Seems like lately I'm reading stuff about how hard it is for some dogs to keep their focus and motivation in agility while trialing or in other high distraction situations. Sometimes the dog is just young and so hasn't learned about how much fun agility trials can be but many times it takes some time and effort to get the dog to really love the game. If you think about it, that's not so different from what we experience when we start entering agility trials.
I remember how nervous I was for the first several years after I started trialing. I hadn't had a lot of experience in any kind of competitions (when I was in school the only sport offered for girls was cheerleading and it wasn't the gymnastic sport that it is now, it was quite literally just cheering for the boys' teams. This was before Title 9 and schools weren't required to offer sports for girls.)so I would get so nervous that I couldn't work up enough saliva to swallow and my legs felt like rubber. Although I've been trialing now for 17 years I still get nervous at even small local trials and I doubt that I'll ever be much different.
It makes sense to me that dogs are much like us in that some dogs rarely get nervous while trialing while others get nervous every time they step in the ring. And some dogs are good at hiding it, like me, even though inside they're unfocused and jittery. Unfortunately, we'll never really know for sure how our dogs feel so it seems like it would be wise to assume that they may be more nervous than they appear and give them lots of opportunities to just have fun without any pressure to perform.
But even after they're seasoned agility dogs and have been to lots of big trials, how do we know that they won't develop some stress along the way just because performance is stressful no matter how careful we are to make it fun? It's really hard to deal with all the mental and physical challenges as the handler much less keep your focus on how your dog is feeling.
And then there's the stress of travel which some dogs never get to like no matter how long they do it. I like to travel, I like staying in motels and going to new trials but I have to admit that it's not without some stress. Especially when I'm going to new trial and I'm not sure where it is or what I'll find when I get there. I'm distracted by wondering where I'm going to be able to park or set up. Will I be late? Miss my walk through? Do I have the right clothes for the weather I'll encounter? All these things really detract from my ability to focus on running the course well.
When you really think about it, it's amazing that our dogs are able to focus as well as they do. We aren't aware of all the things our dogs are noticing as we engage in this sport of ours because we aren't walking in their--er--paws. We don't even seen things from the same vantage point or in the same colors. We also don't know what those other dogs are comunicating to our dogs. Maybe our dogs are picking up on the stress of other dogs and other handlers.
I think I'm going to try to be a lot more understanding of my dogs' performances. Not just at trials but also in class and at practice. I think I'll try to cut them as much slack and be as understanding of their mental state as I hope they are of mine :-)
Monday, May 2, 2011
Monday, December 6, 2010
Zodi's Poles
I wanted to post some video of Zodi's weavepole training. It's taken about 20 sessions (each less than 10 minutes in length) to get from no poles to weaving 12 poles with all kinds of entries, crosses and even a jump to those entries and crosses. I've never had a dog that learned 12 poles so easily with that kind of independent performance right from the beginning. And I've never taught weavepoles using 2x2's before but I'm sure I'll use this method again. My next step is to help her figure out her footwork, I think she's going to find single-stepping easier than jumping through but first I have to figure out how to get her to try it. I plan to switch to a set of channels and see if that will get her reaching out a bit. Stay tuned.....
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Training Plans
Now that I've finished trialing for awhile (my next trial won't be until mid-January) I'll have more time to focus on training my dogs. I have lots of plans for each of them.
Devon:
I really want to re-work Devon's A-frame and dog walk. I think it's too late to teach him a true running contact since he's been doing a stopped one for so long, but I do want him to run through the yellow on his a-frame and possibly his dog walk, too.
To do this on the A-frame I'm going to throw a toy out for him as he comes over the top and use a stride regulator to help him relax and extend as he comes over the top. If he does that, he'll land further down the down ramp which will mean that if he takes just one more stride he'll hit right about in the middle of the contact zone.
For his dog walk I'm going to just encourage lots more speed and drive and not give his "touch" command until he's just starting the down ramp. If he doesn't stop at the bottom, I'm not going to mark it much, just ask him to wait while I lead out and then start running from there. That plan will have to change if he starts leaping off but hopefully he won't get quite that carried away with himself :-)
I'm going to change the teeter from a 2 on/ 2 off to a "go to the yellow, ride it down and come off straight when it hits". That's sort of what he does now except that sometimes he pops off the side, especially if I try to front cross it. I'll be practicing a lot of crosses, both front and rear as well as pushes since those are the easiest for me to do.
