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Here's a video of a 4.5 month old Beezer pup (a Radar relative-from the same breeder) doing nosework. it's long, and a bit shaky, but: go sighthounds in scentwork! I now am desperate to try it with Radar, aka Mr. Skinny Bloodhound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMcP00JwdKw In other news, Radar got his AKC Field Championship (FC) last weekend, and I have no one left to brag to but you, kind internet strangers. And holy moly, agility people! Talk about effort, and technical stuff, and, and, effort. You guys should be commended (and possibly psychiatrically examined.) Please, please keep this thread resurrected so I can get my armchair agility thrills.
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| # ? Mar 30, 2011 19:24 |
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| # ? May 23, 2013 23:17 |
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badmomrising posted:words I want to be your e-buddy. Please contact me via profile info so we can be internet friends and talk about dog sports like a couple of huge nerds. I also usually hang out in the PI IRC channel.
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| # ? Mar 30, 2011 20:19 |
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MrFurious posted:I want to be your e-buddy. Please contact me via profile info so we can be internet friends and talk about dog sports like a couple of huge nerds. I also usually hang out in the PI IRC channel. Very flattering, but I don't have PMs or AIM or a "public" email, or FB or Twitter, and aside from here, I just have some super-dull sighthound groups I browse. I had to look up what IRC was. I'd love to say I'm old school, but I'm really just internets developmentally delayed. (I grew up without a TV.) But I'll read all your posts and look at pics of your dogs, I swear.
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| # ? Mar 31, 2011 15:47 |
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This is the video progression of training Angus' box turn with the ball for flyball. At the point where I started taping he already learned how to get on the box without a ball and did it reliably as well as having learned to retrieve "dead" balls. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSN2...yer_profilepage In this first video I am using two props. The jump board is to get him to put his whole self on the box, rather than just trigger the box with one foot and take the ball. The cone is to encourage a turn, where he has to come in on one side of the cone and leave on the other side, rather than just reach over the jump board and get the ball. He was trained to run around the cone before adding it to the box turn training. You can see that he's not confident that what he's doing is right and he's unfamiliar with this kind of movement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K7h...yer_profilepage This video was taken later on the same day, he's more confident, has increased his speed and is offering turns off the box because he knows what he's supposed to do with it. At this point training the box turn happens multiple times a day, he's earning breakfast and dinner by working on the box because a proper turn is ingrained into not just the mind but the body, by the time I take away the props he should continue turning the way he's taught because it is muscle memory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHd9...yer_profilepage In this video I've removed the cone but the jump board is still in place. By slowly phasing out the props, he maintains the proper movement. I've also started making him retrieve a tennis ball which he previously refused. He doesn't care for the light feel of a tennis ball up until this point he was using rubber balls that are much heavier because it's what he likes and what he has drive for. Once he is comfortable with the box work I slipped in a tennis ball. At first he spat it out instead of bringing it back but eventually learned that it got him no reward. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxL4...yer_profilepage Here he is at team practice, working on a different box which will feel different and eject the ball at a different speed, he is also working with the distraction of other dogs and people around as well as being sent over two jumps to get the ball and running back over two jumps. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvQm...yer_profilepage And finally I start removing the jump board occasionally while we're training. He only gets rewarded for turns where all four feet hit the box. He still only seems to understand this concept when he's retrieving a ball. If I ask him to turn off the box without a ball he hits the box with only his front feet or with 3 feet. Getting a ball forces him to get high enough to grab it. SuperTwo fucked around with this message at Mar 31, 2011 around 17:58 |
| # ? Mar 31, 2011 17:56 |
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SuperTwo posted:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvQm...yer_profilepage That's really remarkable. You can see the progression. I'm hoping you'll be out competing with him soon! Flyball seems to be one of those sports that some dogs just get, and others really need to work at it for a while. Would you say Angus' progression is about normal? The only other internet person I know who does flyball is the blogger at http://www.underdogged.net/, and her BC just seems to be a crazy whiz.
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| # ? Mar 31, 2011 18:31 |
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I'd say that if I had really put the work that I'm doing with him now, he could have done this much faster and learned in a few months. Instead I took the time to let him mature before really training him past the basics. It also became much easier to work with him after his neuter, his focus is so much better. I'd say that since really working with him the last month or so, his progress has been average to fast. Some dogs though can learn and compete in flyball in a few weeks. They're usually adult dogs with experience in other sports though and usually BC's or Aussies.
