Faster weaves

Beanie

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#1
Thoughts on training faster weaves? I'm reading "Shaping Success" and it's interesting. I'm wondering if the only way to get faster weaves would be to re-train with 2x2, which is what she does.

Auggie has a speed problem on the whole but for the most part it's due to his confidence problems and poor jumping style, which is a whole different thing to work on. *sigh*
 

BostonBanker

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#2
I am thinking of retraining Meg's weaves with the 2x2 this summer. I am less concerned about speed, and more concerned with her being more independent in them. We have three dogs in our training group who have trained them and I have liked what I've seen. I'm waiting to borrow the video from someone before I decide for sure.

I think there are a lot of ways to train faster weaves; 2x2 just being the current hot idea.
 

Beanie

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#3
Yeah, 2x2 is the big thing right now, LOL. I don't know if there's a way to speed him up as-is or if starting over and retraining with a different method is how I need to go about it.

He was pretty smokin' in the backyard a few weeks ago but he was crazy slow at the trial. Could just be an overall confidence issue I guess... =/
 

BostonBanker

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#4
I took a 6 week class that used Ann Crofts "DreamWeave" method (mostly channel weaves) and it definitely helped speed up Meg's weaves, and helped her focus on getting through the whole line of them, rather than looking for me to get her to the end. What I didn't see it helping with was the independent seeking out of the entries, which is what has impressed me most with the 2x2 method.
 

k9krazee

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#5
I don't know about re-training, and I haven't been keeping up on the latest fads lol, but I do think practice plays a big part in speed and reliability. I like to do fun speed exercises with Jack, I'll put the channels on and we'll "race" (which he gets super excited about), or the food hound loves when there's a target at the other end. We also work on hard entries a lot on my set of baby weaves (3 poles) and make a huge game out of it. I haven't really looked into 2x2 yet, but I am REALLY pleased at how training with channels came out that I'll probably do the same thing with my next dog. But I think speed comes down to finding the right motivation and practice.

Not the best video to show off his skrills, but I still think he's pretty fast even if we're using a crappy set of weave poles and I'm not anywhere near him!

 

Dekka

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#6
I am not sure I would call 2x2's the latest fad. They have been around now for a few years.

Confidence = speed. Any method that really helps your dog understand what weaving is will increase speed. I do really like the 2x2 method because it makes weaving very understandable for the dog. I had done 3 sessions of 2x2 and took Bounce to a CPE trial (bad I know) but she managed to weave 6 poles no issues.

My fave thing about 2x2 over pretty much any other method is that you get solid entries and independant weaves off the bat. So if you have a fast dog where you may be no where near the weave entry when the dog needs to commence weaving, or you play gamblers, its an amazing technique.

Sport, Kat, and Bounce are all learning the 2x2 method and Dekka is going back to 2x2 basics. Dekka is plenty fast enough lol, but she tends to skip the second opening.

The issues with channels is that you are relying on pattern training to teach the weaves. Not actually teaching the dog to find an entry at speed etc so may lower confidence in trial settings. To really 'demo' weaves you need to show them in a sequence. Dekka can nail weaves no issues if they are the only thing there.
 

Shai

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#7
My first dog trained with channel weaves, because that's what the club used and I just went with the flow. Fortunately she generalized the concept well when we switched to straight weaves and I did a LOT of entry work with her outside of class which greatly improved her confidence.

If she can perform straight weaves there's really no need to go all the way back to 2x2 in terms of the spacing and that sort of thing...I would just knock down the number of poles you are using to two (entry) and build drive through those...then add the next...then the next...it's so easy to ask for a long series as soon as our dogs are consistent instead of hanging back and making sure they are consistent and fast before adding length.

My dog was solid but slow...I used weave-o-matics for a bit to help her footwork (which they did) then took a break from classes for a while to work on speed...just scaling way back on my expectations then building them back up.

I hope that makes a bit of sense.
 

MericoX

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#8
What I did/do with Kiba... is take her down to the opposite end of the weaves. I then grab her collar and put a small pile of treats on the ground. I then rev her up a bit, letting her get close and pulling her a bit back and such.

We'll go down to the end, and I tell her to weave, and she zooms thru them like nobody's business. If she pops out, or doesnt get them correctly, I call her off and restart her at the beginning. Idk if it'll work for you, but its worked for us. I also used the same method for a faster aframe/dogwalk.
 

Shai

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#9
We'll go down to the end, and I tell her to weave, and she zooms thru them like nobody's business. If she pops out, or doesnt get them correctly, I call her off and restart her at the beginning. Idk if it'll work for you, but its worked for us. I also used the same method for a faster aframe/dogwalk.
FWIW I've done this but with a target (after thoroughly training the target)...that way if they bail/cheat they aren't self-rewarding. My terrier would just zoom past the weaves and grab the food otherwise lol (I could call him off maybe 90% of the time but that's not enough)...and with the dogwalk he gets so food-focused that he has literally ran off the dogwalk (fortunately it wasn't full height)...being a target instead of food kept him just sane enough to watch his feet while still getting the speed...it all depends on your dog I suppose :)
 

MericoX

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#10
Kiba will state she's a schnauzer, and targets are boring without food. LOL. I've tried using her target squares and boxes, but nothing gets her moving like the food does.
 

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