It is finally that time...Lexi is 13 months old, and it is time for her to learn how to weave. I remember this being a particularly painful process with Bentley. At one time, I remember saying "he is never going to get it". We taught Bentley using a combination of channel weaves and weave-o-matics.
I would love to try the 2x2 method, but other than the DVD, there really aren't any resources (people) that I know that have done this. If I try a new method, I like being able to ask someone questions as I progress. I also don't learn well via DVD. So, we'll go with the channel method for now.
Lexi has seen channels a couple times, but it's been awhile, and the channels were wide open (she was just a baby at the time). Once we get the club's weaves (we're lucky enough to be able to borrow them), Lexi will be on a strict regimen of several short training sessions every day.
Here's her (short) work today. I was at the field by myself, so video taping was a huge pain...
Friday, November 5, 2010
Review: Boomer Ball
Out at the agility field today, I found a Boomer Ball (http://www.boomerball.com/) that someone left behind. Lexi loves to play with soccer balls, and this ball is supposed to be somewhat indestructible, and built specifically for dogs.
It is made of a durable plastic that is supposed to withstand chewing. But, I found that the plastic was too hard for a little dog. Lexi didn't seem to mind, but I was uncomfortable with her banging her head against it all the time as she herded it around the field. Also, I was afraid that it would hurt her if she ran in front of it when I kicked it to get it moving. But, she did love it, as she loves any big ball she can nose around.
All in all, I'd rather stick with a cheap $2 ball from Wal-Mart or a cheap soccer ball.
It is made of a durable plastic that is supposed to withstand chewing. But, I found that the plastic was too hard for a little dog. Lexi didn't seem to mind, but I was uncomfortable with her banging her head against it all the time as she herded it around the field. Also, I was afraid that it would hurt her if she ran in front of it when I kicked it to get it moving. But, she did love it, as she loves any big ball she can nose around.
All in all, I'd rather stick with a cheap $2 ball from Wal-Mart or a cheap soccer ball.
Monday, November 1, 2010
MADCO Halloween Trial, Pt. 2
As promised, here are the runs from Sunday.
Masters Jumpers:
For some reason, Bentley cut in next to me at around 36 seconds. The jump beforehand was slightly sliced, and he cut in towards me (heading towards the tunnel). I should have handled it differently. One thing that I was particularly proud of is that at 28 seconds he went into the tunnel, and shot out looking straight ahead at the next jump--not at me! That is a huge improvement for him.
Advanced Standard--Q!:
Yay, a Standard Q! Not so easy to come by, these days! In all honesty, we got away with another missed dogwalk contact. I was worried about his table...if you watch you will see him stand there, then look around (he notices something) and I have to ask him to lay down. Whew. I was pretty happy about how I handled the tunnel entrances. Several dogs were going into the wrong ends of tunnel. Knowing Bentley, I knew a RC would pull him into me, and I could flip him out into the right side of the tunnel. Worked at both 17 and 37 seconds. I also liked his weave pole entry as he was moving quickly and turning, and he got it on the first try!
Masters Snooker--Q!:
Bentley was really moving during this course! It was an interesting set up as there was a start jump and a finish jump (unusual in Snooker). That's why you see them head towards the far jump in the corner after the buzzer goes off.
Advanced Pairs:
This is why I hate pairs. Bentley ran clean, but his partner got an off course in the first half, so they were eliminated. We weren't mad at our partner or anything, but it seems silly that your performance relies upon someone that you don't know!
Masters Jumpers:
For some reason, Bentley cut in next to me at around 36 seconds. The jump beforehand was slightly sliced, and he cut in towards me (heading towards the tunnel). I should have handled it differently. One thing that I was particularly proud of is that at 28 seconds he went into the tunnel, and shot out looking straight ahead at the next jump--not at me! That is a huge improvement for him.
Advanced Standard--Q!:
Yay, a Standard Q! Not so easy to come by, these days! In all honesty, we got away with another missed dogwalk contact. I was worried about his table...if you watch you will see him stand there, then look around (he notices something) and I have to ask him to lay down. Whew. I was pretty happy about how I handled the tunnel entrances. Several dogs were going into the wrong ends of tunnel. Knowing Bentley, I knew a RC would pull him into me, and I could flip him out into the right side of the tunnel. Worked at both 17 and 37 seconds. I also liked his weave pole entry as he was moving quickly and turning, and he got it on the first try!
Masters Snooker--Q!:
Bentley was really moving during this course! It was an interesting set up as there was a start jump and a finish jump (unusual in Snooker). That's why you see them head towards the far jump in the corner after the buzzer goes off.
Advanced Pairs:
This is why I hate pairs. Bentley ran clean, but his partner got an off course in the first half, so they were eliminated. We weren't mad at our partner or anything, but it seems silly that your performance relies upon someone that you don't know!
MADCO Halloween Trial, Pt. 1
This weekend we drove up to Charlottesville, VA for a number of reasons. First of all, Jonathan had an interview at UVA on Friday. Secondly, my family lives about 45 minutes away, so we were able to spend some time with them. And third, we went to the MADCO trial on Saturday and Sunday.
