Agility Girl.

Moving.

2012-02-20T21:03:00.003-08:00

Moving to agilitygurl.wordpress.com

Time.

2012-02-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

18 months can seem like an eternity or it can seem like a short time. It all depends on what's happening.

The magic number in agility is 18 months. You get your puppy, train train train for their big debut at 18 months...it seems like forever away when you are holding an 13 week old fuzzball. But we've all found out that no, it's actually just around the corner.

This is something that I've personally struggled with and the one thing that I would preach to all beginners: 18 is NOT the magic number.

Dash is now 21 months old and has not run at a trial. The guilt that I've felt is enormous. Like I've failed him somehow...21 months old! He should be out there by now! It doesn't help that everyone around is constantly asking you as to why you're not running, what's he currently working on, well how much longer, he needs to be out there, well hurry up!, how old is he now?, etc. etc.

Here I have this wonderful dog that would go to the moon for me and I am frustrated that we aren't out there...I mean sheesh! Everyone else is trailing at 21 months old! Why aren't we out there?!

Then I remember that I love Dash to pieces and it doesn't matter what age he makes his debut.

It's taken me a long time (18 months!) to get over that magic number. Once in awhile it gets me but I've realized that every dog has his issues so there is no set age. Take your time, enjoy the ride.

Running Contacts.

2012-02-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

Do you hear the whispers now? Can you see everyone giving you the crazy eyes?

"Did she just say running contacts?"

I am training Dash to have running contacts and yes, I am serious. We are currently enrolled in Silvia Trkman's online course and learning tons. But while I am learning tons, I am also having to modify some steps for Dash.

Buts that's ok. Silvia promotes doing what is best for you & your dog. She knows we're not all the same and that's what makes agility fun anyway.

Fun Match Pictures.

2012-01-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

Both Dash and I competed in our first fun match this weekend. We had a blast and I am SO proud of my babydog. Even if he did poop mid-run...I mean, it happens right?

Recallers.

2012-01-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

Dash and I are part of this cool online course that 1 or 2 of you may have heard of, Recallers!

One thing that I quickly found out that Recallers is not purely about recalls, rather is focuses on the relationship between human and dog. During the course you play daily games that are fun, easy and quick and as a result of these games, you become your dog's "cookie". So because your dog values you so much, your chooses to come to you over any distraction that may pop up. Hence the name Recallers.

Dash and I took a month off from ALL agility work so we could concentrate solely on our new course. I was afraid that our skills would deteriorate but I really need Dash to be able to look past distractions so we can do our best out there.

So after a month of Recallers here is what babydog can now do:

-Recall away from play with other dogs
-Come with just one command
-Is learning that failure does not = give up.
-Stay in crate while I work with others dogs. No screaming either!
-Confidence in me

These are some MAJOR things for us, and after doing some agility this morning...I can honestly say we have improved greatly. We are more of a team and my teammate is really starting to trust me now.

Here is Dash demonstrating his awesome "It's Yer Choice".

This week:

2011-11-15T15:01:00.000-08:00

This week's agenda is as follows:

-180's. Keep moving them father and farther apart. We're about 9ft apart now.
-Front Cross Front Cross Front. Did I mention Front Cross?
-RZ work with and without jumps.
-Beginning stages of Rear Cross.
-Wraps.
-Pulls.
-

I made the above drawing simply because 1) I'm bored at work. 2) Who doesn't like to paint? but soon realized it was a tad TSD. Only difference? Mine suck.

Front Crosses.

2011-11-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

When I first started the Front Cross, I hated it. Hate is probably not even the right word...more like despised it.

But you have to understand why they made me uncomfortable. I am a horrid dancer. I look like a mixture of 'girl having seizure and a clown doing some exquisite ballerina move. Except the clown looks bad. Real bad. So I know that I looked awkward doing those front crosses that Greg Derrett could effortless pull off.

So I did them over and over. Eventually Dash stopped getting confused and I started looking better. I still don't think I look Derrett-esque but much improvement from 'girl having seizure' days. My poor dog can now follow my body movements and seems to know what to do before I even do them. (Isn't that why we all get Border Collies?)

I'm now in love with my front crosses! I can do them on grass. I can do them on cement. I can even do them running! I mean it's so bad that I now do them with my daughter as we come down the stairs. Bad, right?

