Visualize the team you want to be

This has been lifted from Susan Garretts blog, but I wanted to put it somewhere for safe keeping so I can play with these words and form my own vision of the Tangle/Mary team.

Trained skills of the most brilliant agility dog your mind can visualize
1.) A rock solid, confident but excited start line.
2) Runs in “squirrel speed” around the course
3) Ability to drive lines. She locks her head on a line and doesn’t look up until the run is over (ie doesn’t have an unbalanced value for the handler over the obstacles)
4) Comes off any obstacle when prompted by her handler’s body cues (ie doesn’t have an unbalanced value for the obstacles over the handler)
5) Amazing tight turns.
6) Lightning responses to her handler’s cues: front cross, rear cross, threadle arms, post turns, accelerations and deceleration cues.
7) Full independent obstacle understanding (does not relay on the handler’s speed or body position for her ability to complete any obstacle at full speed).

You can get to the whole article here, http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2010/02/defining-agility-brilliance/

The followup thought to these is of course, what is my training plan for getting there?

Progression of Back!

I decided weeks ago that I was going to teach Tangle to back up the stairs. Don't really know why, could be the whole hind end awareness thing, or maybe just fun to have another stupid pet trick!

I started with teaching him "back". Which was on the floor and just walk backwards. He caught onto that in about 15 minutes. Mostly the behavior was shaped with just a little bit of luring (pressure to start going back). He now has a better back than any of my other BCs.

Tonight I decided to work a little bit on the stairs. Mostly because he kept offering me back in response to everything :). At first he would not back up into the stairs. Probably actually a smart move on his part. Again, I mostly shaped it, but I did apply the "back" command as well.

So, as you watch the video you can see that he knows it involves the hind end. He just doesn't quite know how to put all the motions together to make it happen. He was rewarded anytime it involved the hind end.

Give us one more session and perhaps a little more growth in those legs to actually get up the stairs and he will have this down!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdVkMiaFp7Y

Trial this weekend

We did a NADAC trial this weekend. Tip earned her lifetime points, only one Q away from her points in Weavers for V-NATCH. Split earned his weavers title. Proud of both of my dogs, but Split did excellent. He had some really awesome runs this weekend. Really proud of his work and our team work. He didn't Q a lot, because I choose to train his runs. He didn't get called for contacts by the judge, but it wasn't what I wanted to see in a trial so I trained. We have been working on running contacts!

Tangle did a great job at the trial as well. Got to meet a ton of dogs, we did a lot of trick work 10 feet from the ring. He was totally focused and with me the whole time. Funny, the most distracting environment for him right now are his two pack mates running around the agility field. Working at trails, soccer fields, in parks he has down cold! Love this pup!!!

We worked this morning with his playmate Soleil. Both dogs did great! I will just comment on Tangle's work. We worked a little on teeter work, restrained recalls on the teeter, cone work, FC, and RC. He is working with my motion really well. At this point he doesn't try to herd which is great. I am sure that I will have that issue at some point :)

And so the fun begins!

This morning I took Split and Tangle for a long walk. Split has had a strained muscle and we are trying to work it out with walks, message, and chiro. Things seem much better today. Then I came home and went for a 1.5 mile run with Tip which she completely enjoyed! She loves being the ONLY dog getting attention.

This evening I took Tangle and Split over to the agility field for a workout. This is when the fun began. It has totally clicked that great things happen at the agility field and Tangle was completely over stimulated!! So, I get to figure out how to get BC #3 in focus and ready to work. Tip and Split both took something slightly different. With Tip it took 10 minutes of fetch, with Split it took mental work.

After I figured out that I was going to have to get Tangle focused first, I started with simple games that he knows really well. Touch, lay down, and the bang game. This seemed to get his head in the game a little better (not completely). Then I began with the startline work again.

Startline proofing--on advice from friends from my last round, I need to make the game look as much like a startline as possible. That is, when I lead out, start running as fast as possible and then release. I was just kind of trotting because I was trying to set him up for success.

So, today, I lead out maybe 3 feet. "On your mark, get set (I started running), go". I release maybe 1.5 seconds after I started running. He did great. Anytime he broke the stay, I walked back, put him back in the original spot and did the game again. The next time I didn't lead out as far, nor wait as long to release. Trying to keep him successful. Once he broke so bad that the game stopped for 2 minutes or so.

We have also been playing the bang game. I have the teeter set for 6 inches off the ground. Tangle hopes on, stays on and get a treat. I work this from both sides, by my side, sending him. He is awesome. Each day we do this he seems to enjoy it more and more.

We ended with a little bit of circle work. He is a natural at this. Runs by my side, recognizes front crosses, post turns, he is just doing awesome.

Startline and stay work

Well, the Tangle-man is proving to be a great student, so we worked on startline and stay work today. I have to say that I was amazed at this 14 week old puppy's ability to stay until given his release word "OK".

Imagine this when you watch the video: We are having work done on our house right behind me. There is the pounding of knocking down walls, there is a skid steer picking up trash, and the GC is watching very close, and Tip sitting at the sidelines. This little puppy is focusing through all of this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUx74ei7LJ4

Loose leash walking

I had to drop my car off at the local automotive place and decided that Tangle and I would walk home. It would give us an opportunity to practice the loose leash walking, getting past barking dogs in a calm fashion and just general have some good exercise.

Tangle got to visit everyone in the car shop, get treats and pets. He also greeted the residing dog and did a fine job saying hello.

Tangle did really well on the walk home. For the most part he respected the end of the leash. I only had to stop a half a dozen times to remind him that he was pulling too hard. Good boy.

We past a Great Dane, a small high pitched barking dog. Both times when Tangle approached the area where the barking was coming from he began to yawn. I was really proud of him, with the GD his tail stayed down and his walk was very calm. The smaller dog was a little harder. Again, yawning, but the tail went up. He then began to sniff and hang out in the area. Never once did he decide to bark! We are making progress :)

Side notes: Tangle got to go to agility class last night. We worked on running over a plank, watching nicely while other dogs ran.

Skid steers, dump trucks, and agility

This morning we went over to the field to train. I suspected that we would have some distractions, and the construction people didn't disappoint me!

There were skid steers, dump trucks, people pounding and walking around. This was actually great for two reasons: Split and Tangle. Split does not like loud noises and machinery, and Tangle is to the point where training with distraction is good.

With Tip and Split I worked on jump grids, contacts, and lateral sends. Tip has been knocking bars and not acknowledging that she knows she is turning. We worked on that and it only took her 4 tries to get back into shape. Split was perfect from the beginning.

When I get a second I will post the jump grid that we worked on.

Tangle was stellar this morning. It took him about 30 seconds to get over the distractions (mostly the other dogs actually) and figure out we were training. Once he knows we are training he is ON THE JOB!! We did a little bit of teeter work. That is the teeter was about 5 inches off the ground and he was just on/off it making it move. My goal was not the teeter, but the movement! He still does not have control of his hind end (not surprised) so keeping his hind end on the teeter is a bit of a challenge. That will come.

Second we did flat work. We are working at a walk and just following my movement. Although he has always been good, today I noticed more fluid motion in the work. We did front crosses, rear crosses (not natural yet) and walk beside me. We also did recalls to my side.