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| # ? Mar 31, 2011 18:51 |
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Thanks for that, SuperTwo; I've always been incredibly curious about the conditioning and training for flyball because it seems like such a fun activity for dogs and handlers, while also providing a useful outlet for dogs with more drive. I know I've asked you something like this before, but how often do you see toy breeds competing? I've been told by Pom enthusiasts that Toys are valued on a team because they set the height requirement by the smallest dog, thus making it easier for the larger guys. I know a lady that does it with her three Chis, as well as Rally, but I imagine the conditioning/training would be a lot more diverse for the small breeds, what with the high potential for joint issues/broken bones and all that. Have you ever seen anyone condition a small dog for flyball? How would it be different? Sorry if this is unanswerable; I'm just curious. 
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| # ? Mar 31, 2011 21:52 |
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Small breeds are fairly common in Flyball, I think the training and conditioning is pretty much the same as in larger dogs. They need to be fit enough to compete, so regular exercise is important. Papillons are the most common toy breed I see, but I've also seen very small Jack Russels, Mini Schnauzers, Toy Poodles and Miniature Pinschers run. I haven't seen the training of many small dogs, but you want the same four footed turn you would want from a big dog, even though it can be difficult for them, they really have to jump up there. Small dogs do set the jump height for the rest of the dogs on that team but in the faster divisions, usually you want all your fastest dogs, so you're unlikely to see a toy breed because they can't run very fast. Usually they'll be a mid-size dog in there like a Miniature Aussie, JRT, or a Staffy to set the jumps to a reasonable height but still run the speed they're looking for. Still, toy breeds have a ton of fun in lower divisions and are a blast to see run.
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| # ? Mar 31, 2011 23:23 |
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This may be my misunderstanding of some sports, but I was looking at http://www.dockdogs.com and it looks to me like a dog gets a ranking per attempt you pay to put them in (amateur till 5 attempts of doing so well, novice till 15 attempts, so forth) but do they actually give awards for people who win each day or in each sport for a certain weight/size? It looks like if you do okay everybody wins. Is this common or am I doing this wrong?
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| # ? Apr 10, 2011 01:03 |
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Ridonkulous posted:This may be my misunderstanding of some sports, but I was looking at http://www.dockdogs.com and it looks to me like a dog gets a ranking per attempt you pay to put them in (amateur till 5 attempts of doing so well, novice till 15 attempts, so forth) but do they actually give awards for people who win each day or in each sport for a certain weight/size? I don't know anything about dock diving specifically, but in other sports a dog will qualify (Q) for a leg of a title upon a successful completion of an event. Then among the winners the top 2-3 performing dogs are selected for a ribbon acknowledging their performance. So if you do particularly well at an event you may walk away with a ribbon signifying a Q and a ribbon signifying you placed highest in your class. Specifically regarding dock dogs, I guess if you're jumping amateur you get 5 attempts, and your longest jump is considered your best, and at the end of the day your score is measured against the others competing as amateurs and awards are given out for top scorers. If you're competing as a novice you'll have your score compared against other novices. I can't quite figure out how a dog is judged amateur vs novice vs whatever, but if it's like other sports a dog needs to get its amateur title before proceeding to the novice level and so on. And to get a title the dog will have to jump X distance Y times at judging events.
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| # ? Apr 10, 2011 02:11 |
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a life less posted:I don't know anything about dock diving specifically, but in other sports a dog will qualify (Q) for a leg of a title upon a successful completion of an event. Then among the winners the top 2-3 performing dogs are selected for a ribbon acknowledging their performance. I made the numbers up because I couldn't remember them, but I understand what you are saying. It makes me feel a lot better if the dogs get a ribbon for placing.
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| # ? Apr 10, 2011 02:23 |
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Ridonkulous posted:It looks like if you do okay everybody wins. Is this common or am I doing this wrong? Yup, it's common. Not ubiquitous, but esp in KC/AKC a lot of the 'Junior' titles are pretty much 'Hey, you showed up! Here's your rosette!' Can of worms time, but there's a lot of bullshit involved with sport/work titles at all levels. To take just one example - read this polemic about match fixing/other bullshit in KC field trials. It's long and ranty as hell, but the dude is an awesome, established breeder of working english pointers and setters not just some random crackpot.
