Just Keep Playin'

Waiting on the election results is making me very, very sleepy......

Team J-Dawg participated in the AKC Fun Match on Saturday afternoon and Open FAST and Novice JWW on Sunday morning.  We had a fun time and I was pleased with our performance.  First off, on Saturday, the weather was perfect for agility – around 70 degrees, sunny with a slight breeze.  Jefferson does not run as well in the heat so the weather was definitely in our favor.  The rules for the Fun Match is that there is a course set up and you have 75 seconds in the ring with your dog – no food/treats allowed, but toys are okay.  I did not take any toys with me but had treats (pepperoni sticks) waiting when we finished our run.  

Our first run was JWW and we accomplished our goal of starting together, but after taking about 9 jumps, he ran past the 6 weave poles.  Argh…those darn 6 weaves!  But, I reconnected with Jefferson, front crossed and wrapped him around the exit jump and went back to retry the 6 weaves.  He ran with me and got his weaves and then I took him over a few more jumps, front crossed and went back for a second time to get the weave poles.  Yay – he was looking good, staying with me, fast and happy.  Pepperoni sticks for J-Dawg!  

Next up, we ran the Time to Beat Fun Match.  This course had 19 obstacles, including the A-frame and 12 weave poles.  It was more complicated than the JWW course, but Jefferson and I both enjoy a course that covers in the entire field.  Originally, I had planned to just run a loopy, flowy course of my own design, but the course had been changed while we were running JWW.  So, I opted to actually run the Time to Beat course since it flowed well and had the obstacles I know that Jefferson enjoys.  We went in and he broke his start line stay and took the first jump.  Rather than go on, I called him back and we restarted.  And what a good boy he was!  He ran the entire Time to Beat course fast and clean!   This was one of our best runs we have ever had outside of practice.  It was almost like there was an invisible string attached to us while we ran because we were so connected and in synch.  I was so proud of both of us for staying in tune with each other, running fast and having a great time!  Yay!!  We did so well that I should have known to stop while I was ahead.  But, when we finished, someone yelled for me to take him back in since we had 75 seconds and I had only used less than half my time.  I was not thinking, so I hurriedly ran back with him to take the A-frame, weaves, etc.  It was a poor choice by me, but I learned not to do that again!  He did run with me, did not disengage but was not having as much fun as we had during our actually running the Time to Beat course.  However, I am glad we went back in so now I learned to stick with my own plan.  If I do not make mistakes, how will I ever learn?

Open FAST

Sunday was a new day.  It was hot – 80 degrees in November – and it was not even noon.  Ugh!  The heat is always a de-motivator for Jefferson (me too, truth be told) so I knew I had to work around the higher temps.  I crated Jefferson in the car (in the shade) since it was cooler and kept him in there until it was almost time for our run.  First up was Open FAST.  The send was very doable – jump - jump - tunnel (1-5-6) OR tunnel -  jump - jump (6-5-1).  I had a great plan to perform the "Send" in the 1-5-6 order.  Of course, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry…”   The start line was quite a distance from the first jump so I awkwardly sat Jefferson down for the start line; but, lo, it was not meant to be!  Before I could even turn around to face the course, Jefferson hot-tailed it out of there and ran!  Off I went to chase him down, frantically yelling, “A-frame!” as he ran up the obstacle.  Yikes!  So, I tried to direct him back to me, and I sent him to tunnel - jump - jump (6-5-1) for the “Send” portion of the run.  He got it, but I think he may have dropped the last bar, not sure because it all was a blur!  I ran him out of the field and somehow managed to accumulate 34 points (55 needed) from this crazy run.  Oh, well…at least he was not shutting down.  Again, I learned the importance of us starting together – on my terms, not his!  LOL!

Novice JWW

The final run was our JWW and it was a deceptively easy course to run.  Only two front crosses – one after the tunnel and one between jump #9 and #10.  So, I walked the course, felt pretty confident in my “plan” and was ready to run Jefferson.  I had decided that the start line stay was probably not going to happen (I did not need one for this course) so I was going to just place him down, say “Sit” and then “Okay” and run.  (A mish-mash between a running start and a start line stay).  We ran beautifully until the tunnel to weaves.  As he exited the tunnel, Jefferson ran past the weaves and ran on to take some other jump.  Yikes!  So, I caught up, attempted my planned front cross, which he did not read, but got him back and then directed him over the closest set of jumps I could find (#3 - #2 - #1) and ran like hell to the exit.  Fun times!  Yes, I made a big handling mistake that led to our disconnect before the 6 weaves.  I thought that it was an easy entrance to the weaves and did not support his exit from the tunnel to show him the weaves.  Rather, I sloppily handled his exit, not realizing that he did not have a clear understanding of what obstacle was next.  My fault. But, I learned a HUGE lesson – walk the course from the dog’s perspective, not the handler’s.  If I would have walked the course seeing what Jefferson what have seen when he was running out of the tunnel, I would have been better able to handle his exit from the tunnel and support the weave entry.  

Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable weekend.  I had set our goals:  start and finish a course together; run fast; and have fun.  The best part:  spending time with my doggie and knowing that he ran without stress and had a good time!

"It doesn't matter if you break down.  Just keep playing." 

~UK Coach John Calipari

Happy HOWL-O-WEEN Handling Tips!

Happy Halloween!

I have been very fortunate to have attended great agility seminars.  This past Sunday was no exception!  Judy Reilly came to Lowcountry Dog Agility Club and held an 8 hour seminar.  She had previously been our judge during a trial last year – the first one that Jefferson started to “shut down” during his runs.

There was a small group of participants – five of us – 4 big doggies (22”) and one small doggie, Jefferson (16”).  Since our seminar group was small, she asked each of us what our specific training objectives were so that we could each progress accordingly.  I was thrilled to work on our start-line stay and incorporating clearer handling cues, such as front crosses when appropriate.  Heck, I even front crossed the teeter!  

Judy set-up short sequences at first to test our handling jump wraps.  We were the smallest team so we went first every time.  I enjoyed going first so I had less time to worry about my handling – and like the old Nike adage:  “Just do it!”  It was easier than I thought to know where and when to front cross. 

I can't believe I'm wearing this hat!

I do not have any course maps or diagrams to share; but, I learned quite a few handling skills from Judy.  First off, I need to cue the front cross when Jefferson has committed to the jump (take-off side – earlier than that in most cases) and NOT turn into him AFTER he has landed (the landing side).  Eureka!  Once I “got” that concept, our front crosses were much cleaner, clearer and crisper.  And, the timing of my cue is key – one split second can make the difference in him knowing what obstacle is next.  Yay!  This was a great tip and I really worked hard to execute my cues efficient and timely.

Another skill I learned was how to cue a tight turn around jumps and when heading to another obstacle such as the weave poles.  In one of our sequences:  A-Frame - angled jump - weave poles, I was giving Jefferson “too much real estate” (I loved that quote from Judy!).  Once I began to cue the turn from the jump to the weaves with my being much closer, my little Cocker Spaniel make some tight turns.  Double yay!  I had not really thought  much about this effecting our runs, but being able to make tight turns can take away seconds from your course time.  I have been so pre-occupied with Jefferson just running with me during a trial.  I was excited to learn the finer points of handling a course so that when I face these challenges in a trial, I will be more confident with my handling.

Oh, brother - I better get some peanut butter for this!

Also, I used the blind cross with Jefferson on a couple of occasions and he responds well to this cue.  Although this was mainly after a tunnel, I do believe that I would be able to blind cross him in a jumping sequence if it was the appropriate handling choice.  We have practiced the blind cross, and I believe Jefferson responds well because I am still moving so he knows to keep on moving himself.   The key is for me to continually M-O-V-E!

Another concept that Judy shared with us was that tunnels, like jumps, are turning obstacles.  Yes, I “knew” that from my reading articles in Clean Run, but when she placed the jump bar on top of the tunnel, I was better able to visualize the tunnel similarly to a jump.  Basically, you handle the tunnel the same way you handle a jump.  Deceleration cues a turn; running straight forward cues extension; crossing behind as the dog enters the tunnel, cues a turn.  Once again, Jefferson picked up on this very easily and read my movement and knew when to turn as he exited the tunnel.  Yes, my boy has some mad skills!! 

Some points for my homework include setting up sequences that include my sending him to independently complete obstacles so I am better able to get down the course and direct him where to go next.  Also, to proof his start line stay as much as possible – at home, on walks, on the field with cheese and his favorite toys scattered about.  I have already started working on these….

Enough already - Get this damn thing off of me!!

I could not be more pleased with how much we learned from the Judy Reilly seminar and how much fun Team J-Dawg had on Sunday!  We are coming together better as a team – it is a slow process, but it sure is truly a joy to train my cute Cocker Spaniel!

