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## MegaMuttMom

We just started a new 6 week session and there are 3 new dogs in the class and the class was way too easy! We only got three runs and they were courses of 6 or 7 obstacles. Grrrrrr, it was very frustrating. I'm not ready to move into competition agility class but, this was ridiculous. I hope next week he sets up longer courses and has the new dogs do abbreviated versions. When having to wait so long between turns, at least it would be a lot better if we actually got challenged when we get to run.


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## LazyGRanch713

MegaMuttMom said:


> We just started a new 6 week session and there are 3 new dogs in the class and the class was way too easy! We only got three runs and they were courses of 6 or 7 obstacles. Grrrrrr, it was very frustrating. I'm not ready to move into competition agility class but, this was ridiculous. I hope next week he sets up longer courses and has the new dogs do abbreviated versions. When having to wait so long between turns, at least it would be a lot better if we actually got challenged when we get to run.


Dang, that sucks  If the beginners class gets full of newbs, they might offer you a spot in competition to keep the challenges up. (When I started beginners with Tag, the more experienced dogs did longer sequences and we did single stuff until we were ready to sequence). Now we're doing sequences that are longer, harder, with more distance and I find myself trying to keep up! (FTR, I *did* manage to do a very lovely front cross on the ice-driveway, arm flails and all. THAT was interesting).


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## LynnI

I feel your pain but really your instructor should be able to easily set up two different sequences and use the same obstacles. One of my classes right now has a split of experience, 4 of the teams are certainly more advanced, either just starting to compete or very close to competing. 2 of the other teams although not raw beginnners/novices are not at the level of the other 4 dogs. During the skill building part of the class, they do exercises to their level and when I set up a sequence it has several different ways of being done depending on the level of the teams and what they need to work on.
If one of two people are struggling (which often happens) it is pretty easy to give them an extra 10 mins at the end of a class or ask them to come a few minutes early the next week, instead of wasting the other students time and having them stand around getting annoyed.


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