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Meet Zelda, NA, NAJ, NF

3K views 19 replies 5 participants last post by  krandall 
#1 · (Edited)
#2 ·
Congratulations! Thanks for posting the videos. Shama and I are in our fourth eight-week agility class. We're lucky because there are only three (possibly four) other teams in the class, so we get lots of attention from the trainers and lots of opportunities for practice. I need to study the rules at some point, but for now, I'll just ask you . . . Is a loss of time the only penalty for skipping the weave poles twice? Also, Zelda looks so much bigger in the video than she does in your avatar. How old was she in the avatar photo, and how old is she now? (Sorry, your ticker says Feb 2014 = three years, four months.) How much does she weigh. Can you post a photo of her haircut/hairstyle that you use in competitions? Thanks! Congrats again!
 
#3 · (Edited)
That's great your class is small. Zelda started agility at 1 and took 2 years before we start competing. Link also started at about 1 and took a year also.

Yes, no points lost for weaves mishaps and you get 3 tries. Just waste time. Time really is not much of a concern normally and I never think about it. Too many things go wrong first :D Even in that video where Zelda were booking a whole 1.76 YPS (per official result) there was no time over deduction. I remember Shama is a little speed demon :)

The Profile picture was taken Sept 2016. I think it's just the angle of the shot that makes her look smaller. In fact she's probally smaller now than then, since she was overweight and I had been getting her weight down. Right now she's 9.5" at shoulder and about 11-11.5 lbs. As far as hair do, I do whatever that keep hair out of her eyes. I usually try to do the topsy tail (top knot then pull it under itself with a loop) because it is prettier. That's what she had in the second (smaller) pic and profile picture. I did a really good job in second pic and it looked fabulous, but it is a hit and miss like every knots I do on her :D. Yesterday I just did my regular 2 bands tie similar to the larger pic. The first band is pretty low to the eyes to catch all the shorter hair between her eyes.
 

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#9 ·
Thanks for that additional info, Karen.

Shama had a perfect run at class last night.

Jumps 1-3 took her at an angle to the left from one end of our space to 3/4 of the way down the room, then Jump 4 was at the far end, then she had to U-turn right and come back to Tunnel 5, then she had to almost U-turn left to Jump 7 and Jump 8 (which was same Jump as 4), then she had to U-turn left to go over the A-Frame 9 which was positioned above the tunnel, and then she had to race to the end over Jumps 10 and 11. (Sorry if you can't follow my description!)

It was her last run of the night. I was very proud. She is such a little trooper!

Don't ask me about her weave poles, however. Or her start-line stay (except for that last run). We have a private lesson scheduled to help her choose to weave without me luring her. And we don't have any trials scheduled yet as we are still learning.

Agility is such a fun sport!
 
#14 ·
Thanks for that additional info, Karen.

Shama had a perfect run at class last night.

Jumps 1-3 took her at an angle to the left from one end of our space to 3/4 of the way down the room, then Jump 4 was at the far end, then she had to U-turn right and come back to Tunnel 5, then she had to almost U-turn left to Jump 7 and Jump 8 (which was same Jump as 4), then she had to U-turn left to go over the A-Frame 9 which was positioned above the tunnel, and then she had to race to the end over Jumps 10 and 11. (Sorry if you can't follow my description!)

It was her last run of the night. I was very proud. She is such a little trooper!

Don't ask me about her weave poles, however. Or her start-line stay (except for that last run). We have a private lesson scheduled to help her choose to weave without me luring her. And we don't have any trials scheduled yet as we are still learning.

Agility is such a fun sport!
If she can read you on such a tight, twisty course, she's doing really well! (and so are you!) The weaves will come. It takes longer to teach the weaves than any other obstacle. You are right to take your time putting her in competition. You'll get there!
 
#10 ·
I think Zelda is fast enough to get Open, but I don't think she can do Excellent.

