So after all my bitching and moaning in the previous post, I only have happy place thoughts for tonight's share... well two happy place thoughts and both rather overdue...
First off, I am very excited to announce that all 3 my dogs have qualified for Nationals (South African Agility Championships)... the top 60 dogs in the country (all heights combined) qualify for the event, with the next 10 dogs being reserve. Psych did qualify in a reserve spot, but since some peeps won't be able to attend, the Girly Whirly Slinky Malinky Chicken Licken dog will be attending her first SA Champs.
A couple of months ago when we ran the try-outs, Volt was having issues, me and Psych were WAY out of our depth, but I could always depend on my Spaz... since then things have all turned around, but nevermind, with no further delay.... my Trials Video for 2015:
And then a couple of weekends ago, a group of friends travelled to Eastern Province (1000km roughly), for a weekend of awesome laughs, jokes, support, competition, wins, losses, tears, happiness and a general fantastic time!
Volt took Saturday off with a shoulder injury, but I cannot actually in written words describe how happy I am with his weekend... He RAN, he played with his ball, he barked, he screamed, he was permanently ready to go, he interacted, he was BACK! Of our 8 Agility rounds, he ran 7 clear with 5 or 6 wins. He rocked it and came back wanting more!
Chaos had a ball as always, despite me scrutinizing him and watching and considering and imagining and seeing into things... For the first time in my eyes, Chaos was off the pace... quite acceptably from a 9-year old... but if there is one thing I know for certain is that Chaos needs to retire before 'too late'... the poor dog is bound to be scrutinized for the rest of his career, but there are only two rules: Are you still having fun? Are you still capable of having fun safely and pain free? On the Sunday he made my weekend by clocking some of the fastest times (with a fault here and there), settling my doubts.
But the real and true super duper star of the weekend, was my Girly Whirly Chicken Licken Psych Malycho Slinky Malinky dog! Hex has been a blessing for her, having a super duper bestest friends apparently works. He has built her confidence exponentially and all of that exponentialness exploded on the PE weekend.... she ROCKED... not a little bit, but as in full on, live show, smash the guitar, rip your shirt off, bra's on the stage ROCKED it! In reality she just qualified into Grade 3 Contact Agility and Grade 3 Non Contact Agility... in my mind, she won 17 QC's, flew to the moon and back, won South Africa's got talent, started a non-profit and then opened a coffee shop... THAT is how well she did. The reward is just so great when the journey has been so hard...
Monday, April 20, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Be the Judge
Tonight unfortunately, my thoughts are not very positive. With increasing frequency I have been experiencing very disrespectful or ignorant judging.
I have been competing in Agility (Dog Jumping) for just about 22 years. I qualified as a judge 15 years ago, due to our Kennel Club rules only allowing individuals to judge at 18 years of age, I have been judging for the last 13 years. I thoroughly enjoy both the competing and judging side of things and have many ideas of how things 'should be'.
Due to our small numbers here in South Africa, you will often hear judges defending themselves or being defended by 'weekend warriors' or non-competitors and at some point the statement will come out 'but we can't lose him/her as a judge, so just leave it/let it be'. A statement to which I COMPLETELY disagree. If a judge cannot fulfil their duties, due to a lack of interest, ignorance, laziness, bias intentions, inability to understand the sport, refusal to admit shortcomings or any other fixable reason, then I would rather have one less judge.
Yes, more often it is competitors disrespecting judges, but tonight I need to vent with regards to judging.
I realise that judging Agility is generally a thankless, hot, unpaid job. I do it often enough myself to remember this. However, handlers spend hours and a small fortune on training and preparing for competition, as a judge you owe the competitors some time and commitment. Designing appropriate courses and studying them takes time, if you do not have a good few hours in the weeks preceding your appointment, don't accept it. On several occasions this year, I have 'assisted' judges in setting up courses, except there is no course plan and they are making it up as they go along? This goes hand in hand with laziness, where a judge will change a course from Grade 3 to the lower grades, but be unwilling to move one jump, change one angle, often making it more difficult for younger, inexperienced dogs.
