YES, the 1/2 Day Agility Trial is Possible!

See the empty chair* pictured on the right? That symbolizes my home on weekends when I'm off showing at an agility trial. Imagine the possibilities...I could be at home reading a book, holding my husband's hand or snuggling a dog. 

Don't get me wrong, I love agility. 

There are times I spend hours thinking about a particular agility-thing, entire evenings spent enjoying it with my students and 4-day weekends watching it while judging. That's my choice and not only am I comfortable with it, but most importantly, I love it.

However, as a competitor, the continued trend of spending entire days sitting around at an AKC agility trial for more than 5 hours waiting to do a 60 second run is not one of the things on my 'love-to-do-list'. To be honest, it easily falls onto my "absolutely-can't-stand-to-do-page". 

Why? Well, if it were just me hanging around it would fall into the "who-cares-area" of life, but it's not. It's about my dogs. It's about life-balance for all of us. It's about being well-rounded as individuals. It's about doing laundry, spending time with family, weeding the garden or simply cleaning the house.

Specifically, I'm not fond of having to get my dogs to a location by 7:00 a.m., then asking (no, it's more like requiring) them to wastefully wait around for 3+ hours until their first run, followed by more mind-numbing downtime for up to an additional 5+ hours until their second run, leaving by 4:30 p.m. (if we're lucky), driving home, getting in late, snarfing down dinner, sneaking in a few chores and then doing it all over again the following day.

Sure, I could use my trial-waiting-time to practice tricks, do some training, visit with folks, network and assist with the trial event (and believe me, I do all of those things). But imagine a trial where I wasn't required to devote my entire day waiting around while my other life obligations and commitments were asked to take a back seat to my hobby.

Specifically, I miss the days where AKC, Excellent classes (all of them) were run first (there were a few trials where I was back home by 10:30 a.m.). Open folks arrived around 10:30-11 and Novice folks showed up around noon. Sure, the Open & Novice folks might have to wait around for a bit until it was time for their classes, but they weren't required to arrive at O'-too-early AND stay until O'-last-dog. The schedule I mention here is far more dog-friendly, ensures handler-happiness and most importantly, life outside of agility goes on as usual.

I've heard the argument that this type of schedule makes it harder to obtain volunteer workers. Honestly, I say bull-hockey! Why? Well, the other schedule (where Excellent is first and last of the day) falsely assumes that because Excellent handlers (the largest group) are forced to wait around, they are more likely to volunteer. First, you can't force anyone to volunteer. Second, they already feel they're making personal sacrifices just by attending for the lengthy day and third, they're hyper-aware of the already looming time commitment and simply don't want to take away from their personal lives any more than they have to.

Case in point, if on Saturday small dogs run first and there is a separate walk-thru for the large dogs (after small dogs are done). The large dog people won't show up first thing because they know they're already going to be there until the end of the day. Even showing up late, that means they're probably going to be forced to hang out for 7+ hours. Since they arrive later, that means they won't be available when the first dog enters the ring. Vice versa with the small dogs. They were forced to arrive early and so when their runs are completed (6+ hours later), they want to go home and so they're not available to help at the end of the day.

The other argument says that there are more conflicts when Excellent is running in both rings. Again, this is not necessarily true since there are just as many, if not more, conflicts when Novice and Open are running opposite Excellent. At the very least, there is more pressure since on Novice and Open since those tend to be smaller classes and if you miss your run there, you may be out of luck if they are already moving on to the next course change. And who wants to be rushed with a young dog? (hint: nobody!)

No matter what the running order, there is no doubt that volunteers are hard to come by and conflicts will arise. However, forcing people to stay and volunteer just isn't the answer because this doesn't create the pay-it-forward, feel-good moment everyone wants in agility. 

I'm an optimist and while this might come back to bite me in the butt (especially if I'm judging and need ring crew), but I think we should allow people to make their own decisions and handle their time as they see fit. People may surprise you. One day someone might not be in a rush and so they stay until the end. Another day they may have an obligation. Either way, it's a win-win for everyone involved and we're encouraging and facilitating BALANCE.

Whatever the running order, the days of spending 10 hours a day waiting for two agility runs needs to end. Nobody (or dog) can remain sharp, fun and relaxed for that amount of time and  who wants to be held captive at an agility trial. (again, nobody!)

* If you like the chair pictured, go to this link to learn how to do it yourself.

Courses - Portland, Maine Fri 6/25/10 - In Theory

Here I am in beautiful Maine. I've never been to this location and I'm really excited to be here!

Not only do I to watch and play with dogs, but I get to go to some kick-butt locations. I love going places and getting a feel for the culture, the people, the history and much more. Oh and an added bonus, I get to judge with an old friend who used to live in Illinois.

For me, it's a great line-up and I'm hoping my courses add to the fun of the weekend. I really like looking at courses ahead of time and gambling on what I think the challenging locations will be and then seeing how close I was.

Since I've never been to this part of the country, it will be interesting to see what their handling preferences are. Do they like front crosses, rear crosses, lots of verbal cues or do they rely more on physical signals? We're close to the Canadian Border (assuming the map I'm looking at is correct - this is a poke at my blog from last weekend were an oversimplified map told me I was near the Oklahoma border when in fact I was near Texas!) and I wonder if we'll have some Canadian folks as well. So many possibilities!

OK, on to the course. Here are my guesses as to how they'll handle it:

• I think they'll start with their dog on their right at the tunnel and front cross so the dog is on their left going down the dog walk.
• If handlers don't have some distance/lateral at their weave poles they may end up doing a bit of reactive handling after jump #7 as the dog potentially curls in to them and heads toward the dog walk. The other possibility is that as handlers step around the dog walk they may inadvertently push their dog into the tunnel.
• I'm going to guess and say that handlers will do a rear cross at jump #9.
• The challenge for the pinwheel will be slowing down. The first part of the course was a place where handlers had to run and now they'll be faced with a part where patience may need to come into play.
• I think it would be GREAT to see a front cross between jump #12 & 13. I think this would be a great way to keep the dog motivated and moving and allow the handler to switch sides and get up to the teeter area.
• Heck, if handlers get a front cross in above, they may be able to do another front cross either before the #14 teeter or after. I'm going to go out on a limb and say before the teeter.
• The last running line begins with the jump after the teeter and works its way down through the end of the course. 

