Over the past 2 weeks, Tana has grown and learned so much! I've been trying to balance the things we work on with lots of fun and relationship building. It's so easy to forget she's young and can't work for very long! Some of the big things we've worked on (and still have lots of work to do!):
11.5 weeks
"Under" Day - we focused on getting under or through things
Under my legs (learning how to stretch back legs out, learning how to crawl with all legs under her body)
Under the covers (pushing at fabric and exploring in the dark)
Through a tunnel (Sam helping! They were having so much fun)
Under the coffee table
Puzzles - we played different games to make her think and challenge herself
Treats under tennis balls in a muffin tin
Lotus balls with treats
Empty water bottle with treats in it
Body awareness
Fit Bone - getting all 4 feet on the bone
Standing on objects (anything!)
Paw touch
Nose touch
Wraping around my leg
Tucked Sit
Folding into a Down, with legs tucked in
Obstacle awareness
Mat work (finding it and a little duration work - 3 seconds)
Going around a bucket - introduction
Going through stanchions/2x2 weave poles - start searching for them
Looking and investigating what I look at
Toy/Treat race games
Handler focus
Lap turns and Tandem turns
Blind crosses and front crosses on the flat
Recalls - lots of treats!
Tugging, releasing
Re-engaging with me and asking for play without me asking her.
We also got to do a little photoshoot and have fun in the sprinklers (check the flicker link in the bottom right)! Who knew water could be so much fun!!! Loving this little sprite, even though she is a little terror at times.
2016 is my year to expand. Expand my knowledge, growing and always learning. Expanding personally and building new skill sets and life directions. And Expanding our family by one more set of 4 paws!
10 Weeks
Introducing Tana! Tana is 10 weeks old now and she's a Flat Coated Retriever from Saskatchewan, Canada. She's from the same breeder as Rosey, Prairielight Kennels.
We chose the name Tana after the shocking and powerful spring/summer in Northern Alberta with the Fort McMurray fire. The name Tana, "Fire Goddess," has it's origins in Greek (thanks google!), but has been adopted by Faery Traditions and its definition is so fitting for who she's turning out to be.
"She appears as liquid fire, sometimes molten magma, but at others simply plasma in a liquid-like form. Sometimes she appears as lightning, arcing from the sky and into the earth. She is often dancing wild, ecstatic, sparks and flames jumping from her burning aura as she moves. She is the explosive power of all fire, whether that be in the smallest candle flame, or in a raging inferno, or the nuclear processes in the heart of every star. She is the geo-thermal power in the center of the earth, as well as the heat and adrenaline in our bodies. She brings both change, and destruction, as heat can cause chemical changes in objects (as in food being cooked, or stones changing characteristics when exposed to higher temperatures while forming) or even completely obliterate them (a forest or building burning to the ground in a raging fire)."
9 Weeks - On our way home
Our little fire goddess has kept us on our toes and is always happy to try something new! She is amazingly respectful of Rosey and Sam, not once jumping on them or grabbing at them (yet!). She has amazing self-control already (sits before exiting her crate, quickly learning to wait for her bowl to get to the floor before eating, It's Your Choice game was very quick!), and loves to run.
So much to learn! So much to teach! I'm so grateful for all the amazing resources online, I feel like I can pick and choose to make the exact right training plan for this puppy. And so many great trainers out there to go to for help when I get stuck!
Plus all the great classes I've taken at Fenzi (Nosework, Focus, Play, Behavior management/rehab) and everything I've learned trying to build a relationship with Rosey and Sam!
Rosey and I took the summer off from doing anything but playing and tugging. This is something that I did last summer as well, mainly because she really doesn't do well in the heat. I figured trying to beg convince her to run in the heat wasn't really going to help either one of us. At the beginning she seemed a only little jealous of Sam going to class, but as the weeks went on, she got more and more anxious when I left for class.
We started back at the beginning of September and our first classes back were a little rough. After the whole summer off, she was more eager to just run and play and less eager to play with me! With 3 weeks of working out the kinks, things got better, but we still have a few kinks to figure out. Unlucky for her, two hurricanes off the coast dumped tons of rain over the valley, so our weeks back should have been cooler, and were instead some of the hottest and most humid Arizona has ever seen in September!
Two weeks ago, we had our first trial (USDAA) back from the summer and although we only Qualified in one run, the whole weekend felt great. We had some awesome teamwork and she was happy to be running. Plus the one Q we did get was Grand Prix, which was something we've been working towards for the past year. (woohoo!)
