For You Running Contact Nerds Like Me :)

Different entries...good boy :)

He is really working yard to do it right. What a good pup.

Enjoy! Analyze!!

Training...and more training...

No trials planned until the end of March...and the weather is actually NICE!! Upper 20's...feels like SUMMER!

Gator's running aframe education continues...lots of light bulb moments for the boy ;) Including his first day at 5'6"!

If you remember, he was throwing a weird foot thing in, I didn't like it so I went back to the grid work and worked him back up. Yesterday, NO issues. Clean striding, and only one time did he hit the box :) YAY!

He isn't as relaxed at this height as the lower heights. So we will be staying here for a good, long time. But I LOVE what I am seeing, head down, focusing on the job at hand. When he does mess up a rep, he will NAIL it the next time around. 

How do I know he isn't as relaxed at this height...look at some of his hits...they are higher...if he is relaxed he is very much in the middle of the box. So we will work this height until it is no biggie for him :) 

He is so very happy when he gets it right...parades around and is all wiggles and barks. It's fun training him :) He loves doing the right thing...and really is such a biddable dude. Just adore him.

Even is a bit LESS biddable :) We are working on Dawn Weavers online class stuff and I have to make VERY SURE there is nothing reinforcing around. She likes treats and all, BUT...if she has the option..she wants a toy. So NO TOYS AROUND! I also learned that jump standards are also rewarding...so no jumps around our work area :)

She is doing well though...picking up the info, and applying it. She generalizes very well (which is nice!!! Her sister didn't as a young pup!) so I have begun taking the training on the road. In the kitchen, the garage, the barn, outside in the snow even. Just to make sure she understands the behaviors. She is a blast to train :)

Lynn and Klink have been getting a bit of the short end...I need to get to training them. More so for conditioning than anything. To keep the rust off.

The husband is going to stay home and watch the ewes so I can go to the OTR USDAA the end of March. For Friday night and Saturday only. He will go on Sunday and I will stay home :) It works :)

Speaking of lambing...the ewes are getting BIG. I think we will have several sets of twins this year. We have lots of new mothers this year...so that could prove interesting!!! The older ewes know the drill so they are super easy to deal with as long as you have a dog. The younger ones however, could prove a challenge. But...I have Klink and Zip. They are the best lambing dogs ever :)

Spring is coming!!!!!!!!!!!

Observations...

I did research at the University of Missouri for many years during and after getting my college degree. I do believe, other than being one of the coolest jobs ever, it really helped hone in my observation skills. Formulating plans based on what I thought would happen, but also able to adapt. 

Observation skills are a huge asset when you are training running contacts...because I will be honest. So far for ME, they are the hardest thing to teach relative to everything else in the training process.

Embarking on this new contact method with Even Steven has started out very easy...but we have just started with the very basics of the method. I expect it to all get much more difficult soon. If it doesn't...I will tell everyone to sign up for the online classes IMMEDIATELY :)

I am having fun with Gator's retrain...after having some striding issues, grid-work really helped all of that smooth out. I wanted just two hits, and even striding. 

Going back onto the A-frame I saw that the grid-work really did make a HUGE difference. I plan on continuing to work the grid in addition to the actual A-frame. It not only improved the striding (he is no longer over jumping the apex) it has also helped him relax into the striding! Which I do feel is VERY important! The easier it is, the more it is rewarded, the better chance of the dog doing it!!

I also had the box higher before the grid-work, (per the DVD) which eliminated the extra foot he was putting down...but I couldn't get it moved down into the yellow zone entirely. Since grid-work, there is no issue there. The box is fully in the yellow :)

He is also not hitting the box like he was. Two clean strides, good hits and his feet are falling into place. He is relaxing and has a very workman-like look to his strides.

The one thing I am working towards is the box not elevated at all on the A-frame. Gator didn't like it when I removed the risers (little pieces that raised the top part of the box off the A-frame to make it more visable). He would stutter, and start overthinking. Or hit the box. But now... through this process in the video, he is settling into the risers not being there. On and off and on and off are the risers...as you can see, Gator isn't really caring about them anymore. I will continue to do this until Gator can go an entire session without the risers being on. Amazing what that one variable does (one tiny inch off the A-frame!) but it has to be worked through before we move on :)

You might be asking, why 5'3". Well I experimented and observed. Right now, that is where he seems most comfortable. Enough of an a-frame he doesn't have to think too much about his striding, but not too much height that I am wearing him down and he starts wanting to do some weird striding to get in the box. I want him to "solidify" here for a bit...then the plan will be to move it up very very slowly. Like one link at a time. If I see confidence and no stride changing or an increase in thinking too hard...I will move it up until we are at full height (5'9"-5'10")...I only do USDAA so that helps eliminate the variables. Although Lynn does a 5'6" the same as 5'9"...I wouldn't expect issues.

