A fluffy wind-up teddy-bear with shoe button eyes and your best towel clutched in his teeth.
Nobility reclining on a grassy bank,
A white-faced old sportsman still keen for the whistle of wings.
In Spring a Golden will put mud on the carpets,
fur all over your best navy blue,
and the flowering bloom of joy in your heart.
A Golden is a flame of colour against dark summer covert,
the spray of surf sent flying, peace spread against cool earth.
He is competence wearing a guidance harness,
pride with a bird in his mouth,
dignity wanting his tummy rubbed,
elegance working in the swampland.
A Golden has the understanding of a saint
and a tail that challenges perpetual motion.
Having a golden Retriever is never knowing where all
your shoes are at any given moment,
Hearing the neighbours call up because he’s sleeping out
in the snow instead of in his kennel,
Keeping cups off the table because of his wild tail,
and not being sure if you paragon will decimate a burglar
or fix him a cup of tea and show him where the silver is.
Somebody else with a Golden is an instant acquaintance.
Your veterinarian wishes all his patients were Goldens
and you just wish you were as great as your Golden thinks you are.
-Author unknown
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Trial Photos
I finally got some photos back from the recent trial where Bailey earned his CD and his RN. Without further ado...
Heeling in Novice A Obedience. I think this was taken just after the judge issued the "fast" command.
Bailey sitting patiently while he waits to be recalled.
Bailey bored out of his mind during the 3 minute down stay.
The official Novice A/New Title win photo.
Doing the straight weave once exercise in Rally Novice A.
Bailey heeling after the right turn. Look at that attention and loose leash!
Bailey staying while I walk around him for the "halt, sit, walk around dog" exercise.
The official Novice A Rally/New Title win photo.
Heeling in Novice A Obedience. I think this was taken just after the judge issued the "fast" command.
Bailey sitting patiently while he waits to be recalled.
Bailey bored out of his mind during the 3 minute down stay.
The official Novice A/New Title win photo.
Doing the straight weave once exercise in Rally Novice A.
Bailey heeling after the right turn. Look at that attention and loose leash!
Bailey staying while I walk around him for the "halt, sit, walk around dog" exercise.
The official Novice A Rally/New Title win photo.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
We did it! New Titles!
We had our last obedience and rally trial yesterday and WE DID IT! Bailey got his last legs for the CD and RN titles and is now Bailey's A Lucky Discovery CD RN! Now for a recap of yesterday's events...
The trial was hosted by the Greater Washington Bouvier de Flandres Club and was held at a pet resort in Richmond, VA. We didn't show until 11 am, so I got up a bit early and drove down Saturday AM. We arrived around 10 am and had plenty of time to set up the crate, take a potty walk, and observe the Open class for a bit.
At 11 am, we had the Novice A walkthrough, which was very short and to-the-point. We were second into the ring, I believe. Sadly, this was Bailey's worst performance by far. To top it off, the judge seemed extremely tough - none of the Open A or Utility A dogs qualified from the morning and only two of the 7 Open B dogs qualified. Either way, after a heel that was less than satisfactory and a crooked recall, we still qualified. Bailey's long sit and long down were excellent, despite all evidence earlier in the week that he would fail miserably. We qualified with a score of 180.5 and placed second in the class.
After the Obedience portion was done, we had a while to hang around before the 2:30 Rally start time. The Rally judge seemed much more laid back and really seemed to enjoy what she was doing. Out of the 33 rally entries, only one dog did not qualify. We had what was almost a flawless performance. The Novice course was SUPER-easy. It only had 10 signs and only the easiest turns and stationary exercises. We qualified with a score of 99 and a FIRST PLACE!
I don't have any photos from the day, since I go to trials alone. However, there was a pro photographer at the trial and once she posts her photos, I'll be able to share them.
I'm extraordinarily proud of my little dog, because I never expected in my wildest dreams that he'd do so well and be able to achieve all that he has. It has truly been a wonderful learning experience, but this is only the start! Now to start training for Open and Rally Advanced!
The trial was hosted by the Greater Washington Bouvier de Flandres Club and was held at a pet resort in Richmond, VA. We didn't show until 11 am, so I got up a bit early and drove down Saturday AM. We arrived around 10 am and had plenty of time to set up the crate, take a potty walk, and observe the Open class for a bit.
At 11 am, we had the Novice A walkthrough, which was very short and to-the-point. We were second into the ring, I believe. Sadly, this was Bailey's worst performance by far. To top it off, the judge seemed extremely tough - none of the Open A or Utility A dogs qualified from the morning and only two of the 7 Open B dogs qualified. Either way, after a heel that was less than satisfactory and a crooked recall, we still qualified. Bailey's long sit and long down were excellent, despite all evidence earlier in the week that he would fail miserably. We qualified with a score of 180.5 and placed second in the class.
After the Obedience portion was done, we had a while to hang around before the 2:30 Rally start time. The Rally judge seemed much more laid back and really seemed to enjoy what she was doing. Out of the 33 rally entries, only one dog did not qualify. We had what was almost a flawless performance. The Novice course was SUPER-easy. It only had 10 signs and only the easiest turns and stationary exercises. We qualified with a score of 99 and a FIRST PLACE!
I don't have any photos from the day, since I go to trials alone. However, there was a pro photographer at the trial and once she posts her photos, I'll be able to share them.
I'm extraordinarily proud of my little dog, because I never expected in my wildest dreams that he'd do so well and be able to achieve all that he has. It has truly been a wonderful learning experience, but this is only the start! Now to start training for Open and Rally Advanced!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Start of October Updates
I haven't been so good at keeping this blog updated with our recent happenings. I stopped blogging about our classes each week simply because I don't have the time. We are taking 4 classes every week - 3 agility and 1 obedience. At ACA, we're taking Handling I and Teeter and Weaves. With DGOTC, we're taking Novice Obedience and Intro to Agility. Handling I and Teeter and Weaves are challenging us a lot. It's a lot of complex handling maneuvers that we haven't really tried before. Bailey is learning to read me better and I'm learning to handle him so he can read me better. Each week is a new challenge and we come home utterly exhausted. The Novice Obedience and Intro to Agility are really just fun classes. We're taking Novice so we keep in practice until our next trial. The Intro to Agility is some practice on groundwork (which we can always use) and basically just a lot of free play for us. The instructors give me a lot of freedom to do what I want, as long as I'm not disrupting the class. It works for me because we can practice what we learned at ACA that week.
In November/December, we're taking Handling II and Contacts and Weaves. I think we'll probably repeat Handling II (and probably C&W) multiple times. My goals are to work on the more complex handling moves, ease Bailey up to his 24" jump height, get the weaves straight up, and really solidify his end/2o2o behavior on the contacts.
In other news, I sent of the entry form for another obedience and rally trial on November 8th. This one is hosted by the DC Bouvier de Flanders club and is at some facility down near Richmond. Depending on what time we show, I might end up getting a hotel room in the area so I don't have to drive the 2 hours in the wee hours of the AM. Hopefully Bailey will earn his CD and RN at this show so we can relax for a bit and focus on agility a bit more. I'd really like to start trialling in agility this spring and I'm well on my way there. Wish us luck!
In November/December, we're taking Handling II and Contacts and Weaves. I think we'll probably repeat Handling II (and probably C&W) multiple times. My goals are to work on the more complex handling moves, ease Bailey up to his 24" jump height, get the weaves straight up, and really solidify his end/2o2o behavior on the contacts.
In other news, I sent of the entry form for another obedience and rally trial on November 8th. This one is hosted by the DC Bouvier de Flanders club and is at some facility down near Richmond. Depending on what time we show, I might end up getting a hotel room in the area so I don't have to drive the 2 hours in the wee hours of the AM. Hopefully Bailey will earn his CD and RN at this show so we can relax for a bit and focus on agility a bit more. I'd really like to start trialling in agility this spring and I'm well on my way there. Wish us luck!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
More Pictures
I woke Bailey up to take a few more pictures. Needless to say, he was less than pleased about it:
A slightly better one:
Now one of the two of us:
My favorite from the session:
A slightly better one:
Now one of the two of us:
My favorite from the session:
Second Trial Results
Saturday night and Sunday morning was our second trial. It was hosted by the Hyattsville Dog Training Club and took place at the CTA facility in Beltsville, MD. I'll start with the Rally trial on Saturday night.
We were already at the trial site for the morning's trials, so we just made ourselves comfortable for the couple hours in between. We also shifted crates around so we'd have a good spot for the afternoon and the next morning. I went out really quick to get some dinner and came back to the trial to eat. By then, the Rally judge had arrived and started setting up the course. The walk through was scheduled to begin at 6:50 pm, so we spent a lot of time hanging out. At about 6:40, they put out a course map, so I picked up one of those and practiced the course in the warm up area by myself. The walk through began at exactly 6:50 pm. I think I walked the course 3 times, because it looked like a tough course. The two hardest parts were the 360 right followed (3 feet later!) by a 360 left. It also had a slow right before the finish, so you had to make sure to stay slow all the way through the end. Other than those two things, it was mostly straightforward. We were third into the ring, and didn't spend much time warming up or anything. By 7 pm, we were both just exhausted. Bailey was even tired enough to nap in his crate for a bit. The only real mistake that I made was that I slowed down too much on the slow and his rear hit the ground. We moved through the course quickly, but I could tell that both of us were worn out. We ended with a qualifying score of 91 and third place out of 14 dogs!
I packed up the car and we were home by 8:30. Bailey ate his dinner and passed out as soon as he finished. Poor boy was tired after a long day! I wasn't too far behind him and fell asleep around 10 pm.
The obedience trial was the next morning. We arrived back at CTA around 7:45 am for an 8:00 am start time. I left my crate there the previous night, so I didn't have any setup to do. I just walked in and popped Bailey into his crate and went to the walk through. This judge was a lot less talkative, so I'm glad I already had one trial with a super-nice judge under my belt. I felt much less nervous going into the performance this morning. We were last into the ring, so I didn't even bother warming Bailey up until around 9:15 am after the first group of stays were finished. He was doing really well in the warm ups, so I didn't push him too hard. Instead I spent some time rubbing his shoulders to calm him down. We did a tiny bit more heeling before going into the ring.