It was a beautiful setting right in the mountains, and it was quite cold in the morning (30 degrees)! But, we managed, and by the afternoon it was in the 50s, and was really nice. It helped that Bentley had an amazing weekend. I could not have been more proud of him! And on to the videos...
Steeplechase:
Our first run of the morning was Steeplechase. Bentley has never Q'd in Steeplechase before. The good thing is that it is time + faults, so you can make a mistake and still Q if you make time. Well, we didn't even have to worry about that, Bentley was perfect! He was one of the few dogs that got the weave pole entry on the first try (sort of a weird angle as the third obstacle). The course was pretty easy, and very open. I felt myself babysitting his FCs all weekend need to work on that!), but he did well. His a-frame in this run was very nice.
Grand Prix:
Bentley's never Q'd in Grand Prix either, but it wasn't to be this day! The course itself was really tough, not to mention that it's run by masters rules, so refusals, etc...all count as faults. Bentley cut behind Jonathan on a FC before the tire, so that was his first refusal. Miracle of all miracles, he got his dogwalk contact! So proud. I really could have cared less about the rest of the run. He also missed the weave entrance several times, and then did the dogwalk again instead of the tunnel. Jonathan said he would have handled that differently, but Bentley had already NQ'd, so he didn't worry about it. Did I mention that he got his dogwalk contact?!
Advanced Gamblers:
Such a good boy! Not only did he do the gamble, but he got his dogwalk contact as part of it!
Masters Snooker:
This was a pretty tough course, and Jonathan and Bentley did really well! He did 4 reds (instead of 3) and managed two sets of the 6 point obstacle sequence and one of the 7. Time was an issue for every dog, and only the absolute fastest completed the closing. No matter, he still Q'd!
Masters Jumpers:
I was incredibly proud of Bentley on this tough course. There were several wraps, and some tough angles and easy off-courses. Bentley did awesome. I changed my plan on course several times (something I'm usually not so good at), and I was happy about it. We did a little bit of a "bump" around 34 seconds, but he recovered well.
Advanced Standard:
I think we were both tired on this run! The course wasn't difficult, but it didn't go well. The only actual fault he had was his dogwalk contact (not even close!), but he made several other mistakes. He had a refusal at the jump before the a-frame, I assume I probably peeled off for the in a bit too early. Then he ran right past the weaves. Looks like I was busy looking at him, and not ahead.
All in all, a great day! I will post Sunday's runs later on...
It was a beautiful setting right in the mountains, and it was quite cold in the morning (30 degrees)! But, we managed, and by the afternoon it was in the 50s, and was really nice. It helped that Bentley had an amazing weekend. I could not have been more proud of him! And on to the videos...
Steeplechase:
Our first run of the morning was Steeplechase. Bentley has never Q'd in Steeplechase before. The good thing is that it is time + faults, so you can make a mistake and still Q if you make time. Well, we didn't even have to worry about that, Bentley was perfect! He was one of the few dogs that got the weave pole entry on the first try (sort of a weird angle as the third obstacle). The course was pretty easy, and very open. I felt myself babysitting his FCs all weekend need to work on that!), but he did well. His a-frame in this run was very nice.
Grand Prix:
Bentley's never Q'd in Grand Prix either, but it wasn't to be this day! The course itself was really tough, not to mention that it's run by masters rules, so refusals, etc...all count as faults. Bentley cut behind Jonathan on a FC before the tire, so that was his first refusal. Miracle of all miracles, he got his dogwalk contact! So proud. I really could have cared less about the rest of the run. He also missed the weave entrance several times, and then did the dogwalk again instead of the tunnel. Jonathan said he would have handled that differently, but Bentley had already NQ'd, so he didn't worry about it. Did I mention that he got his dogwalk contact?!
Advanced Gamblers:
Such a good boy! Not only did he do the gamble, but he got his dogwalk contact as part of it!
Masters Snooker:
This was a pretty tough course, and Jonathan and Bentley did really well! He did 4 reds (instead of 3) and managed two sets of the 6 point obstacle sequence and one of the 7. Time was an issue for every dog, and only the absolute fastest completed the closing. No matter, he still Q'd!
Masters Jumpers:
I was incredibly proud of Bentley on this tough course. There were several wraps, and some tough angles and easy off-courses. Bentley did awesome. I changed my plan on course several times (something I'm usually not so good at), and I was happy about it. We did a little bit of a "bump" around 34 seconds, but he recovered well.
Advanced Standard:
I think we were both tired on this run! The course wasn't difficult, but it didn't go well. The only actual fault he had was his dogwalk contact (not even close!), but he made several other mistakes. He had a refusal at the jump before the a-frame, I assume I probably peeled off for the in a bit too early. Then he ran right past the weaves. Looks like I was busy looking at him, and not ahead.
All in all, a great day! I will post Sunday's runs later on...
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Baby dog
I was reminded by one of our wonderful trainers that Lexi is still a baby dog, and I shouldn't expect too much from her. I am always forgetting that she is still a baby! We hadn't even started agility with Bentley yet, at her age.
That being said, we went back out last night to try the course again, and I wanted to try to be a bit quicker with my directions. I think it went well. We were a lot more in tune.
