# Pandemonium at Sharon's Place



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I just set up the contact trainer at full height in my back yard. The dogs have not seen this since last fall and then it was at 12 inches since both Towhee & Faelan were agility newbies; they were all out with me as I was setting it up and having some zoomy fun. 

Faelan noticed the trainer first and since it has never been at full height was attempting to figure out how to get to the table portion - he quickly figured out the fastest way would be to go up the dog walk side and then 2o2o the A Frame side. Reverse and repeat. Casey hears me praising and comes running over and he starts going up and down, then Towhee. So I have one dog on the AFrame side, one dog on the table and a third dog on the dog walk side - wish I had my camera out! When they all lined up on the dog walk side, I thought it would be best to bring them all in.

For a visual of the angles: I just grabbed a shot of Casey - btw; it is very windy here so it is the wind making him look messy  I think this picture also shows why Casey was trained to SIT at the bottom of a contact with his front feet on the ground; I am not really sure why he decided 3o1o positioning was a good thing today. But he is Casey 

I Like days off from work  setting up stuff and having fun sure beats sitting in a cube!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

We need more pictures!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*I agree*

I agree, we need more pics!! I love the saying at the bottom of your post!!
Here in this house, you will be loved.
Here in this house, you will be safe. 
You will never be cast aside or considered too ill, too old, too unruly or too ugly, for here in this house, you belong.







Sunrise said:


> I just set up the contact trainer at full height in my back yard. The dogs have not seen this since last fall and then it was at 12 inches since both Towhee & Faelan were agility newbies; they were all out with me as I was setting it up and having some zoomy fun.
> 
> Faelan noticed the trainer first and since it has never been at full height was attempting to figure out how to get to the table portion - he quickly figured out the fastest way would be to go up the dog walk side and then 2o2o the A Frame side. Reverse and repeat. Casey hears me praising and comes running over and he starts going up and down, then Towhee. So I have one dog on the AFrame side, one dog on the table and a third dog on the dog walk side - wish I had my camera out! When they all lined up on the dog walk side, I thought it would be best to bring them all in.
> 
> ...


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

Boy, is it ever windy here today, wonder anything is standing, in this wind.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

goldensrbest said:


> Boy, is it ever windy here today, wonder anything is standing, in this wind.


Grins - I am surprised the grass seed I put down & raked in yesterday is not blowing all around! Time for the wind to become a gentle breeze I think ...


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

great photos! Maybe we need to come stay with you for a couple of weeks!


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## boomers_dawn (Sep 20, 2009)

Your yard is beautiful. Looks like an amusement park for dogs. Awesome!

Casey's awesome too!


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## jimla (Oct 9, 2008)

How do you use the contact trainer?


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

boomers_dawn said:


> Your yard is beautiful. Looks like an amusement park for dogs. Awesome!
> 
> Casey's awesome too!


LOL!! You can't even see most of the the stuff for dogs  Let's see, a shed full of agility jumps and tunnels, dog walk, weave poles, high jumps, broad jump, bar jump, teeters, hunt training stuff, gating!! My dogs do have their amusements!


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> great photos! Maybe we need to come stay with you for a couple of weeks!


Come on over  I might even have grass soon if the seed takes LOL


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

jimla said:


> How do you use the contact trainer?


Right now I will be using it as a shortened contact obstacle; this way there is less physical impact on my dogs while repeating their contact behavior. I am training towards independent contact right now so need to be able to repeat a lot; when I start working on speed again, I will lower the contact trainer so they can fly but still need to maintain their criteria. It can (and will) be used after jumps, tunnels etc.

I also need to work on Faelan's up contact for the teeter, but since I have worked very hard at getting both Faelan and Towhee to drive to the teeter and bang it hard, the up contact will also be worked separately on the trainer rather than the teeter.

Also, if I run into issues, I can put another pause table up to wrap them around my hip at the bottom without them associating the table they jump on with the real contact obstacles.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

oh I like your contact trainer better than mine. Mine doesn't have the table in the middle. The first time Flip saw it he thought it was just a cool looking jump. He went from one side to the other without a toe touching any part of it in one boing.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Loisiana said:


> oh I like your contact trainer better than mine. Mine doesn't have the table in the middle. The first time Flip saw it he thought it was just a cool looking jump. He went from one side to the other without a toe touching any part of it in one boing.


My first contact trainer was like that - I ended up donating it to my agility instructor since for my dogs (Rowdy & Casey) the angles were just not correct. Then I read somewhere where dogs over 50# shouldn't be on my original one ... no wonder they thought it was a toy  and meant to be jumped.

This one even has a little pivot thingee so I can make the dog walk board a mini teeter - nice for puppies


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I want to come play too....my back yard is standing water.... 

The only contact we have is a teeter. It is completely adjustable, right now at 8" because we could not keep Gabby off it at 8 weeks. She was running up it at full height. Thank goodness we were our supervising the puppy, I would grab the board and take it slowly to the ground. 

I do use the teeter a lot to work contact behavior. I have to teach Gabby to keep her back end ON it. She constantly swings is off.... We are working hind end awareness.


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