I am already putting in variables (I always think in variables...dogs do as well)...in regards to loads. Loads from jumps, loads from tunnels, loads on the ground, etc etc...He seems to be able to compress that stride very nicely (thank you grid-work!!!) So that is great. 

After the A-frame there is a jump and I will be working with things after the A-frame soon to see how he reacts to that. For for now...just working on obstacles leading TO the A-frame.

People are asking me lots of questions about the method...I have used it to train several of my students dogs...it really does work great. The best advice I can give you is spend the money and buy the DVD from Clean Run. Seriously. It's not that expensive and it tells you SO MANY THINGS about the method, rewarding, troubleshooting, retraining from a stop etc etc. 

It's so very nice that there are so many running contact methods...AND...many of the people that have developed these methods make them AVAILABLE at a VERY REASONABLE PRICE to everyone. So support them...I do.

I will say it has been tougher retraining from a stop than all the dogs I have trained without prior experience...but I think at this point Gator is really getting the idea :)

This is probably WAY more info than anyone cares to hear about a running A-frame retrain :) BUT...I want it here so people can, if they need to, learn. And if I decided Gator's goes super well, I can maybe think of retraining Klink's in the future.  The Lyme issue put her back in the qualifying plan for Nationals. She needs two GP's and one Steeplechase. After she gets those (hopefully soon!!!) then I will probably go on this path with her as well. I will admit. I HATE stopping now. So much easier to RUN!!!

Ok...done analyzing :) For today anyway :)

Learning & Analysis

It's always interesting when one embarks on another training journey with their dog. It's one of the reasons I started with running contacts with Lynn. And why I decided to attempt to retrain Gator's running aframe.

I could have just left his 2o2o aframe...it worked fine, he has only blown one in competition...stayed on the safe route...

But...I don't like safe. I used to...I used to care about the Q's...but now? It's different. I want to see what I can do. How good of a trainer am I? I don't know...but I want to find out.

I don't shun anyone who is in it to Q, nothing wrong with that. As long as you are good to your dog, I am good with it. If you are an ass to your dog (regardless of what you want)...then no. I am not ok with it ;-)

But for me, the less I want the Q, the more the Q's come. That seems to be the magic formula for me.

Another thing I have grown into, I am not afraid of failure...again I used to be! But now...I see it as a stepping stone...what did I learn? How will I apply this to the next situation?

So the running aframe journey. Gator was doing a LOVELY job on his aframe. Box on, hit percentage high...but suddenly. He started throwing in this weird extra foot in. I tried to see if he would "work out of it" but no. Which then caused him to start hitting the box with a foot.

Trickle down theory right? I stopped working it...and had to do some brainstorming...rewatched the DVD and then it was stated simply "If there is something wrong on the frame, go back to grid work"...

So...we did. Back to gridwork. PERFECT....the problem presented itself...and I was able to work through it with Gator...WHEN IN DOUBT, GRIDWORK!

Then back on a lower aframe. TADA!!! Problem solved. I will continue to do gridwork with Gator....work on all the possible entries and exits I can think of before we progress to the lower aframe again. I don't plan on running him in anything that has an aframe except Steeplechase. If he misses the aframe, oh well. If he gets it, yay. Either way, we are working towards the goal.

It's fun rediscovering how your dog learns. I haven't taught Gator anything tough in a LONG time...he's a very willing worker. And really tries hard. What a fun dude to work :)

Next up, I have decided to learn another running contact method :) Why not right? I like Silvia Trkman's method. It makes sense to me. Very fluid and bendable...BUT...not all people like that. SO...I wanted to learn a method that was a bit more "controlled and defined". After doing some research, I decided to take an online class with Dawn Weaver. I don't know what all it entails, but I am excited about learning! Even Steven will be the dog I am training for this method. It will be fun to work with her. She is such a willing pup, and smart as a whip. 

I think the more I learn, the better trainer and teacher I can be. Plus...Even is super cute :)

Is there something you have wanted to learn but have been afraid to???

Tater Salad Update :)

Wazzup?? Running Aframes, that's what! :)

Although I was sick this weekend (thank goodness I wasn't entered in the MAC USDAA trial!). I did manage to get my OCD rear end out to the barn to run a few aframes. 

After watching video of a previous session (video again, INVALUABLE PEOPLE!!!) I noticed Gator was throwing in a little foot here and there at 5'9". I didn't like it. He needs to two stride. He also was trying to just POWER over that aframe and one stride himself into the box. Brilliant thinking, however...yeah. Scary as hell. No thanks. 

SOO...I lowered the aframe and we worked on balance and relaxing through the strides...and he evened out :) Looks MUCH better...

I think I will leave him here for many more sessions, plus...I will be working some speed into the grid and box to work on Gator compressing that massive stride he has...so he learns more control and how to relax into it. But I am comparing this video to previous ones and I am happy with what I am seeing :)

Good news is, he isn't trying to stop AT ALL :) Apparently I didn't proof that enough when I taught it...note to self :)

Overall very pleased. I compare it to Lynn's aframe and it is getting more effortless like her's :)

I am still proceeding with caution...but so far I haven't hit a ton of snags...little tweaks here and there...but nothing serious...

