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>I learned that Gallican jumps have a right way and a wrong way to set them up to prop up a teeter! >
Ah! Who knew?!?!! I haven’t used the Galician jumps for this but now I will be sure to use them the way you had them when they didn’t move. I am glad it didn’t bother her!
>“how on earth do you expect me to work under these conditions?”>
Ah yes, whippet judgement! Ha!
I didn’t see any fear or anxiety in those moments, or struggle to coordinate. It was almost like she was waiting for something? I agree that she was happy to go up the board when she perceived it was time to go up the board. And even after the wing moved early on and she kinda hopped off sideways later in the video, she was still super happy to run up the board. Yay!
By the middle of the session, she was happy to run up the board without stopping at the cavalettis.
And you were able to be moving as she was getting on it.
So maybe something about them was eliciting a “stay” response or she was waiting to be asked to do something else? Or the visual was just different enough that she needed a moment? Hard to know, but what ever the question was, she answered it herself. She didn’t necessarily ue them to straighten herself up LOL!! But you can try harder angles next time and help her go around them – or use something bigger that is harder to trot over.
And you can be relatively stationary for the first rep or two, and if that goes well you can add slowly moving the whole time.
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
>The seminars were so much fun! >
I am so glad you came! Both dogs looked wonderful, and Lift worked brilliantly in a new place. Yay!
>Jump grids – I agree about dropping the adjustable grids for Lift. I can do some other grids that aren’t straight since I she doesn’t do the weird right-drift if she’s turning and sprinkle in the jumping toolbox stuff for the slice jumping. >
Sounds good, and if they start to produce any weird behavior – abandon them LOL!!! I don’t think the toolbox stuff will produce weird behavior because the plank position prevents that, but ya never know!
>I’m not in any rush to get her comfortable jumping 12in. She’s running perf 8in for now when we do USDAA and I might just leave her there for it. Eventually I’d like to do AKC ISC with her so she’ll be a 12in dog there, but I’m in no rush. >
You’ve got time on your side, I think she will do well at 12”. It is still below her shoulder height, so I think she will find it easy when she is more experienced.
>There’s a day of ISC locally at OTR in mid-October that I will enter Kaladin in, but probably won’t enter Lift.>
Can you do Level 1 as FEO, making up your own course without weaves?
>She’s doing great with the “going down” teeter games (it’s almost horizontal) so we’ll start the elevator game soon, but I havent’ started on fading the target on the plank yet so I’m not expecting that we’ll be doing elevator games in public for a while.>
I believe that in UKI you can place a target on the ground as long as it is not on the teeter (I have done it for the RDW stuff) and also you can touch the equipment to play teeter games – but double check it because it is a while since I have done that.
>She’s 5pts away from her Novice SS title so I think I am going to NFC SS even if it’s a perfect course for her since I don’t want her in Senior yet. >
I feel this pain 🙂 My little Elektra is still in Novice, needing 1 point that I refuse to get because I don’t want 4 dogs in Senior. I am way too lazy hahahaha! And Elektra doesn’t care at all 🙂
Also, Fusion’s footing is not as good as the turf stuff and the grass at home, so she might not have an easy of a time getting on lines and turning!
>For all of the classes, I’m waffling on whether I should try a short course with no toy and then run out for a party or if I should do a few short sequences and use the reward box (either with or without a toy as a marker).>
Maybe do the first class as short sequences with the food box to acclimate to environment and footing… then see how it goes and decide about the next run after that? She doesn’t need super short sequences so you can run longer NFCs or the whole course, depending on the designs.
> Both are outdoors in Animal Inn’s fenced ring and she’s entered in 2 classes on 1 day for each of them so she’ll stay home the other day to decompress. >
You might consider bringing her both days even if she doesn’t run, so she can be in the environment to being extending the duration of handling the environment. Even leash walks and pattern games can help with that – decompression can be on Monday LOL!