Some judges spend so little time thinking about their courses that they are completely unjudgable (my own made up word). Can I effectively judge all my contacts? See all tunnel entries and exits? Will I be in the handler's way? Will I be standing at the correct angle for important obstacles like the tyre, long jump and wall jump? Can I judge all dogs/handlers equally on this course? Surely these are questions that any judge should not only be taught to answer when being qualified, but should realise very quickly when they start to judge? Design grade appropriate courses, think about what you are testing at every single obstacle or turn. Right it down and ensure you are not testing the same thing 3 or 4 times over and that you are not testing too little or too much.
Contact obstacles cannot be effectively judged from 20m away... or even 10m away really. Not at the speed dogs are moving in modern Agility. A dog walk cannot be judged accurately with a judge standing still, there has to be SOME movement. Or ask for an up contact judge! This is not admitting defeat, it is respecting competitors enough that you try to judge as accurately as possible. Try and design your courses so that the majority of the handlers will NOT be between you and the contact zone.
When measuring a distance between obstacles, use a measuring wheel to ensure that the distance IS in fact legal, pacing it out just will not do at the end of the day. If you measure it too short, you cannot just 'measure wider' to try and justify the distance. The dog's natural path is not the 'dog's adjusting to judge's measuring path'. While judges might differ dog's natural path, you cannot adjust measuring to justify yourself. On that note, use distances greater than 5m (much greater like 6m and 7m), this will avoid having this problem. Don't depend on software to dictate the distance, measure it on the day to be SURE you are happy. If your ring is suddenly smaller than expected, rather adjust your course to what it is on paper, don't 'squash' things!
If it is suggested in guidelines or rules that you have a 'straight approach' this means that it is for safety reasons. Saying 'but there is enough space to straighten your dog out', is NOT valid. The approach should be straight. The end. This also does not mean that the obstacle is necessarily 'straight on' from the previous obstacle, but that the dog's natural path will be straight on. It is a good idea to study dogs running on a regular basis to understand the natural path and straight approaches.
I think most importantly KNOW your rules, make sure that you read them each time the night before you judge. Look at the guidelines for refusals. Jumping over a tunnel if it is the next obstacles is NOT a refusal, handlers jumping over dog walks is an elimination, the long jump maximum distance is not 1.9 meters, you can only get 1 standard fault in the weave poles, touching the dog is faults, repeating the see saw after a fly off is a disqualification, you are allowed an up contact judge on the dog walk only, you cannot change timekeepers or scribes in the middle of a class... to name just a FEW I have seen this year!
Yes, the benefit of the doubt should always go to the dog, just remember that for each mistake you make in not calling a fault, another dog is losing out on a placing or a qualification or a win or a prize or just the knowledge that they finished in a top 10 or 5 or 20 for that matter. ALL judges will inevitably make mistakes, going both to the advantage and the detriment of the dog, but if you can say you made an honest mistake while being aware, having the knowledge, giving your best effort, that is okay. If it is due to bias against the handler, because you were busy on your phone, because you were looking away, because you were too lazy to move, because you didn't know your rules... then I think you should reconsider why you are judging!
I have all the time in the world for judges that TRY, I will continue to help them build courses, scribe for them, discuss judging with them and enter under them, despite any shortcomings. But for those that have shortcomings due to ignorance, bias, superiority... I think I will rather spend the time playing with my dogs, thank you.
I have been competing in Agility (Dog Jumping) for just about 22 years. I qualified as a judge 15 years ago, due to our Kennel Club rules only allowing individuals to judge at 18 years of age, I have been judging for the last 13 years. I thoroughly enjoy both the competing and judging side of things and have many ideas of how things 'should be'.
Due to our small numbers here in South Africa, you will often hear judges defending themselves or being defended by 'weekend warriors' or non-competitors and at some point the statement will come out 'but we can't lose him/her as a judge, so just leave it/let it be'. A statement to which I COMPLETELY disagree. If a judge cannot fulfil their duties, due to a lack of interest, ignorance, laziness, bias intentions, inability to understand the sport, refusal to admit shortcomings or any other fixable reason, then I would rather have one less judge.
Yes, more often it is competitors disrespecting judges, but tonight I need to vent with regards to judging.
