A Good Agility Day

After a week off from classes, and a trial, the girls had open jumping and their regular classes this week.  There was a nice little course set up for open jumping.  I did a rear cross over 5 and a front cross after 7 for both my dogs.  Front crosses also could have been done after either 3 or 4, and possibly after 8, instead of where I put the crosses.  I also ran the mirror image of the course which worked out nicely.  Both my girls were feeling fast and feisty that day.  We quit after only two turns (you normally get three) because their second runs were so awesome, especially Gracie's, I didn't want to potentially end on a less good run. 

The courses for class the next day were pretty fun too.  Gracie ran the red and blue courses and Gidget ran the purple and green courses.

Red course: Some people had trouble getting their dogs to the weave entrance at the beginning.  I made sure I was pointed at the invisible first pole of the weaves before I released Gracie from the start line.  That worked well, she didn't even think about the dog walk like I half expected her to.  Front cross jump wrap over 3 and a rear cross over 5 with a send into the tunnel.  The instructor had us practicing rear crosses over 7 to the dog walk, but I think it was easier for me to get into position for a front cross.  I don't like sitting there waiting for my dog to get ahead of me, when I can get into position and be ready ahead of her.  Anyways, both options work for that spot.

Blue course: Dog on the left into the tunnel, the handler's body pretty easily blocks the wrong tunnel entrance.  The instructor had us practicing a rear cross over 4 this time, an easier spot for me and Gracie.  This meant a front cross after 2 then rear crossing over 4.  If the handler is fast enough, a front cross after 3 would also be an option.  7-8-9 is a nice diagonal to just run all out.  Gracie had some trouble with the tire since we were practicing with it at 20" for CPE purposes when she's used to an AKC tire which would be at 16" for a 20" jump height.  A lot of my classmates did a front cross jump wrap around the tire and ended up with their dogs back jumping or skipping the last jump.  If set up correctly a front cross works just fine.  I went with a post turn because I know Gracie can do them sharply and I wanted to set her up for a straighter shot at the last jump.

Purple course: Front cross after 3 and a front cross jump wrap around 5.  The instructor reminded us to have a landmark for front crosses, especially at 5.  A landmark is an item in/near the ring you can see and line yourself up with so that when you turn for a cross, you don't run into the next obstacle.  Dog on the right up until 14 where I did a rear cross to 15.  Front crosses after 12 or 13 or a rear cross into 13 would also work.

Green course: The chute was turned the other direction for this course.  I started with Gidget on my right and did a front cross jump wrap around 3.  I did a front cross after 6 though a post turn could have worked too.  The front cross tightens the turn and prevents off courses in that spot.  I then did another front cross after 8.  Then just run to the finish.

That's it for this week.  Happy agility!

Lure Coursing

I took Gidget to a Lure Coursing fun day today.  I had the camera hanging from my neck and didn't take the time to zoom in.  It's a pretty bad video, but you get the idea.  It was fun and Gidget was happy to chase, though she wasn't sure what to do when the lure stopped moving, til she saw me.  We might just try CAT (coursing ability test) which is a 600 yard course (not a straight line) that the dog has to complete in 2 min.  There's a 300 yard, 1.5 min. version for dogs under 12 inches and dogs with flat noses (brachycephalic).  There are AKC titles for it which would be fairly easy to get, and it'd be fun! 

Gracie's Second Trial

Such an improvement from last time!  Gracie and I did lots of mat and heel work between runs to help with her focus.  I was armed with DAP, a Thundershirt, peanut butter, and Gidget to help keep Gracie calm and out of trouble.  She actually pottied for me and I don't think I saw even the tiniest reaction the whole day, so everything seemed to be working.  Standard was up first.  Gracie was super nervous at the start line again, just wanted to sniff and wouldn't sit.  Then when I released her, she forgot what a tire was.  This was not surprising to me as she usually sees a 16" tire in class.  We'll need to work on the 20" tire as I plan on sticking with CPE for awhile.  She had to go check out the dog walk before coming back to me to restart.  Once I got her going she did pretty well.  She ran past a couple jumps and got sucked up the A-frame instead of being sucked into a tunnel like she was supposed to.  She followed her nose to the door of the ring at the end, thankfully she came back quickly and there were no dogs out and about at this wonderfully small trial.  NQ but I was very happy with the improvement from last time.  Gracie was the only Level 1 dog in Standard and she got a time, so she got 1st place!

Colors was second.  One course option had the dog walk and the other had the A-frame.  The path to the A-frame was a little more direct so I chose that path in hopes that she'd complete the line of jumps leading up to it.  Once again she forgot how to do the tire briefly, then after fixing that she took the long route to the second jump.  After that she was awesome!  Every obstacle completed with no extras or out of orders... hey, that means Gracie got her first Q!!!!  I was very very proud of my girlie!





