Shawna Posted July 6, 2004 Report Share Posted July 6, 2004 We had a fun match tonight at agility and Darcy got a time of 38 seconds with two faults which someone told me was a really good time (?). I was told later that she's ready for level one but everyone was having to hurry away and so I never really got a very good explanation of what "level one" meant. So can someone please tell me what is level one? Also, Darcy will do the teeter properly if I'm standing right there at the center but if I'm not right there she races past the middle and catapults off the other end like some crazed rocket. Any suggestions before she causes herself incredible damage? Do I just make sure I'm always there until she forgets about gaining air time? She's doing the other contacts fairly well without having to go back, however for some reason she thinks the teeter is for flying. (I can't get much computer time lately so if I don't respond right away it's not because I'm being a bag I'll do my best to steal some time.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted July 6, 2004 Report Share Posted July 6, 2004 Hey Shawna -- can't help with the Level One query - guess it depends which kind of agility it is - or even which club. My take on the teeter would be that my dog would never get to do it at speed until she was absolutely solid on her performance at low speed as a single obstacle. (With Kirra, I could be a very old lady by the time she gets to run a course with a teeter in it!) I imagine there are different takes on this, but we're being taught to get the dog to stop at the balance point (different for each dog of course), then wait for the board to land before continuing. You're right, it's just way too risky - apart from being a fault - for the dog to be allowed to jump off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 I don't know what kind of agility you are participating. I am pretty sure they don't refer to it as "Level One" in NADAC, and in the AAC they call it "Starters." Regarding the teeter - contacts on a teeter are not the same as contacts on other equipment, because the other equipment doesn't move. Most dogs go through a "fly off" phase while learning. With my dogs, I am always sure to differentiate the teeter (in our case "PLANK" since "teeter" and "Tweeder" sound too much alike) from other contacts. If what it takes is you being by the teeter for now, then by all means stay by the teeter and work your way up to performing that obstacle at a distance. It took Tweed a year before he could comfortably take the Plank from about 20 feet away and "hit it" on the end. I also agree to teach the dog to ride the thing down and don't let them get off until it has stopped moving. This is where a 2o/2o comes in very handy. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 Also, Darcy will do the teeter properly if I'm standing right there at the center but if I'm not right there she races past the middle and catapults off the other end like some crazed rocket. ________________________________________________ At this point in time I would say that Darcy has no idea how to properly execute a teeter, and you have to go back and teach her proper obstacle execution. What is your criteria for the down plank? - 2on 2off; run off and lie down? Straight running contact with no stop? That's the first thing you have to decide upon. What do you want. Once you have trained that, then you start letting her do the entire teeter. Also on all contacts, unless you have a running contact where the dog is not required to stop in any way, the dog should not move from their static position until given a release word, such as "okay",or whatever your release word is. The dog must be able to perform all obstacles independent of the handler. The handler is not part of obstacle performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted July 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 Thanks for the input. I have no idea what club this woman was with so I guess I'll have to locate her and ask her more about the level one thing. Darcy was taught, originally, to stop in the middle of the teeter and wait for it to drop slowly. Last year she seemed to get it but this year we're starting from scratch. (She also didn't get much practice last year so I can't blame her.) We're working on the 2on/2off and it's going well on the other obstacles but she's slow doing it with the teeter for some reason. I'll stay right with her then until she gets it. The class has moved on to standing at the end of lines of equiptment and calling the dog over from the opposite end, we'll just take a break in the middle until I have undeniable proof she's grasped the concept, even if it takes a year. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in this frustration any way. Northof49, you mentioned a down after the contact. Is a down better for some dogs than the 2on/2off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 Darcy was taught, originally, to stop in the middle of the teeter and wait for it to drop slowly. Last year she seemed to get it but this year we're starting from scratch. (She also didn't get much practice last year so I can't blame her.) We're working on the 2on/2off and it's going well on the other obstacles but she's slow doing it with the teeter for some reason. __________________________________________________ Okay, so my read on this is that the performance point that you have emphasized is the tip point NOT the 2o2o, so you need to start emphasizing that the performance point that will get Darcy rewarded is the 2o2o. Tipping the teeter is part of performing the teeter, not the "performance" point that you want to emphasize and reward. I would start by placing her on the end of the teeter with 2o2o and reward. Then ask her to get up on the end of the teeter like half way up the yellow and get her to do the 2o2o and reward. Once she is performing that with you walking around her, throwing her toy, etc etc start to ask for the full teeter with the 2o2o. Only release her for her reward by telling her "okay, get it". Northof49, you mentioned a down after the contact. Is a down better for some dogs than the 2on/2off? Again that depends on what the handler wants. I have Cori perform a down after each contact. She can look at me, but she must keep her body facing straight forward and just off of the planks. I am teaching her a running contact for her AFrame with a down, so I am doing the down after the teeter and dogwalk as well. My friend is teaching her young dogs the running contact on the Aframe as well, but teaching them 2o2o on the dogwalk and teeter. We train together, we have just decided we want something slightly different. One is not more right than the other simply training preferences. The important thing is that each of us is keeping to a very strict criteria of what we want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted July 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 Okay, thanks. That helps. She has a super fast down so I may consider that. One more question: she's started barking on the equiptment - I hate it and can't let it become a habit because of other things I do with her but I don't want to correct her for being excited on the equiptment. She's always been a bad sulker and I'm afraid she may turn off if I get on her case too much. I can't remember for sure but didn't someone mention something about how to avoid this a while back or I did I hear it elsewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 One more question: she's started barking on the equiptment - I hate it and can't let it become a habit _________________________________________________ DO you mean barking on the contact equipment? Or while she is doing any equipment. What I do is once they start barking I will give them one chance with a shush! If they don't shut up, I just simply pick the dog up and plop it in its crate or if it's nice out - out in the car for about 5 minutes. Then we come back and start over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted July 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 All the equiptment! Okay, I'll take a crate next time. Thanks yet again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Have you ever seen fellow Canadian Susan Garrett and Buzz? He barks a lot and he's an incredible agility BC. barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted July 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 No I haven't seen them (that I know of), but I've seen lots of barking border collies on TV and the barking certainly doesn't seem to slow them down in the least. I know that it's just the high excitement that's bringing it out and if I wasn't afraid of it carrying over I wouldn't worry about it, but since I have a few other things going on that require an almost silent partner, I'm nervous about letting it become a habit. This last time we were there I had to get after her once when we just started, from then on she seemed to control herself on everything except the weave poles, where she made up for being quiet on everything else! :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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