Saturday, November 8, 2008

Devon's really clicking in agility

Devon is just doing such a good job in agility. Thursday night in our class, Liz could not get over the confidence and speed she had. The first set of sequences were working rear crosses. Based on Devon's limited trialing in agility last year, I have a feeling I'll be looking at her rear a lot, so I'll need this skill set. Devon read rear crosses beautifully, and Liz said on her second one she knew it was coming two strides before the jump. She turned tight over the jump and just nailed it! 

The speed we've been working on the A frame also translated to the class setting. Devon started that hesitant slide on the A frame, but I ran through the obstacle and she saw her target treat container, and she came right down the A frame and never repeated the slide again. When she picked up her treat container, Liz said, "Oh how cute! What a good, good girlie!" and Devon held her 2o2o and started wagging her tail! It was really cute! 

I was also pleased with her speed on tunnels. I could hear the difference in her tunnel performance, because I could hear her accelerating and really running through the tunnel. She had been trotting through tunnels, but at class Thursday night she started to run through them. In no time she'll be blasting through them, and it's all translating into speed on the course and over jumps. I was getting confident, fast jumping on the course, and I was really pleased. I felt like I could finally start handling her versus babysitting obstacles and working skills.

She did bail the first time over the teeter. I said, "Oh my" when she bailed, which was just a disappointment reaction on my part I hadn't really intended. I turned her around, and she went right back on and over the teeter no problem. I gave her lots of rewards, and then we started the sequence over again (it was the 5th obstacle) and she drove to the teeter no problem. When we repeated the sequence later, she never even looked at me coming out of the tunnel but headed right toward the teeter and nailed it. The teeter was right after the tunnel, so I'm betting that first time over it she had very little "prep" time for the teeter since she was blind to it until right before she was on it. However, she only bailed that first time and gave me all the effort she had every other time and did lovely performances the rest of the class.

We sequenced the weaves twice, and both times she got the performance on the second try. The first time she was not driving through them, but noodling and popped the 4th pole. However the second time I asked her for them she drove, and again Liz even noticed the difference in her performance. On the second sequence, she missed the entrance (rare for her), but again nailed them on the second try. I have to stay behind her in the weaves for now and not push her out of them. I know this is a baby dog thing we need to work on, because she's getting more confident here at home with my various handler positions. I think this is something we'll work on all winter, since I can do weaves in my building.

Over all, I could not have been more pleased with her class work. In a matter for 4 weeks, she's gained confidence by leaps and bounds and all the work at home is translating into great performances away from home. She's now worked on equipment in three different locations away from home, and she's done very well at all three. In the next 7 days, she'll be on equipment in three more new places. I think this is setting her up very well for her first set of trials in December!

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