Peeling An Onion

Agility is a never ending lesson in life. Since Wyatt is now healthy and has reliable (though not perfect) contacts as trials, the next thing to work on has unfolded. I see now that it was always an issue but due to our focus on contacts, it was hidden from the forefront on my consciousness. The issue now is off courses. Specifically, if there are two (or more) jumps in a row, with the path veering off to the left or right to another obstacle, we have a strong tendency for an off course. I really focused on this issue this weekend and made very good progress. The biggest issue for me was deciding when to use a RFP, when to use a call off, and when to pull or push with a v-set. The biggest issue is mine; I need to cue him in time. I tend to be way too late to change his path. Wyatt is so fast and jumps so big that he can be over the (wrong) jump before you can blink.

We had a good weekend at a CPE trial getting 2 level C Qs and 2 firsts Saturday. We missed standard with a teeter fly off. The teeter was bouncy and he was surprised the first time I think. Too bad because the rest was flawless and we really need standard Qs. Also Qed in Snooker and Fullhouse. We made it all the way to the end in Snooker.

Sunday we 3 of 4 Qs in standard (2nd), wildcard (2nd), and colors. That was our last wildcard Q needed for our championship. Now we "just" need 8 standard Qs. We have 2.

Here are some photos from the previous weekend's trials. Photos are by Barry Rosen.

Video Link to Snooker Run

Here is a link to the Snooker run I was discussing yesterday. I am looking for advice on the off course at the end (the second tire to a jump).

Video Link

From what I see, I did not turn soon enough or far enough in my RFP.

Never mind the beginning sequence. There were problems there too but I know what went wrong there...

CPE Results and Off Courses

Wyatt and I had a good weekend at the SOBAD CPE trial this weekend. We Qed 3 out of 5 times both days with placements in each. We finished our colors championship requirement and received a Q in wildcard with only one more left. We did not get any standard Qs however. We have one more trial before the requirement change to 10 Qs in July so we still need 10 Qs total - one wildcard and 9 standard. We have one more trial until July.

Wyatt's contacts were great. We were not called on one contact. However, I still see a difference between class/home and trials. At trials, he does not drive to the bottom but waits for me up on the contact and waits to be released. As the weekend progresses, I worked more on getting him to go lower on the contacts before being released. Best thing of all was that he was happy and fast all weekend.

We had some real hard breakers though. In snooker Saturday, we had a fabulous run going. We got lots of points in the opening and had a great closing going where we could have got through 7 in time. After a #5 A Frame, there was a #6 tunnel where the ends where wrapped around one side of the A-Frame. I took him in the wrong end even though I walked it correctly. In standard, I got through the really hard opening sequence and was a little lost after doing a front cross at the end of a tunnel. I ended up facing the dog walk and not the correct weave entry and paused enough for him to take the incorrect dog walk. He ran perfectly when I got him back on course. On Sunday, another great run. After I got him though a difficult threadle, there was a 90 turn to weave with the final obstacle finish line jumps in line with the jump second jump of the threadle. It felt him he was over the incorrect final jump before I could even react. No doubt, I did not cue him early enough or needed a front cross. A very similar thing happened in day 2 snooker (I have a video of this). He jumps so long and is so fast, that I sometimes do not anticipate the off courses like I should and do not cue fast enough.

All in all, a great weekend though. There is always something to learn. I will post the link to the video later...

Steering and the RFP

I think I have finally, after 3 years, understood how to steer my dog.


I used to use a reverse flow pivot (RFP) only when there was an obvious and severe obstacle discrimination problem. But after watching some really good handlers - especially in NADAC where you have to handle at a distance - and finally getting it in class, I see that I really need to turn in much more to steer Wyatt.

Last night, we had a situtation where there was an A-frame and then a set of 12 weaves sittiing fairly close and parallel to the A-Frame. So you had to do the A-frame and then turn your dog 180 degrees back to the weave poles. In order to get a good entrace to the weaves, the best move was to collect your dog by doing a subtle RFP, collecting the dog by standing still, and then moving ahead when the dog was collected and headed to the weaves. If you did not do this, the dog would go wide of the weaves and get a bad entrance. There were a number of places on the course where this type of move was needed.

I am also seeing that this move can be used in many places and also on the fly as a way to steer your dog back on track.

The other insight I had last night was that agility handling should not be thought of as obstacle to obstacle but as a continuous flow. You are always steering. Even when the dog is committed to the obstacle, you should be steering to next obstacle.

Wyatt Is Back

I am so happy with this weekend. Wyatt is back and wanting to run agility. We had a good weekend - a little rusty but he is basically back to his old enthusiastic self and such a great agility partner. You may recall that our last trial at New Year's, he did not want to run and ran out of the ring. We figured out with the help of a sports vet that he had a back problem. With a lot of rest, stretching, and massage, he healed up and he gradually let go of some behaviors that were a result of the injury (such as avoiding jumps and going way out of the way to do contacts.)

