First training session at the field!

Today we went to the field for the first time this year, woohoo! I wanted to try out that tough sequence that I mentioned several days ago, but I'd rather not set up a sequence for only one dog to run (since Wall-e is on rest). So instead, Mika and I played around with teeter banging, angled dog walk entries, and rear crosses.

I put a jump standard under one end of the teeter to create a drop of 2-3". As soon as Mika saw the teeter, she trotted over to bang it.

Then we did two angled DW entries. I used a jump wing to help Mika straighten her body onto the DW. The first entry was about 30 degrees, and the second was about 45. We'll continue working on these in future sessions until Mika can send from angles over 90 degrees.

Finally, we worked on RC's. I'd set up the short double-RC sequence (just three jumps) from our last Snooker run on April 1. The first two reps, I just rewarded Mika for taking the tire, which she had passed by during our run at the trial. The last rep, I added the second RC (and the last jump).

Trial on Saturday, a Starters Snooker run :)

Mika and Wall-e Training Feb. 21, '11 video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xYtdnubHyo

First agility training session of the year!

Yesterday we ended our second 2010-2011 winter agility break and went to one of the arenas to train! (Our first break was from the end of October to the end of December, and our second break was from the end of December -- after we sneaked in some agility -- to yesterday :)

Wall-e trained first again. I like training Wall-e first because 1. still being a baby dog, he's the one who needs the most training, and 2. I can test out my handling with him and make sure I've chosen the best handling plan before I handle Mika, who slows down a bit if I handle sloppily.

First we did the teeter bang game. I noticed the last time we trained at this arena, in December, that both dogs were a bit nervous about this teeter. Mika used to be fine with it, but considering that she hadn't used a teeter in months, I guess a bit of her old stress started creeping back. (The only way she showed stress was by licking her lips and folding her ears back a bit, but I still had to take notice.) And Wall-e has never been on this teeter before, and he's still extremely sensitive to any noises he hears in arenas. He showed stress by not running right to the edge of the teeter to wait for it to hit the ground, like he usually does.

But Wall-e did really well with the bang game. He wagged his tail as he pushed down the end of the teeter (I propped up the other end with a chair). I gradually moved the chair to increase the bang, and he ended up being able to do the whole teeter with zero stress!

Then we ran part of an Advanced Standard course that was set up. Wall-e was nuts!! The course involved two jump wraps, which he did nice and tight with our cik and cap cues. And his contacts (just the A-frame and dog walk) were great! I'm so excited to trial him in Standard this year and see how his fast 2on2off holds up!

To finish, we played around with a tunnel to build tunnel drive. I used Wall-e's new favourite toy to reward; it's a cat toy that we bought at a garage sale years and years ago. It has a plastic ball in it that spins around and around, and the dogs just go wild for it!! And because there aren't a lot of toys that Wall-e goes wild for, it's great for an agility reward. I can't throw it or tug with it, but I can set it up on the other side of an obstacle:


Then it was Mika's turn! She couldn't run into the arena fast enough; she was just dying to train. And once we got in there and I let her off the leash, she started racing around everywhere, like "Are we REALLY here?!"

We did the same teeter bang game that Wall-e did. You wouldn't believe how the old memories started coming back of how we did this same game, over and over again, in the winter of 2007-2008. And Mika still has the same adorable technique of pushing down the teeter with her front paws, and then flipping her body around to face me. The only thing she's added is increased drive!

The segment of the course that we ran was SO much fun!! As I re-watch the clips I have this huge smile on my face because Mika is just having the time of her life. Zoom here, zoom there, she had so much speed and attitude...this dog is incredible!!

We finished up with some jumping-into-my-arms training. Mika can go over a jump, and she can jump into my arms, but when I try to ask her to jump into my arms *after* going over a jump, she gets a bit confused. She hasn't really connected this trick to agility yet, so we'll be doing some more of this at home. She did get it one time, though!

So to finish it off, this was a great training day to begin 2011. I'm so, so lucky to have two amazing, happy, healthy dogs who I can have so much fun with! I can't wait to see what adventures this year will bring for us!

Teeter fun!

We haven't trained the teeter for a while, since the fun match in November actually. So I took out my mini teeter (which is actually a TDAA-regulation steel teeter, I love it!!) yesterday. Mika and Wall-e had lots of fun playing the bang games.

This morning I refreshed Wall-e's 4-on wait on the teeter, as he's been leaving the teeter just a bit early in past months. Not enough to be called a fly-off by most judges, but some of the stricter judges might call it. Wall-e is actually generalizing the 2on2off behaviour on the end of the teeter... Hmm, interesting and good to see that he's generalizing, but gotta work on that because a 2o2o isn't part of his teeter criteria.

He actually had a real sliding teeter on one rep :O He's too small to slide on a full-size teeter, but it did look pretty cool on this one.

After Wall-e's short session, Mika got to join in and they played some more bang games. Woohoo, gotta love teeter-crazy dogs!

~Nat

Wall-e knows the teeter!

We set up the homemade wooden (regulation-size) teeter in the backyard again, after having it in the garage all winter. I wanted Wall-e to know that the teeter moved so that he wouldn't be surprised if he went on it while playing in the backyard, so I decided to teach him the teeter. WOW, he really did surprise me!! He learned the teeter in less than five minutes! Well, it's set at only 18" now so it's not full-height yet, but he can run right to the end of the teeter and wait there until it hits the ground, then wait until I release him with an "Okay!"

~Nat

Mika's AAC agility trial Apr. 10, 09

Mika impressed me with her distance with this run, both in the gambles and in the opening! (At one point of the run she raced ahead of me to take two extra jumps.) My super-sensitive girl is getting so much more confident! And, she got the gamble (with a TEETER in it, which had me worried for a second before I realized that Mika has awesome distance skills with the teeter), earning us a 1st place and Q. :D

~Nat

Teeter games and a bit of obedience

Teeter obsessed schnauzer

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before, but Mika is completely, totally obsessed with the teeter. (Although it's probably just the treats she wants, but still!) Without me saying a word, she used to always race over it right to the end and wait for it to tip, while we were just hanging out in the backyard, then look at me as if to say, "Helloooo, where are my treats?!" Now that we took the teeter board off the base so that Wall-e wouldn't go on it and get scared by the unexpected movement, she simply races over to the board and stands on one of the yellow contact zones, staring at me expectantly for a treat. She always, always wants to go in the backyard so she can go on "her" teeter!

Is there a Teeter Addicts Anonymous? If so, I think Mika should join!

~Nat