Getting ready for a trial…
Friday, March 12th, 2010 Posted in life with poodles, training, trials | No Comments »Debbie and I worked yesterday with both Dancer and Elly. I gave Elly lots of rest this past week, and suddenly she is back to being a dog with her tail on fire, excited about everything. She's still terribly thin, ...
Even a small victory is sweet…
Saturday, March 6th, 2010 Posted in training | 2 Comments »In the latest news on Dancer's teeter retraining (don't yawn so loudly, it's rude), today I took Dancer to a (drop-in) class at our regular barn. Five barking dogs. Five handlers. Small barn. Dancer did the teeter without stopping FOUR ...
Clicking and grooming…
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 Posted in life with poodles, training | No Comments »Apparently, I am an idiot. Actually, scratch the "apparently." We have proof. I have been working on learning to groom the girls since the beginning of 2008, when I started feeling the pinch of the cost of grooming two dogs. I ...
A-frame training and differential rewards
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 Posted in training | No Comments »Dancer has been having issues with the A-frame. (If it's not one thing, it's another... that's life with poodles.) The latest issue is "let me stop up here and look around for a while... wow! there are a lot of ...
Physics of jump heights…
Friday, February 26th, 2010 Posted in training | Comments OffThe debate is endless: should dogs jump at the highest allowable height or the lowest... AKC has the "Championship" program and the "Preferred" program, and the Championship program is pretty much preferred as more meaningful by most competitors. Ditto USDAA's ...
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…
Monday, February 22nd, 2010 Posted in training, trials | Comments OffWell, the NADAC trial this weekend was interesting... painful... exhilarating... frustrating... maddening. (How many gerunds can I use?) I did a total of 15 runs and got two Qs. One in Open Jumpers, with Dancer--that's always been her best event. ...
Teeter tour…
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 Posted in training | Comments OffAt yet another stop on the teeter tour today... and Dancer was great. Jump-tunnel-jump-teeter... and she came right over the teeter. Not fast, but steady. Can't complain. I entered the Standard--with teeter--class at an upcoming AKC trial. We'll see!
A lesson on tugging…
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 Posted in training | Comments OffIt seems "everyone" believes that a good tugging session is a great way to reward your dog... Elly's never been much interested ("where's my treat? and it better be good!" seems to be her motto), but Dancer had a great ...
It’s probably a mistake to say this out loud…
Monday, February 8th, 2010 Posted in training | Comments OffBut training is going very well right now. Contacts look good in practice; I've added a contact cue for the 2-on-2-off ("yellow"); the teeter looks amazing (Dancer's wagging her tail while she does the teeter); tunnel/contact discriminations are vastly improved. ...
I am so proud of Elly!
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 Posted in agility titles, training | 1 Comment »In the summer of 2004, while Jay was bicycling across the country, I decided to spend some time training in dog agility. I was fortunate enough that the only trainer I could find who had time during that hot August ...