I'll say that practice and at trials are rather different. Somehow my dogs would do things at trials that never happens in practice, like they would jumped off dog walk on the way up, run pass dog walk/A frame (they love A frame), jump off teeters on the way up, jump a bar forward and back, knock bars etc etc. I assume it is between a new environment for them and the tension they feel from me and likely me mis-handling :D

As far as weaves this is how mine went. Zelda did it for almost 2 years doing it only in class (at most once a week) before we deemed her good enough to attend trial. A month before the trial date I finally setup my own weaves at home and do it daily. It really helped her. But the most amazing change is in Link. Before I setup my own weaves he only can weaves with guide wires, and would do absolutely nothing without it (not even partial). However after I setup my own weaves and practice with him daily he was able to weave and attend the next trial along side Zelda in 6 (!!!!) weeks. At this point he can weaves pretty good, but his entry is imperfect. I have to slow him way down before entry. Zelda is pretty solid (except the last video which was very surprising) comparatively, but she's just a slower dog.

I did channel weaves method. I got 2 sets of adjustable weaves poles from Amazon. Setup them up zig zag pretty far apart, put a target plate at the far end and just send hm through the channel. I follow him quietly and toss him a treat around the plate (without him seeing me toss it so he doesn't get used to stopping at the end of the weave to look at me) when he gets there. You can also place a treat there in advanced but I find it hard to keep they from stealing the treat even if they did weave wrong. Once they get the idea keep narrowing down the channel. Eventually it got almost all straight except he'd have problem in a few specific bars (like entry), so I'd just open up tiny bit of that location (everything else still straight) to keep him successful. Eventually he worked through everything. Then I work on actually walking along side him (instead of following quietly at a distance and leave him to do it on his own), then actually running a head of him, and running sideway from the weaves completely and rear crossing behinds the weaves. My instructor's belief is that it is an independent exercise and should not need any guidance beyond entry.

I was extremely surprised how fast Link got it. With only 5-10 practices a day. I never expect he can go to trials so soon.

Amazon.com : Agility Weave Poles Adjustable 6 Pole Set with Carrying Case and Grass Stakes : Cool Runners : Pet Agility Products : Pet Supplies
 
#15 ·
I think Zelda is fast enough to get Open, but I don't think she can do Excellent.

I'll say that practice and at trials are rather different. Somehow my dogs would do things at trials that never happens in practice, like they would jumped off dog walk on the way up, run pass dog walk/A frame (they love A frame), jump off teeters on the way up, jump a bar forward and back, knock bars etc etc. I assume it is between a new environment for them and the tension they feel from me and likely me mis-handling :D

As far as weaves this is how mine went. Zelda did it for almost 2 years doing it only in class (at most once a week) before we deemed her good enough to attend trial. A month before the trial date I finally setup my own weaves at home and do it daily. It really helped her. But the most amazing change is in Link. Before I setup my own weaves he only can weaves with guide wires, and would do absolutely nothing without it (not even partial). However after I setup my own weaves and practice with him daily he was able to weave and attend the next trial along side Zelda in 6 (!!!!) weeks. At this point he can weaves pretty good, but his entry is imperfect. I have to slow him way down before entry. Zelda is pretty solid (except the last video which was very surprising) comparatively, but she's just a slower dog.

I did channel weaves method. I got 2 sets of adjustable weaves poles from Amazon. Setup them up zig zag pretty far apart, put a target plate at the far end and just send hm through the channel. I follow him quietly and toss him a treat around the plate (without him seeing me toss it so he doesn't get used to stopping at the end of the weave to look at me) when he gets there. You can also place a treat there in advanced but I find it hard to keep they from stealing the treat even if they did weave wrong. Once they get the idea keep narrowing down the channel. Eventually it got almost all straight except he'd have problem in a few specific bars (like entry), so I'd just open up tiny bit of that location (everything else still straight) to keep him successful. Eventually he worked through everything. Then I work on actually walking along side him (instead of following quietly at a distance and leave him to do it on his own), then actually running a head of him, and running sideway from the weaves completely and rear crossing behinds the weaves. My instructor's belief is that it is an independent exercise and should not need any guidance beyond entry.