I'm also going to be doing some jump grids with Devon in an attempt to help him with his ETS on spread jumps. I also need to work on being able to send him further to tunnels. Because of all the AKC courses we've been doing, he's gotten used to being able to run very close to me which will be a problem on USDAA courses and also means he can only be as fast as I am which ain't that fast :-)
I'm sure I'll think of other things as well, these are just the things that stand out the most. My goal for Devon is to have him running a good bit faster by this Spring. I want to increase his Standard yps by at least 1.5-2.0 seconds right now he's very slow because of his stopped contacts. His Jumpers yps I'd like to increase by 1.0-1.5 secs. If I can get him to work away from me more, I think that should be within his capabilities.
Zodi:
My goals for Zodi are to continue to train her weavepoles so that she's doing 12 and single stepping. She's already doing 6 poles with all kinds of entries, crosses and even allowing me to layer jumps while she weaves. I can't believe how easy and quickly this has been to teach her. I can only assume it has to do with the method I used (Mary Ellen Barry's version of Susan Garrett's 2 x2 method) because this is the first time I've used it and I've never had a dog learn so quickly or well.
I also plan to do more jump grids with her. She really needs a lot of help figuring out where to put all those legs and how to collect. She's very good at extending, though, that shouldn't be a problem. I also need to work more on teaching her the turning cues. She's not bad but it takes her so long to get going in another direction that she's going to need to get those cues pretty far in advance. I'm guessing that learning how to collect will need to go hand in hand with this so that once she knows the turning cues, she can respond appropriately.
I think Zodi should get more trial exposure, too, in easy peasy classes like AKC Novice. I want it to be so easy that she has nothing but fun and positive experiences so she'll learn to love trialing. I may intentionally send her off course just to prevent her from qualifying into Open too soon. It's too easy, in my opinion, to wind up in Excellent with a dog who just isn't ready to be there and that can take a lot of the fun out of it for the handler and the dog. I think it's better to take the time to teach the skills they'll need in Excellent/Advanced/Masters while you're still trialing somewhat below the dogs's abilities.
I'm really looking forward to this break from competing. It's really taken a lot of energy to keep going to trials every weekend on top of a full 40 hour work week plus teaching plus household duties. I know some people who thrive on competition but for for me it's more fun to only trial about once a month. And if I'm not enjoying it, how can I expect my dogs to have fun? So we'll be doing stuff like hiking on the weekends which is my favorite winter activity.
I know many people who get depressed in the winter but for me it's a time of rejuvenation and relaxation. A time to reconnect with family and friends after the busy Fall. I find the cool air exhilarating and love coming in to a warm house after a brisk hike on a cold day. And with fewer trips and trials, there's more time to spend just enjoying the company of my dogs and my thoughts.
Devon:
I really want to re-work Devon's A-frame and dog walk. I think it's too late to teach him a true running contact since he's been doing a stopped one for so long, but I do want him to run through the yellow on his a-frame and possibly his dog walk, too.
To do this on the A-frame I'm going to throw a toy out for him as he comes over the top and use a stride regulator to help him relax and extend as he comes over the top. If he does that, he'll land further down the down ramp which will mean that if he takes just one more stride he'll hit right about in the middle of the contact zone.
For his dog walk I'm going to just encourage lots more speed and drive and not give his "touch" command until he's just starting the down ramp. If he doesn't stop at the bottom, I'm not going to mark it much, just ask him to wait while I lead out and then start running from there. That plan will have to change if he starts leaping off but hopefully he won't get quite that carried away with himself :-)
I'm going to change the teeter from a 2 on/ 2 off to a "go to the yellow, ride it down and come off straight when it hits". That's sort of what he does now except that sometimes he pops off the side, especially if I try to front cross it. I'll be practicing a lot of crosses, both front and rear as well as pushes since those are the easiest for me to do.