From the minute we stepped into the ring, I knew we were going to have a good run. Bailey was really paying good attention and working so nicely for me. The heel on lead went well. Same with figure 8 and stand for exam. Then came the scary part - the heel free. Bailey really surprised me on that one. He did a GREAT job with only minimal lagging (always at the about turn!). He even stayed right with me on the fast and slow. In our warm up, he kept trying to sit on the slow so I made it a point to not slow TOO much that he anticipates and sits. He really just blew me away with how well he did! Finally, the recall. The silly boy came so enthusiastically that he ran right into me! Thankfully, he also went right into a perfectly centered sit and finished beautifully. We left the ring only to go right back in for our stays. I was a little nervous on the stays because Bailey hadn't had the energy drained out of him yet. Even worse, on the sit stay Bailey's neighbor got up and started wandering around the ring. I prayed that he wouldn't follow suit and kept sending mental "be good" messages to him. Apparently it works! He did a great job on both sit and down, even as the room kept getting louder and louder as the Utility folks came in before the judging. We left the ring and were milling around before ribbons, when all of a sudden, I heard him call one of the other dogs back into the ring for heeling. I had no idea what was going on. Some of the utility handlers were kind enough to let us know that it was a heel off, which is what they do when two dogs are tied for placement. They also told us that we should start warming up our dogs again. After our run, I just had this feeling that we were the other dog tied for placement. Sure enough, I was right and he asked us back in to repeat the heel free exercise. Having only had about 30 seconds to warm up, my little pooch couldn't have done better! He was perfect and I couldn't have asked for anything more. We ended with a qualifying score of 192+ (the + is for the heel off, I guess) and first place out of 9 dogs!
The club provided cash prizes for the dogs who placed, so we ended up with $20 from the rally trial, $30 from the obedience trial, one blue rosette, one yellow rosette, and of course our green qualifying score ribbons. Here's a picture of Bailey with all his loot:
And a picture of the two of us:
I haven't entered in any other trials yet. I was going to enter one the weekend of Oct 3-5, but decided against it due to work obligations. The next indoor trial that I think I'll be able to go to is Thanksgiving. Not sure if I want to do that one or not. We'll just have to see what comes up soon because I really want to finish his CD and RN before we forget!
We were already at the trial site for the morning's trials, so we just made ourselves comfortable for the couple hours in between. We also shifted crates around so we'd have a good spot for the afternoon and the next morning. I went out really quick to get some dinner and came back to the trial to eat. By then, the Rally judge had arrived and started setting up the course. The walk through was scheduled to begin at 6:50 pm, so we spent a lot of time hanging out. At about 6:40, they put out a course map, so I picked up one of those and practiced the course in the warm up area by myself. The walk through began at exactly 6:50 pm. I think I walked the course 3 times, because it looked like a tough course. The two hardest parts were the 360 right followed (3 feet later!) by a 360 left. It also had a slow right before the finish, so you had to make sure to stay slow all the way through the end. Other than those two things, it was mostly straightforward. We were third into the ring, and didn't spend much time warming up or anything. By 7 pm, we were both just exhausted. Bailey was even tired enough to nap in his crate for a bit. The only real mistake that I made was that I slowed down too much on the slow and his rear hit the ground. We moved through the course quickly, but I could tell that both of us were worn out. We ended with a qualifying score of 91 and third place out of 14 dogs!
I packed up the car and we were home by 8:30. Bailey ate his dinner and passed out as soon as he finished. Poor boy was tired after a long day! I wasn't too far behind him and fell asleep around 10 pm.
The obedience trial was the next morning. We arrived back at CTA around 7:45 am for an 8:00 am start time. I left my crate there the previous night, so I didn't have any setup to do. I just walked in and popped Bailey into his crate and went to the walk through. This judge was a lot less talkative, so I'm glad I already had one trial with a super-nice judge under my belt. I felt much less nervous going into the performance this morning. We were last into the ring, so I didn't even bother warming Bailey up until around 9:15 am after the first group of stays were finished. He was doing really well in the warm ups, so I didn't push him too hard. Instead I spent some time rubbing his shoulders to calm him down. We did a tiny bit more heeling before going into the ring.
From the minute we stepped into the ring, I knew we were going to have a good run. Bailey was really paying good attention and working so nicely for me. The heel on lead went well. Same with figure 8 and stand for exam. Then came the scary part - the heel free. Bailey really surprised me on that one. He did a GREAT job with only minimal lagging (always at the about turn!). He even stayed right with me on the fast and slow. In our warm up, he kept trying to sit on the slow so I made it a point to not slow TOO much that he anticipates and sits. He really just blew me away with how well he did! Finally, the recall. The silly boy came so enthusiastically that he ran right into me! Thankfully, he also went right into a perfectly centered sit and finished beautifully. We left the ring only to go right back in for our stays. I was a little nervous on the stays because Bailey hadn't had the energy drained out of him yet. Even worse, on the sit stay Bailey's neighbor got up and started wandering around the ring. I prayed that he wouldn't follow suit and kept sending mental "be good" messages to him. Apparently it works! He did a great job on both sit and down, even as the room kept getting louder and louder as the Utility folks came in before the judging. We left the ring and were milling around before ribbons, when all of a sudden, I heard him call one of the other dogs back into the ring for heeling. I had no idea what was going on. Some of the utility handlers were kind enough to let us know that it was a heel off, which is what they do when two dogs are tied for placement. They also told us that we should start warming up our dogs again. After our run, I just had this feeling that we were the other dog tied for placement. Sure enough, I was right and he asked us back in to repeat the heel free exercise. Having only had about 30 seconds to warm up, my little pooch couldn't have done better! He was perfect and I couldn't have asked for anything more. We ended with a qualifying score of 192+ (the + is for the heel off, I guess) and first place out of 9 dogs!
The club provided cash prizes for the dogs who placed, so we ended up with $20 from the rally trial, $30 from the obedience trial, one blue rosette, one yellow rosette, and of course our green qualifying score ribbons. Here's a picture of Bailey with all his loot:
And a picture of the two of us:
I haven't entered in any other trials yet. I was going to enter one the weekend of Oct 3-5, but decided against it due to work obligations. The next indoor trial that I think I'll be able to go to is Thanksgiving. Not sure if I want to do that one or not. We'll just have to see what comes up soon because I really want to finish his CD and RN before we forget!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
First Trial Results
Today we had our very first trial. It was hosted by the Southern Maryland Dog Training Club and took place at the CTA facility in Beltsville, MD. We arrived at 8:30 am only to find out that the Novice A judging wouldn't start until sometime after noon. Lesson learned: "to follow" on a judging program means that it will never start sooner than 12:00 pm. We hung around for a while, chatting with another lady who trains with my club and fellow Novice A competitor who made the same mistake I did. Then I took Bailey and went to get some breakfast at McDonald's. We ate on the picnic benches outside. Petco was right across the street, so we stopped in there for a while too. Got back to the trial and still had a couple hours to wait.
Around 1:30 pm, the judging started. We were first in the ring. I was shaking like a leaf. On-lead heeling went ok, as did the figure 8. Bailey was rock solid in his stand for exam. The off-leash heeling went alright, with only a little lagging due to some turns in highly distracting locations. Good news is that Bailey realized he was lagging and caught up pretty quick. Recall was ok, but his front was a little off center. Stays were good too. We ended with a qualifying score of 192.5 and second place out of 14 dogs!
We went right from the ribbon "ceremony" for Novice A to the Rally-O Novice A walk-through. We were third into the ring for Rally. It was a pretty easy course and the judge seemed very friendly. Nothing major to report here. Bailey did everything great, except that we almost ran into a cone on the paperclip exercise. We ended with a qualifying score of 98 and second place out of 7 dogs!
The club was nice enough to provide small gifts for the dogs who placed, so we got two metal dishes embossed with paw prints, two bags of some lamb flavored treats, two red rosettes, and of course our green qualifying score ribbons. Here's a picture of Bailey with his spoils from the day:
The Hyattsville Rally-O trial was Saturday night too, but I'll write about that tomorrow when I cover our "second trial."
Around 1:30 pm, the judging started. We were first in the ring. I was shaking like a leaf. On-lead heeling went ok, as did the figure 8. Bailey was rock solid in his stand for exam. The off-leash heeling went alright, with only a little lagging due to some turns in highly distracting locations. Good news is that Bailey realized he was lagging and caught up pretty quick. Recall was ok, but his front was a little off center. Stays were good too. We ended with a qualifying score of 192.5 and second place out of 14 dogs!
We went right from the ribbon "ceremony" for Novice A to the Rally-O Novice A walk-through. We were third into the ring for Rally. It was a pretty easy course and the judge seemed very friendly. Nothing major to report here. Bailey did everything great, except that we almost ran into a cone on the paperclip exercise. We ended with a qualifying score of 98 and second place out of 7 dogs!
The club was nice enough to provide small gifts for the dogs who placed, so we got two metal dishes embossed with paw prints, two bags of some lamb flavored treats, two red rosettes, and of course our green qualifying score ribbons. Here's a picture of Bailey with his spoils from the day:
The Hyattsville Rally-O trial was Saturday night too, but I'll write about that tomorrow when I cover our "second trial."
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Journey
I got a link to this video on a mailing list from DGOTC. As we quickly approach our first trial ever, I'm reminded that the results don't really matter. It's the lessons we share, the fun we have, and the relationship that we strengthen that count...
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Match #2 Results
Sunday was our second match. This one was hosted by DGOTC and it was at a park out in Leesburg. It was sweltering hot, humid, and there wasn't a speck of shade in sight. Thankfully Justin had borrowed a shade tent from his parents that I took with me. It was a PITA to set up, but once it was up, it provided plenty of shade for the entire day - if only we had been smart enough to enjoy some of it!
The match had CGC tests, Obedience (3 rings - one for each level), a Stay ring, AKC rally, APDT rally, and agility. Needless to say, the place was like a busy beehive all day. We started out the morning in the Stay ring at 9 am. Bailey did a fantastic job, despite all the bugs and the sun. He didn't move a muscle and I was very proud of him. Next, we moved to the Novice Obedience ring where Bailey put on a spectacular performance that totally surprised me. His off-leash heeling was even better than his leashed heeling. He got a few points off for lagging (I blame the heat) and crooked sits. We ended with a score of (I think) 192 out of 200! Yeah!
Next, we did our first Novice Rally run. The course wasn't too hard. Bailey is a rally rockstar and did a fabulous job out there. The judge seemed impressed that I knew all the signs (don't you have to know them?). We hung around for a while waiting for our second rally run, but found that we were up in Obedience again before we could get to rally.
