Guest Lillypad Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Here is a video a friend took of our agility clinic. We have only been working at agility for a year and in Canada not a whole lot gets done during the winter, especially this past winter. This is the third time Lilly ran outside, so I was pleased with what we accomplished. If I can get the ZOOMIES under control, I feel we will get more "training" accomplished. I love working with her and it is obvious "we" can only get better... LOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKn2_ZML7Ac&index=3&list=PLbbkOB2iPkTQDwINMKgErMhhgkhWPhkdH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Nice video. She's doing great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedHead Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 She's doing great! That is so funny how she had to get her zoomies out first, that is exactly what Teague would do. Did you have to do a basic obedience to get into the agility, or could you start right away.? Always something I have wanted to do, but I have my doubts as to whether or not Teague would like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatterseaBrindl Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Lilly and Janette Quote Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi. Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie), Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lillypad Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Redhead, I wish you would give it a go. We need more hounds in agility. It is a lot of fun. Basic obedience is helpful but they also learn many skills from agility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissy Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 She looks good Janette. One major thing... I wouldn't ever run a dog with a leash on. Ever... especially loose and dragging... especially on contact equipment. It's just a bad idea. If she steps on the leash and trips she'll fall off the dogwalk and potentially hurt herself, or at the very least scare herself and be reluctant to get back on. When I practice I usually run Kili in a collar and a lot of agility people think THAT'S bad. Having a jerk to her neck when she tries to take off doing zoomies might prevent the zoomies from happening but doesn't address the underlying reason WHY they are happening, and potentially will just give her a negative association with the equipment. So, if it was me... I'd ditch the leash. If she takes off doing zoomies... well, then she takes off doing zoomies. Zoomies. There are two major possibilities. Dogs do zoomies when they are stressed to release tension. They also do it just because it is fun. It is important to identify which is the case. Either way it helps to run the dog ahead of time. If I have any say in the matter I always run Kili HARD for about 20-30 minutes before we go to a trial. She needs the edge taken off so that she can focus, otherwise she's just crazy and out of control. If the issue is stress... take the pressure off. Sometimes we don't realize that we're creating pressure... so think about your body language, your voice, etc. Reward more frequently. Do shorter sequences, reward, let her run a lap, take a break, then do it again. Quote Kristie and the Apex Agility Greyhounds: Kili (ATChC AgMCh Lakilanni Where Eagles Fly RN IP MSCDC MTRDC ExS Bronze ExJ Bronze ) and Kenna (Lakilanni Kiss The Sky RN MADC MJDC AGDC AGEx AGExJ). Waiting at the Bridge: Retired racer Summit (Bbf Dropout) May 5, 2005-Jan 30, 2019 Like us on Facebook! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lillypad Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Thanks, Good point, I agree the lead is a nuisance. I can see why you may be alarmed, it looks much longer than it actually was, it was a "Tab" suggested by the coach. It was actually quite narrow and only about 15 inches long with no loop. However, I agree, it could very well have a negative result and major set back if she walked on it. The Zoomies, I am certain is more stress related than just "fun", however, it appears she is enjoying herself when she cuts loose, lol. It is difficult to run the zoomies off prior to events without a secure spot. I have used a flirt pole to burn some of the stress energy, and it seems to do the trick. You are absolutely, correct about making agility fun and enticing for her. This is something I have been congenious about and have been teaching MYSELF as well as her how to discover the "fun" while gaining the results I would like. She is really not a tugger, BUT, I am happy to say, I have encouraged her and have had a few promising results. The catch is she is not too interested in tugging when she is stressed. My saving grace is food, she is a keener for that. But there comes a point when she is not even enthused about treats... my signal to quit while ahead, right. I am convienced that we BOTH need some confidence building. I feel the only way to accomplish this is through practice. I so wish I had a spot to practice. Once a week just doesn't cut it. And I also have to say that we may not do contacts each week. I am excited to keep at it. I hope to be able to show you a "new and improved" video sooner than later. LOL Thanks Krissy, and as for the leash/tab... it's gone.. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Bu HATES all contacts except the table. He gets nervous if they're even on the course and I haven't asked him to do them. We now ask the he puts his front 2 feet on any piece and that's it. And sometimes we let him just run passed them. He'll sometimes pace around and ignore me if it gets to be too much for him. Are there any pieces of equipment that seem to produce the anxiety that you can either avoid altogether or start training from scratch again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissy Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 This also looks more like a "fungility" class rather than one for folks who are wanting to compete. I'm basing that off of the fact that you're running a huge long sequence with lots of equipment that Lilly doesn't look like she has 100% confidence in her job... on a leash... with low drive. Honestly, even if you are only doing it for fun and have no intention of competing I would recommend taking a course geared towards competition. Number one reason is safety. I have never, ever run a dog with a leash on. Second, you never know if you love it and want to compete down the road it helps to have laid the right foundation and not have done things wrong in the beginning. And when you train for competition you always try to make sure your dog is extremely comfortable before moving on to the next step. The dog really has no doubt about what it's job is on each obstacle which results in more confidence, more fun, more drive, and safer execution. That's just my feelings on the matter. I've only trained 2 dogs in agility, and only one for competition... but that's just what I've found so far. If dog isn't comfortable with a piece of equipment you need to take it way back and start from baby steps and only make it harder once the dog is comfortable. That means A-frames, dog walks, and teeters down to their lowest heights for dogs that are nervous on contact equipment. I'm also not a huge fan of the lure method on the weaves. I like my dog to pro-actively learn what their job is. I think it makes for more reliable weaves because of a better understanding of the task. Quote Kristie and the Apex Agility Greyhounds: Kili (ATChC AgMCh Lakilanni Where Eagles Fly RN IP MSCDC MTRDC ExS Bronze ExJ Bronze ) and Kenna (Lakilanni Kiss The Sky RN MADC MJDC AGDC AGEx AGExJ). Waiting at the Bridge: Retired racer Summit (Bbf Dropout) May 5, 2005-Jan 30, 2019 Like us on Facebook! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lillypad Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Thanks Krissy, I have my concerns about her lack of confidence on the contacts as well. I value your opinion and will most definately keep your suggestion in mind. Fact of the matter is, I am so novice, I depend on the direction of the "experts". I agree, the basics can only build confidence for us both..... Lilly and ME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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