krustie22

sounds like it was a great weekend for everyone!

congrats guys! i really love reading this thread!!!

thanks tassie, amypie and DSO (and congrats on ur awesome weekend)! it is just so nice to have found something we can do together that we both enjoy so much!

ALSO! it has changed my attitude, and i have started trying to improve my lifestyle to help me be the best partner for my girl i have started taking PT sessions to try and get back into some sort of shape!! (other than round)

Congratulations krustie22 Great results but more importantly you are keeping it light and FUN for your girl.

thanks TSD we are having a ball! ive been jotting down her errors in each run, and from our first trial in mid Sept to now, the improvements are awesome!

also, i am pretty sure that the results will improve even more as both Kuda's and my confidence grows! :D

ETA

well tonight was our third trial, and our goals were that she have fun (still confidence building) and that she performed her weaves tonight (had issues with them last trial). so Open Jumpers was first run, and she blasted through it easy as, but mummy was bad, and is still learning not to give verbal cues she doesnt need. I gave her one after the second obstacle of the exclusion zone, and she turned from the line! lol because i am running her with no corrections, we just kept going, and she finished the course beautifully, and tail wagging!

Our Novice Agility runs so far (we have had 2) have gone less than to plan! lol but again, focused on the confidence building. but tonight she was great! again happy and speedy, beautiful down on the table, then once released, the little creep decided there was something so yummy on the ground she had to have first so we copped a refusal there lol....i got her focus back and she tore through her weaves and the rest of the course! it was our best agility run so far!

Novice Jumpers was a great flowing course, and she performed it beautifully! felt pretty slow tho, so i had to ask at the end if we were in time...at the end of the night i found out our time was certainly not that slow, as we got 3rd place out of 28 dogs we had a great night! LOVED IT!!! we are gaining more and more confidence, and our teamwork and communication is getting better and better each trial!!

well, for anyone else that ever searches this question, i would just like to say...

the agility workshop with Bob Sharp was AMAZING! i had a fantastic time, and feel it has and will really benefit my handling, especially with start lines (motivation) and with my turns! we were like a different team at the end of the day!!! i will upload some vids later!! LOVED it! if he comes out again, i will certainly be attending!!!

love these pics here are my lot snuggled on a rainy afternoon!

There was a Rally-O demonstration going on while we were at an agility trial last weekend, but I didn't realise it was a demo (thought it was some sort of obedience comp) till it was all over. What I did catch of it, it looked like something I would like to try as it doesn't seem to be as stiff & strict as Obedience comp. & would probably be good for my 7 month old puppy as a lead up to agility. I really don't think there would be anywhere nere me that I could go & learn, so does anyone know of any good "teach-it-yourself" DVD's available. Thanks in advance

do you have an iphone? not sure about DVDs but the iphone has a great app called Rally-O that has different levels and the tasks involved, and a description of how to perform it. quite handy!

Congrats everyone! i love reading this thread, and the things people (and their pooches) manage to achieve!!!

we had a little success story over the weekend we had our first trial away from our home grounds (only our second trial tho) i had concerns that the new environment would take her a little while to adapt to (had a win there thanks to mr FRISBEE lol) i was also worried the heat would be an issue as we have not had much of a chance to train during the day. we used a cool champions cooling coat, and i ended up withdrawing from 2 events in the middle of the day.

in her 2 warmest runs, GD and JD my focus was on her having fun, so if she was uncomfortable, i would just let her do the first 2 and last 2 obstacles and then we would party! she ended up doing really well considering, as she ran happily and only missed 2 jumps JD, but in GD she had a ball as a frame and dog walk were her first 2 obstacles! we missed out on a Q by 4 points, but she had a ball, and did the exclusion perfectly!

on the first day (it was much cooler) we got a Q and 5th in SPD and a DQ in AD due to a sneaky dog walk that i couldn't call her off! (her fav!!) we will work on that!! and on the second day our SPD was over time (poor girl was not impressed with heat) but her first ever SD run we got a Q and 4th it was a lot of fun!

i really love the games! we have now had a go at Gamblers, Snooker and Strategic Pairs, and have really enjoyed them!

so while it wasnt great results wise (altho we did come away with 2 Q's so cant complain!) it was a great learning weekend for me and kuda! i have learned a lot about our timing before runs, spotted a couple of issues nice and early so i can work on them for next year, and had a great weekend bonding with my gal! :D

we have the Bob Sharpe Workshop this weekend which i am really looking forward to, it will give us an opportunity to learn more so we can reflect on the weekend and analyse it a bit more! if that makes sense!

Some dogs are just not naturally into a lot of play, you have to teach them it's ok!!

Is this your own dog? Does the dog perform better for the owner?

Make sure he's hungry and you could try tethering him and playing with another dog in front of him. Tether the other dog nearby, release him and if he shows any interaction, interest, perky ears, reward. As others have said, keep it really brief. Two food game can also create interest, use chunks of food easily seen by dog. You could try dragging the toy on a line for pup to chase, creating some distance between you and the toy. Some dogs feel a little pressured if you are too close to the toy or food. Make sure you keep your own attitude bright, happy and don't allow any frustration to creep in because the dog will sense it quickly.

No this isn't my dog i show him for the owner. He doesn't run any better for her or her partner he is just as slack as we thought he might work better for a male or something.

On show days he doesn't get fed or fed the night before still doesn't really work.

When i work him at his house he is all go go go i actually tape my shoulder as it is injured but as soon as he leaves his property he has no interest.