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| # ? Apr 10, 2011 02:31 |
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In the spirit of video-progression ... stuff, here are two videos of Cohen's weaving. This first video was taken March 9th, 2011, so... about a month ago. The second was taken yesterday, April 10th. Cohen weaving, March '11 Cohen weaving, April '11 I was having a hell of a time starting weave pole training since I'd kind of poisoned them by trying to train them messily in the apparently-too-stressful class environment. Cohen would bark and bark, clearly didn't really enjoy/understand them, was slow as molasses and would skip poles constantly. I don't think I ever got them "closed" in class (all lined up in a row). So I started reteaching them after watching Susan Garrett's 2x2 training DVD. In the first video Cohen is still slow and cautious, but at least she has the mechanics down. In the second video there's vast improvement. There are some pretty tough entries she's getting with the added excitement of the jump. (Dogs need to enter the weaves with the first pole on their left.) She's single-stepping the poles too -- that is, she's using more economical footwork for increased speed. There's always room for improvement of course (most of the improvement needs to be mine). But there ya go. An example of how we teach and progress in teaching weaves, which is arguably the most complicated of the agility obstacles.
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| # ? Apr 11, 2011 12:46 |
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Here's Hiili mostly heeling. She does competition obedience and we are hoping to compete in search trials this season as well. A search trial here in Finland consists of obedience excersises (same as you see in Schh), article search and person search.
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| # ? Apr 15, 2011 17:40 |
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Watched Cohen's videos. Nice work, I'm especially jealous about your progress with the weaves! I didn't have the extra money to get a set of 2x2s (and we don't have a yard, so there's that too), so I started teaching Rho using the wire guides method. Here he is weaving last autumn: click Right now he isn't much better  He has excellent mechanics, but he's learned to rely too much on the guides to perform. I switched to guides made of transparent plastic and we're slowly making progress, but his speed without the wire guides isn't up to what I'd like. I did of course try to fade the wire guides as soon as possible, but he just didn't get why holes suddenly appeared and what he should do about it. I'm still considering getting a set of 2x2s and starting over once again. Then again I might not, because I really really want to start trialing again, and Pi won't be allowed in trials for a year. Riiseli, Healy's heeling is beautiful as always. I should work on it with my dogs.
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| # ? Apr 15, 2011 18:25 |
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Rixatrix posted:Watched Cohen's videos. Nice work, I'm especially jealous about your progress with the weaves! I didn't have the extra money to get a set of 2x2s (and we don't have a yard, so there's that too), so I started teaching Rho using the wire guides method. Here he is weaving last autumn: click I can't get that link to work, but I'd love to see Rho's weaving. Do you have it posted anywhere else? I'm pretty impressed with the 2x2 method. I'm such a noob to agility I don't have the exposure to other methods, but all told I've only really been working on the 2x2s seriously with Cohen for two months, and recently I feel like she's displaying a good understanding of them and her increased confidence is becoming increased speed. Funny story: yesterday morning I let Cohen out in the yard for her morning pee. She did her usual loop and then went through the weaves on her own -- correct entry, no missed poles, zero direction from me. I thought it was hilarious. I also think that it's a huge signifier for the value I've (apparently) been able to build into the poles, and the independence Cohen has developed via the 2x2s. The whole teaching process was rife with frustration though. I speak about it periodically on my blog if you're interested. Riiseli, that's some great heeling. That's kind of my current project, but I'm feeling like progression is slow. Lately I've gone back to working on my dog's value for being at my side (using more food than play) and then I'm going to start working a bit more on distractions. My girl is kind of flighty and her attention wavers a bit more than I'd like. I want her performance really top notch before I begin competing, you know? I hear so many stories of people bringing their dogs to OB competitions and the dogs simply not being ready.
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| # ? Apr 16, 2011 14:44 |
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derp
notsoape fucked around with this message at Apr 16, 2011 around 15:08 |
| # ? Apr 16, 2011 15:04 |
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Oops, posted this in the wrong alifeless thread XD, i'll go repost in the training thread....
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| # ? Apr 16, 2011 15:07 |
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a life less posted:I can't get that link to work, but I'd love to see Rho's weaving. Do you have it posted anywhere else? Pi did really well with the plastic guides, even though I did try 2x2s with him. Pi isn't easy to free shape, because he gets frustrated really easily and I just couldn't finish the 2x2s with him. So I hear what you're saying about the frustration I'm sure the 2x2 method would work wonders with Rho, as he is much easier for me to shape, i.e. more forgiving of my errors than Pi is.
