Agility training
- Thread starter Panzerotti
- Start date
Just had an awesome ring rental. Stuck to my plan, Jari was great. I was able to get him to focus while walking in and out of the ring with another dog in the close vicinity. He did weaves (YAAYYY!) and even did some short sequencing. Friends I was with acted as ring crew but worse because I had them sit on the floor (poor Jari - people are so tempting), and while he did go to the one, he called off almost immediately. Progress!
Kimma was awesome and she's such a beast when she's in the zone. We also practiced going in and out of the ring, just playing, and it was so much fun.
Much happy.
Kimma was awesome and she's such a beast when she's in the zone. We also practiced going in and out of the ring, just playing, and it was so much fun.
Much happy.
Yes.
The first thing I would do is make sure you stake the bases down.
The next thing you need to do is start working high on the arc more often. It is much harder (physically) for a dog to blast through the poles when they are in collection coming back into the poles. What happens is the dog has basically misunderstood what the game of weave poles is about and thinks blasting straight into them is part of it. By forcing the dog to slow down by making him work in collection, you actually teach the dog what weave poles are "about" more accurately.
Working difficult entries with Payton helped him a lot, not because he had trouble making the entries and needed to rehearse those, but because it forced him to start thinking more about what he was actually doing rather than just being RUN RUN RUN GO GO GO RUN. Payton's brain DOES actually work and it works really well - I just need to get him to use it. A more difficult challenge than it sounds like.
The first thing I would do is make sure you stake the bases down.
The next thing you need to do is start working high on the arc more often. It is much harder (physically) for a dog to blast through the poles when they are in collection coming back into the poles. What happens is the dog has basically misunderstood what the game of weave poles is about and thinks blasting straight into them is part of it. By forcing the dog to slow down by making him work in collection, you actually teach the dog what weave poles are "about" more accurately.
Working difficult entries with Payton helped him a lot, not because he had trouble making the entries and needed to rehearse those, but because it forced him to start thinking more about what he was actually doing rather than just being RUN RUN RUN GO GO GO RUN. Payton's brain DOES actually work and it works really well - I just need to get him to use it. A more difficult challenge than it sounds like.
Beanie, what do you mean by the arc?
Right now we are just working with the one 2x2 but have been able to proof entries so he was going through it when he is set up where it is 'closed' so to speak. I've been throwing a ball as a reward and he has been going through the 2x2s very fast. I have been hesitant to add in a second set just yet because he's smacking them a decent portion of the time. Really surprised me that he actually took the poles apart barreling into them.
Right now we are just working with the one 2x2 but have been able to proof entries so he was going through it when he is set up where it is 'closed' so to speak. I've been throwing a ball as a reward and he has been going through the 2x2s very fast. I have been hesitant to add in a second set just yet because he's smacking them a decent portion of the time. Really surprised me that he actually took the poles apart barreling into them.
The "arc" is how you work the entries. Think of being on a clock. The weaves are in the center of the clock (where the hands would connect) and when they are fully closed, they point to 12 and 6.
You and the dog work entries from various positions on the clock. The easiest are going to be straight on or fairly straight on so at 4, 5, and 6 and the spaces between.
When you get further away from being straight on you are "higher" on the arc. From here you send the dog down and in order to get into the weaves he has to turn and get into collection to hit the entry.
Somewhere there is a free Clean Run article on weaves that should illustrate the clock idea but the only stuff I'm seeing in their archives right now won't open on my work Mac. I think it's the Rachel Sanders article but I can't remember for sure.
You and the dog work entries from various positions on the clock. The easiest are going to be straight on or fairly straight on so at 4, 5, and 6 and the spaces between.
When you get further away from being straight on you are "higher" on the arc. From here you send the dog down and in order to get into the weaves he has to turn and get into collection to hit the entry.
Somewhere there is a free Clean Run article on weaves that should illustrate the clock idea but the only stuff I'm seeing in their archives right now won't open on my work Mac. I think it's the Rachel Sanders article but I can't remember for sure.
Today Wilson went through some open weaves, walked over an extremely lowered a-frame, went through a tunnel, and rocked his jump stand entries. He also did some beautiful stays and awesome heelwork during downtime in a somewhat cramped room with two other dogs working next to him while he waited his turn. AND he went up and sniffed two different people all by himself. Not bad for a 7 month old fearful puppy who is entering another major fear period.
Sam did six closed weaves for the first time EVER, and today was his first day back in an agility class in about two years. He also did a ten obstacle sequence and didn't run off or do zoomies once. And he went over the dogwalk and did the teeter without jumping off (he's scared of the dogwalk and teeter).
Not a bad day!
Sam did six closed weaves for the first time EVER, and today was his first day back in an agility class in about two years. He also did a ten obstacle sequence and didn't run off or do zoomies once. And he went over the dogwalk and did the teeter without jumping off (he's scared of the dogwalk and teeter).
Not a bad day!
Hank and I had a flipping fantastic class today. Nothing too terribly exciting. We're doing baby dog stuff still- bang game, going through tunnels, starting jump work, starting contact work, recalls, tire jump, etc. He was very on today though. Just a lot of fun and upbeat. I was very proud of a couple moments where he started disengaging but then I got him back on his toy.
We also did our first 'sequence' (lol) if you can call it that because it was a tunnel then a jump stand. He was sooo fast. We ended up adding a wrap on the end with him and another jump because my trainer is telling me we need to work more on collection vs FAST with him. I am getting so many compliments on him and how confident and smart and fast he is. Muttly represent!
There was also a pumi there today and holy want!
We also did our first 'sequence' (lol) if you can call it that because it was a tunnel then a jump stand. He was sooo fast. We ended up adding a wrap on the end with him and another jump because my trainer is telling me we need to work more on collection vs FAST with him. I am getting so many compliments on him and how confident and smart and fast he is. Muttly represent!
There was also a pumi there today and holy want!
Icky day. Kimma was stressed beyond belief at training for no apparent reason. She was trotting most of it, just not responding to me, totally not her normal self.
Jari was OBSESSED with the floor - licking and chattering. They do let girls in season train with pants on, but really I thought we were over this.
I don't even know why I bother to do this some times :/
Jari was OBSESSED with the floor - licking and chattering. They do let girls in season train with pants on, but really I thought we were over this.
I don't even know why I bother to do this some times :/
Because...
I'm sorry they had a rough day. But just from your posts, they have both made leaps and bounds in the last...what, year or so? I can't remember how long this thread has been active with this group of people. There are always bumps in the road. More and more bumps with our soft, stressy little critters. Hopefully there will be another Much Happy post soon.
I'm sorry they had a rough day. But just from your posts, they have both made leaps and bounds in the last...what, year or so? I can't remember how long this thread has been active with this group of people. There are always bumps in the road. More and more bumps with our soft, stressy little critters. Hopefully there will be another Much Happy post soon.
Ugh I know. Jari is just being a boy. He had a good ring rental yesterday so I shouldn't be too hard on him. I think Kimma's being stressy is bugging me more. We trialed Saturday and she did really well and had one of her fastest JWW runs to date (in terms of YPS). We will keep at it because at the end of the day I know they enjoy it. It's just very tiring, as you know. Thanks BB