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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!!
This week, I am going a little back in time with my training and basically REtraining my contacts with Strider. After a good lesson and very informative help from my awesome trainer, we decided that Strider definitely needed some work and reteaching with his two-on two-off contacts. We found that when working with him, he really didn’t fully understand the concept of “touch” that I have been using for over a year now. Instead of teaching him to touch a target with his foot for his two-on two-off, I am going to be training the drive that is needed for him to get down as quick as possible and hold the contact.
By training him in this new way, with a focus more on his drive, we are going to be taking a huge step backwards and training this contact from scratch. This means we will be doing lots of foundation work before we advance to running a full dog walk or having him race over the A-frame. I invite you to follow these same steps and train your dog using these steps in order to perfect your contact and better your dog’s performance.
To begin, we will start with the downside of either the teeter or dog walk, and place a target at the end. The point of this training is to not have the dog performing the entire obstacle, but rather just the contact portion of it. With this being said, if you do not have a teeter or dog walk, feel free to use a 12 in wide plank that is raised up by a brick or a low pause table. Now, with your dog on a leash, show him the tasty treat and hold him back as you place it on the target. Now circle around the teeter and load your dog onto the end of it. Pull back on the leash and create the necessary drive by providing tension and holding them back. Release the dog using your cue word for the contact (mine is ‘touch’) and they should drive down the target and perform the two-on two-off behavior. Practice this many times until your dog is comfortable and fully understands what you are asking him to do, then move on to step two.
For step two, you will still not be having the dog run the full ramp, but you will add some distance to your contact. Have the dog go to the halfway point on the downside of the ramp and have him sit and stay. Place a treat on your target and stand back with the dog and release him with the ‘touch’ cue (or whatever cue you want). He ideally should drive into contact position with a two-on two-off.
Continue these baby steps until your dog fully understands what is expected of him. Once this is achieved, you can have him run the full length of the dog walk.
In this week’s video, I will be demonstrating how to train your dog the foundations of the left and right turn cues. These are useful when you need to let your dog know what direction to go if the dog is ahead of you in a course. When trained properly, these cues can create a smooth run and help your dog know where they are going. This kind of cue does take a little while to perfect, so make sure you take the time to work on the foundation of it before you add in any obstacles.
To begin the foundation work, begin standing with your dog between your legs.
Tap the left hip of the dog, and when he turns his head, click and reward the behavior, but do not add in the cue word yet.
After you repeat this behavior and your dog begins to understand the concept, add in the cue word “left” and when the dog looks left, click and reward.
Repeat these same steps on the right side as well.
Once the dog understands the above basic forms of left and right, you can add a jump with
bars on the ground, or a tunnel, open at a curve.
Use the cue words right and left to direct your dog into the respective obstacles.
Another way to train lefts and rights, is to set up 3 jumps with targets. Set one jump straight out, one on the right, and one on the left. Give the dog the left, right, or go (straight jump) cue and also give the “touch” command so they drive towards the target. Click, reward, and repeat.
Continue this basic foundation for at least a week before moving on to sequences.
In this week’s video I will be utilizing a jump box drill that I did at my Handling 2 class last week. This box drill is helpful because it helps you practice creating lines for your dog in order for them to have a smoother run. Front crosses, blind crosses, and rear crosses can all be utilized with this drill, and it is important to find what best works for you depending on the sequence you are doing.
Seven jumps are used and set up in two boxes that share one of the jumps. A tunnel, teeter (in the video), or weave poles is also used and should be set up outside of the boxes. This drill is also helpful because you can practice start line stays in not only straight line, but at angles as well.
In the video, you will see how I handled the jumps with two different sequences and how I made use of front crosses, blind crosses, and rear crosses within those sequences. Also, just because I use a certain cross in a sequence, doesn’t mean you have to do it the same; it is important to handle this drill in a way that works for you and your dog. I like this drill because you can create so many sequences out of it and the possibilities are virtually endless. Remember when you practice this with your dog to always create ‘lines’ for them and use your entire body to help indicate where you want them to go next. Also, never forget to reward your dog and keep it fun!
In this week’s video, you will see my run with Goliath at an agility trial from back in November. I would normally like to show a more recent agility trial video; however, the company that films and sells the videos is not always at the trials. Anyways, this video is from November 28, 2015 at a trial in City of Industry.
In the video you will see Goliath’s AKC Standard Novice run. Novice is the beginning level and this was our third Q (qualified run) that we needed to get out of Novice and into the Open competition level.