I headed back over to the Novice Obedience ring where they were coordinating with another judge to assist with some of the judging. By this point, it was about 11:30 am and the sun was really starting to get to both me and Bailey. We hadn't really had time to relax and spent the majority of the morning running around and waiting. The judge had us wait in the shade while she showed the heeling pattern. Bailey was first into the ring. I knew something was wrong when he didn't want to come out of the shade and tried to sack-of-potatoes me. Then I got him into the ring and he wouldn't sit and instead wanted to roll around in the grass. I finally got him up and we got through the first few exercises ok. Then we started our off-leash heeling. In the back half of the heeling pattern, he stopped to potty in the ring (!). At that point, I tried to excuse myself, but the judge wanted me to do the heeling pattern again. I tried to get Bailey to pay attention, but his focus just wasn't there. We did recall too, but he didn't finish for some reason. I thanked the judge for her time and excused myself from the ring. We didn't do stays because I just knew his focus was gone.
After our second (disastrous) novice obedience run, I took Bailey to potty and went for our final run in the rally ring. Before I went in, I warned the judge that Bailey had mentally checked out and we may or may not do well. We went in anyway, and the only points we got off were for MY error. On the 1-2-3 steps back exercise, my third step was not large enough to qualify as a step. Bailey still did a great job though.
As soon as we were done, I packed up and headed home. We were both really hot, sweaty, and tired. Bailey was so tired that he actually slept in the car on the way home, which he doesn't usually do during the day time. As soon as we got home, I had a quick lunch and both of us napped for the next 2-3 hours in the cool AC.
I learned quite a few lessons at the match:
1. Allow Bailey ample opportunities to potty BEFORE entering the ring.
2. Relax in the shade when you aren't in the ring. Keeping yourself and your dog milling around in the sun won't help your performance.
3. Stay upbeat and positive.
4. Bring lots of cold water and ice to outdoor trials in the summer.
5. Positive visualization helps. Imagine things going well and they will go well.
Overall, another good experience.
We have mailed off entry forms for two trials coming up next month:
September 20 - Southern MD Dog Training Club Obedience and Rally-O, Hyattsville Club Rally-O
September 21 - Hyattsville Club Obedience
All 4 of these trials take place at the CTA facility (indoors - yeah!) in Beltsville, MD. Hopefully we'll get in plenty of practice before then and he'll do well.
The match had CGC tests, Obedience (3 rings - one for each level), a Stay ring, AKC rally, APDT rally, and agility. Needless to say, the place was like a busy beehive all day. We started out the morning in the Stay ring at 9 am. Bailey did a fantastic job, despite all the bugs and the sun. He didn't move a muscle and I was very proud of him. Next, we moved to the Novice Obedience ring where Bailey put on a spectacular performance that totally surprised me. His off-leash heeling was even better than his leashed heeling. He got a few points off for lagging (I blame the heat) and crooked sits. We ended with a score of (I think) 192 out of 200! Yeah!
Next, we did our first Novice Rally run. The course wasn't too hard. Bailey is a rally rockstar and did a fabulous job out there. The judge seemed impressed that I knew all the signs (don't you have to know them?). We hung around for a while waiting for our second rally run, but found that we were up in Obedience again before we could get to rally.
I headed back over to the Novice Obedience ring where they were coordinating with another judge to assist with some of the judging. By this point, it was about 11:30 am and the sun was really starting to get to both me and Bailey. We hadn't really had time to relax and spent the majority of the morning running around and waiting. The judge had us wait in the shade while she showed the heeling pattern. Bailey was first into the ring. I knew something was wrong when he didn't want to come out of the shade and tried to sack-of-potatoes me. Then I got him into the ring and he wouldn't sit and instead wanted to roll around in the grass. I finally got him up and we got through the first few exercises ok. Then we started our off-leash heeling. In the back half of the heeling pattern, he stopped to potty in the ring (!). At that point, I tried to excuse myself, but the judge wanted me to do the heeling pattern again. I tried to get Bailey to pay attention, but his focus just wasn't there. We did recall too, but he didn't finish for some reason. I thanked the judge for her time and excused myself from the ring. We didn't do stays because I just knew his focus was gone.
After our second (disastrous) novice obedience run, I took Bailey to potty and went for our final run in the rally ring. Before I went in, I warned the judge that Bailey had mentally checked out and we may or may not do well. We went in anyway, and the only points we got off were for MY error. On the 1-2-3 steps back exercise, my third step was not large enough to qualify as a step. Bailey still did a great job though.
As soon as we were done, I packed up and headed home. We were both really hot, sweaty, and tired. Bailey was so tired that he actually slept in the car on the way home, which he doesn't usually do during the day time. As soon as we got home, I had a quick lunch and both of us napped for the next 2-3 hours in the cool AC.
I learned quite a few lessons at the match:
1. Allow Bailey ample opportunities to potty BEFORE entering the ring.
2. Relax in the shade when you aren't in the ring. Keeping yourself and your dog milling around in the sun won't help your performance.
3. Stay upbeat and positive.
4. Bring lots of cold water and ice to outdoor trials in the summer.
5. Positive visualization helps. Imagine things going well and they will go well.
Overall, another good experience.
We have mailed off entry forms for two trials coming up next month:
September 20 - Southern MD Dog Training Club Obedience and Rally-O, Hyattsville Club Rally-O
September 21 - Hyattsville Club Obedience
All 4 of these trials take place at the CTA facility (indoors - yeah!) in Beltsville, MD. Hopefully we'll get in plenty of practice before then and he'll do well.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Match #1 Results
We entered our first match this weekend. It was hosted by the Potomac Valley Golden Retriever Club and took place in a park in Frederick, MD. We arrived a bit early and got a nice parking spot in the shade, so I could set up Bailey's crate and my chair. I didn't realize how into showing some of these people are, with dog vans filled with crates, portable fans, yard and yards of reflective material strapped all over the car to keep the heat out. I felt a bit out of place with just my crate and a chair!
In any case, we registered around 8 am, then just hung out for a bit. I thought they would have done the Utility class first, because of the scent work but they actually did Novice first. I was totally unprepared to enter the ring when they called for Novice A dogs. Then to top it all off a bunch of the Novice A dogs either didn't show up or should have been in Novice B. So it was just me and one other team in Novice A. Needless to say, we went into the ring totally unprepared. We started with our heeling on-lead, which went ok. Bailey lagged a bit and sometimes crowded me. I corrected him once, which deducted more points. Then we proceeded to the figure 8. I think he did really well in the figure 8 and don't recall any major issues. The leash came off and we did stand for exam. Bailey did that one like a champ, standing stock still for a new person. Next came the off-lead heeling. This was just one big disaster. About 3 steps into the heeling pattern, Bailey realized there was a river on the other side of the ring gates. He trotted right over to the ring gate and stood there while I continued the heeling pattern. I ended up having to call him over to me, and by this point I knew we were done for. He finished out the heeling pattern, but didn't do very well at all since his attention was on how to get to the river the whole time. Finally, we did recall, which he did ok on. I had to step to the side to make him front, which deducted points from both me and him. Then he refused to finish. *sigh* On a positive note, he did a GREAT job on the long sit and long down, not moving a muscle the whole time. I was very proud of that part of his performance. Overall, it was a good learning experience for us both. I made some pretty big mistakes and so did Bailey. I know what I need to practice better on for next time.
After our Novice A run, we spent a lot of time just hanging out. Rally-O wasn't set to begin until after the Obedience judging finished. That meant we had to wait through Novice B, both Open, and both Utility classes. It was very interesting to watch some of the dogs work.
Finally, the rally-o course was set up and we got to do our walk-through. It didn't seem like a very hard course, but what do I know? I walked it twice before we competed, just to make sure I knew it inside out. I think I was second into the ring, so we had the benefit of seeing the first performance too. I won't do a sign-by-sign recap of the course, mostly because I can't remember them! It ended up that the course was pretty easy and Bailey did a great job! We watched the rest of the competitors perform from the shade on the side of the ring. To our surprise, we we received a qualifying score and were asked to go back in the ring for the ribbons. Even more surprising, we received the FIRST PLACE ribbon with a score of 97 out of 100! I was so proud of my boy and our good finish totally lifted up my mood after the morning's performance.
I know there was a photographer at the match, so hopefully some photos will be posted to the PVGRC site and I can share them here too.
Our next match is on Sunday in Leesburg. Hopefully, we will do better in Obedience next weekend!
In any case, we registered around 8 am, then just hung out for a bit. I thought they would have done the Utility class first, because of the scent work but they actually did Novice first. I was totally unprepared to enter the ring when they called for Novice A dogs. Then to top it all off a bunch of the Novice A dogs either didn't show up or should have been in Novice B. So it was just me and one other team in Novice A. Needless to say, we went into the ring totally unprepared. We started with our heeling on-lead, which went ok. Bailey lagged a bit and sometimes crowded me. I corrected him once, which deducted more points. Then we proceeded to the figure 8. I think he did really well in the figure 8 and don't recall any major issues. The leash came off and we did stand for exam. Bailey did that one like a champ, standing stock still for a new person. Next came the off-lead heeling. This was just one big disaster. About 3 steps into the heeling pattern, Bailey realized there was a river on the other side of the ring gates. He trotted right over to the ring gate and stood there while I continued the heeling pattern. I ended up having to call him over to me, and by this point I knew we were done for. He finished out the heeling pattern, but didn't do very well at all since his attention was on how to get to the river the whole time. Finally, we did recall, which he did ok on. I had to step to the side to make him front, which deducted points from both me and him. Then he refused to finish. *sigh* On a positive note, he did a GREAT job on the long sit and long down, not moving a muscle the whole time. I was very proud of that part of his performance. Overall, it was a good learning experience for us both. I made some pretty big mistakes and so did Bailey. I know what I need to practice better on for next time.
After our Novice A run, we spent a lot of time just hanging out. Rally-O wasn't set to begin until after the Obedience judging finished. That meant we had to wait through Novice B, both Open, and both Utility classes. It was very interesting to watch some of the dogs work.
