Eileen Stein Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Didn't see skijoring mentioned (apologies if I missed it), but that might be a fun winter activity for you if there's lots of snow where you are. Google it if you haven't heard of it. But especially if you're not particularly focused on organized competition as your goal, I'd be going with tracking. I love activities where the dog knows stuff about what's needed for the endeavor that you don't know, so you're both contributing your specialized capabilities to achieve the goal. There's a feeling of awe when you can truthfully say at the outset that your dog knows more about X than you ever will, and then the two of you work at combining your two different talents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiba Posted July 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I have heard of Solider Hollow and have been planning on attending. It sounds great! I know someone who skijors with her labxhusky and they love it. My dog is a GREAT puller (loose leash walking was awful to teach at first, I swear my right arm is longer than my left.) I'd love to have some 'fun' exercise in the winter because hiking kinda sucks in 10" of snow, lol. I'm rethinking flyball, Oli will play fetch with me for maybe 8 minutes before he gets bored and grabs another toy. Dock diving sounds cool, I've seen it but don't really know what's going on other than a dog jumping off a dock Mental note to do some research. Tracking sounds really cool! When we were camping I'd point out a deer or elk track and have him sniff it, then say "Find it." He'd take off down some trail and I'd follow. I doubt he was really following any scent, it was just fun to pretend So now I've narrowed it down to agility, dog sledding/skijoring, and tracking. Now I just need to dip a toe in each and see what we like. And hey, there's no reason we can't do them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 You are in a GREAT area for agility and flyball! You might join the Yahoo list, Utahagility, and make some contacts that way. Also, check out www.wasatchagility.com - there are a few trainers listed there in herding and agility. The flyball group is Utah Tail Blazers - I know several folks who do flyball and agility (and probably herding too!). If you want to pm me, I can get you some contacts. BTW, there are a LOT of AKC folks in northern Utah. (That's what the GSDOC club is.) I don't do any AKC, and might steer you away from the organization (the umbrella group, not the local folks) - but that's another whole chapter.... Best of luck finding your sport! diane (in Moab, where there is just me!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiba Posted July 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Thanks Diane, I'll definitely check those out! Have you heard anything about Kelly Creek Farms? I met a lady who works there at the sheepdog trial I went to and it's been recommended to me by the pet specialty store where I get Oli's food. Thanks for the heads up about GSDOC, I share many people of this boards view of AKC. What is an absolute must for agility? Does my dog need to have a solid come, down, stay, and other things? He's not perfect and we're still working on learning with distractions. Would you recommend attending any more obedience classes other than the intermediate one we're in now? I don't want to be 'that lady with the dog who doesn't listen'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arf2184 Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Ask to go sit in on an agility class before you sign up. Make sure you like the trainers methods. We have people sit in on our classes all the time...some just to watch, some scouting for a good trainer. Its nice for the dogs to have a small audience to kind of help prepare for the more distracting competition environment. A note on agility...as said, it can take some time for both you and your dog to really get into it. Meg and I are currently taking our 5th agility session. Meg is a nervous dog. Agility has helped with this A LOT and she's come a long way, but new situations, people, dogs, etc. are still a bit scary sometimes. Meg loved the foundation class. In Agility-I came the teeter...she absolutely hated it. The movement and noise as it reset freaked her out. Her dislike of the teeter led to her being weary of some of the other equipment (especially the a-frame...looks a bit like a teeter from her view) and also led to a dislike/mistrust of our trainer (whom she was fine with before). We took a few months off and I considered quitting or finding another trainer. Instead, we stuck it out, backed up a bit, re-took Agility I with the same trainer and very gradually re-introduced the teeter. In class, the trainer had to instruct from a distance because Meg didn't trust her. I also worked a lot on a makeshift teeter at home. By Agility II, Meg was enjoying agility again. Loved the A-frame, mastered the dog walk, jumps were awesome, and the chute, tunnel and tire were ok. We even conquered the teeter! I was so proud and happy the first time she went over the teeter like it was nothing in class. It was a huge accomplishment and she seemed to know it too. Her confidence skyrocketed after that. We're now finishing up Agility III. Meg loves the weave poles and the A-Frame the most. She forgives my many handling mistakes. Meg still shies away from our trainer most of the time, but they've come to an understanding/compromise...Meg will take treats from her and the trainer will not approach or look directly at Meg. It works. Agility is a lot of fun once you get into it. We've still got quite a ways to go before we're ready to compete, if we ever get that far (not sure how Meg will handle the competition environment). As far as cost goes, classes have been our biggest expense. We have minimal equipment at home that I've made myself: jumps, weave poles, a 'hoop', and a board that we use for contact training/as a makeshift low teeter. I'm working on a tire as we need to practice that one. Beyond that, we can practice at a local agility facility for $5 an hour so I don't think I'll build/buy anymore equipment for a while. Meg also loves Frisbee. If you get into that, good discs make a big difference. Check out http://skyhoundz.com/. Meg prefers the softer SofFlite discs. I think the fly-ball environment would be too much excitement for Meg. We may give Rally a try. I did weight pulling with Matty, a lab mix I had. We loved it. You don't need much training to get started...I borrowed a harness from the competition host on our first pull and just did it. Matty did great and had fun so we bought our own harness for $30-$40 and trained a bit at home. She took Top-percent in her second competition. It's not for every dog, but Matty and I had a ton of fun and met some great people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 There's a feeling of awe when you can truthfully say at the outset that your dog knows more about X than you ever will, and then the two of you work at combining your two different talents. +1. I didn't think I would like tracking. I took my dog as a youngster because he had pano and I didn't want to start agility when his legs still hurt sometimes, and because he can be fearful of some people. But its amazing. It can also be a good sport for your wallet: I spent some money on a nice tracking lead and harness