One Jump Training

The great thing about one jump training is
a) you only need one jump
b) you can do it in a small space.
Start out by shaping the jump (no bar). If done correctly the dog will love going through the uprights of the jump. Progress to the full jump height of the dog. I have been training this with Ryker to teach him not to knock the bar and he has greatly improved. Other exercises that helped are jump grids that are constantly adjusted in distance and height to make him think of where his takeoff points are. I am also doing these exercises with Ryddick to avoid having problems like I have with Ryker. Other important exercises are for the dog to read your body cues correctly. When to collect, when to extend, which jump to take first and where to go next, turns, pushes, pushes, FC and RC. Pretty easy, NOT.

Agility With All

Yesterday I went to the Club's Agility practice. It was good. Ryker was exited to do the course. He nailed his weave entry, touched the contact zone and listened to me. I felt like I had control over where he was going.
Raygen, what can I say, he is always great. Rylie..... she had fun. I made her do some jump that she did not take. She is a Velcro dog if you have ever seen one. I basically have to go over the jump with her. Training her has been the most challenging.
Ryddick, I ran him in "public" for the first time. He was great. He stopped at the contacts, very nicely. He had a slight problem with the height of the A-Frame and went all the way into the dirt. I will accept that, to avoid shoulder injury. He confused the Teeter with the dogwalk and did a Luganis. I had him take it again and he was great. Can't wait o run him in a trial. Maybe the next ASCA trial.

Weave Training

My weave pole training journey started out with Rylie in 2004. Anne Platt was our trainer and she trains channel weaves, no guide wires. Phew! Rylie learned very quickly.

Raygen started out with the channel, too. I attended a training session with another trainer and she had put guide wires on the weave. Poor Raygen was afraid of them. As soon as we took them off he was fine. To this day he can find the most difficult entries to the weaves. It just came natural to him.

Ryker has been trained using the channel weaves, too. He was weaving when he was 9 months old, but I decided to stop until our first trial at 12 months. He sometimes hits them so hard that he bounces back from the second pole. He has to learn to control his speed going into the weaves.
Ryddick is the first of my dogs to learn the weaves with the 2x2 method. He too gets it pretty quickly. He is more cautious going into the weaves and I hope he can keep it that way until he gets older. I don't want to have another Ryker weave issue. At this point I am not in a hurry to trial him in Agility. I plan on starting him in Herding in a few weeks. but that is another post.

Planned Rally and Agility Trials 2008

Here is a list of trials I have been to this year and upcoming planned trials.

January 12th and 13th, AKC Agility in Farmington, Utah
February 9th and 10th, ASCA Agility in Farmington, Utah
February 16th and 17th, AKC Agility in South Jordan, Utah
March 15th and 16th, DOCNA in Farmington, Utah
March 21/22/23, AKC Rally-Obedience, Farmington, Utah
April 26th and 27th, USDAA, Pleasant Grove, Utah
May 1/2/3/4, AKC Agility and Rally-Obedience, South Jordan, Utah
May 17th and 18th, ASCA Agility Pleasant Grove, Utah
May 24/25/26, AKC Agility, Sandy, Utah
June 6/7/8, AKC Rally and Agility, Farmington, Utah
June 12/13/14/15, AKC Agility, Blackfoot, Idaho
June 21/22/23, USDAA, Sandy, Utah
July 11/12, AKC Agility, Farmington, Utah
July 14/15/16/17/18 C Spot Win Camp, Laramie
August 1st and 2nd, ASCA Agility, Pleasant Grove, Utah
August 8/9/10, USDAA, Pleasant Grove, Utah
August 30/31 and Sept. 1st, AKC Agility, Sandy, Utah
September 12/13/14, AKC Agility and Rally Obedience, Farmington, Utah
September 26/27/28, AKC Agility, Pocatello, Idaho
October 4/5 Control Unleshed Seminar with Leslie McDevitt, Farmington
October 9/10/11/12, AKC Agility and Rally-Obedience, Boise, Idaho
October 24/25/26, AKC Agility, Rigby, Idaho
December 6th and 7th, USDAA, Farmington, Utah

Seminars in 2008

I just got back from a seminar with two time World Agility Champion Silvia Trkman. It was great!! Didn't want for it to stop. She is an amazing trainer and really helped me out to do some very nice handling. Ryker enjoyed the experience and he was very well behaved in his crate when the other dogs were running.
I shared the ride to Colorado with my friend Julie and her dogs Rift and Cash. We shared a room at the Drury Inn. Rift was signed up to attend the puppy class. I was auditing it. Some of the exercises I already knew to do. But she had some other great ides, which I will incorporate into my classes as well.
Next Seminar is going to be a small one with Liz Blasio in April, with Ryker. Then I signed up for a working spot at C Spot Win Camp in July again with Ryker.
And in October I am signed up for a working spot at the CU seminar with Leslie McDevitt, with Ryddick.
I think that will do for this year unless something else pops up that I find interesting. I did attend the Clicker EXPO in L.A. in Febuary and that again was a great place to be.
Since I flew out there I did not bring any dogs. Wish I could take Raygen or Rylie to those. Next year I may work for Sandra and will get free pass to the EXPO. More money for the store ;-)