this post is going to be about performance/active dogs, I don't care about your obese cocker spaniel that refuses to get off the couch.
Ok. I think we all agree that as a dog owner your basic responsibility is to feed your dog, exercise your dog, water your dog, keep your dog clean, etc. Now let's say you also train your dog. For Agility maybe. Do you know how many sticks I've seen? Just total sticks in the mud. They kind of run alongside there dog then they reward it with maybe a cookie or two. To get ready for a sequence even in their own backyard, they just have their dog stay st the start line and then do the course. Today I came across some bitch on facebook who OPENLY ADMITS that she "nudges" her dog with her foot when it gets distracted. I've seen videos of her working. shes is THE MOST BORING FREAKING TRAINING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Her poor BC is so bored you can pretty much read its thoughts. If I was her dog, I wouldn't even stay in the ring with that lazy flat comatose person.
look at your dog. How excited are you to own your awesome sauce Border Collie? (or Pyre, etc) When you look into his bright eyes that are like YES LETS DOOO THIS all the time, do you feel overwhelming joy to be in the presence of this crazy and exciting animal? Ok. Now pretend you are your dog, and look at you, the trainer/owner. Do you feel the same? Lots of dogs do. But what about if you have kicked him or screamed at him in the past few hours for something he doesn't even know is "wrong." (like seriously...its a freaking dog...oh wow it looked at something that stimulated its sense, that is totally unnatural or something!!! Psshh PLEASEEEE.) Do you think the dog that is fucking sick of your boring-ness is going to look at you and be like HELL YES MY LIFE IS GREAT MY TRAINER IS SO AWESOME? Well it is a dog, so maybe it does, but I know that this particular dog I have in my mind, the one with the abusive trainer, does not.
When I train my dogs, I play and play and play, do some tricks, then do a sequence then play some more and run around. It actually shocked me when I became social online and realized that not everyone does this. When I see a video of a flat boring trainer I am APPALLED. They think just because they own a BC or some other high drive dog that the dog doesn't deserve to be rewarded for its enthusiasm. As if its enthusiasm is "a given." Well excuse me but that makes me want to vomit. then these people are even bold enough TO WONDER WHY THEY AREN'T GETTING FULL SPEED FROM THEIR DOGS. Ridiculous.
Then this same girl is telling everyone what a difficult breed the BC is. THATS LIKE HER ONLY DOG. SO COMPARED TO WHAT, BITCH? Then she will combat that with "you have a sport bred Bc they are different!11" Yeah maybe my dog is faster than yours but I also motivate him better. Also, I'm sure that he gets distracted much easier than your dog because he is extremely reactive to motion. But I'm not going to what? kick him when he gets distracted? No way. I'm going to OPEN MY COPY OF CU (which I highly recommend to anyone that is capable of reading) AND STOP BEING LAZY, AND FIX IT. wow, what a concept. Spending more than 5 seconds trying to fix an issue. WHO DOES THAT? Hmm I don't know, maybe people that actually care about their dog and not just the results. Yeah that sounds about right.
Bottom line.
ATTENTION. IF YOU OWN A DOG IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE THAT DOGS LIFE FUN. IF YOU DO AGILITY ITS YOUR JOB TO MAKE AGILITY FUN. It is NOT your dogs job to make agility fun/perfect/easy for you. If you believe any of that shit, don't even own dogs, much less do agility.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Agility Field and Equipment
The Agility field is almost done! We have to put more fence up but that's it!
The teeter is here! I just have to paint it and we can start training! I am not training 2o2o. I'm just making the sound of the teeter hitting the ground the actual release.
I gave my uncle the plans for a set of 12 weaves and an A-Frame so I should be getting those soon. Then we will have a full course! :D
The teeter is here! I just have to paint it and we can start training! I am not training 2o2o. I'm just making the sound of the teeter hitting the ground the actual release.
I gave my uncle the plans for a set of 12 weaves and an A-Frame so I should be getting those soon. Then we will have a full course! :D
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Drama
Yeah, I thought I was over it but I'm not...not really.
There are some people involved with dogs that think they are all it. They can do whatever they want and nobody can criticize them or question them. I seem to always be the lucky one to end up involved with these people. And I am SICK of it. The Pyre community, the BC community, the 4H community, the conformation community, etc etc etc. Everywhere I turn, there is always SOMETHING. Yes, I understand that "this is a part of life." But why does it have to be a part of MY life?
Pyres are a rare breed. The people that are well suited to own one are also rare. Why are breeders planning so many litters a year? Some breeders have trouble placing that many puppies and still have leftovers but still keep breeding. Others seem to find homes for their puppies left and right. If all these puppies are getting snatched up so quick, I'd be very interested to learn where in the world each one is going. Let say you produce 5 litters a year. Let's say each litter had about 4 puppies. That's 20 pups a year. Now let's say we went at that rate for 5 years. That is 100 puppies. Are you going to sit down and check up on every single one of those puppies? Yes, you will be keep getting updates from the ones that went to great agility or show homes. But the rest will be old news to you because there is absolutely no way you will ever be able to talk to the owner of each pup and get regular updates on them.
