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Some agility video of Rex


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Thought I'd give an update on Rex and his tire issues. We've not done any additional training (because that would require work) but I have had a chat with him about the importance of going through the round part, and not any of the other parts. It seems to have sunk in as he didn't miss any tires this weekend - yay!

 

He's such a strange combination of enthusiasm and flakiness. I can't believe he's the same dog that digs so hard on his flanks that he leaves divots. Oh well, I guess he heard agility is supposed to be fun, because he sure is having it! Such a difference from Wick, who thinks agility is pretty much life-or-death. smile.gif

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTmkVb3J0U4

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I love the helicopter tail on the table. I noticed that you patted Rex on the head while he was on the table. Don't you get eliminated for touching your dog? What was your tire issue? Charlie has a tire issue with the new break-away USDAA tires. Do you have the break-away tires up there. Charlie's problem is that he just blasts through the tire and ends up splitting it half of the time, which is a fault. Since he's such a big dog, there is little room for error when going through the tire. He's much more successful if he's approching the tire straight on. But, if he's coming from an angle, there's a good chance that he's going to split the tire.

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I love the helicopter tail on the table. I noticed that you patted Rex on the head while he was on the table. Don't you get eliminated for touching your dog?

Yeah, the tail is awesome. It's actually helicoptoring the whole run; it's just more obvious on the table. smile.gif And yes, I petted him on the table. We already had a refusal on the poles, so we weren't going to Q, and quite frankly, he was looking so cute, I had to give him a pet, who cares about another 5 faults. In AAC (which is most like USDAA in terms of jump heights and classes), you can train in the ring, so pretty much anything goes, as long as you're nice to your dog. For example, in Wick's standard run, we spent almost the entire time working on her startline stay.

 

What was your tire issue? Charlie has a tire issue with the new break-away USDAA tires. Do you have the break-away tires up there. Charlie's problem is that he just blasts through the tire and ends up splitting it half of the time, which is a fault.

Pretty much the same problem as Charlie, just no respect for a tire. I should have trained him on a rigid tire, but all I had access to are the gigantic AAC breakable tires. He has jumped the corner above the tire, he has smashed the tire to pieces (not sure if he ever did go through it), and then sometimes, he would just run around it. This trial, he was fine. Even though breaking a tire is not faulted here (so long as you kinda go through) I still think I'm going to buy a rigid tire, though, as he really does need to learn to be more accurate.

 

Don't worry, he was fine. He got up and wanted to do it again!

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He's looking great!! I love how happy he always looks. I wish Secret would bounce around with joy at the start line -- she just stands there and stares at the course! Lighten up, girl. lol I love happy, bouncy boys. :)

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And yes, I petted him on the table. We already had a refusal on the poles, so we weren't going to Q, and quite frankly, he was looking so cute, I had to give him a pet, who cares about another 5 faults.

 

That's kind of what I figured.

 

In AAC (which is most like USDAA in terms of jump heights and classes), you can train in the ring, so pretty much anything goes, as long as you're nice to your dog. For example, in Wick's standard run, we spent almost the entire time working on her startline stay.

 

Wow, that's nice. That's really what I need. That's why my class dog and my trial dog are two different dogs. He knows that he can get away with stuff in a trial. But, we are doing a trial this weekend and I've basically decided that I'm going to use it for training purposes and not worry about trying to Q. It just needs to be done, if we ever hope to run clean again. We did a little of it at our last trial and Charlie had some nice runs. But, I wasn't consistent. This time, I'm going to be consistent. If he breaks his start line or blows off a contact, the game will stop. No punishment; just an end to the game. So sad.

 

 

Pretty much the same problem as Charlie, just no respect for a tire. I should have trained him on a rigid tire, but all I had access to are the gigantic AAC breakable tires. He has jumped the corner above the tire, he has smashed the tire to pieces (not sure if he ever did go through it), and then sometimes, he would just run around it. This trial, he was fine. Even though breaking a tire is not faulted here (so long as you kinda go through) I still think I'm going to buy a rigid tire, though, as he really does need to learn to be more accurate.

 

Yep, Charlie obliterated the tire at the first place we took agility classes. Broke it good. See, I think Charlie has the opposite problem. He'd never seen a break-away tire until we had it in a trial. So, his bull-in-a-China-shop approach to the tire was never a problem until he was faced with a break-away tire. He could get through the tire, even though he didn't have any respect for it, and it was not a fault to have a sloppy tire jump. But, now, with the break-aways, if the tire spits a little bit, it's a fault. It doesn't help either that all the places that we currently train pretty much train only to the AKC standard and use only AKC standard equipment. So, we don't ever get a chance to train on a USDAA tire, which is significantly smaller than an AKC one. I'm trying to push my club to buy a USDAA tire, but I'm not sure that others will think that it's a priority for our club.

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I wish Secret would bounce around with joy at the start line

I don't think any girl dog would do the BounceBarkHappyDance . What is hilarious with him is that I let him bounce til I hear "Ready" and then tell him Stay, and he just freezes in a stand. Such a little freak (but he has a startline stay, which is more than Wick can say).

 

Mary, we're going to do a USDAA trial in May. My friend has both a slatted dogwalk (we don't have slats on ours in AAC) and a USDAA-sized tire (ours are big enough for a Smart Car to drive through) so we're going to go out there and practice beforehand. Who knows what kind of mayhem Rex is going to cause with a smaller tire LOL! Luckily, he's much smaller than Charlie.

 

 

 

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Gee I wish I could actually watch some of these videos that are posted; my computer will not play lost youtube videos for some reason. Tried doing everything the internet says...including reinstalling adobe flash and nothing works. I am in the youtube html5 trial...and that lets me view some videos, but not all. Unfortunately, this is one I can't view. The little circle in the middle just keeps twirling. :(

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I also loved your blind crosses, I have been working on them but just can not seem to get the foot work/Arms together :huh: I am looking forward to the day I can bring them out at a trial.