>The UKI one has the reward box so I’ll probably use that since outdoors is still harder for her. For USDAA I can run FEO but I’m not sure how much it benefits her for me to throw a toy which she will chase but probably not pick up and then run to her leash and out. I think if I throw a toy with no food in it more than once in public, she’s going to start to get really pissed. She’s in P1 Jprs & Snkr for USDAA so chances are it’s all jumps and tunnels.>
If the UKI trial is first, you will have good info about how much you will want to do at the USDAA trial. All of these decisions should be on your radar now, but no final decision needs to be made until you are actually in the moment.
>So the Fall is definitely going to be mainly about working on contacts & weaves with some jumping exercises mixed in. I saw that Shape Up has their RDW level 2 class starting up in mid-Sept and I am considering auditing it.>
That is a good time to start getting weaves and contacts ring-ready!
>What do you have planned for the Fall/Winter?>
I think most of the folks from CAMP will move over to MasterClass: Timing which starts with drills then moves up through course work then into full courses. You got a small taste of it in Iowa but it is actually a lot of material 🙂 that can be done at your own pace. I am trying to decide on a topic for winter camp but nothing is springing to mind that will fit in around the major agility events and before the snows come. I will keep you posted!
Tracy
Good morning!
This setup is great! She is doing brilliantly with waiting for the cue then driving fast into position. Notice how the target also gets the head bob naturally, and she is shifting her weight back to maintain position too. After a few sessions like this, we might elevate the non-target end of the board a little to simulate the angle she will see the behavior from (and we can start fading the target a bit too).
You did a great job of staying in motion until well after she stopped moving – we humans like to get into the rhythm of stopping with the dog, which makes them a bit dependent our motion as part of the cue. You can also add moving laterally away, not just forward on a straight line.
As you got faster in your motion towards the end of the video, she was not as precise with her end position. So you can add motion a little more subtly: wave your arms, do ‘fake’ speed with high knees, etc. Plus letting her sleep on it might surprise you as she wakes up the next day fully understanding how to let you run LOL!
>She seemed to do better if I used food to counteract the ball throw momentum. Advice on that?>
The ball is very exciting, so throwing food back to her in position is a great way to maintain position – the more you release her forward for the reward, the harder it gets to maintain the stop. But you can also throw the ball back to her (or behind her) to put a lot of value in stopping in position as you move past the end – mix it up so it is surprising and fun!
>It is over 100 so late night mosquito eating us video!>
Ewwwww I hate those skeeters!!!!
>Puppies name is Q>
Adorable!!!
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
I think the timing on the blinds were earlier here and that looked good! The FC timing was not as early (probably because of having to rotate) but the blind cross is the better option here anyway 🙂
The bloopers were connection bloopers, where you were looking ahead and not at her. When you were connected? She was perfect in finding her lines. When you were disconnected, she was looking at you for more info and didn’t find the lines. Because she is inexperienced, the connection is probably the most important piece of information for her at this point.
She was not easily taking the tunnel (the side that as further from the camera) – it was probably a little offset from the jump, so she committed to it easily when you were connected and ran towards it, but softer connection or turning earlier pulled her off of it.
Looking at the blinds:
You were definitely further from jump 3 (yay!) and earlier on the blinds at :28 and :45! At :29, you did not look back at her after the blind so she did not know where to be. Compare to the second run at :45 – you had an earlier blind AND clear connection after it. She found her lines and the sequence looked great!Moving in to the FCs – she keeps you honest with connection 🙂 At :56 she did not take jump 1 when released – you were not connected on the release so she came into you. That connection is a big key for her for sure!
The timing of the FCs at 1:07 and 1:24 can start sooner (she was over th bar of the FC jump when you started them) – but the BC is an easier option there anyway because there is less rotation. On the exit of the first FC rep, you lost connection 5-6 at 1:12 so she didn’t know where to be. Compare to the last rep where you emphasized connection there – and it went beautifully!