After I got Li, I stopped going to dog shows with Mary and just focused on him. The summer after, I brought him to 4H and he was very nervous around new people even though we socialized him with everything imaginable. He never showed any fear until his adolescence, and he is now starting to grow out of it and become more confident. Of course, Mary would bend down quickly and say "HHHHHHIIIIIIII LLLLIIIIII" right in his fasce and scare him. He would bark. She would stand up and and be like "fearful dog you got there." Like duh, you freaked him out, he is going to bark at you Sorry I didn't get one of your fearless terriers that you can crate during socializtion period and still pull out a well adjusted dog. Pyres are different and you don't understand that. Anyway, I helped her out one last time at a local show in September of 2009 [a week before I got Flick] and by this time she had a new assistant from the 4H program. Her new assistant couldn't make it that weekend. I have nothing against the new assistant, I actually really like her, she is nice. This isn't about her, this is about Mary, lol. Anyway, I never went to another show with Mary after that then she started talking behind my back about me and said something to my friend and they told me. I emailed her about it since we never see each other and she got all butthurt about how I "never appreciate anything that she does for me." Her new assistant apparently gets her gift cards and stuff and now she is wondering why I never sent her cards and stuff. Umm let's see....oh yeah, my parents could barely afford to send food and gas money, much less buy you gifts.
And the 4H program...just ugh. The agility part is so screwed up but guess who runs the dog program? Yep, not only Mary, but the mother of Mary's new assistant. Oh the irony. It's hilarious. I just CAN'T stop laughing. -____-
Yeah so anything I say is going to be shot down by all the adults who "know better". Who cares if I've researched agility and training methods more than them? She put an advanced obedience title and did some agility with her dogs in the 90s she she knows all, right? They don't care about clickers or treats...they care about getting the dog to do what they want it to. She treats every dog like one of her terriers. "They aren't scared, they are just stubborn." Uhhh....no. Not every dog is fearless like your wonderful little terrier breeds. There is this thing called a relationship...you know, like with your dog. Oooooh yeah, I forgot, all these hunters around here who's children bring their huge Lab to class just use a shock collar to gt obedience. Because fear works faster and is more effective than love right? Yep, dragging a dog by it's collar onto the teeter is definitely the way to go. Until you get to the off leash level of course then it's like "Hmm, why does this dog run past the teeter?" Because it's scared of it because it wasn't introduced properly. Haha, those trainers might have been able to get away with those techniques with Shadow and Libby. But I would love to see them try with Flick, who will scream if any stranger touches her collar. It would be a little embarrassing being caught holding onto a dog that just screamed loud enough to silence the entire building. [trust me, flick's voice carries] hahahaha. Buuut, it's not like I'd ever let those trainers within 10 feet of my beloved Flicker. I'm not worried about Li, he's a good judge of character. All of my friends are greeted warmly by him at the first meeting. Most of the people I don't like get a very loud "don't-you-even-think-about-taking-one-step-closer" warning from him. But just being in the same room as Mary stresses him out. I'm guessing he can sense the negative energy and tension so I'm not even taking him to 4H class at all this summer because I don't want to subject my poor little boy to that. haha
Zap loves everybody, the poor thing. He doesn't understand the concept of enemies and it's definitely nice to have one dog that doesn't have dog or people issues. I'm not saying Flick has issues, but she also isn't going to run up to everyone and greet them enthusiastically.
Anyway, my mom asked me why I can't just compete at the fair in agility. I don't think they let you compete unless you go to class. So then she asked why I don't just go to class but ask to do the training on my terms. The reasons why are because I don't train my dogs with even the same set up as a class and also, it would be special treatment to allow me to do my own thing while everyone else has to follow directions. I have my own agility course at home because I don't like my dogs having to stand around on the course at each station and wait for their turn to do the sequence. Also, they train for an hour which is way too long to be standing around. Yes, the actual time a dog gets to spend doing agility is about 15 minutes. That's a good training time in my opinion. But I think that standing around for 3 minutes, then doing a 10 second sequence just isn't doing anything for my dog. Especially since their program is one size fits all so it's designed to help the people that really suck but holds back the people who actually can do a course without their dog running off. How do I work on my lefts and rights, my weaves, my crosses, when their training program has none of that stuff in it? My mom says that maybe the more advanced kids could get together after the main session and work on what they want to work on [with adult supervision, blah blah blah, etc] and that might be a possibility. But I'm just trying to decide if 4H is actually worth all that trouble. I'm doing showmanship with Flick and Obedience with Zap. Like I said, I'm not subjecting poor Li to the presence of his nemesis. If I do agility, I'll take Flick. [and pwn all, lol]
Ugh, I just hate dog drama. Why can't everyone just get along?
There are some people involved with dogs that think they are all it. They can do whatever they want and nobody can criticize them or question them. I seem to always be the lucky one to end up involved with these people. And I am SICK of it. The Pyre community, the BC community, the 4H community, the conformation community, etc etc etc. Everywhere I turn, there is always SOMETHING. Yes, I understand that "this is a part of life." But why does it have to be a part of MY life?
Pyres are a rare breed. The people that are well suited to own one are also rare. Why are breeders planning so many litters a year? Some breeders have trouble placing that many puppies and still have leftovers but still keep breeding. Others seem to find homes for their puppies left and right. If all these puppies are getting snatched up so quick, I'd be very interested to learn where in the world each one is going. Let say you produce 5 litters a year. Let's say each litter had about 4 puppies. That's 20 pups a year. Now let's say we went at that rate for 5 years. That is 100 puppies. Are you going to sit down and check up on every single one of those puppies? Yes, you will be keep getting updates from the ones that went to great agility or show homes. But the rest will be old news to you because there is absolutely no way you will ever be able to talk to the owner of each pup and get regular updates on them.
