Running dogwalk training

[wildo]

I hope you guys don't mind me posting here, even though I don't yet have a BC. But I do have a border collie question on this subject...

 

With the snow, it's been really difficult to train outdoors. I've been working on Silvia Trkman's "Tricks for Balance, Strength, and Coordination" DVD indoors, but today at lunch I noticed the dogwalk had all the snow and ice melted off. So we did some contact training on my lunch break.

 

I know that this isn't the most accurate method of measurement, but I used a stopwatch to mark the instant she crosses the start of the dogwalk and the instant she exited the dogwalk. For each run in order in the video, I got:

• 1.507 seconds (going straight off the end)
  
• 1.573 seconds (going straight off the end)
  
• 1.543 seconds (asking for a turn off the end to the left [cued late])
  
• 1.782 seconds (asking for a turn off the end to the left)
  
• 1.962 seconds (asking for a turn off the end to the left)
  
• 2.338 seconds (asking for a turn off the end to the right)
  

 

An average of 1.784 second dogwalk. Granted- it's a low dogwalk, I understand. As I fade the hoop and she maintains criteria, I'll raise it up to full height. I'm just curious what the average dogwalk time is for a fast border collie?

 

[gcv-border]

Awesome running dogwalk - and the turns are great too. She really listens to you.

 

Probably someone knows off the top of their head, but I don't. Do I remember that ST posted a video on her website about running DWs where she had timed them? Or maybe I am thinking about her cik/cap video?

 

Jovi

[wildo]

Awesome running dogwalk - and the turns are great too. She really listens to you.

 

Probably someone knows off the top of their head, but I don't. Do I remember that ST posted a video on her website about running DWs where she had timed them? Or maybe I am thinking about her cik/cap video?

 

Jovi

 

Thanks! Yes, I believe I've seen the video you're talking about from ST, but man- her dogs are INSANELY fast! hahahaha! I like to think we can be competitive with moderately fast border collies, but not with the super fast- and definitely not against Trkman's dogs.

 

This may be the video you're thinking of- at least it's the one I was thinking of:

[Carlasl]

Every dogs speed is different... that was the answer you wanted right...

 

I am getting ready to train our new pup for running contacts and I have decided to retrain my border collie for them as well. I have never ever liked her contacts and she is not one of those super fast border collies. She has good speed and is very accurate so I would like to do something to increase our times and her motivation and I think running contacts would do that for us.

 

Your dog looks great! I am always impressed with running contacts and big dogs, they really have to think about their stride.

[wildo]

She has good speed and is very accurate so I would like to do something to increase our times and her motivation and I think running contacts would do that for us.

 

Your dog looks great! I am always impressed with running contacts and big dogs, they really have to think about their stride.

 

Thank you! She's a pretty remarkable dog. I don't think I'd be as into agility as I am had I not learned it with her. Her willingness to participate with focus, speed, and gusto really is inspiring. It's caused me to look around at other dogs (specifically BCs) and to be able to appreciate them more. She continues to floor me with her agility.

 

That said, I'm in the same boat as you with looking for some place to make up speed. While I've never trained a stopped contact (seems counter-intuitive to me in a game of speed) Pimg's weaves are sadly very slow. Given her size and age, I just don't see her weaves improving much. And so I started looking at places where I could make up the time lost in weaves- contacts were it. That realization is what pushed me to start actually training running contacts. Ok- I'm not going to ever have a sub one second dogwalk like ST's dogs, but my girl's DW is definitely faster than most of the local dogs we compete against in our class. So that's good...

[gcv-border]

That said, I'm in the same boat as you with looking for some place to make up speed. While I've never trained a stopped contact (seems counter-intuitive to me in a game of speed) Pimg's weaves are sadly very slow. Given her size and age, I just don't see her weaves improving much. And so I started looking at places where I could make up the time lost in weaves- contacts were it. That realization is what pushed me to start actually training running contacts. Ok- I'm not going to ever have a sub one second dogwalk like ST's dogs, but my girl's DW is definitely faster than most of the local dogs we compete against in our class. So that's good...

 

Another thought about making up time is to examine the turns over jumps. There are 3 contacts in a Standard class (AKC), but there are also sequences where a tight turn can make up a couple of seconds. Once more dogs have running contacts, the tight turn will become more important - particularly in a Jumpers class where there are no contacts. For large dogs or dogs with very long extension over jumps (my dog), if they are not taught to collect to turn over a jump, they jump with speed and extension and then crank their body around to get the next jump. (I am sure you have seen those awesomely fast BCs that have very wide turns.) Not only are you losing a couple of seconds per jump, but that is a lot of stress on their shoulders. A tight, collected turn can solve both problems. [And since I have a dog that has already had shoulder surgery, I am particularly attentive to what I can do to reduce additional shoulder stress (other than give up agility )]

 

Jovi