I was extremely surprised how fast Link got it. With only 5-10 practices a day. I never expect he can go to trials so soon.
That IS really fast! It sounds like Link is a real natural! Kodi learned with a combination of luring, guides and 2x2's. I didn't have channel weaves and the school where he started didn't use them. I was lucky with Kodi, he had fast weaves anyway, but I've seen a lot of dogs weave really slowly if a lot of time is spent on luring. I switched to a different school, but Kodi was already competing, and competently weaving 12 weaves, and had good, solid entries when we changed. So, although I learned a TON at the new school, they didn't have to help me with the weaves.

I started panda at the new school, and they start dogs weaving using channel weaves. I'd never done it, but I was game! :) I am REALLY pleased with how fast and drive she is in the weaves. We don't have the whole 12 all the way closed yet, but they are close. We work on entries separately from the the channels. She is getting really strong at entries with just three poles, so this week we are going up to six, so she learns to stay in, once she gets the entry.

I can't even imagine how long it would have taken Kodi to learn without working on it at home. I've taken my time with Panda... I worked entries in my basement training room, but a whole set of weaves would take up the whole room. So I had to wait through our VERY wet spring to get the weaves outdoors. Now we're practicing, though!

Kodi is funny. He's really retired from agility now, but he LOVES his weaves, so I always let him run through them once. He comes out with such a HUGE grin on his face!!! :)
 
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#11 ·
For those who are interested in more videos, this is Zelda's Open FAST Q. I was totally surprised at her jumping off the teeter. Tho now looking back I think the angle of entry I put her in was a bit off and she run off in stead of up the teeter in a straight line. Fortunately FAST rules are different and it is not a NQ (just waste time)
https://1drv.ms/v/s!AiuprhpTbQB9hPFFQ80edtqEXxiweQ

And this is Link's NQ STD run. That was completely my mis-handle. I have never rear cross behind an A frame before and it threw him off. Even the judge said he would not do something like that with his excellent dogs :D
https://1drv.ms/v/s!AiuprhpTbQB9hPFBx2OEoTnlhSAPkQ

I am learning so much from trials.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the advice and for the additional videos. Link's big fluffy coat is adorable!

I'm surprised at how you're picking up your dogs at the ends of the runs. I'd be afraid of pulling Shama's little arms out of her shoulder sockets.

Just Googled it. See bolded section below . . .

(Maybe I'm not seeing things right. You've had your dogs longer than I've had Shama.)

Do You Make These Common Mistakes When You Pick Up Your Pet?

3 Don'ts When Picking Up Your Dog

1. Don't involve your dog's legs.

Your dog's front and back limbs aren't intended as suspension devices, nor can they be expected to support the full weight of his body if, heaven forbid, he's lifted by them.

Children who don't know better tend to lift by the front legs, whereas adults are more apt to put their hands under the armpits and lift as they would a child. Picking up a dog in this manner strains the muscles in the front legs and spine, which can result in torn ligaments and even a dislocated shoulder or elbow.

There's also the risk of dropping the dog, and in older dogs with arthritis or degenerative joint disease, this type of lifting can be extremely painful.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Wait, so lefting by armpit is also bad? I can't tell what "this manner" is refering to in the quote. I don't lift them by their "arms" (at least not intentionally). I didn't look at the video that closely tho. I normally do the initial lift by arm pit and then swoop up their butt/rear legs.

P.S. I looked at the videos more closely, I think the Zelda one my hand position is not very good. Oops. Probably caught up at the moment.

Luckily most my dogs have done ok so far (my first pom jumped off my arm and broke his leg when I was 11 :( Never forgot that lesson) Reminds me of raising children, they seem to be doing ok despite of me.
 
#16 ·
I'm sure the pom incident had an impact on you. Shama yelped the other day landing from a jump off a chair. It's nerve wracking that they can hurt themselves even when they do the jumping! I guess we get hurt that way too. I don't know what to say about the lifting from "arm" pits business. Maybe others will still weigh in . . .

Thanks for the additional weave thoughts, Karen!
 
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