# our first ever agility private lesson!



## Bob Dylan (Mar 31, 2009)

Sounds like Tito is training for the Olympics. Way to go Tito.
I sometimes can't get my seniors for a walk, but Lennon can go all day.
I should look into agility for him but I don't know if we have it in our area.
Have fun tomorrow!


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Tito ran hard for 1/2 hour (that was really my whole reason for doing this, we've been so cooped up!) and he is much happier and more relaxed now. 
Maybe there's someplace not too far you can give it a try with Lennon? It's really a lot of fun!


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Those "old" obedience dogs love being put to work and I'll bet he's thriving on the attention and training somewhere instead of being cooped up.


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Whohooo! fast agility dogs are the best.

But, please don't make him wait for you - push his envelope for distance so you can get where you need to be while trusting him to take the right obstacles. There are a few folks in my area who can't really run (bad knees, wheelchairs etc), but direct their dogs from a distance - it is an amazing thing to see 

I love privates - my mentor knows dogs, is an agility judge and just has the best ideas; she is also my group lesson instructor but it is in the privates where my crew really make advancements, I think. But they are more expensive <sigh> 

Sounds like Tito and you had a blast


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I'm one of those folks who really can't run! I have a degenerative muscle disease which really limits my physical activity, so I for sure want to push his distance performance as much as I can. 
He does pretty well, and can take several obstacles without my being there. The problem that I foresee (from the way the course was laid out yesterday) is when he needs to take a jump, but there are 2 jumps set up and I need to get him to take one or the other. I have words for the other obstacles, but for all of the jumps I just use a generic "jump".
Yesterday at the end of the dog walk there was a jump set up about 10 feet past the dog walk, angled about 45 degrees to the left of the dog walk, and another one, same distance, angled about 45 degrees to the right of the dog walk. We were supposed to take the one to the left, and from there head into a tunnel.
Now I'm sure (hopeful, anyway) that at some point I'll be able to tell him to take the jump on the left and then hit the tunnel, but lordy we sure aren't there yet!!!
So yesterday I needed to get close enough to the end of the dog walk for him to see which way I was pointing without his turning his whole body around to look at me. I can get some lead out, but there was a set of pinwheel jumps before the dog walk and he needed me there to direct him around the pinwheel before hitting the dog walk.
Clear as mud?
Honestly, although we had a blast yesterday I came away feeling a bit bad that I hold him back so much. If he had a better handler, he'd do so much better. 





Sunrise said:


> Whohooo! fast agility dogs are the best.
> 
> But, please don't make him wait for you - push his envelope for distance so you can get where you need to be while trusting him to take the right obstacles. There are a few folks in my area who can't really run (bad knees, wheelchairs etc), but direct their dogs from a distance - it is an amazing thing to see
> 
> ...


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I use Gee (right), Haw (left), Out (get laterally away from me) and Go (continue straight) for directionals - with Casey I frequently needed to direct from behind and with him it helped him to know 2 obstacles ahead of a change in direction ie; Over, Over-Haw, tunnel .... while he was committing to the first jump . 

Don't know if that idea would help? I also use 'around' for them to look for a jump coming towards me (180) etc

But isn't it fun?


----------



## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Bob Dylan said:


> Sounds like Tito is training for the Olympics. Way to go Tito.
> I sometimes can't get my seniors for a walk, but Lennon can go all day.
> I should look into agility for him but I don't know if we have it in our area.
> Have fun tomorrow!



Where in NJ are you located. There are a ton of places to train for agility.


----------



## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

I am sure you guys will do great. As for your lack of mobility, there are lots of folks running dogs very successfully despite the handlers. There use to be a fellow from PA I believe, who had MS and it was absolutely amazing to watch this team run. I believe they attained their MX, MXJ. So the only limits for Team Tito will be what you let them be, not what they must be. Enjoy, have fun and set that bar high again.


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Funny you should mention this, some people in field will sometimes cast with verbal only (if they can't see the dog in the cover) after the sit whistle, and they use Gee and Haw. I was toying with teaching Tito this, but I wondered in a "HAW" would sound too much like a "HEEL" or "HERE" to a really pumped up dog.
What do you think?
I think you should plan on coming here for about 2 weeks and helping me with this 




Sunrise said:


> I use Gee (right), Haw (left), Out (get laterally away from me) and Go (continue straight) for directionals - with Casey I frequently needed to direct from behind and with him it helped him to know 2 obstacles ahead of a change in direction ie; Over, Over-Haw, tunnel .... while he was committing to the first jump .
> 
> Don't know if that idea would help? I also use 'around' for them to look for a jump coming towards me (180) etc
> 
> But isn't it fun?


