Thursday, July 08, 2004
We were at agility class yesterday, and Mojo did great!
During the session, we went through each obstacle one-by-one. So there was a line of dogs at each obstacle, waiting to go over. The first was the tunnel (bent so you couldn't see through it), then the see-saw, the tire jump, the a-frame (but elevated now), a table, and a jump.
The see-saw was easy; all he had to do was run over it. Dogs have trouble when it tilts, but Mojo's problem was staying on it (he wanted to jump off before he got to the end). The other dogs had problems with it, so it wasn't really elevated. We'll see what Mojo does when it's at full-height.
The tunnel was fun; he ran right through it no problem.
The tire he had problems with. He wanted to go around it first, then when he did jump through it he took off after abbey the chocolate lab. Doh! Next time through he ran to Ela, who was watching. The rest of the times he was fine.
The table is new; the dog has to jump onto it then sit or stay for five seconds. Mojo was fine with that, but when he sat he tended to lie down. Gotta work on that. A "sit up" got him to sit up, but he should really sit up all the time.
The jump was no problem, really.
The a-frame was fun! He scrambled up the back of it, then went right down the other side. No problem!
Mojo pooped on the floor during class, which was a first. Luckily poo-bags and Nature's Miracle were nearby.
During the run-through at the end, the sequence was a-frame/tunnel/seesaw/tire/table/jump, and Mojo ran through it completely. The only problem was he didn't quite sit down for 5 seconds on the table, but that was OK. Amazing! He's like a white, fuzzy bullet out there on the course.
One thing about agility that they told us (and sank in) was your position is as important as your cues. During the run I was out of position going into the tunnel, which was kind of awkward because I had to change direction while running...and without getting Mojo to follow me. It worked, but it was messy.
One of the trainers also said he'd make a good therapy dog, because he loves people, he's small, soft, and confident. I guess it's something to look into?
During the session, we went through each obstacle one-by-one. So there was a line of dogs at each obstacle, waiting to go over. The first was the tunnel (bent so you couldn't see through it), then the see-saw, the tire jump, the a-frame (but elevated now), a table, and a jump.
The see-saw was easy; all he had to do was run over it. Dogs have trouble when it tilts, but Mojo's problem was staying on it (he wanted to jump off before he got to the end). The other dogs had problems with it, so it wasn't really elevated. We'll see what Mojo does when it's at full-height.
The tunnel was fun; he ran right through it no problem.
The tire he had problems with. He wanted to go around it first, then when he did jump through it he took off after abbey the chocolate lab. Doh! Next time through he ran to Ela, who was watching. The rest of the times he was fine.
The table is new; the dog has to jump onto it then sit or stay for five seconds. Mojo was fine with that, but when he sat he tended to lie down. Gotta work on that. A "sit up" got him to sit up, but he should really sit up all the time.
The jump was no problem, really.
The a-frame was fun! He scrambled up the back of it, then went right down the other side. No problem!
Mojo pooped on the floor during class, which was a first. Luckily poo-bags and Nature's Miracle were nearby.
During the run-through at the end, the sequence was a-frame/tunnel/seesaw/tire/table/jump, and Mojo ran through it completely. The only problem was he didn't quite sit down for 5 seconds on the table, but that was OK. Amazing! He's like a white, fuzzy bullet out there on the course.
One thing about agility that they told us (and sank in) was your position is as important as your cues. During the run I was out of position going into the tunnel, which was kind of awkward because I had to change direction while running...and without getting Mojo to follow me. It worked, but it was messy.
One of the trainers also said he'd make a good therapy dog, because he loves people, he's small, soft, and confident. I guess it's something to look into?
