20 Time Part II

Hello everyone

In this week’s blogpost I will be further discussing what I will be using for my 20 time presentation that I will be giving at the end of the semester.

In part one I began to discuss what I had accomplished with this project and even though it did not seem like a major accomplishment to some, I felt like I had done lots.  In the past months that I have been working on this project I have learned so much more about agility than before.  This project required me to do more and more research on agility and read articles and watch videos that would help improve my training techniques.  This project forced me to learn more and dive deeper into the hobby that I love doing.  My project has made me think deeper about the training and the classes that I attended for agility and this has made me not only a better handler, but a better trainer too.

As you can see, this project has not only helped others out in the world, but it has also helped me grow and improve all while doing something that I love.  Even after this project is complete, I plan on continuing to make videos and have my YouTube channel grow.  I want to be able to help people around the world as they work towards a hobby that I have grown to love.  Overall, from the way this project has affected me, I can tell that this project has been a success in more ways than one.

Happy Training!

Hayley

20 Time Presentation: Part 1

Hello everyone,

For this week’s blogpost, I am going to be discussing the beginnings of what I will be discussing for my 20 Time presentation/Ted talk presentation.  In my presentation I am going to be discussing my purpose for this project and all that I have accomplished or learned.  

To begin, my project goal was to create and upload videos to a YouTube channel that help people learn how to train their dog for agility.  I wanted to do this project because I feel like there aren’t many free online training resources for people like me who have a passion for training.  Even though I don’t know everything there is to know about agility training, I have been learning for the past 2 years and I wanted to be able to share my knowledge with others.  Throughout my time completing this 20 Time project I have learned more agility and become better at my personal training skills.  I have gone to more trials, met other experienced agility trainers, and expanded my knowledge in the dog training world.  Even though I have so much more to learn, I have greatly enjoyed being able to make videos based on what I do know.  

So far, it can be hard to measure my direct accomplishments other than just looking at my YouTube channel.  Over the course of the past months, I have worked on making good videos and I have tried to upload them regularly in order to make my channel a good resource for other trainers.  I have about 10 subscribers and although that doesn’t seem like many, I am happy that I could provide something that 10 people in this world find interesting or entertaining.  To me, this is an accomplishment and I hope to have my channel grow and to be able to reach out to others over time.

Happy training!

Hayley

Pinwheels and 180s Practice

Hello everyone!

This week I decided to work on a sequence that includes 180°s and pinwheels.  I wanted to do a sequence with variety and with some things that I will most likely see in my agility trial this Saturday.  

With AKC courses, 180°s and pinwheels are VERY common to see, so if you will be competing in these venues, it will be necessary to be good at these skills and gain the important experience before you compete.  For myself, I love 180°s because they can be handled in a variety of ways they tend to be easy for the dogs to follow and a fun part of the course to run with them.  On the other hand, pinwheels are not my favorite thing because I tend to see a reduction in speed from my dogs; however, I want to work on them to hopefully increase their speed and perform better at shows.

A 180° is set up most commonly with 2 jumps but other obstacles can be involved.  The jumps are lined up next to each other so that the dog jumps in a 180° fashion around the jumps.  (see in picture below for setup)

A pinwheel is set up the way it sounds and it is also most commonly done with 3 jumps, but it can have other equipment incorporated in.  (see in picture below for setup)

Both of these are very important to practice and important to incorporate into your foundation work when training your dog.  However, these exercises are still important to practice even once you are competing.  Remember, even the best of trainers and handlers never stop working on their foundations, they just build on them.

Happy training!

Hayley

source: http://dogstar-agility.com/dogstar/event/jump-skills-night-patterns-with-janet-gauntt/

Jump Grids

Hello everyone!

In this week’s video I decided to work on some jump grids with Strider, Goliath, and my new(er) dog, Maverick.  Jump grids are simply a straight line of jumps with a target at the end that you send your dog down.  They are handy for many reasons and feel free to incorporate any type of jump including single, double, and triple.  Jump grids help agility dogs gain strength and they make the dog focus on how they collect or extend when taking the jump.  Dogs must think about where they are placing their feet which helps them in many ways when running a course.  

For beginners setup, start with 3-4 jumps and line them up in a straight line.  The distance between the jumps should get increasingly larger as you go down the line.  I like to set up a target with a treat at the end of the jumps in order to get the dog to drive down the jumps as fast as possible.  Once your dog understands the concept, feel free to add more jumps.  

When I am working with Strider on his jump grids, I like to place some bars at 16”, some at 20”, and some at 24”.  This forces him to think about how high the jump is and what he needs to do with his body in order to make it over the jump.

