Agility Tips Wanted Please

D

Dobiegirl

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 February 2011
Messages
6,975
Location
Wildest Somerset
Visit site
I took Darcy my Dobe to her 2nd agility lesson last night and she is really good and super fast. Trouble is she is too fast for me, we finished the lesson doing a small course which consisted of 4 jumps a tunnel and one of those climbing walking along things.

We started off with the tunnel over 3 straight in a line fences, then another at an angle and finished on the climbing thing(sorry dont know the name).

Well she came out the tunnel and by the time she was over the 3 fences I was not near enough to get her over the last fence had to call her back to jump and then on to the climbing thing.

Please do you have any tips I realise its very early days but I need to be near enough to give her direction.
 
It's just a case of getting her to work ahead of you. Target training can be good for this, as well as really running lol.

If you train her to a clicker, then train her to "touch" (I use a lid off of a biscuit tub or something) then move it further away and get her to go and touch it then come back to you, then you can use it on the kit, it's good for contact training too. Perhaps if you ask about it at your club they can explain it better.

Or you can run with her and hang back when she's not looking, this doesn't tend to work well with my girl, she realises I'm not there and comes back lol
 
dobie, sorry i cant help much right now but me and my darcy are having our first agility lesson this sat too so by next week i might have more of an idea how to support you with some advice!

really looking forward to it!
 
Thanks ED I was glad you didnt tell me to get some better running shoes.:D What is the name of that climbing equipment that I described? to start off with the trainer put treats at the bottom on the contacts and all along and on the bottom to get her to stay on the contact. I do use a clicker for Darcy but not on agility will ask the trainer about teaching her to touch.

Is the weave the most difficult to teach.?


Lula good luck with your Darcy on Sat. and let us know how you get on.
 
You need to teach her direction commands, left, right, go on, she is going to be faster than you and you need to be able to command her from behind. I was pleased with my baby last night, she turned left on my 'back' command (her left turn command, right turn is 'close') when I was on her right, so turned away from me, this is the sort of thing you need!

The piece of equipment I think you're trying to describe is the dogwalk, but could be the a-frame.

It depends on the dog and handler what is the hardest piece of equipment, weaves are quite difficult for new handlers and dogs, but my dogs find them quite easy, the thing I'm having trouble with my youngster is the seesaw, she won't go anywhere near it!
 
Oenoke said:
You need to teach her direction commands, left, right, go on, she is going to be faster than you and you need to be able to command her from behind. I was pleased with my baby last night, she turned left on my 'back' command when I was on her right, so turned away from me, this is the sort of thing you need!

The piece of equipment I think you're trying to describe is the dogwalk, but could be the a-frame.

It depends on the dog and handler what is the hardest piece of equipment, weaves are quite difficult for new handlers and dogs, but my dogs find them quite easy, the thing I'm having trouble with my youngster is the seesaw, she won't go anywhere near it!
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, now a numptie question how do I teach her left and right, how do you do it?. I think that equipment is the dog walk. Havnt tried the seesaw yet, I read somewhere that a wibble or wobble board is good for over coming their fear.
 
Dobiegirl said:
Thanks for that, now a numptie question how do I teach her left and right, how do you do it?. I think that equipment is the dog walk. Havnt tried the seesaw yet, I read somewhere that a wibble or wobble board is good for over coming their fear.
Click to expand...

I taught my 3 girls that all have good directions the way Greg Derrett shows on his Agility Foundation video, I teach them to spin each way, giving them both different commands, spin left is 'back' and spin right is 'close', this is then done in all different positions to me and in all different places, then when we get to agility and they are running when they get the command they start the spin, but see the next jump and go on over it (not explaining it very well!). Bertie, who was alot slower, I was always with and could turn him on body language, but I still gave him the command to turn and he eventually could do it without me being there too, but it took him alot longer.

I'm teaching my baby by taking the seesaw plank off it's base and putting it on just a pole on the floor so she gets used to it moving a little, it's the movement she doesn't like, she doesn't seem to mind the noise.
 
Im going to have to search for that video as it sounds very complicated, we are only doing it for fun and as Darcy was originally fear reactive Im amazed at how well shes coped as dogs keep running over to her and around her with no reaction at all. Last night she didnt even bark once which I was so pleased about. The big plus is she really enjoying it which I wouldnt consider continuing if she didnt.
 
For a 2nd lesson that sounds ace!!!
It'll come as she learns it! We used target training for a line of jumps to start with, whilst using the go on command, but it takes time, and lefts and rights take time too, but fab when you get them all! :)
Good luck!!!
 