After I got Li, I stopped going to dog shows with Mary and just focused on him. The summer after, I brought him to 4H and he was very nervous around new people even though we socialized him with everything imaginable. He never showed any fear until his adolescence, and he is now starting to grow out of it and become more confident. Of course, Mary would bend down quickly and say "HHHHHHIIIIIIII LLLLIIIIII" right in his fasce and scare him. He would bark. She would stand up and and be like "fearful dog you got there." Like duh, you freaked him out, he is going to bark at you Sorry I didn't get one of your fearless terriers that you can crate during socializtion period and still pull out a well adjusted dog. Pyres are different and you don't understand that. Anyway, I helped her out one last time at a local show in September of 2009 [a week before I got Flick] and by this time she had a new assistant from the 4H program. Her new assistant couldn't make it that weekend. I have nothing against the new assistant, I actually really like her, she is nice. This isn't about her, this is about Mary, lol. Anyway, I never went to another show with Mary after that then she started talking behind my back about me and said something to my friend and they told me. I emailed her about it since we never see each other and she got all butthurt about how I "never appreciate anything that she does for me." Her new assistant apparently gets her gift cards and stuff and now she is wondering why I never sent her cards and stuff. Umm let's see....oh yeah, my parents could barely afford to send food and gas money, much less buy you gifts.
And the 4H program...just ugh. The agility part is so screwed up but guess who runs the dog program? Yep, not only Mary, but the mother of Mary's new assistant. Oh the irony. It's hilarious. I just CAN'T stop laughing. -____-
Yeah so anything I say is going to be shot down by all the adults who "know better". Who cares if I've researched agility and training methods more than them? She put an advanced obedience title and did some agility with her dogs in the 90s she she knows all, right? They don't care about clickers or treats...they care about getting the dog to do what they want it to. She treats every dog like one of her terriers. "They aren't scared, they are just stubborn." Uhhh....no. Not every dog is fearless like your wonderful little terrier breeds. There is this thing called a relationship...you know, like with your dog. Oooooh yeah, I forgot, all these hunters around here who's children bring their huge Lab to class just use a shock collar to gt obedience. Because fear works faster and is more effective than love right? Yep, dragging a dog by it's collar onto the teeter is definitely the way to go. Until you get to the off leash level of course then it's like "Hmm, why does this dog run past the teeter?" Because it's scared of it because it wasn't introduced properly. Haha, those trainers might have been able to get away with those techniques with Shadow and Libby. But I would love to see them try with Flick, who will scream if any stranger touches her collar. It would be a little embarrassing being caught holding onto a dog that just screamed loud enough to silence the entire building. [trust me, flick's voice carries] hahahaha. Buuut, it's not like I'd ever let those trainers within 10 feet of my beloved Flicker. I'm not worried about Li, he's a good judge of character. All of my friends are greeted warmly by him at the first meeting. Most of the people I don't like get a very loud "don't-you-even-think-about-taking-one-step-closer" warning from him. But just being in the same room as Mary stresses him out. I'm guessing he can sense the negative energy and tension so I'm not even taking him to 4H class at all this summer because I don't want to subject my poor little boy to that. haha
Zap loves everybody, the poor thing. He doesn't understand the concept of enemies and it's definitely nice to have one dog that doesn't have dog or people issues. I'm not saying Flick has issues, but she also isn't going to run up to everyone and greet them enthusiastically.
Anyway, my mom asked me why I can't just compete at the fair in agility. I don't think they let you compete unless you go to class. So then she asked why I don't just go to class but ask to do the training on my terms. The reasons why are because I don't train my dogs with even the same set up as a class and also, it would be special treatment to allow me to do my own thing while everyone else has to follow directions. I have my own agility course at home because I don't like my dogs having to stand around on the course at each station and wait for their turn to do the sequence. Also, they train for an hour which is way too long to be standing around. Yes, the actual time a dog gets to spend doing agility is about 15 minutes. That's a good training time in my opinion. But I think that standing around for 3 minutes, then doing a 10 second sequence just isn't doing anything for my dog. Especially since their program is one size fits all so it's designed to help the people that really suck but holds back the people who actually can do a course without their dog running off. How do I work on my lefts and rights, my weaves, my crosses, when their training program has none of that stuff in it? My mom says that maybe the more advanced kids could get together after the main session and work on what they want to work on [with adult supervision, blah blah blah, etc] and that might be a possibility. But I'm just trying to decide if 4H is actually worth all that trouble. I'm doing showmanship with Flick and Obedience with Zap. Like I said, I'm not subjecting poor Li to the presence of his nemesis. If I do agility, I'll take Flick. [and pwn all, lol]
Ugh, I just hate dog drama. Why can't everyone just get along?
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Spring! Maybe....hopefully?
The snow is melting....and we have mud and slush now.
Flick's running contacts are going better now. Li is a maniac and just goofs off.
Took all 3 herding dogs for a walk on Thursday on the road for 90 minutes. =]
Turns out that I can't go to the Anthony Clarke seminar in April but I should still try to get my homework done by then so I can spend all spring and summer with the dogs!
I personally always hated reading people's looooong blog entries. Very rarely are long entries exciting at all....I'm not sure about other people's opinions though. I just use the blog to give basic updates mainly and even when I rant or give my opinion, I try to keep it short. Hmmm?
-Ria
Flick's running contacts are going better now. Li is a maniac and just goofs off.
Took all 3 herding dogs for a walk on Thursday on the road for 90 minutes. =]
Turns out that I can't go to the Anthony Clarke seminar in April but I should still try to get my homework done by then so I can spend all spring and summer with the dogs!
I personally always hated reading people's looooong blog entries. Very rarely are long entries exciting at all....I'm not sure about other people's opinions though. I just use the blog to give basic updates mainly and even when I rant or give my opinion, I try to keep it short. Hmmm?
-Ria
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
New puppy!
Yess! Long story short, I now have a 12 week old BC pup. We went yesterday and it was a 3 hour drive to the airport. His flight was supposed to come in at 2:30 so we would have him by 3:30. Buuut the people in Salt Lake City put my boy on the wrong flight. He didn't land until 4:30 and we didn't get him until after 6....ugh not even kidding. When we got him it was totally worth it though! The people behind the counter were like "Take him out of his crate!" and when I did everyone just gushed over him. They knew he was a BC even though he has funky colouring. I said I was going to do agility with him and they said "Border Collies are really good at that! I saw them on the animal channel!" haha. One guy said "you should name him 'delayed'...oh wait, if he is going to be an agility dog maybe that isn't so good..." rofl.
I will be putting updates in his blog and will probably update everyday for the first few weeks since we work so much. His name is Zap. haha
http://highvoltagebc.blogspot.com/
I will be putting updates in his blog and will probably update everyday for the first few weeks since we work so much. His name is Zap. haha
http://highvoltagebc.blogspot.com/
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Suppose I should Update
Well, considering that the snow is over a foot deep outside, I have not sequenced with the dogs since November, haha.
Working on 2x2 weaves with the herding dogs inside every day lately. I should really start with Libby. Some tricks but ehh...nothing else really. Maybe dad will snow blow out the dog run so we can work on contacts.
As is characteristic of me, I have many things to rant about. However, I will spare you today as the guests for our party are basically coming through the door. Don't think you are safe later. I'm sure there will be more things that I need to state an opinion on soon. haha
Working on 2x2 weaves with the herding dogs inside every day lately. I should really start with Libby. Some tricks but ehh...nothing else really. Maybe dad will snow blow out the dog run so we can work on contacts.
As is characteristic of me, I have many things to rant about. However, I will spare you today as the guests for our party are basically coming through the door. Don't think you are safe later. I'm sure there will be more things that I need to state an opinion on soon. haha
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Rant on Dogs 101
This time about Dogs 101. Seriously, how can people just sum up an entire breed under a rigid list of pros and cons. For example, for the Dachshund one they tell you that they are "stubborn" but then they show clips through the entire video of a dog doing a bunch of fun tricks like waving, rolling over, and heeling. People are going to look at that and think, "Wow, look at that dog! I want a Dachsund so it can do tricks like that. Guess what people! My Siberian Husky can do all those tricks and more and even the general public knows that they aren't "easy to train" for pet people. The people that trained that Dachshund are "sport" people who understand what motivates a dog. Also, they put them down as easy keepers including the wire! If any wire breeder tells you that the coat is easy to care for, then they are just so used to it that it doesn't bother them at all. You either have to clip it or more preferably pull it down ever 3-6 months. It is a lot of work or a lot of money. Also, they are labeled as being good with household animals but not children....what the heck?! They must be basing this study on puppy mill dogs or something because every single dachshund I've met was great with kids but hated cats even if they were raised with them.
Anyway....I won't comment on the others because I honestly don't feel like watching them.
Anyway....I won't comment on the others because I honestly don't feel like watching them.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Teeter and the Rush
We are going to have a competition sized metal teeter soon! :D
It has been cold and snowy so we haven't done a whole lot of training.
I am just wondering what the point of doing agility with puppies is. Why the hurry? Just because you are allowed to start competing with pups around 18 months of age doesn't mean you have to. I personally don't like seeing people put their 10 month old puppy on a full sized teeter. The same goes for people who are running 12 week old puppies across a board. If you do all the foundation needed, then you shouldn't have to start obstacles early. Lay your foundation correctly and the obstacles will come very quickly once your dog is ready for them. Also, why work weaves [even entries!] before the dog is a year? The 2x2 method usually takes under a month to train so if you start at 15 months you will have decent weaves at the age of 16 months...isn't that good enough? Sometimes I wonder why people originally got their puppy...to do agility or because they wanted a dog to bond with and love. Because not letting puppies be puppies and have fun is seriously contradicting of people who claim the latter.
Li is old enough to compete in February and Flick is already old enough. But I will wait for Summer for Li and at least March for Flick. For many of the people [especially novice/intermediate people] who want to trial as soon as possible, it makes it seem like they are excited for themselves, not for the dogs. I also don't really understand planning goals like "Go to nationals" or "make the world team" before you compete with your dog. Some people even set these goals before they get a dog! I am not talking about specific people. I have just run into some people with this thought process and have slapped my little sister on the side of the head for saying such things, haha.
It has been cold and snowy so we haven't done a whole lot of training.
I am just wondering what the point of doing agility with puppies is. Why the hurry? Just because you are allowed to start competing with pups around 18 months of age doesn't mean you have to. I personally don't like seeing people put their 10 month old puppy on a full sized teeter. The same goes for people who are running 12 week old puppies across a board. If you do all the foundation needed, then you shouldn't have to start obstacles early. Lay your foundation correctly and the obstacles will come very quickly once your dog is ready for them. Also, why work weaves [even entries!] before the dog is a year? The 2x2 method usually takes under a month to train so if you start at 15 months you will have decent weaves at the age of 16 months...isn't that good enough? Sometimes I wonder why people originally got their puppy...to do agility or because they wanted a dog to bond with and love. Because not letting puppies be puppies and have fun is seriously contradicting of people who claim the latter.
