J... Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) Hmm I was thinking of a way to do course maps without paying for CRCD or the iPad app, and then I remembered this little beauty http://www.agilitymaps.com :thumbsup: Edited September 21, 2015 by Jess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Jess - I understand your plight! It happens to me in regular classes for the general public. For the Puppy Games class I run I email class notes. But I always have a plan to review the exercise the following week - it is always worthwhile tightening up timing etc for everyone. Then I advance those who have mastered that and leave others at the appropriate level. It's a tough juggle but I'm starting to think that just very basic exercises are easier to advance incrementally if that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Jess - I understand your plight! It happens to me in regular classes for the general public. For the Puppy Games class I run I email class notes. But I always have a plan to review the exercise the following week - it is always worthwhile tightening up timing etc for everyone. Then I advance those who have mastered that and leave others at the appropriate level. It's a tough juggle but I'm starting to think that just very basic exercises are easier to advance incrementally if that makes sense. Yes this is what I do with my class notes....I follow it up the following training night & always make sure they know that they are welcome to email me with any problems. Before we start anything on training nights, I always ask if anyone has any questions/problems with the stuff I have sent out & each week I let them know that I am going to "test" them on something. Eg. Start line stays. Mainly to get an idea of where each one is up to. One lady told me she hasn't had a chance to look at the class notes, because she has been too busy with Facebook Needless to say, I don't go out of my way for her. There is so much that they need to do at home if they want to keep up. For instance, they are NEVER going to learn the weaves if they just rely on ten minutes once a week at training. I do up notes for my advanced class as well on training new moves etc & always put up on the net, whatever course we are going to be working on a few days prior to training, so they can study it beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I've been videoing our training sessions each day this week. Mostly to help the newer members at our club realise you don't need to drill your dogs into the ground to end up with well trained agility dogs. I thought I'd share them here in case anyone else was interested. The young dog in the videos is 6 months old, the others are 5 and 8 years. It is also designed to demonstrate you don't need to use equipment all the time - it's about relationship and foundations. :) Sunday Saturday - no training, just hanging out with the kids at home. (Our niece and nephew. We don't have kids.) Friday Please don't pick my training to bits - I'm already critiquing it and making changes. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 That's great AD :) I've made my group a few videos to try & demonstrate what I am talking about. I really should make more, but I am a little camera shy This is the first beginners group I have had, so I reckon if I just make them for this group then I will have them for all other groups coming on. I have eleven in my new beginners group, which is probably a few too many, but I split them into two groups for the exercises & I have an assistant to oversee the other group, then we swap halfway through the session. I hate knocking people back when they want to join up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 (edited) Edited Edited September 21, 2015 by Jess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 (edited) Can everyone please give me a rundown as to how their classes are set up at every day clubs. We have agility, general public obedience and then more advanced/pre-trialler/trialler obedience. Edited September 21, 2015 by Jess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Our club has Obedience on Saturdays during the day & we have Beginners, Intermediate & Advanced Agility on Monday night. We have two Beginner groups...I have 11 students in my class. We have one Intermediate group & one Advanced group which I take. I worked out that I spend four hours there every Monday night & add to that two hours travelling time...it's a big night. Last week I had 12 dogs in my Advanced class followed by 11 in my Beginners class. I split the beginners into two groups for exercises & get someone to give me a hand to supervise. Usually they assess before allowing them to start Agility, but this is the first time that hasn't happened, but I did have the option to weed them out on the first night if there was any problem dogs. Thankfully that didn't happen & they are a great bunch of dogs. I would like to see them have just an eight week foundation class, but that doesn't happen. I am a firm believer in doing heaps of foundation before any obstacles are introduced, but the club likes to see obstacles from day one, cause they think, that the students will lose interest otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 (edited) Edited. Edited September 21, 2015 by Jess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 (edited) Jess, not that I instruct agility due to lack of Sunday availability but our club has various modules - think they are 4 weeks each and everyone starts with foundation and then you get moved around until you've done them all. There are some prerequisites of course but I think there is foundation, contacts 1, contacts 2, weaves 1, weaves 2, jumps (which is basic and probably could be split into several modules depending on handling system), then sequencing and intermediate. Triallers train on a weeknight. I really like how AP run their handling courses. Still 4 weeks but