At this stage, it looks like connection is even more important for her than timing! So yes, keep playing with getting your timing earlier but really emphasize connection to show all the lines.
Nice work here!
TracyHi Leslie!
Yes, there is a new MaxPup 4 coming!! It should be posted in the next day or two, and will begin in October. The start date gives everyone time to finish up MaxPup 3, take a short break, and also works around the 4 major big events in dog sports here in October and November.
I’ll post the info as soon as it is on the site 🙂
Tracy
Hi! I hope your husband’s eye is ok! Those BMD paws are big!
Video 1:
Finding jump 1 with you behind the tunnel is hard for sure! You can throw the reward to the landing side to help him really lock onto it. He is doing really well finding these lateral forward focus lead outs!
The rest of the sequence looked really good – your connection and timing was spot on for most of it on run 1, and you smoothed out the only part that needed smoothing out! On the 2nd run, yes – you did clean up the 4 wrap with earlier decel and wrap cues, so he had a tighter turn there than he did on run 1. Yay!
I think the turn cue on 8 can still be earlier – he landed looking at the 3 jump and turned after you said tunnel on run 1. He was a little tighter on run 2, but you can start your decel and send when he is over jump 7 and I bet it makes it a perfect turn on 8!
2nd video –
On run 1, 1-2-3 looked good! But then it was not clear what to do next – connection and motion stopped, and verbal was really quiet, almost like you were thinking about what to do but didn’t tell him LOL! So he didn’t take anything at :11. You can reward him for his effort there – it looks like you reached into your pocket but didn’t deliver a paycheck. My mantra is: if there is any chance the video will show that the error was mine, then I will reward the dog in the moment. (Spoiler alert: there is always a chance that I screwed up LOL!)
You were clearer on 4 at :28 so he took it, of course 🙂
>He’s got a question between the blue and yellow jumps….at the last minute (after turning off the lights to leave) I decided to do one more rep really focusing on verbal timing to see if I could answer his question.>
Yes, that is where the info can come sooner: you can start it as he is taking off for the blue jump (8). On these runs, the info was starting when he landed so he was waiting for the info and was already looking at you by then.
To get the info to him sooner: for the physical cue, you can keep your arm back as a serp, which will tell him to turn away for the next line as he is taking off. And you can be starting the verbal backside cue at that same time as well (takeoff) so he is seeing the info before he lands and can drive directly to the next line.
One other thing to remember is to drive all the way through the last bar as if there is one more jump after it. You had a big “yes!” and decel over the last bar, so the bar came down. You can reward him there too – he didn’t get rewarded so he took off sniffing. He did get a reward 20 seconds later, but we want to get those cookie/toy rewards in as fast as possible.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi! Your new Farmie is ADORABLE! Did you decide on a call name yet?
Looking at Taq’s video: She did really well on the sequences with the poles!!
>She popped the last pole and I am
Choosing to reward rather than fix things. That was the e only one she missed so click treat me!>She popped the last pole at :20 when you reached for the toy in your pocket 🙂 At :30 and 1:05, you didn’t reach for a toy and she didn’t pop out 🙂 So for now, don’t move the toy so she can be successful! And if she does pop out, I am not sure we want to reward that… you can keep going and reward a jump or tunnel, but I think a direct reward right after popping out might cause confusion later.
She had the little missed entry moment at :37, but I think you were both off balance after you accidentally sent her to the wrong jump before it (nice job continuing/rewarding there and at :51 because your motion totally sent her there).
The anticipation on the contacts is going well! She did well moving into position and also did well ignoring the toy on the ground out ahead of her 🙂
Two suggestions:
– no need to click for this behavior, because it muddies the water about what the release is – she was moving on most of the clicks to come towards you or the toy on the ground. And yes, we can teach her to not move when you click… but also you can use verbal marker instead of a click to help her either hold position as you come back to deliver the reward (I use a quiet ‘yes’) or you can praise then release her forward to the toy.