I'm also going to be doing some jump grids with Devon in an attempt to help him with his ETS on spread jumps. I also need to work on being able to send him further to tunnels. Because of all the AKC courses we've been doing, he's gotten used to being able to run very close to me which will be a problem on USDAA courses and also means he can only be as fast as I am which ain't that fast :-)
I'm sure I'll think of other things as well, these are just the things that stand out the most. My goal for Devon is to have him running a good bit faster by this Spring. I want to increase his Standard yps by at least 1.5-2.0 seconds right now he's very slow because of his stopped contacts. His Jumpers yps I'd like to increase by 1.0-1.5 secs. If I can get him to work away from me more, I think that should be within his capabilities.
Zodi:
My goals for Zodi are to continue to train her weavepoles so that she's doing 12 and single stepping. She's already doing 6 poles with all kinds of entries, crosses and even allowing me to layer jumps while she weaves. I can't believe how easy and quickly this has been to teach her. I can only assume it has to do with the method I used (Mary Ellen Barry's version of Susan Garrett's 2 x2 method) because this is the first time I've used it and I've never had a dog learn so quickly or well.
I also plan to do more jump grids with her. She really needs a lot of help figuring out where to put all those legs and how to collect. She's very good at extending, though, that shouldn't be a problem. I also need to work more on teaching her the turning cues. She's not bad but it takes her so long to get going in another direction that she's going to need to get those cues pretty far in advance. I'm guessing that learning how to collect will need to go hand in hand with this so that once she knows the turning cues, she can respond appropriately.
I think Zodi should get more trial exposure, too, in easy peasy classes like AKC Novice. I want it to be so easy that she has nothing but fun and positive experiences so she'll learn to love trialing. I may intentionally send her off course just to prevent her from qualifying into Open too soon. It's too easy, in my opinion, to wind up in Excellent with a dog who just isn't ready to be there and that can take a lot of the fun out of it for the handler and the dog. I think it's better to take the time to teach the skills they'll need in Excellent/Advanced/Masters while you're still trialing somewhat below the dogs's abilities.
I'm really looking forward to this break from competing. It's really taken a lot of energy to keep going to trials every weekend on top of a full 40 hour work week plus teaching plus household duties. I know some people who thrive on competition but for for me it's more fun to only trial about once a month. And if I'm not enjoying it, how can I expect my dogs to have fun? So we'll be doing stuff like hiking on the weekends which is my favorite winter activity.
I know many people who get depressed in the winter but for me it's a time of rejuvenation and relaxation. A time to reconnect with family and friends after the busy Fall. I find the cool air exhilarating and love coming in to a warm house after a brisk hike on a cold day. And with fewer trips and trials, there's more time to spend just enjoying the company of my dogs and my thoughts.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Thoughts on Trialing
I've been trialing just about every weekend for the past couple of months so I should probably write an update while things are relatively fresh in my mind.
My goal with Devon this Fall is to qualify him to go to AKC Nationals in VA in March 2011. I've never run a dog in any national competition so I thought it was something I'd enjoy and it's only a 3.5 hour drive at a location I know well from having attended three Clean Run Camps there.
In order to qualify, I need 6 double Q's, one of which I got back in August. My next trial after that was a local USDAA trial so my Q's there didn't contribute to the 5 I still need. Last weekend I trialied at a small outdoor trial in VA and didn't Q at all. I'd like to blame it on the poor footing and unlevel rings but I'm not sure I can. And this past weekend I attended just one day of a CPE trial as a way to test out what would happen if I just ran really hard with him and gave him a lot of forward motion cues. I did see him run faster and happier but I also saw him pop off his contacts and actually bail from the upside of the A-frame.
It's no mystery why he's doing this; it's because I've been quick releasing his 2 on/2 off stopped contacts in an effort to reduce the stress I feel waiting for him to get into position and/or pop off them. The quick realease worked for about 4 trials and then started producing their own stress since he now really has no idea what I want him to do. I thought I could squeak by with this band aid approach to his contacts just long enough to get my 6 QQs and then I was going to take some time off and retrain a managed but moving contact (not a true running contact but not a stopped one either).
But now I don't think it's going to work and I'm in the position of having entered a whole bunch of trials hoping to get the QQs which puts a lot of pressure on me to qualify in standard which isn't good for our contact performance. So now I'm really not sure what to do other than to try to reproduce what I do in trials in practice which is really hard to do unless I can go to drop in classes which is the only time he gets excited enough to pop off the contacts and allow me to figure out if I can mange them somehow.