I will try all these tips thankyou and thankyou for explaining a flirt pole we use them at specialties :D

after hearing that i would start taking him to random places/parks, and just playing and offering jackpots, when he starts to feel comfortable, introduce one or 2 commands, then back to fun, fun, fun. would only take 5 mins, then back home. teach him when we leave the yard, we are going to have fun! slowly build the amount of commands/duration and eventually try a ring run-out, then jackpot?

this is just what i have been doing with my girl in new places as she has similar issues. its working well

about to pop it in and have a look also! thanks to everyone who jumped on board, especially you SnT much appreciated!

ness, they did fix the issue in each case, it was the incorrect information i was given that upset me. i had a couple of orders with them no problem, then had 3 in a row that were a bit of a hassle! several emails were exchanged and in the end i was called a liar by the owner!! i was really disappointed as i was looking forward to subscribing to the magazine as i love it! very sad

*UPDATE* turns out the owner was not aware of the whole story. she was quite reasonable after that, and has restored my faith in Clean Run

considering the sh*t fight i had with Clean Run this week, this does not surprise me

thanks Staffntoller! i couldnt help but keep checking back here so dont worry about the email! LOL

Hi Staff'n'Toller, i wont be able to check the forum while at work. Any chance you could email me at [email protected] when you hear back? thanks a million!

no worries if it helps, last night i got a response from them at 10:14pm, and 11:20pm

lets hope you hear something soon!

nah i cant imagine it!!

this comes from ebay's international shipping faq

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Section II - Import Duty / Import GST / Import Tax and Customs Charges

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1) Which goods are subject to Customs Import Duty/GST?

You will be charged Import Duty/GST if your goods meet EITHER of the following:

a) Have a value over AUD $1,000; OR

b) Contain Alcohol or Tobacco of any quantity or value.

If your goods are valued UNDER AUD$1,000 and DO NOT contain Alcohol or Tobacco then you will not be required to pay any Customs Import Duty/GST or associated Customs charges.

that is so odd!

i have had no end of problems with them lately : VERY unhappy! they have stuffed several orders for VODs and digital back issues of the mag too!

fingers crossed it all works out tho! really looking forward to this one!

it should be around 8am there now so maybe an answer soon! LOL this is about the time i start to hear back from them about the issues ive had of late!

The problem with using a NRM is that we often assume the dog understands the criteria when they don't.

What she said

Plus it also depends very much on the dog and knowing your own dog. What might be a NRM for one dog borderlines on being a correction for another so I don't think it's a black and white issue where you can say yes it's Ok or no it's not.

A lot of people also have trouble keeping it unemotional and their body language upbeat. Tape yourself next time and listen to how you sound and it's sometimes not as you thought you did.

i KNOW i am guilty of this...cant wait to get a vid camera so i can film our training sessions and rip em apart!

congrats piper! glad you got to retire her on such a good note

Thats my understanding of use of a NRM too- which is why i am genuinely interested in why some are so opposed to using it in certain contexts. I have used it in agility (on my own dogs, i don't teach it to clients as none of their dogs are ready/ suitable/ need one) for weavers and jumping off contacts for one dog (who was trained with running contacts and i haven't yet retrained, and may not ever) and have found it useful and helpful in those specific circumstances. I have never used it for the dog taking an incorrect obstacle or pulling off an obstacle though for the reasons mentioned. Maybe i have misunderstood- is it being suggested that any NRM use in agility will be damaging?

i feel it is important for things like the weaves, as what i took away from susan garrett is that, once the dog understands the criteria expected, if they make a mistake on the weaves and are allowed to continue, since the weaves have had so much value built into them, they are rewarding for the dog to finish. it is better to give their NRM such as oops, and have them come out and try again. this shouldnt be aversive for a dog that has shaping experience as they know that failure is not bad, it just means "wanna try again?"

What does everyone feel is the difference between a dog being given a neutral verbal no reward mark, taken back to repeat an exercise and the dog being taken back to repeat the exercise without being given the verbal no reward mark?

the way i understand is a NRM is given if the dog understands the criteria but gets it wrong...if the dog is still learning the criteria it is best to use no comment/no reward and let them think about how to get the reward

DO you really need a tug though to rev your dog up? I can achieve basically the same result with a bit of "rough play" and chasey with my dog before a run- I don't see why tug would necessarily be the only way to increase drive or excitement.

You can also do this with food, if you teach the dog to chase the food and capture it on the run.

I can too, but i personally would be too worried about distracting others who are waiting in close proximity for their run.

i dont think anyone said its the only way, just another handy reinforcer to have that is more suitable to certain situations.

wow! it looks like an amazing place to walk your dogs! simply beautiful!

my girl is a climber!

she followed my brother up this tree, much to our surprise!

and we took her on a little hike and swim that she LOVED!

Susan Garrett is one of those that think dogs should tug for agility - I think she only allows people into her physical classes if they tug?

no, but she will make sure they can tug by the time the class/seminar is finished!

Just for a different perspective, I think trainers should be skilled enough to be able to choose the rewards they want to use, not have to be constrained by their dogs' primary motivator. Often you hear "you don't choose the reward, your dog does", but honestly, you can make just about anything rewarding to your dog if you want to, so why wouldn't you if you want to?

+1

I think trainers should be skilled enough to be able to use different methods of reward to suit the dog, not try to mould the dog into liking something YOU think it should if you get what I mean.

ideally you want all refinforcement to come from you right? you dont want the dog to choose environment over you when you are working right? tugging is not about moulding a dog to like something it doesnt, it is about getting it to engage with you for that reinforcement. a lot of ppl have already stated a LOT of good reasons for teaching their dog to tug. it is just a behaviour, like any other, that when rewarded enough, becomes rewarding itself. my dog loves hand touches now. if she does a good job and i dont have anything on me to reward her with, a couple of quick hand touches is a really fun game for her! it is about the engagement, not the object/treat...IMO... ;)