Finally, the rally-o course was set up and we got to do our walk-through. It didn't seem like a very hard course, but what do I know? I walked it twice before we competed, just to make sure I knew it inside out. I think I was second into the ring, so we had the benefit of seeing the first performance too. I won't do a sign-by-sign recap of the course, mostly because I can't remember them! It ended up that the course was pretty easy and Bailey did a great job! We watched the rest of the competitors perform from the shade on the side of the ring. To our surprise, we we received a qualifying score and were asked to go back in the ring for the ribbons. Even more surprising, we received the FIRST PLACE ribbon with a score of 97 out of 100! I was so proud of my boy and our good finish totally lifted up my mood after the morning's performance.
I know there was a photographer at the match, so hopefully some photos will be posted to the PVGRC site and I can share them here too.
Our next match is on Sunday in Leesburg. Hopefully, we will do better in Obedience next weekend!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
First Match Entry!
We are going to our first ever match this weekend to do Novice A Obedience and Novice A Rally. It's hosted by PVGRC and is up in Frederick. I've never been to a match before, so I don't really know what to expect or know how Bailey will do. In any case, please wish us luck!
Coming up in the near future:
August 31 - DGOTC Match (Obedience and Rally-O)
September 20 - Hyattsville Dog Training Club Rally-O Trial
September 21 - Hyattsville Dog Training Club Obedience Trial
October 3 - Mount Vernon Dog Training Club Rally-O Trial
October 4 - Mount Vernon Dog Training Club Obedience Trial, CDTC Rally-O Trial
October 5 - CDTC Obedience Trial
Coming up in the near future:
August 31 - DGOTC Match (Obedience and Rally-O)
September 20 - Hyattsville Dog Training Club Rally-O Trial
September 21 - Hyattsville Dog Training Club Obedience Trial
October 3 - Mount Vernon Dog Training Club Rally-O Trial
October 4 - Mount Vernon Dog Training Club Obedience Trial, CDTC Rally-O Trial
October 5 - CDTC Obedience Trial
Last week's classes
So, I never did get around to writing about our classes last week. Nothing really major to report anyway. It was our last class of Foundations II and III. In FII, I got stuck with a group of people who are quite a bit behind me and I was mostly bored because Bailey was miles ahead of them. For example, Bailey is already doing weaves with only about 4 inches gap in the channel. These dogs were doing 2x2 weaves and still not always making it through. It was very frustrating to say the least. We did much better in FIII. We did our normal exercises, including (for the first time ever!) ALL 12 WEAVE POLES! Of course, my superstar pup made it through no problem. :-) At the end of class, Claudia set up a little speed circle consisting of dog walk, tunnel, jump, a-frame, tunnel. Bailey did pretty good, but he's started anticipating his releases from 2O2O. We just have to work harder at that. All things considered, he did pretty well.
On Thursday, we did our obedience classes. Nothing really special to note from Rally, other than the introduction of some Advanced exercises, including one where we had to avoid food bowls full of yummy things. We did a pretty good job at that and of course, had fun running the courses. In Novice Obed, we introduced a jump for the UKC Novice Recall over Jump exercise. Bailey does enough recalling over jumps for agility that this exercise was a no-brainer for him. I think next week, we are going to practice some off-lead (sorta... using a shark line only - no more leash) heeling so we'll really be prepared for trialling.
On Thursday, we did our obedience classes. Nothing really special to note from Rally, other than the introduction of some Advanced exercises, including one where we had to avoid food bowls full of yummy things. We did a pretty good job at that and of course, had fun running the courses. In Novice Obed, we introduced a jump for the UKC Novice Recall over Jump exercise. Bailey does enough recalling over jumps for agility that this exercise was a no-brainer for him. I think next week, we are going to practice some off-lead (sorta... using a shark line only - no more leash) heeling so we'll really be prepared for trialling.
Monday, August 11, 2008
I've been awful
about posting regularly about our classes. Life just got so busy that I haven't had the time. In any case, we have our last Foundations II and III classes tonight. In one of the classes (can't ever remember or keep them straight!), they are going to set up a small course which should be a lot of fun. I'm also turning in my registration for the next set of classes: Handling I and Contacts and Weaves. We're also still taking Rally-O and Novice. Those classes will last until the end of August, I think.
We might attend a match on August 31, but not sure yet. If the format is AKC obedience and agility, I'll do it. However my club is hosting and they are UKC, so who knows.
In any case, I'm hoping to continue with the training and will likely post about our classes later this week.
We might attend a match on August 31, but not sure yet. If the format is AKC obedience and agility, I'll do it. However my club is hosting and they are UKC, so who knows.
In any case, I'm hoping to continue with the training and will likely post about our classes later this week.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Playdate with Apollo
Tonight, we had a playdate with Apollo and his mom. We both moved to the same neighborhood within about 2 weeks of each other, completely by coincidence. Anyway, since we moved in, we've been planning to get together for a playdate. We finally got the boys together and had we all had a great time. Apollo's mom has an awesome camera and is an even better photographer. She got some fun pics of Bailey:
Bailey loves running in his new yard. Apollo wasn't far behind.
And a portrait...
Bailey loves running in his new yard. Apollo wasn't far behind.
And a portrait...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Swimming!
Justin and I went to Kings Dominion for the day on Saturday and left Bailey with some friends - Anne and Dieter. They live in a huge (confusing!) house nearby and have a pool in the back yard. Anne reported that Bailey had a fabulous time and wouldn't get out of the pool the entire weekend.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Rally-O and Novice Obedience: Class 2
Last night was obedience night again. We started with Rally. I'm beginning to think that Rally is really easy! We don't seem to be having much of a problem at all doing the courses and as long as you understand the signs, you shouldn't have a problem getting a title. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the whole thing, but it's so much less precise and say anything to your dog as often as you want! That makes it WAY easier than strict obedience. We started the class with a short discussion on different types and ways to turn. There are two 90* turns: left and right. There are three 180* turns: regular about turn (dog on outside), left about turn (dog on inside), and a third one called a German about turn where the dog does a regular about turn and the handler does a left about turn on the inside. The German turn was the only new one and it's much harder to describe than it is to do. There are two 270* turns: right and left. Important to note with 270* turns is that you end up going the opposite direction from the direction of the turn (270* right results in you going left. Finally, there are two 360* turns: right and left. These are easy because it's just a circle right and circle left.
We did two Rally courses this week. Neither was very complicated. One new sign that we got was the reverse of the 1 halt-2 halt-3 halt sign. It had the dog come front, then the handler steps backwards 1, 2, then 3 with the dog sitting at each halt. Turned out to be easier than I thought. She also combined the paperclip and the weave into a big cross of cones, so that was a bit confusing at first. I think one thing that will be most challenging for us is the stop and down (without sitting). I worked very hard to get automatic sits, so it's difficult to prevent him from sitting down first. Either way, we had a good time in Rally and I think it's just great fun! I think Bailey likes it better too.
Then we went to Novice Obedience. For once, I felt like my dog had a brain and some training! He did the heeling really well in the heat, and stood for exam like a perfect angel. He recalled and finished like a champ and his figure 8 was solid as usual. The only problem we had was about halfway through the sit, he went down. Booo! I blame it on the heat. It was so hot last night, that he actually stayed in the down stay for the whole 3 minutes, then some. Overall, I was very proud of my boy for doing such an awesome job. I secretly think it was because I told him I'd put him back in sub-novice if he didn't do a good job! :-)
We did two Rally courses this week. Neither was very complicated. One new sign that we got was the reverse of the 1 halt-2 halt-3 halt sign. It had the dog come front, then the handler steps backwards 1, 2, then 3 with the dog sitting at each halt. Turned out to be easier than I thought. She also combined the paperclip and the weave into a big cross of cones, so that was a bit confusing at first. I think one thing that will be most challenging for us is the stop and down (without sitting). I worked very hard to get automatic sits, so it's difficult to prevent him from sitting down first. Either way, we had a good time in Rally and I think it's just great fun! I think Bailey likes it better too.
Then we went to Novice Obedience. For once, I felt like my dog had a brain and some training! He did the heeling really well in the heat, and stood for exam like a perfect angel. He recalled and finished like a champ and his figure 8 was solid as usual. The only problem we had was about halfway through the sit, he went down. Booo! I blame it on the heat. It was so hot last night, that he actually stayed in the down stay for the whole 3 minutes, then some. Overall, I was very proud of my boy for doing such an awesome job. I secretly think it was because I told him I'd put him back in sub-novice if he didn't do a good job! :-)
Monday, July 14, 2008
Rally-O: Class 1
We started Rally-O classes this week with DGOTC. I've never done Rally-O, or even watched it so I went in having no idea what to expect at all. When we arrived, Penny had set up a course of signs (Right Turn, Left Turn, Serpentine, 270* Left and Right, Halt and Sit, Paperclip, etc). Penny explained a little bit about Rally, since only one or two of us in the class had ever done Rally before. She also went through explaining the course to us and what each of the signs mean. Next, we had the opportunity to walk the course (as a group). This was really helpful and sort of reminded me of agility. After we walked the course, we went one by one on the course to complete it. Bailey actually did a GREAT job. It's much easier because you can talk to the dog and encourage him the entire time. You can also repeat commands or use as many different commands as you need to get your dog to complete the exercise. Our hardest exercise is the 1 step, halt, 2 step, halt, 3 step, halt sign. We had been introduced to this exercise back in our Basic class and since then, I practice it to get Bailey's attention on me during walks. I think all that practice really helped, because he knew exactly how to do it on the first try! After everyone went, Penny changed out a few of the signs for new ones and we repeated the course again with the new signs. This course had a section where there were like 4 circling exercises in a row (paperclip, come front and finish right, 360* left, and 270* right), so we got a little bit dizzy! It was a lot of fun and made me feel really confident in my dog's training levels!
Eric also told me that I need to sign up for Novice Obedience again and wouldn't really take no for an answer. I couldn't stay on Thursday night because I had WAY too many boxes to pack before Friday morning, but I told him I'd start the following week. So starting next week, we take 4+ hours of dog classes every week! Whew!
Eric also told me that I need to sign up for Novice Obedience again and wouldn't really take no for an answer. I couldn't stay on Thursday night because I had WAY too many boxes to pack before Friday morning, but I told him I'd start the following week. So starting next week, we take 4+ hours of dog classes every week! Whew!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Agility Foundation II and II: Class 1
I'm a bit late posting this entry (and I've back dated it so that it shows up in correct sequential order). We had class last Monday and it was great. We are actually taking two classes at ACA this quarter and they are back-to-back. We left the house at 6:30 pm and didn't get home until almost 11! And Bailey was so wiped out, he barely made it to the dinner bowl after class.