Run faster. :p *ducks*

What Oenoke said but I'll just add that it's something that will come naturally the more you do it, the ability to work at a distance from each other. She will come to know her left and right - shout it out as you run with her, then start hanging further and further back each time you use the command until the turn is independent.

We also learnt using four jumps in a square, standing in the middle and doing left/right/over/in with arm signals, and also three jumps in a horizontal line, sending them over and away, back in over the middle one, over and away again, all with body language/arms. With Dax, being a non-collie and not apt to thinking ahead, it was useful to have her come in and focus on me between commands, which has eventually (after a long old time!) led to her being able to work off body language and run on. I don't think collies need that bit, they tend to string things together very quickly (and start pinging off the wrong bits of equipment if you so much as raise your hand to stifle a sneeze ;) :p).

Weaves are generally regarded as the hardest thing to learn, if you think about it it's a completely unnatural action for a dog, at least jumping and going in tunnels has some basis in nature! Dax still refuses to do a totally upright set of poles and has to have them out by all of half an inch, took her about three months to do them with any independence, whereas Ricoh picked it up on his first go and is near as damnit doing them properly following his 4th session. :rolleyes: This is the same dog who had a screaming fit at the A-frame, there's just no predicting which bits they'll get and which will present problems.
 
No need to duck BC you are spot on, ran so fast I pulled a muscle in an unmentionable place.:eek:

I told the trainer I was no spring chicken and he said no worries we have a lady in a mobility vehicle, I said Im not as old as that:mad:.

Dont have to run much these days, at one time I was chasing cattle almost every day, seems like Im going to have to get into training.
I can imagine you must have run into all sort of problems with yours not being natural agility dogs(not being rude here) but that makes it more of a challenge and you have worked hard with yours.
 
ScarlettLady said:
For a 2nd lesson that sounds ace!!!
It'll come as she learns it! We used target training for a line of jumps to start with, whilst using the go on command, but it takes time, and lefts and rights take time too, but fab when you get them all! :)
Good luck!!!
Click to expand...

Sorry missed your post, I know Im an impatient so and so , I wish we had been given some home work, dont want to practice without knowing how to do it properly in case I teach the wrong way, thats why I havnt practised weave poles in case I teach her wrong. There are other people in our class who have done it before so dont want to put myself at a disadvantage.
 
As others have said, teach your dog to work on ahead of you :) My first agility dog would never work ahead so my new dog is learning from the off - he can run AND listen :p

As for left and right turns (again 1st dog wouldn't :o so new dog is learning fast at left and right :p ) the easiest way, as we learnt on lesson 3, is have one jump in front of you (or a broom and 2 buckets), command over then on landing taking treat/toy right say right, same for left.

What we also do is send dog over, lure and command right, then as he comes round lure and command over left - it is easier as the angle they come around at so making a figure of 8 :) after a few figures I gets dizzy :o

Hope that makes sense :)

My boy is on lesson 5 on Thursday but on our first lesson he completed the whole set of weaves :eek: took other staffie months and never did get a clear round with the weaves in play :rolleyes:
 
If you don't mind spending a little money I have found a couple of great DVDs by Susan Garrett who has won the agility world championships more than once.

The first is for exercises using 1 jump (or less) so lots of things you can practice as home using the DVD to make sure you are getting it right.

The other is for the 2x2 weave method which is supposed to teach a dog to weave in 2 weeks with just 5 - 10 minutes a days work.

I have not started using them properly yet as have been too busy with non-agility things recently but what I have watched is great.

The place I found to get them from this country at the best price was:
http://www.positiveanimalsolutions.co.uk/susangarrett.html

Good luck!!
 
Kc Mac said:
As others have said, teach your dog to work on ahead of you :) My first agility dog would never work ahead so my new dog is learning from the off - he can run AND listen :p

As for left and right turns (again 1st dog wouldn't :o so new dog is learning fast at left and right :p ) the easiest way, as we learnt on lesson 3, is have one jump in front of you (or a broom and 2 buckets), command over then on landing taking treat/toy right say right, same for left.

What we also do is send dog over, lure and command right, then as he comes round lure and command over left - it is easier as the angle they come around at so making a figure of 8 :) after a few figures I gets dizzy :o

Hope that makes sense :)

My boy is on lesson 5 on Thursday but on our first lesson he completed the whole set of weaves :eek: took other staffie months and never did get a clear round with the weaves in play :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Thank you I will give it a try, your boy sounds really talented, what breed is he?. Ive heard some dogs can take 2 yrs to learn the weave, I know its enter at dogs left shoulder but thats it, there are lots of videos on youtube but as I said Im reluctant to practice in case I teach her the wrong way.

Darcy is very clever and can work away its just trying to turn her as she goes straight on.
 