There were a couple snafus, but I think the straight line (2 jumps) to the tunnel beyond the dogwalk is a really tough thing to do. In fact, Bentley missed it too, when my husband ran it with him. I could have tried a RC, but we only ran once before there were other people who needed the field.
Also, she obviously doesn't understand my "flip" out to the tunnel at the very end. That's just something she has only seen a couple times, so we'll work on that.
That being said, we went back out last night to try the course again, and I wanted to try to be a bit quicker with my directions. I think it went well. We were a lot more in tune.
There were a couple snafus, but I think the straight line (2 jumps) to the tunnel beyond the dogwalk is a really tough thing to do. In fact, Bentley missed it too, when my husband ran it with him. I could have tried a RC, but we only ran once before there were other people who needed the field.
Also, she obviously doesn't understand my "flip" out to the tunnel at the very end. That's just something she has only seen a couple times, so we'll work on that.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Concerned
I'm going to start by posting a few videos from our run-throughs this weekend, and then voice a few of the concerns that I have.
These courses were from the October issue of Clean Run, on page 54. We started with the Starters course, then the second one is the Advanced course. I felt that they were both extremely challenging, and much harder than any Starters course that I've seen!
Lexi Course 1:
Bentley Course 1:
Lexi Course 2:
Bentley Course 2:
My first concern is with Lexi. She is all over the place! I know that there are dogs that go out and run away and grab whatever obstacle they want. That's not quite Lexi. She's just so excited, and she's running so quickly, that she'll grab whatever closest that she thinks I want her to take. I can call her off, if I'm fast enough, so she is clearly trying to do what I ask...but she's so quick, that she often goes off course.
I don't want to ruin her enthusiasm or drive (the mistake we made with Bentley), but I wonder whether or not we need to try to reign her in. I feel like any time I'm slightly facing the wrong way BAM, she's gone. I need to be able to make some slight mistakes, or we'll never be able to be successful.
My second concern is the reason I started this blog...Bentley's running contacts. His A-frame is really nice, and I'm mostly pleased with it. I have seen him miss a few times, but in my opinion, not too much. The dogwalk, on the other hand, is just atrocious.
During our daily trainings, he really seemed to make progress. But as soon as we stopped the every day stuff, he just lost it. He now hits (in sequence) about 25% of the time. I think he has missed in every trial that we've entered him in since we started retraining. It's so incredibly frustrating. I'm seriously considering going back and retraining 2o2o, but I'm afraid that that will make it even more confusing for him. I think it's at least time for us to get the board back out in the backyard, and start doing that again on a daily basis.
Also, I wonder if we aren't correctly rewarding/correcting him like we should be. If he misses in sequence (except trials), we stop, and either start over at the beginning of the dogwalk, or pick him up and put him halfway up to try again. If he gets it, he gets a treat. 90% of the time he gets a treat when running in sequence if he gets it.
Big decisions ahead.
These courses were from the October issue of Clean Run, on page 54. We started with the Starters course, then the second one is the Advanced course. I felt that they were both extremely challenging, and much harder than any Starters course that I've seen!
Lexi Course 1:
Bentley Course 1:
Lexi Course 2:
Bentley Course 2:
My first concern is with Lexi. She is all over the place! I know that there are dogs that go out and run away and grab whatever obstacle they want. That's not quite Lexi. She's just so excited, and she's running so quickly, that she'll grab whatever closest that she thinks I want her to take. I can call her off, if I'm fast enough, so she is clearly trying to do what I ask...but she's so quick, that she often goes off course.
I don't want to ruin her enthusiasm or drive (the mistake we made with Bentley), but I wonder whether or not we need to try to reign her in. I feel like any time I'm slightly facing the wrong way BAM, she's gone. I need to be able to make some slight mistakes, or we'll never be able to be successful.
My second concern is the reason I started this blog...Bentley's running contacts. His A-frame is really nice, and I'm mostly pleased with it. I have seen him miss a few times, but in my opinion, not too much. The dogwalk, on the other hand, is just atrocious.
During our daily trainings, he really seemed to make progress. But as soon as we stopped the every day stuff, he just lost it. He now hits (in sequence) about 25% of the time. I think he has missed in every trial that we've entered him in since we started retraining. It's so incredibly frustrating. I'm seriously considering going back and retraining 2o2o, but I'm afraid that that will make it even more confusing for him. I think it's at least time for us to get the board back out in the backyard, and start doing that again on a daily basis.
Also, I wonder if we aren't correctly rewarding/correcting him like we should be. If he misses in sequence (except trials), we stop, and either start over at the beginning of the dogwalk, or pick him up and put him halfway up to try again. If he gets it, he gets a treat. 90% of the time he gets a treat when running in sequence if he gets it.
Big decisions ahead.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Serpentines
So we've hit a bit of a hot spell again, and it's been in the 80s during the day.
We went out and practiced a short skill set, serpentines (and threadles). I was really pleased with the serpentines. The threadles were fine, but just need a little fine tuning to make them more fluid.
Bentley serpentine:
Lexi serpentine and threadle:
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