I'm pretty mad at myself for doing the quick release thing. It's not like I don't know better and couldn't have predicted this happening. It's really due to the pressure I'm putting on myself to get these QQs for the AKC Nationals. I wish they didn't base their qualifying on QQs but they have to have some way to keep the numbers of entries down or you'll have week long Nationals the way USDAA is doing this year.
On a happier note, my Dobe, Zodi had her agility debut this weekend at a CPE trial. I entered her in Jumpers and Standard and was very happy with her performance in Jumpers and about half as happy with her performance in Standard.
Edited on 11/15/10 to add:
I've trialed several times since I first wrote this post and have acheived three more QQ's, not a great success rate but not surprising considering how much pressure I feel to get the Q. I have two more trials to get two more QQs but I don't think I'll be too disappointed if it doesn't happen. I've learned a lot this fall and feel a lot more comfortable trialing than I did. Part of that is just getting more practice and being able to predict what Devon will do as a response to my handling.
And it's not like I was expecting to be really competitive at nationals, I just wanted to go to my first nationals as a participant rather than as a spectator. I think it would be fun and I know Devon would enjoy seeing all those dogs and people. He's such a sociable dog and loves making new friends. But truthfully, I'm not sure I want to spend the money just to get the t-shirt, if you know what I mean. I do think it would be a good experience for me to go and see how I react to that kind of trialing situation--whether or not I actually enjoy it--and to learn first hand how it feels to step to the line at a Nationals.
I've considered withdrawing from the last couple of trials but that was mostly when I wasn't running very well and getting nervous. Now that most of our runs are pretty good, I feel like I'd like to face the challenge of this type of pressure. This weekend I'm going to Charlotte to a large indoor trial and the following weekend I'm flying to Springfield, MA to run in the big Thanksgiving cluster there. Since my sister lives only a couple of hours away and because I can actually stay with family, it's something I've thought about doing for several years. So, I've decided to go for it and let myself committ to trying right up to the last possible run. I think the worst thing that can happen is that I spend some money I don't really need to be spending and the best thing that can happen is that I have a great time and feel successful.
My goal with Devon this Fall is to qualify him to go to AKC Nationals in VA in March 2011. I've never run a dog in any national competition so I thought it was something I'd enjoy and it's only a 3.5 hour drive at a location I know well from having attended three Clean Run Camps there.
In order to qualify, I need 6 double Q's, one of which I got back in August. My next trial after that was a local USDAA trial so my Q's there didn't contribute to the 5 I still need. Last weekend I trialied at a small outdoor trial in VA and didn't Q at all. I'd like to blame it on the poor footing and unlevel rings but I'm not sure I can. And this past weekend I attended just one day of a CPE trial as a way to test out what would happen if I just ran really hard with him and gave him a lot of forward motion cues. I did see him run faster and happier but I also saw him pop off his contacts and actually bail from the upside of the A-frame.
It's no mystery why he's doing this; it's because I've been quick releasing his 2 on/2 off stopped contacts in an effort to reduce the stress I feel waiting for him to get into position and/or pop off them. The quick realease worked for about 4 trials and then started producing their own stress since he now really has no idea what I want him to do. I thought I could squeak by with this band aid approach to his contacts just long enough to get my 6 QQs and then I was going to take some time off and retrain a managed but moving contact (not a true running contact but not a stopped one either).
But now I don't think it's going to work and I'm in the position of having entered a whole bunch of trials hoping to get the QQs which puts a lot of pressure on me to qualify in standard which isn't good for our contact performance. So now I'm really not sure what to do other than to try to reproduce what I do in trials in practice which is really hard to do unless I can go to drop in classes which is the only time he gets excited enough to pop off the contacts and allow me to figure out if I can mange them somehow.
I'm pretty mad at myself for doing the quick release thing. It's not like I don't know better and couldn't have predicted this happening. It's really due to the pressure I'm putting on myself to get these QQs for the AKC Nationals. I wish they didn't base their qualifying on QQs but they have to have some way to keep the numbers of entries down or you'll have week long Nationals the way USDAA is doing this year.
On a happier note, my Dobe, Zodi had her agility debut this weekend at a CPE trial. I entered her in Jumpers and Standard and was very happy with her performance in Jumpers and about half as happy with her performance in Standard.
