Tuesday's class

My class posts aren't very interesting any more. I can't get outside to make demo videos and we are refining our skills - going back over handling moves and trying to make them better - so there isn't a whole lot to talk about. Today we worked on forward motion front crosses again - this time making more of an effort to think about whether we wanted true collection (the FMFC placed your jump height away from the landing side of the jump), relative collection or more extension. And we were reminded that of course the handler has to be ahead of the dog to do the FMFC and also has to get her outside arm up and ready before the dog commits to the jump. FMFC are really just recalls to heel in motion so think about that especially when practicing them at one jump.

I did pretty well - I did refuse the double in my first sequence but did it after that. I read mom's FC well etc. After mom and I ran a longish sequence and did it right, one lady in our class yelled out some thing like, "Well it's easy to do if you have a slow dog!" Mom yelled back (half teasing but half serious too) - "Shut up!" I mean mom sounded like she was kidding and she doesn't go around telling people to shut up. But seriously, we were sort of hurt by that comment. We know that my slower speed allows time for mom to get information to me but if we do something well, can't we just feel good about it?

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Finally - Tuesday's Class!

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! I spent the day with my Cousin Wilson! It rained almost nonstop all day but around 2:00PM we had a little break and mom took Wilson and I outside to play. Wilson fetches the ball and I herd Wilson. Very fun!

Any way, finally a post about my class this week. I was very good again and did everything right! The only problem (not a problem for me, but...) was that I am still scanning the floor for food (of course) and while I keep going and don't actually stop (yay for me), Jenn says it is slowing me down and mom really needs to work with me on it (oh no).

Our skills drill for this week was working on the teeter and independence. I have a good but excruciatingly slow teeter. But I can be recalled over it and can be rear crossed, front crossed, blind crossed, and continue to do it when mom is a long way away from me laterally. So if I ever learn to tip it faster - look out!

The main theme for this class was box work. It was not a very tight box set-up and we did well with it. We also had some tunnel entrance discriminations in the sequences we ran.

We made a video of the part of a sequence that we most want to remember. The first time we did it, mom did a forward motion front cross (fmfc) and it worked well but she needed to remember to get her outside arm up sooner as that is what is cuing me to the turn. The other way to deal with this sequence was to do a lead out and be in the directed jump recall position. I didn't know this but this recall is named after the directed jump exercise in open obedience. Now it makes more sense! Until Tuesday, we didn't really know how to do it (even though mom had studied it).

Here's what we tried in the video:

1. FMFC - late outside arm

2. FMFC - better outside arm cue

3. Directed jump recall - mom is standing behind the right-side jump standard of #2 and trying to face forward where I would be enroute to jump #2

4. FMFC

5. Directed jump

6. Directed jump - mom finally trusted me to take #2 and moves out of position earlier - this is really how it should be

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Tuesday's class

In this week's class we practiced some course openings. First off we had to do a lead out push and then a forward motion front cross on the same sequence - the FMFC worked better for us. On the next sequence we had to try a FMFC and then a lead out pivot. We're going to try to make a video of this one to illustrate what we mean. It seemed that the two moves were very similar but with the lead out pivot there was no handler motion involved and with the FMFC there was handler motion. In this lead out pivot, the handler had her dog on the left and lead out past the plane of the jump (the dog was to take the back side of the second jump) - she called her dog to her left leg and then pivoted into a front cross and motioned the dog over the second jump.

We also talked a little about blind crosses which Jenn says are ok as long as the handler uses them at non-turning obstacles. So if your dog is in the weaves and you can get ahead, it is ok to BC - but the dog needs to still be weaving when you do it (the dog needs to still be performing any of the non-turning obstacles while you perform any cross). Otherwise you will slow your dog down as he exits as he will not know where to go next.

At the end of class, we practiced weave entries - one jump and then weaves - jumps started out easy and got harder. I got all my entries - no problem!!

Not the greatest video but hopefully it will give you an idea of what I am talking about. First mom tries a FMFC, then she tries the LOPivot but moves too soon and I jump the wrong direction. Then we do two better LOPs and one more FMFC.