MydnightShadow said:
If you don't mind spending a little money I have found a couple of great DVDs by Susan Garrett who has won the agility world championships more than once.

The first is for exercises using 1 jump (or less) so lots of things you can practice as home using the DVD to make sure you are getting it right.

The other is for the 2x2 weave method which is supposed to teach a dog to weave in 2 weeks with just 5 - 10 minutes a days work.

I have not started using them properly yet as have been too busy with non-agility things recently but what I have watched is great.

The place I found to get them from this country at the best price was:
http://www.positiveanimalsolutions.co.uk/susangarrett.html

Good luck!!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips, I will tryand get one of those dvds when Ive paid off the credit card:(
 
MydnightShadow said:
For weaving at home the DVD I mentioned above is really good as she really takes you through it step by step and tells you lots of the things you could do wrong. There is also a worksheet you can print out from the DVD to help you stay on the right track.
Click to expand...

Thanks MS I will give it a try, Im meant to be doing it for fun but didnt realise I was so competetive:eek:. I think Darcy has got what it takes and once I can get her going I might have to get someone else to compete her. It helps I think that both trainers compete Dobermanns perhaps they might want to compete her.

Just a thought does this affect your insurrance policy, ie do I have to notify the Insurers and they issue a new policy?.
 
Thanks MS I think I will look at my own policy because agility was never on my agenda so dont want to invalidate myself. I would never not have Insurance as a big vet bill might be the difference between treatment or pts and I love my dogs too much for that.
 
My previous insurer (Direct Line) would not cover agility, whether competition or just training, but this was not stated in any of the documentation. It only came up because I was checking to see if they'd cover the recreational mushing mine do (another no) and they also mentioned that they won't cover things like agility, flyball etc.

The reason they gave for not covering the mushing was 'well, you might run the dog over' - these are dogs that are always, always kept on a lead - any other dog in the country is more likely to be run over by a bicycle or car by virtue of being off the lead than mine are while in training. :rolleyes:

Switched to Animal Friends who were happy to cover everything except third party liability for the racing which is fair enough, I can get coverage for that through the breed club.
 
BC Who would have believed it, how ridiculous not insuring your dog for that reason., good reason you checked. I will have to check mine and will post the result, I pay £16 per month per dog at the moment which I dont consider cheap.
 
I only found out because I was calling up to add Ricoh to the policy, I wouldn't have bothered calling otherwise! Animal Friends worked out cheaper for the same level of cover (£12 per dog per month) and have something like five or six levels to choose from in all, I was quite impressed.
 
I found Tesco the cheapest and was told once Diesel was nuetered it would be cheaper, so after the snip I rang and was told it will be cheaper when I renew the policy.:eek:I rather thought they had misled me and when their policy is due for renewal I will look around elsewhere.
 
I did inform my insurer, Petplan, that I compete at agility with my dogs and they just asked if I got any money for doing it, as I don't it doesn't affect my policy, but at least I informed them, so if they get injured while competing they will pay out.
 
Had similar with Direct Line, as a new customer you get 10% off so the premium went up in the second year. I had to cancel and take out a new (identical) policy in order to get the same price again, resulting in being without cover for 14 days. Have since moved my car insurance from them as well, £200 cheaper elsewhere.

Petplan is usually held up as the holy grail of pet insurance but I was :eek: at having to pay 10% in addition to the excess on any claims.
 
blackcob said:
Had similar with Direct Line, as a new customer you get 10% off so the premium went up in the second year. I had to cancel and take out a new (identical) policy in order to get the same price again, resulting in being without cover for 14 days. Have since moved my car insurance from them as well, £200 cheaper elsewhere.

Petplan is usually held up as the holy grail of pet insurance but I was :eek: at having to pay 10% in addition to the excess on any claims.
Click to expand...

Thats a lot of money to pay, I thought that was the reason you took out Insurance.

Oenoke I suspect Petplan are the exception, it definately sounds sensible as no money is changing hands.
 
Dobiegirl said:
Thank you I will give it a try, your boy sounds really talented, what breed is he?. Ive heard some dogs can take 2 yrs to learn the weave, I know its enter at dogs left shoulder but thats it, there are lots of videos on youtube but as I said Im reluctant to practice in case I teach her the wrong way.

Darcy is very clever and can work away its just trying to turn her as she goes straight on.
Click to expand...

thanks :) He is a staffie :D

Yesterdays lesson we had a go at the weaves again - definately not a fluke last time cos he did it like a pro :eek: :D Shame he launched off the dog walk 3 times :rolleyes:

yep enter at dogs left shoulder - can't go wrong ;)

You have a head start if she already works ahead so practise with a jump with left and right turns and you will be laughing :cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top