Sonic's 1st agility class--completely awesome. Indoor arena, really
fantastic comfortable people friendly instructor, and only 2 students!
Can't get better.
Sonic was nailing his toy, and launching himself after it, velcro eyes on me, just really really into being there.
He did have trouble with the instructors dog when she started barking and jumping, started jumping barking himself (and not in a good way). Then he completely lost focus and looked like a dejected puppy for the next exercise.
BUT, BUT, BUT, this was completely fixed with a quick time-outside on the longline, where he instantly went toy crazy again, played a quick round, let him pee, then drink, and then back inside & he was ON again. So now I know what to do next time.
Learning some new handling skills, driving forward, rear cross. My former training we just taught the obstacles, and then direct dog to obstacles...which is fine if you have the obstacles. Here we are building handling skills that can be practiced without obstacles, which is ideal for poor folk like me...because when the money runs out, I'll be without obstacles but with dog & skills. So, yay!
Topics covered. Front cross (which was pretty much already learned by instinct, running with dog off-leash).
Rear cross--brand baby new. 1st, teaching dog to drive forward with food on a stick (treat in chuck-it toy), to get the dog to run ahead of handler (anti-laser eye training). This would have come in handy in the early 'afraid of treats' stage.
Then teach circling at a trot (not there yet).
Then forward motion with me behind (rear-cross)
Wraps--hand signal & go round cone (used a traffic post at home), (egg-beater hand signal & toss treat forward)
Drive forward with toy (go! command). Been doing this in the woods with squirrels, so he has some idea already. Collar hold back does not work--which I'm actually happy about, since I've spent 9 months training him NOT to pull. When I gave up on that & just lightly held his leash tab, said go! he surged forward, I dropped tab & threw toy--that perked him up.
So all in all very good. He showed his top form, which looked AMAZING, and also his chips, the reactivity to barking dogs, and a brief moment of shut-down, so it looks like he's READY READY READY -- Yay!
I think I got me a brand spanking new little sport dog! (I miss you Dynamo, I really do, but I'm happy to get another kick at the can, ONE MORE TIME)
and now I'm feeling a little weepy, really, seriously, I never thought I'd....never mind, bye.
Sonic was nailing his toy, and launching himself after it, velcro eyes on me, just really really into being there.
He did have trouble with the instructors dog when she started barking and jumping, started jumping barking himself (and not in a good way). Then he completely lost focus and looked like a dejected puppy for the next exercise.
BUT, BUT, BUT, this was completely fixed with a quick time-outside on the longline, where he instantly went toy crazy again, played a quick round, let him pee, then drink, and then back inside & he was ON again. So now I know what to do next time.
Learning some new handling skills, driving forward, rear cross. My former training we just taught the obstacles, and then direct dog to obstacles...which is fine if you have the obstacles. Here we are building handling skills that can be practiced without obstacles, which is ideal for poor folk like me...because when the money runs out, I'll be without obstacles but with dog & skills. So, yay!
Topics covered. Front cross (which was pretty much already learned by instinct, running with dog off-leash).
Rear cross--brand baby new. 1st, teaching dog to drive forward with food on a stick (treat in chuck-it toy), to get the dog to run ahead of handler (anti-laser eye training). This would have come in handy in the early 'afraid of treats' stage.
Then teach circling at a trot (not there yet).
Then forward motion with me behind (rear-cross)
Wraps--hand signal & go round cone (used a traffic post at home), (egg-beater hand signal & toss treat forward)
Drive forward with toy (go! command). Been doing this in the woods with squirrels, so he has some idea already. Collar hold back does not work--which I'm actually happy about, since I've spent 9 months training him NOT to pull. When I gave up on that & just lightly held his leash tab, said go! he surged forward, I dropped tab & threw toy--that perked him up.
So all in all very good. He showed his top form, which looked AMAZING, and also his chips, the reactivity to barking dogs, and a brief moment of shut-down, so it looks like he's READY READY READY -- Yay!
I think I got me a brand spanking new little sport dog! (I miss you Dynamo, I really do, but I'm happy to get another kick at the can, ONE MORE TIME)
and now I'm feeling a little weepy, really, seriously, I never thought I'd....never mind, bye.
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