caffy

The obedience boys finished 1st and 2nd in Masters Snooker at the Western Classic tonight

Well done Scoota and Brooklyn ;) I would like a $ for every time Bedazzled said "HEEL"

and the ferals reds Alex and Scoota were 2nd in Masters Strat Pairs :D Thanks Caffy

Very clever Obedience boys getting dusted off for the agility

Well, I dusted off the agility dog for his 2nd go at CDX. We missed a sit in the Figure 8..the PA and Scoota doing UD in the next ring was just too much for Mr Happy.

Here is his round..

Alright here's a question for the experts! I've got a small issues with our fronts and finishes and want some opinions on how other people fix this. She does them fine when it's the only thing we're working on (ie just doing finishes or short recalls etc or even little retrieves) but as soon as I string everything together for a trial they get sloppy again. So in training she'll do lovely presents when I'm just tossing an article around but in a trial when I send her for scent discrimination she'll come back and sit crooked or a bit further from me then I'd like. And on finishes after pretty much everything she always comes too far around and sits forward and crooked but in training they are dead straight. I don't really want to be giving her a NRM for a sloppy present after she's done a perfect sendaway and directed jump or a great seekback as I don't want to confuse her. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had this problem so what do other people do to fix this?

I'd still do them separate in training but do difficult angles for the present and do the finish separate to the present. Sometimes do a front with an article or dumbell or even a toy in the mouth and also do without holding an object.

I'd also do a LOT of the dog finding heel position by sending them around the cone or into a tunnel and increasing the difficulty by changing the angle the dog finds heel position.

:D Wow - way to go the gurus and the clever WA puppers. Great night, (How are the heads this morning?? :D )

We are all just pacing ourselves - ask us again on night 4!

Pat on the back for my little blonde girl, Beans who top scored the heel round in the open ring last night. It all went pearshaped after that - but I was really pleased with the effort and in hindsight I should have jackpotted and left.

Top marks to Caffy who managed to restore a sit from the down position in the last 24 hours - well done mate Snaz did some lovely work.

Rubystar's Millie will put some nice scores on the board in the next 12 months judging from her work last night.

Bedazzled's boy Brookie - he's a star - but I wish the two boys would stop texting each other and comparing notes. Both our boys failed open ring work. I can't remember the last tme that ever happened!

Considering the problems I have been havng in UDX over the last 3 weeks Scoota was a very good boy last night!

Thanks Ptolomy...I'm so happy with Snazzy...he's such a joy to trial with his happy face the whole way round.

There was some lovely rounds out there last night...congratulations everyone

I had problems with Struass holding - he would happily run around with a toy in his mouth but would drop it like a hot potato if I went anywhere near him. Throwing something for him he would run out to it and may or may not have picked it up. I decided to give Shirley's method a go and we got to the point where I could hold the BD and he would put his mouth on it, or touch it with his mouth/teeth and I would C/T but there we stalled. I kept trying for a few weeks but felt nothing I did helped me move forward (sounds a similar point at where you are at Seita).

So I went to see Sue H and asked for help. She sat in a chair with a truck load of treats and in less than 2 minutes had him taking the db and holding it. So in 2 minutes she had achieved what I hadn't in weeks. From then on ever time I brought the db out he would get so excited and I never had any problems with him bringing me and holding things again. In fact his latest love is books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, you name it, if you leave it laying around he will find it and bring it to me - not always with the cover intact!!!

So you will be backchaining his retrieve??

I was bored with Snazzy as a puppy and asked Sue what we could do...retrieve she said. She plonked me in a chair and off we went..Yes, timing is everything

I think Snazz has a great retrieve thanks to Sue.

Nope they weren't TSD - I heard a lot of whinging . Its a shame because presenters won't make the effort to come back if they aren't well received.

How sad is that?

and tonight.....

for the first time ever my little man Strauss was a star. Thanks Caffy for taking him and letting me see what he was capable of. Stunning is the best way to describe it

What a good boy he was

I have been using Shirley Chong's dumbell training with Cindy for the last 2 weeks.

She will not mouth it at all! I am not c/t any contact unless it is the mouth. If I hold off the c/t and wit for her to take it she starts offering other behaviours-sit, drop, stand and then just gets confused.

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Have you done all the initial steps???

Yes-to the letter. She just rarely mouths any toys apart from tugs. She noses kongs etc.

Can you video your next session?

Well finally I have a video. Any help would be greatly appreciated. She is targetting the dumbell with her nose but not taking it. I now only reward when she touches the bar.