What A Weekend!

Klink, Gator and Lynn headed to the Chicago area this weekend for a USDAA trial. I also went along with three of my students, they hadn't traveled for a trial and I told them they would LOVE this one. The people are so awesomely supportive and fun and it would be a great experience for them!

I was excited because Klink would be running again!!! I so missed running my girl!! It has felt like I was missing an arm or something. I run Gator, Lynn and Klink...that's how it goes...missing one doesn't work well in my mind :)

The pups really did great...Gator was 100% on Saturday, Won Grand Prix for the Bye (not an easy feat in that area!!!) so he has two byes now. He got 2nd in Standard to this really neat little dog (Miss Lynn) and 3rd in pairs with one of my students, finishing her RM (FUN FUN!!!). Sunday he was a bit naughty in Snooker (NQ) and in Steeplechase he had a first EVER launch off the Aframe...he got to leave the ring for that one. Won jumpers though ;-) Does that count he says??

Klinker ran REALLY well, right off the bat won Gamblers, and the only other class she was in was Standard...she ticked the tire, but otherwise had a LOVELY run. It felt SOOO GOOD to be running her again :) Sunday her jumpers run I caused a bar. She did have a great Snooker run though :) Good stink. I almost teared up a few times at the beginning...I missed running her so much :)

Lynn was a super star this weekend...100% on Saturday and Sunday!! Crazy!!! 4 in Gamblers, 1st in Standard (beating Gator!), 3rd in GP and a Pairs Q with her brother Spot :) Sunday she was 3rd in Jumpers, I forgot to enter her in Snooker (DUH!!!) but she got a Steeplechase Q with a fast time, but one bar. We didn't stay for finals. Needed to get home. She is REALLY settling into trialing...I wish I trialed as much as I used to with Klink and Gator...but well, life gets expensive. Having a husband on multiple world teams gets expensive too :) I don't think people realize just how expensive all this world team stuff is...trust me. It's pricey! 

How do you NOT love this face???? Saturday night I taught several private lessons, it was fun. And one that really stuck out in my mind, was a little BC female that reminded me of Lynn as a pup...it made me really appreciate and realize how much Lynn has changed as a young dog. maturity, bonding, training, all that. She's my shadow, my constant companion...and our bond is just so very amazing...she's such an amazing dog...and the things she has taught me, it's helped me in every facet of dog training and life. WOW...I'm grateful I didn't change her name--which means, a locational surname in Scotland, the place name derived from Scots Gaelic meaning water feature or pool. It fits her :)

I will have videos posted soon :) Have to get them off a friends camera!!

Speaking of Team Crackhead. They had WAO team practice this weekend, the husband had a lot of fun and brought home lots of fun courses to work on :) Excited to run all of them!!! It will be fun cheering them on (and the rest of the team! Lots of great handlers!!!) Our video camera went to camera heaven...so no videos :-( 

I have been toying since Nationals with changing Gator's Aframe over to running after 7, SEVEN people came up to me after his finals runs and said "that dog needs a running aframe"...these people I respect and I also appreciate their opinions...and they are right. A stopped aframe is needed. For SURE is a huge competitive advantage! It's nice I have people that care enough to push me :)

After his launch off the a-frame this weekend, it was just the irritation I needed.  I hate the stopped a-frame. I like to just run and not have to worry about it. Lynn's a-frame I just ADORE...I am hoping Gator's can be like that.

So...I have embarked on the retrain. I have several months off that I can focus on it. And Gator already knew all the RS box work (worked along with a student that wanted a running a-frame using this method) so he was well schooled in that method.

We started Monday...And he broke that stop SOOO quickly...LOL...once it broke he caught on very quickly as to what I wanted. I think he likes it! I know I do!

I forgot how fun it is to teach Gator...he is so easy, so smart and applies and generalizes. I absolutely love this dog. 

And he is handsome to boot...I think so anyway :) He's my dog...100%, those boys :) They're such sweeties!

Day 2 :) I noticed he was hitting the frame with his little back foot...so we will revisit that "no touchy the boxy" dealio :) But..I am so happy with his striding!!

It's exciting to be able to hope that I don't have to worry about "stopping, criteria, bleh bleh bleh"...Fingers crossed this works! LOL 

It has excited my want to train again. Maybe that is what I needed...more damn running contacts :)

This weekend I fly to Indy to trial Lynn and also teach a few days :) Excited about that! I have worked with a few of them in the past and looking forward to meeting all the new people! :) FUN FUN! Lynn wants to demo, she informed me of this. But in the past she tends to distract the audience from what I am saying by being a goofball behind me, rolling around, being naughty, doing a tunnels, or just being silly...

Making me laugh...that's what she does :)

Get ready for lots of videos!!! :)