I am very proud of how we did in this video and we received a clear run with a score of 100, meaning no faults whatsoever (ie. a dropped bar, missed contact, refusal). The reason I was so proud of him is that I taught Goliath in a way that is referred to as “homeschooled” meaning I have never attended a formal agility training class with him. Basically, everything I learn from attending classes with Strider, I would come home and teach it all to Goliath using my equipment at home or sometimes using the equipment at the place where I attend classes. SInce Standard includes more of a variety of obstacles than Jumpers with Weaves, Goliath and I had a few more issues there as he needed to build his confidence on these obstacles that he didn’t get much practice on. Even though this was a Novice course and it was pretty simple, I love this run because it shows how far Goliath has come in his training and it proves that his confidence is building with agility.
I hope you enjoy the video!
Happy training,
Hayley
Goliath with his 1st place ribbon, Q ribbon, and new title ribbon!
In this week’s video, you will see how I taught my dogs how to perform a pushback when taking a jump. Basically, a pushback is when you send your dog to the back side of the jump and they must tightly jump and come back around. Teaching the pushback will prepare you for more challenging handling movements including wraps, reverse wraps, German turns, “scoops”, etc. The backside is mainly seen in most international competitions and in the new Premier class in AKC. Although you may not see a pushback in even a Masters AKC course, they can still be very useful to teach and very helpful in the future. And, all in all, you never know where agility may take you.
To begin training the pushback, you will only use one of the jump wings in order to break down every step of the action. Begin by sending your dog around the jump using the proper hands (if your dog is on your left, send him behind the jump with your left hand, and vice versa). You may have to lead your dog around the jump with a treat or a toy to encourage this action. When your dog understands the action of running around the backside, start adding distance (see in the video above) and eventually a cue word. (I say “huphuphuphuphup” when I send the dog around, but you can say something like”pushpushpushpush” if you prefer) For the cue word, it works best if you say something repetitively that way the dog can differentiate this cue from the normal “over” or “jump” cue.
Once your dog fully understands the step above, you can begin step two. In this step, you will still only use one jump wing, but you will add a bar and let one side touch the ground (see in video above). Continue all the same steps and keep the bar extremely low (at least ½ the height of their normal jump height). Keep repeating this step until your dog has mastery of this concept. Also remember that it may take several days or a few weeks for your dog to move on to the next step. Training takes time and if you rush through it before your dog is ready, it can set you back even farther.
For step three, we will finally set up the jump completely and have the bar starting either on the ground or at a very low height. The point of all this training so far is to get the dog used to turing tightly around the back of the jump. Now you can repeat the same routine as above and add in other obstacles (still keeping the jump height low). Training a consistently good pushback takes time, so be patient and don’t rush the dog and make them jump too high if they are simply not ready yet. Doing that can cause distress and confusion to the dog and possibly even joint injuries.
Hopefully the video above will give you a good demonstration on how to teach this pushback and remember to always make it a game for your dog and keep them having fun. With just a 10 or so minutes of training a day, you will have a beautifully trained pushback in no time!
This week I decided to work on the weave poles a little more with Strider and Goliath. After our agility trial on December 28 and 29, one thing I noticed was that our weaves were good, but our entries definitely needed some work. In this video I was working with the dogs two separate times on their weaves. In the second half of the video, you will see that I used only 6 poles when working with Strider even though when trialing, 12 poles are used, as seen in the first half of the video. I use only 6 poles when working with difficult entries in order to be able to work more entries and not tire out the dog. You may also notice that when I was using a jump in addition to my weaves, I had it set only at 16" even though Strider jumps 24." This serves the same purpose as 6 weaves and it is done to not tire out the dog so quickly.
As for my weave pole training, I trained both of my dogs using guide wires that attach to the poles and simple guide the dog through the weaves. These are helpful for teaching the dog where to enter the weaves seeing as the dog must enter with the first pole on their left shoulder. Training various entries is an important thing to do with your dog because throughout your agility career, you will experience a wide variety of entries, some easy and some difficult.
Even though I trained my dogs with guide wires, it is not the only way to train them. Other methods include the two by two method and channel weaves. The thing about weave poles is that they can be taught several different ways and it is all about finding the way that works best for you and your dog. Just remember that weave poles do take a long time to train (for example, I began teaching Strider the weaves in Sept 2014 and it took until Feb 2015 for him to be perfect with them). Always stay patient and keep the dog engaged and having fun!
