Hoopers

[Root Beer]

I got to play this for the first time this evening and it was so much fun!

 

I do have a few hoops at home and have used them for some training, but Dean has never sequenced hoops like that before. Through the first part of the game, he was a little confused, but about halfway through he got the idea and he really enjoyed it. (And he got a Q, to boot!!)

 

I let my friend run him in his second run and he went out there very eager, knowing exactly what to do. When we packed up to leave, he wanted to go in to run again! For Dean, that's pretty amazing!

 

Best of all, Hoopers is a QUIET game!! No bars dropping, nothing banging, no whistles!

 

I put off trying this game for a long time, thinking I would find it boring. I was surprised by how much fun it was and Dean and I will definitely be playing again!

[gcv-border]

I like the idea of Hoopers. (Actually, I like several of the NADAC games. Do other organizations run Hoopers?) My local area has only one NADAC trial per year, and even though I mostly run AKC (only because most of the trials within a 2-2 1/2 hours drive are AKC), I wouldn't want to miss the NADAC trial.

 

IMHO, the beauty of Hoopers is that it is a fantastic way to practice handling skills without the stress of jumping. I have been meaning to make some Hoops for practice. Maybe a New Year's project.

 

I did notice that several dogs that normally run AKC (my dog included) did get confused when the hoop was the final obstacle on the course. Actually, it was rather funny. They would do fine on the course, which had hoops, then blast through the penultimate obstacle - a tunnel - and think that their run was done. They would look back at their handler after going through the tunnel (we couldn't keep up with our dogs when they flew through the tunnel) and jump around like they had just finished the course. Even though the handler would be saying "Go on" and motioning forward, the final hoop just didn't look like the normal obstacle they were used to. You could see them thinking "Mom, what? Go on? Go on to what? I just finished the tunnel."

 

Did you try the Tunnelers course? Another NADAC game I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! As the name suggests, it is just a series of tunnels (no other obstacles) through which you guide the dog. Awesome fast. And again, I think that there is less stress on the joints since there is only running - no jumping, or teeters, or stops on the contacts. Maybe Dean would like Tunnelers too!

 

Jovi

[Root Beer]

Did you try the Tunnelers course? Another NADAC game I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! As the name suggests, it is just a series of tunnels (no other obstacles) through which you guide the dog. Awesome fast. And again, I think that there is less stress on the joints since there is only running - no jumping, or teeters, or stops on the contacts. Maybe Dean would like Tunnelers too!

 

Oh yes, Dean has done Tunnelers. Has the Novice title, in fact, and, I think, one Q toward the next title you can get in Novice. That is another thing I like about NADAC - there are two or three titles that you can earn at each level and then a boatload of combined stuff at each level. He does enjoy it.

 

He likes Touch and Go, too, but I haven't worked discriminations enough with him for him to do them at the distance we need in for Touch and Go. Not that we need distance in Touch and Go like in the distance game they have, but the courses are so open that he always ends up far away from me if he is the least bit comfortable. That was one good thing about Hoopers - it was a tighter course than their typical courses, so I was able to keep up with him pretty well.

 

There is another trial in February. No Hoopers this time. Bummer. But I might go do some Tunnelers or Touch and Go with him.

[Rave]

Hoopers is uniquely NADAC. You won't find it anywhere else.

[Root Beer]

Hoopers is uniquely NADAC. You won't find it anywhere else.

 

Yes, we were running in NADAC. So far I only do CPE and NADAC and the main reason I do NADAC is because they don't have whistles in their games and they have no teeter, so Dean can participate. Now that he is out of Level 1 in Standard, Dean can only run a few categories in CPE - Colors, Jumpers, and Wildcard. He can do anything in NADAC.

 

I will say I like NADAC. CPE is my "first love" as an Agility venue, but I like NADAC very much. Hoopers was a lot like a CPE game (only no whistle!!!). Tunnelers is fun. The main reason I don't do more is because Maddie is 10 and I want to do as much CPE as I can with her before she is done. 51 more Q's and she could get a Specialist CATCH. OK, not very likely, but we are going to do as much as we can!!

[alligande]

I have to confess to still finding NADACs hoops slightly annoying, and we compete primarily in NADAC as that is the venue with the most local trials (excepting AKC which we do not play). The problem is that no where I train uses hoops and so although I can train a couple of hoops at home the only time my dogs see them in a sequence is at a trial. The first time Brody should have Qd in regulars the last obstacle was a hoop after the A frame, it was also the first time he had seen one on a course, needless to say he went right by and as the rest of the run had been perfect we still had a great big party. We have not yet been at a trial when hoopers was offered but I would give it a go if it was offered.