As other people have said, your timing is an issue :D

I would just forget the dumbell for now and just go and shape her doing something very simple...it will help your timing and help her confidence.

Can you shape her sitting in a cardboard box???

I have told this many a time to trialling people...just go and shape a trick....learn the mechanics of shaping and you'll find teaching the "tricks" in obedience very easy

I'm not sure that all agree with that, but I do :p Everyone just seems in a hurry to teach Obedience exercises but if you work on the basics, then the harder stuff just flows.

"THUD"

That was me coming back to earth at training tonight

No idea what the 4 white cones mean

AND

this is a newie - no idea what to do with the wash cloths

Back to square 1 we go.........

PS - If anybody finds Soggy's sit stay can you please send it back - it would be very much appreciated :D

Oh dear...Rooster to feather duster!!!

See you tomorrow night :D

I have been using Shirley Chong's dumbell training with Cindy for the last 2 weeks.

She will not mouth it at all! I am not c/t any contact unless it is the mouth. If I hold off the c/t and wit for her to take it she starts offering other behaviours-sit, drop, stand and then just gets confused.

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Have you done all the initial steps???

Yes-to the letter. She just rarely mouths any toys apart from tugs. She noses kongs etc.

Can you video your next session?

I have been using Shirley Chong's dumbell training with Cindy for the last 2 weeks.

She will not mouth it at all! I am not c/t any contact unless it is the mouth. If I hold off the c/t and wit for her to take it she starts offering other behaviours-sit, drop, stand and then just gets confused.

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Have you done all the initial steps???

You can consider popping over to Perth.

We have Daisy Peel coming at the end of May. PM me if you want more details.

Nice dogwalk

Have you built value doing Linda M's one jump work???

Also remember to cue your jumps...it might be just something as simple as that?

Do you mean verbally? I don't tell him to take jumps verbally but try to direct him to them with my hand/arm, maybe I'm not being clear or not turning soon enough so he goes too wide around them, will play around at training with some clearer cues.

I haven't really done any LM stuff with Kyzer, I am doing it with Trixie though, have been shown some collection/recall to heel exercises by SH and have the new LM book, might have a look through and see if there are exercises in there that may help, good idea.

Linda's first book shows the progressions of the 1 jump work...this is the beginning

I think I may need to build more value for jumps though - any suggestions? He will sometimes run past them.

Nice dogwalk

Have you built value doing Linda M's one jump work???

Also remember to cue your jumps...it might be just something as simple as that?

Totally agree. I have seen some AWESOME weaves taught with 2X2 & some not so great too, but I can say that for all methods. My 2 were taught exactly the same way (3 poles) and have quite different weaving styles. I did a bit of 2X2 later with Shine & I have to say that I think she has better entries & independence than Trim although she is not quite as fast through them in competitions (even though she is at home ).

A dog that is driving through the weave poles will have their head down and forward and I'm not seeing that in most of these videos. That is not restricted to working breeds, that is any breed of dog.

Hmmm, not sure I agree with that Bec. I can think of a few spectacular weavers, running at warp speed who are very upright in body & weave with their heads high.

Cathy's Snazzy would be one, can't find any recent video online of him weaving

Another would be Rob's Wings:

OMG check this out, very unorthodox style but WOW

Snazzy weaves with head up...I could never change that. I taught him and Alex using slanted poles based on Chris Parker's method. I re trained using the 2x2 method with Snazzy to improve his entries.

Maybe its a boy thing I wonder if its harder for bigger dogs to pick up rear end awareness? I will just keep persevering, not going to give up, I know he will get it - hey it may be in the next lifetime though ...

I am a fan of free shaping, but if you're having trouble why not forget the front feet being involved at this stage.

If you get a largish piece of carpet or bubblewrap and place it very close behind your dog. You stand in front with a shortened lead and put slight pressure on him to take a step backwards...he should be close enough to put his rear foot on the carpet..click when he does. Just do this a few times then wait and see if he offers movement with his rear legs. He'll soon know he has two attached if you're rewarding his stepping onto the carpet. Gradually move the carpet a little further away from him til he's walking backwards to try and touch it. Once he's worked that out, then try your phonebook again and see if he offers movement with his rear legs.

You are right go back to basics and rebuild. And not get frustrated!!!

Why not go back to a sit for exam? Start with someone walking around her and then going in and patting. Just stay in close and reward heavily. Gradually introduce the stand again.

Its a work in progress........

*** This is not part of an evil plan in preparation to send her interstate on a one way ticket *****

Here's some more...we are playing around with walking on the feet.