In case anyone hasn't figured it out, I really like running courses. But, I really like to add a handling place as well. In my mind, I love the running areas for the dogs and I love the handling areas to mentally challenge the handler. For me, this combination seems to bring out the best and allows the team to work, well, as a team!

Well, I'm off to bed to start my exciting day in Maine. I know we've got a Lobster Shack on the water planned for dinner and a trip to one of the light houses for more photo opportunities. 

One last note, back in my reality world of Washington State, my hubby took down a couple of small trees that were precariously perched on some rotting nursing logs so that we would have a clear and sunnier place to plant the new Dogwood Tree I bought last week. I plan to use the newly cut trees to build a natural trellis with the logs and branches. 

I'm off to bed. Enjoy the post, but don't worry, it won't be public until late in the afternoon : )

Spot-On 2o2o Contact Training

Well, today I officially jumped off the deep end and committed to making a DVD on how I train my 2-on-2-off contacts. Nope, my methods haven't been featured in Clean Run Magazine, I've never seen them in print and each time I tell someone about them (and how flipping easy it is), I always get a wild-eyed look of amazement. Oh, and the light bulb goes off for the handlers too.

Now that I've made the commitment, there are so many details to attend to. Some things are factual in nature and some things are a bit softer and not so obvious. Specifically, I didn't come into almost 15 years of training experience by living in a bubble. There are so many people who have shared tid-bits of information with me over the years. Those tid-bits add up and here I am leaping off of a cliff to pursue a new adventure in my professional dog training career.

This personal project of mine has been developing in my head for the last few years. But specifically over the last year I've felt a directed pull (or should I say push) to move forward. A few things fell into place for me and my comfort level and tested practical experience are exactly where I need them to be.

But what really became the final 'test' or catapult was when I happened upon someone (half-way across the country) who was at their wits end when it came to contacts. After asking if she was open to an idea, I showed her the base of my training during the 20 minutes we spent together. I left her with easy, but specific homework and I guided her through the remaining steps in just a few e-mails. I did get weekly updates via Facebook that she was double-queing, but it wasn't until she sent me a video of their training results that it hit me. Her contacts were beautiful, spectacular, a work of art, amazing and well, perfect!

I don't want to take away any of the credit from the handler because believe me, she did her homework and worked it, but I can't help but know that I had at least a little bit of a hand in the transformation. It really makes me feel all warm-hearted!

So, that was the final push, that little thing that said "Get off your butt, put away your fears and JUST DO IT!" So here I am, planning to either share my knowledge with the world or I may fall face first into a mud puddle. Either way, I'm going to enjoy the journey and hope all those details I mentioned above work themselves out in a smooth manner.

Courses - Clovis, NM Fri 6/18/10

This past week I had the opportunity to spend a few lovely days in Clovis, NM (it's along the Oklahoma border).

Just like last weekend, I had planned to do a pre-write up ahead of time on what I thought would be the course challenges. But as I drove into town, I felt myself being transported back in time and forming some non-agility related preconceived notions.

Clovis is an incredibly cute town that hasn't been spoiled by time. Drive-up food places were abundant and so were ladies in old fashioned hair curlers. When I arrived around 7:30 p.m. on a week night, the town had a relaxed, sleepy appearance and I wondered if the agility trial was going to be the same way.

So out of respect for those attending, I decided to hold off judgement and relish what might come. Boy am I glad I did!

My first clue that Clovis and its residents were not lost in history was the nice hotel with all of the modern conveniences. My second clue was the amazing fairgrounds were the trial was located. This huge building holds rodeos, had a nice red dirt surface, stadium-style seating and HUGE swamp coolers that kept the indoor temperature very comfortable. Good thing because it was about 99 degrees outside!

The club and exhibitors were great. There were folks attending from Arizona, Texas and Colorado and the handling was very good. I was glad I didn't let the sight of hair rollers sway my opinion!

Excellent Standard was first and there were two main challenges and two minor challenges that caught my attention.

In the beginning of the course, I was surprised at how many dogs missed their dog walk contact. Jumping ahead, I want to add that after 2 days of contact observation, I came to the conclusion that in general the problem was that either:

1. most handlers hadn't trained a proper 2-on-2-off, 
2. weren't consistent or clear on their expected criteria, 
3. moved forward too quickly in the training or 
4. hadn't properly proofed the behavior and 
5. therefore resorted to a deep threatening voice to 'make' their dog hit the yellow. 

Don't get me wrong, there were several folks with great contacts and some beautiful running ones as well, but unfortunately the louder more threatening folks consistently caught my attention since I was standing within 10 feet of them and could hear every word.

On the other hand, the weave pole performances were consistently solid and very nice to watch. After the poles, a few dogs headed to the a-frame, but most handlers opted for a front cross to push their dog to the teeter.  Several dogs did take the off-course jump after the teeter and as expected, some dogs did go into the wrong side of the #6 tunnel. The next sequence was one of the major challenges on the course.

Most dogs were on the handler's left side coming out of #6 and handlers were well ahead of their dog. For the large dogs, the issue was the #8 panel jump which was knocked down often. Ironically, not one small dog (4-16"s) took the panel down. The rest of the course ran as expected all the way through to the #15 chute and #16 triple.

In this sequence, dogs were flying out of the chute and either taking the off-course jump or completely missing the triple. Most handlers did a front cross after the chute which had some dogs going behind their handler (between the triple and off-course jump) and others pulling in prior to taking the triple and heading toward #17.

Those teams that did successfully make the triple weren't out of the woods yet as handlers had to be sure to wait and pull the dog over #17 before focusing on the last jump. As I'm sure you've guessed, several dogs by-passed #17 and if they were clean up until that point, it certainly was a disappointment for those teams to NQ right at the end.