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| # ? Apr 16, 2011 15:41 |
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Rixatrix posted:I uploaded it to my flickr, does this work for you? His first go looks pretty much what I'd like the finished performance to be like, at least with regards to speed and enthusiasm. His technique could still improve, but there's always room for that. On the second go you can see him running into the guide at the end of the weaves. That's how much he relied on them when we were still using the chicken wire guides. The plastic guides are much better, but we're still working. Yep, that works. The first time I watched it I didn't even notice Rho run into the guide wire. The second time I did though, and it was funny. It looks like he's got really nice drive through the poles, which is great. To my somewhat novice eye it looks fantastic. It's really interesting to see the strengths and weaknesses of the different training methods. The guide wires and weave-o-matic seem to create really drivey fast weaves, whereas the 2x2s create more independent weaves. I'm hoping that in a year's time or so when I'm finally ready to compete I'll have weaves that look a bit more like yours. When I watched the video I thought you might be practicing in the same arena that the author of this blog practices in, but on closer inspection it seems like those dirt floor type venues are popular in Scandinavian countries. I like the look of them, and wish we had some areas like that here.
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| # ? Apr 16, 2011 17:01 |
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a life less posted:It looks like he's got really nice drive through the poles, which is great. To my somewhat novice eye it looks fantastic. quote:It's really interesting to see the strengths and weaknesses of the different training methods. quote:but on closer inspection it seems like those dirt floor type venues are popular in Scandinavian countries. I like the look of them, and wish we had some areas like that here. Edit. I might've posted these before, but for comparison here's Pi doing a clean run at a trial in November. It's not hard to see how different he is from Rho http://www.flickr.com/photos/762608.../in/photostream and another http://www.flickr.com/photos/762608.../in/photostream Rixatrix fucked around with this message at Apr 16, 2011 around 17:47 |
| # ? Apr 16, 2011 17:40 |
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Agility buffs: Do you have any insight on this book? I ordered it in preparation for the new puppy, hoping it had some good ideas of how to teach the obedience foundation specifically for agility, since that's something I reeeeally want to do with the wee Lark (what I imagine in my head the puppy will be named  ).
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| # ? Apr 16, 2011 21:11 |
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This is the Agility book I recommend to everyone, especially those starting out with a new dog. Unfortunately I haven't read the one you linked, but I like a lot of the other stuff I've seen from Dogwise
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| # ? Apr 16, 2011 21:20 |
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Angus and his Aussie friend Bryce went to their first lure coursing trial yesterday. The AKC is running an event called the Coursing Ability Test (CAT) that allows dogs of any breed to run. It's a pass/fail event in which the dogs must complete the course in a minimum time and show interest in the lure. Angus is now 2 of three runs into his first AKC lure coursing title! Here is his first run. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AUk_AlJdig I know only two of the people talking in this video and none are me. I was shocked by how much he impressed everyone when I watched this video. After his first run, the club ran the sighthounds and my friend and I went for lunch. Turned out a rat person we knew lived in the area and took us to an empty dog park where Angus ran around with Bryce and her dog Dexter, an Aussie with a tail that was obsessed with humping him. Angus absolutely thought being humped was the best thing ever. Even after his first run, running at the dog park and flat out refusing to take a nap because he might miss something, he still pulled off a nice second run in some pretty oppressive heat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwS4pBSjKX4
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| # ? Apr 17, 2011 15:08 |
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SuperTwo posted:Awesome coursing vids Way to go Angus! I love the lady going "Look at that little guy go!". Do the dogs have to be AKC registered/ILPed/PALed or do they allow registed "Canine Partners" too? Major would have a blast doing that and it would wear him out a bit. He's caught actual rabbits before so I think he could do well (at some point when he is able to travel again).
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| # ? Apr 17, 2011 15:46 |
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I wish my dog had the kind of drive it takes to do, well, any of these things it's cool to learn about it all, though!
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| # ? Apr 17, 2011 16:26 |
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Way to go Angus! I love the lady going "Look at that little guy go!". Do the dogs have to be AKC registered/ILPed/PALed or do they allow registed "Canine Partners" too? Major would have a blast doing that and it would wear him out a bit. He's caught actual rabbits before so I think he could do well (at some point when he is able to travel again). From the AKC's page on the CAT "The Coursing Ability Test (CAT) is for any dog of any breed, including mixed-breeds, as long as it is at least 1 year old and individually registered or listed with AKC." So yes, Major can lure course with the AKC! I like it when some woman yells "Go Go Go! Good Dog!" I don't know that woman, I think it might have been one of the judges. I have to get my hands on a lure coursing slip lead, this club requires that the dogs are brought to the lure on a slip lead and the only one I had was the thin little emergency leash I keep in the car in case I have to catch a stray. I swapped him from a no pull harness to the slip at the last second but Angus was pulling so hard that it pretty much disappeared into his neck. Do any of the PI lure coursing people have a place they recommend for ordering slip leads?
