# Agility Class!



## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

This past Tuesday..or yesterday if you want to call it! Maddie and I attended our first agility class since last November. And we found out we have 2 Goldens in our class! Yay! They aren't the quickest but they can sure the heck focus and be dead on with everything! They are both nice handlers as well! We have a few Border Collies, a Gordon Setter, a Doberman, and a Vizsla! Some of the people are there from last time and some will occasionally drop in from time to time,because they are working with their younger dogs. 

Anyways, Maddie didin't do too bad! My mom had to take us and let me tell you she's a HUGE distraction to Maddie! So my mom peeked through the window they have in the grooming room and she said that we did good. Maddie even remembered for me to realease her at the end of her contacts...I'm so proud of my little girl! She did really good on the Jumpers/Tunnelers course and shaky on the Standard course..but all in all she did just fine since she hasn't been doing this in awhile. We have learned that if we get down on her for doing something wrong she shuts down and runs away...pretty much saying..."I'm too good for this!" So the lady with one of the Goldens had said that the dog she had there that night did the same thing! She told us about this thing to do...where you have Maddie in a sit in front of you, and you do some collar pops and say come, come, come...three times and popping the collar and moving back towards you, and then totally ignoring her! I did that today in our Obedience lesson and she was all like..."MOM!!! COME BACK!" It got me laughing and proud! She didnt run away again..hehe! 

All in all it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...but then again dogs always keep you on your toes! : I'm hoping to be trialing her in May, once she got settled down last night she was tired and focusing more...and I was able to remember Front and Rear Crosses! I can't wait until next weekend! And this weekend we're going to bring down the good ol' agility equipment from the garage!


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

That sounds like fun. I'm sure Maddie will go great and you will have a blast.


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

Yay! Sounds like so much fun! When I first started agility with Sammy we had two Goldens in our class as well! One of them I am still friends with to this day 

I look forward to hearing more as you get closer to May!


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

sammydog said:


> Yay! Sounds like so much fun! When I first started agility with Sammy we had two Goldens in our class as well! One of them I am still friends with to this day
> 
> I look forward to hearing more as you get closer to May!


 
Why thank you!!! =] That means a lot to me! I'm hoping to become good friends with the Golden Lady..that's what I'll call here lol...who showed me that one toy I'm talking about and she has been there and done that with the whole running away thing! It must be a Golden thing! lol. 

If I can just get Maddie to **FOCUS** on me...even our instructor and another competitor, they both said they don't want to be at that trial! Hehe! =]


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

MaddieMagoo said:


> Why thank you!!! =] That means a lot to me! I'm hoping to become good friends with the Golden Lady..that's what I'll call here lol...who showed me that one toy I'm talking about and she has been there and done that with the whole running away thing! It must be a Golden thing! lol.
> 
> If I can just get Maddie to **FOCUS** on me...even our instructor and another competitor, they both said they don't want to be at that trial! Hehe! =]


The focus will come with time, just keep practicing!

I started Sammy in agility classes about 4 years ago. I met Diane and her Golden Sonny in our first class. We became friends, and at end of this month we will be traveling to the GRCA Regional for agility together! So you never know!


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

sammydog said:


> The focus will come with time, just keep practicing!
> 
> I started Sammy in agility classes about 4 years ago. I met Diane and her Golden Sonny in our first class. We became friends, and at end of this month we will be traveling to the GRCA Regional for agility together! So you never know!


 
You seem to know a lot of focus...how on Earth did you gain that? Just by practicing daily and going to classes and more practice...and MORE practice...lol. Ok...this may sound dumb...but as far as agility, is focus something you can teach..or is it just learned by the dog??

Well good luck at the Regionals!


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

For good eye contact (which I think is a big part of focusing) I play a game with my dogs where I click or say "yes" (to mark the behavior) and give a treat every time they look at me. I know there is a name for this game, but I can't think of it. I especially like to do it when waiting for my turn in classes or on the sidelines at trials. I just stand there holding the leash and each time they look at me I mark and reward. This also helps turn distractions into cues to look at you. Like some one is walking by and she will look at me and I will mark and reward. One of the keys is you let them figure it out on their own, so you don’t say anything, just wait for them to make eye contact.

Also pairing eye contact with other good things. For Mira when she was younger I waited for eye contact before she got her food bowl. I also would wait for eye contact before I would play tug with her. Or reward 10 seconds of eye contact with a fun game, like throwing a ball.