Be advised that if your dog is continually knocking over the bars, you may have to lower them until the dog understands the concept.  Remember not to punish your dog for knocking bars, it just takes time for them to learn.  Also remember that jump grids are great for a dog with any level of skill.  As you’ll see in the video, with a beginner dog like Maverick, jump grids are handy because they create that drive in a dog to race down the line, all while teaching them to control their feet and focus on how they are jumping.

Happy jumping!

Hayley

Goliath

Maverick

Strider

Front Crosses with Strider & Goliath

Hello everyone!

This week I decided to work on some front crosses with Strider and Goliath because in the past I have struggled with the timing of my front crosses.  A front cross is something that must be perfectly timed in order to get the most out of it.  If you are unsure on how to perform a front cross, please refer back to my earlier video where I demonstrate how to do one in a basic setting.

Anyways, I tend to struggle more on my timing when I am working with Strider because he has such a long stride and he is much quicker than I am so it can be difficult to get ahead of him (something that is crucial for a good front cross).  On the other hand, when it comes to running Goliath, my front crosses are usually pretty good and effective due to his slower speed and smaller stride. 

In order to get a good front cross, I have discovered that good timing is not the only helpful thing, but rather the act of letting the dog know that there will be a front cross before it even happens.  For example, some people use a verbal cue to let the dog know that they will be doing a front cross.  For myself, I don't use a verbal cue, but instead I raise the arm that I will be switching to as the dog is taking the jump that we will be crossing after.  This lets the dog know where we will be going before we actually get there.

Over all, remember to always practice often and make it a fun time for you and your dog!

Hayley

Strider's first AKC agility runs

Hello everyone!

In this week’s post I’ll be discussing and showing the videos of my very first agility runs with Strider that I did Memorial Day weekend 2015.  The agility trial was in Pomona and I was super excited to be running at my very first one with Strider.  After an entire year of training, I was finally getting to do what I had prepared and trained for, and this made me so happy and excited.  

We arrived in Pomona at around 11am and I knew we would be doing some waiting around since I would be competing in the Novice classes which were the last ones of the day.  I was pretty nervous all morning as I anticipated what would happen when I got out on the course with Strider.  Time slowly rolled around and eventually it was mine turn to walk the Jumpers with Weaves course (JWW) that I would be running first.  As I heard the judge call out “novice briefing” I made my way into the ring without my dog so that I could get to know every angle of the course and plan out my run accordingly.  After listening to the judge’s brief speech, us novice competitors were allowed to spend 8 minutes walking the course.  As I walked the designated course, following the numbers on the cones, I became even more nervous, but mostly out of excitement.  The course didn’t seem too difficult, compared to some of the things I had worked on with Strider in the past, and this made me feel a little better.

After getting to walk the course, I had to endure some more waiting because since Strider jumps 24”, he would be going last in the Novice class.  Finally, it was my turn, and I made my way to the start line of the ring and got Strider amped up and ready to run.  I walked into the ring, removed Strider’s collar and we were ready to go.  I was super nervous at this point, but as soon as I started running, all those nerves went away.  The course and our run flew by extremely fast and about 29 seconds later, we were done.  As we crossed over the last jump, I was so excited, our run was perfect and we had qualified!  We even managed to get a first place!  I was entirely elated after this run and I felt like I could do anything.  With this in mind, I was highly anticipating our next run in the Standard ring.  

Our Standard run went almost equally well, and with only a few bobbles, we were able to pull out a second place in our height division.  After these two runs, I was so proud of Strider and all that I had accomplished with him.  It was such a rush being able to compete and do something I love with the best teammate in the world.  My first agility trial is something I will remember forever.

I hope you enjoyed this!

Happy training!

Weave Poles and Dog Walk Sequence

Hello Everyone!

In this week’s video, I will be doing a sequence with my dogs that includes various obstacles in order to help prepare us for our agility trial next weekend.  Our agility trial is March 5 in Pomona and before every trial, I like to work on certain sequences and drills to ensure that my dogs are ready to show.  

Also, I recently got a brand new dog walk which is very exciting because it opens a whole new door to my practice times at home.  With this new dog walk, I will be able to work on all kinds of contact behavior and be able to do it without having to drive to my training center.  

The sequence that I set up with include the dog walk, tunnel, weave poles, and various jumps.  Some main things that I work on pre-trial are rear crosses, front crosses, and blind crosses.  I also really put a big emphasis on weave poles because those are where you can rack up the most faults during trials.  Even though I use this sequence pre-trial, it can be used for any kind of practice with your dog.  I invite you to set up this sequence either in your own yard or at your local club and give it a try for yourself.  I hope you enjoy the video and feel free to leave any questions below!  Never forget to reward your dog frequently and make it a fun time for you and your dog!!

Happy training!

Hayley Mack

at the agility trial in Pomona