Kavik

Running contacts looks like so much fun! I'd also love to give it a go one day.

I'm following Amanda Shyne's book "Phenomenal Stopped Contacts". Downloaded as an e-book from Clean Run. Nearly 60 steps (!!!), some repeated of course, but I'm really enjoying splitting the behaviours and it's helping to identify weaknesses. I've had Em out of agility for a while now (she's running JDM) as contacts were causing sniffing and Zig is out until I finish retraining - plenty of Masters Jumping courses for them out there in the meantime. Zig didn't often miss his contacts but I hated that he started creeping and I felt I had to babysit. Thanks! I'll look into that. I did SG's contact course but not sure I want to teach a nose touch and it had so many steps!

TSD - what method are you using for retraining your contacts? Still deciding how I want to train Nitro, and looking at my options.

Our first trial back for the year - the fundraiser - was certainly an eye opener in terms of course design! The game is changing very quickly! As people are looking more and more towards Europe for course design, so they will also start to look there for handling to be able to get around the courses :laugh:

Yes, true, but I have heard that they are switching over to Labs for the airport.

Exactly. I think Susan is AWESOME, but this time around I know I won't get the value out of it because I just don't have the time to commit. I think the thing is that this stuff is not just about getting a dog titled. That is easy. This is for people who want to be at the pointy end of agility, whether it is here or abroad. It's for people chasing tenths of a second (but will help those chasing tens of seconds as well - I have dogs in both categories and it is working for both.) I think the proof is in the pudding with this stuff. For Susan Garrett and Lynda Orton-Hill to still be matching it with the super fit, stick think 20 year olds in what is becoming and increasingly youth dominated sport at a world level speaks volumes for her ability as a trainer/motivator/technician. Not for everyone, but you can't deny the formula works. I think the criticism that it is a cookie cutter approach is probably justified if you haven't had a heap of exposure to what she is doing and if you try and translate it on your own without getting the full picture. It's not really cookie cutter - yes, she expects the same outcome from every dog, but within the system things are tweaked for each dog. Maybe not wholesale change like some people use, but definitely different depending on the character of the dogs involved. This is a super exciting time for agility in Australia - so many different people coming out that we've never seen before. It's going to be very interesting as more and more of us move away from what we've been doing for the last 10 or 15 years and adopt the more movement based handling systems. (I know some have been using them for a while, but all in all they are relatively new to agility in Aust.) It is definitely a very exciting time for agility in Australia! So much change happening! I'll have to decide what to do in the near future with my younger dog.

Out of my price range but the feedback from a friend doing the course is very positive. From having done some of her other courses, I'm sure there will be a LOT of information included in the course.

My GSD has sensitive skin and also has an aversion/anxiety to flies so I sympathise

Bulldog or Bull Terrier? OH had a Bull Terrier when we met. Probably the most stubborn dog I've met in my life :laugh: but she was not particularly active.

I agree - Sylvia is awesome! Would love it if she would come here! Been meaning to get some of her DVDs, will do when I get some money.

I heard from someone who is doing SG's course, they are already doing some handling stuff in the course which is great as I thought they'd be stuck doing CG for the first few days :laugh:

Thanks guys! He was a good boy! Lots of people had problems with the discrimination, so I was in good company with that :laugh:

Thanks :D

At the Hawkesbury trial last night we got a qually and 1st place in JDM 600, which gives Kaos his Masters Jumping Title! He was such a good boy all night! We missed the discriminations in ADM and ADO - he loves his tunnels :laugh:

If you were in Sydney, especially my club, you would be hard pressed to avoid it! :laugh: I haven't decided what I think yet, not going to change Kaos's handling, he is nearly 8 years old, just want to tweak and improve a couple of things.

Me too. With SG I think she does the whole training methodology thing, and she doesn't seem to be able to separate different components.

I think SG is incapable of doing just a handling course, just as she was incapable of doing just a contact course :laugh: It will likely include all of her foundations such as CG, IYC, Recallers Games and stuff from Puppy Peaks as well as the handling component.

Which Shape Up ones are you doing? I only just found out about them! Looks interesting!

Yep, all the talk seems to be correct, very expensive! I'm going to sit back and have a look at all these new handling ideas coming in this year (SG, OMD and a couple of others) before deciding what to do with Nitro when he gets old enough.

Yep, this is what I am doing with my dogs in the heat too :) Love trick training! (and it is even useful for agility with body awareness :laugh: )

I thought that you had to have a letter proving you had tried other things first, etc to get a vet to debark. As others suggested, you could try more mental stimulation - trick training is great for this. I think there was a thread somewhere on trick training ideas. You can ask on this thread if you need suggestions. Also training for control positions or for 'down time' so he knows how and when to relax - on a dog bed or in a crate.

When I asked my vet about titre testing they quoted me around $200. I would say that is expensive!

Yes SG is doing an online handling course. The free videos are her introduction to the course content and methodology.

Wonder what breeds will be added?

I agree with TSD. Is she used to being in an environment with lots of other dogs, and the barking and motion with dogs running etc? If she is not used to that, the environment could be contributing. Is it a busy club? I would, as TSD said, work on fun and motivating games that do not involve obstacles for a while. Tugging is of course ideal, but if she doesn't like tugging you can play running and chasing games with food, restrained recalls, hand touches, spins etc. If the environment is stressing her, try to get to busy environments and play there, and also play where your lesson is.