I ran Gidget at this trial too, just for fun.  There were no chutes in the Standard or Colors courses, so we couldn't work on that, but we still had a good time.  I started her in Level 3, and the course was certainly doable for her.  Except she didn't feel like finishing the weaves til her 3rd attempt and the teeter was just out of the question.  Some teeters she'll do, some she won't.  Another thing we have to work on.  She also jumped the A-frame contact, grr.  So NQ for her 1st run.

Gidget did Level 3 Colors too.  We had the A-frame/dog walk options again.  I went with the dog walk for Gidget since she'd jumped the A-frame contact earlier.  No need to let her practice that bad behavior.  There's an open contacts class coming up at the end of the month.  We will be working that A-frame with a clicker and trying to get her super excited for the teeter.  There were only 6 weave poles on this course, so no issues there.  Gidget was a little bit on the slow side (I've seen much worse from her).  I imagine the change in routine (I was gone Thur. and Fri., the girls didn't go to class at all that week, a friend drove both girls to meet up with me for the trial on Fri., and she's not used to traveling with Gracie) wore her out a little more than she's used to at a trial.  She still Q'd with plenty of extra time and did everything I asked perfectly.  She's such a good pup!

So we've got a few things to work on:
Gracie: Nervousness at the start line
             20" tire
            Continued focus work
Gidget: Teeter
             A-frame contact
            A little extra weave practice
            Chute (gotta keep that up!)
            Consistent speed

Lots to do, 2 very good dogs to do it with!  Happy agility!

What's a Broad Jump?

We went to open weaves on Wed. night.  Nothing fancy, 12 poles, the A-frame, and a tunnel.  Both girls did well.  Gidget had to work on her A-frame contact a little, Gracie struggled some with her weaves.  Gidget weaved fast!  Life's been a little stressful lately and I haven't been training as much as I should, especially agility stuff at home.  Gotta get those 6 poles out tonight and give Gracie a good refresher.

Thur. was class as usual.  One course for both classes.  The chute was out for Gidget's class but not Gracie's.  Gracie ran the black and red courses (except 13) and Gidget ran the red, blue, and purple courses.  The broad jump was out and neither of the girls had seen it in quite a while.  Gidget remembered it no problem.  Gracie, on the other hand, needed a good refresher to get her to stop walking across it.  Silly girl.

Black course: The start is a little slow so the handler needs to keep moving a bit to get their dog moving, especially for slower dogs.  Front cross after 2.  The instructor wanted everyone to try a rear cross over 8, but it just wasn't working for me and Gracie.  I could get a front cross in after the weaves and make it work, so that's what we did.

Red course: It was a little tricky to get the dogs into 3.  I needed to lead out a bit and pull Gracie into me a bit.  Gidget handled it better, but I'm sure she benefited from me working with Gracie first.  Gracie followed a pull to the correct tunnel entrance just fine, Gidget struggled with it a bit, could have used a front cross.  Gidget also kept wanting to take the jump off to the side instead of coming with me to 10.  I needed to stop and call her to me before I could move again.  Gracie managed that part no problem.  Both girls did a lovely "right" rear cross from 11-12.

Blue course: Front cross after 5 and 8, otherwise pretty straight forward.

Purple course:  The chute was turned around for this course, our dogs have not learned to lift the chute and go through it backwards... though a few have tried.  2-3-4 is a tricky serpentine.  I wanted to handle it on one side, but didn't have my timing/spacing quite right.  I did see another team manage it though.  It worked best to do a front cross after 3 and send the dog around the pole that was there to 4 and rear cross the weaves.  Dog on the right the rest of the way ending with a rear cross into the tunnel.

No Thur. class for us next week unfortunately.  I didn't think we'd be able to do the open class Wed. either, but that has changed.  Then a CPE trial for both dogs next Sat.  Happy agility!

She Did The Chute!!!!

Gidget and I were in a trial this past Sat.  We had a good time and were done by 1pm, a nice early day.  Exc JWW was up first, a nice change since STD is first at most trials.  It was a nice course and Gidget ran very well.  She got distracted by a fan blowing at the end of the weaves so she skipped the very last pole.  Then she went around the last jump.  It seems the path we were running didn't include that last jump, had I cued her into me a bit we would have been fine.  Here's the video:

Next was Exc STD.  I was really hoping for our first Exc STD Q, we didn't get it but still had a major success... Gidget did the chute!  She completed the weaves toward that fan this time too.  I messed up in several places though.  I over managed the first tunnel entry causing her to go past the chute.  I didn't connect with her as much I thought I did after the weaves so Gidget took the tunnel instead of the A-frame.  Finally, I stopped moving while sending her to a jump so, like a good girl, she stopped too.  But she did the chute!!!  Here's the video, it's blurry but you can still see what's going on.

So there were a few things to learn from that day, hopefully I'll remember them.  Our next AKC trial is at the same place in March (assuming we aren't wait listed).  Our Q's are coming, we've got the separate pieces fairly solidly (contacts are still occasionally jumped, but not like they used to be), I just need to help Gidget put those pieces together correctly.  Happy agility!

