Chan

My 3 yo BC has been prescribed confine him so that he only walks and he may have 6, 5 min potty/sniffing walks so I feel your pain! I bought a couple of food dispensing toys (the Kong wobbler and the King gyro). I also have distributed a meal of kibble in a muffin pan and put balls or other toys in each cup on top of the kibble so he has to move them to get to it. I put him in a x pen to feed him so he gets some exercise by walking around it getting the food out. Ive also used the muffing tin to do a little nosework by putting a treat or kibble in one tin and covering all of them with balls/toys so he uses his nose to find the treat. I purchased one of the food puzzles as well that has levers to flip and disks to move. He is clicker trained so we are also working on stationary tricks like putting his chin on the ground and I want to teach him to cross his paws, hes learning play dead also. He will also stay in a down while I roll a ball to him and then he rolls it back to me with his nose. Another trick in progress is pick up one front paw or the other when I say 1 or 2 or point to them. Some of this may be more activity than your foster is allowed but maybe you can use a few of the ideas. . Best wishes drurng the confinement, Chandra

I'll speak up just so airbear doesn't feel totally alone I too bathe my dogs a couple of times a month. The also sleep on beds, lounge on furniture and stay in hotels regularly and we have red clay in our area plus I really like a dog that smells "baby fresh". I use Crazy Dog, Baby Dog shampoo - it smells like baby powder. I have an indoor professional size dog tub - one of my best purchases ever! Their skin is in great condition and their coats are soft and silky (esp. after a bath). I will also go so far as to admit the occasional blow drying Chandra

I tend to crate them at night so I can leave the panties off and allow air circulation. I just used the dog panties they sell at Petsmart. Maybe a thicker pad would help?

Finn. Makes me think of Irish which makes me think of red

Rook had one or two of these early on. I believe the judge's comment was "oh. My."

Deleted duplicate post. I am quote challenged.

I have a stop on the DW and a running a frame for pretty much the reasons you listed. I did start off training a running DW and it was either great, or not so much. It is hard to clearly communicate criteria. Initially it was fun to work on and then it became not fun so we switched to a stop. Easy peasy since he had a stop on the teeter. I basically used the Rachel Sanders box method with a few tweaks (a stationary alley pop to run through, placed about 4-5' from the base of the frame). I did lots of ground work before putting it on the frame and have done minimal reps on the frame to fine tune and proof it. Rook has run in about 8 -10 trials (multiple classes with frames per trial) and so far only 1 miss on an exit with a sharp turn to the left. I practice the aframe once a week on average for maybe 5 reps. Some weeks not at all. If it was something I had to practice a lot to maintain I might change my opinion of it. I love it :-)

So you used her book and method to teach both your stopped DW and running A frame Kristi? The frame looked great on the video you posted recently. I used a combo of the Rachel Sanders method plus tweaks by Tracy Sklenar for Rook's running a frame and love it. I'm getting ready to start with my golden and I'm always curious about new methods. I'm very intrigued by the comments about teaching a stopped contact but early releasing and that staying good throughout their career since that seems contrary to most "popular" opinion and what I've seen as well. Kristine, Have you received your book yet and what do you think about it?? Thanks, Chandra

Congratulations - what a striking boy!! I look forward to hearing updates about how he's progressing. Sounds like a neat dog!

Absolutely

Congratulations!!

How cool!! Congratulations!

Bar looks great!! I'd like to know how you did the timing thing? That would be oh so handy for many things :-)

I have done it successfully with two dogs. I used a method very similar to Diane's. I start with them in front facing me and I use my right hand to turn the dog to his left and my left hand to turn the dog to his right. Once they are turning readily I add the cue (right or left) as they turn and begin fading the lure. Once the lure is faded I work on true understanding of the direction- mixing up L vs R with verbal only. Then, I work on it from my sides and at a distance and take it to equipment. The first time I taught both directions at the same time. The second I taught Left first, then right. I didn't see a huge advantage either way. The angle of the turn can be sharper or more gentle and they seem to read it well, either from the context of the course or based on my distance behind them. Also, I tend to repeat, as in "left, left, left" for a tighter angle vs a softer "left" for a gentle curve. It has definitely come in handy when I've found myself further behind than I planned. I do try to plan what direction I want to be calling as I walk the course - being mindful of those spots I might find myself eating dust . The advantage to using R and L is that if I'm behind the dog's R/L and mine are the same so it is possible to wing it if necessary Have fun with it - it really can be quite handy!

If you've done the ground work of finding a reputable breeder (which it sounds like you have) then I really do think you can trust them to pick out the pup that is best for you based on your stated needs/desires in a pup. Or if allowed to choose, pick the pup that "speaks" to you, even if just from photos. You've got a good breeder, a nicely planned litter and I bet you can't go wrong. Of the last three dogs I've gotten, two were chosen by the breeder based on what I planned to do with the pup and characteristics desired. The third and most recent, Rook, was the last male left and I was sure I wanted a male so that made the decision easy. All three were long distance arrangements. The first two were exactly what I "asked for" and the the third is just the perfect pup for our family. Take a deep breath and go for it Looking forward to puppy photos!

I feel fairly confident in stating that this is atypical I'm pretty sure if you could duplicate this experience easily with other dogs you could quit your day job and just hire yourself out to teach RC to other people's dogs

So sorry for your loss! What a journey you had - may those memories bring you comfort and joy as time passes.