Love.

2011-10-18T07:19:00.001-07:00

This is what makes those crappy training lessons melt away.

Blogs. I suck.

2011-10-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

It's a known fact that I cannot keep a journal so I really have no idea why I started a blog. Obviously I suck at it too.

Maybe I'm a Team Small Dog wannabe. I mean, the lady is funny so maybe if I keep a blog I'll morph into a Laura-esque funny lady too? Except I'll have a big red dog, a big black dog and small tan dog. Hm.

But since this is an agility blog about my demon dog I suppose you would like an update since I haven't updated since May. (Does that sentence even make sense?)
-We passed our CGC with flying colors and I couldn't have asked him to perform any better.
-We quit training for flyball as the action was just too much for babydog to handle.
-We are training for agility heavily and the human still sucks at front crosses.

-Brittany

CGC Class #3.

2011-05-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

My dog was awesome! I was awesome! WE WERE AWESOME!

Dasher and I are finally getting the hang of this training stuff...well I guess it was just me holding us back but now that I'm applying things I have learnt, we are progressing so fast!

In case I've never mentioned it (as I'm too lazy to search my old blog posts) I am using only positive based methods to train Dash. No physical correction or verbal corrections. We ignore the bad and reward the good...which is a lot harder than it sounds. But Dash learns SO fast with this method that it's amazing.

But back to my CGC update: He stayed in place when a person approached me and pet him, he did down on command without having to do 'sit' first, he is able to do a stand/stay (so cool!!!), and he can also do a down from a few feet away.

Homework for this week:

Stand/Stay, then 'Down' from a few feet out: Dash has this in the bag, no problemo.

Sit/Stay while stranger approaches and pet him: He stays 3/4 out of 5 times.

Heel work: It's decent but we have a lot of room for improvement, especially around distractions :/

-B

CGC Class #2.

2011-05-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

This last week we worked the same things as the first class, except this time we paid great attention to details.

When I first looked over the CGC text material (before signing up for this class) I thought we had it in the bag. Ha! Distractions are Dash's weakness and boy are there a lot of them at class.

New people = distraction
New dogs = distraction
Dog whining = distraction
Agility equipment = distraction

All of these things hold more value than I do...which is sad, but it's my own fault. I take the blame entirely but I hope I can become his 'cookie' in the near future.

Working on:

Heel- Dog at your side and keeps pace with you. Turn in left/right circles and praise him for keeping up with you. I would give Dash a B.

Sit/Stay-Dog sit/stays beside you while stranger approaches. Dash does it 2 out of 5 times.

Down on Command only- 4 out of 5 times.

-B

Ruff Love & Rough Love.

2011-05-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Dash visited Dr. Whackemoff this past Tuesday, and boy was he mad at me!

When I picked him up from the vet's office he was still immensely drugged and to be quite honest, I was thinking "Well, this is quite nice!"

He slept the entire afternoon and when he wasn't sleeping, he was glaring at me.

Thankfully he has since forgiven me and while I was horribly worried that he wouldn't be his same neurotic self after his neuter, he is still my insane-bouncing-off-the-walls boy.

But his neuter wasn't the point of this point (although that was rough love!), this book by Susan Garrett is:

I've had this book since Dasher was a puppy and while I have skimmed it, I have never sat down and read it. In a nutshell: It's a relationship building program that will intensify your dogs drive to work with you.

I think it's a fantastic read and there are many DUH! moments where you simply can't figure out 'Why didn't I think of this before?!' Dash and I will be beginning the program next Tuesday or Wednesday...Why, you may ask, not today?

Because my wonderful, crazy, beast of a dog is muddy. <3

-B

CGC Class #1.

2011-05-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

When I was heading to our first obedience class, I really thought that we had it in the bag. Dash knew sit,down,stay,come,wait,get it, touch, etc. at that point and I had simply signed up for the class to get some guaranteed training time while around other dogs.

As you all know Dash didn't impress anyone that first class and by the time we had graduated he still had 'movement issues' (as I call 'em) but was getting better. So when we were driving to our first CGC class (4/25) I knew better than to expect him to be a superstar.

But he was!