Edited on 11/15/10 to add:
I've trialed several times since I first wrote this post and have acheived three more QQ's, not a great success rate but not surprising considering how much pressure I feel to get the Q. I have two more trials to get two more QQs but I don't think I'll be too disappointed if it doesn't happen. I've learned a lot this fall and feel a lot more comfortable trialing than I did. Part of that is just getting more practice and being able to predict what Devon will do as a response to my handling.
And it's not like I was expecting to be really competitive at nationals, I just wanted to go to my first nationals as a participant rather than as a spectator. I think it would be fun and I know Devon would enjoy seeing all those dogs and people. He's such a sociable dog and loves making new friends. But truthfully, I'm not sure I want to spend the money just to get the t-shirt, if you know what I mean. I do think it would be a good experience for me to go and see how I react to that kind of trialing situation--whether or not I actually enjoy it--and to learn first hand how it feels to step to the line at a Nationals.
I've considered withdrawing from the last couple of trials but that was mostly when I wasn't running very well and getting nervous. Now that most of our runs are pretty good, I feel like I'd like to face the challenge of this type of pressure. This weekend I'm going to Charlotte to a large indoor trial and the following weekend I'm flying to Springfield, MA to run in the big Thanksgiving cluster there. Since my sister lives only a couple of hours away and because I can actually stay with family, it's something I've thought about doing for several years. So, I've decided to go for it and let myself committ to trying right up to the last possible run. I think the worst thing that can happen is that I spend some money I don't really need to be spending and the best thing that can happen is that I have a great time and feel successful.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Back In The Saddle
Figuratively speaking, that is. This past weekend (Thursday-Sunday) was my first agility trial since May. I'm kind of surprised at myself for taking the whole summer off of trialing but I did it for a number of reasons. Mostly I did it because it's just too hot to be outside here from June-August and even into September. We do have indoor trials during that time but trialing indoors has its drawbacks. Crowded and nosiy crating for one thing, sitting around all day inside for another. I spend 40 hours a week inside at my job and once the weekend arrives, the last thing I want to do is spend it inside listening to dogs bark and squinting through the fluorescent lighting. So you might wonder why I chose to enter a 4 day indoor trial at all, much less as my first trial back after a long layoff.
For one reason, I saw it as a opportunity to give myself multiple days to get back in the groove of trialing and for another I thought it was in the type of arena that I'd been used to. It was held at the Greensboro Coliseum where I'd never been before and I had the (mistaken) idea that it was like the indoor stadiums where you see the large indoor trials in the Southeast. Places like Perry, GA and Concord, NC. But this was a smallish building, similar to an indoor soccer place but without the glass partitions between rings. It had nice footing, similar to running on a well padded carpet but with more grip but boy was it noisy.
We were all packed in there tightly and there was very little room between the crating area and the rings since people would stand in the aisles watching the dogs run or chatting with their friends. We also got some spectators from next door where there was a conformation show. It was a little frustrating if you were in a hurry to get somewhere, there was often only room for one dog to pass through at a time. But I didn't hear or see any altercations and people were generally very good trying to keep the aisles clear. But it was hard to see what was going in the rings without getting up and winding your way through all the people and dogs and did I mention it was noisy? Plus we had to pay $5.00 each day just to park which seemed really steep and I don't think was mentioned in the premium, only in the confirmation. But none of that really bothered me, I was just glad to be running my little buddy again.
And we had some good runs, although I was pretty rusty and am terribly out of shape from not getting any exercise for the past 8 weeks or so. It's been such a hot and humid summer--even more so than usual--that it was a real problem getting exercise for the dogs or myself. A lot of people around here have been buying pools for their dogs so they can swim them regularly in clean water. I love the idea and may do it next year. Here's one of the courses we ran:
And here's the video that goes with it:
Devon ran really well all weekend in every class and only did a couple of naughty things such as completely breaking his startline on one run, jumping over the contact on one A-frame when I did a front cross on the downside and barking on the table (although not nearly as much as he used to do). I, however, was pretty rusty and slow but not too bad for being so out of practice.
My goal for the fall trials are to be as consistent as possible without micromanaging the run. I'd like to get him qualified for AKC Nationals which means I'll need 5 more double Qs between now and November. I think it's definitely a reachable goal considering how he's running. Once we get there then I'll start worrying about getting the most speed out of him I can.
