AGILITY
AGILITY
Em and I will take a break from Agility this winter to concentrate on other sports.
I'm a Drop-out! > July 26, 2007
Em and I are going to take a break from agility. We both find it frustrating and we need to go back to basics. Right now isn't the time. We'll finish off the summer session and see what happens from there.
Em Stopped Listening... Until I Put her Back in the Car! > May 29, 2007
Em and I have been logging quite a bit of agility time together between classes and practice. Her stay became worse than at the end of last season so our focus has been on that. It's starting to pay off. She is doing well overall and I'm improving too. I really wish I had a slow dog for this though. Half the time I'm thinking of Em keeping her stay and the other half I'm thinking of how to keep up!
Em is Listening and I am Leading! > March 28, 2007
We've had a few classes now and I have to say that Em and I are having a lot of fun. We're putting together sequences of jumps, tunnels, A-frame, teeter,. table and dogwalk. Em's "down" has been very good at the start of each exercise (what a relief!). She's also discovered that she much prefers the chute to the weave poles! And her contacts have improved immensely since that first class :)
First Day Back > March 15, 2007
Em and I had a great time at agility tonight. Her contacts were 99% non-existent (we have to work on that at home before next week) but she was ripping up the course and having a blast! Everything was a lot more advance that our last level so it was a nice challenge for me too. We did combinations of jumps, A-frame and dog-walk. I left with a big smile on my face and Em was happy to be playing again. Her weaving started off where we left it off multiple months ago so that was encouraging too!
Back at It! > February 24, 2007
Classes start the 2n week of March so look for more amusing Emmy-does-Agility blogs! This should test my patience once again :)
Taking Some Time Off > December 17, 2006
TNT Agility takes January and February off every year so Emmy and I are taking a few well deserved months off. We finished the season nicely and we're looking forward to moving up a level in the new year. We will continue to work on contacts and table at home.
My Handler is Getting Better > December 10, 2006
Em and I are continuously making progress in agility. Last week, we dropped the see-saw and she maintained nice contacts and we had some fun with jump and tunnel combinations. She is getting much better at waiting for her cue and working on the right side. Her table was a little rusty but it was cute to see her take a few jumps, then a tunnel then the table at full speed. Needless to say she skidded right off! She's always good for a laugh :) She also decided she didn't really like the weave poles last week; deciding to get out a lot. With the weather getting really cold in there, we're looking forward to the January and February break!
If Only my Handler Could Get it Right! > November 14, 2006
If I didn't have 2 left feet, Em might have a chance in agility!!! Everything is coming along nicely. We even dropped the see-saw this week and she wasn't phased at all. Her contacts are excellent off the dog walk, a-frame and see-saw. It's just very funny to see a person that talks with their hands try to give clear directions to a dog! I'm coming along though.
Excellent Contact Emmy! > November 7, 2006
We had a fantastic class tonight.
** Em's contacts on the A-frame look great ** She ran between the 2-wide weaves alone ** She actually waited for me almost every time. Our sit-stay and down-stay practices at the field are really paying off! ** She stayed steady when Pam moved the teeter up and down. Maybe next week, we'll drop it all the way down :) ** Her jumping looked great. ** Her 4 jumps then tunnel was a little funny but once she understood what I wanted, it was a breeze!
All in all, we had lots of fun tonight.
Beginner 3 Begins > October 27, 2006
I was in such a crabby mood today that I wasn't even impressed when Em had fantastic contacts. It was only a few hours later that I realized that we've been working on those for months and she finally did it alone with no guidance. Too bad I missed it at the time. It's a mistake I can't make again.
On the positive side, her counter-clockwise pinwheel in coming along nicely; it's especially hard for Em since she is always on my left side and she is on my right for 3 jumps for this. The clockwise pinwheel has been pretty good since day 1. Her weaves are coming along too. Every practice or two, they get inched in a touch. Sometimes she notices and we have to move them back out a touch so she runs down the middle of the 2 sets of poles.
I think Em has a mission of teaching me a lot about myself while having some fun in agility. I have to remember to have a little more fun myself.
Beginner 2 Comes to an End > October 20, 2006
We have continued in agility and Em and I still enjoy the challenge. We are doing a lot of reps on the A-frame, see-saw and dog walk. When Em gets exited she loses thought of her hind end, which should be on the equipment but winds up everywhere else. Weaving is progressing and her jumping and tunnel are looking better every week. The fact that she works eagerly for salmon kibble tells me she likes agility :)
We will continue through the winter with TNT Agility.
Beginner 2 - 1st Class > September 5, 2006
I guess I liked agility enough to continue! It's exiting watching your dog progress quickly in something. In the beginner class, we started table, weaves, jumps, tire, tunnel, see-saw, a-frame and dog walk. In beginner 2, we'll do more weaving and contacts (a-frame, see-saw and dog walk) as well as more handling (compared to Emmy, I have 2 left feet!)
This week, we did some weaving (Em seems to be doing well) and some drills to tighten her turn around jumps. A continuous drill for Em is to run along my right side. That darn left-heel of hers creeps up :)
I'll try to post some pictures ASAP.
Beginner Agility Classes So Far > August 27, 2006
I can't say I was really exited about agility but after a few classes, it started to grow on me. Em seemed hesitant at first but when the tug came out on lesson 3, she was in love. I use a mix of food (targets, weave and table) and tug (tire, jumps, tunnel).
Classes 1 and 2 were an intro to all the pieces of equipment. Class 3 we started to practice individual pieces more on our own. I never feel like we sit in agility (perfect for Emmy!) Classes 3 and 4 were more practice. Em was enthusiastic about everything but the tunnel. On class 5, she had a breakthrough: jump jump tunnel with no hesitation! I think I was more exited than she was :)
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