He behaved wonderfully and listened to all of my commands...I was in shock! Usually he cannot handle himself when other dogs get excited but even when others were barking/whining, he stayed nice and calm! Well, I cheated. Kinda. I used the Halti...Dash knows he must behave on a Halti but when we switch to his collar is when we have issues.

Part of this is my fault as I only used it when we were training and that's it. He quickly learned that on=training/time to behave and off=free time/don't listen to mom!

____________________________________________________________________________
In class #1, our homework was to teach the 'Stand', teach a 'Down' on command only (no hand gestures) and to work with the dogs in a sit/stay while people approach.

Down with voice only- Dash can do this since I luckily trained him from the start using only my voice as I hated that my other dogs rely on hand signals. But we do have one issue: he needs to sit before going to a down.

Stand-Since Dash knows hand touches, all I have to do is present my palm while he is sitting when he stands to bop it. I am currently combining this with the 'stand' command.

Sit/Stay while people approach- He is decent at this and I have no doubts that he will get the hang of it quickly. He has a pretty solid stay and can do this 2/3 out of 5 times.

-B

Moe Strenfel? Yes please!

2011-04-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

I just got wind that Moe Strenfel (Momentum Dog Sports) is holding a course on foundation training nearby...my first reaction was "Can we handle this?" but the more I thought about it, the more I got excited. This would be SO fun for Dash and I, I mean this woman trained with the Bailey's! (Click here for more info on them)

Operant Sonditioning is so much fun but is much harder than using traditional methods. Well, at least for a newbie like me it is. But luckily I was introduced to OC when Dash was still a baby so it's the only method he knows...it's incredible at how much faster he learns than our other traditionally-taught dogs.

Whatever object you put in front of Dash, he knows that if he starts pawing it/nosing it/mouthing it, then one of those behaviors is going to get him a treat. Whereas if I put an object in front of my traditionally trained dog, she just looks at me and waits for ME to do something.

But back on topic, Moe. Oh geez speaking of, I just checked my email and had an email from her...just emailing her makes me nervous. If I do end up taking this course the one thing I am SO nervous about it Dash's screaming issue. The only way I can quiet him is if I tug. It's a good thing and a bad thing...good because he is quiet and transferring his energy to the tug. Bad because he is learning that if he screams he gets a tug. His tug is the most valuable thing to him so me just giving it up whenever he wants it, is not a good thing.

-B

Coming Soon!

2011-04-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Stumped.

2011-04-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

I have no idea why I have such a hard time keeping up with this blog...I mean, everytime I do a training session with Dash I always record our results, so why can't I do the same here?

Anyway, since my last update Dash has completed beginner's obedience. Woohoo! Except for the mnior detail that he is still a pain in the rear. And only listens when he wants. But for now we all blame it on his boy hormones as he is nearing his first birthday and is still intact. But no worries, he already has an appointment with Dr. Whackemoff.

Our next step will be CGC...as much I dislike the AKC and what it promotes, I just want to prove to myself that I can get that certificate. For me it always seemed like such a faraway thing, something that only 'cool' dogs could achieve. But we're cool dammit, and we're going to get one!

We are still training for flyball and agility, and before I forget here is a link to a recent flyball tourney I attended:

Click here!

This is (hopefully!) the team Dash and I will be competing with. They are a bunch of wonderful people who make everything fun...you never feel pressured if you're dog doesn't learn something right away. It's part of the reason I love training with this group!

-B

Halti Dependence.

2011-04-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

We have a major flaw in our training and it's a major set back.

Dash relies on his halti to know when to behave.

I didn't use his halti on Monday night's obedience class and it was horrible! It was like a replay of the first obedience class...screaming, not listening to any commands, etc. In the back of my mind Susan Garrett just kept reminding me that he was overstimulated and couldn't comprehend my commands, not that he was ignoring me.

Since that class I have started reading "Shaping Success" by Susan Garrett all over again. This will be about my 3rd time reading it, but the first time that any of it really clicks with me as we are now starting actual 'hardcore' training.

At home and in mild stimulating enviroments, Dash is a wonderfully obedient dog who is fun to work with. Any more stimulating than 'mild' is when he goes beserck and just can't handle it. This is when he relies on his halti for help. It almost seems to keep him more grounded (he still gets all hyped up) but at what point do I take it off of him? We gotta start somewhere...