I realise that judging Agility is generally a thankless, hot, unpaid job. I do it often enough myself to remember this. However, handlers spend hours and a small fortune on training and preparing for competition, as a judge you owe the competitors some time and commitment. Designing appropriate courses and studying them takes time, if you do not have a good few hours in the weeks preceding your appointment, don't accept it. On several occasions this year, I have 'assisted' judges in setting up courses, except there is no course plan and they are making it up as they go along? This goes hand in hand with laziness, where a judge will change a course from Grade 3 to the lower grades, but be unwilling to move one jump, change one angle, often making it more difficult for younger, inexperienced dogs.
Some judges spend so little time thinking about their courses that they are completely unjudgable (my own made up word). Can I effectively judge all my contacts? See all tunnel entries and exits? Will I be in the handler's way? Will I be standing at the correct angle for important obstacles like the tyre, long jump and wall jump? Can I judge all dogs/handlers equally on this course? Surely these are questions that any judge should not only be taught to answer when being qualified, but should realise very quickly when they start to judge? Design grade appropriate courses, think about what you are testing at every single obstacle or turn. Right it down and ensure you are not testing the same thing 3 or 4 times over and that you are not testing too little or too much.
Contact obstacles cannot be effectively judged from 20m away... or even 10m away really. Not at the speed dogs are moving in modern Agility. A dog walk cannot be judged accurately with a judge standing still, there has to be SOME movement. Or ask for an up contact judge! This is not admitting defeat, it is respecting competitors enough that you try to judge as accurately as possible. Try and design your courses so that the majority of the handlers will NOT be between you and the contact zone.
When measuring a distance between obstacles, use a measuring wheel to ensure that the distance IS in fact legal, pacing it out just will not do at the end of the day. If you measure it too short, you cannot just 'measure wider' to try and justify the distance. The dog's natural path is not the 'dog's adjusting to judge's measuring path'. While judges might differ dog's natural path, you cannot adjust measuring to justify yourself. On that note, use distances greater than 5m (much greater like 6m and 7m), this will avoid having this problem. Don't depend on software to dictate the distance, measure it on the day to be SURE you are happy. If your ring is suddenly smaller than expected, rather adjust your course to what it is on paper, don't 'squash' things!
If it is suggested in guidelines or rules that you have a 'straight approach' this means that it is for safety reasons. Saying 'but there is enough space to straighten your dog out', is NOT valid. The approach should be straight. The end. This also does not mean that the obstacle is necessarily 'straight on' from the previous obstacle, but that the dog's natural path will be straight on. It is a good idea to study dogs running on a regular basis to understand the natural path and straight approaches.
I think most importantly KNOW your rules, make sure that you read them each time the night before you judge. Look at the guidelines for refusals. Jumping over a tunnel if it is the next obstacles is NOT a refusal, handlers jumping over dog walks is an elimination, the long jump maximum distance is not 1.9 meters, you can only get 1 standard fault in the weave poles, touching the dog is faults, repeating the see saw after a fly off is a disqualification, you are allowed an up contact judge on the dog walk only, you cannot change timekeepers or scribes in the middle of a class... to name just a FEW I have seen this year!
Yes, the benefit of the doubt should always go to the dog, just remember that for each mistake you make in not calling a fault, another dog is losing out on a placing or a qualification or a win or a prize or just the knowledge that they finished in a top 10 or 5 or 20 for that matter. ALL judges will inevitably make mistakes, going both to the advantage and the detriment of the dog, but if you can say you made an honest mistake while being aware, having the knowledge, giving your best effort, that is okay. If it is due to bias against the handler, because you were busy on your phone, because you were looking away, because you were too lazy to move, because you didn't know your rules... then I think you should reconsider why you are judging!
I have all the time in the world for judges that TRY, I will continue to help them build courses, scribe for them, discuss judging with them and enter under them, despite any shortcomings. But for those that have shortcomings due to ignorance, bias, superiority... I think I will rather spend the time playing with my dogs, thank you.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Hexed!
But actually we will start with the Volt news... we are not out of the woods yet, but HUGE improvement. Last weekend Volt had the fastest ever disqualifications, making me the world's happiest handler... happy dances were a thing....