Next came Excellent JWW.

One of the things I love about traveling about is to see the different handling styles. The beginning of this course had handlers working the first sequence in such a way that I was a little puzzled. I hadn't anticipated the maneuver and I'm still not certain that it provided the dog with the best vantage point.

So here's the scenario with the handler's path shown in green and the dog's path shown in red. Basically, the handler lead out to past #2 and situated themselves on the right side of the #3 jump. This was obviously a practiced maneuver because once released, the dogs were clear that they were taking jump #1-2. However, every single dog landed very wide after #2 (probably because they were staring at the #9 jump) and just about had to face-plant to turn toward the #3 jump. To complicate matters, handlers then had to work to 'push' the dog toward jump #4 (presumably because they were staring at the off-course #7 jump). While most handlers did this successfully, it generally didn't come off as smooth or efficient for the dog's path.

The other area that caught handlers was the #11 jump. While working up to this jump, teams did a great job (awesome weave poles again) pushing their dogs through and were well ahead of them...maybe too much so because handlers started pulling down toward the #13 jump prior to dogs taking #11, which caused quite a few run-outs/refusals.

On the other hand, teams did a great job of working through the #13 - 16 sequence and finished with flying colors.

Courses (In Theory) - Terv Club Sun June 13, 2010

So in keeping with my weekend theme, I'm writing about tomorrow's (Sunday, June 13, 2010) Excellent JWW course BEFORE it's run. As with today's post, I'll set tomorrow's blog to automatically post in the afternoon and later write about the reality of what happened.

On to the course!

I think the challenge of obstacles #1-5 for handlers will be determining exactly where or how far they should lead out. Handlers will need to balance their actions so they can support the minor direction change from #2-3, but not put too much forward motion in since the dog will need to do a 180 degree turn into the #5 tunnel. Oh and don't forget the off-course #20 jump.

After the tunnel and on the landing side of the #6 jump, I would love to see handlers do a front cross. Granted, it would require the handler to trust their dog to drive out of the tunnel while the handler drifted toward the landing side of #6, but on paper this seems like a perfectly do-able option. However, after having seen many successful rear-crosses at the weave poles, I'm thinking the safe bet will be that option.

For sequence #7-10, I expect most handlers will have their dog on their left while in the weave poles and will work for a front cross between #9 &10. This would put handlers on the inside track through #14.

As for jump #14 on, I think the key may be to aim for being ahead of the dog to 'lead' them through this fast ending sequence (I love fast flowing lines for dogs as a great way to end the weekend). Which means that after #14, handlers are either going to have to work their way around the #9 jump which has the advantage of  drawing the dog up to #15 or if behind their dog, handlers may have to layer #9 and meet the dog back down at the landing side of #16.

I have to admit, I'm excited to see how folks work through this sequence!

My last concern on this course is that dogs may curl in after #19 and rather than push toward the #20 jump will spy the off course #5 tunnel and veer off-course at the last second. If handlers are behind, no amount of calling will save their butts from this last-minute kiss of death. By the way, the off-course tunnel is not considered an option by the AKC because it is over 21' from the #19 jump. So in theory this obstacle shouldn't be a big draw to dogs.

On a different note, technically this course has up to 11 challenges (9 are required for Excellent) and 3 side-switches (3 are required for Excellent). Can you identify where the challenges and side switches are? Remember, a side switch is defined as a change in direction.

Stay tuned for the Reality version of this course after it is run.

Lisa

The Best Kept Secret in Dog Training - Criteria!

I was in the process of writing a blog post questioning WHY dog handlers don't give the concept of predefined Criteria the attention it deserves...when it dawned on me. Have they ever been told of the need for planned Criteria?

So for the heck of it, I did a little surface research to see if Criteria is mentioned in common training definitions.

GENERAL DEFINITION OF TRAINING*
First, I looked up the general term 'Training' and found two relevant, accurate and interchangeable definitions for human & dog training. The definitions are 1) "acquiring of skill: the process of teaching or learning a skill or job." 2) training is an organized activity aimed at imparting information and/or instructions to improve the recipient's performance or to help him or her attain a required level of knowledge or skill.


While there were some great key words used, the word Criteria was no where to be found.

DEFINITION OF DOG TRAINING*
Next I looked up the term Dog Training. Dog training is defined as - a standardized program of training for dogs calculated to give owners mastery of their dogs at all times. 


OK, I can't help the sarcasm and getting a little off topic here, but REALLY?!?! That was the best definition Websters & Wikipedia and other referral sources could come up with? I'll have to devote yet another blog post to this topic called 'What IS Dog Training' . But back to the current topic...again, no mention of the word Criteria.


READING BETWEEN THE LINES
While the word Criteria was not specifically used in any of these definitions, words like...

• Process - a series of actions directed toward a specific aim 
• Instruction - a spoken or written statement of what must be done
• Skill - A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both
• Knowledge - all the information, facts, truths, and principles learned throughout time
• Calculate - to consider a situation carefully and decide what is likely to happen

....were used. So the question all dog trainers should be asking themselves is "How do I come up with a process? How do I give instruction? How do I teach a skill? How do I share the knowledge of what I want my dog to do? And how can I calculate what my dog is likely to do?"


THE HOLY GRAIL OF DOG TRAINING - CRITERIA
All of the above (Process, Instruction, Skill, etc.) uses Criteria as a means to obtain the wanted outcome. Think about it, Criteria is the necessary base to train specific behaviors. Need further proof, how about all of the pros use it (agility, baseball, football, etc.) so why shouldn't you?


Give Criteria some thought as it deserves attention when it comes to dog training. As a little tidbit, something to remember is that in dog training, Criteria is a bunch of small little steps that ultimately make up a specific end-behavior. 


I'll be writing more about criteria, but in the meantime, ask yourself "Can you define what the expectations are for your dog in a factual and logical manner? Do you have a clear and concise blue print to work or train by?."


