Working with Strider using a Tunnel and Dog Walk

Hello Everyone,

This weekend I decided to head out to my local agility training club to use some equipment that I don't own in order to get some more practice in with Strider.  Whenever I come out here to do my own training, I usually center my focus around the larger contact obstacles that I do not own, including the dog walk and A-frame.  Although this trip I did work with the A-frame, I mainly focused my training on the dog walk, like you see in the video.  Even though Strider is completely confident on the dog walk, the extra practice never hurts and I like to try different variations with it, like shown in the video.

Feel free to try these techniques with your dog at home and read through the following tips if needed.

To start off, I placed a 15ft tunnel underneath the dog walk with the opening near the entrance to the DW in order to increase the difficulty for my dog, this exercise is not just about your dog listening to the correct cue word, it is also about whether or not you use the correct body language when directing your dog to the obstacle you want him to take.  If you make a mistake while trying this out, always look down to where your feet are pointing, because usually the direction that your feet are pointing is what will cause your dog to take the obstacle they did.  This exercise can get a little frustrating if your dog repeatedly takes the wrong obstacle, so always remember that your body language is what they are paying attention to more than the word you are saying!

I hope this helps!

Happy training!

Strider ready to run while carefully staying in his 2on 2off contact

Strider descending from the dog walk

Strider's AKC Open JWW Run

Hello everyone!

This week we will take a look at Strider’s AKC Open Jumpers with Weaves run from the agility trial at Industry Hills Expo Center.  This trial was on November 28 and the dogs and I had a blast!  Both of them did great, adding Q’s and advancing in their title requirements.  After this qualifying run in jumpers with weaves, Strider now only needs one more Q and he will be competing in the Excellent class!  I am very proud of him and he is truly turning out to be an incredibly focused and fun agility dog!  

In this run, I was very pleased with a few things.  To start off, his speed was awesome and it truly shows how much fun he was having out there.  When we first started competing, he definitely seemed a little unsure about it all and he definitely wasn’t the fastest.  With this being said, I am so proud of how far he has come in just a few months and I can’t wait to see how much he improves in the future!

Another thing that made me very happy about Strider’s JWW run is the two rear crosses I was able to execute in the beginning and towards the middle of the run.  Strider has always been okay at his rear crosses, but since we have been practicing them a lot more lately, you can definitely see how much he understands them now.  Even though rear crosses seemed like they have to be intensely trained, a good rear cross relies on the handler, just as much as the dog.  If the handler’s timing is off, the dog could knock a bar or totally miss the jump completely.  With that being said, I am equally proud of myself for being able to time my rear crosses in order to make them the best they can be.

I hope you enjoyed watching Strider’s Open JWW run and hopefully you found some inspiration for your own training!  

Happy training!

waiting for our turn at the agility trial