– The board has kind of a big step down to the ground for a small dog, so when she is in position too much of her weight is forward on her shoulders. We want her weight to be more evenly distributed and ideally also see a weight shift into her hind end – angling this plank might create too steep of an angle, but maybe you have a sloped piece of wood or something you can attach to the end of it, so she has less step down into position? That will promote a better weight shift.
Since this is going really well, you can make the target smaller (half the size it is here) and you can add more of your motion – be slowly walking the whole time you are releasing her into position and keep slowly walking for a few more steps after she arrives in position. Very slow walking 🙂 If that is too fast, you can swing your arms or walk in place to help her be successful.
> I wanted to use this board to do that contact ex for this class. Not sure if you will think we will be ready for that in the next week. >
You can do it at a walk, rewarding the position more than worrying about what happens after it! But getting the board to have less of a step down will be really helpful.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
The backing up onto the board is a good warm up for the bang game here!And he seemed super confident to leap into the end position, so now yes – we can clarify what we want him to do more specifically.
To do that for a 2o2o, you can use a small target on the ground a few inches past the end of the board. I use a plastic lid 🙂 but I have also used a post-it note LOL Anything relatively small will work! The goal is for him to be able to step off the board with his front feet on either side of the target – and lower his head towards it. He doesn’t have to touch the target with his nose, but a head bob towards it will help with weight shift.
You can line him up at your side with the target on the ground, then let him move into the 2o2o position. To solidify it, the best reward in that moment is a treat… I am sure he will eat it but I am also sure he would like a toy better 🙂 so you can reward in position with a treat or two, then release to play with a toy. I think he will find that very motivating while also allowing you to get a lot of control and precision on the behavior.
Great job building his confidence! Let me know how he does with the target being added.
Tracy
Hi! The serping is going really well!
The one jump and 2 jump reps looked great. Your connection and arm position looked fabulous, especially because you were maintaining connection as he landed til he looked at the next jump. Super!!! And you maintained that form when you added more speed and the tunnel.
When you added the tunnel – don’t stop moving because that changes the cue (decel means collection) and puts you in his landing spot, so he hit the bar at :45. You were a little further ahead when you stopped moving at :49, so he didn’t drop the bar, but he had to work harder-than-needed to sort the striding out when you started moving again.
When you stayed in motion at :54? He was perfect 🙂 You had a little bit of decel on the last 2 reps, which you don’t need to do 🙂 Keep blasting up the line! And if he struggles by running by the jump or hitting the bar, we adjust the angles to make it easier while keeping you in motion.
Great here!
Tracy
Hi!
>I was able to lay the walk throughs over the actual run, and I was actually about right on the timing for most of them!>
Yes! Overall, the walk versus run was really strong! One thing I noticed in a lot of the walk throughs was that you were using your outside arm as a brake arm, but it was a little late and a little hidden (you didn’t show it to the invisible dog). Then in the run, you didn’t use it at all 🙂 So you can decide if you want to use it, and then emphasize it more in the walk through and run.
>Now, if I was able to run them with Katniss, that would probably not be true,>
You’d probably have to be moving faster! But I bet you can get them to match up pretty well!
Since Nox’s walks and runs matched so closely, the runs went really well. Just a couple of ideas for you:
Seq 1:
The walk through is looking good! Your plan, connection, timing and verbals were all very clear. The only suggestion that you will want to clarify the outside arm in the walk through at :21 – it didn’t really show the turn until after the invisible dog landed, plus it was not visible to her (probably not needed :))The runs matched up really well to the walk! The walk was a little slower after the wrap on 4, so you can make a mental note to move through those faster with her. Everything was looking good!
The only question was on the 7 jump (after the tunnel the 2nd time) – just how much support is needed to get it?
