Agility class #5
It's hard to believe we're almost done with this class! Next week, I think, is our last class. And then the following week is something marked "graduation." So we're almost done. I'll be sad when it's over. I enjoy these classes with Dahlia, but as I need to get a new car sometime in the nearish future, I don't think I can spend another $100 on a class for a time. Ah well.
Last night we started with the teeter. Dahlia still hates that thing, but the instructor managed to get her onto it (basically by lifting up feet and placing her on it). She was relaxed enough to eat the treats placed in front of her. Eventually we bobbled it a little bit and I held her on it and petted her. And then when we did it again she jumped off. It's better than she's been with it!
While we were going around from dog to dog allowing them up on it, I decided to see what I could do with the tunnel. This time they had attached the chute part of it, which makes it more of a challenge. For those who don't know much about agility, there are two kinds of tunnels: an open tunnel (and since we're using one that's short the dog can see right through it) and a closed tunnel. The latter is more challenging for the dogs since they have to go through the chute part and can't see the end. This is ESPECIALLY challenging for Dahlia as she seems to hate dark, enclosed spaces. David told me she'd NEVER go through it.
I started off by tossing treats into the tunnel and letting her go in and out of it. I was surprised at how easily she did it. She tromped right in. She wouldn't go through it, but she did go in and come back out the same side several times. I started throwing treats further back in and she went after them and came back out. Finally I tossed three treats in, the furthest halfway through the chute part. I got up, ran to the other side and started calling her to me. And she came right through the chute! I was so proud of her! We did it several times. One time I thought she got caught in the chute, but it turned out she was looking for one of the treats she missed. Food hound. LOL. I guess she was pretty comfortable. Even the instructor was impressed that my chicken dog went right through it!
She did ok on the weaves. The instructor brought them closer together so they had to really weave through and it confused her a bit, but she eventually got it pretty well. Not as fast as before, but we'll get there.
We did several combos after that and except for really bad handler errors on my part, we did ok. It was really hard getting her to go over jumps to my right side. She wanted to be on my left. I wanted her on my left. Eventually we did manage to get her over the jumps on the opposite side of me from usual and from there things went well.
One of the combos was going over the jumps in quick succession. Just a step or two in between them. I wasn't sure how Dahlia would do but she did great! Especially the second time over them. She seems to really enjoy the jumping part. The instructor set things a bit higher so she had to leap a bit instead of just step over them and she sailed right over and through the tire jump. I'm SERIOUSLY proud of her and how well she's doing. After class was over, I set the tire jump higher than it's been before and got her to go through it a few times. She sailed right through with a big grin on her face.
Yep. Jumping. That's what she's there for I think. She loves 'em. I figured she would since she loved leaping over snow banks this winter.
On a side note, I got laughing SO HARD at Samson (the pit bull) during one of his run throughs. He managed to destroy everything in the room: took apart the weaves, knocked one jump bar off, knocked the other off and steps on it so it came apart into two pieces, knocked over the tire jump, and ripped the chute off the tunnel. He cracks me up.
Last night we started with the teeter. Dahlia still hates that thing, but the instructor managed to get her onto it (basically by lifting up feet and placing her on it). She was relaxed enough to eat the treats placed in front of her. Eventually we bobbled it a little bit and I held her on it and petted her. And then when we did it again she jumped off. It's better than she's been with it!
While we were going around from dog to dog allowing them up on it, I decided to see what I could do with the tunnel. This time they had attached the chute part of it, which makes it more of a challenge. For those who don't know much about agility, there are two kinds of tunnels: an open tunnel (and since we're using one that's short the dog can see right through it) and a closed tunnel. The latter is more challenging for the dogs since they have to go through the chute part and can't see the end. This is ESPECIALLY challenging for Dahlia as she seems to hate dark, enclosed spaces. David told me she'd NEVER go through it.
I started off by tossing treats into the tunnel and letting her go in and out of it. I was surprised at how easily she did it. She tromped right in. She wouldn't go through it, but she did go in and come back out the same side several times. I started throwing treats further back in and she went after them and came back out. Finally I tossed three treats in, the furthest halfway through the chute part. I got up, ran to the other side and started calling her to me. And she came right through the chute! I was so proud of her! We did it several times. One time I thought she got caught in the chute, but it turned out she was looking for one of the treats she missed. Food hound. LOL. I guess she was pretty comfortable. Even the instructor was impressed that my chicken dog went right through it!
She did ok on the weaves. The instructor brought them closer together so they had to really weave through and it confused her a bit, but she eventually got it pretty well. Not as fast as before, but we'll get there.
We did several combos after that and except for really bad handler errors on my part, we did ok. It was really hard getting her to go over jumps to my right side. She wanted to be on my left. I wanted her on my left. Eventually we did manage to get her over the jumps on the opposite side of me from usual and from there things went well.
One of the combos was going over the jumps in quick succession. Just a step or two in between them. I wasn't sure how Dahlia would do but she did great! Especially the second time over them. She seems to really enjoy the jumping part. The instructor set things a bit higher so she had to leap a bit instead of just step over them and she sailed right over and through the tire jump. I'm SERIOUSLY proud of her and how well she's doing. After class was over, I set the tire jump higher than it's been before and got her to go through it a few times. She sailed right through with a big grin on her face.
Yep. Jumping. That's what she's there for I think. She loves 'em. I figured she would since she loved leaping over snow banks this winter.
On a side note, I got laughing SO HARD at Samson (the pit bull) during one of his run throughs. He managed to destroy everything in the room: took apart the weaves, knocked one jump bar off, knocked the other off and steps on it so it came apart into two pieces, knocked over the tire jump, and ripped the chute off the tunnel. He cracks me up.