With most of our SA Champs Qualifying trials completed, Chaos and Volt are guaranteed qualification (Chaos will be at his 7th SA Champs and Volt at his 4th) and at this point in time, Psych is lying in the reserves, so there is even a chance for her....
I was asked to do a promotional video for our SA Champs:
But more importantly... puppy update:
Hex will be 4 months old on Sunday, how time flies!
With most of our SA Champs Qualifying trials completed, Chaos and Volt are guaranteed qualification (Chaos will be at his 7th SA Champs and Volt at his 4th) and at this point in time, Psych is lying in the reserves, so there is even a chance for her....
I was asked to do a promotional video for our SA Champs:
But more importantly... puppy update:
Hex will be 4 months old on Sunday, how time flies!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Hex 13 Weeks
I often get asked what you can do with your baby puppy... here are some ideas. Hex has been with me for 2 weeks now (He only arrived when he was 11 weeks). In my experience he has learned quicker than most dogs,except maybe Volt, but there are not limits, be creative, think of new things.
I have to say, that I am so grateful for Hex and Psych's breeders for really only introducing dogs with a SOLID temperament into their lines. It makes the world of difference not to have to struggle with issues.
On a different note, I am really having heartbreaking problems with Volt. He has developed a very big problem with our regular show grounds. The problem seems to be that he has gotten a fright of any people or dogs that are even remotely close to the ring. Training or competitions at any other grounds are not a problem and even if I train at these show grounds outside of a show environment he is still my mad, crazy, loving, barking Sheltie. Seeing him shut down in the ring is heartbreaking. We have cut down on competition a lot (doing maybe one round a day, maybe none), while I am trying to find ways to make it all a positive experience again. It seems it might be a very long Agility year ahead for me... and no AWC and maybe not even any big events. His welfare is a lot more important to me.
I have to say, that I am so grateful for Hex and Psych's breeders for really only introducing dogs with a SOLID temperament into their lines. It makes the world of difference not to have to struggle with issues.
On a different note, I am really having heartbreaking problems with Volt. He has developed a very big problem with our regular show grounds. The problem seems to be that he has gotten a fright of any people or dogs that are even remotely close to the ring. Training or competitions at any other grounds are not a problem and even if I train at these show grounds outside of a show environment he is still my mad, crazy, loving, barking Sheltie. Seeing him shut down in the ring is heartbreaking. We have cut down on competition a lot (doing maybe one round a day, maybe none), while I am trying to find ways to make it all a positive experience again. It seems it might be a very long Agility year ahead for me... and no AWC and maybe not even any big events. His welfare is a lot more important to me.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Erm.... Oops... Introducing Hex...
I have an incredibly unplanned puppy... That is the long and the short of it. Basically I saw this picture on the Monday:
And by Thursday I had a puppy!
He is from Psych's breeder, in fact he is a half brother. So many things in his favour that brought him here. I absolutely LOVE his mother, in fact my next Border Collie was planned from her or a grandchild of hers... of course this was supposed to be in a few years time. A good few years! Anyhow Tula (dam) is a bit of a noisy, crazy, nutso, hard as nails, non-stop looney tune! Explains why I like her right? He shares his father with Psych, a dog that I also adore. A tall, lanky, easy-going, workaholic boy from the UK (Astra Lad). Most of the other puppies had left (some of these pups in the background are from another litter), but the breeder had kept this little guy back for a bit, thinking he would rather keep him for a bit and look for the right serious working home...
Of course there are several factors that contributed to Hex coming home, but being a tri-colour with a left blue eye really did help his cause...
A few people have asked, why I would get a related dog, after stating several times that Psych has been the most difficult Agility dog I have trained to date. First and foremost I live with my dogs, Agility is a big second. I LOVE living with Psych, when she is not being a ultra serious, perfectionist, confidence lacking Agility dog, she is the most fun, amusing, intelligent and easy going dog to live with! I did, after all, take the pup with the strongest herding instinct when I chose her, so not completely unexpected. I love the confidence, character and intelligence of the Chrisri Dogs...
Today Hex has been here a week, but looking at it, you would more guess that he has been living here for the last century. Luckily for me, we hit it off from the word go and he fits in like a dream. I look forward to many years together!