If you answered 'No' then you need to add Criteria to your tool box. Not sure how? Well stay tuned for more on Criteria!


*On-line references used: Websters, Wikipedia & Encarta

Day 6 - It's Rylee's Turn on the Agility Seminar Circuit

Today was Foundation Day at the agility seminar and it was Rylee's turn to be a part of the working crowd. She was so excited to be chosen to go with this morning and was even more psyched when we arrived at the arena.

Rylee's enthusiasm momentarily worried me, I mean what if she ran off to visit or was distracted by another dog? Yes, even trainers sometimes worry about these things!  However, this is a Foundation Seminar and I quickly realized how fun it was going to be to have a dozen baby dogs with happy wagging tails and owners (like me) eager to soak up foundation knowledge.

I chose Rylee for this seminar because I wanted her first agility seminar experience to be positive. Rylee and I have worked on most of the skills...at home, so this was a great time to test them on the road and proof them in an environment full of distractions. As for my fear that Rylee would run off, let's just say she was a working champ! Her attention was incredible and the efficiency with which she moves her body is absolutely amazing. Just like at home, she was so excited to be working with me. It was a very comfortable, easy connection that allowed both of us to relax and enjoy the experience.

Later I was talking with Nancy and she asked me what Rylee's best attributes were. I had to pause and think because Rylee truly has a nicely put together package! Here's what I've come up with:

• I love the soul-giving attention Rylee shows when we are working together. I can see Rylee is willingly giving me everything she has and it's obvious that she is highly rewarded by our interactions together. It's special for both of us, like your favorite pair of shoes or those perfect fitting jeans.
• Rylee has an amazingly athletic body and she is so comfortable in her own skin. She is graceful in her moves and light on her feet. She is fast, but can collect herself. She is able to use her entire body to efficiently turn and change direction on a dime. She's the perfect combination of gazelle and ballerina all in one.
• Rylee is confident without being pushy. Seriously, this dog strives to be a team player and embraces her part of the program. Another bonus is that she is easy to play and be silly with - which makes training so much more fun!

Over the last several days, I've had a chance to observe some incredible dog & handler teams and my mind has been buzzing with the vision of where I see my dogs going and how I'm going to get them there. I'm leaving the last 6 days with solid plans for each of them. It's interesting because each plan is a little different since each of my dogs are unique. Overall, I'm really excited that the next several days are going to provide nice weather so I can immediately start to work my dogs in the sunshine (doesn't sunshine make everything even more fun!?!?).

As for Stacy, she'll be back in August to check on my progress and to continue to share her infectious love for training.

Rouge - Day 3 of Her Seminar, Finally a Break Through!

Rouge and I participated in the 2-day Excellent Stacy Peardot-Goudy seminar on Saturday & Sunday. The good news is that her contacts are beautiful, the better news is that she successfully exhibited her 'distracted self' which means the bad news was that little 'ole me was left with the exhausting task of cheerleading, begging, pleading and trying to keep her attention. It was a bit of a frustrating place to be and very unexpected.

Stacy and I had a chance to talk about it  at the end of the day (Stacy's been working with us for all of Rouge's agility training) and her guidance and observation has never steered me wrong. To quickly summarize the situation, it was time to expect more from Rouge if she wanted to play the game of agility with me. So the plan started with the simple concept of her lack of attention meant she got to go back to her crate.

Now, it's important to understand that Rouge has been trained and trained via a positive reward based system. However, she's a very smart dog and quickly learned to play me like a violin and that's how I unexpectedly found myself in the cheerleader role. But thanks to Stacy, times are a changing and so are the dynamics of Team Lisa & Rouge.

I started off the morning by working Burton, my husband's Lab. It was fun and he was great, but he's not my dog to run. By the afternoon, I was pining to work Rouge so Stacy and I discussed a plan ahead of time so that I was clear as to what steps I needed to take based on the behaviors she was offering me. Things went pretty well the first time out and it was far better than it had been over the weekend. However the second time out was SPECTACULAR!

The second time out I felt I had her complete attention and she was a working member of Team Lisa & Rouge. What an amazing change and so nice to see the progress! I've worked hard to give her a solid base and by golly, I know this dog is amazingly talented. It turns out that I needed to stop babysitting her and to clarify the teamwork part of the equation - not because it didn't exist, but because I was taking on far too much responsibility.

As always, Stacy's talents never ceases to amaze me. Now I feel on track again and ready to push to the next level.

Zulu's First Agility Seminar - A Success!

Today was Zulu's turn at the seminar experience with Stacy Peardot-Goudy.

Zulu just turned 1 year and I have to admit that I haven't done very much jump work with him (just in the last few weeks), but I have worked his tunnel, chute, table, a-frame and dog walk, which are spectacular, so I felt fairly ready for this seminar. 

As a side note, the reason I haven't bothered very much with jumps is 1) because I wanted him to finish growing and 2) I've had a preview of his natural jumping style when he plays in the yard and I felt confident in his body awareness abilities when it came to jumping.

The terrific part about having Stacy back out here is just watching how she interacts with her dogs. I have to admit that while having Dalmatians has been terrific, Border Collies work differently and it's always nice to observe an alternate way of training. In the past, I hadn't been a big toy person...not because I don't believe in them, but because physically it was painful for me and so I avoided them. Well, thanks to modern medicine, that's not always the case for me now so I'm able to physically interact with my dogs more often and so I've had to learn how!

Zulu learned several of his base behaviors using treats. I'm very comfortable shaping/eliciting behaviors using food, but have decided to break with my own tradition of continuing to use food as a motivator (great with Dals & Labs) and quickly moved Zulu over to toys (balls and best yet, his favorite toy pelt). I started this endeavor a few weeks ago and the first thing I noticed when combining the toy & behavior was that he was CRAZY! Seriously, the behavior went to hell in a hand basket as his love for the toy made him loose his mind.

