Monthly Archives: December 2010
More Dogwalk Practice
My camera’s still acting up so I just got the beginning and end of our session. He started out missing again but then settled down. He started getting some good hits that I didn’t get on video so I decided to try a couple without the box and he did good!
Today’s Dogwalk Session
Today’s dogwalk session started out not so good but ended well. After watching the video, I think he was focusing on the toy I was holding and not the box or the jump standard that he was supposed to wrap at the end of the dogwalk. I should have put the toy on the ground. I also tried taking off the 3-way connectors on the end so maybe that was too soon for that. I think next time I’ll also put my tunnel at the opposite end so he has something to drive to going that way.
I got a few good dogwalks at the end of our session but my video cut off again so I set it up again and had him do one good one for the camera. I really like that last one!
Running (jumping?) dogwalk training
More video of our dogwalk training with the box. The top bar is off of the box and he doesn’t seem to notice. He’s more consistantly dong two strides instead of three into the box but that last stride is pretty big. I’m hoping his strides will even out like they did on the aframe and then this may actually work! Keeping my fingers crossed. Either way this is an interesting experiment. I’m quite amazed how similar he looks on the dogwalk and the aframe.
Running Dogwalk Experiment
Enzo’s understanding of getting in the box seemed to work so well on the aframe so I am trying it on the dogwalk too. He definitely understands getting in the box on the dogwalk but I don’t know if it will hold up without the box.
My video camera was also acting up and stopped recording on it’s own both sessions today. Hopefully it just needed to be charged but it was showing half battery…
Enzo’s X-mas present to me!
A real running aframe!
He pretty much has this down! I think I pretty much just have to work on handling it and independence now. I don’t feel like he is relying on my body position very much so hopefully that will come easily too. I had no idea it would come this easily this time or I would have tried it a lot sooner. I was afraid to try before the Invitational.
I’m leaning towards not trying to work up to the 5’11” aframe for USDAA and just entering him in Perf. from now on. I think this aframe is too good for me to mess with and I don’t think he will ever be a consistent 22″ jumper anyways. 20″ he does pretty good at but 22″ is a stretch.
I’m also playing around with the box on the dogwalk but not sure about how that is going to work yet. He understands getting in it when it’s on, but without it on, I’m not sure it will be consistent because his striding is not consistent yet. I tried to record that too but apparently didn’t hit record!
First Trial with Running Aframe
So far so good! We’ve only been working the box on the aframe for a week but I was entered in a trial this weekend. I had no idea what he was going to do on the aframe but figured there was really no harm in trying. Saturday he was high but in. Pretty much just right below the line. Forgot my camera on Saturday but got video from Sunday. His aframe on Sunday was perfect! I’m excited that this is going so well so quickly. I plan to keep working with the box on the aframe with him. Neverending rain right now though.
Trying a running aframe again…
When Enzo started agility we tried a running aframe. I tried all kinds of things, stride regulators, foot target, putting jumps close to the end of the aframe. He would always either jump too long over the top and one stride or do two shorter strides and jump off in almost the exact same place as the one stride. We never got much better than 50% success rate so I switched him to 2on/2off.
Earlier in the year I did the groundwork for the box but never put it on the aframe. I didn’t really want to change anything before the invitational. I started doing quick releases on the Aframe and Dogwalk and over time lost his stop completely. I can manage his contacts by handling but there is no independence at all so I am now re-evaluating. I’ve been working the box on the aframe for about a week now and I am excited because it might actually work!
Here’s the video from our practice sessions. I didn’t record our very first session where I was introducing him to the box on the aframe but all the rest are here.
He also did really well with the box on the aframe in class last night in full sequences. He probably did better there than at home but I don’t have video to check.
So hopefully this will all hold up once the box comes off! Keeping fingers crossed.
Furrari Aussies - Agility and Disc Dogs 