This was at :38 versus :56 supporting the jump after the tunnel at the end: not quite enough at :38, too much at :56 (bar down). So maybe a middle ground of being a bit further away so she reads the turn cue and more connected to help support the line to it more.
Seq 2:
The walk through here had a clear plan, nice connection, and clear verbs!
You did use your brake arms at 1:09 and 1:14 in the walk through but not in the run.The run started out great! You had an extra step to the backside at 5 at 1:42 which pushed her off the line, then didn’t quite move away soon enough on the 8 backside to set the line to the jump pat the tunnel.
Much better on the 2nd run – no step to the 5 backside and nice line after 8! Super! And it matched up nicely with the walk through 🙂
Seq 3:
In the walk through, this one also had break arms for jump 2 and at 2:30 that you didn’t use in the run.The rest of the walk through looked good in terms of plan, connection, verbals, etc.
The opening looked really good during the run! You had to move faster in real life when she was in the tunnel than you did on the walk through.
Good takeaway here: One more step was needed to commit her into the gap 6-7. I think you ran it pretty much as you walked it, but you can see that she needed one more step to get the 7 jump. Noted for next time to step in more!
Running the other way does set good lines! It will be easier if you do a spin on 6 to get her back to your right side. You did a FC then had to RC 7, so got behind showing the line to the last jump. If you do get behind, be sure to lock your connection into the tunnel exit to really show the line. You can also add in an opposite arm if you see her curling in off the line.
Seq 4: The walk through was clear here too with your plan, verbals, and connection. One thing I noticed was that you wrap cues were late at 3:37 and 3:40 in the walk through.
You can see they are late based on where you are looking when you started them: you were looking at the wrap jump, which means InvisiNox was also at the wrap jump, making the cues happen after she was committed.
Ideally, the wrap cues would being at the exit of previous obstacle – at the exit of the tunnel for the first send, and when she is approaching takeoff of the jump before the next wrap jump.
On the run – the beginning looked great!
You ran the wrap section the same way you walked it, which means the wrap cues were late 🙂 but you got it done by staying connected even though she was turning wide. Staying connected helped her not have a BIG MAD about it and you got her through that section!
>Getting her in the tunnel in #4 was a little tricky as well.>
Yes, she seemed to think the tunnel backside was weird! The timing on the first run was good but she still thought it was a weird line – probably due to lack of experience. Your timing was a little late on the 2nd run, so she might have gotten it more smoothly there is your timing had matched the first run.
Walking it with a FC on the jump after the tunnel then a FC followed by a blind on the other side – it is a good plan, but also late in the walk through so definitely think about starting all of the cues when she is at the obstacle before the turn.
The FC at 5:14 had the best timing out of all the wrap moments on this sequence, so you got a better turn there! Getting to the BC after it is hard because you have to start it as soon as she exits the wrap jump – you were a little late so the bar came down after it. So the big takeaway there is to lock into the connection on the tight turns so you can start the cues when she is at the jump before them.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
>She took a step towards me and then jumped like something stung or bit her.>
It could either be a bite/sting or a nerve pain moment. I had something similar happen to Contraband earlier this summer – suddenly lame on a back foot. Ran him to the urgent care vet, X-rays, etc etc. They found nothing, but I was till having a panic of course. He was fine within a few hours. Then the same thing happened to Larry Whippet and I figured they just walked in the same spot in the field and a ground bee bite them or something. But it is definitely good to rest Katniss to be sure! I rested both the whippety dogs to be sure.
>She played tug with me right before we started this sequence, so I thought maybe she’d be excited to play with me as a reward. As you saw, I immediately got rid of the toy and switched back to food, lol. It was not a good way to try it out. >
I don’t think it was a bad way to try it out – after all, she had just been playing with it. But then she made it clear that food was still the main thing in agility for now. Noted! LOL!
T
Good morning! Hope you had fun travels!
He is definitely sorting out how to handle the slam of the teeter! It is noisy LOL!!