Without further a due:
Having an unplanned pup means a lot of crash planning for training and thinking of what one wants to do differently and the same from previous dogs. I am very busy with work at the moment, but really hoping to catalogue Hex's youth and training and my thoughts and some more videos on the blog. I am also hoping to fully catalogue his story growing up, but once again, we will see how things go with regards to work.
And by Thursday I had a puppy!
He is from Psych's breeder, in fact he is a half brother. So many things in his favour that brought him here. I absolutely LOVE his mother, in fact my next Border Collie was planned from her or a grandchild of hers... of course this was supposed to be in a few years time. A good few years! Anyhow Tula (dam) is a bit of a noisy, crazy, nutso, hard as nails, non-stop looney tune! Explains why I like her right? He shares his father with Psych, a dog that I also adore. A tall, lanky, easy-going, workaholic boy from the UK (Astra Lad). Most of the other puppies had left (some of these pups in the background are from another litter), but the breeder had kept this little guy back for a bit, thinking he would rather keep him for a bit and look for the right serious working home...
Of course there are several factors that contributed to Hex coming home, but being a tri-colour with a left blue eye really did help his cause...
A few people have asked, why I would get a related dog, after stating several times that Psych has been the most difficult Agility dog I have trained to date. First and foremost I live with my dogs, Agility is a big second. I LOVE living with Psych, when she is not being a ultra serious, perfectionist, confidence lacking Agility dog, she is the most fun, amusing, intelligent and easy going dog to live with! I did, after all, take the pup with the strongest herding instinct when I chose her, so not completely unexpected. I love the confidence, character and intelligence of the Chrisri Dogs...
Today Hex has been here a week, but looking at it, you would more guess that he has been living here for the last century. Luckily for me, we hit it off from the word go and he fits in like a dream. I look forward to many years together!
Without further a due:
Having an unplanned pup means a lot of crash planning for training and thinking of what one wants to do differently and the same from previous dogs. I am very busy with work at the moment, but really hoping to catalogue Hex's youth and training and my thoughts and some more videos on the blog. I am also hoping to fully catalogue his story growing up, but once again, we will see how things go with regards to work.
Friday, January 2, 2015
The contact debate becomes the contact comparison...
My, my, it would appear that my previous post made the Facebook rounds in a moderate way... I kind of followed some of the threads around it, so here are some of my additional comments to add to the comments that have already been commented on comments I commented...
- Dave Munnings made a comment that was misinterpreted by some (he was referring to his own stress when training and I get that one!). Anyhow this interpretation led to several comments being made that handlers felt 2o2o training was 'stressful for their dogs'. Personally I have never been in a situation where I have not managed to make any form of training fun and carefree for a dog. I can't categorically state that in all eternity there will be a 100% guarantee of this, but I really believe that if any training is stressful for your dog, you can be doing something different. I don't think this is a valid argument for not training 2o2o, a nice excuse if you are looking for one, but not really a reason.
- There were a few references to the fact that people were teaching running contacts to 'lower drive'/'less confident' dogs because it was 'better'/'easier'/'more motivating' for them. I have seen the complete opposite side of this. With less confident dogs completely breaking down, because running contact criteria wasn't clear enough for them or the pressure and excitement was too much for them. I mean it when I say that I don't think there is ANY set of rules to determine which method is best for your dog. There are just too many factors (and combinations there of) that come into play: Confidence, work ethic, ability to handle failure, build, size, drive, weight, stride size, angulation, speed, intelligence... just to mention a FEW. No-one can categorically state that either running contacts or 2o2o WILL work for a dog because of XYZ... I still believe that each dog needs to be analysed individually. Remember, failures are hardly ever published, don't judge by the amount of success stories you see on the internet. The one big secret is KNOW YOUR DOG.