BTW, here is a link to some shots of me in action at my last trial - click on the link and you'll see one picture and then under that there is a link to see the rest of the album. Mom loves the picture on the front and also the first one of me finishing the weaves.

http://mlifer.com/mlp/album/res/ecard/201007144759343.html

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Tuesday's class

It felt strange to be at class again after two weeks - seemed like it had been forever. This week's class was about serpentines and handling them all from one side or handling them using a FMFC. First we practiced the serpentine recall to heel with one jump. This mimics the middle jump of the serpentine if you are handling it all from the same side. Then we did some sequences - first time we had to do the single-sided handling and then the next time through we did FMFC after the first jump of the three. For us it works much better. The other thing we tried was a rear cross with a parallel approach to a jump. This was difficult - we had never tried it before and I didn't read it well. I turned the wrong way and then back-jumped the jump. You know how we mostly practice rear crosses with the dog coming to the jump straight on? Coming to the jump at an angle made it a whole different thing. Jenn told us to practice what she is calling a parallel rear cross with one jump - set up across from the end of the jump (the jump standard?) instead of perpendicular to the bar. Does that make sense? We haven't practiced it yet so we didn't video it! :)

We tried to make a video today to show what we mean. First we do a serpentine with same side handling and then I take another jump and going to the 5th jump is where mom pushes on my line and I rear cross at an angle and then turn around the jump tightly to the right. Then we ran it backwards with same side serp again and then into the weaves. The third time mom did the FMFC.

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Tuesday's class

If you are checking in expecting to see our tRicky T-Day video, sorry but you'll have to wait until next week! LOL!

Before going camping the other day we went to our Tuesday class. It was all about the backy uppy versus the forward motion front cross. The backy uppy is one of the six recalls to heel in APHS. The backy uppy is executed by the handler on the take-off side of a jump (the handler does not go past the plane of the jump) and is used when the next obstacle in the sequence is also on the take-off side. A FMFC is executed on the landing side of a jump and is used when the next obstacle is also on the landing side. Both involve the handler using her outside arm. The backy uppy involves so many turning cues (shoulder rotation, outside arm, deceleration, turning and facing the dog) that it is imperative that the handler says"Jump!" as a forward motion cue to the dog (and takes a step backward in the direction of the jump). For me, mom has to wait until the last possible second to turn towards me - so her timing is very critical for our success.

Last week we were talking about a foundation exercise where the handler puts a treat in her outside hand and the dog learns to walk in a straight line next to her without going past her outside arm. We asked Jenn about it again to try to make sure we understood it and found out the handler also needs to turn her shoulders into the dog. (Mom was originally looking straight ahead while doing it.) Kathy wanted to see a video of the exercise - we tried and it's here in this video but we sure hope we're doing it right! Also in the video - the handler should be able to keep a dog from going straight ahead and jumping by bringing up her outside arm and turning her shoulders. We're not too great at it yet - as you will see. Then we threw in a backy uppy at the end (at least we think we were doing a backy uppy)!

Sorry for the poor video quality. The Flip takes great HD video but if we want to edit with titles and stuff, we have to convert the Mp4 to AVI to get WMM to accept it. And then there goes the HD quality! (Do you think whole conversations will soon consist of only abbreviations?)

Jenn is off on a seminar next week so we get a break from class.

Wow - only a few more days in this week. I hope we get our training challenge done!!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Tuesday's class

At least today's class started out better than last week's! Mom didn't have to get all mad at me because I was less sniffy and a little more focused. Was that because class was about forward motion front crosses? Who knows. We reviewed FMFC at the jump and on the flat.

Some random thoughts: beginning agility dogs need to be taught not to go past the handler's outside arm (inside arm sends forward but outside arm signals a turn). I was taught at first with a mish-mash of ideas so I never learned to not go behind mom or to turn with her outside arm. An exercise on the flat is to have your dog walk in a straight line next to you and you have a treat in your outside hand and the dog never goes past your outside hand. Also a handler needs to be very clear to always go past the plane of a jump to do a FMFC (the shoulder turn and the outside arm can begin on the take-off side of the jump but the cross is performed past the plane of the jump). This is important so that the dog does not confuse the FMFC with the backy uppy. With the backy uppy, the handler stays on the take-off side of the jump and motions the dog over the jump and back next to her. (confusing to write this out). And last, the shoulder turn is the most important part of the FMFC (even more than the outside arm).