Good on you Ptolomy for rising to the challenge

First Day back at training - and just when you think the UDX message is sinking in - you do the first exercise and realise you are totally wrong and it is all down hill from there

so you get dog # 2 out and plan to do UD - she fails the seekback, directed jumping and scent, in fact she has no idea what day it is - so you put her away

and get out dog # 3 - who is the blonde one who you expect nothing from and who hasn't seen a UD exercise in months and she does a really good job and puts a smile back on your face - Goodonya Beans

Think I should have stayed home

Whoops!

I attended an agility seminar today (sat next to Caffy and Bedazzled) and came home enthused :D

I have never done very much shaping with my kids - so this afternoon - with a very small box, a clicker and a truck load of food I took each of the kids outside to see what would happen. The results were very interesting. I started with Strauss - he isn't very forthcoming in offering behaviours and he tends to just sit there waiting for me to do or say something. After a few minutes I had him initially trying to pick the box up and this turned into pushing the box around the verandah. Chevy, Dekka and Scoota had absolutely no idea. Chevy would keep dropping and sitting and fast as he could and it was a case of "what box". Dekka sat there crying in increasing volume and Scoota went through his change of positions multiple times in different combinations (you can see what we have been working on), oblivious to any box.

Beans surprised me - in less than 60 seconds she was sitting in the box - it was a very tight squeeze but she did it like she had been doing it all her life.

Lexi was last and proved the most amusement. She was like a dog on speed and her take on it all was to kick the box with her back legs, back up to it and to try and put her back legs only into the box, all as fast as she could. I did get some of this on video - but unfortunately most of it happened just out of screen.

It was a worthwhile exercise and one I should definitely do more often - it was great fun for all of us.

Woo hoo..it's good fun, isn't it??

Seems Alex and Lexi are all about their rear ends :D

It was quite amazing how few dogs there were capable of offering behaviours...most handlers were so impatient and ended up luring or using a verbal.

Might have to dust off the box on Monday night to double check!

Has Alex ever mixed a box signal?

Not that I recall. It was always a heavily rewarded, fun exercise to run away from me...what toller wouldn't revel in that exercise??? :D

Seriously, it has always been an exercise I knew he would just do and do well.

Just out of interest when sending a dog to the box do you give a signal and if so do you use your right or left hand?

Right....I think :D

You can even go back a step from all the suggestions. Ask for a sit or wait for the dog to be sitting, you step into heel position and multiple reward, then step away. It doesn't take the dog long to work out heel position is a great place to be.

Totally agree with Ptolomy

I would even reward to the left of your dog's head initially and then be sure to reward with dog's head straight ahead.

As a side note, I actually need to stop rewarding after every weave for Ruby because she now comes to expect the ball when she exits the weaves! I can just picture it now, in an agility trial, finishes weaving and just stands there looking for her ball I am just working on speed and more consistent entries with her, now.

Why not add a jump, then reward? then another jump? Mix it up?

Okie doke, here are our first weaving videos.

Ruby -

The first bit in the video I left in for laughs. I hadn't asked her to start yet while I went into the shed but she thought she'd be a showoff and show me she knew exactly what I was going to ask for And I definitely need to peg the bases down as she's being a bit cautious going through.

Millie -

I left a bit more "in between" stuff in Millie's video as well as her mistakes so that you guys can see where I am having trouble. (Oh and she actually tugged on her toy for the first time ever, was chuffed! So left that in, too ) She understands to keep on going more so on the right entries, and sometimes on the straight entries, but anything slightly left to the straight entry and she isn't understanding to keep on going. She worked through it a couple of times in the video, but there definitely were more errors than right ones in our session this afternoon (and this morning). Hope it makes it clearer what our problem is by seeing it and hope I can find a solution! And yes, I realise it's me, I just don't know what I'm doing differently between her and Ruby.

The timing of your throws are heaps better for Ruby...also much lower and on the reward line. I think it's just your timing for Millie that's causing the stalling.

Love Ruby's weave action.

Using the whole of my backyard...just to make RS & TN extra jealous

complete with my naughty bar knockers! back to grids for us for a little while

LOL...Snazzy has his moments like this. I did a lot of work of jump to tunnel..put the jump up to 600 and as a spread...he'd just flatten into a tunnel which I guess you can't blame them for especially when my verbal tunnel cue seemed to cause half the problem.

Same with my yelling "weaves" too...he had to learn to do his job of keeping the bar up with my early obstacle cue. It's always ongoing work for him..he's just too keen