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| # ? Apr 18, 2011 14:47 |
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I have a question about nosework books. I'm curious to learn more about scenting trials and work, and, overall, I'm pretty unfamiliar with it. I know the AKC has some scenting/tracking trials and titles, but I don't know how that jives with say, K-9 Police Dog training or search and rescue training. I've checked out a few books online, and I'm considering buying This One but I don't know if it's really appropriate to what I'm looking for. Although we might eventually title Sadie in it, it would just be for fun, and we'd be doing it on our own, as we don't have anyone nearby that could help us train in this sort of thing. Can anyone offer an educated opinion on this book, or recommend another one?
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| # ? Apr 18, 2011 17:24 |
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Sorry to revive a dying thread if it ain't really permitted, but does anyone have any experience doing rally-o classes in the UK? I've looked at the UK APDT site for rules and stuff, but I'm curious to know if classes are similar to US classes/what should I expect from one?
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| # ? May 4, 2011 19:21 |
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Fraction posted:Sorry to revive a dying thread if it ain't really permitted, but does anyone have any experience doing rally-o classes in the UK? I've looked at the UK APDT site for rules and stuff, but I'm curious to know if classes are similar to US classes/what should I expect from one? By all means keep this thread alive. Looks like this site will answer your questions. From what I'm reading, APDT UK models their Rally on APDT US. Looking through the signs, the trickiest are probably the halt-pivot-halt, and the call front-finish left/right. If you need clarification on any of the signs by all means ask. Any good class will introduce all the signs in a logical manner and show you how to perform them, so I wouldn't worry too much about prepping for a class. Having a really good heel will be helpful to start though, plus the basic OB commands (sit/stay/stand/down/come). Edit: Upon re-reading your question I see that you already found the UK APDT site. Sorry. The classes will likely go over the rules of rally, and how to navigate a course. Then they'll start introducing signs and show you how to perform each correctly. Once you've figured out the signs it's just a matter of refining your dog's performance. Odds are as you progress they'll set up mini-courses for you to navigate through once you understand the basics of individual stations. a life less fucked around with this message at May 4, 2011 around 19:35 |
| # ? May 4, 2011 19:33 |
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a life less posted:If you need clarification on any of the signs by all means ask. Is the heel required a general close loose-lead, or a more competitive obedience style heel? That's something I wasn't too sure about. I'm assuming a tight leash would be an automatic non-qualifier mark (NQ? is it the same marking terms as agility?), and I could handle a close loose-lead, but my pup (due to her size - JRT, under 8 months) is pretty feet shy; I can't even lure her right up against my ankle, simply due to the amount of times I've stood on her when she's skittered in front of me (though she'll walk between my legs without any issue). a life less posted:Edit: Upon re-reading your question I see that you already found the UK APDT site. Sorry. The classes will likely go over the rules of rally, and how to navigate a course. Then they'll start introducing signs and show you how to perform each correctly. Once you've figured out the signs it's just a matter of refining your dog's performance. That's fine, it's the only real resource for rally information that I could find in the UK anyway (since rally isn't a UK Kennel Club sport). Would having an average understanding of what each sign requires, and starting work on it now, be helpful or detrimental to starting? I don't really want to start working on rally signs now and end up standing around for most of the early classes because we know the basic signs; or is it more likely that everyone else will have a basic understanding of the signs too? E: Is the heel used in rally-o to be performed on a specific side, like on the handler's left or right, or should the dog know how to heel on both sides? Fraction fucked around with this message at May 4, 2011 around 19:46 |
| # ? May 4, 2011 19:42 |
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MrFurious posted:I have a question about nosework books. I just noticed this! First thing, you're going to have to narrow down exactly which sport you want to get involved with. There are two different methods, tracking (like in the AKC trials and Schutzhund) and trailing (used by actual working dogs, search and rescue, bomb/drug/produce sniffing, ect). Tracking is very strict, where the dog needs to follow an actual path on the ground. With trailing, the dog sniffs the air to find its goal. Tracking has more historic value, but trailing is MUCH more effective which is why it's used for actual work. Nosework uses the trailing methodology, and as far as I know, is the only way to win titles with trailing. If you want a good book to get started with trailing, I had this one recommended to me when I was researching SAR: http://www.amazon.com/Search-Rescue...04538159&sr=1-4
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| # ? May 4, 2011 19:54 |
