[Wendy]

Found the next exercise tough – particularly the blind. I just couldn’t seem to get the timing right. Yesterday she kept skipping the jump and coming in to me, today it was just bars down… presumably because I blinded later to stop her skipping the jump.

[Wendy]

We did a bit more of the same. I stopped before she lost interest but i think I’m going to have to practise some longer sequences at some stage. The height is down too. I am loving her enthusiasm.https://youtu.be/xB3cY5VjCB8

[Wendy]

Did some of the middle-tunnel sequence work with Sassy: https://youtu.be/794O9Y_Vbpk

Last night there was a mock trial at the Club – 4 competitors. I did a fun run with Sassy after – she did amazing first 6 obstacles, petered out before the 2nd tunnel, then re-started and finished strong. Best she has been in ages. Started with pattern games and volume dial. Seemed to help but everyone was far away which made it easier for her.

[Wendy]

We did some work on the first couple of sequences in week 2, low bars.

[Wendy]

Maisy did course opening no. 5. I am trying to move more and use more connection but old habits die hard. Everything happens so fast I get no time to think and use my verbal cues. https://youtu.be/LhNLZ49xzd0

[Wendy]

Maisy rarely misses the first obstacle and we do a lot of tire practice! I think it might be a connection issue as you suggest. Thank you so much for fixing my spread issue! – I was so fixated on not yelling a cue over the obstacle and I knew I couldn’t yell “weaving” before the spread but turn cue!!! duh!

Couple of suggestions for mini courses (and I know you’ve covered most of this but I can never find it) – directionals and break arms/collection cues 🙂

Sassy did some volume dial – she is always excited to work. I had thought the bunny tug would trump food but not as much as I thought. Which is good because she does not play in public, unless we are a loooong way from anything/people/dogs and if she knows there’s food – no more tug. In both cases she finished attentive, waiting for a cue, bright eyed. https://youtu.be/34VgcubLBjU

[Wendy]

Thanks so much for that feedback! Here is the video. So she starts by missing the tire… is there something I did? Then I knew the spread to the weaves would be an issue so I tried to cue when she landed but that seemed to be much too late. If I’d yelled when she was over the bars, she would have knocked them but let’s face it, she was already locked onto the tunnel when she took the spread. https://youtu.be/9MSyKWS_mNo?si=aMEjjaaiTYFUJJDS

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Wendy.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Wendy.

[Wendy]

Sass is enjoying her games!

Here is Maisy doing the course openings (none of this is an issue for Sass).
#1 proved harder than I thought because I was trying to do my FX rotation early. Too early is evidently a thing as is too late.
#2 – she kept taking the less obvious wing at no.3. Why?
#3 – we love rears. Nothing gets between her and a tunnel on her line. https://youtu.be/QxJuakyE510

Would you indulge me and look at a trial video with one of those lead out pivot type openings and tell me what I did wrong? As an aside, I get quite scared when judges put maximum distance between jumps and then a tight turn. I’m always afraid she will jump long and take me out.

[Wendy]

Watching the sequences I feel I should be doing this course with Maisy – we have had most of those openings in the past 12 months with some pretty random results… 🙂

Sass is loving these games! Haven’t added the distraction till you OK the mechanics.

[Wendy]

Decided to break it down with Maisy and tried hard to get my reverse spin in time – but at least she didn’t knock the bar. Put bars lower as suggested.

[Wendy]

The little girls make it seem so easy! Sassy had a turn. I ran faster to encourage her.

[Wendy]

I think I did better.I practised running faster lots of times till I was puffed.

Ironically, the last course I did my big takeaway was “stop looking at Maisy’s face over bars, it makes her drop them…” I think you are saying the opposite? Anyway, bars flew like confetti. I think she prefers them on the ground because it is faster that way.

I recovered my equilibrium by running the small girls who always supply plenty of R+

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Wendy.

[Wendy]

Thanks for the feedback. Sassy lacks a lot of confidence on course so I will definitely work on making sure she is right all the time.

I don’t know what to say about this next video. It is pretty bad and yet so typical of every run we do – it’s always over before I can blink which makes careful course plans seem redundant – my mind does not work as fast as her legs 🙂

• This reply was modified 1 year, 12 months ago by Wendy.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 12 months ago by Wendy.

[Wendy]

Not sure I did this right but she did well.

[Wendy]

We tried for more connection and distance…then did the 1st sequence in Handling 2 – seemed to be easier than the exercises! She managed to miss taking me out by a smidge when I tried to be right up at the wing – was this what you meant?

[Author]

Posts