Taari and I were not able to attend the Regionals in May due to family reasons so we did the prequalifier on Thursday at the AAC Nationals in Ottawa. We needed 350 points in 6 runs. Our first run of the day was a standard in which we accumulated 20 faults so we ended up with a score of 80. Then we ran jumpers and we got an off course (score 55) but were otherwise clean. The next run was the first gamblers run. I haven't been working much on Taari's gambling skills so my goal was to try to get as many points as we could in the opening as I didn't think we would get the final gamble as there was an A-frame in it and I was correct (score 30). Then we ran the second standard and it was worse than the first with an off course, bar, refusals and missed contacts (score 45). The second jumpers run run went really well except an off course (score 55).
We needed 85 point in the final run which was another gamblers course but we came up short with a grand total of 296. We had a few errors that cost us big time. Our jumpers runs were our best runs and if we had been clean in them we would have qualified since we would have got 40 more points plus the time bonus points which I estimate at about 25. Taari also had a unusual off course in the second run which cost us 20 points. We were not alone as 8 out of the 25 teams did not qualify.
On Friday we had two Steeplechase runs. Both were standard AAC events in which you could gain qualifying scores that count towards Steeplechase titles. The top 25% or 10 dogs in each class (which ever was less) advanced to the finals on Sunday night. The finals was not a standard AAC event and there was prize money for the winners. Taari was clean in both Steeplechase runs but we had bobbles, including missing weave entries, that cost us time. We qualified in both runs. The best run was our second Steeplechase run. We placed 20th overall out of 58 dogs.
Taari did well for her first big event and running 6 runs in one day. We haven't done many trials where there are dogs running in adjacent rings at the same time. You will notice her looking at the other ring at the beginning of the Steeplechase run above. I knew that she was not quite ready (contacts and gambling skills) but that there was a chance that we could qualify. Taari reacts to clapping so I had a hard time catching her at the end of her runs as she would sometimes take a victory lap! It was a good experience for both of us and I am glad that I went. On Saturday and Sunday I got to see some great agility and do some shopping. With 6 rings running at the same time it was hard to watch and see everyone though I did try to make a point of watching my friends. It is great that people are posting their videos on Youtube. I enjoyed watching the Steeplechase finals especially since I had friends in it.
Saturday, 8 August 2009
Thursday, 23 July 2009
24" weaves and the 2009 Canada Cup
This past weekend at the 2009 Canada Cup we got to try 24" weaves for the first time. Here is the video of Taari weaving.
The first three weaves that Taari does are from a regular AAC trial at Royackers in Ontario. I believe the separation is 21". I estimate her times at 2.64 and 2.94. Note that she slipped in the second set - it had been raining. The third set was impossible to time due to the tunnel. The last two sets of weaves are 24" weaves are from Canada Cup the next day.. This is the first time Taari has seen 24" weaves. I estimate her times at 2.77 and 2.60.
I will admit I was a bit concerned about whether or not she would be able to get into the "groove" with the wider spacing. She was fine as far as I can tell. After her runs on Saturday I had her checked out by a chiropractor vet who was at the trial. She had some sore muscles on her back. I wonder if she slipped in a tunnel on Friday because there was more noise and it took her a bit longer to come out. I do believe it was something that happened before Saturday given that she didn't want to jump on the bed Friday night. I thought at first it was because it was new place.
On Friday there was a regular AAC and I ran Advanced Gamblers and two Steeplechase runs with Taari. Taari got the final gamble but because I was working on contacts with her and she missed the A-frame contact we did not have enough points to qualify. We had a great Steeplechase run. She was second in her 16" class to a Dice who is on the CAT team. Taari was 4th overall (Encore and Feature were the top two dogs). Our second Steeplechase run had a few refusals but we still qualified. There was thunder in the distance in both Steeplechase runs so I felt that Taari ran really well all things considered. Below is the video of her Steeplechase runs.
On Saturday we ran the Canada Cup rounds 1 and 2. Taari would not tip the teeter and I decided to continue on. She also missed her her dogwalk and A-frame contacts. I find it harder to watch her at a trial since I am trying to make sure I am in the proper position for the next obstacle I need to be quicker and louder with some of my cues as we also had some off courses. Even though we didn't qualify for the final round I felt that overall Taari and I were better than last year. Below is the video of the runs.