 

But then there was the high I felt the first time we managed a perfect serpantine through hoops

 

Tunnelers is fun but we have had a hard time making time as it is always the last run of the day and Brody is usually a little fried by that time and would much prefer if we just got in the truck and came home by the time we get to tunnelers so we do not play often.

[Root Beer]

The problem is that no where I train uses hoops and so although I can train a couple of hoops at home the only time my dogs see them in a sequence is at a trial. The first time Brody should have Qd in regulars the last obstacle was a hoop after the A frame, it was also the first time he had seen one on a course, needless to say he went right by and as the rest of the run had been perfect we still had a great big party. We have not yet been at a trial when hoopers was offered but I would give it a go if it was offered.

 

That is a problem that I've experienced, too. Last spring I ran Dean in the NADAC Regular class and he was confused by the hoops on the course. Oddly, he had seen them in Touch and Go and had been fine with them, but in Regular, where they were in a pinwheel, they didn't make any sense to him.

 

I will say this, though - the game of Hoopers was different from seeing them in regular courses. That was what surprised me about it, actually. When it is just hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, the hoops themselves seemed to take on a new significance. At least that's what happened with Dean. I am very interested to see if Dean understands them better within a regular course now that he has played the game. He won't have a chance for a while, though.

 

If you do get to try the game, I hope you will let us know your reaction. I'm still surprised by how much Dean and I both enjoyed it.

[in2adventure]

Hoops were designed to challenge the handler, not the dog. I love hoopers, whether they are on a regular course or a whole class of them. They really show how well a dog knows it's lines and tests the handler's timing.

 

Lucia never saw a hoop until our first hoopers class, same with Grady. I don't have any to train with. Really need to make some. Both caught on fast and Lucia thinks it's great to blast around a course with Mom and not have to work too hard at it

[SecretBC]

Many people have the misconception that Hoopers is "easy" because "it's nothing but hoops." Quite the opposite, that's what makes it more difficult. I kept my little guy, Kaiser, out of Hoopers for well over a year into his trialing career because I knew the class would completely blow his mind. Well, we need at least two Open Q's in Hoopers to qualify for 2011 Champs, so I started to enter him in the class a few trials ago. He finished his Novice title this past weekend on his fourth go at the class -- I'm so glad I waited to put him in it until he had more confidence, though. His last run was great! Now just two more and I can stop running him in that class....

 

My big guy loves Hoopers. Nothing but running!

 

They are talking about moving Hoopers back to a numbered course (basically a jumpers course with hoops instead of jumps). While I agree that it's probably fun & fast, I like to have at least one strategy game in NADAC. I would prefer to see Hoopers stay in its current form -- But it doesn't sound like it will stay that way.

[Root Beer]

Many people have the misconception that Hoopers is "easy" because "it's nothing but hoops." Quite the opposite, that's what makes it more difficult. I kept my little guy, Kaiser, out of Hoopers for well over a year into his trialing career because I knew the class would completely blow his mind.

 

Actually, I think the "thinking challenge" is what Dean liked about it. He had to figure out what the heck we were doing and once he did, he was quite pleased.

 

We do a lot of similar handling maneuvers in class with jumps, so I found the hoopers concept very familiar. It was like a cross between a CPE game and class - just with hoops!

 

I wouldn't run it with Maddie - I think it would tick her off to no end. She wouldn't mind seeing a few hoops in a course, but a whole course of them would probably annoy her.

 

Well, we need at least two Open Q's in Hoopers to qualify for 2011 Champs, so I started to enter him in the class a few trials ago. He finished his Novice title this past weekend on his fourth go at the class -- I'm so glad I waited to put him in it until he had more confidence, though. His last run was great! Now just two more and I can stop running him in that class....

 

Cool! Congrats on finishing Novice with him!

 

They are talking about moving Hoopers back to a numbered course (basically a jumpers course with hoops instead of jumps). While I agree that it's probably fun & fast, I like to have at least one strategy game in NADAC. I would prefer to see Hoopers stay in its current form -- But it doesn't sound like it will stay that way.

 

I would rather it stay in its current form, too. A numbered course of them would be fun, but the way it is now is an excellent strategy game.

[Pat W.]

Although I do Nadac and the person I train with is a NADAC judge, I think that Hoopers is the silliest game with no real redeeming qualities...sorry give me USDAA any time

[Root Beer]

Although I do Nadac and the person I train with is a NADAC judge, I think that Hoopers is the silliest game with no real redeeming qualities...sorry give me USDAA any time

 

My dog loved it. That's worth more than gold to me.