So why not start at this weekend's Flyball tournament? That's my great idea! Haha! I am bringing his halti for a Plan B, as I am thinking we will need all the help we can get.

Expect pictures and maybe some video this weekend from the tournament!

-B

Flyball Practice #2.

2011-04-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note: I am super lame at naming posts and I'm trying to get better at it! :)

Dash and I went out to our 2nd flyball practice yesterday, and he did even better than last practice. This was his first time running against another dog and although he popped out of the course a couple of times, he did get the hang of it eventually.

He raced against 2 other Border Collies and to say it nicely, he spanked them both! Haha! I am so proud of my dog and I get so excited just thinking about how well he is doing. We also did some box work which he got the ideas really quickly...now to teach him to love tennis balls...

If you want to see some video clips of Dash, just head over to my Youtube Channel: AgilityGurly

I plan to update the Youtube channel quite often as it will be a nice way to track our progress!

-B

Class 2 & 3.

2011-04-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

Phew! It has been quite awhile since I have blogged, but it's because I have been so busy!

We have now attended class 2 & 3 out of a total 6 obedience classes. Dash is doing fantastic and hasn't screamed during class. I think he now realizes that just because we are at the agility field doesn't mean that a trial is going on. Although Dash has been taught all basic obedience before we even signed up, this class has really reinforced the behaviors!

Dash's favorite game is when I put him in a Sit-Stay (or Down-Stay), walk a couple feet out and say "Readddddyyyy?" while dangling his tug, followed by "Get it!" He absolutely explodes out of his Stay to get his tug. I believe this game has really helped him to have an awesome drive towards me...and his first Flyball practice confirmed this.

Last Sunday we finally got the time to go out to Flyball (we've been trying for the past month). Of course, Dash didn't disappoint and SCREAMED as soon as we got there... The team captain got Dash in the restrained recall position while I ran out over 2 hurdles. I yelled "Readddddyyy" and then "Get It!" while running away from him. Boy did Dash explode out of that lady's arms and over those 2 hurdles...he wanted his tug! The captain just stared at him and said "Boy he's fast!"

We eventually did the entire course with him and he never went around a hurdle, he stayed right on course like a good boy. The only issue we have is that Dash has never played with a tennis ball. From the moment I got him at 13 weeks old, agility people told me "NO TENNIS BALLS" so Dash has only had tug toys. So over the past week I have taught that in order to get his tug he has to bring me his tennis ball. Luckily he picked this 'trick' up very quickly.

Sorry for such a long post, I just had so much to update!

-B

13 Weeks Old.

2011-03-30T14:31:00.001-07:00

Obedience Class #1.

2011-03-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

Well, Dash and I had our first obedience class this past Monday night.

I had pictured us walking in and being the star of the show as Dash already knows basic obedience as well as a few agility skills. I had exercised him a bit before going just to take that edge off.

He screamed for the whole entire hour long session. He never stopped to breathe...there went my 'star of the class' award.

I didn't sign him up to learn obedience but to get more exposure and for him to learn how to focus on me during distractions. Since he isn't food motivated, this is much harder than it seems. But we have an excellent teacher and she will come over several times during the session to help me individually.

For this week our homework is:
-have Dash focus on my eyes longer, rather than just a quick look.
-reward him while he is 'Down' during a "Down Stay" just so he can learn rewards don't equal a release.
-work on his 'heel'.

Dash is a very wonderful dog to work with, so while I will get these things down before the next session...I wont be have anything to show for it as he just can't handle being in a highly charged atmosphere. Did I mention that these classes are being held at the agility field? Yeah, makes him 10x worse!

-B

Help is on the Way!

2011-02-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

One of my all time favorite (dog) books is Shaping Success by Susan Garrett. Her trials with Buzz remind me that I am not the only one out there with a crazy red&white Border Collie.

After last weekend's USDAA trial, I had a bit of a breakdown. I really thought I had Dash prepared for all the hububb...boy was I wrong. From the moment we parked til the moment we left at the end of the day, Dash screamed. and screamed. and barked. Did I mention screaming?

Luckily I had read Susan's book and she gave several pointers on how to deal with a highly motivated dog in such a charged atmosphere. I worked with him for about 30min. in the parking lot and each time that we got distracted I would move farther and farther away from things that were rewarding. Only when he calmed down did we move any closer to the entrance.

