Teaching a start line wait

I thought it might be useful to go over this topic again, and write something down so that everyone can refer to it. I find the best way to teach reliable waits is by shaping a ‘wait’ using high rewards, then gradually building up duration of the wait, my distance from the dog, and adding distractions, whilst making sure that the dog remains focussed and motivated. This can be done with food or toys, I have demonstrated it in class but am happy to do so again, or answer any questions about it. A good wait is maintained by consistent handling (never allowing the dog to continue on round the course if it does not wait), + building into your dog a fantastic combination of motivation and self control (for example games such as Susan Garrett’s ‘It’s yer choice’; 3-2-1- play with a toy game; crate games), + confidence produced by a set up routine so that the dog does not have to guess or try to anticipate when it will be released, + proofing in a huge range of distracting environments. It is worth while putting lots of time and effort into your waits, they only become more important as your agility career progresses!

Coughing

Just a polite reminder that if any of your dogs are coughing, please DO NOT come to training until your vet has determined that they have not got kennel cough.

Training focus

Last night at training we began to discuss more specific areas that people have come across during the competition season that they have identified as needing more training. This is a great opportunity! Feel free to write down in the comments section what you would like to work on, and I will design and work in exercises accordingly over the coming training period. Please be clear in what you would like to work on, ie 'handling' is a bit general, 'pull-throughs when the handler is behind' is something we can really get to grips with (thanks Glenda!) It would be good to have everything in one place, so that everyone can see what has already been written and add to if necessary. Recent additions include building independence on contacts and proofing contacts

Puppy/pre-agility class

Thanks for all the enquiries, yes there will be a puppy/pre-agility class starting soon!

Agility and arthritis in dogs

http://www.agility.org.au/members/articles/15-agility-and-arthritis-in-dogs.html

New class?

A few people have asked for a young dog class. If there are enough people interested we could have a new pre-agility class for dogs under a year old. This would concentrate on building a good working relationship, creating the right balance of self control and drive, co-ordination and balance, shaping tricks, and foundation skills that will be useful for an agility career (shadow handling, verbal directions, starting to target etc.). In other words the ground level of this diagram! If you are interested come and have a chat with me about it.

An interesting blog post....

This is an interesting blog post on performance readiness, have a look:
 http://cognitive-edge.ca/training/the-light-switch/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20cognitive-edge%2Fpost%20%28Cognitive%20Edge%20Blog-Post%29
I was thinking along similar lines before my holiday, which is why I have come up with some ideas for some fun challenges and games that will be designed to improve and test some of our most important agility skills. By timing or adding a little competitive edge to the exercises, it will add a similar feel to actually competing, and require a little more effort, a little more concentration, exactly what we all need to be competition ready!

Where to start? I have been going on and on about the importance of a good startline wait, suggesting exercises to help, and advising everyone to work on it, because a good start is so helpful/important/necessary to get a good round. So let's start with the beginning! You can use this week to really proof and reward your waits, and we can put them to the test next week :-)