"I like the way you work it.  No Diggity!  I got to bag it up."  

~Dr. Dre 

We Are on Our Way!

This week’s training has consisted of my working on the front cross and my basic handling cues.  For instance, we had a very productive Advanced Handling class last Thursday.  We ran 3 courses – of varying degrees of difficulty – and were asked to circle our problem areas.  I am proud to say that we had very few circles; our last course being clean and fast (and just my working on cleaning up my front cross between jump 2 and tunnel 3).

Course #1 had a few problem areas. First off, I am successfully utilizing our start line stay (YAY!!..as a side note:  Double YAY is that we were successful during this weekend’s run-thrus with obstacle 1 being a chute!)  The first time we ran Course #1, we executed a great start line, but I had my shoulders pointing dead straight to the off-course A-frame so Jefferson eagerly ran up this obstacle.  Since we get agility-type “mulligans,” we started over and ran clean up until the weave pole entries at obstacle 11.  I had Jefferson on my left and sent him to the weaves, a skill he is normally great at executing, but a classmate and her dog were standing outside the ring, about 1-2 feet from the angled weave entrance.  Oh, no…but, despite the distraction once he went over and looked at them, I called him back and he nailed the weaves.  What a good boy!!  He then got his table (I treated him here) and finished the remainder of the course.  A couple of things I learned:  #1 - Make sure my shoulders are ALWAYS pointed toward the correct obstacle because Jefferson is going where my shoulders are pointed.  Period.    #2 - Dole out more timely rewards to Jefferson so I can accurately mark his desired behavior.

Course #2 was more challenging for us.  First off, beautiful start line and great DW performance.  But, I had difficulty correctly handling the wrap from jump #3 to tunnel #4.  This seems to be a re-occurring handling problem I am having so I need to better understand the fundamentals of handling a post-turn on course.   We had a knocked bar (so infrequently, so I must have done something weird here) at jump #6 and I awkwardly handled our wrap from around jump #7 to tunnel #8.  We did finish strong with a fast A-frame and Jefferson running ahead to take the 2 ending jumps.  I learned from this course that I need to re-learn how to more clearly cue Jefferson’s post-turns when wrapping jumps and how to execute a confident front cross.

Course #3 proved to be our most successful run of the evening.  For Team J-Dawg, the most difficult segment of the course to execute is from DW #6 to #7 tunnel – not because he does not understand a fast turn at the completion of the DW, but because we have a running DW so I had to get ahead to beat him to the end or at least on the downward side so he can read my outside shoulder turn to cue the tunnel.  So, I was ready to run and am lucky Jefferson has such a love for the DW that I can trust him to take it without my being right there next to him.  As he committed to jump #5, I sent him to the DW and moved laterally to give myself time to get near the bottom and cue the tunnel.  Yay!  I made it and he had one good-looking running DW – tunnel combination.  I momentarily forget where I was going because I was so thrilled with his speed, but I didn’t fumble too much and we finished off the course fast and clean.  What a GREAT boy!!  I learned on this course that I need to clean-up my front crosses and wear my running shoes and handle Jefferson from a distance so I can get in position to cue any obstacle or off-course obstacle at the end of our running DW.

What a great week!  We continue to improve and I am thrilled with our progress.  The re-introduction of a start-line stay has been smooth and confidence building for Team J-Dawg.  I have identified my handling deficiencies – the front cross and accurately cuing a post-turn to wrap jumps.  I have gone “back to the basics” and have been working on teaching Jefferson to turn into me for the front cross without going past the jump plane.  Although re-teaching dog agility fundamentals is slow going and not as “sexy” as teaching weave pole entries, this is our team’s weak spot.  Respect the PROCESS.  Enjoy the PROCESS.  We are on our way! 




"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."
~Benjamin Franklin

Learning to Trust the Process

After last week’s disastrous results from the trial, I have been doing some serious introspection about dog agility.  First off, I have begun to examine my motivations for participating in agility.  I remember when I took a puppy class with Jefferson and I recognized his puppy exuberance and love of learning.  We had a great time, albeit a bit frustrating at times to learn how “to walk on a loose leash.”  But, we persevered and proudly earned our AKC Canine Good Citizen title when he was 15 months old.  I was so proud of my boy for learning how “to walk on a loose leash” and “come when called!”