He was a lot slower this weekend than he was in the summer/fall of '09 but the courses were very twisty and technical unlike most of the ones I saw last fall. But one thing I know I can improve is the speed of his contacts. I started out by trying to teach him running contacts but quickly switched to teaching a 2on/2off when he proved to enjoy springing off the end of them so much. He is a naturally upright dog--he runs with his head up naturally--so it seemed much easier to teach him a stopped contact than to try to change his natural running style. However, I haven't seen another 12" dog with a stopped contact in, let me think... years, so I'm going to have change that behavior. Hopefully all the years of stopping on the contacts will work against his natural inclination to sproing off the end of the board and I can just stop stopping him rather than have to actually train another behavior. But as someone said to me this weekend, when you have a running (or a non-stopping) contact, you have to be prepared to have them miss it at least once in awhile. It's the trade-off you make for the extra speed and fluidity but it's something we'll have to work on if we're going to be anywhere near the competitive times.
So, I learned about some holes in our training this weekend that I'm working on this week and I can't wait until the new AKC table rule goes into effect (any position will be allowed on the table as long as they don't jump off it). He'll still have to do a down on the table in USDAA so I plan to continue to have him lie down, but the judge will start counting a lot sooner after September 15th. And in spite of the less than fabulous trial site, I'm really looking forward to our next trial in about 10 days. It's a USDAA trial so it means a lot more classes which I think will really challenge our stamina and skills but I'm still excited about getting out there with my best buddy and trying our best.
For one reason, I saw it as a opportunity to give myself multiple days to get back in the groove of trialing and for another I thought it was in the type of arena that I'd been used to. It was held at the Greensboro Coliseum where I'd never been before and I had the (mistaken) idea that it was like the indoor stadiums where you see the large indoor trials in the Southeast. Places like Perry, GA and Concord, NC. But this was a smallish building, similar to an indoor soccer place but without the glass partitions between rings. It had nice footing, similar to running on a well padded carpet but with more grip but boy was it noisy.
We were all packed in there tightly and there was very little room between the crating area and the rings since people would stand in the aisles watching the dogs run or chatting with their friends. We also got some spectators from next door where there was a conformation show. It was a little frustrating if you were in a hurry to get somewhere, there was often only room for one dog to pass through at a time. But I didn't hear or see any altercations and people were generally very good trying to keep the aisles clear. But it was hard to see what was going in the rings without getting up and winding your way through all the people and dogs and did I mention it was noisy? Plus we had to pay $5.00 each day just to park which seemed really steep and I don't think was mentioned in the premium, only in the confirmation. But none of that really bothered me, I was just glad to be running my little buddy again.
And we had some good runs, although I was pretty rusty and am terribly out of shape from not getting any exercise for the past 8 weeks or so. It's been such a hot and humid summer--even more so than usual--that it was a real problem getting exercise for the dogs or myself. A lot of people around here have been buying pools for their dogs so they can swim them regularly in clean water. I love the idea and may do it next year. Here's one of the courses we ran:
And here's the video that goes with it:
Devon ran really well all weekend in every class and only did a couple of naughty things such as completely breaking his startline on one run, jumping over the contact on one A-frame when I did a front cross on the downside and barking on the table (although not nearly as much as he used to do). I, however, was pretty rusty and slow but not too bad for being so out of practice.
My goal for the fall trials are to be as consistent as possible without micromanaging the run. I'd like to get him qualified for AKC Nationals which means I'll need 5 more double Qs between now and November. I think it's definitely a reachable goal considering how he's running. Once we get there then I'll start worrying about getting the most speed out of him I can.
He was a lot slower this weekend than he was in the summer/fall of '09 but the courses were very twisty and technical unlike most of the ones I saw last fall. But one thing I know I can improve is the speed of his contacts. I started out by trying to teach him running contacts but quickly switched to teaching a 2on/2off when he proved to enjoy springing off the end of them so much. He is a naturally upright dog--he runs with his head up naturally--so it seemed much easier to teach him a stopped contact than to try to change his natural running style. However, I haven't seen another 12" dog with a stopped contact in, let me think... years, so I'm going to have change that behavior. Hopefully all the years of stopping on the contacts will work against his natural inclination to sproing off the end of the board and I can just stop stopping him rather than have to actually train another behavior. But as someone said to me this weekend, when you have a running (or a non-stopping) contact, you have to be prepared to have them miss it at least once in awhile. It's the trade-off you make for the extra speed and fluidity but it's something we'll have to work on if we're going to be anywhere near the competitive times.
