Tomorrow is the day!

Well tomorrow is the day of my first agility trial! Looks like I will be good to go - we went to practice on Wednesday morning and class last night and no sign of limping or anything. Last night was class 6 - we did sequences with some more difficult jump angles and weave entries. Mom and I handled it all pretty well. The only thing we are having some consistent difficulty with now is the a-frame. I have to be running fast in order to get up it - but if mom runs fast past the a-frame to get my momentum going, I often pass right by it and run after her (although she is saying, "Frame" to me. And if she slows down and makes sure I get on it, then I don't have enough speed to get up and over and end up really fighting my way to the top. So we'll see what happens.

The other thing about tomorrow is the measuring! For some reason, I had never really been measured. Don't know why this isn't part of agility classes - but it isn't (at least wasn't for us). We had been asking our instructor to measure me for awhile now and there was never the time. If you saw me and compared me to the height of dogs who jump 16", you would assume like we did that I would jump 12". So I have always jumped 12". Last night I got measured - it was a rush job, but I measured 14 and 1/4"!!! This is very bad news because that means I would have to jump 16" tomorrow (anything over 14" puts you in 16") and I never have! I have also never dropped a bar in 12" and can probably do 16" but it would've been nice to know. So we're not sure what to do if I measure the same tomorrow - jump 16", jump preferred at 12", don't run? Chalk this up to another learning experience for mom - she's bummed but at least she'll know better the next time around.

Today we are going to do a little backyard practice and maybe go for a long walk at the park. Then tomorrow we get up early and see what happens!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Agility class 6, etc.

Thursday night was our sixth class of this session. We actually ran a course during this class. So during the first 30 minutes, we split into two groups and practiced some parts of the course. Then during the last half of the hour, we ran the course. It was really fun. It started with tunnel, dogwalk, chute, then front cross and two jumps. They had a different chute out there than usual and I forgot my new "king of the chute" mentality and I only did it when the instructor held it open for me...sorry mom! Then we did aframe, tire, weaves, tunnel - and then I sped up. The tunnel went to a triple and mom started running full out and I went with her! After triple was teeter, table, 180 jumps, another 180 jumps and then broad jump. Our instructor came right over to us and told mom that we should stop doing 2o2o for the dogwalk and teeter (we were already not doing it on the aframe). She thinks I won't bail on my contacts and she says if I start to, we can just put the 2o2o back in since I know it so well. Cool! Now I won't have to come to a dead stop in the contacts and maybe I'll be a faster dog. She also reminded mom to keep looking for places to put in front crosses to motivate me more. So we did pretty well over all except that I did a little sniffing when I should've been following mom...sorry mom!

Yesterday mom took me to run in the park even though it was only 20 degrees! There was no wind and the sun was out! And the sun is hardly ever out in Ohio in the winter. We had fun and surprisingly there were quite a few people and their dogs there.

Today we practiced in the yard - it was much warmer outside. We practiced teeter without the 2o2o - I rode it down and as I approached the bottom mom just said ok and we kept running. I liked that! We also did table - we don't practice that much and some times I am a little slow doing my down or sit. So mom made sure she really rewarded the fast responses.

We are working on a lot of new tricks too. Every evening after dinner, mom gets out the cheerios and we practice the new stuff - handstand, hide under a blanket, open the door, take and hold the dumbbell (not really a trick but we may need it for obedience some day), and shake head no. Some things are getting better, but they are all works in progress, that's for sure! We really love kikopup's YouTube channel and all of her videos on how to teach tricks. She really inspires us!

This week we have Wednesday morning practice and then our last class of the session on Thursday. Then we have a couple weeks off and start the advanced intermediate class in January! Can't wait!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Beginning intermediate agility class 6

Wow - this week has just flown by and I realize I have really been neglecting my blog! Sorry! But I am happy to report that tonight's class was our best one so far! I am getting used to the building and the sights and sounds and people and dogs. Plus going to the club on Wednesday mornings to practice on their equipment is really helping my confidence.

Tonight we started with jumps. Mom was still confused on exactly what a lead-out push is and on how to do it. She asked a lot of questions and thinks maybe she finally gets it. I wait on one side of the jump. She goes to the landing side and faces me with her shoulders toward me and her inside arm toward me but her outside leg points in the direction she is going to go. (Is that right?) Then she can stand still close to the jump and call me over the jump for true collection or she can call me over the jump and start moving in the direction she wants me to go. Or she can lead out farther from the jump and closer to the obstacle we are going to and show me the direction to go. Make sense?

Next was weaves and table. My weaves were faster - even with a wire on for the entry. Luckily I am not bothered by the wire any more. We also practiced fast sits or downs on the table. Mom had been rewarding me when I got released from the table, but the instructor suggested she reward me when I am on the table and then the release is another reward in itself. So we'll try that. Right now I have an awesome wait on the table. Mom could walk all over and I don't get up. However don't know what I might do once I get faster and more confident!

Then it was on to teeter, pinwheel and tunnel. I went across the teeter much faster than last class, but I can't say I am racing across it or anything! We did pretty well with the pinwheel - we practice those at home some. Mom needs to figure out just how far into and out of the pocket she can go and still give me good directions. And my tunnels were good!

Finally we did contacts. Tonight we did some fancy stuff. First practiced discrimination again between tunnel and dogwalk. Then we did some longer sequences like tunnel, aframe, front cross, tunnel, tight turn and right up onto the dogwalk. We did jump, jump, dog walk, tunnel, aframe. Any way it's hard to describe but it was fun. And it's cool that we practice stuff in class that is much harder than the novice course stuff that we will see at our first trial.

So we're pretty excited about how well we did and are starting to really look forward to the next class!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky