Targeting Trapper

We had a great class at Wet Creek last night! Trapper has had motivational issues at times - not all times - but sometimes! Usually in an agility trial, his first few runs are great! He's quick and focused and really into it! By the time it's time for his 3rd or 4th run of the day comes - he's still solid and dependable - but it's like he's saying - "Ok Mom, I've been out there before and it was great!!! But I'm done with it now and I'm only doing this to be with you!"

My instructor Keri saw this during a class recently and told me that Trapper is running with me and I'd probably still get a lot of Q's with him - but he doesn't look like he's having a lot of fun out there, so she suggested that we start "targeting" obstacles for him.

What we're doing right now is putting a target plate with a really yummy treat on it after every obstacle and I say "Get it!!" and after he gets the treat on the target plate I say "GO!!" and he continues on to the next target plate and so on. As we will progress over time we will still leave all of the target plates out on the course but we'll leave a few plates empty with no treats. Obviously when we get to those empty plates I will not say "get it" - we'll just continue on to the next obstacle. The goal is to get Trapper to focus and understand what I'm saying and when I don't say "get it" then he'll know not to look for a treat - only unless I say "get it". The "Go" command is great because it tells him there's another yummy treat coming up!!

The end goal is to lessen the amount of plates over time until they're fazed out. This should build value for the obstacles and make Trapper a lot more enthusiastic about agility!
There would still be a little "maintenance" involved - every once in a while during practice I could randomly put out a few target plates for a run or two - then take them out.

A great example of building value for an obstacle is something I read somewhere (I can't remember where). If you asked a friend, husband, wife...etc....to jump over a jump in your backyard over and over - they probably would - but would get really bored after a few times! Now - if you offered them say, $500.00 for each time they jumped over a jump - they would jump until they were exhausted! They would do anything to get as many jumps in as they could and they'd be really excited about it!! Having a fantastic, high value treat or toy has the same type of result for dogs. They want to play, play, play!!!

It certainly worked in class last night as no matter how many times we lined up to do our sequence, Trapper was so focused and ready and couldn't wait to get out there. It was AWESOME!!

We've finished classes right now for the Christmas break so we have a little time off but I can't wait until our class starts again in mid-January to continue this target training! I'll continue to blog on our progress and we'll see how my little man does!

Motivation is my main goal for 2010 with Trapper - but I actually have quite a few goals to list and some of them relate to myself, Hunter and Trapper. That will be for another post!!

What we Agility Addicts do to Play with our Dogs!

Major snowstorm, icy highway, near zero visibility at times.......SO WHAT!?!?!?! Let's play agility!!!
Am I nuts!?!?! Last Friday I left for the DAL trial in Edmonton. I took Friday off work and was going leave around noon - but Mother Nature changed my plans!! A major - major snowstorm hit Alberta! To go or not to go. Well - I decided to try - take my time, be careful and hopefully get there in one piece. Thank goodness it all worked out!!

The trial was a lot of fun! Trapper ran very well! He was motivated and focused. Our 1st run was Gamblers and Trappster got his first Advanced Gamblers "Q". He also got his 1st Advanced Snooker "Q" on Sunday!! We missed both of our Regular runs though - the first one he ran clean but was 1.6 seconds over course time!! Those wide turns burned us as they took more time and I was a little too cautious in a few sections of the course! Lesson learned - trust him more!!

His second Regular run was fantastic - clean and fun until the third last obstacle - I led him to the tunnel and as I saw him commit to it I left to meet him at the other end to lead him to the dogwalk and he must have seen me run in the opposite direction and he came out of the same end of the tunnel looking for me - 5 point refusal! We finished really nice and except for the 5 faults - he ran great!!

I decided to skip his Jumpers run so we could leave early and we got home around 5:45pm Sunday evening! That was the right decision! I slept like a baby Sunday night and so did Trapper! Hunter came along for the ride even though I didn't trial her! She just loves hanging out and visiting!

So - the next trial is the Wee Wednesday December 30th. I've entered both Hunty and Trappy - there's a few runs each so that should be a great way to ease into New Years eve!!