Two things come to mind. First, I might have introduced the toy to the agility game a little sooner to make a smoother transition and two, I was going to have to give some serious time to helping him understand or remember that he really could control himself, offer the behavior and get his beloved toy simply by doing what he had already been taught to do...after all, it was only the reward that had changed (from food to the toy).

On our first run, I aborted the toy and tried to just use food. It was a disaster and as Stacy said, I was training him like he was Rouge, my young Dalmatian. It was icky, I felt disconnected (handled like a fool) and Zulu was looking at me like I had grown 10 heads and was acting like a crazy person. It was time to collect myself and come up with a new plan or the day was going to be long and painful!

So I pulled the toy back out and with Stacy's guidance, told myself it was okay to embrace Zulu's toy enthusiasm and to go back to basics. In this case, the basic concept was "If you want the toy, then do a jump and earn it!" Sounds simple, but Zulu is an adolescent and as expected, the term "gimme" has started to creep into his aura. That was the case with today and he was outraged when I wouldn't give him the toy "just because" he wanted it. In his attempt to demand the toy he jumped me, pounced on me, zigged when he should have zagged, circled, barked, nipped at my hand (which was holding the toy), and was just plan trying to push me into handing it over.

By the afternoon, he was a rockstar and caught onto the game of jump = toy & play. Seriously, I couldn't have been prouder and left feeling very accomplished as well as having a much clearer game plan on where I want to go with him. Zulu was pretty proud of himself as well. Each time we were done with an exercise, he would jump up onto a chair and I'd tell him how very proud I was of him. He was soaking up the attention and overall, loved the interaction & time spent today.

It was a great day for both of us and I know both Grandma's (Barbara & Felicia) would be very, very proud!

Courses, Monroe, Louisiana June 25, 2009

This weekend Dan and I are judging in Monroe, Louisiana...in the middle of a heatwave. Luckily, we're indoor in a horse arena that has very lovely air conditioning and are missing the repressive 101+ degree weather outside, plus the incredible humidity.

When asked what I thought of the weather, I said "Two words come to mind, Holy Hell!" The reply "Darlin' there ain't nothin' Holy about it!" Gotta love the south! : )

The exhibitors and people we've come across have been absolutely lovely down here. After judging, we took some time to go back to the hotel and jump in the swimming pool. It was quite warm, like a hot tub, but still fun.

OK, onto the courses from today.

Today I judged Jumpers and my Excellent JWW course is attached. It was pretty to watch the dogs run this course and so I have to first thank everyone for doing such a great job and for making the course look like fun.

I was especially impressed with the weave pole entries. It's clear that folks in this area train them very, very well. A few other things I noticed is that the rear-cross is king here (very few front crosses were done) and they love their distance work!

My favorite sequence was from jump #4 to #5. I just loved how these dogs sliced the #4 jump and landed in such a way that they were able to dig in and take off for the next jump. (Note to self, this was another item folks down here have done a spectacular job training.)

A few surprises on the Jumpers course. First, from jump #7-8, quite a few dogs either headed or took the #13 tunnel. When designing this course, this obstacle was NOT considered one of the off-course options since it's a good 28' away from #7. Handlers who were behind their dog and had not yet gotten around the weave poles (either due to timing or utilizing extreme distance handling) as their dogs were clearing #7 were more likely to head for the off-course option. Those that were ahead of their dogs or closer to their dogs for their rear cross before #8 were less likely to have the dog head toward the tunnel.

Again, very few folks did front crosses and just 4 people out of 200 did a front cross for this sequence. Those that did a front cross did so between #6 & #7 and had terrific results.

#18

Second, the off course entrance for #13 also got quite a few dogs. Most handlers had their dogs on their left as they were doing the poles and opted to pull their dog toward the correct entrance with mixed results. About 7 people did a front cross after the poles to ensure their dog went to the correct entrance and all were successful.

In the closing sequence, only 2 dogs took the off-course dummy jump after #15. Continuing on, most handlers 'pulled' their dog over the #18 jump and several did a rear cross - both options generally worked very well. Those that rushed the #18 jump on their way to the triple risked having their dog completely bypass #18 and head directly to the last jump.

As for Excellent Standard, this was Dan's course and although it looks like a fun and fast course on paper, unfortunately I can't comment too much on it since I was in the other ring judging. One exhibitor said "That was a wicked a-frame to the dog walk, but it was fun!" I did see a few dogs running that sequence and I was very impressed with the rear handling from #9 and especially over #10. This seemed like a place where you had to be patient and maneuver the dog's path to set them up successfully. I think this is a skill that has long since been lost (or never had) in the Pacific Northwest - it's just different handling styles throughout the country.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's courses!

Photos from PSLRA (Lab) Trial - June 2009

This past weekend was the Puget Sound Labrador Retriever Club's Spring Agility Trial.

It's a big event that is held on the northern side of the Seattle area and we pull from the other side of the mountains (Eastern WA) as well as the Seattle area.

There were 5 MACHs and 2 PACs this weekend, along with a Century Title, the first of it's kind for the AKC! Robin Kletke and his Border Collie, Vixen are pictured here with their special ribbon.

Next, we have a candid shot of one of our judges, Dan Butcher. Throughout the trial we were being goofy and several of us kept yelling "Judge, we know you!" so this picture is fondly called my Stalker Photo : )

Several students were there and I had an opportunity to play with our new camera a bit and got photos of Samoyed Kim, Sheltie Shelby and Sheltie Indy.

About 200 more photos can be found at: http://pets.webshots.com/album/573158833BlykLu

Courses - Gem City, Dayton, OH

It's been awhile since I've posted and I have so much to share! It's been a very busy time and lots of fun & positive things have been happening.

First, let me share today's courses from our judging assignment in Dayton, OH. I say 'our' because my husband Dan is along and co-judging, which is a TON of fun! The club has been spectacular and has been feeding us very well. Last night we had fall-off-the-bone BBQ pork ribs and tonight we had German Food - one of my personal favorites.

Ah, but back to the courses. 