This if for a running a frame, Rook stops on the DW. 1. - Jump into then out of box with all 4 feet then run through alley oop. 2. Shaping with a clicker. 3. The box goes on the contact area of a lowered a frame and the alley oop goes 6 feet out. Once it is raised and proofed I fade the props. 4. Criteria has become crest a frame, hit once with front feet/rear feet, next hit with front feet/rear feet in the yellow, head down and exit the frame. If I see hits getting higher or only one stride then I will add back props for a practice session or two. I also utilize a no reward marker and withhold reward then repeat. 5. 100 % in trials to date. Of course at this time, that is 2-3 runs/day with an frame and maybe 10 trial days. The last trial he had a hit higher than I like so I added back the box and a stationary toy for a couple of practice sessions. I am very pleased with his performance so far and I think it is going to be fairly easy to maintain as he clearly understands his criteria. If he has a bad hit in practice he almost always corrects it the next pass. I only do 4-5 frames per practice session and practice between 0 - 3 times a week depending on weather, schedule, etc. Here is a little clip showing the hit in the trial that was higher than I cared for but still had feet clearly in yellow and a couple of practices where I added back the box and a stationary toy. Have fun training! Running contacts become an obsessions and can have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows (the lows were centered around the DW which we finally gave up I do think conveying clear criteria is one of the most difficult aspects of RC training on the DW.

^^^ This for sure!! I recently added a golden puppy to our house - other at 8 weeks, she's 6 months now. I really did want another dog to train but a major reason was also that Rook, our BC, also loves to play with other dogs and I really wanted him to have a friend. I love watching him play with other dogs and thought he'd be thrilled to have a playmate 24/7. He was 16 months when the puppy, Oakley, came home. He adored her at first but as she got bigger and more obnoxious he became more selective. Outside he loves her a fair amount of the time and they can have some wonderful race and chase games. Some times he just ducks as she drives by and stares at me to "throw something!". Inside he has gone through of phase of hiding from her (think in my bathroom between the wall and the toilet) and slinking away when she comes near. Other times inside he'll play bitey face with her and they chew bones side by side and he likes her pretty well. There are times I think I've ruined his life He is a soft dog and I do intervene and stop her from harassing him and she gets crated some so he has free time without her around. I think that as she matures and settles more he will begin to like her more often that not but, I also think in retrospect that he would be "happier" as an only dog with frequent get togethers with his doggie friends. Interestingly, I read a blurb somewhere in the past few weeks that said many dogs stop playing with other dogs by the time they're about 18 months old - except for dogs they've played with since puppyhood. My personal experience will the similar age/loss issues is that a year and a half ago we lost an 11 yo. mix (old age/cancer) followed 2 months later by our 6 yo golden (cancer) and then 4 months later our 10 year old mini dachshund (tragic accident). Our 12 1/2 yr old Viszla is still going strong so there are just no definites. Best of luck whatever you decide but do try to really base it on what "you" want.

Another, another brother from another mother.... I love the wonky ear stage and waiting to see how they finally end up

I totally understand the theory and it sounds great! I took an online class with Sylvia Truman (queen of RC) "Running Contacts that Make you Smile" - more like pull your hair out There were over 100 people taking the class. For a few that theory held, for many it did not. Rook did great on a low slope board and even when 2' high and sometimes when 3' high but not always. If I recall right she recommended 20 reps 4-5 days a week and she actually had you raise the height fairly quickly once the striding was good on the flat. Honestly, that is when a lot of people had problems. I didn't practice as often as she suggested and I'll still bet he did more DWs during that time than he will the rest of his trial career. That online experience plus knowing several people who have or have tried RC is what makes me think it can take lots of reps. I'm sure for some people that isn't the case - and lucky you if you're one of them

The nose touch is supposed to encourage weight shift to the rear. I think once they're in the habit of stopping by shifting weight to the rear vs slamming into the shoulders the nose touch is less vital. My last dog I keep the nose touch through novice or open but then let it go. Letting it go didn't cause me any problems. The dog I'm currently training and just started trialing I let the nose touch go before he had his first competition run. I have a puppy and I"m considering just skipping the nose touch from the get go with her (but I do wonder about the weight shift aspect). I may be a lazy trainer also I think the most important criteria to keep with the 2o/2o is not to release until they actually have 2o/2o. Actually, a big advantage to 2o/2o is that you can practice your criteria off of the actual equipment, or just on the end of it which means that there is a lot less wear and tear during practice, which for many dogs is where the majority of reps over equipment comes in. Running contacts, especially for the DW can take lots of reps to teach and maintain which equals lots or wear and tear on a more regular basis (not just at trials). I was thrilled that it didn't take that long to teach Rook a running a frame and it's been flawless so far with minimal practice but I finally gave up the running DW because it was requiring more reps to get it consistent than I felt comfortable with.

Absolutely adorable!! Love his markings and his name!! Congrats! Chandra

I have a friend who took this. She started with a puppy. It is a systematic method of teaching handling skills. So, while you could start with an older, trained dog it would involve a lot of retraining I think. Also, it is geared toward skills focused toward more European type courses and a large part of it involves being ahead of your dog. My friend didn't complete the course but she did gain confidence in handling her dog because she had a system in place. For the help you're seeking I would highly recommend Tracy Sklenar's Agility U.(http://www.agility-u.com) You can sign up for Campus Center which gives you access to articles, handling drills and discussion with Tracy. If you pay for it (an extra $10 I think) you can get 5 minutes of video review/week (this is way worth it!). Tracy will come up with a personal plan for you based on the issues you are having. She is very positive and will work with you where you are to get you where you want to go. She doesn't have a cookie cutter approach and will try different things to help you and your dog communicate best. You would start off telling her your issues, submitting some video's from trials or practice and then she would give you suggestions and create training plans just for you. I think with the video review it's $65/month and you can stop at any time - you pay month to month. She also offers individual classes as well. I started taking her foundation classes with Rook and was a member of Campus Center until this past month. She uses fun games and short sequences to teach many skills. As the finale to my infomercial for her I'll include two runs from Rook's third trial Best Wishes in finding something that helps you! Chandra