Foundation I: We worked on some jump sequences, which Bailey did a great job at. We didn't do any fancy crosses or anything, but just focused on teaching the dogs to jump and turn at the same time. It was just tiny little speed bump jumps, but Bailey was quick and took direction like a charm! We also did some board work, which Bailey is getting better and better at. I have to practice doing board work while I move around and from a distance. I also have to focus on rewarding him straight in front, instead of to the side. Rewarding him to the side causes him to twist his spine, which can potentially cause damage. I don't think we did too much in this class, but it is a small class so we get lots of individual attention. For the first time, we actually ended class with time to spare.
Foundation II: For this class, we started on the weaves. They set up 4 sets of channel weaves (HAVE to buy a set... they are so great!). Bailey does WAM and channel weaves already and he does them with a pretty small gap in between. I narrowed the poles down and he did a great job. After a little while, we switched to a new set of weaves so the dogs would get exposure to all different kinds of equipment. Then Claudia had us do backchaining on the dog walk. Backchaining is the process of teaching the end behavior (2O2O) separately from the dog walk so that we can really reinforce the position. Bailey does pretty well with backchaining. Then we went all the way over the dog walk. He always gets just a bit too much speed to slow down and get the target on the end. He tried really hard though! I could see him attempting to put on the brakes as he came down the ramp, but it just didn't work. He ended up only overshooting the end of the ramp by about 2 feet. Next, we went to the a-frame. Claudia had us do some backchaining on the a-frame as well. Bailey did pretty well, so she had us run over it. To my surprise, Bailey got over it with a decent amount of speed AND managed to hit his target and stay in 2O2O position! We tried it one more time and he repeated the behavior! Yeah! Teeter was another free station. There was no motion in the teeter yet, but I think we start with some motion in the teeter soon. As other people were practicing the other exercises, we did more weaves. This time, I added a jump before the weaves. He did the jump and made the weave entrance no problem. Smart puppy! I think he really likes the weaves. Finally, we went back to the a-frame. We tried to go up and over again and this time, Bailey couldn't make the contacts to save his life. It was a little frustrating, but after 2+ hours of class, I sort of expected it. It's clear we have to work on building his hindquarter muscles so he can learn to rely on his hindquarters when coming down the a-frame and dog walk.
Foundation I: We worked on some jump sequences, which Bailey did a great job at. We didn't do any fancy crosses or anything, but just focused on teaching the dogs to jump and turn at the same time. It was just tiny little speed bump jumps, but Bailey was quick and took direction like a charm! We also did some board work, which Bailey is getting better and better at. I have to practice doing board work while I move around and from a distance. I also have to focus on rewarding him straight in front, instead of to the side. Rewarding him to the side causes him to twist his spine, which can potentially cause damage. I don't think we did too much in this class, but it is a small class so we get lots of individual attention. For the first time, we actually ended class with time to spare.
Foundation II: For this class, we started on the weaves. They set up 4 sets of channel weaves (HAVE to buy a set... they are so great!). Bailey does WAM and channel weaves already and he does them with a pretty small gap in between. I narrowed the poles down and he did a great job. After a little while, we switched to a new set of weaves so the dogs would get exposure to all different kinds of equipment. Then Claudia had us do backchaining on the dog walk. Backchaining is the process of teaching the end behavior (2O2O) separately from the dog walk so that we can really reinforce the position. Bailey does pretty well with backchaining. Then we went all the way over the dog walk. He always gets just a bit too much speed to slow down and get the target on the end. He tried really hard though! I could see him attempting to put on the brakes as he came down the ramp, but it just didn't work. He ended up only overshooting the end of the ramp by about 2 feet. Next, we went to the a-frame. Claudia had us do some backchaining on the a-frame as well. Bailey did pretty well, so she had us run over it. To my surprise, Bailey got over it with a decent amount of speed AND managed to hit his target and stay in 2O2O position! We tried it one more time and he repeated the behavior! Yeah! Teeter was another free station. There was no motion in the teeter yet, but I think we start with some motion in the teeter soon. As other people were practicing the other exercises, we did more weaves. This time, I added a jump before the weaves. He did the jump and made the weave entrance no problem. Smart puppy! I think he really likes the weaves. Finally, we went back to the a-frame. We tried to go up and over again and this time, Bailey couldn't make the contacts to save his life. It was a little frustrating, but after 2+ hours of class, I sort of expected it. It's clear we have to work on building his hindquarter muscles so he can learn to rely on his hindquarters when coming down the a-frame and dog walk.
July 4th Weekend
Pics from the long holiday weekend:
We took Bailey up to the ski slope to run around for a bit. I left his leash on at first, but it was pretty wet and muddy and the grass was about 1 foot tall.
I tried to get him to practice obedience a bit, but he was too focused on playing ball and visiting with all our friends.
He came home wet and dirty, but he had a great time!
Unfortunately, when we took B swimming on Sunday, the camera battery died just as we got out there. No pics. Boooooo!
All in all, a fabulous time was had by all and we brought home a very tired puppy!
We took Bailey up to the ski slope to run around for a bit. I left his leash on at first, but it was pretty wet and muddy and the grass was about 1 foot tall.
I tried to get him to practice obedience a bit, but he was too focused on playing ball and visiting with all our friends.
He came home wet and dirty, but he had a great time!
Unfortunately, when we took B swimming on Sunday, the camera battery died just as we got out there. No pics. Boooooo!
All in all, a fabulous time was had by all and we brought home a very tired puppy!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
My Dog Lives Here
My dog and I live in this house. You are welcome to come and visit me anytime but we have a few things that you must understand before you visit.
You must expect a few dog hairs to stick to your clothes. I vacuum and clean every day but a dog lives in this house too.
You may be licked and given a paw a few times but he does this because he loves people and wants to say hello, so if you feel that you are too good for his love then you are not welcome here because this is his home too.
My dog is well mannered and very clean but if you are one of those people who think all animals are dirty and smell then go away. You are not the type of person that I care to associate with.
If you don't like the sound of barking, then my home is not going to be a comfortable place for you to visit. My dog protects me by letting me know I have a visitor. Whether it be a friend or uninvited stranger. If you are a friend, my dog will consider you his friend too but if you are an unwelcome guest, my dog will protect me with his life as I would his.
Do not expect me to lock my dog in another room during your visit. I have trained my dog well so he will not do anything to you except maybe want a pat on the head. I will not subject him to feel as if he is being punished by locking him away for no reason. That would just be cruel.
When you walk in my home, be careful not to trip on a squeaky toy or a bone. These are my dog's little treasures and I will not take them away from him just to show you that I keep a clean house. He knows where all his toys are. They may not look like much to you, but to him, they are worth more than gold.
You see, This is OUR home. We have been together since he was a small pup scampering around the house, a tiny bit of a thing only a few weeks old. I raised him into a well mannered, beautifully behaved dog. I am proud of him.
I consider him my personal gift from God. He has done nothing but give me his endless love and devotion for many years. I love him dearly and want to make his years happy ones. As happy as he makes mine.
When you go home to your family, he stays here with me. A fine and loving companion. He is MY family and I wouldn't change that for the world. When times were hard, we both went hungry. When it was cold and there was no heat, we both kept each warm. When I was sick, he stayed right by my side as I did his when he was not having a good day.
A better friend I could not ask for. When no one else cared, my dog did. He has given me nothing but pure joy and I love him endlessly.
So please understand that I am not being rude. I'm just looking out for my best friend.
You must expect a few dog hairs to stick to your clothes. I vacuum and clean every day but a dog lives in this house too.
You may be licked and given a paw a few times but he does this because he loves people and wants to say hello, so if you feel that you are too good for his love then you are not welcome here because this is his home too.
My dog is well mannered and very clean but if you are one of those people who think all animals are dirty and smell then go away. You are not the type of person that I care to associate with.
If you don't like the sound of barking, then my home is not going to be a comfortable place for you to visit. My dog protects me by letting me know I have a visitor. Whether it be a friend or uninvited stranger. If you are a friend, my dog will consider you his friend too but if you are an unwelcome guest, my dog will protect me with his life as I would his.
Do not expect me to lock my dog in another room during your visit. I have trained my dog well so he will not do anything to you except maybe want a pat on the head. I will not subject him to feel as if he is being punished by locking him away for no reason. That would just be cruel.
When you walk in my home, be careful not to trip on a squeaky toy or a bone. These are my dog's little treasures and I will not take them away from him just to show you that I keep a clean house. He knows where all his toys are. They may not look like much to you, but to him, they are worth more than gold.
You see, This is OUR home. We have been together since he was a small pup scampering around the house, a tiny bit of a thing only a few weeks old. I raised him into a well mannered, beautifully behaved dog. I am proud of him.
I consider him my personal gift from God. He has done nothing but give me his endless love and devotion for many years. I love him dearly and want to make his years happy ones. As happy as he makes mine.
When you go home to your family, he stays here with me. A fine and loving companion. He is MY family and I wouldn't change that for the world. When times were hard, we both went hungry. When it was cold and there was no heat, we both kept each warm. When I was sick, he stayed right by my side as I did his when he was not having a good day.
A better friend I could not ask for. When no one else cared, my dog did. He has given me nothing but pure joy and I love him endlessly.
So please understand that I am not being rude. I'm just looking out for my best friend.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Agility Foundation I - Class 6
This was the last class of this session. :-( We had a ton of fun in class this week. As usual, we were divided into three groups.
Station 1: A-frame and board work. Bailey adores the climbing obstacles, so a-frame is right up his alley. He's really quick, but I really want to do a-frame off leash so that he doesn't get used to seeing my arm go up and down beside him. I just don't trust the other dogs in the class enough yet. There are several dogs who like to lunge at other dogs and I just don't trust that they won't take a chunk out of B. Anyway, we also worked on board work. We have a board at home and already do targetting at the end of it. Now I really need to work on moving around and away from him while he stays in position. He hasn't really learned to stay until released yet. We'll work on it though.
Station 2: Teeter and Dog Walk. Bailey is pretty quick at both of these obstacles too. Advantage to us because we've done both of them plenty of times before. We did lots and lots of teeter and dog walk and I think it may have actually tired Bailey out a little bit. He likes more movement instead of standing around. Keeps his mind and body busy.