First is Open Standard. I liked this course because it kept the challenge and flow from Excellent Standard, but was 'dummied' down to fit this level without being a 'gimme' course.

Next is Excellent Standard. After #3, the off course tunnel sucked a couple of dogs. Also, the #18 off-course tire was alluring as well.

My favorite part of this course was #8-#11. The flow was very nice and the dogs made this sequence look like fun.

Below are Dan's Excellent & Open JWW courses as well as his Excellent FAST courses. Since I was judging I wasn't able to see how the dogs did, but I'll see if I can get some feed back from him. 

Weim Trial & Courses

On Friday I had the honor to judge the Weimeriener Specialty held in the Olympia, WA area.

The weather was beautiful and the dogs were great. It was so much fun to judge such an athletic and talented breed.

In Excellent Standard, handlers & dogs were drawn to the off course jump going from #8 to #9.

In Excellent JWW, the problem area was #4 to #5 as the off course tunnel entrance was a big draw.

Otherwise, dogs did GREAT and I had so much fun with this very wonderful group.

Thank you Weims!

For the Love of the Sport

As the Puppies Grow...

The attached picture of Ru was taken almost a year ago, but it's one of my favorites. She's not so puppy any more and is now almost 16 months old. While she is technically old enough to compete in AKC Agility, I prefer the 18 months that USDAA uses as their guidelines.

Ready or not, Ru will compete in the PSLRA Lab Trial that I'm co-chairing in mid-June. I mean hey, why not make her debut in front of friends! : )

I've been feeling the pressure a bit since I haven't been practicing as diligently as some, but I've certainly spent daily time bonding with her in non-agility ways - so there is a plus and she certainly isn't being ignored. On the contrast, she's a spoiled brat !

This is a hard age because she's probably ready physically for the challenges Agility has to offer, but I've intentionally chosen to be conservative and take it easy on this (as I have been with all of my prior dogs) and that's why I hadn't practiced as much as some at this age. 

For the record, mentally Ru has an incredible work ethic and LOVES to be with & interact me. I've known all along that she enjoys the parts of Agility we have trained, but was concerned when she was a bit slower and more cautious when it came to putting it all together with jumping AND handling. You could definitely see the wheels turning while she worked through the information being tossed at her at a faster and faster speed as she progressed (this is a good thing). 

Here's where training with Stacy P-G and Pinky way back when came in handy - Stacy taught me that as long as they're thinking, let them finish the thought and see what conclusion they come up with. Far too often handlers step in to make the decision for the dog - not the best way for the dog to learn. It's amazing how that sound advice from over a decade ago is still very relevant today and has quickly paid off.

Tonight I finally got a full glimpse of what Ru is capable of and I'm thrilled! 

• Tonight she was a little speed demon over the jumps (a first). While I had the speed over contacts, I hadn't had it during jumps & handling sequences so I was so amazed at the progress and enthusiasm she suddenly showed tonight. 
• Next, she took 3 jumps in a straight line, a very tough sequence for a young dog.
  
• On the first approach to the teeter, she did hesitate a bit earlier than I would have preferred. However, I'm proud that she recognized the obstacle and adjusted to fit her comfort level (although ultimately I'd like to heavily reward going to the end of the board & riding it down).  So I was VERY pleased that as the night progressed she ran toward the last 1/3 of the board with confidence and rode it down easily on her own accord. I was very generous for that teeter performance and am encouraged that she offered more on her own accord!
• Next, Ru loves her contacts and will often pull to those obstacles rather than follow my lead. I continued my work from last week on by-passing contacts and taking a different path. I was so pleased when this week she easily got the concept and again, I rewarded generously for her decision. (Note to self: remember to stop and reward the jumps as much as I had the contacts so that all obstacles have equal value).
• Next, what stuck out was that I really need to go back to my rear-cross work with her. As she gains speed and confidence, she is not reading (or I'm not executing properly) the rear-cross as it's been trained or to my criteria expectations. This is normal for the transitional phase and should be some fun homework for us to do over the next week or so.

I believe that one of the things that made us successful tonight was that I made sure to be very generous with my praise and treats over the last few weeks. I worked hard to focus on the positive and to change my attitude to look for those good things vs. the 'faults'. I also worked hard to break things down into smaller, more managable & successful parts.

As a bit of insight, there was a week in the past where I came to the conclusion that I was expecting Ru (my Dalmatian) to act like a Border Collie (namely like my now deceased BC, Coal, the last dog I trained from a puppy). Imagine my disappointment when she wasn't Coal and shame on me for inadvertently going in that directions. But, I'm human and since I allow my dogs the luxury of learning by doing, I need to give myself the same space. It was a good reminder on how every dog IS different and that just like when I'm teaching, I need to remember to adjust more liberally to my own personal dogs.

Additionally, I think it's easy to forget the amount of time and effort we put into our older dogs and that it's way too easy to expect our younger ones to 'just know' those things. Too bad osmosis doesn't work for dog training since I'd be soooo rich if I could accomplish that.

Course Analysis - Phili Area 4-26-2009

Today was a HOT, HOT, HOT day in the sun and on the agility course.

Many dogs were clearly dumbfounded by the intense weather that came out of the blue and tongues were hanging low and the pace was barely a trot.

Luckily, Excellent Standard (my largest class today), was first thing this morning and we started promptly at 7:45 a.m.

Teams rarely had problems with the beginning of the course (#1-4), although a couple of handlers gave a command early which made the dog's turn and go up the a-frame.  

The Open Standard course was similar and a few dogs turned on their own and went into the tunnel on the left.

Most handlers in this area chose to handle the majority of the courses utilizing rear crosses. Front crosses were pretty rare and almost non-existent on this course except after the dog walk. 

*******

Although Open JWW ran earlier in the day (the course was similar to yesterday's Excellent JWW - see yesterday's blog), the last course of the day was the Novice JWW.

It was about 1:30 in the afternoon when we started to run and the temperatures certainly hadn't gone down. By this time I smelled like I'd spent the day on the beach as the club nicely kept someone slathering me up with sunscreen at every possible moment possible.