lots of foundations - really nicely integrated - bit of cone work, bit of jump work, big of putting it all together in each lesson. Edited March 27, 2015 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I wont take anybody into my advanced class unless they can do 12 weave poles relatively well & they have to be trialing. It is not fair on the others in the group to have me spending time teaching new guys how to weave when they have been through all the other groups & still can't weave. Eighteen months ago our club had trouble finding enough people to start a new class, now every body wants to do agility. I have thought about taking another class on Saturdays while they are doing Obedience, but I would lose too many days out because of trials. But maybe I could do it at the end of the agility season. If I did it would be Foundation only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 We're stuck with all training on a Sunday at the moment (flyball, agility, rally, obedience (puppy, beginners and then more formal)... so we've had to make a ruling that people have to make choices of any 2 classes (they were flogging their dogs into the ground LOL. That's been good, because it's tended to weed out the "just want to have a bit of fun on the equipment" folks - they've chosen flyball at the moment, which is probably a better fit - less thinking needed - you know what I mean. Our difficulty is also instructor power - particularly when several instructors are triallers in various disciplines. So we're trying a sort of variant of the Croydon model - except that we're kind of combining modules, so that on any given week there'll be a variety of stuff going on. Our plan is that by the time they reach the trialling/advanced class after 3 x 8 week blocks, they'll have good foundations, and independent obstacle performance, and are really ready for coursework and more difficult sequencing. We were lucky enough to have a great group of guinea pigs for the foundation so we'll see how it goes for the rest of the year. AD thanks for putting those vids up - missed them - will have to have a look. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the ideas :) Edited August 3, 2015 by Jess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Can anyone please tell me where the agility will be held at this year's Royal Easter Show Sydney? I lost the form sent with my journal & I want to make double sure where it is. Think I read that it was back in the dog rings at the dog pavilion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Thought I'd share what Snap and I have been doing this week. I just love this little dude. He's growing in strength and confidence by the week. I think we will need some pretty solid foundations if running with him is going to be anything other than a complete train wreck. Just love him to bits!! My favourite bit is when he drives away from me to the toy and then takes himself back to line up for his next go! Nanana Fail - the last 15 seconds of the clip we almost get it right. LOL. Jump grid 1 Jump grid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 The nanana one you're changing from left arm to right arm around the jump wing? And he's doing blind crosses are us? Or I'm not changing arms without a proper cross? Or just running wide cos you're leaving as he goes round? Anyway lovely work. I'm still trying to persuade mine to do distance handling and she's over 6yo now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 The nanana one you're changing from left arm to right arm around the jump wing? And he's doing blind crosses are us? Or I'm not changing arms without a proper cross? Or just running wide cos you're leaving as he goes round? Anyway lovely work. I'm still trying to persuade mine to do distance handling and she's over 6yo now. LOL. The nanana one I'm sending him with the left and fronting (effectively) to put him into the tunnel. He's just totally blowing me off to go and find a toy at that point. By the end we had him listening. I've done a little too much on toy drive - hehehehe.... This is about the 4th or 5th time he's seen an upright so I was pretty pleased all in all. When the time comes he will drive to infinity and beyond - I really liked how he took the jump at the end once I finally got my words out. Timing is a whole new world with this little dude. My guys aren't exactly slow - 2 of the 3 dogs I run make it around at better than 5 m/s, but this guy is in another universe. It's just so much fun learning together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Random question for people who train multiple dogs. How do you shelter your dogs while training without lugging multiple crates? I have 3 dogs, in good weather I just set up a camp stretcher up for them to sit on as their "crate". With Winter comes the occasional quick and unpleasant coastal shower plus wind so I'm looking for ideas for shelter. Vehicles are not close enough, and having my dogs close and easily accessible to demonstrate something is super handy. Any ideas would be much appreciated :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melinda10786 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Hi Jess, whilst I have multiple dogs, I don't trial multiple dogs. When I take them all to training, I put up a play pen and have thrown a sheet over the top. I don't know if that works for yours but I found that to be the easier option instead of lugging three crates. One playpen is much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Just thought I'd update on how Mr Snap is going. He's loving the game more and more every week. We are still just doing little bits and pieces, but he learns so quickly, it's quite amazing. :) Reverse retrieve - still a WIP. Pool Noodle Front Cross Spider Only 3 or so more months until we can start jumping!! Can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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