Station 3: Jump, Tunnel, Jump sequence. We've also done plenty of short sequence work before, so this wasn't really a big deal. Bailey really enjoyed it and of course, he was fantastic on the sequence. Great at reading my body and I'm so very proud of him.
After we finished the three stations, we still had some time so they put us into our groups again and did three more quick stations. We did tire in one station, a-frame in another, and the sequence in the third. Bailey was a very good boy and really had fun.
Before we left, Claudia did a quick demo of where we are aiming for with our board work. Her dogs are just amazing! I hope I can get Bailey to learn 2O2O as well as she has taught her dogs! I know at least 1 person who is going forward to the next set of classes with us (Gwen and Kali), so it should be fun although tiring. Next session starts in 2 weeks on July 7th!
Station 1: A-frame and board work. Bailey adores the climbing obstacles, so a-frame is right up his alley. He's really quick, but I really want to do a-frame off leash so that he doesn't get used to seeing my arm go up and down beside him. I just don't trust the other dogs in the class enough yet. There are several dogs who like to lunge at other dogs and I just don't trust that they won't take a chunk out of B. Anyway, we also worked on board work. We have a board at home and already do targetting at the end of it. Now I really need to work on moving around and away from him while he stays in position. He hasn't really learned to stay until released yet. We'll work on it though.
Station 2: Teeter and Dog Walk. Bailey is pretty quick at both of these obstacles too. Advantage to us because we've done both of them plenty of times before. We did lots and lots of teeter and dog walk and I think it may have actually tired Bailey out a little bit. He likes more movement instead of standing around. Keeps his mind and body busy.
Station 3: Jump, Tunnel, Jump sequence. We've also done plenty of short sequence work before, so this wasn't really a big deal. Bailey really enjoyed it and of course, he was fantastic on the sequence. Great at reading my body and I'm so very proud of him.
After we finished the three stations, we still had some time so they put us into our groups again and did three more quick stations. We did tire in one station, a-frame in another, and the sequence in the third. Bailey was a very good boy and really had fun.
Before we left, Claudia did a quick demo of where we are aiming for with our board work. Her dogs are just amazing! I hope I can get Bailey to learn 2O2O as well as she has taught her dogs! I know at least 1 person who is going forward to the next set of classes with us (Gwen and Kali), so it should be fun although tiring. Next session starts in 2 weeks on July 7th!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Introducing Bailey CGC!
Today, my little puppy passed his AKC Canine Good Citizen test! Bailey is now officially Bailey's A Lucky Discovery CGC. Yeah yeah, I know it's not a real title, but I'm so proud of the little stinker! He did a great job and the test was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. All of our training is finally starting to pay off!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Agility Foundation I - Class 5
Class this week was a lot of fun. It was raining pretty hard outside for most of the afternoon, so the whole class was indoors. The class started with a demo of board work. It's amazing to me how well-trained the instructor's dog is. It just leaves me in awe. Then we were broken into three groups. We were lucky enough to get in a group with most of the DGOTC folks so we had a nice time.
Station One: Table and Chute. We did alternating sits and downs on the table to test the dogs and see how they are doing. All of the dogs did a very good job and have pretty quick downs on the table. I think I've decided that I want to teach Bailey two different words. Table for "get on there and lie down" and Bench for "get on there and sit." I just have to figure out how to get him to differentiate the two. Of course, the chute also went well. We have all done chute before as well, so it went quick.
Station Two: Teeter and Dog Walk. We were really just introducing the dogs to these pieces of equipment, so the ends of the teeter were on tables with no pivot. We also didn't do end behavior on the dog walk because we're really just trying to get the dogs to go with speed over it and feel safe on them. We've also done the teeter and dog walk before, so no big issue for us. Bailey loves the climbing things, so he had a great time. Before we switched to the next group, we put the teeter and dog walk together into a little sequence and did it in both directions. Bailey LOVED that.
Station Three: Jump Work. We worked with the spider on a low jump. At first, Bailey wants to treat it like a spread jump, so we had to stretch it out a bit for him. Once we did that, he did fine and was able to collect to get over the jump. He's also doing a good job with the static retrieve and is starting to develop a bit of toy drive (as long as there is food in the toy).
Finally, we did a round robin to get a bit more practice on the dog walk, get the dogs up on the a-frame, and do the table a bit more. Bailey adores the climbing things, so this was great for him.
Overall, a great class and we really are starting to have a lot of fun.
Station One: Table and Chute. We did alternating sits and downs on the table to test the dogs and see how they are doing. All of the dogs did a very good job and have pretty quick downs on the table. I think I've decided that I want to teach Bailey two different words. Table for "get on there and lie down" and Bench for "get on there and sit." I just have to figure out how to get him to differentiate the two. Of course, the chute also went well. We have all done chute before as well, so it went quick.
Station Two: Teeter and Dog Walk. We were really just introducing the dogs to these pieces of equipment, so the ends of the teeter were on tables with no pivot. We also didn't do end behavior on the dog walk because we're really just trying to get the dogs to go with speed over it and feel safe on them. We've also done the teeter and dog walk before, so no big issue for us. Bailey loves the climbing things, so he had a great time. Before we switched to the next group, we put the teeter and dog walk together into a little sequence and did it in both directions. Bailey LOVED that.
Station Three: Jump Work. We worked with the spider on a low jump. At first, Bailey wants to treat it like a spread jump, so we had to stretch it out a bit for him. Once we did that, he did fine and was able to collect to get over the jump. He's also doing a good job with the static retrieve and is starting to develop a bit of toy drive (as long as there is food in the toy).
Finally, we did a round robin to get a bit more practice on the dog walk, get the dogs up on the a-frame, and do the table a bit more. Bailey adores the climbing things, so this was great for him.
Overall, a great class and we really are starting to have a lot of fun.
Friday, June 13, 2008
CGC Obedience: Classes 7 and 8
So, I've neglected to post about the classes for the last couple weeks. Nothing overly exciting has happened. We've just been reviewing the CGC test items each week to prepare for the test. The instructor is going to do the CGC Evaluation next Thursday (June 19th) for the people who have taken the class. We signed up and I hope Bailey passes it!
We've also been doing Novice A run-throughs after each CGC class, and each week Bailey has lost a bit more of his brain. He was doing great the first week we did it. The week after that, he did ok but broke from the long down about 2.5 minutes into it. Last week, his brain was just not there and he spent the entire time sniffing and rolling in the grass. Totall forgot that he was supposed to be doing obedience. Oh well. We clearly just need more practice. And more exercise before class.
We've also been doing Novice A run-throughs after each CGC class, and each week Bailey has lost a bit more of his brain. He was doing great the first week we did it. The week after that, he did ok but broke from the long down about 2.5 minutes into it. Last week, his brain was just not there and he spent the entire time sniffing and rolling in the grass. Totall forgot that he was supposed to be doing obedience. Oh well. We clearly just need more practice. And more exercise before class.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Agility Foundation I - Class 4
Class this week was fun. We started with a review of targetting, where Bailey impressed because he could do it on the floor with no problems. He's really good at targetting because I made it fun for him pretty early on. He didn't get it for a long time, but once it clicked (no pun intended!) he got the game and loves to see his little circle come out. As usual, we were broken into three groups.
Station One: Tire and Tunnel. Most of our group had done both of these obstacles before. Bailey does have tunnel suck, so I had to work really hard to keep him out of it. He did a pretty good job of it, but does adore him some tunnel. One of the other dogs in the class kept peeing in the tunnel every time he went in it. It was pretty annoying, but I guess it happens. When we put the tire and tunnel together into a little sequence, Bailey was in heaven! He loves to do more than one thing at a time. The drills are boring for him most of the time.
Station Two: Jump Grid. We have done jump grids before with real jumps. Today they just put little speed bumps between the standards so the dogs could get the idea. We started the dogs in the middle of the grid so they only had to do one "jump." Then we went to doing two "jumps." Finally, on to all three or four "jumps" (can't remember if there were 3 or 4). Bailey has no issue with the jump grid and did a great job driving to his toy and the treat on top of it.
Station Three: Jump Work. In this station, we worked on shaping a jump - really making it fun for the dog and encouraging the dog to drive to a jump. Bailey likes jumping too, so he had no problem going over the jump. The one problem that Claudia pointed out is that he tends to look up at me while he jumps, which hollows his back and puts more strain on his body. We've got to work on getting him to focus down and forward when he's jumping because it'll be better for his body long-run. Finally, we did some basics on starting crosses and tight, collected work. We directed the dog over the jump, then made them turn 180 degrees to end on the same side of the handler, but facing the opposite direction. Bailey got it pretty well, but really likes to be on my left. He's getting better at working on the right as well.
Overall, I think this was really the first class where we learned a new skill, so I'm definitely looking forward to more of this in the future!
Station One: Tire and Tunnel. Most of our group had done both of these obstacles before. Bailey does have tunnel suck, so I had to work really hard to keep him out of it. He did a pretty good job of it, but does adore him some tunnel. One of the other dogs in the class kept peeing in the tunnel every time he went in it. It was pretty annoying, but I guess it happens. When we put the tire and tunnel together into a little sequence, Bailey was in heaven! He loves to do more than one thing at a time. The drills are boring for him most of the time.
Station Two: Jump Grid. We have done jump grids before with real jumps. Today they just put little speed bumps between the standards so the dogs could get the idea. We started the dogs in the middle of the grid so they only had to do one "jump." Then we went to doing two "jumps." Finally, on to all three or four "jumps" (can't remember if there were 3 or 4). Bailey has no issue with the jump grid and did a great job driving to his toy and the treat on top of it.
Station Three: Jump Work. In this station, we worked on shaping a jump - really making it fun for the dog and encouraging the dog to drive to a jump. Bailey likes jumping too, so he had no problem going over the jump. The one problem that Claudia pointed out is that he tends to look up at me while he jumps, which hollows his back and puts more strain on his body. We've got to work on getting him to focus down and forward when he's jumping because it'll be better for his body long-run. Finally, we did some basics on starting crosses and tight, collected work. We directed the dog over the jump, then made them turn 180 degrees to end on the same side of the handler, but facing the opposite direction. Bailey got it pretty well, but really likes to be on my left. He's getting better at working on the right as well.
