Seesaw re-train 2010.

I ummm'd and ahhhh'd!

.....whether to put this in a post or not. I am certainly not secretive about how I train, I just find it may be boring for those family members that know nothing about agility and really aren't interested.

and in this case I wasn't sure whether I was doing it right!....in the begining I had a definate plan on how to train the seesaw, for me....my thoughts where: what was the point of a small dog running just to the pivot point and then tipping and moving down to the contact area....takes far too long and you would have to always be there for them....at the end of the day, the fastest dog wins....So I did my homework, watched loads of youtube videos on how others had trained their dogs and read articles etc.......

and I chose to use the method of the dog running all the way to the end with you there with food or toy, what ever gets the dog motivated, yes it would have been much easier if it was a toy and I would rather a toy, but I have learnt you need to adapt with each dog, if I had used a toy with both of my small dogs, I don't think I would have got Mindy anywhere near the SS again after her accident in June this year at Thames DTS, she got the contact the seesaw touched the floor then as she ran off it it bounced back up and hit her on the chin, it then took two weeks for her even to be within 2 metres of the ss, lots of clicker training and cheese got us to the start of the video, so from there we decided to use the "bang it" game and she eventually managed to "Look at it" (click, treat), then touch it, (click, treat) with her nose to touching it with a paw,(click, treat) often these click treat would be a jack pot too, then to jumping on the end, whilst it was on the floor (she had no problem with the dog walk and continued to run it in the ring) we then raised the end a little and she learnt to jump on the end and ride it too the floor...the rest of her progress is in this video diary...up to you whether you watch it all as it is long and some cases unedited......but this worked for us.....Harry joined in too.

She then managed to do three ss in the ring before the end of "My"season (September) and won the last agility class, to take her into G6.

No video's of that run, as she had at the previous weekend show, left the ring to go and chat to Ian who was videoing....Bless, such a baby, well actually she is a baby, I keep forgeting this was her first season competing and she's now up with the big guns!

Dogs are such great teachers........Love them.

So that's why...

So that's why you don't see too many "puffs" in full coats, out walking in the woods, although to be fair, Mindys coat is clipped shorter than a proper puff!
This was only 20 Min's in on the walk and she was far worse by the time we got back to the car another hour later!
.....Mindy is a hunter and chaser, where Red goes, she goes.
Harry was muddy, but not this bad.......

Bless them, but what fun to watch, her and Red ducking and diving in and out the trees, jumping some puddles and running through others!
So we spent the first hour when we got home using the dog wash and dog blaster......thank god for both, a god send!

Spent a couple of days

...at Mums this week with the dogs, Mum was chief video lady for my lessons with Dawn and as she is only an hour away from Mums, it seems a good idea to spend some time with Mum and have a lesson with Dawn.........
....at the beginning of the year Mum had the old pond, dug out and made bigger, they put a couple of island in for the ducks/geese.....
Mums Retrievers love swimming, mine are more paddlers!
View across towards the house, the other side of the woods.......
See Buzz is paddling out towards a stick....
Not sure where the "Puffs" were, off hunting, playing kiss chase!

Picture Monday...

Harry made his own bedtime arrangements last night!....was this because I spent the day out without him, cuddling puppies!
PS. the bed was made in the morning.....I promise.

....it's always good to learn new things

So my weeks task, was to at least be comfortable on the "power fab" (so I got the pillow out the house and put it on the seat!) Ian says it would take around 5 hours of playing on it to not look down at the levers, so I could be out there doing this for a lot longer yet!

Anyway Ian helped, so we got the compost heap emptied and added it to the veggie plot and around the borders, Red likes to chuck her ball at you whilst your working and off course Buzz has to watch Red, nothing new there..................

"Red" and Tamsin having fun in anysize

Dear Red and poor Tamsin, Red has never bitten anyone else at the end of an agility run except me, so over the years I've not bothered to mention this and Red didn't bite Tamsin the last time she ran her on full height course last year......

She always bitten me, unless I'm quick enough to say get your lead and she'll head for that or the bucket, I've had some big bruises and skin broken bites from her! Bless

Anyway the girls did good and won the class.......

But I suppose that will be the end of her good "Start line waits" with her too.........!