We did not get tons of Qs but we got some really hard ones. He got 2 elite regular (standard) Qs, which are really tough to get in NADAC due to the fast times required and the distance challenge in each course. He also placed first and second. Wyatt also got an elite jumpers Q yesterday and a second place. He had a few contact issues but in NADAC you can go back and redo them (you don't qualify of course) so we used them as learning/training experiences. By the end of the weekend, his contacts were solid again. One thing I realized is that I need to do more distance work for NADAC, which would be fun anyway. There was a really hard tunnelers course today and he was a rocket but I could not keep up with him to cue him at close distances.

But more than the Qs and placement. it is great have such a wonderful partner back in the game.

Here is a video clip from today showing our second place, qualifying standard run.

I hope you enjoy it.

Wyatt NADAC Elite Regular Run

Agility This Weekend; Rally Last Night

Went to a rally class last night which was really a run through. I thought we had everything down but I did learn a few things. #10 Spiral Dog Inside, I had never seen at a trial or practised so that was very good. I had it all wrong the first time. It was challenging to keep Wyatt from lagging at this very busy class. Also, on Halt, Down, Sit, I need to work on getting a straight sit from the down.

Wyatt was great in class Wednesday. The instructor said he looked happy and back to normal. Our first trial since his injury is this weekend so we'll see. My goal is just to have fun and make sure he is happy...

Mating

This is a little off my usual topics but our dog Patriot just figured out how to "do it." I was almost ready to give up at one point this weekend. We bred him about a year ago for the first time and the puppies came out great. "Major" just finished under a year old with 4 majors. The first time, we helped him alot putting the bitch on boards (he tended to be very high on the bitch) and guided him it. Like a teenager, he had trouble finding "home plate." Then if you touched him, he would ejaculate so you could not guide him too much either. Somehow, we managed to help him breed twice for his first litter. We were unsuccesful the second time without any boards or help and the bitches owner did AI but she never got pregnant. This third time I was again ready to give up; it is frustrating for everyone! However, we brought the bitch home to try one last time and were able to breed him pretty quickly once we got the bitch up to the right height. He actually used an obedience broad jump! The second time, I put the bitch on the board again and he was in in less than a second so that was encouraging. Today, I saw that he seemed to be getting closer on his own because he was not going so high so I left them alone and the bred without any help. What does this have to do with training? Well, I did see learning taking place but it did seem like some assistance was needed at first. The motivation to learn was also high. I did see him losing interest also when he was not having any success.

Two Different Agility Practices

I started doing a little agility work with Wyatt outside again after a long break. We have been going to class but not working at home due to the snow, ice, and later mud.

First practice was later in the day, hot out, using standard soft venison treats. Wyatt was OK but still doing some avoidance and needing coaxing to come down and play.

Second day, I showed him the cheese and took him out on leash, took leash off, and started. This practice was much, much better. Still having problems with repeating or taking contacts when I have not signaled them but this second practice was much better and we did work on the "contact suck" issue.

I beleive the cheese, temp, and time of day were factors...

Rally Results

I was very happy with Wyatt and had a lot of fun with Rally this weekend. Wyatt got 2 double Q's (our first 2 RAE legs) with scores ranging from 93 to 97 and one fourth place in Excellent B today (not easy to place in Rally B anymore)...

He did great on backup 3 steps and many other hard stations. Hardest stations (which I will work on) were stations that go from sit to stand (Wyatt needs multiple commands to stand typically - I taught this for Novice Obedience by moving forward) and the stationery call forwards where he does not always sit straight in front.

Too Motivated?

I noticed that Wyatt can get sloppy (most noticable in rally and obedience) if he is too excited about the treats he is getting. For Wyatt, this means cheese. He will tend to sit crooked - more in front - in his excitement to get the cheese. Should I use a lower value treat or work with it? Save the cheese for trials?

Tracking Workshop

Wyatt and I took a tracking workshop this weekend. I liked the technique. It was to use multiple drops (with food in each). We did 2 straight tracks Saturday with 6 drops on each. One was our scent, one was with a different tracklayer. Wyatt did really well on both. I found I needed to figure out what my criterion was for letting him stray. But he was motivated and found all the articles and seemed to really like the game. The instructors seemed to think he was one of the dogs that was doing the best. (I have done some work with him in the past). There are so many techniques; I am going to stick with this one. It seems to work the best for Wyatt.

On Sunday, in the blizzard, Wyatt did a turn and did fine. His biggest distraction was another dog from obedience class walking by (this dog is agressive and has come after him a few times - we just waited until the dog passed by). I realized I really had to know exactly where the turn was.

The best part is that this group practices once a week and is a half hour from my house. This sport and utility scent discrimination really give you a glimpse into how dogs see the world - through their noses.