Just some ideas  Hope it helps!


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

sammydog said:


> For good eye contact (which I think is a big part of focusing) I play a game with my dogs where I click or say "yes" (to mark the behavior) and give a treat every time they look at me. I know there is a name for this game, but I can't think of it. I especially like to do it when waiting for my turn in classes or on the sidelines at trials. I just stand there holding the leash and each time they look at me I mark and reward. This also helps turn distractions into cues to look at you. Like some one is walking by and she will look at me and I will mark and reward. One of the keys is you let them figure it out on their own, so you don’t say anything, just wait for them to make eye contact.
> 
> Also pairing eye contact with other good things. For Mira when she was younger I waited for eye contact before she got her food bowl. I also would wait for eye contact before I would play tug with her. Or reward 10 seconds of eye contact with a fun game, like throwing a ball.
> 
> Just some ideas  Hope it helps!


 
Hey...those were some great ideas and it's always fun to hear what others have to say and then you can twist it and turn it up for your own dog! Actually...when I feed Maddie (I'm the one who feeds her day in and day out...) anyway, I make her sit and wait for it...so...then I wait awhile and tell her "Ok!"..while she's drooling there..lol!: Sometimes she's not so sure about it...and then once I turn around...she always makes sure she can see my face before she goes bounding off to eat...now that you mention it...I am kind of teaching it..lol..sorta?

I suppose this can be also marked when we're just training and she looks at me...and then a PARTY can happen? Can that work as well?


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## DNL2448 (Feb 13, 2009)

Sammydog hit it right on, as ususal. (SD, you want to take one of my dogs to train?). The secret to great eye contact is the reward for it system, the trick as Sammydog states is you don't say anything, you let them figure out what gets the reward...eye contact. Dooley does pretty good in controlled situations, but if I am outside, he is looking for the birds, he is coming along just not as quickly as I like. Trip on the other hand is "getting it" alot faster (but he is not a bird crazy as Do).


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

Hey guys so this past Tuesday was one of our last 3 classes left. Bummer, I know! Time sure flies when you're having fun!  Last night was a course that they had over the weekend and some struggled and some passed it. I believe it was an Excellent course and Maddie handled all of the Front and Rear crosses we had to do. She had us run one time doing only Front Crosses, and the other time Rear crosses...with NO HANDS! I was astonished that Maddie really followed the Rears nicely!!

She did amazing on the second time through, using no hands, I was able to get her through the WHOLE course, stopping only once to reward what a good job she was doing, as that's what we have to do so she knows she's doing only the right stuff! And then took her back through the half circle thing...if that's what you want to call it, and she did some nice get outs...and the BEST part was.....(drum roll please...). SHE DIDN'T ONCE RUN AWAY FROM ME OR DO THE ZOOMIES!! YAHOOOOO!!    :  

Everyone had said what a good job she did and even our instructor came up to us while I'm playing with her at the end of the run, and she asked me..."Did you realize that she didn't run away from you at all tonight?" And I sat there and then said...no...and 2 seconds later...said yes because I didn't even realize it! WOW! I'm so proud of Maddie!

Just had to share our somewhat of a breakthrough! Can't wait to see what she'll do next week!


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## goldengirls550 (Jun 12, 2008)

I just found this thread. Congrats to both of you. Practice practice practice! It makes all the difference.

You are so right. Our Goldens always keep us on our toes.  Gosh, the zoomies remind me about what Aubrie does. I have to actually calm Aubrie down, because if she gets frustrated, or I'm not moving to the next obstacle ahead of her, she runs off! :doh:

It's as much work for the handler (if not more...) than it is for the dog!

I'm gonna enter Layla and Aubrie in their first AKC (and mine) agility trials in May too! 

Happy Training!
Emily


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

Congrats! It's great that she's getting through a class without losing focus ... and even better that you didn't notice it at first, because that means you're not spending the whole class worrying about whether she'll run away. Good for you


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

katieanddusty said:


> Congrats! It's great that she's getting through a class without losing focus ... and even better that you didn't notice it at first, because that means you're not spending the whole class worrying about whether she'll run away. Good for you


 
Haha....thanks Katie!!! I didn't even notice it at first....lol...which I guess in this case is good! And even our instructor said that Maddie kept looking at me like "what's next mom???!!!" haha makes me laugh! Maddie is a wonderful dog and she is always keeping me on my toes!


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