On Sunday we ran the Jumpers Challenge round and we had a great start. It wasn't until I looked at the video that I noticed what when wrong with the pinwheel. Taari slipped on the wet grass and then had to tell me about it. She is a vocal dog. Sometimes she just grumbles when going into tunnels (especially if there is a lead change) or if I am late with my handling cues. Nothing like getting feedback on your handling from your dog! Other times she feels the need to bark at me. Unfortunately after that slip the rest of the run was not as good and we didn't qualify for the final round.
We had a great time at the Canada Cup and I am looking forward to next year's.
The first three weaves that Taari does are from a regular AAC trial at Royackers in Ontario. I believe the separation is 21". I estimate her times at 2.64 and 2.94. Note that she slipped in the second set - it had been raining. The third set was impossible to time due to the tunnel. The last two sets of weaves are 24" weaves are from Canada Cup the next day.. This is the first time Taari has seen 24" weaves. I estimate her times at 2.77 and 2.60.
I will admit I was a bit concerned about whether or not she would be able to get into the "groove" with the wider spacing. She was fine as far as I can tell. After her runs on Saturday I had her checked out by a chiropractor vet who was at the trial. She had some sore muscles on her back. I wonder if she slipped in a tunnel on Friday because there was more noise and it took her a bit longer to come out. I do believe it was something that happened before Saturday given that she didn't want to jump on the bed Friday night. I thought at first it was because it was new place.
On Friday there was a regular AAC and I ran Advanced Gamblers and two Steeplechase runs with Taari. Taari got the final gamble but because I was working on contacts with her and she missed the A-frame contact we did not have enough points to qualify. We had a great Steeplechase run. She was second in her 16" class to a Dice who is on the CAT team. Taari was 4th overall (Encore and Feature were the top two dogs). Our second Steeplechase run had a few refusals but we still qualified. There was thunder in the distance in both Steeplechase runs so I felt that Taari ran really well all things considered. Below is the video of her Steeplechase runs.
On Saturday we ran the Canada Cup rounds 1 and 2. Taari would not tip the teeter and I decided to continue on. She also missed her her dogwalk and A-frame contacts. I find it harder to watch her at a trial since I am trying to make sure I am in the proper position for the next obstacle I need to be quicker and louder with some of my cues as we also had some off courses. Even though we didn't qualify for the final round I felt that overall Taari and I were better than last year. Below is the video of the runs.
On Sunday we ran the Jumpers Challenge round and we had a great start. It wasn't until I looked at the video that I noticed what when wrong with the pinwheel. Taari slipped on the wet grass and then had to tell me about it. She is a vocal dog. Sometimes she just grumbles when going into tunnels (especially if there is a lead change) or if I am late with my handling cues. Nothing like getting feedback on your handling from your dog! Other times she feels the need to bark at me. Unfortunately after that slip the rest of the run was not as good and we didn't qualify for the final round.
We had a great time at the Canada Cup and I am looking forward to next year's.
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Master Jumpers - July 12 2009
Taari and I had two Master Jumpers runs at the K9 Klubhouse trial on July 12th. Here is the video. Taari ran well for me. Need to work on start line stays and being quicker with my cues. A couple of handler errors in the first run. Too bad about the bar in the second run. That run was our fastest jumpers run to date.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
New Website
I needed to move my website since geocities is closing so I have purchased a domain and started the move. My new website is www.alhenashelties.ca. Some of the links will go back to the old website until I finish the move.
Taari's contact training is still going on. I am finding that props are not working. As I lowered the posts she started to jump. So I am trying to not use any props and just reward her for the right behaviour. It helps to have an extra person when working on them.
I audited a great workshop by Dave Munnings in June. Dave has a great sense of humour and I learned quite a bit. I had been working on left and right and now I have more reasons to. I hope that he comes back to Canada again soon.
Taari's contact training is still going on. I am finding that props are not working. As I lowered the posts she started to jump. So I am trying to not use any props and just reward her for the right behaviour. It helps to have an extra person when working on them.