Overall, I think this was really the first class where we learned a new skill, so I'm definitely looking forward to more of this in the future!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Next Classes
I mailed off the registration forms for the next set of classes. Here is what we are taking:
Rally-O with DGOTC - Instructor Penny Geddes
Foundation Agility II with ACA - Instructor Claudia Bates
Foundation Agility III with ACA - Instructor Claudia Bates
I might also sign up for the Novice Obedience Class with DGOTC to get more practice before we start trialling. We'll see how I feel. 4+ hours of dog classes every week is a lot!
Rally-O with DGOTC - Instructor Penny Geddes
Foundation Agility II with ACA - Instructor Claudia Bates
Foundation Agility III with ACA - Instructor Claudia Bates
I might also sign up for the Novice Obedience Class with DGOTC to get more practice before we start trialling. We'll see how I feel. 4+ hours of dog classes every week is a lot!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
CGC Obedience - Class 6
This week's class was pretty good. I arrived a bit early, so had some time to hang out before class. Seemed like the group is getting smaller. We started out with practicing finish. From our Novice classes, Bailey already knew that so it was really just fun for us to get in the mood. We finished left and right. Bailey actually prefers the finish left, even though most big dogs don't. I also get a more square sit out of him when we finish left. Next, we did the choose to heel exercise again where we all had spoons of peanut butter. Not sure how effective that is long term, unless you walk around always carrying a big kitchen spoon. :-P
After that, we split into a few groups and practiced figure 8. Bailey also already knows this exercise, but we had the added distraction of the instructor doing the "sit for petting" exercise on the post dogs. Again, no problem for stinky face.
Next was recall. We did about 40 feet and I did it completely off leash. Bailey did great and did a nice front. I was proud of him. He does a lot better than most of the other dogs in the class, probably due to all of the training we've done.
I think we also practiced the stand for exam, which Bailey does just fine courtesy of Novice Obedience. In this exercise was also the greeting a friendly stranger exercise. I also practiced the exercise where we approach a friendly dog/handler pair and greet them without the dogs acknowledging each other. He's getting a lot better at this as well.
After class was over, I decided to have Bailey practice his 1 minute sit stay and 3 minute down stay. The 8 pm class was arriving and our class was leaving, so there was a lot of commotion and people milling around. He did great and held position the entire time.
Then Erich came over and asked if I wanted a Novice run-through. I agreed, so we went over to another area to do that. The heel on leash was fine, although I find myself anticipating the "judge's" commands. We did figure 8 with two cones and Bailey only lagged a bit when he was on the outside of the turn. Stand for exam went fine as well, even though we left his leash on (I didn't hold it). We did the heel free next, although I didn't let him off leash. I just draped his leash over my shoulder, since the main road is pretty close. The heel free is probably our biggest challenge. I'm so afraid that he'll just wander off. I guess we can only give it a try and see how we do. We did recall next and again Bailey did great. I think it was probably close to 40 feet and we did it completely off leash. He also did a nice finish. Finally, we did the long sit and long down. Surprisingly, he stayed the entire time for both the sit and the down. I was really proud of him because he has a habit of popping up about 2.5 minutes into the 3 minute down. At the end of it all, Erich said we shouldn't have a problem getting our CD, so I think we might start trialling pretty soon!
After that, we split into a few groups and practiced figure 8. Bailey also already knows this exercise, but we had the added distraction of the instructor doing the "sit for petting" exercise on the post dogs. Again, no problem for stinky face.
Next was recall. We did about 40 feet and I did it completely off leash. Bailey did great and did a nice front. I was proud of him. He does a lot better than most of the other dogs in the class, probably due to all of the training we've done.
I think we also practiced the stand for exam, which Bailey does just fine courtesy of Novice Obedience. In this exercise was also the greeting a friendly stranger exercise. I also practiced the exercise where we approach a friendly dog/handler pair and greet them without the dogs acknowledging each other. He's getting a lot better at this as well.
After class was over, I decided to have Bailey practice his 1 minute sit stay and 3 minute down stay. The 8 pm class was arriving and our class was leaving, so there was a lot of commotion and people milling around. He did great and held position the entire time.
Then Erich came over and asked if I wanted a Novice run-through. I agreed, so we went over to another area to do that. The heel on leash was fine, although I find myself anticipating the "judge's" commands. We did figure 8 with two cones and Bailey only lagged a bit when he was on the outside of the turn. Stand for exam went fine as well, even though we left his leash on (I didn't hold it). We did the heel free next, although I didn't let him off leash. I just draped his leash over my shoulder, since the main road is pretty close. The heel free is probably our biggest challenge. I'm so afraid that he'll just wander off. I guess we can only give it a try and see how we do. We did recall next and again Bailey did great. I think it was probably close to 40 feet and we did it completely off leash. He also did a nice finish. Finally, we did the long sit and long down. Surprisingly, he stayed the entire time for both the sit and the down. I was really proud of him because he has a habit of popping up about 2.5 minutes into the 3 minute down. At the end of it all, Erich said we shouldn't have a problem getting our CD, so I think we might start trialling pretty soon!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Agility Foundation I - No class
We have no classes again until June 9th, so we've just been practicing our normal homework and working on spinning left and right.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
CGC Obedience - Class 5
We had a small class this week. I think a lot of people left early for vacation for the Memorial Day holiday. This week, the instructor introduced finish. Bailey already knew finish in both directions, so we just took the time to practice finishing both ways. Next, she introduced a "choose to heel" exercise and handed out big plastic kitchen spoons with peanut butter on them. Bailey already does a decent heel, so I only rewarded him selectively. He did ok, but sometimes loses his focus especially if there is something tasty on the ground. We spent a lot of time walking around the other dog/handler pairs to get practice with walking in a crowd. We met up in a circle again and practiced greeting a friendly stranger. Bailey must have still had peanut butter on his mind, so he was somewhat jumpy. Bad boy! We also worked on leave it. He did ok, until the stinky liver treats came out. Those were very hard for him to leave alone. :-) Clearly, my dog is VERY motivated by food.
We went to Petsmart after class, but the scale was broken. I think his weight has been holding steady. I'd like him to gain about 5 lbs, but I want to make sure that it comes as muscle, not fat.
We went to Petsmart after class, but the scale was broken. I think his weight has been holding steady. I'd like him to gain about 5 lbs, but I want to make sure that it comes as muscle, not fat.
Agility Foundation I - Class 3
This week was a fun class. We spent the first few minutes working on targeting, which Bailey does really well. He loves that little white circle. :-) She also did an exercise where we put 10 treats into our hand and set the timer for 30 seconds. We had to target, click, treat at least 10 times in the 30 seconds. We did it, but it wasn't easy. The hardest part was figuring out how to hold the clicker, treat, and target. We also showed off our new tricks this week. We showed Through, where Bailey goes between my legs. Once that was done, we were divided into three groups to work the stations.
Our first station was working on circle work outside. We've been working on the spinning left and right during the week, but Bailey still has a really hard time spinning to the left. The right spin is really easy for him though. Next we started a basic rear cross. Previously, we had done some work where the dog turns into you like the following:
D ----------\
<---/
<---\
H ----------/
This week, we changed it up a bit so it looks more like the start of a rear cross:
<---\
D ----------/
<---\
H ----------/
I'm not sure that my picture really explains it well, but basically you are going along with your dog and you ask him to spin away from you. While he's spinning, you also spin towards him and pick him up on your opposite side. Bailey seemed to understand that pretty well. The idea behind this exercise is that eventually, we can get the dog to understand our shoulders so that he can do a serpentine in front of us with just the turn of your shoulders. I remember seeing a clip like this in the Success with One Jump DVD. Finally, we worked on the static retrieve and the 1-2-3 Game. Static retrieve is where you put a toy out in front of you and send the dog to go get it. 1-2-3 is just a way to rev up the dog. You say "Ready, 1, 2, 3" as your dog gets more and more excited to go. Then you release the dog to the toy. I think Bailey already knew that a little bit because I've played this game with him before.
Next we went inside and worked on the ground exercises. Buja, boards, and ladder were here. The table was also set up here so that the instructor could check our quick downs. Bailey did a good job and the instructor said he has the fastest down of the dogs she had seen before. Good boy! We also added the A-frame to this week's ground exercises station. It was mostly for familiarity, so we didn't practice any 2O2O behavior or anything. Bailey LOVES climbing on the A-frame and dogwalk, so we were pretty excited about that. The contact zones were a different color (red), so that threw off Bailey at first and he balked the first time. Once he realized it is the same, he had no problem.
Finally, the last station was working on the beginning of jump work. Claudia did a demo with her dog showing us how the dog should look going over a jump. Then she brought out a mini jump with what she called a spider. This is a device attached to the jump meant to encourage collection. Bailey totally missed that concept and was convinced he could just jump the whole thing. I think it would have helped to put a bar on the jump instead of just a speed bump, but I think eventually, he caught on. Next we worked on shaping the dog's body over a jump. Bailey tends to jump with his head up too high, so this is going to be a lot of work for us to practice.
We have no class next week because of the holiday, so plenty of time to practice between now and the next class. :-)
Our first station was working on circle work outside. We've been working on the spinning left and right during the week, but Bailey still has a really hard time spinning to the left. The right spin is really easy for him though. Next we started a basic rear cross. Previously, we had done some work where the dog turns into you like the following:
D ----------\
<---/
<---\
H ----------/
This week, we changed it up a bit so it looks more like the start of a rear cross:
<---\
D ----------/
<---\
H ----------/
I'm not sure that my picture really explains it well, but basically you are going along with your dog and you ask him to spin away from you. While he's spinning, you also spin towards him and pick him up on your opposite side. Bailey seemed to understand that pretty well. The idea behind this exercise is that eventually, we can get the dog to understand our shoulders so that he can do a serpentine in front of us with just the turn of your shoulders. I remember seeing a clip like this in the Success with One Jump DVD. Finally, we worked on the static retrieve and the 1-2-3 Game. Static retrieve is where you put a toy out in front of you and send the dog to go get it. 1-2-3 is just a way to rev up the dog. You say "Ready, 1, 2, 3" as your dog gets more and more excited to go. Then you release the dog to the toy. I think Bailey already knew that a little bit because I've played this game with him before.