So, I learned about some holes in our training this weekend that I'm working on this week and I can't wait until the new AKC table rule goes into effect (any position will be allowed on the table as long as they don't jump off it). He'll still have to do a down on the table in USDAA so I plan to continue to have him lie down, but the judge will start counting a lot sooner after September 15th. And in spite of the less than fabulous trial site, I'm really looking forward to our next trial in about 10 days. It's a USDAA trial so it means a lot more classes which I think will really challenge our stamina and skills but I'm still excited about getting out there with my best buddy and trying our best.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
What's Happening at Cedarfield?
Some interesting things have been happening at Cedarfield over the last 6-8 months. It was about that time that I invited a friend and fellow agility person, Sue McKinney, to use my field to teach some of her classes. She had lost access to the place where she was teaching and I was hardly ever using my field so I thought at least I would get a little something from the field rental and also it might encourage me to get out there more frequently myself.
Sue teaches lots of classes and does a great job of putting the "fun" into fundamentals whether she's teaching agility, rally or pet obedience. Her students seem to love coming out to Cedarfield where there's a lot of room and green grass and trees. Consequently, she's gone form teaching just a couple of classes on one night a week to 4 or 5 classes on two nights a week.
As the field got more and more use, Sue and I decided we'd go ahead and invest in some lights for those dark winter nights that make it so hard to get any training done after 5:00. We bought four of these kind of lights:
and even had an electrical box wired to the outside of the nearest building so we could switch them on and off easily. It's been amazing having lights out there. Not only does it make training possible, it makes having classes possible all year long. Sure, sometimes it's cold and wet outside but our winters are pretty mild so there are relatively few nights when it's too cold to train or teach outside. The other good thing about holding clases outdoors is that during the good weather it's so nice to be outside to enjoy it after being cooped up inside all day. Not only that, teaching outside allows us to price our classes competitively which is so important in this economy.
And it's made it so much easier for me to train during the winter. Since I still work full-time at my "real" job. It used to be a race for me to see if I could get home, change my clothes and get the dogs outside to run around a little before it got dark. Now, I don't have to break the speed limit driving home and even have the time to set up a course and run it if I want to. And since there's little to no mowing in the winter, the amount of time I have to spend on upkeep is minimal.
In addition to the lights, I recently invited another trainer, Hannah Branigan, to join our association at Cedarfield. She mostly teaches Obedience and Rally in addition to doing behavior consults. I've been taking one of her Obedience classes with Zodi and really enjoying learning the new ways of doing things. I used to do Obedience with my first Dobe, Jemma and my second, Haven but have been away from it for many years. I used to think it was fairly tedious and boring to train compared to agility but Hannah has so many fun games to play that her classes are nothing like the ones I took many years ago. For one thing, they are taught with totally positive techniques--no collar pops!--and for another, she uses shaping for almost everything. Another plus is that it's something I can practice in the house during these really hot days of summer. Today it's suposed to feel like 109F with the humidity factored in. No way you can do agility in that heat!
So now that there are three instructors teaching at Cedarfield, it's inspired me to expand our classes even further. When the weather cools off a little, I'll be offering a tracking class (something you have to have a lot of property to do)and possibly regular agility and rally run-thrus in addition to Sue's and Hannah's classes.
I'm also hoping to host more seminars like the one recently with Sassie Joiris from NY. I'd like to offer more learning experiences that can be shared by people interested in more than one dog sport. After all, dog training is dog training. In other words, whatever kind of training we do with our dogs tends to increase our enjoyment of our dogs and isn't that what it's all about?
We're also in the process of planning our first open house at Cedarfield which is really exciting since it will offer lots of different activities and will also be a benefit for a good cause. I love the idea of pooling our resources as trainers and instructors. I think we can accomplish much more together than individually and we can also learn from each other as we go along. And, let's face it, when we stop learning and just focus on making money, all the fun goes right out of it.
Anyway, these are exciting times for me as I try to reach out into the dog training community around me. I love the feeling that I'm connecting lots of dots into a cohesive picture, hopefully a picture that includes lots of happy and satisfied people and their dogs.
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