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks, Hank. Sometimes I get discouraged because I do the dog a dis-service. But we really are a team, so it we'll do the best we can.
What I have is an autoimmune disease very closely related to MS, called polymyositis. In my case, my immune system attacks my muscles. 
Oh, and I had the bar set at 24, LOL. 



AmbikaGR said:


> I am sure you guys will do great. As for your lack of mobility, there are lots of folks running dogs very successfully despite the handlers. There use to be a fellow from PA I believe, who had MS and it was absolutely amazing to watch this team run. I believe they attained their MX, MXJ. So the only limits for Team Tito will be what you let them be, not what they must be. Enjoy, have fun and set that bar high again.


----------



## Bob Dylan (Mar 31, 2009)

AmbikaGR said:


> Where in NJ are you located. There are a ton of places to train for agility.


 
We are in Cape May, as far south as you can go! Lennon has so much energy, we are not use to having a young dog, all our other rescues have been at least 7. This one is very intelligent also.


----------



## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I am so excited about your lesson. Tito is an amazing dog who loves you, that alone will help you when he is playing this game. He will learn to work distance, give him time. The fact he started right where you left off is amazing. He has such amazing capabilities. 

There is a lab handler Paul Young, in MN or WI (I forget where) Limecreek Kennels. He has bred some of the best performance labs, anyway he has Parkinson's. He walks the courses, directing with little motion it is so fun to watch his dogs work for him. Then at the end of the courses, the dogs run to the leash holder, get their leashes and take it to him to put on. The partnership makes me want to cry. People with these physical limitations make it work the best they can. Impressive, very impressive at times.


----------



## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

That sounds like fun! What a great physical and mental workout!

We start our Agili-O class tomorrow and I'm psyched. I just hope I remember the words I used with Danny in his last two classes. LOL. He's much better at it than I am.


----------



## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

How cool for you guys! Can't wait to see you guys start competing!


----------



## jimla (Oct 9, 2008)

Sunrise said:


> I use Gee (right), Haw (left), Out (get laterally away from me) and Go (continue straight) for directionals - with Casey I frequently needed to direct from behind and with him it helped him to know 2 obstacles ahead of a change in direction ie; Over, Over-Haw, tunnel .... while he was committing to the first jump .


That's really cool! I want to train Roxy to respond to voice commands at a distance. I have arthritis in my hips and it's really hard to keep up with her.


----------



## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I know a person who uses "gee" and "haw" but she LITERALLY has sled dogs. We don't see her much in the winter months. A lot of trainers use left/right or in/out some just say "switch" when they want their dogs to change direction. 

What you use for a word is not important, what is important is that the dog understands the result you expect. Some people talk to their dogs in a foreign language. I use left and right, works for me.


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

LOL - I selected Gee & Haw precisiely because you don't hear them much  

I tried pulling with my dogs, but if they have a leash on, they seem to think it must mean heel and will NOT pull - but pulling is where I got the cues from.


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

jimla said:


> That's really cool! I want to train Roxy to respond to voice commands at a distance. I have arthritis in my hips and it's really hard to keep up with her.


That's very cool  One thing with training verbals though .. be careful about saying their name with an obedience trained dog! Else you will usually pull their head (and their body will follow) right in to you and switch them out of obstacle focus.


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> Funny you should mention this, some people in field will sometimes cast with verbal only (if they can't see the dog in the cover) after the sit whistle, and they use Gee and Haw. I was toying with teaching Tito this, but I wondered in a "HAW" would sound too much like a "HEEL" or "HERE" to a really pumped up dog.
> What do you think?
> I think you should plan on coming here for about 2 weeks and helping me with this


My dogs have never been confused - I think context has a lot to do with that. I use haw when the dog is driving ahead, Close or Side when I want them to come in regardless of their position, and of course Heel as we all know & love . 

And hey, I'd love to come out, meet you, Tito, Toby and Tiny and see your floors in person  And maybe check out your doggy hotel. Late winter/early spring sound good?


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

we're counting on it 




Sunrise said:


> And hey, I'd love to come out, meet you, Tito, Toby and Tiny and see your floors in person  And maybe check out your doggy hotel. Late winter/early spring sound good?