Li is old enough to compete in February and Flick is already old enough. But I will wait for Summer for Li and at least March for Flick. For many of the people [especially novice/intermediate people] who want to trial as soon as possible, it makes it seem like they are excited for themselves, not for the dogs. I also don't really understand planning goals like "Go to nationals" or "make the world team" before you compete with your dog. Some people even set these goals before they get a dog! I am not talking about specific people. I have just run into some people with this thought process and have slapped my little sister on the side of the head for saying such things, haha.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Goals for December/January/February
Flick
-Stand stay
-Left and Right
-Cik/Cap/Out
-Running contacts at 2 feet high
-6 weaves with entries
-Default down on the table
-Away and Swing
-Solid recall
Li
-Left and Right
-Better Cik/Cap/Out
-Contacts at 3 feet high
-6 weaves with entries
-Default down on table
-Solid Recall
-Away and Swing
-Better behaviour around people and animals
Libby
-Left and Right
-Cik/Cap/Out
-Contacts at table height
-4 weaves
-Default down on table
-Away and swing
-Solid recall: Big one for us!
Shadow
-4oTF contacts on Dog Walk and A-Frame
-6 weaves
-Cik/Cap/Out
-Default down on table
-Solid recall
-Away and Swing
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Winter
And with the first snow, winter is officially here. Karyn and I packed up some agility stuff today: the PVC channel weaves, a jump, a tire, the chute, the pipe tunnels, etc. I got my winter training set up! In the garage I have a jump and 1 sets of 2x2 weaves for entry work. On the big back porch I have a jump and 2 2x2 sets for weave work. We have a fenced in area I was using as a contact training area. Well, it is so big that now I have some equipment down there to train Libby. She can't work outside that pen because she will take off....it's a husky thing, don't judge us. haha So now we can work on her sliding table and cik/cap/out using a winged jump. I also have an 8' plank and a 12' plank down there for dog walk running contact training. I also have an 8' long, 3 foot wide thing to work on A-Frame contacts with when we get to that point. The dog walk is the only thing left in the original field, haha. It has no up-plank though....we are just using it for Shadow's 4 on the floor training.
The dogs are doing good and I'll be training all 4 later today.
The dogs are doing good and I'll be training all 4 later today.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
December
It is almost December an November was honestly disappointing. We didn't train much but I have to admit that they were pretty good when we did get a chance to test their skills. This month I'm working on the basics since we can't do much in the snow that will be coming so soon. I want to work inside to get better weaves with moe distractions. I also want to teach all three dogs verbal only cik and cap commands. [verbal override- no body language is taken into consideration when I say cik or cap] Lastly, we will continue with runing contacts but my only goal is to get them all up to 1 foot high.
-Ria
-Ria
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Training...or lack thereof?
Sorry to update again today but it isn't like anyone reads this anyway. I'm too scared to give out the link because I'm pretty opinionated on PyreSheps and don't like to get chewed out. xD
I worked with Li and Flick today. I took Lib down to the contact training field and she didn't really want to work today so we didn't train, we just ran around and played, lol. It is really muddy and wet out.
Li had some awesome running contacts. I'm just running him on Libby's flat board because I am too lazy to constantly prop it up then take it down. It wouldn't hurt him to take it slow at Libby's pace anyway. We aren't competing until at least next Spring so we have tones of time to take it slow and get it perfect.
I worked mainly sequencing with Flick. She was very good! She needs to read my body language a little better but once she has her verbal directionals down body language won't matter as much anyway. I'm one to teach a verbal command for every behaviour and then practice them until they are under stimulus control rather than be silent throughout the course and rely on mostly body language and wonder why my dog took the wrong obstacle when my foot was out of place or something, lol.
I'm not setting specific goals currently, I'm just going with the flow. I am thinking I will try to start trialing Li early next year, Flick in the middle of next year, and Libby at the end of next year/2011. Li is going to be easy to prepare. Flick will be easy once we get to know each other better. And Libby might take a while to learn everything I want her to. Sure, I could forget cik&cap, running contacts, left and right, etc but then it isn't very fun in the long run for her or me, lol.
-Ria
I worked with Li and Flick today. I took Lib down to the contact training field and she didn't really want to work today so we didn't train, we just ran around and played, lol. It is really muddy and wet out.
Li had some awesome running contacts. I'm just running him on Libby's flat board because I am too lazy to constantly prop it up then take it down. It wouldn't hurt him to take it slow at Libby's pace anyway. We aren't competing until at least next Spring so we have tones of time to take it slow and get it perfect.
I worked mainly sequencing with Flick. She was very good! She needs to read my body language a little better but once she has her verbal directionals down body language won't matter as much anyway. I'm one to teach a verbal command for every behaviour and then practice them until they are under stimulus control rather than be silent throughout the course and rely on mostly body language and wonder why my dog took the wrong obstacle when my foot was out of place or something, lol.
I'm not setting specific goals currently, I'm just going with the flow. I am thinking I will try to start trialing Li early next year, Flick in the middle of next year, and Libby at the end of next year/2011. Li is going to be easy to prepare. Flick will be easy once we get to know each other better. And Libby might take a while to learn everything I want her to. Sure, I could forget cik&cap, running contacts, left and right, etc but then it isn't very fun in the long run for her or me, lol.
-Ria
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Weaves
I'm so excited with how Flick's and Li's weaves are coming!
You can see how Li's weaves are set up at the right. I have a set of 6 with the entries straight and the middle slanted a bit. I'm using my channel set for that. Then I have two pairs of 2x2 weaves in front of the table. I am working on standing anywhere I want in that area and sending him to either set of weaves from the table or the other set of weaves. He is doing fantastic with minimal missed entries. He is showing great enthusiasm and is single stepping, just plowing through the weaves like a maniac. haha I am also practicing not only sending him from a distance but sending him from one side, then back crossing and passing him. He never pops out. :D
At the right, you can see how I have Flick's weaves set up. I'm working her from the table to the weaves and from the weaves to the table. The three reasons for this are:
1) The table is her favourite obstacle so it keeps her motivated
2) She is coming from the table at a stand still, and she knows she will have to stop on the table going at it so she doesn't accelerate too much as to stop thinking and miss the weaves entry. Once it becomes second nature to her, then I'll start adding more difficult, faster obstacles into the mix.