I audited a great workshop by Dave Munnings in June. Dave has a great sense of humour and I learned quite a bit. I had been working on left and right and now I have more reasons to. I hope that he comes back to Canada again soon.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Spice a year after his surgery
Spice has been doing pretty good since his surgery. I didn't walk him much during the winter when it was cold and the sidewalks were icy. We did stuff inside the house - ball work, fit disks, ladders, and wobble board. I have been walking him more and doing a bit of agility with him. His front leg can still get sore at times but that is to be expected with the arthritis. Here is video of him doing some jumps and tunnels.
I tried the AudioSwap function at YouTube. I picked a song with a good title but bad lyrics "Catch me jumping". I couldn't get the preview function to work so finally gave up and picked one based on it title.
I tried the AudioSwap function at YouTube. I picked a song with a good title but bad lyrics "Catch me jumping". I couldn't get the preview function to work so finally gave up and picked one based on it title.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Catching Up Part 1
I have been busy so I haven't been able to keep up with my blog. Here is a brief description of some of the videos of Taari's runs and our contact training.
April 24 2009
This was our first time at a new trial location - Ratpack in Orangeville. This run had some good parts and there are some things that I need to work on. To name a few - start line stays, speaking while she is over a bar, her reaction to clapping, faster catch at the end of the run. I believe that certain sounds cause her to drop a bar. She may also drop a bar when she is racing me.
May 2 2009
First I did some box work on the ground. I lowered the posts on the dogwalk about 3 inches and Taari was still successful. She wasn't successful without the posts though. I also tried the TnT at the end of the teeter. This seemed to help with Taari's confidence and she wasn't looking at me. At the end I did a couple of A-frames with the box - mostly to see what her A-frame currently looks like a roughly full height.
May 16 2009
We did some box work on the ground to start of with. We worked on the teeter both with the TnT right at the teeter and a distance away from it. I put the box on the A-frame as well. The A-frame is close to full height. She is successfully getting in the box but not striding over the A-frame well. I worked 18 weaves with Taari both with and without the TnT as a distraction. Taari popped out of the polls early in a trial.
May 18 2008
Since I was training with a friend I was able to lower the A-frame. It was good to see what Taari would do when it was lowered but the next time she tried a full height A-frame she had problems. I am not sure at this point that a lower A-frame is helping Taari with her striding.
Current status
The dogwalk is progressing nicely as I lower the posts. Without the posts Taari is jumping and I haven't gone back and tried no posts recently.
Taari is able to get into the box when it is on the A-frame most of the time. Her striding over the A-frame apex isn't what I am looking for as she is coming down on her front feet for few steps before taking a longer stride.
Taari has gained more confidence on the teeter with the TreatNTrain at the end of it.
April 24 2009
This was our first time at a new trial location - Ratpack in Orangeville. This run had some good parts and there are some things that I need to work on. To name a few - start line stays, speaking while she is over a bar, her reaction to clapping, faster catch at the end of the run. I believe that certain sounds cause her to drop a bar. She may also drop a bar when she is racing me.
May 2 2009
First I did some box work on the ground. I lowered the posts on the dogwalk about 3 inches and Taari was still successful. She wasn't successful without the posts though. I also tried the TnT at the end of the teeter. This seemed to help with Taari's confidence and she wasn't looking at me. At the end I did a couple of A-frames with the box - mostly to see what her A-frame currently looks like a roughly full height.
May 16 2009
We did some box work on the ground to start of with. We worked on the teeter both with the TnT right at the teeter and a distance away from it. I put the box on the A-frame as well. The A-frame is close to full height. She is successfully getting in the box but not striding over the A-frame well. I worked 18 weaves with Taari both with and without the TnT as a distraction. Taari popped out of the polls early in a trial.
May 18 2008
Since I was training with a friend I was able to lower the A-frame. It was good to see what Taari would do when it was lowered but the next time she tried a full height A-frame she had problems. I am not sure at this point that a lower A-frame is helping Taari with her striding.
Current status
The dogwalk is progressing nicely as I lower the posts. Without the posts Taari is jumping and I haven't gone back and tried no posts recently.