The Novice class ran very well and like yesterday, they were an impressive group.

Several Novice dogs went straight into the tunnel after the #2 jump when handlers attempted to work this sequence on the left side (with the dog on their right). The other problem area was the #11 jump. If dogs came directly from the weaves and took the #10 jump at an angle (from right to left), they sometimes missed the #11 jump and ended up on the left side of that jump and incurred a runout.

As for some final notes about the weekend, the club did a terrific job and were very, very hospitable. They worked hard and it was a great weekend for everyone.

AKC Invites Mixed Breeds to Join in on the Fun

Submitted to Clean Run Magazine for their Editorial Page:

This past week, the American Kennel Club (AKC), took a brave & bold step in creating a class where mixed breeds would also be able to participate in AKC Obedience, Rally & Agility events. In listening to some of the feedback, some folks weren't as impressed with this step as I was. I was initially very surprised by some of the lack of enthusiasm from mixed breed folks, but in thinking about it I can understand why.

As a bit of history, the AKC's mission (which was created 125 years ago) was to be a registry for Pure Bred dogs. Back then, I'm sure Pure Bred Dogs weren't necessarily the norm and the AKC was created as a means to solidify and bring order to the dogs who were being bred for specific purposes. Think of this as a bench mark, a standardization or consistency in breeding. For many, this was the start of record keeping, health statistics, temperament testing and so on.

Today, many of us benefit from that consistency - both pure & mixed breeds a like. After all, there is a bench mark for which a specific breeds' structure, temperament, characteristics and usefulness (i.e. their job) is being drawn upon.  This can only be done with decades & generations worth of data and for that, the AKC & Breed Clubs should be applauded.

Now for the negative part. During the last 125 years, the elitism that some AKC members have fostered and built their kennels on has turned off many mixed breed owners. It's true, some breeders have looked down their nose at a mixed breeds and it's also true that other breeders have looked at all dogs as...well dogs!

It wouldn't be fair to label all mixed breeds as mere "mutts" and it's also not fair to label all breeders & participants who partake in the AKC as snobs - especially those who focus mainly on the Performance Classes. I say this because the Performance Classes weren't created 125 years ago, but rather in the current times. For example, Agility has been in the AKC for approximately 15 years and Rally a mere 3-4 years. For the most part, Performance folks have come in with a much more modern & inclusive belief system.

However, even those of us who partake mainly in the Performance Classes have often joked that we we're once thought of as the "step child" in the AKC family. While times are changing and a ton of progress has been made, there are still some from the traditional days of the AKC who just don't understand or care about Performance Events. After 15 years, we realize that we're not going to change their attitudes by acting disgruntled. Instead, we move on, continue to grow, act in a sportsman-like fashion and have quietly moved our chair closer to the adult table each time the AKC Family has come together. It took awhile, but I think we're finally there! In summary, change doesn't happen over night, but change does happen.

Some mixed breed folks are resentful that they're having to join the AKC family at the kid's table. I can understand that. However, we've ALL been inducted the very same way. We all started out with paper plates & plastic ware and as we 'grew up', we were handed the china & silver utensils at the big table. 

Is it right? Who knows, but from the AKC's point of view, it seems to be the prudent thing to do and the best way to move forward and still keep the base of the organization intact. Think of it this way, it's the AKC family culture and just like my personal family, we don't always make sense to those looking in from the outside.

I think the mixed breed folks can learn some valuable lessons from those of us that have come before them.  

• The first being that NOBODY goes straight from kindergarten to Harvard - there are the in-between steps that help to acclimate newcomers to the environment. 
• Second, even long lost family members need time to get to know each other. The AKC has extended an invitation to dinner and now mixed breed folks have an opportunity to either acted graciously and accept or decline the invite - it's as simple as that. 
• Third, every relationship has to START somewhere. We've all heard stories of happily married couples who met under not so perfect circumstances and years later they laugh together about that initial awkward moment. This could be one of those times!
  
• Fourth, it is the Performance Event participants who are WELCOMING the mixed breeds. We're the ones who have opened the door, greeted mixed breeds with a smile and invited mixed breeds to come and play. We're part of the modern, hip and new way of thinking, so don't shun us because our AKC parents have some older beliefs that you don't agree with.
• Fifth, just like an older brother or sister, Performance Event participants have helped pave the way for this new & exciting change. Why not come out and get to know us and let us be your friend & mentor when it comes to AKC matters.

In the meantime all agility participants, regardless of what branch of the family tree their dog comes from, can come out and play together.  Heck, I'll even arrange for this family event to serve finger food - no paper or china plates allowed!

Class Course - April 15, 2009

This course is courtesy of someone, unfortunately I don't know who! Except for a few minor details, this was the setup when I arrived on Wednesday evening, so I used it. : )

While the course wasn't hard, it did point out a few training holes for some of my students. Most notably was the serpentine at the start. I think part of the challenge was the lack of momentum starting this sequence and the handler's urge to move & run prematurely.

Several handlers attempted to start this sequence on the landing side of #1, but facing the #2 jump. They were surprised when their dog failed to take the first jump and moved in between #1 & #2. This was easily resolved by having the handler shift their hips so they were facing #1 and drawing the dog onto the correct path.

Another issue that occurred was that handlers began to move too soon and the dog's came over the first jump, but went between jump #1 & 2 as the handler turned toward their left to run down the line and get to the landing side of #3. This was another easy fix where the handler's shoulders stayed facing the 3 jumps.

Several handlers were stuck in a pattern of repeating the same mistakes mentioned above and so that signaled me it was time to change things up a bit to get them thinking differently. These handlers needed assistance to understand how their body language cues their dog and so, I had each handler run #1 - 7 with either their hands to their side or behind their back.  It's amazing how taking away the swinging arms forced handlers to concentrate on their shoulders and hips to relay information to their dogs.

This worked out beautifully and also made the teams successful. For the heck of it, why not try this yourself? It's and eye opener!

