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

Working on 2On 2Off Contacts with Strider

Hello everyone!

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.

Happy training!

Hayley

Turns into Tunnels/Training Lefts and Rights

Hello everyone!

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.

1. To begin the foundation work, begin standing with your dog between your legs.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Repeat these same steps on the right side as well.
5. Once the dog understands the above basic forms of left and right, you can add a jump with
6. bars on the ground, or a tunnel, open at a curve.
7. 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.

Leave any questions below!

Happy training!

Hayley