Taari is able to get into the box when it is on the A-frame most of the time. Her striding over the A-frame apex isn't what I am looking for as she is coming down on her front feet for few steps before taking a longer stride.
Taari has gained more confidence on the teeter with the TreatNTrain at the end of it.
Saturday, 11 April 2009
First Indoor trial and Running Contacts
Last weekend Taari had her first indoor trial. I signed her up for one Steeplechase and two Master Jumpers runs. We haven't trialled since October and I had a bad cold. So bad I wasn't sure I would be going to the trial. The venue was quite nice. I liked how far away the last obstacle was from the fence. We had some nice parts to our runs. The last Master Jumpers was our best run. I had taken a 5 hour energy drink in the morning but found that it was wearing off so I took another one. I felt energized and the Niacin flush they warn you about. I am sometimes concerned that Taari will turn back and get in front of me. This happens when she feels needs to tell me that she doesn't know what is next. My defensive response to this is to put out both arms to try to balance myself. I noticed this on the video. I didn't run that last run the way that I had planned. I ended up on the wrong side at one point and we had a tunnel discussion. We were first place in the 16" class with 5 faults. Here is the video.
Today during our agility practice we concentrated on running contacts. Taari's box work on the ground has improved but she is still taking off too early and I missed her only putting one foot in the box a few times. I am a bit late with the Treat N Train. I was trying to be more careful and not "click" bad behaviors. I think that this resulted in me being late. Here is the video.
Then I put the box on the A-frame. I back chained it a few times and then tried Taari on the whole A-frame. I tried moving up the box and using stride regulators to get her to do one hit before the box. It wasn't really working and I need to think about this some more. I need advice. Ideally I would like a solution that doesn't involve putting too much on the A-frame because of group classes. Here is the video.
I am not sure how to fix her apex. I think that she is doing 3 and half hits in the last couple of A-frames as she is walking down on her front feet (more than 3 hits) but her back feet only hit 3 times.
Is it just a matter of doing more work on the ground and more work with the box higher up on the A-frame? Should I being trying for 3 hits or 2 hits? She will jump off the A-frame too high and miss the yellow sometimes in competition.
I decided that the box wasn't working for Taari on the dogwalk. She wasn't comfortable with it when other dogs were around. Since I have been using the PVC hoop in class around other dogs and she is quite comfortable with it I decided to go back to it. I will attempt to fade it by first removing part of the top bar and then the whole top bar. After that I will make the sides shorter. Today I got to the point of removing the top bar. We were practicing by ourselves and she was successful. I am going to try it at class Monday night. I may also try the box on the A-frame as well. Here is the video of the dogwalk.
Today during our agility practice we concentrated on running contacts. Taari's box work on the ground has improved but she is still taking off too early and I missed her only putting one foot in the box a few times. I am a bit late with the Treat N Train. I was trying to be more careful and not "click" bad behaviors. I think that this resulted in me being late. Here is the video.
Then I put the box on the A-frame. I back chained it a few times and then tried Taari on the whole A-frame. I tried moving up the box and using stride regulators to get her to do one hit before the box. It wasn't really working and I need to think about this some more. I need advice. Ideally I would like a solution that doesn't involve putting too much on the A-frame because of group classes. Here is the video.
I am not sure how to fix her apex. I think that she is doing 3 and half hits in the last couple of A-frames as she is walking down on her front feet (more than 3 hits) but her back feet only hit 3 times.
Is it just a matter of doing more work on the ground and more work with the box higher up on the A-frame? Should I being trying for 3 hits or 2 hits? She will jump off the A-frame too high and miss the yellow sometimes in competition.
I decided that the box wasn't working for Taari on the dogwalk. She wasn't comfortable with it when other dogs were around. Since I have been using the PVC hoop in class around other dogs and she is quite comfortable with it I decided to go back to it. I will attempt to fade it by first removing part of the top bar and then the whole top bar. After that I will make the sides shorter. Today I got to the point of removing the top bar. We were practicing by ourselves and she was successful. I am going to try it at class Monday night. I may also try the box on the A-frame as well. Here is the video of the dogwalk.
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