3) I get to simultaneously work on her default down on the table as well as her weaves without splitting it into two different session! haha
I am also working on sending her from a distance and have gotten up to 20 feet away!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Useless Updates
Yeah.
I emailed Silvia Trkman a few weeks ago but I probably won't get a reply until January...November and December are busy months for her I expect. I have been working with Flick with agility foundations...any level of drive she had when sent to me has been seemingly tripled! She is so insanely crazy awesome. Li is weaving 6 poles now but we are working on entries from any angle and also not popping out when I run past or do a cross. I am mostly working with Li trying to get him to not chase the Donkey. That uses most of our training treats/time for the day.
Once I can afford it, I'll be fencing in the dog field. Heh, I need to get my homework done so I can go to my dad's work to learn a job so that I can make money so that I can fence in the agility field. That is my incentive to do homework, like it?
Libby, my Siberian, is doing well. I am just working with her in our tiny little garage. It is a 4 car garage [2 wide and 2 1/2 deep] but with everyone's junk in there, we only have about the space of a 2 car garage. I am working on waits, tricks, and recalls...all that delicious foundational junk. I am reminded why I adore PyreSheps. Anything I have to spell out for Flick and Libby, Li does naturally with no training at all, lol.
I've not been having a good time in the past few weeks with dog people. First, the run in with my mentor. The great battle of trying to get papers from Li's breeder. Arguing with people about show vs. working on almost every website/list/forum I am a member of. Being put of by the fact that not only is Li's breeder breeding a DOUBLE MERLE but that the dog in question is only a year old. That means that there has been no OFA certifications as the minimum age for that is 2 years. If you want a PyreShep, just go to Europe, lol. Less drama. Anyway, one USA breeder I -would- recommend is Bien Aime. She loves the breed, doesn't dock/crop, and has outstanding temperaments. *cough*And she doesn't keep her dogs in bad conditions*cough*
-Ria
I emailed Silvia Trkman a few weeks ago but I probably won't get a reply until January...November and December are busy months for her I expect. I have been working with Flick with agility foundations...any level of drive she had when sent to me has been seemingly tripled! She is so insanely crazy awesome. Li is weaving 6 poles now but we are working on entries from any angle and also not popping out when I run past or do a cross. I am mostly working with Li trying to get him to not chase the Donkey. That uses most of our training treats/time for the day.
Once I can afford it, I'll be fencing in the dog field. Heh, I need to get my homework done so I can go to my dad's work to learn a job so that I can make money so that I can fence in the agility field. That is my incentive to do homework, like it?
Libby, my Siberian, is doing well. I am just working with her in our tiny little garage. It is a 4 car garage [2 wide and 2 1/2 deep] but with everyone's junk in there, we only have about the space of a 2 car garage. I am working on waits, tricks, and recalls...all that delicious foundational junk. I am reminded why I adore PyreSheps. Anything I have to spell out for Flick and Libby, Li does naturally with no training at all, lol.
I've not been having a good time in the past few weeks with dog people. First, the run in with my mentor. The great battle of trying to get papers from Li's breeder. Arguing with people about show vs. working on almost every website/list/forum I am a member of. Being put of by the fact that not only is Li's breeder breeding a DOUBLE MERLE but that the dog in question is only a year old. That means that there has been no OFA certifications as the minimum age for that is 2 years. If you want a PyreShep, just go to Europe, lol. Less drama. Anyway, one USA breeder I -would- recommend is Bien Aime. She loves the breed, doesn't dock/crop, and has outstanding temperaments. *cough*And she doesn't keep her dogs in bad conditions*cough*
-Ria
Monday, October 26, 2009
Updates
Li's weave poles are going great! He is weaving 6 poles that are almost together. His contacts are nice as well. We are still on 36" high. I sequenced a little with Flick and Li today and worked on jumping commands. A little bit of everything, haha. Flick has a hilarious sliding table. I will probably train a sliding down unto the table as a default behaviour and ask for a sit if that is what the judge wants. Or just have two different commands for the table...I don't know yet. Flick is weaving 4 poles that are spaced quite a bit apart.
My goal over the next few weeks with Li is to remove all the emotional charge of looking at the donkey, horses, and people. I want him to ignore everything and everyone unless he is told to say hi...then he should go up and touch their hand with his nose. He does that on command with people he somewhat knows but now with strangers yet. I also want him to have a better recall when we are at home. He seems to have a good recall in public...probably because he is insecure.
I have to decided to build an A-Frame soon because they dog walk training is coming along so well. I have started working with my Sibe again! We are going to learn agility even though she is 5 years old. We worked on cik and cap tonight. I'll be training a good recall soon...that might take all winter. I hope we don't get heavy snow this year...that sucks for agility.
My goal over the next few weeks with Li is to remove all the emotional charge of looking at the donkey, horses, and people. I want him to ignore everything and everyone unless he is told to say hi...then he should go up and touch their hand with his nose. He does that on command with people he somewhat knows but now with strangers yet. I also want him to have a better recall when we are at home. He seems to have a good recall in public...probably because he is insecure.
I have to decided to build an A-Frame soon because they dog walk training is coming along so well. I have started working with my Sibe again! We are going to learn agility even though she is 5 years old. We worked on cik and cap tonight. I'll be training a good recall soon...that might take all winter. I hope we don't get heavy snow this year...that sucks for agility.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Pyres
I know I just posted on this subject but I posted this on a forum and I'm going to paste it here so I can refer back to it whenever needed. Thank goodness for copy and paste!
