Agility training

[Shai]

RCs should be remote control cars because they are awesome

RC = Running Contacts
DW = Dog Walk (obstacle)
HopeNPray = Again I like your definition better lol. In this context, basically contacts behaviors that aren't really trained reliably so the handler has to manage them and/or pray the dog happens to step on the yellow as they fly by...
2o2o = Yup two-on-two-off contact behavior
SG = Susan Garrett, a big name in agility (who will put RCs on your dog in 3 weeks if you have $5k to spend :P)

[Dekka]

RC can also be rear cross.

[Shai]

Yeah probably depends on locale. Here we use RX for rear rosses to avoid confusion.

[release the hounds]

ahhhh, it's starting to make more sense thanks for the interpretation

[adojrts]

Originally Posted by release the hounds

I swear I know a thing or two about training dogs, but when I read some of these responses, I don't know what the **** you guys are talking about I need to learn some new lingo apparently as I am definitely not well versed in agility speak

RC's, isn't that a remote car or airplane?

HopeNpray- is that something in church? this could be very valuable in dog training as well. I'm sure we've all been there before.
DW? Divorced wife?
2o2o, ( think is 2 on 2 off??)
SG's (that's a rating to me )

I'll give you a chuckle about new lingo, years ago I had a working spot at a Greg Derrett workshop/seminar for a few days. While different people were out on course running the exercise he would yell 'Run!!', during my turn he yelled 'RLF, RLF!!!' At a dead run, all the agility terms and acronyms were flying through my head and for the life of me, I didn't know what RLF meant. At the end of the sequence (short course/exercise for skill building) I turn to him and asked, 'What the hell is RLF??" He comes over, leans down and whispers in my ear..........Run Like F.......K lmao.

[adojrts]

Originally Posted by Shai

Do you see different/stronger support skills being trained (directions, strong voice discrim, etc.) or are most people doing what I would do and mostly just getting some distance and hauling a** to get to where they need to be? lol

The only reason Mira doesn't have true running contacts is because I had no contact access at all during the vast majority of her training. Not once a week or once a month...none. Moved states at the wrong time! She learned mostly on a 4' contact board. Which "worked" but contacts are the weakest part of her performance in terms of confidence and speed (though ironically she's never missed a contact in competition, at least so far).

Shai, yes absolutely, the skills sets on the dogs and handlers is so much higher than it used to be, even 5 yrs ago.

We are seeing some very interesting courses, a blend of N.A and European. In Europe with the courses being so tight, pull/push throughs etc the dogs run in a state of collection, according to my trainer who has competed and won at Worlds and recently. Where as here in N.A the dogs have to run more in a state of extension until recently, now we have a mix of the two styles.

People are training directionals and esp. decel/accel cues. It isn't the norm to see dogs arch or take wide corners anymore. In short if a dog arches or turns wide the question becomes was the training correct or was the handler late with the cue, therefore the dog not being able to read it properly and not prepare for the turn before the jump. Another thing that is also very common is actually teaching dogs HOW to jump properly, as part of the foundation training and it is a large part of the training programs.

[Shai]

It always amazes me how much has changed. It has always been a extension/collection combination in my time (except for the above mentioned venues) but even in my short stint in agility so far it has become more so...it's fascinating . And I came on board after the jump training revolution (so to speak) but since my first training facility was way behind the times I didn't catch on to that part til some months later...fortunately my first dog is a nice natural jumper...

Thanks for sharing your observations...always nice to see the perspectives of people who've been in the game longer and really excel

Since the courses are still relatively open in the US we don't see as many verbal directionals (depending on locale) unless it's very particular or the handler is attempting to compensate for a mistake. Exceptions being say Stuart Mah and cohorts. But the more the courses tighten up, the more those skills come back to the forefront even in the people winning at the top. It's interesting...for a long time verbals were eschewed by many who followed the Mecklenburg type method which spread rapidly...

OT question: was the RLF comment with regard to running Petey? Lol

[Panzerotti]

Originally Posted by adojrts

I'll give you a chuckle about new lingo, years ago I had a working spot at a Greg Derrett workshop/seminar for a few days. While different people were out on course running the exercise he would yell 'Run!!', during my turn he yelled 'RLF, RLF!!!' At a dead run, all the agility terms and acronyms were flying through my head and for the life of me, I didn't know what RLF meant. At the end of the sequence (short course/exercise for skill building) I turn to him and asked, 'What the hell is RLF??" He comes over, leans down and whispers in my ear..........Run Like F.......K lmao.

He is hilarious. I audited a seminar with him once and got a kick out of him calling people mother-flickers when they were handling their dogs. ("Flicking" your dog away from you with an arm is frowned upon in his handling system.) Lol.

[adojrts]

Originally Posted by Shai

It always amazes me how much has changed. It has always been a extension/collection combination in my time (except for the above mentioned venues) but even in my short stint in agility so far it has become more so...it's fascinating . And I came on board after the jump training revolution (so to speak) but since my first training facility was way behind the times I didn't catch on to that part til some months later...fortunately my first dog is a nice natural jumper...

Thanks for sharing your observations...always nice to see the perspectives of people who've been in the game longer and really excel

Since the courses are still relatively open in the US we don't see as many verbal directionals (depending on locale) unless it's very particular or the handler is attempting to compensate for a mistake. Exceptions being say Stuart Mah and cohorts. But the more the courses tighten up, the more those skills come back to the forefront even in the people winning at the top. It's interesting...for a long time verbals were eschewed by many who followed the Mecklenburg type method which spread rapidly...

OT question: was the RLF comment with regard to running Petey? Lol

Oh yes, I love it, agility is almost a science now. The top handlers and trainers are dissecting everything to try and figure out how to get an edge. When you consider that at Worlds, there can be a second or less between 1st and 30th place and only clean runs count. Any fault and it is a big ol E.
These people are just not looking at how a dog jumps, they are training to a level that they control everything about how their dogs jump. Specfically where the dog takes off (and that changes with the decel/accel), lands, turns (IA) and they obsessing if the dog jumped closer to the middle instead of tight to a standard. Then, how they could have trained or handled it better to get the results they want. True it is only a small percentage that is like that but we are seeing the results as it filters down to the lower levels.

Yes, the RLF comment was when I was running Petie At almost 13 yrs of age, he is stilling running agility and at 5 yps (yards per second for the non agility folks) and he has slowed down from his age alone. I had stopped trialing him, but he started to fail a bit and was a tad depressed, so we started again. I had to get over my fears because he goes hard and fast and frankly scares the crap out of me. I was trying to babysit him and trying to slow him down and it just wasn't working. People told me to get in gear and RUN him. He still wanted to play and my efforts to slow him down were not working. He is flying, laying down clean runs and having the time of his life still and he is so much fun to run, always has been. He'll tell me when he can't compete anymore, so he calls the shots. It does't matter whether or not he Q's or earns anymore Titles. We just have fun. At the trials everyone still loves watching him run, he still has the 'wow factor'. They love it more when we cross the finish line and my ol grey faced boy races around me in a half playbow with the happiest grin on his face..........Priceless.

[adojrts]

Originally Posted by Panzerotti

He is hilarious. I audited a seminar with him once and got a kick out of him calling people mother-flickers when they were handling their dogs. ("Flicking" your dog away from you with an arm is frowned upon in his handling system.) Lol.

lol, yes he is. And flicking is so bad almost in the same league as evil arm