That Class Was Fun!

Open agility and class this week.  The set up for open agility and Gracie's class was the same, then Gidget got an entirely different set up.

The black and red courses were from open agility, the black one was what was set up and I made up the red one.  The blue and purple courses were from class.

Black course: Put in a front cross after the 180 (3-4).  This was tricky with Gracie as she really wanted to do the A-frame, as usual.  We got it figured out though, just a few extra rewards after jump 4 got her turning into me much quicker.  Avoiding the A-frame after the weaves was much easier for her.  Front cross after 9, then make sure to send the dog out a bit so that they have a straight path and enough speed up the A-frame.  I did accidently send Gidget to the weaves doing this though, brought my arm up a little too far.  12-13-14 is just a serpentine with a few ways to handle it.  I only tried one that day, kept my dog on my left and rear crossed the tunnel.  It worked just fine for Gidget, but Gracie kept turning the wrong way after the tunnel.  Found a fix for that at class the next day.

Red course:  I mostly just wanted to practice the weaves and A-frame in the other direction, and throw a serpentine at the end just for fun.  Nothing fancy here.

Blue course: Front cross jump wrap around 2, a post turn would work too if you don't mind rear crossing the tunnel, just depends on the team.  I rear crossed 12, but a front cross after 10 or 11 could work, again depending on the team.

Purple course: This course is just like 5-15 of the black course.  We spent extra time working on 8-11.  The reason Gracie was turning the wrong way after the tunnel is that she didn't see my rear cross so she thought I'd still be on the other side.  Gidget has the experience to turn where she hears me so that worked for her.  This section can be done by running around the front of the tunnel and either rear crossing 11, or if the dog is slow enough, get a front cross in after the tunnel.  The other three methods involve running the back side of the tunnel.  There's the method I did with the black course, or instead of rear crossing the tunnel you can front cross after 9 which gives the dog a better chance of turning the right way after the tunnel.  The method I liked with Gracie was to front cross after 8.  Since she does "bottom," I was able to lead out a bit to get that cross in.  That let her see me on the left side of the tunnel before she went in the tunnel, so she turned left when she came out, yay!

Green course: With a slight lead out it was easy to block the wrong tunnel entrance and send the dog to the correct one.  Front cross after 2 so you can pull the dog from the weaves to the correct tunnel entrance.  Another front cross after 4.  I tried rear crossing over 6, but it turned out a front cross after 5 gave a much tighter turn to the table.  Block the wrong tunnel entrance again, then another front cross and treat 9 like the middle jump of a serpentine.  Have to be careful not to cue that jump too early as the dog might take the tunnel again.

Orange course: Same start, but there are a few ways to handle 3-4.  Front cross after 2 and post turn the left standard of 3.  Post turn 2 and front cross jump wrap the right standard of 3.  You can post turn the right standard of three and rear cross 4.  You can even treat the jump and weave entrance like parts of a serpentine, keeping the dog on the left all the way through the end of the weaves.  I tried the first two options.  A push out of the weaves to 5.  Dog on the right all the way through 9.  I front crossed after 9 to get Gidget to the correct tunnel entrance.  You don't need to cross though, if you can get your dog in the correct entrance without it.  The line to 13 meant sending the dog out to 11 so you can run straight to 13 to show the dog the correct tunnel entrance.  Hmm... a front cross after 11 might have worked too.

Up next... Gidget's exciting trial report!!!  Happy agility!

Another Week Another Class

I took the girls to open jumping last week.  Nothing fancy, just a circle of 6 jumps plus a jump in the middle set so that you could do a serpentine from one end of the circle to the other.  Worked on focus with Gracie, crosses with both dogs, and fun and speed with Gidget.

Here are the courses from class.  We only had to do one course without cones in Gidget's class, the red course, which I had just run with cones with Gracie. 

Black course: The tire was pulled away for this course.  A couple 180 like setups to start with.  Front cross turn into the tunnel at 7 and rear cross to the weaves.

Red course: Serpentine!  Everyone tried starting this course a couple different ways as there are so many ways to handle serpentines.  I know I tried a lead out, but can't remember what else I tried.  Front cross after 4, then dog on your left the rest of the way.

Blue course: There are several ways to handle 1-2-3, I went with a lead out and a front cross jump wrap.  Rear crossing or treating it like part of a serpentine also would have worked along with other options.  I meant to do a front cross after 5, but didn't get myself into position.  Ended up doing a rear cross flip to the tunnel that lead Gidget to do a really wide turn, not so pretty but it worked.  Others had more luck with that option.  Then another serpentine to end it.

Gracie had a much better class last week.  We did a lot of mat work in between runs.  Then I gave frequent rewards while running.  The combination kept her pretty focused.  I was very proud of her.  Gidget's class didn't go quite as well, but that was my fault.  I needed someone rewarding me for focus after all that work with Gracie!