In my opinion almost all of the owners and breders talk them up way too much. I only met well behaved ones and talked to people that only gave me the pros so I was honestly shocked when I got mine, lol. If not for my experience with tough breeds [Siberian Husky for example] it would have been a disaster.
Let's see...
Pros
-Crazy- they can always cheer you up with their antics
-Fast- they have the potential to be great agility dogs
-Small- They range from 14"-22" and 15-25 pounds
-Low/Non shedding and minimal grooming
Cons
-Hyperactive- they are literally impossible to tire out, if you aren't home a majority of the day, they will bark and chew like crazy
-Shy- even with extensive socialization, they can be shy. Mine barks at visitors and other animals a lot.
-Barky- Whether they are working or playing they will talk your ear off. Mine barks out of boredom, barks at people, barks at animals, barks when excited, barks when intent on a task, etc.
-Soft- This is why they are hard to train. They often misbehave during training- so much it almost seems as if they are doing it on purpose. If you say no or express disappointment in any way, they will shut down. My boy will run off whenever he thinks he is not being appreciated enough.
-Bratty- They are in love with themselves and they think that everyone else should be as well. They ignore everyone and expect them to bow down from a distance.
OMG, I felt like I just described my Siberian Husky! They are more like Huskies than Border Collies. In fact, that is probably why I get along so well with my boy- I like stubborn dogs that think for themselves, not pleasers that want you to think for them. xD
So yeah. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone that doesn't have a lot of time and patience. Oh, and tolerance for barks and chewing. My boy chewed my mp3 players apart, a bunch of my favourite books, papers and drawings. If I leave him crated in my room for more than 20 minutes without me, he barks his head off. When I leave him uncrated for more than 20 minutes, he will pull everything off my desk and pull all off my clothes out of my closet and inspect their pockets for treats.
In my opinion almost all of the owners and breders talk them up way too much. I only met well behaved ones and talked to people that only gave me the pros so I was honestly shocked when I got mine, lol. If not for my experience with tough breeds [Siberian Husky for example] it would have been a disaster.
Let's see...
Pros
-Crazy- they can always cheer you up with their antics
-Fast- they have the potential to be great agility dogs
-Small- They range from 14"-22" and 15-25 pounds
-Low/Non shedding and minimal grooming
Cons
-Hyperactive- they are literally impossible to tire out, if you aren't home a majority of the day, they will bark and chew like crazy
-Shy- even with extensive socialization, they can be shy. Mine barks at visitors and other animals a lot.
-Barky- Whether they are working or playing they will talk your ear off. Mine barks out of boredom, barks at people, barks at animals, barks when excited, barks when intent on a task, etc.
-Soft- This is why they are hard to train. They often misbehave during training- so much it almost seems as if they are doing it on purpose. If you say no or express disappointment in any way, they will shut down. My boy will run off whenever he thinks he is not being appreciated enough.
-Bratty- They are in love with themselves and they think that everyone else should be as well. They ignore everyone and expect them to bow down from a distance.
OMG, I felt like I just described my Siberian Husky! They are more like Huskies than Border Collies. In fact, that is probably why I get along so well with my boy- I like stubborn dogs that think for themselves, not pleasers that want you to think for them. xD
So yeah. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone that doesn't have a lot of time and patience. Oh, and tolerance for barks and chewing. My boy chewed my mp3 players apart, a bunch of my favourite books, papers and drawings. If I leave him crated in my room for more than 20 minutes without me, he barks his head off. When I leave him uncrated for more than 20 minutes, he will pull everything off my desk and pull all off my clothes out of my closet and inspect their pockets for treats.
Ahh!
I know I'm updating a lot recently but that's because my dogs are being so amazing!
Li and I did a little agility today. The plan was just to do tricks and cik/cap a little with lots of rewards while playing the "Give me a break" game. Well, whenever I gave him a break he would start jumping on me so I used his enthusiasm to practice some agility. His distance work was fantastic! And the best part.....he ran his first dog walk! I usually put him in the middle and have him run down because we have running contacts and are back training the obstacle. Well, he ran up the contact, past the middle, and down the other side and hit both contacts with perfect stride! I am ecstatic! I wasn't planning on asking for an entire dog walk for a while yet. I'm so happy with my boy, he didn't even look at the donkey today. Starting out with heavy rewards and making him ask -me- to train with him worked awesome.
I took Flick and Li for a 3 mile walk today in pouring rain, lol.
I am on an emotional high still because of what Li did!
Edit:
I sequenced with Flick as well and she did great with distance work. =]
I am going to read Control Unleashed. "When Pigs Fly" and "From the Ground Up" are also on my list. CU mostly for Li's focus. I'm reading "When Pigs Fly" for more info for future reference. Aaand I am working through "From the Ground Up" as well as Anthony Clarke's foundation books for Flick. =D
Li and I did a little agility today. The plan was just to do tricks and cik/cap a little with lots of rewards while playing the "Give me a break" game. Well, whenever I gave him a break he would start jumping on me so I used his enthusiasm to practice some agility. His distance work was fantastic! And the best part.....he ran his first dog walk! I usually put him in the middle and have him run down because we have running contacts and are back training the obstacle. Well, he ran up the contact, past the middle, and down the other side and hit both contacts with perfect stride! I am ecstatic! I wasn't planning on asking for an entire dog walk for a while yet. I'm so happy with my boy, he didn't even look at the donkey today. Starting out with heavy rewards and making him ask -me- to train with him worked awesome.
I took Flick and Li for a 3 mile walk today in pouring rain, lol.
I am on an emotional high still because of what Li did!