We entered our first agility class (Intro to Agility) when he was around 10 months old.  He loved it (me too!) especially learning to touch a “target” for his squeeze cheese.  He was truly fearless when it came to mastering the equipment – running fast and confident over the dogwalk.   The DW has always been one of his favorite obstacles!  I remember whenever I was first asked to take him off leash to perform a “sequence” of obstacles, and he escaped and ran around the field.  Those were some humorous classes, but I can truly say, “You’ve come a long way, baby!” since those early days.

But, what I love the most about agility, and dog training in general, is helping Jefferson learn how to “do” something new.  He is such a fast learner that sometimes it surprises me how quickly he responds to training.  For example, I am now working on teaching him a start line stay.  I have determined that this would be best for us to start our runs together as a team – being calm, cool, collected and confident.  By having a start line stay rather than a running start, we begin our runs less hectically and I am in a better position to give him information about where we are going on course.  So, we practiced this last night on a course that definitely required a start line stay since Jump 1 and Jump 2 were side by side, not lending well to a running start.  With the help of string cheese and a happy tone in my voice, he nailed the start line stay and performed flawlessly during our practice.  Yay!  We ran the course more calmly and confidently than we have in a long time.  I was having fun; Jefferson was having fun; WE were having fun learning together as a team.  

Team J-Dawg pre-agility (15 mos)

Back to my opening comment about disastrous results, I have made up my mind to NOT focus on the RESULTS of our dog agility; rather, to focus on the PROCESS of dog agility.  This PROCESS involves my learning how to be a more effective handler by giving Jefferson the information of what obstacle is coming next on course.  This PROCESS involves my learning how to be more energetic and able to “let loose” and have fun on the course with my dog and to leave all my stress outside the ring.  This PROCESS enables me to rekindle my love of training Jefferson.  I need to learn to trust in the PROCESS and not get preoccupied with the RESULTS. 

"Slow down. Calm down. Don't worry. Don't hurry. Trust the process."
~Alexandra Stoddard

Unmet Expectations

I am still feeling drained emotionally and physically after last weekend's trial.  Unfortunately, Team J-Dawg did not perform as well as I would have hoped.  I had such "high hopes" and expectations for a successful weekend.  Once again, I got caught up in "Qualifying" and comparing my dog to other dogs' performances.  Even comparing Jefferson's performance at a trial to Jefferson during classes and practices is a weighty matter.

I have analyzed our runs and noticed Jefferson's lack of working with me and our inability to come together as a team.  I had plenty of unsolicited advice about how to run him, what to do and how to be a better handler.  After three days of hearing plenty from others and replaying the negativity over in my own head, it became especially difficult for me to find the "fun" in agility.  It is easy to have "fun" when you are "winning" but not so much, when you are not part of the "Qualifying" group of agility teams.  I am happy for all those that had great runs - truly I am - I  just would like to be able to celebrate with them and not just for them.  So, I began to doubt if I should even continue in the sport if I am not having "fun."  Plus, it costs a lot of money to have your doggie not run with you to complete a course.

Bringing back the "fun" to our runs!

But, alas, after I did some soul-searching, in agility and in all other aspects of my life.  I read this article about success and it spoke to me:  http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/02/07/principles-of-success/       
I determined that I needed to reassess and change my plan:  as Dr. Phil says, "The definition of insanity is to continue doing the same things and expecting different results."  I began to ask myself questions about how I can work on being a better "me" and a better handler and teammate for Jefferson.  What else can I try?  Jefferson and I are not quitters!!  First off, on the last day of trialing, I went into the ring with no expectations for "Qualifying" but only to start and finish our courses together.  I channeled my inner Stuart Mah voice and ran with Jefferson no matter what happened and made up my own courses.  He did not shut down but kept running with  me once I got rid of  my need to be "perfect" and run for a "Qualifying" round.  It was hot by the afternoon, so I knew that I had my work cut out for me!   I changed my attitude and re-directed my negative thoughts and self-doubt.  I had a plan to run the course as the judge had designed and if the need arose, I had a plan to run the course of Jefferson's design.  Either way - we would be successful. 

Next up in my training plan:  I need to develop my "Mental Game" of agility (and life!) and continue to learn to live in the moment and not have such high expectations.  I just want to bring out the best in Jefferson and me during a trial.  It just sucks that it is taking so long for me to figure out how to do that....








“I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path.”
~Dalai Lama