He was good at slamming it from the front, no problem. When you added backing up, you can be a step or two closer to the end of the board so he doesn’t have to stretch as much to get the reward. That will allow him to shift his weight back onto the board even more.
You can also add the beginning of the bang game – it is the next step after these games 🙂
The threadle wraps are going well!! The only thing to add is more decel as part of the cue – when you added it on the 2nd rep, he had a great turn back to the wing. On the first rep, you didn’t have decel going so he was not sure if he should turn back or not.
That will also help him finish his commitment to wrapping: on the last rep, you had decel and you looked back to him the whole time, and he commitment perfectly! So the decel really helps and maintaining connection back to him really supports the line for now – he won’t always need that level of connection but it really helps in these early stages of the training.
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
>I am seeing her push more on her start line stays. So I’m going to have to start reinforcing those more.>
She is probably really getting excited about playing agility, plus she is an adolescent:) so definitely reinforce the stays a lot at this stage.
She might be thinking that when you reconnection and show arm movement after leading out, that the reconnection when you look at her is the release. I could ee her starting to move when you looked at her and your arm moved – you were releasing at the same time, so it felt like she was holding the stay but I think if you did not release her with the verbal, she might release with the arm and connection. So to maintain the lead out yo can move to position, connect, praise… then either reward or release. That will separate the reconnection and arm movement from the release.
>I’m still so far behind on most of these exercises and on her foundation work in general.>
I think you are doing really well! She is not even a year old yet, right? From what I see on the videos, you are developing a lovely working relationship with her, working out handling and connection (especially on things like blinds and threadle wraps which might not be super comfy for you), etc.
This working relationship is the most important part of it all, so no worries about how many training games you play! You are right on track for having a fabulous time in any dog sport with her 🙂
Side note: ignore anything you might see from other people or on social media that might show 11 month old dogs running courses… that is WAY too young and not good for the pup!
Looking at the teeter video:
I agree! She is super confident!! On this game, she was looking at you a bit when she got to the end of the board – so to expand this game, you can lea a little dab of cream cheese or something sticky for her to lick at the end of the board as her reward. That way, she won’t look at you and you can add thing like running past the end of the board, doing a rear cross on the up ramp, doing a front cross as you pass the top of the board, etc.
For the bang game at the end of the video – for now, I recommend a target just off the end of the board (something like a small plastic lid is great). She can use it to help find position, then you can go back and reward her. That way she won’t look at you or curl off the side, and you can add moving past the end of the board while she holds position. And the target is easy to fade out by making it smaller or burying it in the grass more and more.
>I do wonder what my next step would be if the teeter doesn’t lower.>
I haven’t lowered the teeter for any of my dogs, so the next step for the mountain climber game would be to progress it as you have been, by adding more tip. You were moving the wing out more and more to get more tip. Since the wing is about as close to the end as it goes, you can get something that can go even lower – a tall metal or wood chair, for example, or a saw horse. Just make sure it is solid and won’t break or slip out from under the teeter. And you keep lowered it until basically she is running across the whole board. Then remove it and you’ve got a full teeter!
Separately, the bang game end of the board can keep getting higher and higher off the ground – most dogs are able to still jump on the board when it is parallel to the ground. You can use the same thing to change the height of the board as you are using on the mountain climber game.
The bang game helps her ride the board down to the ground and the mountain climber game helps her drive up and over the board. The two work well together!
Rep 1 – lovely and connected!! And she is driving ahead to the end really well
RC on jump 2 at :37 looked good
You did a FC at 1:33 and it looked great!!
>. And I wonder if my placement of the jump by the tunnel made my blinds harder. Or if it is just because I can’t do blinds. >
It was more of a timing question – she did not seem to be looking at the tunnel as an off course temptation 🙂
On the BC reps at :54 and 1:07, the timing of starting was a little late. You started the BC when she was taking off for 2, so she made the adjustment to the new side after landing. She was SO FAST there and you can trust her commitment to begin the blind when you see her landing from jump 1. That gives you time to finish the blind and make a big connection to her so she sees the side change.