This past weekend felt even better! It was AKC this weekend under Judge Kylie Bourke. With some tough, but really great flowing courses, I'm happy to say only 3 bars down over the entire weekend and one wrong course (all my fault with a poorly done rear cross). We managed 47 speed points this weekend with a QQ on Friday and a Q on Sunday in a really tough Standard run (only 30% Qualified in that class). Positives from the weekend: 2 classes with Rosey doing weaves nice and quick, and sticking everyone of her contacts (3/3 beautiful striding dog walk contacts! - we did work them in class this week). With a little more jump work to help with the bars, I think things can only get better AND faster. After our long journey together, this weekend had such a rewarding feeling to see the results and to know we have the potential to get better.
PACH count: 6/20 QQ and 258/750 speed points
1/3 there!
Also, she earned her Master Agility title this weekend :) Now she's got some new letters after her name: Prairielight Once Prairie Rose NA OAJ MXP AJP OF CGC PD APS APJ APG PKM
Tough course! Tricky parts that had most handlers were 3-4 (people didn't support the jump), wide turns at 6, the backside at 9 (options that worked was hang back at the teeter and push 9, or get ahead and blind cross 8 to the backside of 9; lots tried to rear cross the flat before 9 with mixed results and confused dogs), lots of dogs popping out of the weaves, LOTS of dogs that took the off course of #20 after the chute (we almost did too!).
Starting Small
I've been seeing a lot of the online community lately express the need to build a bond with your dog outside of the agility field. I've always had a good bond with my girls, but it's been mainly in low stimulus environments like my living room, backyard or in class. I'm starting to realize that once we get into the big, wide, world, Sam and I just don't trust each other completely. I'm always worried that she may see a dog that makes her anxious and start making a scene, and I"m sure she's always worried about the same thing! I have been brainstorming on easy options for us to explore, while keeping it something that I enjoy and I know she could handle.
In order to find something we can both explore together, I've signed up for a 6 week NoseWork course through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Rosey loves nose games and has been finding her toys in the house for years, but I figure I might as well learn how to teach the basics to Sam and see if she'll turn on to the game as well. Maybe if I can teach them to use their nose on cue, I can also teach them when not to use their nose (lost 2 runs with Rosey last weekend because of the nose!).
I'll try and share my experiences, mostly for myself to remember what I've learned, but also if anyone out there is curious about NoseWork. Class starts April 1st, next week! Recap from weekend
This past weekend was the Golden Retriever AKC Agility trial and I was helping out the new Trial Secretary figure out the software and scoring process. Unfortunately its tough to always give 100% to my girls when helping out like that, but I gave it my best and was really happy with our results!
Rosey Qed in MasterP Standard on Friday and Sunday with 40 combined PACH points! Saturday I was happily shocked when Rosey turned on the speed and drive, enough to find an off course! Looking at the video, she was headed for the off course before I could even signal her to turn! She's going to keep challenging me, but this time in a good way - Faster!!! :)
Current progress towards PDCH: 2/20 QQs, 123/750 speed points
[Note: after helping out a friend this week by running her dog in class, I am starting to realize how late my cues are for Rosey and how great she's been in adapting to it! Thinking back on the weekend, I'm going to have to start learning to signal much earlier if I want to encourage Rosey to keep up with the new speed.]
Work plan for Rosey and I: 1 - Cue earlier 2 - Work distance 3 - Work verbal directions
I was pleasantly surprised with my Sam! Although we weren't 100%, I started to feel like she wanted to work with me and play the game. Our weaves were pretty weak, but we got 2 Qs in Novice JWW (got our first lucky Q last spring) and now moves up to Open JWW! I don't know if we're ready! I have my work cut out for me!
Here's my work plan to build our skill in playing the game: 1 - Work on weaves - Entries, completion (biggest issue), and speed (footwork) 2 - Obstacle focus - she has none. We'll start playing with some speed circles, and up the difficulty with angled jumps and maybe even a set of 6 weave poles. 3 - Work on our relationship - Maybe some drive games? Started working crate games into jump work, and she seemed to really turn on to that idea. 4 - Harness the crazy - I want to be able to direct her when she starts her Butt-tuck craziness, at least towards obstacles! Got a tunnel -> Jump -> Walk this week :) I might need to film this!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
This past weekend was the first AKC indoor agility trial in the area. Its a one ring show with one judge and will often fill, unusual for trials in our area. This year we were able to get Linda Robertson (from TN) and I think the exhibitors were pleased with the choice, I know I definitely was! She was efficient, friendly, and had some great courses. My gauge of a good trial is the number of smiles in and out of the ring, and I saw lots this weekend!