- One very important factor that was highlighted was the importance of course design. Several good examples of the AWC 2014, EO 2014 and EO 2012 was brought up. And if you watched this year's AWC you can also appreciate the different exits. Please remember these examples, as I will use them in the next comment I want to make:
Small Agility courses both had very severe turns off the dog walk:
Individual Agility:
1. Primadonna (Stopped)
2. Amiga (Running)
3. Jet (Stopped)
Team Agility:
1. Coopy (Running)
2. Inna (Stopped)
3. Eyleen (Stopped)
Medium Agility Courses, Individual had a straight-ish go round and team once again had a severe turn:
Individual Agility:
1. Kiki (Stopped)
2. Esmerelda (Running)
3. Olli (Stopped)
Team Agility:
1. Dizzy (Stopped)
2. Esmerelda (Running)
3. Curly (Stopped)
Large Agility Courses, Individual had a straight go round and team once again had a severe turn:
Individual Agility:
1. Lilli (Running)
2. Hoss (Stopped)
3. Chica (Running)
Team Agility:
1. Reav (Stopped)
2. Hoss (Stopped)
3. Elium (Stopped)
So this is only one competition and one set of results, but to me still proves that often, a course with a sharp turn after the DW will still favour stopped contacts.
-It also brings me to my next comment, with a lot of people saying that A. it is easier to teach a running contact to a Small dog and B. It is more necessary to have a running contact with a small and a medium dog. I strongly disagree with both. Once again it depends on a load of other factors, but I don't think the size or jump height category of your dog makes such a big difference, or more accurately the only difference. While it remains to be seen and I will take on a few students next year to test my methods, I think my way of teaching the running DW should be effective on any height dog, provided they meet a load of other criteria. Volt is purely the only one of my current dogs that it will work on, because he is self-propelled, forward driven and confident.
Now back to my own training:
Here is the next in my series of comparison videos:
Things that I learnt today:
1. If I have forward motion, regardless of my position with regards to Volt, he has much better running hits.
2. A badly executed turn from a running contact is pretty useless and can be beaten by a 2o2o.
3. On a straight exit, a running contact is (quite logically) pretty unbeatable (1.18 seconds in my case). However even on slight turns the margin does become less (0.56 and 0.71 for today). You DO have to consider though, that the average difference in dog walks was only 0.451, so the actual exit increased the time gained. It DID encourage me to work on the timing of my quick releases (WAY too late still) as well as the speed and drive off my releases for 2o2o. I am sure I can significantly decrease this margin.
4. My dog is awesome... oh wait, I already knew that, didn't learn that today... still feel the need to share it though.
Those that follow this blog, will know that back in 2012, there was a Project A-Frame too... I started with a stopped A-Frame only. After AWC 2012, I decided to teach a running A-Frame... erm for straight exits only...
At the moment my plan is only to teach running exits in this range:
Today's experiment however DID confirm my current way of thinking that dog walk exits in that range WILL be quicker, so all is good for now.
This experiment continues (think I will do some go-rounds next), but one thing I DO wish is that people would stop being blind, blind-folded, blinkered and stupid. By this I mean that I really want handlers and trainers to stop knocking one method OR the other and accept that both have merit. The proof is ALWAYS in the pudding and since both 2o2o and running dog walks still feature on local, national and international scenes. I don't think anyone has the right to be horrible, nasty, derogatory, evil, bitchy, negative or aggressive towards either method.
Much more importantly than 'having' running or stopped contacts, your dog (and you for that matter), should 100% understand and enjoy what they are doing.
Heehee (insert evil laugh here)... best solution is to have it all.... muhahaha, have both! Many brilliant trainers have proven it is possible and now so has Volt... just another tool in your toolbox right...
Happy, happy, happy New year and happy training!
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Back to the Contact Debate
As a former sworn enemy of the running contact, as well as a current trainer of dual contacts, I feel that I am still grasping the full matrix of pro's and cons, disadvantages and advantages, do's and don't s, yays and nays of running contacts vs. stopped contacts every day. Currently my conclusion is STILL that both have a place in Agility and will not win or lose the game for you. It does depend on your own abilities, time, patience and most importantly common sense. Now a few of my thoughts:
On 2o2o Contacts:
-I don't mind 'over-shooting', if my dog stops dead off the contact, but doesn't self-release so be it. In a training situation, I will encourage reversing or targetting for the contact with back legs, in competition, I would have released before this moment.
- A slow or creepy positioning will not get rewarded. This generally means there are huge gaps in training, or problems have been created by handlers not making criteria clear enough, or messing up releases.