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Does anyone have experience with schutzhund? Of all the dog sports, it's my favorite; the intense bond the dogs seem to have with their handlers is really inspiring to me. I've done google research on it and I can only find the rare trial event information (most of it is outdated, like 'upcoming events' for 2009). I'm just dying to know more about it-- what it's like getting started training the dog, etc. In the future I'd like to own a Doberman, and get into either schutzhund or agility (which there seems to be more information about on the internet). Although, I am hung up on the rescue vs. puppy thing with that. Can you start dog sports with a grown dog or would a puppy you've trained from the start be "better"? By better, I mean catching on to the idea more easily, as well as being less prone to injuring themselves physically. I'd hate to adopt a dog and start trying to get it to do things that will end up hurting them. e: Deja vu? Did I post this already? e2: Doesn't look like I did 
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| # ? May 4, 2011 20:01 |
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If I remember correctly, I think Frogzilla is the most knowledgeable person around here when it comes to SchH. Add me as a second on that request though, I plan on doing it with my future GSD
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| # ? May 4, 2011 20:08 |
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Fraction posted:Is the heel required a general close loose-lead, or a more competitive obedience style heel? That's something I wasn't too sure about. I'm assuming a tight leash would be an automatic non-qualifier mark (NQ? is it the same marking terms as agility?), and I could handle a close loose-lead, but my pup (due to her size - JRT, under 8 months) is pretty feet shy; I can't even lure her right up against my ankle, simply due to the amount of times I've stood on her when she's skittered in front of me (though she'll walk between my legs without any issue). According to the APDT UK site, "HEEL POSITION: The dog is considered in heel position when both dog and handler are facing the same direction and the handler can reach out and touch the dog’s head." That's quite a bit more lax than the outlines I've read, where the area between the dog's shoulder and ear needs to be lined up about 12-18 inches to left of the handler's leg. Tight leash is a minor fault, and chronically tight leash will be a NQ. I would recommend you spend your time between now and your class working on making heeling fun and rewarding. A really nice focused heel looks really good to the judges, and if the dog is focused on you (as opposed the ground in front) you'll have sharper responses, and he'll be more in-tune with you. But it's not a necessity -- the dog simply needs to be beside you at all times. Here's a video of a puppy doing some heeling work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v559F522jV8 The dog was never taught an official heel, but she understands that hanging out beside her handler gets her rewards way more interesting than what's around her. Heel is supposed to be on your left, and most Rally courses will be with your dog on your left. There are some (I think they're called Open, but I could be wrong) where you'll be told which side your dog will be on, but they're an advanced level. It's a good idea to have a heel for each side in general, but focus more on the left. As for how much you should know going in, it's up to you. I tend to think that a class with a good teacher will help regardless of how accomplished you are. For instance, I could take my dog to a beginner obedience class and still get SOMEthing out of it. You might find it a bit less of a challenge, but if nothing else it'll act as structured practice time. Regardless of how good you and your dog are, you can always train faster, straighter sits, tidier heels, etc. Many people I see sign up for my school's Rally classes only have a passing understanding of what Rally is, but there are those who've done their homework already. I'm always a keener and will work ahead. If things aren't perfectly clear to you how the signs need to be performed, don't start working on them lest you learn them wrong. There are loads of videos on youtube that will show you how signs are meant to be performed though. So yeah, I'd learn 'em ahead of time, but that's just me. Yo, imma blob posted:Does anyone have experience with schutzhund? Of all the dog sports, it's my favorite; the intense bond the dogs seem to have with their handlers is really inspiring to me. I've done google research on it and I can only find the rare trial event information (most of it is outdated, like 'upcoming events' for 2009). I'm just dying to know more about it-- what it's like getting started training the dog, etc. I'd start googling training facilities in your area. I imagine most areas must have at least one or two trainers who offer classes, and that's where you would start. Once you've found a contact they'll be able to help you find competitions if and when you're ready for one. The beginning stuff is largely refined OB stuff (heeling, sit/down, long stays) and a focus on building drive and maintaining control. Tugging is huge, obviously. Then you have tracking, which I don't know anything about. Starting a grown dog isn't a terrible idea, but I probably wouldn't expect the dog to excel to the highest echelons of Sch if started late. But for more people looking to dabble in it quasi-casually I'm sure it'd be fine. You want to make sure your mature dog is in shape, not carrying any extra weight, and has been evaluated by a vet. I wish I knew more about it. Sorry!