Later that night I felt angry with myself as I didn't train him the way I wanted and I got too uptight with him. I really wanted to be calm and stress-free but I wasn't. At all.

So Dash and I are officially enrolled in obedience class now and while this is not the route I wanted do go, I think it will be best for Dash. Dash gets HIGHLY excited when around other dogs who are playing...so much so, he doesn't even know I am around. I mean, this dog will go to hell and back for his tug toy but it doesn't even register with him when other dogs are near.

It's not a bad thing at all, it just means that those other dogs are more rewarding than I am. I hope that obedience will teach Dash how to keep his focus on me and that I will become more rewarding than anything else. (As I type this he is running around at 90mph in the backyard...yeahhhh I have got some work cut out for me)

-B

Twitter.

2011-02-18T18:33:00.000-08:00

Ok, so call me lame but I signed up for a...are you ready for it? TWITTER.

I never really got the point of Twitter as we have email, texting, phone, etc. but hey to each their own. But now I have to look like a hypocrite as I now am the proud owner of one. It's not really going to be about my personal life, but it's dedicated to this blog and will mostly contain the same type of content.

Content like this:

Don't ya just want to hug him?

My Twitter name is AgilityBlog or if you would prefer to look me up by email address, my address is AgilityGurl@yahoo.com

-B

Puppy Days.

2011-02-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

I miss the big ole puppy belly, the puppy breath and of course the innocence.

Here we are bringing Dash home at just about 13 weeks.

Dash comes from purely working lines, as do his parents and their parents and so on. As we drove up their driveway to look at what could possibly be coming home with us, we saw a Border Collie out working sheep. I didn't admit it outloud but I was sold!

They had planned to keep him but eventually decided that they didn't need another male. According to them, he was the smartest of the whole litter and was quite the trouble maker. He was constantly getting out of the puppy pen and getting into the sheep pen. At 13 weeks old he had zero fear of the herd and would try to work them! My curiousity got the best of me and they gladly put him in with the sheep just so I could see.

Imagine a red fuzzball the size of a dodgeball, running around yapping at these huge sheep. It was the cutest thing I had even seen! Unfortunantely I had to leave him as we had another litter to "access"...they claimed to have puppies from 'working lines' as well. That's a whole 'nother story".

I obviously ended up picking Dash and I have never regretted the decision. He is a very independent dog, but gladly works for me any time I ask (other than at the agility trials!). He is very intelligent so I have to watch my back with everything I do as he tends to watch me...then come back later to try and get whatever I just put away.

Getting into our little dog's house.

So if you have a puppy, don't be in a rush for them to grow up. I know I used to think the 18 month minimum age requirement for agility was SOOOO far away, but now that it's only 9 months away...will we even be ready in 9 months?! Just enjoy the puppy days while you still can..<3

-B

Little Red Devil.

2011-02-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

I think the majority of people who own Border Collies have one time or another referred to them as 'a devil'. We don't mean it in the literal sense of course, but more of a way to describe their frenzied behavior.

Right now I have the pleasure of being owned by a little red Border Collie who goes by the name of Dash. He is in the middle of his teenage years and can be a huge pain in the rear. He is smart. And he knows it.

This is the first dog that I have ever trained using the Operant Behavior and they learn SO much faster with this method. He is eager to learn and will work longer than if I used any sort of traditional-type training. For those who don't know what Operant Behavior, a simple way to define it would be: Reinforce what you like and don't reinforce anything else! Dogs naturally do what is pleasing, so if they get a cookie every time they sit, you better believe they will sit a whole lot!

It's definitely a lot harder than traditional training, but once you get the hang of it you will see that both you and your dog are happier. Dash learns things in only one session whereas in the past (with previous dogs) it took me mulitple sessions to teach one behavior. For example, last night the Hubby and I went to Petsmart and in the time it took to browse ONE aisle I had taught Dash how to "side" (line up on my left side).

I highly recommend anyone interested in this type of traninig to check out Susan Garrett's book Shaping Success. It can be found on Clean Run or Susan's website Clicker Dogs. It has dramatically helped me in my training as well as showing me that I am not the only one who a red Border Collie who screams at the agility field. Ohhh my little red devil. <3

-B