Mommy-ism #2 Let's Play What's my Release Word?

I thought I would get a little training on camera tonight. Amazing what putting a camera on ya while you are training can do for the thought process...
If you were my dog would you know what your release word is?

Clearly though, Hemi can handle distractions all around... Dogs running like crazy, Mom all over the place, ducking under tree limbs and never the same body language... I think we have proofed that in this training session.
Leave me a comment and tell me "What's my Release Word?"

Hemi-ism #6 - Fun matchs are Fantastic!

After what I felt like was a pretty successful class last Thursday night, I got to see how Hemi would respond in a Fun Match at Paws on Saturday.

Hemi did some great stays, great contacts, tables to die for... Yes, Yes... I KNOW... We were at her *PLACE* PAWS..... where she is used to training... but there were many people, and dogs she didn't know, dogs running all day, and she was crated for a good part of the morning (while her brother Oreo got to run) - So I think she did GREAT! OK... That isn't to say we didn't have some bobbles, which -  by the way seem to cause the 'sassing' but I overall was pleased.
Next PitStop in the Race... Calera! YaY! What is that?....

Calera, OK... this is where the 'owner' of NADAC (North America Dog Agility Counsel) owns a place and has what is called FUN-raisers.  It is a real trial, but this is a real low keyed environment and usually not a lot of people and dogs. Also, because NADAC allows some training in the ring, this is a perfect place for me to consistently show Hemi what I am expecting from her on the start line and contacts. [NADAC doesn't have tables - so no practicing that.]  I am looking forward to having some real-world trial experience where I can go back and "fix" mistakes.
Which us luck! We plan on going Jan 29th, and Feb 4-5th... Vroom Vroom......

Hemi-ism #5 - Trials and Tribulations – Table!

Pause Tables in an agility course…seriously??

The old standby “she does it great at home!” I could even say “she does it great in class!” well, need to make that past tense to did… Then we start trialing and that is where it all went downhill.

They are called “Pause Table” for a reason, for a place to make the dog “pause” and… and what?  What were they thinking? Why would I want my dog to Pause and have a moment to think about anything…

 I find it a place for me to stop and get me time to think about my nerves…

Some venues don’t even have them anymore, and some have minimized it to having the dog on it with all four paws, no sitting or down… but of course the venue I love so dearly USDAA, still requires a down.

Yes! Hemi did it great at one time...  Yes!  I rewarded heavily for it in the backyard… Yes! I thought I had done some proofing – but obviously not enough… as you will see me repeat in my blog – Hemi has taught me yet again that we have holes in our training….

So it is Thursday… Agility night and I can’t wait! Hemi and I have several key components we need to work on – and finally the weather is working in our favor. 

So we are off and I will give a status afterwards!

Hemi-ism #4 - Start Line Stays STINK!

"Start Line Stay? WHat STart LIne STay? I don't need no stinking start line STAY!"

Over the years, I have heard my agility teacher - Debbie Spence say "Start line stays are all good well, until you put them in a trial!" That also goes for TABLES! I would have to say after many years of training with her I didn't get it until I got a dog with DrIvE!

I worked stays at a young age, even got really good with crate games. To this day, she doesn't break her crate stay... but now she has learned Agility is so much fun! You can just see the excitement bursting out of every fiber of her being... she looks to the left and looks to the right to see what is the closest obstacle she can get to before I even have the leash off her head... Oh boy.

Our start line stays have completely fallen apart. This weekend I had to make the sacrifice to not make her stay at the start so that I could work some of the other things we needed. At the beginning I was trying to make her stay - I could feel the stress rising... and frustration as I see her little no tail butt 20 feet a head of me, leaving me in the dust at the start! So, I quit asking for one. We did some arching, so I could get a little head start, and did some drop the leash and run! It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. I would have walked off to tell her "fun is over" but I don't believe in my mind she completely understands the criteria. When in my mind, I am confident that I have trained her to understand that she doesn't choose, she must be released - and then I have proofed that with distractions and excitement then and only when I believe she understands that criteria will I walk off when she breaks the stay. My mistake was entering her in a trial, when that criteria was NOT set and firm. At the point I realized that,  I couldn't get my money back for this trial, so I decided I would use it for the things I did want to work on.
I have to admit, once I quit asking for the stay and was able to run without the stress at the start line - I really felt calmer and more in control.
So now I have a plan of action (POA) to work Hemi's stays, every day, with different rewards and different distractions. 
Stay tuned of some fun videos that I hope to share with you on our road to incredible stays!

The Gift of Gab-by

Each weekend of agility is a new learning experience. Your team-mate, your dog - your beloved pet does a great job at pointing out what you do and don't need to train.
I knew going into this weekend that I had a lot of things to train on - but I got a gift I wasn't expecting - Gabby.
Gabby is a 4 year old BC that belongs to an acquaintance of mine, Sharon - who after a long day was tired and jokingly asked me if I would like to run Gabby. It wasn't till a few minutes later when I saw her frantically waving me over to the course, that I realized she really wanted me to!  I was happy to oblige, I love running other peoples dogs!