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| # ? May 4, 2011 20:18 |
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a life less posted:Really helpful information. Awesome information there, thanks! Since the heel is on the left for the earlier classes, it might make it easier for me to teach a more specialised heel cue; since I tend to walk Lola on my right (with our just-walk-near-me cue, 'with me'). She already offers pretty consistent eye contact for 'with me' around minor distractions, so yeah I'll just spend some time making 'heel' an absolute Party Party Fun! We won't be starting classes for a couple of months yet, since the nearest class is 45min by car or 2hour by train, and I haven't yet gotten my full driving license. So I've got plenty of time to get a solid heel. I guess using treats to get her into position and then tug toys and balls as rewards might work here, as that'll get her all jazzed up and excited (she's pretty play-driven - perhaps using toys will actually entice her to be closer to my leg than she would go with treats). The Susan Garrett video with Feature is impressive! I'll probably work on a heel first, and then start learning the signs. The classes will be a great chance to work with other dogs nearby too; Lola's pretty great around any distraction but other dogs (she'll even recall off of squirrels and flying birds, but not so frequently off of dogs she wants to play with).
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| # ? May 4, 2011 20:30 |
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Yo, imma blob posted:Does anyone have experience with schutzhund? Of all the dog sports, it's my favorite; the intense bond the dogs seem to have with their handlers is really inspiring to me. I've done google research on it and I can only find the rare trial event information (most of it is outdated, like 'upcoming events' for 2009). I'm just dying to know more about it-- what it's like getting started training the dog, etc. I have a GSD that will be getting his BH in June. All I can say is schutzhund is pretty much impossible to do without joining a club, and most schutzhund clubs have a habit of having an "our way or the highway" attitude and are very petty and political, especially when it comes to competition. For instance schutzhund usa doesn't allow you to be a member of both usa and the gsdca-wda. My advice is to go on the schutzhund usa or gsdca-wda site and look for a club in your area and see if the people there would be a good fit for you. Its been my experience that most people who are very serious about schutzhund begin training a puppy from lines that have heavy schutzhund titles and start at an early age. Older dogs that don't have the working drive usually cant/wont be able to do it or if they can do it wont be able to get very far. Also common thinking is that schutzhund training usually does not translate well to other forms of training, like AKC obedience or protection. XMalaclypseX fucked around with this message at May 6, 2011 around 19:33 |
| # ? May 6, 2011 19:30 |
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Awesome, thank you both. It's too bad to hear that the clubs are so political, but I guess that just happens when you get a lot of people who are passionate about the same thing together. And thanks for the point in the right direction; I found a few upcoming events and clubs near me 
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| # ? May 7, 2011 02:42 |
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XMalaclypseX posted:Its been my experience that most people who are very serious about schutzhund begin training a puppy from lines that have heavy schutzhund titles and start at an early age. Older dogs that don't have the working drive usually cant/wont be able to do it or if they can do it wont be able to get very far. I have some schutzhund knowledge as my friend used to be very serious about it. She has been unfortunate with her dogs' health and therefore isn't active at the moment. I did help her the most with her dog Evo's tracking issues.
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| # ? May 7, 2011 13:03 |
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| # ? May 23, 2013 23:17 |
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I am so excited I could burst--I've got a sighthound "versatility weekend" in store for this Fri/Sat/Sun, in beautiful Lavington, BC. (Lavington: for when the bustle of Vernon is getting to you.) It's two lure trials and a field trial conformation show, which is an awesome thing the CKC does: all dogs entered must have achieved a qualifying score in the trial immediately preceding the show. Plus lots of gossip and friends and food and long-haul highway travel! Squeeeeal! I am particularly excited because, as the dogs competing at the conformation show have to course successfully in order to qualify, it eliminates 98% of the Ibizans in the ring in Canada, so Radar and his sexy coursing buddies have a much better shot at winning points. Plus, it way more badass than a normal show.  And again: squeeeeeeal!
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| # ? May 10, 2011 21:42 |
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