On a personal note, I ran Ru for a few minutes last night and was VERY pleased with her enthusiasm.  As she gets more confident, her speed is increasing and last night I finally got a glimpse at what I'll be working with. As hoped, she's going to be a fast little thing and I'm going to have to start working a bit of distance now. I also need to go back and work my contacts. While she wasn't blowing them, I'm hell bent to be very specific about my criteria and that's what I need to hold myself accountable to.

The next few days are supposed to be nice out so I'm hoping to get some more practice time in with her.

Competition Courses - Spot 4-12-2009

The courses today continued to have some unique challenges and were fun to run.

First is the Exc JWW course. The biggest challenge on this course was embracing patience! With the two pin wheels starting at #7 through #14, handlers didn't have to run to get places and keeping it simple was by far, the best way to handle this sequence.

Next is the Exc Standard course. The first subtle challenge the #5 tunnel to the #6 jump. Dogs tended to curl in and handlers had to be sure to push forward toward the #6 jump.

On the approach to the weaves, this was a place to let the dog land a bit wide to give them a nice approach to the obstacle. This also gave the handlers plenty of time to get a front cross in. Another note on the front cross, those handlers who stopped their movement until the dogs loaded were generally more successful than those who continued moving since it allowed the dogs to enter on the 2nd or 3rd pole.

The approach from the #9 chute to the #10 teeter was tough. On paper it looks ideal, however it somehow didn't translate the same in reality. No fault of the judge's and it could easily have been the way I chose to handle it (with a front cross after the chute). Remember, it's the handler's responsibility to ensure the safety of their dogs and this was one of those times. 

The next really fun part was #13 - #17, the double serpentine. This is where a stay at the table really comes in handy as I was able to lead out to just before #13. As Spot was approaching the #13 jump, I was sure to say his name so that he was collecting over the jump and turning into me on the landing side. I worked the rest of the sequence on the landing side of #13 and made sure my movement was the cue Spot used to know which obstacle and which direction we would be heading in once he landed.

Check out his videos below. We had a great weekend with 5 out of 6 qualifying runs : )

Pug Power! Client Dogs Succeeding

There is nothing better than watching your students succeed. Watching them maneuver through an Agility course, tackling the challenges, working their strengths & weaknesses and ultimately earning that well deserved clean run.

Sharlie & her wonderful Pug, Chubby are featured in the first video on the Exc. Standard course. Great job!! Thank you to Cheri for allowing me to rope her into filming since I was just about to run in the Exc. JWW ring.

Next we have Jill & Amos (a Corgi) running in Novice JWW.  This clean run gave them their title so now they move up to compete in the Open JWW class. Check out their nice run!

Competition Courses - Spot 4-11-2009 and Junior Handler Kady & Shelbie Exc JWW

Today was another great day of trialing with some fun courses. Spot and I had a great time and I felt we were VERY successful.

Unfortunately we did not qualify in Standard due to an invisible force field around the table that prevented Spot from seeing it...yeah, that's it! But, the run was incredible and since we only need Double Q's for a MACH2, that gave me the freedom to play around in JWW - which I really enjoyed!

Back to Standard, my goal again today was to stay ahead of Spot which meant pushing myself to create efficient lines for both of us, to trust my dog & the training I've done and to RUN!

My two favorite parts on the course were:

1) #2 thru #6. I chose to keep Spot on my left from #1 thru #4 and was sure to beat him down to the end of the a-frame so he would know the direction we were heading next and I pushed up to #4 so that I could peel off and get a front cross in on the landing side of #5. I was sure to keep my arms in close to my body so as not to inadvertently signal a "get out" with flailing arms!

Because I was ahead of Spot, I was able to easily get down to the chute and was pulling toward the end so the direction I needed him to move toward was very clear. This allowed me to easily be down by the end of the chute and moving toward the tire as he came out and I continued the running/pulling motion all the way down the dog walk and into the correct side of the tunnel.

2) My second favorite part was from #14 thru #19. After watching the 4 - 20" dogs run the course, it was clear that the triple jump angle was recking havoc with the dogs.  If a handler tried to work the entire sequence with the dog on their left, they found themselves in a foot race down the last line and then had to unexpectedly push into the dog's path to get the last jump. That's usually when the triple jump would come down.

My My objective was to put Spot on my left at the weaves, push out to the #15 jump and once Spot's head turned to the right over the #15 jump (so that I knew he'd be wrapping the wing), I kept an arm out to support his path, but left so that I could get in an easy front cross before the triple. It was a fun line and my plan worked great. If we hadn't incurred a refusal, Spot would have taken 2nd place...oh well : )  At any rate, check out the video attached.was to put Spot on my left at the weaves, push out to the #15 jump and once Spot's head turned to the right over the #15 jump (so that I knew he'd be wrapping the wing), I kept an arm out to support his path, but left so that I could get in an easy front cross before the triple. It was a fun line and my plan worked great. If we hadn't incurred a refusal, Spot would have taken 2nd place...oh well : )  At any rate, check out the video attached.

Next was the Excellent JWW course. 

Since Spot only needs Double Q's for his MACH2, this run was completely for training - mainly for me! It was a great course to have some fun on and gave me another opportunity to work some distance, leave Spot (i.e. trust him to do his job) and for me to practice timely front crosses at speed.

My favorite line in this sequence was from #11 thru #19. I was able to easily get ahead on this line, more so than I thought and ended up having to slow up from #15 to #16, which actually put me behind for the way I had wanted to handle #17 to #18. I thought this would be a great opportunity to pull Spot over the #17 jump, keeping him on my left and then pushing him into the tunnel. The plan wasn't so perfect in its execution, but will make for a great training opportunity!

Check out Spot's JWW video below. I'm very happy with how he did and how I tried new things : )

OK, I wasn't the only one facing the challenging Excellent course. One of our favorite Junior handlers, Kady, was back on the competition front with Shelby the Sheltie. You may remember they had an incredible Exc JWW run yesterday and today they were back for more!