There is just something about running another handlers dog. No jitters, no expectations, no preconceived "she is prone to turn away from me" or "she tunnel sucks" - Just a nice running dog, who - God willing was going to run with me and not away from me to find her handler! I had only met Gabby once - but Sharon assured me she would run for anybody!

Yes, Gabby and I ran - and yes it was a very nice run. No Q, because we had a bobble - but I had a blast and I think Gabby did too. But - what I learned - even from a dog I didn't know very well - was all they care  about is having fun. All my "worries" with my dog - is just that... mine. So for the rest of the weekend - as I walked out to the start line with Hemi - I remembered this little gift!  Just after running Gabby I ran Hemi in Jumpers, it was beautiful!
We Q'd, AND got 2nd Place. - Vroom! Vroom!

Mommy-ism #1: Filming is Fantastic!

If you have been reading this blog at all, you have seen the videos - most of which consist of several videos from a 3 day trial in Belton over New Years weekend.
I decided I wanted to dedicate this post to why "Filming is Fantastic".


I have filmed myself and my dogs on and off over the years - and I have always watched them afterwards. I found myself watching them and thinking "Yeah - pretty much how I remembered it"
For awhile, I completely quit videoing because I wasn't getting much out of them - and I didn't want to waste my co-agility addicts time filming me if it wasn't going to much use.


Then I got a new camera, and learned about Microsoft Movie Maker and of course Hemi (Vroom Vroom)!
While having fun putting together some movies of our "good and not so good" moments is when it started to really hit home for me. Especially in putting together the movies for this blog.
As I put together the ones of her 'sassing' at me and especially the ones of her contacts I could clearly see what body language I was giving her and what her responses were. I am a little embarrassed to say - for as many years as I have been in this sport - I thought I was more consistent.
It's easy to look at Hemi and say she is doing it because of this or that - but what I truly believe is that it is about my consistency!  There was one gamblers run, that besides the fact I should have run forward quicker I had both arms out straight - like a damned HELICOPTER! What is that telling her? Go forward? Go to my Left? Go to my right? I never (cough cough) do that in class.
I believe every dog I have had, and every dog I have put in agility has taught me some very valuable lessons. I have learned about behavior, reactive-ness, ring stress, worriers... and I think Hemi is going to be the lesson on consistency. I finally have the dog that wants to play and boy does she have the DRIVE... but if I don't get consistency with her - we are going to be in for a tough agility career.
Oh wait - this was supposed to be about FILMING!
I think you see how valuable this tool is. Look at my contacts have cooties video and the difference in her good ones versus her not so good ones and look at me. You can see that I need to get consistent, and I need to proof. If I had looked at one of those as a single video - that wouldn't have been so clear.
Thanks for reading this Mommy-ism!

Hemi-ism # 3 - Weave poles are Wonderful!

While our entries weren't always perfect, (due to the sassing) - our weaves were by far the best part of Hemi's performance. I work on them often in the backyard - throwing in rear crosses and strange entries. She always does very well at hitting her entry and finishing them independently. I have never had a dog that does weaves so well - that is all due to the Susan Garrett's DVD 12 weaves in 12 days. Using the 2x2 method. And NO! We did not get them in 12 days - but the progress we did make was amazing! Just watch and see!

Hemi-ism #2: Contacts have Cooties

I was happy to note, when I did this video that she had 50/50 missed vs. correct contacts. 50% isn't great, but watching these gave me a lot to work on. For instance, in the ones that she did well, I was at the end, with her, with my hands behind my back. Where as the ones she missed I am behind her and / or have my hands down to my side.

Two things to work on: 1. getting her to drive down to the end despite where I am. 2. Get my body language out of the equation.

Then I need to proof them.  Should I add some pudding?

Hemi-ism #1 - Barking is the Bom!

But Mom... Barking isn't bad.. is it?

Yes and No, Barking as you are working is one thing, barking @ me is another thing entirely.
Mom is instituting a "No Bark" policy, at home, in the backyard and especially in the agility ring. If Hemi barks at me, I go and sit in a chair... when she is quiet - we start again - if she barks or "sasses" me - I go back to the chair. We have tried it a couple of times and so far as the session proceed she is getting quieter. Timing is key - because I have to let her know it is the barking that is making the fun stop and not anything else that she is doing.
Will this help the overall cause? Only time will tell.  Stay tuned.... Vroom Vroom...

Hemi-isms beginnings

I am having a lot of fun with a new puppy in agility, but with fun comes the frustrations of learning.

Cut N Loose Texas Built - Ram Tuff aka "Hemi" - is my 20 month old Black Bi Australian Shepherd.  She is everything I dreamed of in a "driven" (pun intended) agility dog; and some... I guess the extra horse power I have in this diesel engine is a little more than I bargained for. 

I am starting this blog to track all the Hemi-isms through our agility career... even though we have hit our pot holes, we have crossed the finish line in style a few times... Sit back and enjoy the race...