The BC at 1:51 went the best because you had a long lead out and started the blind earlier, so she knew it was coming sooner and made a nice turn!!
If you had other reps where she did not get the blind, freeze the video as she is jumping 2 – and look to see if you were finished with the blind (or almost finished). If you were not yet starting it, it is possible she thought you wanted her to go straight.
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
>Yes with her set up mat she is 100%. I can tell her from a distance to go line up and she will go to the mat, carpet, scarf, jacket and go sit on it. >
You can use the mat sometimes when you are working sequences and need a long lead out – think of it as protecting the stay you are building.
>I think I’ll try the stand. I would rather not try the down. >
The other option is to let her choose her position. With a couple of my dogs, I just say ‘stay’ and let them pick a position (sit or stand or down). Once they have picked, that is the one the have to hold as I lead out. It works GREAT because they have agency and have to think about things on the start line. They have great stays!
The stand is a little harder to maintain criteria as you get further away, because you can’t see all the feet all the time.
The down can be very ‘grounded’ and it is actually a good thing if she is stimulated by the down. She will be stimulated by the start line! So we can use that arousal in training.
Also, you can mix up the game a bit so she anticipates the release less by sometimes cueing a position change. If she is in a stand, cue a sit when you arrive at your lead out position. Or cue a down. Then release.
There are all sorts of ways we can play with the stay and keep it fun without building up self-releasing.
>The stand should work well for her. She understands that from obedience exercises.>
That is a good starting point – but definitely add in arousal and stuff like a toy on the ground in front of her, etc. The obedience stand is in a different arousal state than the agility start line stay 🙂
>I obviously progressed too fast and too soon for any distance in a lead out. It does need to be fixed before we go much further. >
At 15 months, she is squarely in adolescence and our role at this stage is to keep things happy and fun without building in any frustration or stress – adolescents don’t have good tolerance for that or for punishment.
>I’ve really benefitted from these games.>
Yay! I am glad!!!
> Everything seems to be coming to an end as far as online foundations. I’m wondering what next, >
Next up is MaxPup 4, which is a combination of higher level sequencing, surviving adolescence, trouble shooting if needed, and transitioning the dogs into the trial ring (I have specific steps that make it very very easy to:)) I will be picking a start date for it soon – just trying to make sure the timeline fits in with all the big events in October and November.
Then the next step is the timing MasterClass (different website and about a year’s worth of material, from foundation drills all the way through international courses). And then next June is the annual CAMP class – that is where our MaxPup grads go after MaxPup 4 🙂
The goal is to give pups and their parents a comprehensive plan and a ton of support to go from puppyhood, through adolescence, and successfully into the trial ring 🙂
>other than me getting myself into shape, taking some classes at the gym to help with my balance and coordination and biting the bullet and trying to run with her. >
Well, yes, being fit is always good but that is not required to be super successful in agility 🙂 You won’t need to run with her because you will be able to put so many distance skills on her and verbals! You are well on your way with that.
>Up until now it’s all pretty stationary and controlled. >
That is because of her age – I know you see people with 15 month old dogs running courses but I think that taking your time and building up the skills, and letting her grow up a bit is a GREAT thing!!! You will see significant brain changes and maturity between now and 18 months and 2 years old, so take your time and set the foundations for a great career!
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
This went great! She did really well with the tunnel as a distraction – the toy being thrown early was more of a distraction 🙂
>Our rear crosses need more work to come up to scratch.>
Yes – you can work it on 6 poles at first without a lot of motion, then add more and more motion (then add the rest of the poles).You can also use the tunnel to get her ramped up like at a trial! You can her through it a bunch of times… then ask for the weaves and see how she does!
Nice work here!
Tracy