- Striding is very important to me, yes, even in 2o2o, I actively train this. It is even more important in 2o2o in the sense that a small 'wobbly' will cause severe deceleration on the contact obstacle, because it is already an exercise in deceleration.
- Position and release, POSITION and RELEASE, position and RELEASE, POSITION and release. If your dog does not have a 110% clear understanding of these two things, you are lost in the dark without a GPS. Many people tend to neglect their release.
-When it comes to self-control exercises ON an Agility course, I don't believe in over-proofing or over-compensating. We are promoting super high drive and speed and super duper excitement on an Agility course. Personally I don't expect my dogs to hold a wait or a 2o2o or any other seriously controlled position while 15 people are throwing balls, 37 sheep are circling the dog walk with 15 border collies herding them, while 3 Mallinois does attack work on the judge and the president arrives in a helicopter. If a dog is struggling with the position, I won't ask for a 10 second wait, I will ask for 2 seconds and have something to reward. If a dog continuously self-releases, I won't UP the criteria for holding (increasing time or distractions), but rather decrease it and have something to reward. I work up to high levels of proofing with verbals (I can use tunnel/go go go with all my dogs but they won't release until the 'okay'), physical cues (I can sprint past, none of my dogs will move) and distractions (I can throw a ball or toy, but none of my dogs will move) and combined (so I can say go go go tunnel, while sprinting past and throwing a toy) and my dogs won't move until they have been released. BUT if a dog should break, you go back to making it easier and working back up to the ultimate proofing.
On Running Contacts
- I believe in very clear understandable criteria for dogs. While hind leg awareness is very important to me in my dogs with regards to Agility in general, I don't think hitting the contact with hind legs while in a full sprint is an actual understandable criteria. I was a long jumper in high school, for me to hit my mark correctly while in full sprint was hard enough, and I was only running on two and had a full comprehension of my requirements. Striding patterns can be taught easily enough though.
- I believe the egg should come before the chicken. A dog should be willing to sprint/run/gallop full speed ahead/behind or next to the handler without chasing a toy or food before any contact training is taken on. I don't want my dogs to be running after a toy while they are negotiating any part of the plank/contact.
-Running contacts might never have a 100% consistency rate. Accept it.
- Running contacts are not meant for all dogs. You have to take the build/size/striding of your dog into account.
Comparing Running Contacts and Stopped Contacts
-It all depends on the scenario and course design. I have timed many a split in my life, as in tons, from small shows to EO and AWC and I have always found that sometimes stopped contacts still give you the edge. If you have both... well then you are in the pound seats.
- Neither one is easy to teach, they all have difficulties and all dogs differ, so no predicting in what will be the easiest or the hardest with any given dog. Don't compare badly trained stopped contacts with running contacts and vice versa. A high success rate with high speed is possible in both.
- Having trained both, I can assure you that teaching both PROPERLY are equally exhilarating.
-Whether your dog is small, medium, large or anywhere in between is irrelevant, build, forward drive, striding and work ethic are the factors that will determine whether you can teach fast contacts or not.
-If any part of your contact training depends on where you are, what you are doing with your pinkie or your middle toe or whether you get a word out at the right time or not, whether you stop or go, then I you still have work to be done. Contact performance, if trained properly, shouldn't depend on you.
-2o2o requires more ring training and people often make the mistake of comparing splits/times of when the dogs is released compared to a running contact, instead of thinking when the dog WOULD have been released in a big competition (ie first foot touching contact zone)
All of that said and done, the point I am actually trying to make, is don't knock one method for another, properly trained, anything can be a winner. Today I did a quick comparison on Dog Walks only, over the next few weeks, I will do a few video studies involving different exits off Dog Walks to expand my ability to read my dog and course we may be presented with.
Today's video shows that, speedwise, 2o2o of dog walks can yield a very different performance depending on many factors, while running dog walks will show marginal differences in this regard. However hits with running dog walks differ a lot more than with stopped contacts. A lot of room for interpretation, thought and growth here...
On 2o2o Contacts:
-I don't mind 'over-shooting', if my dog stops dead off the contact, but doesn't self-release so be it. In a training situation, I will encourage reversing or targetting for the contact with back legs, in competition, I would have released before this moment.
