When I first created my LJ blog, it was intended to be a training journal, where I recorded what we worked on, what needed working on, and my thoughts about my training. Then I got to reading other people's blogs who manage to make these epic, agility as a metaphor for the "meaning of the universe" type posts. Tried to see if I could follow suit, but it's exhausting trying to come up with a greater meaning for every lesson I learn in agility. Heck, it's exhausting just trying to come up with pictures to go with my posts. So we're just going to go back to boring old rambles that don't ever really make a point other than to say, this is what we need to work on.
So things I've been working on. Been trying to make my way through some of the OMD Next Level exercises. Oh the holes you will find! Actually, I've been impressed for the most part with Kraft's skills through most of the obstacle performance tests.
-Table: I think he didn't stop the first time on the one that I was recalling to, but on the second try he did.
-Wall jump- Don't have one, so made those into some funky looking doubles for those exercises. No problems
-Weaves- Needed a refresher on rear crosses with extreme angles, but that seems to be improving. Weaving into the fence also difficult, as well as making the 90 degree entry against a fence.
-A-frame- Need to set up some video with me hanging behind since I can't actually see the contact. I think he might have missed, or at least been higher than I like. This is what he missed in Steeplechase finals at Cynosports, so definitely tops on the list.
-Jumping- Sending forward on a "Go on" cue. You'd think with all the RDW we did go on would be an easy one, but no. And I'm ok with that. Not a top priority for me to have a dog who will take a line of jumps with me standing or walking behind him.
-Tunnel- Have to be careful when I've been working turning to the back of a tunnel that he doesn't anticipate. If I am moving as if I will be in that "1 meter past the tunnel entrance" when he enters, but don't actually make it there because I intend to pick him up on "front side" of the tunnel, he'll still turn to the backside to look for me. Have to be clear when he enters the tunnel where he should look for me when he comes out. That's my handling, not his obstacle understanding.
-Dog walk- Happy to say it was one of our strongest obstacles. Only trouble was the dead ahead send, but he did it on the second try. The exercise was really meant for stopped contacts, but I very proudly did ALL of the moves with his running dog walk- pushing off the end, blind crossing, lateral distance. "Running past" was the only one that I didn't really have an equivalent for. The sequence set you up to be a little behind the dog by the time they got to the end so they could see if the dog held position while the handler caught up and ran past. I changed the sequence to be a "go on", to see if he would drive ahead to the tunnel entrance while I was still running, but falling behind. The dirt was deep in the training ring I did this one in, and I was slower than normal. He did the contact well, but curved towards me to the wrong tunnel entrance.
Teeter will be next and I need a long jump and a my chute fabric is torn, so I need to replace it or sew it.
Another thing that's been bugging me lately, I seem to be able to get through an 8-12 obstacle training sequence just fine. But full courses with the pressure of being at a trial we fall apart. I really want to be able to practice running full size courses more, but the energy to set them up, the cold. I may have to start going to run throughs at Paws again on Tuesdays because Mary's just not up to helping me out moving things here.
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