(If anybody thinks we got any of this information wrong, please always let us know!)

We did a sequence where we had the aframe and then a jump almost straight ahead but we had to jump from the back side of it and that was tough! The handlers had to get ahead and keep an eye on the dog to call the dog around to the back with a FMFC on the flat and then over the jump.

Jenn put the chute out for me to practice before my trial this weekend. I am happy to report that I went through it all three times (the first time with a little hesitation and the second and third times no hesitation at all)! Jenn suggested that mom make the barrel part of my chute here at home look different. So we came home and mom really tried to disguise it - boxes, a chair, sandpaper in the barrel, my bath tub mat in the barrel(she thought that would scare me since I only see that mat at bath times), a dark sheet, a pool noodle - nothing she did affected me at all!

(Sorry about the poor video - mom even let the camera tilt down half-way through and cut off part of the picture. )

Any way, mom believes now that my problem is not the chute at all but just a lack of confidence at trials or in new environments. So we have to do more of our training challenges and just hope that our confidence grows!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Monday's Class

Yesterday's class was about forward motion front crosses again and also something called a double front cross which we had never ever done before! Jenn sent a sub to teach the class and she did great! She's super nice and really knows her APHS!

One thing for the handler to remember about the double front - get both arms up and cueing! This is weird since sometimes inside arm is blended into outside arm but it's not usually BOTH arms at the same time. I guess a double front is when you move from one front cross into the next so seamlessly that it looks like one motion and not two separate front crosses. Of course this is impossible to visualize so we'll have to try a video - not sure we even know what we're doing but maybe you all can tell us if you see it and we are doing it wrong! (We had to wait all day yesterday and today for it to stop raining again so we could make a video! - Remember -we are new to this stuff and are just trying to learn it all so we don't claim to know what we are doing for sure but showing us trying in the video is easier than explaining in words!)

Jenn had the chute set up for me so I could try it and I refused! Typical, mom says. Mom is very frustrated by my chute/shoot performance or lack thereof. After begging me, I finally did do it and then did it lightning fast several times for big turkey pay-offs. I honestly don't know what my problem is - I am just playing around with mom's head (and it's working - LOL!).

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Monday Class

Today's class focused on the forward motion front cross(FMFC). We did pretty well with this skill since mom is almost always ahead of me and I like her to motivate me with motion. Here are some jumbled-up thoughts about it and a really not-very-good video to show you the basic idea of the one-jump drill (it's obvious that we have never practiced this drill).

With a FMFC, the handler passes the plane of a jump and starts to turn her shoulders and gets her outside arm up early to cue the turn. If the handler only moved forward (without the turning cues of the shoulder rotation and the outside arm, she would cue extension - the turning cues cue collection). The dog needs to commit to the jump before the handler fully rotates her shoulders or she may pull the dog off the jump. A FMFC is similar to the foundation recall to heel (RTH) and can be practiced with one jump. As with the RTH, the handler will end up on the landing side of the jump as far away from the jump as the bar is high (for us 12" ) - that cues true collection. The handler turns 90 away from the dog (not 180 - this is important because if the handler wanted to do a 180 at the jump it would be a forward send and not a FMFC). A RTH is done with the handler in the center of the jump but with a FMFC, the handler is on the left or the right (cueing the direction of the turn). You can add some lateral movement to a FMFC if the obstacle positioning allows it. A FMFC can be done on the flat also. And can be performed with no motion - if the handler is significantly ahead of a drivey dog (one that wouldn't mind if the handler were standing still - this is NOT me), she could get into place and perform the front cross as her dog was coming out of a tunnel for instance and the dog would be constantly moving. (Please let us know if we got any of this wrong!)

By far the best part of the class was that mom brought STEAK for me - I had never ever had STEAK before and boy was it good!!

We are planning to get 6 weave poles with a base - I need to practice real weave poles more often since all we have at home are stick-in-the-ground ones. We were looking at buying 3 sets of 2X2s so we would have more options in the future (plus they should be cheaper to ship). So far we are considering these from Max200 - any advice or opinions?

Gotta zoom!

Ricky