AKC Stats

I was looking through the last 4-5 years of AKC event statistics and I made a graph of number of entries by year from 2002-2006. Of course, this only covers AKC events. I was amazed at how much rally and agility are growing especially if you consider that there are now 7-8 agility venues.

Wyatt of Dodge City, RE

Here is a photo of me and Wyatt after we earned our Rally Excellent title.

Wyatt at the Window

I am at the Whippet National Specialty Show in Kansas City. I came without any dogs just for the weekend. That is very unusual for me and it feels strange to be without a dog in the bed. Though they sleep on the floor (on dog beds of course) at home, we let them sleep with us when we are on the road. It feels strange. I may have to look for a spare whippet around here (and there are plenty) for some nightime company!

Calling home, my wife reports that Wyatt is looking out the window a lot and waiting for my return! That is so touching...

Run Thrus

I took the baby and went to some run thrus in Vermont on Sunday. Wyatt did pretty well. He wanted to run; I actually struggled to keep up with him and cue him fast enough. This may be because he has had some time off and/or because I had cheese - his favorite treat. We are still not back to 100% though. He is still prefering contacts to running my course at times. I am not sure if I should go with him and finish the contact or keep running. My sense is that I should do the latter, then loop back and try again. We did have one really good run with no problems. It seems that I have to handle better and cue earlier and more right now also until this problem is corrected. If I "get lost" or even hestiate he will make a choice or "spin"...

Wyatt Back to Normal?

My wife and I have both noticed that Wyatt seems back to his usual, crazy self, for better or worse! He is making huge jumps onto couches, constantly trying to get extra food, and generally being the wacky Wyatt we know and love. I am entering him in some CPE trials. We will see how he goes but I am hoping he will be back to normal there too (or close to it)...

Long Retrieves

I have been trying to make retrieves even more fun that they are for Wyatt already.

One thing I noticed is that if I throw close to the ground, it increases his prey drive and enthusiam.

I also mix it up and do not always ask for a front or a stay before.

Last night in agility class, I brought the dumbell and threw it all the way across the bard - about 50 yards. He loved the long run to the dumbbell and all the way back to me.

Anyway, he really seems happy retrieving lately with these changes. He always liked to retreive but I beleive this will help when trialing and stress is higher.

Wyatt of Dodge City, RE

I am very proud of Whippet Wyatt of Dodge City, CD, RE, SC, NA, NAJ, OAC, EJC, OCC, TN-O, TG-N, WV-N, CL4, CL5-SF, CGC who earned his Rally Excellent title today with a score of 93. We have been practicing a lot including some of the really hard stations like back 3 steps, offset figure 8, and pivot left. I made a 3-point error so Wyatt only lost 4 points.

We were a little nervous starting and we had trouble with the initial stand in station #1 Halt, Stand, Sit but I was eventually able to get him to stand. I am very proud of this little guy who was (and is) such very nervous dog who we rescued 4 years ago. His off leash heeling yesterday in Novice B was just great and he only lost 4 points. Many whippets tend to be in a different time zone from the handler in off leash heeling and Wyatt certainly has done that too. But I made sure we had a good connection before we told the judge we were ready, made if clear to him that his favorite treat was in the offing, and kept him really upbeat with my heel commands and between exercises. At home, I have made off leash heeling a fun game: to keep up with me no matter what crazy things I do.

Since he has been injured (he had a back injury from agility that caused him to not want to play agility), I have learned an important lesson. The most important thing is to have fun with your dog. Titles and placements are nice but not THE THING. It was a real change for me yesterday to NQ and be so happy anyway. It has actually helped my performance too since I am less nervous when I am not so worried about qualifying, getting the next title, et cetera.

These dogs have a lot to teach us and. and so far, every really important lesson for me, has been when something "goes wrong".

Odedience Results

We trialed in Novice B obedience today. I was very pleased with Wyatt's heeling, especially his off lead heeling where he only lost 4 points. The other 2 whippets today had a really tough time with their off lead heeling. He was right with me. What a nice feeling. We did have some tight leases on lead but he sat every time and basically stayed with me. I actually think I kepy eye contact more with the off lead and that worked better. People always tell you not to look at your dog but I think it's OK as long as you don't turn your shoulder. He moved quite a bit on the stand for exam but the judge was kind. I think she approcahed him quickly (which he SHOULD be able to deal with). Need to proof that more. We have not been to class in months. We had a Q going into the stays but he went down on his sit after about 15 seconds. The long down was fine.

Rally tomorrow!

Rocking Practice

Wyatt and I had a rocking agility practice Wednesday night. He was great and back to his old self. During the second half of the course, I don't think there was a single problem. He was very fast and motivated. Being on home court seems to help.

Also, the worst problems I have seen are where we run 2 days in a row...