----------



## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

WOO HOOO! I am beyond excited that you are doing some agility with Tito, he really is a super dog!!! That is fantastic that he picked up right where he left off on everything (except the big bad teeter, lucky you!)

He is such a smart boy, I am sure you will do well with him. I know lots of people who do rights and lefts. I don't and my trainer is always bugging me about it, but I don't think I could get them straight... I know you have plenty of time to talk the course and memorize, but I am typically pretty quiet on course in general, and frequently call things the wrong names :doh: lucky for me my dogs go mostly on my body language...

Good luck, really looking forward to hearing about your next private!!!


----------



## Bryana (Nov 19, 2008)

Awesome! I've never seen Tito in person but from what I have seen online I really love him! He seems like such a good willing worker.

I don't use a lot of verbals at all. I train Becca mostly to rely on my body language for what I want. When doing distance work, I do support her with verbals but we don't really do much of it. Are you going to be following a handling system at all or just seeing what works for you?


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I do have some concerns about using verbals because I can see me saying the wrong thing, or stopping to check the top of my shoe, stamped "R" or "L", to see whether to say Haw or Gee. Of course, both my feet are "L" so that compounds the problem! I've done that to him in obedience trials a couple of times, given the wrong command, and he looks at me like, "HUH???" and then slowly goes on to do the correct thing regardless of the command I've given.....looking at me like, "is this ok???? you know YOU were wrong, don't you???"
Bryana, I didn't even know there were handling systems! I'll just let the trainer tell me what to do


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Hotel4Dogs,

There are 2 main handling systems currently in style - Greg Derrett and Linda Mecklenberg. Greg's system is more of a taught system while Linda's is more intuitive to the dog. Don't get me wrong, they both need training but the Linda Mecklenberg seems to be more closely aligned to how the dog reads your body - the way you use your shoulders, position, where you place crosses etc.

That being said, I think most people don't really adhere 100% to either system - unlike obedience, you really need to be able to think on your feet and if you can't be where you need to be you need to quickly switch from plan A to plan B - or even plan C LOL I'm not even sure these systems are stagnant but think they are probably always evolving.

Heck, I was just at a seminar last night and it was mentioned that the average agility handler is now a 54 year old, 20 pound overweight woman - and running front crosses are no longer advised for the safety of our knees. This is the front cross method I learned many years ago and love the almost ballet like fluidity to it <sigh> 



hotel4dogs said:


> I do have some concerns about using verbals because I can see me saying the wrong thing, or stopping to check the top of my shoe, stamped "R" or "L", to see whether to say Haw or Gee. Of course, both my feet are "L" so that compounds the problem! I've done that to him in obedience trials a couple of times, given the wrong command, and he looks at me like, "HUH???" and then slowly goes on to do the correct thing regardless of the command I've given.....looking at me like, "is this ok???? you know YOU were wrong, don't you???"
> Bryana, I didn't even know there were handling systems! I'll just let the trainer tell me what to do


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

the trainer asked me during the lesson if Tito will do rear crosses....I said, HE will, but I can't.....


----------



## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

Rear crosses would probably be a good thing to learn! Especially if he is faster than you. Think of it as steering him from behind 

Are you able to watch videos at all? I don't think so, but I thought I would check...


----------



## jimla (Oct 9, 2008)

Maxs Mom said:


> I know a person who uses "gee" and "haw" but she LITERALLY has sled dogs. We don't see her much in the winter months.


My agility instructor has 8 rescued huskies! She brought one of her dogs to class and I was amazed how attentive he was. I had thought that huskies were quite stubborn and difficult to train.


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

my computer connection doesn't like videos, no.
One of the jump sequences we were running in my lesson should have had a rear cross in it (which is why she asked me!) but I sort of got tangled in my feet, or something, and he ended up doing 2 big 360 degree turns directly in front of me while waiting for me to tell him what to do next. She said that's a BIG NQ ! ! ! !




sammydog said:


> Rear crosses would probably be a good thing to learn! Especially if he is faster than you. This of it as steering him from behind
> 
> Are you able to watch videos at all? I don't think so, but I thought I would check...


----------



## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

That was supposed to be "think" not this... Guess I should not be posting at 5:30 in the morning!! haha!

For rear crosses you need to teach the dog to continue driving forward and turn in the directions you move behind them. I think it would be a good thing to practice with him!


----------



## Kmullen (Feb 17, 2010)

Go team tito!!!!


----------