Daisy Peel has a video on blind crosses that's really good for teaching the basics, as well as when to use them. I've found there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

 

  1. It's only blind for the moment that you take your eyes off your dog. This is where childhood dance training can come in handy, as you "spot" the turn. Look back (incidentally, the name of Daisy's video), change arms, pick up dog on other side, and off you go!
  2. Be prepared to abort. Have a back-up plan (usually a rear-cross) in case you can't get there. I don't do a lot of rear crosses, but in this trial, I couldn't run very fast (just came off a 1-month bout with flu) so I had to rear where I would have preferred to blind. It's pretty expensive if you are late on a blind - if you are late on front cross, the dog just gets jammed up. If you're late on a blind (and your dog has no self-preservation instinct), it could be messy.
  3. Blind crosses cue extension. The one I did before the second frame in steeplechase was naughty, as it was on a turn. You can see how wide Rex went, as I was cueing extension. Don't do that LOL!

Ketchers are a nice way to start with blind crossing in trials. It's a lot more controlled, and if you miss, the worst that can happen is a back-jump. When you do them on a straightaway, it's a lot more of an adrenaline rush!

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Airbear I have been thinking about buying Daisy Peels video, so thanks for the recommendation, as a totally un-coordinated child a quit dance at the early age of 7 so I can not fall back on that.

I am a lot more comfortable with ketchner, but they really have a limited use.... Running such a fast dog I think a blind cross will help with a smooth path, my partner now understands that he is coming to the side with the hand, he has his part down, I just need to get mine "pretty"

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Running such a fast dog I think a blind cross will help with a smooth path, my partner now understands that he is coming to the side with the hand, he has his part down, I just need to get mine "pretty"

Then get the video! It isn't that long, it's only $24.95, and a lot of the exercises are just for you. The dog can sit back, watch, and judge. smile.gif

 

Look Back - Learning About Blind Crosses

 

 

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I am a lot more comfortable with ketchner, but they really have a limited use....

 

In Europe Ketschkers used all the time but, as you say, they do have limited use. There are very few occasions where the risk of taking your eye off the dog is worth it in terms of saving time.

 

Running such a fast dog I think a blind cross will help with a smooth path, my partner now understands that he is coming to the side with the hand, he has his part down, I just need to get mine "pretty"

 

I must admit that I'm not a fan of blind turns or crosses. Crossing the dog's line of sight can slow a slow dog down even further and can be disastrous with a fast dog - like this

 

 

Looks good if it comes off but it often doesn't. If you have wonky knees and can't pivot very well then maybe they might be a reasonable choice.

 

Dave Munnings and Toni Dawkins have recently held training days locally - both of them regular international competitors over recent years and extremely successful.

 

Toni has spent some time living in Europe recently and concentrated on Ketschkers and similar moves on the training day while Dave really hates them and other blind options. Now we can all do Ks and the like but Dave has given us an excuse not to.

 

Personally I prefer Dave's less flashy and less complicated approach. It just goes to show that no one style or move is necessarily superior to another overall.

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Daisy Peel in her video discusses not using them with a slow dog. or a baby dog that still might need motivation for those reasons. I think like everything they have their application, I have been working on my front crosses and getting the time down, but there are simply times with a large very fast dog that the middle aged human can not get the turn in, but a blind cross could be possible especially in wide open courses. I am fit and reasonably fast BUT I am still middle aged as much as I hate to admit it. What I do not want to have to do is use a rear cross unless it is really necessary as I noticed that unless you are already behind that really slows things up.

 

I have worked with 2 national level trainers and both use blind crosses, but only in limited amounts. It seems like they are used a lot by people who are pushing for the win and living on the edge. With my current dog we like living on the edge because it just so much fun to be able to run like hell and know your dog is along for the ride, will never get distracted or slow down, rarely knock a bar and if I get the handling right then a Q and a placement will happen, if I get it wrong then it usually goes really really wrong, my partner has no patience for bad handling :D

 

If I was not running my current partner then I would not be so focussed on blind crosses and all the other slightly risky tools that are available, I have been very lucky to get a dog that is completely focused on me, I am learning to trust him, and usually he is right were I was hoping.

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With my current dog we like living on the edge because it just so much fun to be able to run like hell and know your dog is along for the ride, will never get distracted or slow down, rarely knock a bar ...

Yes, this. And this is the same reason why I chose to train running contacts. Rex is probably the last dog I'll run where I can run full out. The knees aren't going to last forever (years of skating has taken care of that). Rex isn't super-fast, but he is enthusiastic, and he reads all crosses quite well (thank you, APHS!). It is just a lot of fun when the last half of a course involves the three contacts, some tunnels, and a straight line home. Giddyup, little doggie! biggrin.gif

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I have worked with 2 national level trainers and both use blind crosses, but only in limited amounts. It seems like they are used a lot by people who are pushing for the win and living on the edge.

 

Maybe in the US,and certainly in Europe, but a lot of the top handlers here in the UK don't like them and you couldn't accuse them of not trying when it really matters. I'm sure they would adopt them if they believed there was a distinct advantage in using them.

 

It all boils down to what the dog understands. If it is used to blind crosses then most of the time it will be fine.

 

Being old and slow with a poor sense of balance and spatial awareness myself, coupled with dogs that need motivation, I would never try a blind or rear cross. I find front crosses so much easier. My daughter being fast with a really driven dog does whatever it takes on a course, although she rarely does a blind cross - too much danger of being taken out by her dog.

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