 

He wouldn't make it into the ring in USDAA because hearing the teeter slam from the dog before him would send him into a noise phobic panic and he wouldn't be able to run at all. This after several years of work and treatment and good progress for him with the condition.

 

I probably would enjoy USDAA with a dog who is suited for it. Tessa might be that dog and if she is, it is something I would like to explore and probably would enjoy. Although I think CPE will always be #1 in my heart because of Miss Maddie.

 

But if Dean likes Hoopers, Hoopers he will do and I will love every second of it. At least a few times a year.

 

I guess I'm just offering a different perspective. If the fact there are dogs that love the game is not a redeeming quality, I don't know what is.

[brndlbc]

Although I do Nadac and the person I train with is a NADAC judge, I think that Hoopers is the silliest game with no real redeeming qualities...sorry give me USDAA any time

 

Pat W

Can you ask your NADAC judge if the rumor that I heard about a new rule change in NADAC that if your dog barks while running the course it will be disqualified? I went to the NADAC website to confirm and the "rules" section is being revised so there isn't any info at all. I also heard that if your dog is dragging/pulling on its leash (not tugging) that you could also be disqualified. Any truth in this?

[in2adventure]

NADAC would lose sooooooooooooo many people if they had a no barking rule on course. The idea is ridicuoulsy silly. Even the people that control NADAC have dogs that scream on course. When I was at Champs this year, more dogs than not, bark or scream on course. The rule would be unfeasable. And as much as I would LOVE to a bark free trial, I can't imagine it happening.

 

I would also find the leash tugging rule a bit silly. A judge's opinion on what he/she thinks is pulling/tugging would not be fair. I could see if a dog was a danger in some way, but what does pulling on the leash in anyway have to do with agility? It's not an obedience trial.

 

Sorry to jump on the questions, but as much as I LOVE NADAC trials, I'm getting irritated with the constant yearly rule changes or even the thought of them at this point.

[Root Beer]

I just did a search on the yahoo group and I can't find anything about either on there. Might be a good idea to join that list and ask about those things.

[SecretBC]

The idea that a dog who barks on course would be eliminated is ridiculous. The only discussion there has been of barking is the constant annoying barking that goes on by some dogs in their crates (and owners who do nothing about it). People find it annoying and rude, especially dogs who snarl and attack the front of their crate when anyone passes by.

 

It is understood that sometimes the other dogs belonging to a person currently running their dog in the ring will bark (and hopefully you have a friend that can help address that issue) -- But if you are not running a dog, there is no reason your dogs should be carrying on like idiots in the crating area. At outdoor trials it is not noticed so much, but at indoor trials it bounces off the walls and just gets SO LOUD.

 

Re: Tugging -- I think it's a stupid rule, but if your dog is seen tugging or biting at the leash in the ring (before OR after your run), you will be eliminated. It's not so much a "safety" rule (as so many are in NADAC), but because of the "no toys in the ring" rule. If your dog targets on the leash as a toy, one could possibly say you are using your leash/toy to train in the ring and/or send your dog ahead to get his toy. The people who only train with food say this isn't fair.

 

It's really not that hard to train your dog to wait until you exit the ring to tug. As soon as you are out of the ring (well, technically 10' outside the ring) you are free to go crazy and tug the leash all you want. Most judges will allow an "oops" moment of a dog putting the mouth on the leash, but if you don't correct the situation you will be E'd.

 

As to the comment about Hoopers being silly and having no redeeming qualities -- You are obviously free to your opinion, but there are plenty of dogs & people who seem to enjoy the game. One nice thing about NADAC is how it allows dogs to compete well into their senior years by offering games that don't have jumps or contacts. Hoopers is one class that those dogs can enjoy, thereby giving them something to do other than sit in their crate all day while their younger housemates get to play.

 

I dislike that Hoopers is completely pointless in the titling sense unless you get your Superiors in all classes -- Because Hoopers ONLY counts towards the "All Around" award. So in that sense it is pointless to me, as I don't feel like spending the time & money to stick around in the lower levels to rack up points. There is no incentive for me to do Hoopers beyond the requirements necessary to attend Champs.

[brndlbc]

It has been many years since I have done a NADAC trial. In fact, Gamblers was still a titling class. I have not kept up with all the rule changes hence my question. Seeing as how the rules section on the NADAC website is being reworked, I thought there might have been something to it but we all know how rumors can be.....