AAC vs NADAC

When I first started Hunter in agility around 4 years ago I entered an AAC trial. I liked it - but I was so new and inexperienced. They're were so many fantastic handlers that I felt intimidated. I was taking agility classes with a group that trialed in NADAC - so I entered my first trial in that venue and also really liked it! I've made so many really close friends that I still have today! I trialed solely in NADAC until the last year. I felt there were too many changes in NADAC. I was really disappointed that the teeter was taken out of trials. Distance is really pushed in NADAC and let me tell you, watching some of those handlers directing their dogs from that distance line - well - it's a thing of beauty!!
However - I LOVE running with my dogs! It's why I started agility - to bond and be a team with my pups! Now - you can still run with your dogs in NADAC - of course, but the courses are made for distance.
When I made the decision to start trialing Trapper in AAC (just about a year ago) - a lot of my friends told me I was "turning to the dark side!" huh??? There are fantastic things in NADAC that I really love - and the same goes for AAC. I find the courses in AAC tighter - you have to be very quick with your commands - you cannot take things for granted. My personel opinion is that for me and my dogs - at this time - AAC is more challenging!
There are no refusals in NADAC. Believe it or not - I love that refusals are in AAC. It makes me think more on course about trying to get a more flowey run and to really watch out for traps. They're some incredible "Elite" dogs in NADAC who are truly awesome, but I just don't feel right when they stop - refuse a tunnel or jump or spin and spin in front of an obstacle and still have a qualifying run.
NADAC is wonderful especially for a new dog as the courses are more open and the games like tunnelers and touch n go are great for motivation and contact training if needed!
I really like the fact the NADAC is VERY strict on having control of your dog when entering and exiting the ring - always on leash and you cannot play tug with your dog until you are well out of the ring.
I think that AAC has the same rule - but to be honest I don't believe that it's enforced much. Because of NADAC I always enter the ring and exit with Hunty and Trappy on leash - then we play - whichever agility venue we play in.

I love watching the handlers in AAC - a few in particular that if I can - I'll always stop and watch because they're so cool and quick and awesome to watch. I try to learn off of them as much as I can!!

I will still trial in NADAC in the future for sure - but for now my concentration is on AAC. It's what I'm really enjoying right now and I can't wait for Regionals in June to try and qualify for Nationals here in Calgary. My first regionals this past June in Lethbridge was the thrill of a lifetime for me. It was so well organized and so exciting for Trapper and I!!
Who knows - maybe I'll even enter Hunter at Regionals next year - if she still seems focused as she was at the Wee Wed trial this past week - you never know!!!

If "turning to the darkside" means being challenged in a different way, being pushed to try and be a better handler, making new friends and enjoying something new - then I don't mind!

To each her own! :o)

Yes!!! Hunter acheived her ADC title!!

Well - the Wee Wednesday trial tonight was great!! My Hunty got her last Starters Standard leg! Yippee!!! She got her title - ADC (Agility Dog of Canada) and she got a beautiful Training Troop titling ribbon! I usually don't collect ribbons unless they're special - this one is!! And she had no sniffies!! Wow - she ran really well! We didn't get her Snooker - as she jumped one of the red's twice - but until then she ran great! Trapper was only in Advance snooker and he ran wonderful!! Fast and clean in the opening - and we racked up a lot of points - but then he missed his weave entry in the closing!! I didn't care - he ran terrific so I was very happy!!
I love Wee Wed trials as they are very relaxed and really a lot of fun!

But I love to Sniff!!!!!!

Tomorrow night I entered the Training Troops Wee Wednesday trial. I've entered Hunter in Starters Standard and starters Snooker. I've entered Trapper in Advanced Snooker! For the last year I've really concentrated on Trappers training and trialing as he really enjoys it and does really well at agility!
Hunter is my happy go lucky, fly by the seat of her pants kind of agility dog. She doesn't love agility - at all. She does it for me and because I'm out there running and she wants to be with me. She's a hunting dog. If we trial in a barn and there's smells out there she'll go find them. Don't get me wrong - when Hunter is on and focused - she's dynamite! She's even won a few "Top Dog" awards at a few trials in the past.
Tomorrow night is a good test for her as the barn we will be in has had a lot of horses in it recently and we'll see if there are little "treats" left behind from them! I would love to enter Hunter in Regionals next June to try and qualify for Nationals so I'm going to enter her in a few trials here and there over the next few months and see where she's at! There's no pressure for her at all because I just want her to enjoy herself when she's out there! I never correct her during a run as she's very sensitive and usually shuts down. She has also always had problems with her weaves! She'll pop at 10 - not everytime - but a lot of times!!
So - tomorrow with be a great test for her with sniffing and the weaves! We'll see how she does!

Travelling for Agility

I just got my confirmation for the Dogs at Large trial (DAL) in Edmonton the weekend of December 5th. Great news!! AAC trials have been soooo hard to get into recently!! It may be because the AAC Nationals are in Calgary in 2010! Everyone wants to get their trialing in!



I only have Trapper entered and am travelling on my own for that weekend! I'll bring Hunter too though just cause I love having both kid's with me as much as possible! I'm actually really looking forward to being on my own though! It's like a little mini vacation!! I also just bought a new laptop and am looking forward to using it on my agility travels!



There's also a Wee Wednesday trial this coming Wednesday and I'm entering Hunter in the Starters Standard and Starters Snooker! Trapper will be in Advanced Snooker so we'll see how those runs go!!

This will be the first full trial since Trapper finally got his last Advaced Standard last weekend and has moved up to Masters!! We were having a very difficult time with the Table, but it is rarely used in Masters so I'm so relieved!! - Yippee!!!!