Edit:
I sequenced with Flick as well and she did great with distance work. =]
I am going to read Control Unleashed. "When Pigs Fly" and "From the Ground Up" are also on my list. CU mostly for Li's focus. I'm reading "When Pigs Fly" for more info for future reference. Aaand I am working through "From the Ground Up" as well as Anthony Clarke's foundation books for Flick. =D
Monday, October 19, 2009
It is my birthday!
I'm happy! and it's my birthday!
Great videos, lol. We had a small party here yesterday for the relatives. Then we took all 4 dogs up to the woods for a long walk! That was great. I got some money- I can start to pay off dad for Flick. lol I found out that mom is paying for my dog walk...I argued that one a bit but she said that it is part of my extracurricular/sports thing. I agreed when she put it like that. After all, she used to dish out 110 a month for gymnastics so...
-Ria
Great videos, lol. We had a small party here yesterday for the relatives. Then we took all 4 dogs up to the woods for a long walk! That was great. I got some money- I can start to pay off dad for Flick. lol I found out that mom is paying for my dog walk...I argued that one a bit but she said that it is part of my extracurricular/sports thing. I agreed when she put it like that. After all, she used to dish out 110 a month for gymnastics so...
-Ria
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Training Updates
Training today was great...Li has good running contacts. The 12' plank is set at 36" high. I am working on getting complete running contacts on a full sized dog walk, getting him to weave 6 poles, and teaching him left&right&go on before December. We have already made so much progress that it seems like we will reach these goals by November! haha
Flick is coming along slowly but surely. Her running contacts are crap because she, like Li used to, hops off the side of the board whether it is propped up or flat. My brother and I are back training her so she learns to run straight, lol. Our main goal for the rest of autumn is running contacts on a full sized dog walk and left&right&go on. She is doing better than Li so far in the directional commands aspect. They each have their own area of expertise- flick's is thinking and Li's is doing! xD
Li has a few new tricks. I really need to get a camcorder! He snaps at the air, sits with his paws in the air, sits while moving his front paws up and down in the air [we call that one "Stallion"]. He also invented a new one when we were free shaping. He turns so his rear is facing me, then looks at me, bending his head straight over his back to view me upside down. He is such a dork! haha I love my dogs!
-Ria
Flick is coming along slowly but surely. Her running contacts are crap because she, like Li used to, hops off the side of the board whether it is propped up or flat. My brother and I are back training her so she learns to run straight, lol. Our main goal for the rest of autumn is running contacts on a full sized dog walk and left&right&go on. She is doing better than Li so far in the directional commands aspect. They each have their own area of expertise- flick's is thinking and Li's is doing! xD
Li has a few new tricks. I really need to get a camcorder! He snaps at the air, sits with his paws in the air, sits while moving his front paws up and down in the air [we call that one "Stallion"]. He also invented a new one when we were free shaping. He turns so his rear is facing me, then looks at me, bending his head straight over his back to view me upside down. He is such a dork! haha I love my dogs!
-Ria
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
October Agility Training
Things are going well in general.
I tried some Ketschkers with Li and he was flawless. I will definitely be using these in competition. They are so fun!
Click here to view a video of them
Li is just working on these and different directional commands. We are also working on distance.
Flick is running the same courses as Li which is amazing! But I am emphasizing Cik and Cap as she doesn't have those down perfect. Also, she is learning to follow my hand because it gets annoying when I have my right arm out and she suddenly appears on my left, haha.
I was drilling tunnel entries with both. I think we did well all in all. If it not windy in the next week or so, Flick will be learning the Chute. I was doing channel weaves with them but I'm almost tempted to give it a rest fot the Winter. I am not competing until April probably so I don't have to train weaves until March. There are only 6 weaves in the first level of AKC so I'm not concerned. Knowing my dogs, they will pick up the weaves in a couple of weeks.
I am going to make my dog walk when the kit arrives. I won't make an A-Frame until November or December. My teeter base plan is in the "shop" but when my uncle gets around to it, it is as good as done. Anyway, the talk of Contact equipment reminds me that I should be working on running contacts as well, haha.
That's all for now. My birthday is in a week- I'll be 15. Only one more year until I can drive and I'll really be hitting the Agility rings! Thank goodness for a family that is into the car business...my mom assured me the other day that I don't have to buy my own car. That means I can focus on paying off all my agility equipment. xD
-Ria
I tried some Ketschkers with Li and he was flawless. I will definitely be using these in competition. They are so fun!
Click here to view a video of them
Li is just working on these and different directional commands. We are also working on distance.
Flick is running the same courses as Li which is amazing! But I am emphasizing Cik and Cap as she doesn't have those down perfect. Also, she is learning to follow my hand because it gets annoying when I have my right arm out and she suddenly appears on my left, haha.
I was drilling tunnel entries with both. I think we did well all in all. If it not windy in the next week or so, Flick will be learning the Chute. I was doing channel weaves with them but I'm almost tempted to give it a rest fot the Winter. I am not competing until April probably so I don't have to train weaves until March. There are only 6 weaves in the first level of AKC so I'm not concerned. Knowing my dogs, they will pick up the weaves in a couple of weeks.
I am going to make my dog walk when the kit arrives. I won't make an A-Frame until November or December. My teeter base plan is in the "shop" but when my uncle gets around to it, it is as good as done. Anyway, the talk of Contact equipment reminds me that I should be working on running contacts as well, haha.
That's all for now. My birthday is in a week- I'll be 15. Only one more year until I can drive and I'll really be hitting the Agility rings! Thank goodness for a family that is into the car business...my mom assured me the other day that I don't have to buy my own car. That means I can focus on paying off all my agility equipment. xD
-Ria
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