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Molly's agility thread.


CptJack
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  • 3 months later...
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  • 3 weeks later...

Molly's been getting all the agility attention/training/lessons since our last trial, and a-) it's helping but b-) holy crap I love my instructor.

 

Basically, right now, we're pulling everything all the way apart. Super short sequences and handling challenges with different handling options, tons of video, watching the video, feedback on what's I'm doing and how Molly's responding to it, suggestions and then doing it all over again.

 

I'm really starting to think we're going to be able to *properly* and really get it together.

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  • 2 months later...

That freaking decoy jump got me with *Kylie*, which was a pretty good clue I needed a strong switch and to follow up with "TUNNEL!!!!' since no way was I getting ahead of her there :P   

 

We're getting there.  Slowly, but getting there.  Not quite ready for Open Jumpers, yet, but we're moving along other places.  Maybe by Spring I'll even finish up her novice versatility (only a couple of Qs to go.)

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  • 4 weeks later...

This is going to be a bit weird, or maybe just boring for people - but I'm posting anyway. 


These two clips in the first video  are of separate days, but show Molly arriving at an agility lesson and leaving the course after a run.  They're not exciting videos but they are IMPORTANT.  In some ways more important than what happens on the course.  They're telling in big, important, ways that make me happy and proud of her.   They show a lot of focus, self-control, and connection.  Instead of frantic, ramped up excitement or an over aroused or twitchy dog.   They show her paying attention, and having a brain in her head. 

For some dogs, not a big deal.  For her?  Big deal.  For some?  Probably more 'energy' at the go is desirable. For her? No.  This is good, this is big, and I am proud. 

 

This is the entire run that the end clip came from, for those that want a little more flash.  You'll want to mute - the background noise here is distracting and loud. 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Molly got 3 new titles this weekend - Novice Chances, Open Weavers, Elite Tunnelers.


The actual brag is that when someone bent over and tried to kiss her face, no one got bitten.   Love the woman who did it but I think she just... spaced out, and was able to do so because Molly's become very, very ...solid in not acting like a fool with minimal management, but.   No. 

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This weekend was weird.  It was a really small trial,  but with a lot of people who aren't normally there or new people and more 'wtf' moments than usual. Possibly the environment got too laid back, or the incoming hurricane was influencing people's brain or something. 

We had a woman with a 3lb 'toy aussie'  (7 month old) puppy who stopped to ask if Molly was good with other dogs.  Upon saying 'no' the woman hung out and tried to chat while her breakable dog was being a wild idiot doing zoomies on about 9 feet of leash around Molly - until I picked Molly up and walked away. 

We had to repeatedly yell at one particular couple who KEPT blocking the entry gate but getting offended by their dog being snarked at. 

God help me if Barney e does not stop pissing on the ring gates, I'm going to tear some piece of his anatomy off.  ...Thankfully, at least, Barney is definitely a dog.

And the face kissing thing.  Molly was very good not to put holes in anyone but certainly went whale eyed while I squeaked out a 'panicked 'Don't do that!'  (Lab owner. Lovely lady but holy crap). 

Another woman leaned over Molly to baby talk at her. I told her to stop. She said, 'Yeah your husband said she needed space'.  Great, so maybe do that?

And another person (golden owner) walked up to Kylie, grabbed her by the face and playfully shook. 

...Sometimes I think my dogs have issues and then this stuff happens, no one bleeds and I realize they're actually pretty good dogs. 


And also that people are bizarre and maybe I need to go back to that 'Ignore me' harness since apparently acting normal and behaving is the batsignal for people to completely invade their space and manhandle them. 

 

It really was a good weekend overall though! Just.  weird stuff. 

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  • 1 month later...

 

Molly was (and I know why) right on the edge of 'out of control' all weekend, resulting in REALLY wide turns and a low Q rate (and a frantic and mistake making me), but we had some nice stuff there, too.   I like the second run here (the second one, clear NQ, it's Chances) the best by far. 

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I don't know. She looked pretty good. And wide turns often result as the speed ramps up, which may not be a bad thing??

Second run - that looked great too, except out of the tunnel where you pushed her out.  Not by a hand/arm gesture, but because you were too close. Does she have a pretty big bubble? (Those types of dogs can be a challenge!) It was good to see that you were able to settle her down after that.

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Yeah, I didn't realize what happened on the second run until I saw the video and then facepalmed because what I did wrong there is SO CLEAR that I could get a sharpie and mark the screen with where I should have been.  Ah well, live and learn.


The wide turns don't *generally* bother me, and are definitely result of going fast and hard.   They make what NADACs doing with regular courses lately REALLY difficult though.  Difficult in general combined with the space bubble (yes - huge, huge, HUGE one) - but also the courses are getting relatively 'cluttered', requiring tighter turns and a lot of... very viable off courses 2 feet away from on ones.  Don't know what I'm going to ultimately do to handle that,  but I'm not going to worry about it for a while.  I doubt I get back to regular for a while with her. 

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23 minutes ago, gcv-border said:

LOL - on the Saturday video.

Interesting that NADAC is getting less flow-ey? The lack of tight turns was a hallmark of NADAC, and what set it apart from AKC, USDAA, etc.

It is interesting.  They're not... not flowing, in fairness (a lot of AKC courses (the only other ones I know at all) feel pretty random to me) but they are definitely changing to just being tighter.  Like a couple of courses this week were basically tightly nested spirals with some abrupt direction changes re: way you were going around that spiral, a lot more discrimination skills needed near constantly, and 180%  'reverse direction at an obstacle' happening.   All of which are skills dogs SHOULD have but used to show up once, maybe twice, a course were all over the place this weekend.  Easy enough with Kylie - she's got a short side, tight turns, and her top speed is just around 5 YPS.  If I'd been doing those things with Molly I'd have cried.   Games classes are still more than fine but the regular ones are just... changing.


Kind of wonder if it has something to do with the new willingness of nadac to grandfather in titles from other organizations.  Or if they're just going through a phase with course design, but Molly's going to have to do some work before I go anywhere near regular with her again.  Or I"ll drop her back to novice and work back up or something.   I don't have another trial until the end of December/New Year's though, and then nothing much till spring so I've got some time to try to work on it/think about it.  

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  • 1 month later...
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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/29/2019 at 11:58 PM, Lawgirl said:

That is beautiful!

We might be getting somewhere!

 

Also sharing this, which is a course that went wrong without falling apart, which I am exceptionally proud of because usually it falls apart and everyone's frustrated fast :P  (Same trial, obviously, just found this going over video)

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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