- A slow or creepy positioning will not get rewarded. This generally means there are huge gaps in training, or problems have been created by handlers not making criteria clear enough, or messing up releases.
- Striding is very important to me, yes, even in 2o2o, I actively train this. It is even more important in 2o2o in the sense that a small 'wobbly' will cause severe deceleration on the contact obstacle, because it is already an exercise in deceleration.
- Position and release, POSITION and RELEASE, position and RELEASE, POSITION and release. If your dog does not have a 110% clear understanding of these two things, you are lost in the dark without a GPS. Many people tend to neglect their release.
-When it comes to self-control exercises ON an Agility course, I don't believe in over-proofing or over-compensating. We are promoting super high drive and speed and super duper excitement on an Agility course. Personally I don't expect my dogs to hold a wait or a 2o2o or any other seriously controlled position while 15 people are throwing balls, 37 sheep are circling the dog walk with 15 border collies herding them, while 3 Mallinois does attack work on the judge and the president arrives in a helicopter. If a dog is struggling with the position, I won't ask for a 10 second wait, I will ask for 2 seconds and have something to reward. If a dog continuously self-releases, I won't UP the criteria for holding (increasing time or distractions), but rather decrease it and have something to reward. I work up to high levels of proofing with verbals (I can use tunnel/go go go with all my dogs but they won't release until the 'okay'), physical cues (I can sprint past, none of my dogs will move) and distractions (I can throw a ball or toy, but none of my dogs will move) and combined (so I can say go go go tunnel, while sprinting past and throwing a toy) and my dogs won't move until they have been released. BUT if a dog should break, you go back to making it easier and working back up to the ultimate proofing.
On Running Contacts
- I believe in very clear understandable criteria for dogs. While hind leg awareness is very important to me in my dogs with regards to Agility in general, I don't think hitting the contact with hind legs while in a full sprint is an actual understandable criteria. I was a long jumper in high school, for me to hit my mark correctly while in full sprint was hard enough, and I was only running on two and had a full comprehension of my requirements. Striding patterns can be taught easily enough though.
- I believe the egg should come before the chicken. A dog should be willing to sprint/run/gallop full speed ahead/behind or next to the handler without chasing a toy or food before any contact training is taken on. I don't want my dogs to be running after a toy while they are negotiating any part of the plank/contact.
-Running contacts might never have a 100% consistency rate. Accept it.
- Running contacts are not meant for all dogs. You have to take the build/size/striding of your dog into account.
Comparing Running Contacts and Stopped Contacts
-It all depends on the scenario and course design. I have timed many a split in my life, as in tons, from small shows to EO and AWC and I have always found that sometimes stopped contacts still give you the edge. If you have both... well then you are in the pound seats.
- Neither one is easy to teach, they all have difficulties and all dogs differ, so no predicting in what will be the easiest or the hardest with any given dog. Don't compare badly trained stopped contacts with running contacts and vice versa. A high success rate with high speed is possible in both.
- Having trained both, I can assure you that teaching both PROPERLY are equally exhilarating.
-Whether your dog is small, medium, large or anywhere in between is irrelevant, build, forward drive, striding and work ethic are the factors that will determine whether you can teach fast contacts or not.
-If any part of your contact training depends on where you are, what you are doing with your pinkie or your middle toe or whether you get a word out at the right time or not, whether you stop or go, then I you still have work to be done. Contact performance, if trained properly, shouldn't depend on you.
-2o2o requires more ring training and people often make the mistake of comparing splits/times of when the dogs is released compared to a running contact, instead of thinking when the dog WOULD have been released in a big competition (ie first foot touching contact zone)
All of that said and done, the point I am actually trying to make, is don't knock one method for another, properly trained, anything can be a winner. Today I did a quick comparison on Dog Walks only, over the next few weeks, I will do a few video studies involving different exits off Dog Walks to expand my ability to read my dog and course we may be presented with.
Today's video shows that, speedwise, 2o2o of dog walks can yield a very different performance depending on many factors, while running dog walks will show marginal differences in this regard. However hits with running dog walks differ a lot more than with stopped contacts. A lot of room for interpretation, thought and growth here...
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