but the flags and articles are cheap and I usually track alone or with a friend in places that are free. When the dingus, adolescent dog who overreacts to all kinds of things suddenly dropped that head and started pulling me along I line I couldn't see like a freight train, I got chills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Kelly Creek is HIGHLY recommended! (Tell Shauna hey from me...) both agility & herding Yes, a good foundation is critical. All the usual behavior things...which frankly, I'm not sure you can get in a class. It's an ongoing process - proofing, reinforcing, reinforcing, reinforcing. I taught my young dog that he must wait for me to open the door before he goes out; if he is standing at the door, I just wait him out - pretty soon that butt plops right down. I open it; he doesn't move until I give the word. He runs to the sidewalk (our agility field is across a quiet street); if he doesn't sit at the curb, he KNOWS he is in soooo much trouble! Beyond that kind of thing, there are a zillion foundation things that will make or break your agility "career" - if it turns into that. And be forewarned....it IS addicting! Most students want to immediately get their dogs on equipment - cuz it's fun for the human and fun for the dog. But simple things like "come to my side when you are running full out" will come in so handy later on. OK, can't give you the whole enchilada here...but yes, check out Kelly Creek, by all means! diane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippin's person Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I love activities where the dog knows stuff about what's needed for the endeavor that you don't know, so you're both contributing your specialized capabilities to achieve the goal. There's a feeling of awe when you can truthfully say at the outset that your dog knows more about X than you ever will, and then the two of you work at combining your two different talents. This is most excellent, Eileen. Articulates exactly how I think about it, too. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I'm rethinking flyball, Oli will play fetch with me for maybe 8 minutes before he gets bored and grabs another toy. You have so many cool activities to do, so no biggie if you're rethinking flyball. However, I did want to point out that it's not really like fetch to most dogs. WAY more fun and exciting for them! So, I wouldn't take his tiring of fetch as a sign he won't like flyball. Again, though, I'm not pushing it, you've got plenty to choose from! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I also play flyball. My border collie has issues and with time and patience did compete some in flyball but it really is not her thing. She loves the game BUT not all the people. She does ok some days and not so well other days. We took a couple agility classes and she loved it. She overcame her fear of the teeter which was huge. She probably would make a pretty nice agility dog but I myself cannot afford and don't have the time for agility and flyball and flyball is my chosen sport. We tried dock diving with Tempe and I plan to pursue this area but we don't have anything close by. Tempe loves to swim. Water is her absolute number 1 preference. We now have a pool at home. She loves frisbee but with her collapsing problems we won't compete. So basically find what you both like to do and go from there. With anything a solid recall is a must. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I know someone who skijors with her labxhusky and they love it. My dog is a GREAT puller (loose leash walking was awful to teach at first, I swear my right arm is longer than my left.) I'd love to have some 'fun' exercise in the winter because hiking kinda sucks in 10" of snow, lol. You can even get a start on Skijoring with Bikejoring before it snows. Kenzi is a puller so I fgured if I can't beat her, join her She is not always keeping out in front yet, but wow, when she kicks in she can pull really well. And she loves it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 ....Beyond that, we can practice at a local agility facility for $5 an hour so I don't think I'll build/buy anymore equipment for a while. I am so jealous. I want to move to where you are! The best I can do around here (SW Virginia) is $25 per hour, and it is also a 35 minute drive. Skijoring, Bikejoring? and skatejoring (using in-line skates; is there another name for it?) all sound great. Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiba Posted July 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Thanks again for all of your replies, I really appreciate it. It's so nice to be able to get advice from people with experience. I can hardly wait to finish our class so we can start at Kelly Creek! I also love the fact that they're Border Collie people. How did you learn to track? Books or did you have help from someone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 You do realize the inherent risks in trying any sort of stockwork with your dog? I'm not just talking kicks, bites, bruises, tumbles, butts, strained muscles, sprains, or injuries (to either of you). I'm talking having to buy a pickup, then a farm, put in fencing and shelter or barn, cross-fencing, maybe a round or smaller pen for starting youngsters, livestock, stock-handling equipment, a trailer - not mentioning training costs, clinic fees, a camper to go to trials, money for another dog or two or three or four. Trust me, it's a risky proposition to take your dog to stock - be forewarned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discfocused Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 I LOVE disc dogs. It is not as expensive as some other sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Wootie's chosen "sport," for example, is killing squirrels but I choose not to pursue this hobby with him ;-) But after some trial and error... we discovered that he thinks dock diving is oodles of fun. Why does it not surprise me to learn that Wootie likes dock diving? Skiba, based on your description of how you currently spend time with your dog, I think you would really enjoy exploring Silvia Trkman's website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 How did you learn to track? Books or did you have help from someone? Both. My friend and sometimes instructor helped me the first few times and also recommended a couple of books. It isn't really hard, your dog knows how to track already...you just have to teach him to show you what he is smelling and identify your articles. The books I got were About Tracking Dog Training and About Track Laying by Betty Mueller, also Fun Nosework For Dogs by Roy Hunter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiba Posted July 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Both. My friend and sometimes instructor helped me the first few times and also recommended a couple of books. It isn't really hard, your dog knows how to track already...you just have to teach him to show you what he is smelling and identify your articles. The books I got were About Tracking Dog Training and About Track Laying by Betty Mueller, also Fun Nosework For Dogs by Roy Hunter. Thanks, I will definitely be checking those out. I think we're going to start tracking while we're in our obedience class Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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