The ultimate title that can be achieved in AKC agility is the Agility Champion (MACH, "regular" stream that has 24" jump height for my size dog) and Preferred Agility Champion titles (PACH, "preferred" stream that has 20" jump height). MACHs and PACHs require 20 QQs (2 qualifying runs in one day - Standard and Jumpers with weaves) and 750 points (one point for each full second under standard course time). The path to a MACH/PACH is long and some people never get there, while others seem to pick them up every few months. It really depends on how consistent a team is and how often they trial. One of the top 5 flat coated retrievers last year had 19 MACHs, while another had 17 MACHs!
Rosey and I aren't aiming quite so high, I would be delighted to get to 1 PACH (we are in the preferred stream), and I hope one day we'll get there. This weekend was the second weekend to work towards this goal, and I think we did not too bad :). We were able to snag our first QQ and 45 points two weekends ago at a local outdoor trial, and it sure felt good! This past weekend Rosey and I managed to get another QQ on Friday with some beautiful runs. Saturday we were able to put together two more awesome runs, but I ended up not cueing a jump properly after the table and so ended up not qualifying in our Standard run. ( JWW on Saturday - 19 points! )Sunday seemed to continue the luck of refusals, but I think we had two of the best runs of our lives on Sunday. :) I'm still beaming and so proud of her and all the work we've done!
I figured that today is a Dog Agility Blog Event and I might
as well use it as an excuse to write. The topic is “The Mental Aspect of
Agility”. To find more blogs exploring this topic, head over to Dog Agility
Blog Events.
My view from the computer.
I find this topic well timed and very fitting
for my situation, it seems that most of my failures on the agility field are
when I’m not focused or mentally prepared. The mental aspect of agility can be pretty tough, especially
in a show situation. I have dreams of having perfect runs, but I know what my
limitations are and go into any agility situation with realistic expectations
and aim my mental strength to improve as a team, not necessarily to Q or win
every class (yeah right!).
Running a Flat Coat and now a GSP I understand I need a
sense of humor, patience and love. I enter the ring with the goal of doing
justice to my dog and being better than last time. For Rosey, my goal is to be
on time with my cues so she doesn’t get worried about being wrong (and thus
goes off sniffing), and for Samantha, my goal is starting together and finishing together… the middle section has yet to be worked out. My mental game
is focused towards these goals, which in the long run will get me to Qs (so far
its been working out).
I find I can break the mental aspect into 4 parts:
Knowing the Course
The most obvious part of agility’s mental aspect is
memorizing the course; knowing where your path is and where you need to direct
the dog to get around a course. I like to look at the map, draw my dog’s path
and figure out where I need to be in relation to the obstacles and my dog. Then
I’ll walk the course from both the dog’s point of view and then a second or
third time from my point of view and I start memorizing where I need to be. The
third aspect is to be able to visualize this course while standing on the
sidelines. If I can’t remember something or can’t “see” where I should have
been standing as they come out of a tunnel or after my front cross, I’ll head
out for a last walk of the course to make sure the course is clear in my head.
Relationship building
The second mental aspect of agility is building a
relationship and being able to be connected with my dog in the ring. This
starts with the instant that she gets out of her crate/xpen. I make sure that I
am completely ready to give her my complete attention before I go even to put
my hand on the latch. This has been the hardest thing for Rosey and I, it’s
been a really hit-or-miss aspect of our agility and really depends on
everything going on around us. As we are getting more solid in our
relationship, it’s gotten easier, but I still make sure that I’m 100% mentally
there for her when I get her out to make sure that I don’t lose her trust
again.
In the ring
AKC - October 2013 - Rosey
Keeping my mind in the ring and connected with my dog is the
hardest part for me. I have learned that if I’m thinking too far ahead (or
worrying about what people on the sidelines are thinking or if my dog might leave
and sniff), my dogs will start to lose interest and get sluggish, start
sniffing, and get zoomies. I’ve learned that I need to be actively playing with
my dog, not just directing her where to go. As long as I’m in there with them
(mentally), they are more than happy to keep playing with me.
Staying mentally sharp
Agility isn’t all about the dog, it’s about how physically
fit and mentally acute I am. I find that a perfectly well thought out and well
planned course can go completely downhill if I’m struggling with my mental
sharpness. I make sure I always bring food for me to munch on and water to
drink. If I’m feeling a little hazy I make sure I have some protein or complex
sugars (bananas, apples, or protein bar) to perk my brain up. It definitely can
get tough by the end of the weekend! All the training, all the practice and
relationship building I work on is all worthless if I don’t take care of me.
Without the right nutrition, it doesn’t take too long for my reaction time to
slow down, my thinking get hazy and I start tripping over my feet by the time I
get to the end of a run.
I’ve found that the idea of preparing mentally is starting
to catch on in the agility community. It’s become a topic and I’ve seen more
and more people talking about getting mentally connected with their canine
teammates. I know its definitely made the difference in my dogs!