Next we went inside and worked on the ground exercises. Buja, boards, and ladder were here. The table was also set up here so that the instructor could check our quick downs. Bailey did a good job and the instructor said he has the fastest down of the dogs she had seen before. Good boy! We also added the A-frame to this week's ground exercises station. It was mostly for familiarity, so we didn't practice any 2O2O behavior or anything. Bailey LOVES climbing on the A-frame and dogwalk, so we were pretty excited about that. The contact zones were a different color (red), so that threw off Bailey at first and he balked the first time. Once he realized it is the same, he had no problem.
Finally, the last station was working on the beginning of jump work. Claudia did a demo with her dog showing us how the dog should look going over a jump. Then she brought out a mini jump with what she called a spider. This is a device attached to the jump meant to encourage collection. Bailey totally missed that concept and was convinced he could just jump the whole thing. I think it would have helped to put a bar on the jump instead of just a speed bump, but I think eventually, he caught on. Next we worked on shaping the dog's body over a jump. Bailey tends to jump with his head up too high, so this is going to be a lot of work for us to practice.
We have no class next week because of the holiday, so plenty of time to practice between now and the next class. :-)
Friday, May 16, 2008
CGC Obedience - Class 4
Class went pretty well this week. Bailey seems to really like the focus of having a job to do. The first thing we did was set all the dogs/handlers in a straight line with about 6 feet of space between each. Then one by one, the dog/handler teams wove through the line to practice walking through a crowd and heeling. Of course, Bailey knew exactly how to do this because of all our practice with figure 8 in Sub-novice and Novice obedience. Then we did stand for exam, sit stay, and down stay. Bailey also excelled at this. The assistant instructor even mentioned that he was the only dog not to jump on her. :-) Next we did a recall through a tunnel of dogs. Bailey went first and did probably 30-40 feet with no problem. He did a perfect front, but didn't want to finish around me. I think he really prefers to finish by just spinning in a little circle on my left. It's also easier to get him into a square sit if we finish that way. Either way, he rocked at the recall. Lastly, we did some distraction work. One of the instructors rode a bicycle past us while the other walked by with crutches and squeaky toys. Once he heard the squeaking, Bailey's attention went out the window and he didn't even notice the crutches. Once the squeaking stopped, he decided to be afraid/barky at the crutches, so we stayed a bit later so he could just hang out around the lady on crutches. Seemed to work, but we'll see how well he does next week.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Agility Foundation I - Class 2
Second class at ACA seemed a lot less hectic. We arrived and met as a group to discuss targeting. We already know how to target, so this was basically just a review for us. Then were divided up into three groups again to work the stations and rotate.
Our first station was the floor exercises (boards, buja board, ladder, etc). We tried to do the ladder backwards, but this was way too difficult for Bailey. They also had a much more wobbly buja board than normal and at first, Bailey was quite nervous about it. I kept him on it for a while and he learned that if he just sits smack in the middle of it, there isn't too much movement. Stinker! :-)
The second station was working on toy drive and bungee stays. Bailey has negative toy drive especially for anything other than his latex ball, so this is pretty hard for us. I have to figure out how to build some toy drive in him. He does pretty well with the stays and recalls though, courtesy of our obedience training.
The last station was the table and tire. We know the table better than pretty much anyone else in the group and Bailey already has a pretty quick down on the table. I think I should also teach him the command "Bench" for get up there and sit, but I'm not sure how to teach the differentiation. We actually ran out of time to really do the tire, but did get one jump each. Bailey likes doing real agility stuff.
Finally, we met as a group again and shared tricks. We showed off our shake, because it was easy and I didn't really have time to teach something new this week.
Our first station was the floor exercises (boards, buja board, ladder, etc). We tried to do the ladder backwards, but this was way too difficult for Bailey. They also had a much more wobbly buja board than normal and at first, Bailey was quite nervous about it. I kept him on it for a while and he learned that if he just sits smack in the middle of it, there isn't too much movement. Stinker! :-)
The second station was working on toy drive and bungee stays. Bailey has negative toy drive especially for anything other than his latex ball, so this is pretty hard for us. I have to figure out how to build some toy drive in him. He does pretty well with the stays and recalls though, courtesy of our obedience training.
The last station was the table and tire. We know the table better than pretty much anyone else in the group and Bailey already has a pretty quick down on the table. I think I should also teach him the command "Bench" for get up there and sit, but I'm not sure how to teach the differentiation. We actually ran out of time to really do the tire, but did get one jump each. Bailey likes doing real agility stuff.
Finally, we met as a group again and shared tricks. We showed off our shake, because it was easy and I didn't really have time to teach something new this week.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
CGC Obedience - Cancelled
Due to predicted heavy rain and thunderstorms, obedience class was cancelled tonight. Of course, the rain never came. :-(
Agility Foundation I - Class 1
Last night was our first class at ACA. It went well, although it did feel a little bit rushed. I hope we get more focused time on each of the exercises in the future classes.
We were split into 3 groups. My group went outside first to work on circle work. Bailey did well, except that it's clear he's trained in obedience first. He REALLY prefers my left side over the right. It just means we have to practice more on the right side to get him comfortable there. We also started on teaching our dogs to spin. Like circle work, Bailey definitely has a preferred direction. We'll have to practice spinning during the week so he has it down for next time.
Next, we went inside and spent some time on basic exercises like backing, buja board, ladder, perch, and fast sit and down. Because we got such a great start with DGOTC, Bailey didn't have any problem with these exercises. We do need to work on fast sit and down, though.
Finally, our group went to work on stays. Bailey is already pretty good at that, due to the obedience training, so again it was a piece of cake. All in all, a good review of skills we learned with DGOTC.
Next week, we start targeting and add the table and tire. :-)
We were split into 3 groups. My group went outside first to work on circle work. Bailey did well, except that it's clear he's trained in obedience first. He REALLY prefers my left side over the right. It just means we have to practice more on the right side to get him comfortable there. We also started on teaching our dogs to spin. Like circle work, Bailey definitely has a preferred direction. We'll have to practice spinning during the week so he has it down for next time.
Next, we went inside and spent some time on basic exercises like backing, buja board, ladder, perch, and fast sit and down. Because we got such a great start with DGOTC, Bailey didn't have any problem with these exercises. We do need to work on fast sit and down, though.
Finally, our group went to work on stays. Bailey is already pretty good at that, due to the obedience training, so again it was a piece of cake. All in all, a good review of skills we learned with DGOTC.
Next week, we start targeting and add the table and tire. :-)
Friday, May 2, 2008
CGC Obedience - Class 3
We had our third class for CGC Obedience with DGOTC last night. Overall, it went well. Bailey was much calmer than he usually is, and I think that has to do with exercising him immediately before class. Normally, I get home aorund 3:30 and take him out for 30ish minutes to play ball. By the time we have class at 7, he has had a nap and some time to recover from his exercise. He is normally a basket case who can't sit still for 5 minutes. Last night, I took him outside to play right after work for about 20 minutes, then again around 6 pm and played hard for about 20 minutes. He did a very good job being calmer and more laid back in class. He's getting good practice at stay under heavy distraction and we're getting a lot better at walking among crowds including dogs.
I took him to Petsmart after class to work on heeling with distractions and he did a pretty decent job. I also weigh him weekly when we stop off at Petsmart. He keeps losing weight (although very slowly) and is now around 57 lbs, so I upped his food to 1 cup at each meal. I hope he puts on a little bit of weight!
I took him to Petsmart after class to work on heeling with distractions and he did a pretty decent job. I also weigh him weekly when we stop off at Petsmart. He keeps losing weight (although very slowly) and is now around 57 lbs, so I upped his food to 1 cup at each meal. I hope he puts on a little bit of weight!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
He gets the weaves!
I'm so proud of my little doggie! Weaves are by far the hardest obstacle for dogs to master. I made a homemade Weave-a-matic from PVC pipe so we could practice at home. He's been doing pretty well with a very slight angle, so I decided to close them up and give it a try. Well, to my surprise, he got it!! Major jackpot!!! We did it over and over again and he did a fabulous job. He's still really deliberate and pops out if I encourage too much speed, but that will come with practice. I'm just so proud of him!
A Click Above Orientation
So, last night was our orientation session at ACA. It lasted a bit longer than a hour and a half and was very interesting. The most interesting part of it all was the demo of human clicker training. I was the guinea pig! She sent me out of the room with the instructions to count to 40 and come back. The only requirement was that each time she clicked, I had to take an M&M. So I come back in and I start getting clicked and eating my M&Ms, without a clue what I'm doing that's getting the reward. So I keep guessing, and eventually get it right. :-) It was an interesting perspective though, clicker training from the dog's POV.
Three of my classmates from DGOTC are also taking the ACA class, so it should be a good time. :-)
The drive isn't too long or painful, although I suspect it will be worse when I have to leave at 5:30 for the class at 6:35 pm. The facility is great, and the best part is... NO HORSE POOP!!! I might actually be able to keep Bailey from running off to eat poo all the time!
Three of my classmates from DGOTC are also taking the ACA class, so it should be a good time. :-)
The drive isn't too long or painful, although I suspect it will be worse when I have to leave at 5:30 for the class at 6:35 pm. The facility is great, and the best part is... NO HORSE POOP!!! I might actually be able to keep Bailey from running off to eat poo all the time!
Monday, April 28, 2008
First Post
I'm starting this blog to keep track of Bailey's agility and obedience training and trialling adventures. So far, we've taken several classes with DGOTC, our local dog training club. Even though it's a UKC club, the classes are mostly taught with a focus on AKC curriculum especially at the higher levels. Last spring, we took a basic class at DGOTC, which was the start of our fun in obedience. From there, we took Sub-Novice Obedience (taught by the then-president of the club) and quickly graduated to Novice Obedience, which was taught by a fellow Golden Retriever breeder/exhibitor.
We've also taken a few Intro to Agility classes and Bailey really loves them. We took Intro to Agility I with Karen Zelonis and Intro II and Intro III with Melissa Muniz, Brenda Shaver, and Nancy Leibhauser. We had so much fun, that Melissa convinced us to take classes at A Click Above this summer. Tonight is the orientation session of the ACA classes and I'm so excited!
We've also taken a few Intro to Agility classes and Bailey really loves them. We took Intro to Agility I with Karen Zelonis and Intro II and Intro III with Melissa Muniz, Brenda Shaver, and Nancy Leibhauser. We had so much fun, that Melissa convinced us to take classes at A Click Above this summer. Tonight is the orientation session of the ACA classes and I'm so excited!
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