Not much new to report lately. Still farrrr from drivey on the run-out. Good news today is we found something that works to get T. to keep his turn on the box: K. is to run up close to the box with him. Seems to have the same effect as the knee technique.
Oh one last thing, today we started to get Walter ready for triggering the box. The boxloader (J.) crouched down keeping a hand on the trigger. Of course this confused Walter the first time, but then he got used to it. :-D
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Walter's year in summary
As far as Walter's flyball career goes, he still hasn't graduated from high school, but I'm still having fun and he's still kindly obliging me. Below is a compilation video of Walter's 2007 year in flyball (following the agility stuff).
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Team practice
There's hope for Walter's flyball future yet. On one try, with someone holding him at the start and me up closer to the box then running back with him, he dropped the ball a bit early so I said "where's the ball" to make a point. Well, he looked around for a second and then went all the way up the full lane all by himself, and the boxloader had put another ball in so he grabbed it and brought it back. This is a step in the right direction because normally he doesn't have this kind of forward drive when lots of people are around. So yeah, one step back, two forward, or occasionally vice versa is the story of Walter's flyball progress. :-)
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Team practice
Today's goal was to reward with the tug only, no treats for anything. Used the ball tug and it worked great; he gladly traded the ball for the tug just about every time.
His turn seems to be getting smoother, but still lots of room for improvement.
More distractions today, that being Zara, Milo, and Guinness doing boxwork in the other lane (not all at the same time obviously!). No gates at all to separate the lanes. He handled it well in that he didn't show much interest in them, but it will take some time before his drive gets up to what it is when no one but me is watching him. :-)
His turn seems to be getting smoother, but still lots of room for improvement.
More distractions today, that being Zara, Milo, and Guinness doing boxwork in the other lane (not all at the same time obviously!). No gates at all to separate the lanes. He handled it well in that he didn't show much interest in them, but it will take some time before his drive gets up to what it is when no one but me is watching him. :-)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Team practice
Following Walter's two steps forward, one or two steps back approach to flyball, he didn't want to do an independant full run today with so many people around. He did head to head runs with Sammy in the other lane and someone else helding him so I could stand up close to the box. It went ok.
When we drive to Walter's favourite walking place, he barks in the car like mad, and the rhythmic sound of it reminds me of a flyball dog in the lineup waiting for the race to start. Maybe someday that'll be him... or maybe not, that's ok too.
When we drive to Walter's favourite walking place, he barks in the car like mad, and the rhythmic sound of it reminds me of a flyball dog in the lineup waiting for the race to start. Maybe someday that'll be him... or maybe not, that's ok too.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Team practice sans team
Today's team practice was cancelled, but since I was in that end of town anyway for the agility trial I figured I'd stop in for a quick practice. For the first time ever, he was doing independent full runs with the ball in the (unsprung) hole! The bad news is, he clocks in at about 7 seconds, losing tons of time with his "how not to do a boxturn" boxturn. Hopefully he'll soon figure out how to pick up the ball and do the turn in one fluid motion.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Team practice (TTH)
Since he no longer needs super duper treats as a bribe to pick up and bring the dead ball, for the first time ever Walter's boxwork was rewarded with the tug instead of treats. (He's always tugged for the recalls.) It worked great! C. held him behind two jumps (we only had two jumps per lane today) while I was close to the box, then we ran back together after he got the ball. Like at other recent practices, a couple of times he didn't pick up the ball, but a simple "where's the ball?" and he'd go right back for it. No signs yet of him dropping the ball early in anticipation of the tug because a couple of times he accidentally dropped the ball after clearing the last jump but immediately picked it up and brought it all the way to the tug. Fingers crossed that that holds. He seemed to really enjoy this because he was doing his excited agility-start-line bark while C. was restraining him and he tugged harder than ever, seriously digging in and even vocalizing while tugging.
Head to head and opposing recalls went well with Zara although he was definitely aware of her being in the other lane.
Head to head and opposing recalls went well with Zara although he was definitely aware of her being in the other lane.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Dogzworth open practice (Guides Canins)
Several of our team members went for a shared practice with Dogzworth at their practice facility, which was the first time there for all of us and our dogs. His turn is looking better and better each time lately (i.e. not pausing mid-turn), although the ball is still just on the ledge, not in the hole yet. Here's video of his last "run" of today's practice. Kindly ignore my ridiculous arm waving.
The most exciting thing about the practice was that Zara has started to "get" how to pick up the ball while maintaining her turn! Ping-ponging between turns with a ball and without a ball was key and she did several gorgeous turns with the ball.
The most exciting thing about the practice was that Zara has started to "get" how to pick up the ball while maintaining her turn! Ping-ponging between turns with a ball and without a ball was key and she did several gorgeous turns with the ball.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Team practice
What's really working well is having someone else hold him behind a couple of jumps while I stand between the box and first jump. His turn is becoming smoother but it may be because we only put the ball on the ledge in front of the hole today, making it easier for him to pick the ball up. A couple of times he didn't bring the ball but it wasn't a big deal. Rewarded with a new kind of treats today which he seemed to really like.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Saturday October 13th - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Today's one boxwork session went nowhere fast. He tended to either: (a) try to pick up the ball but it didn't come out of the unsprung hole easily enough for him so he left it, or (b) pick up the ball but not do the turn, or (c) not even try to pick up the ball. This was disappointing because he's been practicing the turn at home with the ball in the unsprung hole almost every day and has been doing very well. Maybe I should have warmed him up with a dead ball retrieve, but I didn't want him going the wrong way again so I didn't.
Today's one boxwork session went nowhere fast. He tended to either: (a) try to pick up the ball but it didn't come out of the unsprung hole easily enough for him so he left it, or (b) pick up the ball but not do the turn, or (c) not even try to pick up the ball. This was disappointing because he's been practicing the turn at home with the ball in the unsprung hole almost every day and has been doing very well. Maybe I should have warmed him up with a dead ball retrieve, but I didn't want him going the wrong way again so I didn't.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Saturday October 6th - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Once or twice he tried to not only cheat by only putting his hands on the box to grab the ball, but also he went to the right instead of to the left after picking it up. But he did do a few successful ones as well (still very slow-mo with the pause mid-turn). Then we tried some with someone else holding him behind a few jumps, me up close to the box. For the first couple he did the turn but didn't pick up the ball. Then he did one or two good ones. Also, did some recalls from the box with him getting passed into by Sammy and that went fine.
Once or twice he tried to not only cheat by only putting his hands on the box to grab the ball, but also he went to the right instead of to the left after picking it up. But he did do a few successful ones as well (still very slow-mo with the pause mid-turn). Then we tried some with someone else holding him behind a few jumps, me up close to the box. For the first couple he did the turn but didn't pick up the ball. Then he did one or two good ones. Also, did some recalls from the box with him getting passed into by Sammy and that went fine.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Saturday September 22nd 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
First flyball practice in a long while due to all the agility stuff lately. Dead ball retrieves are still good although he's still not very drivey on the send out. We start at 2 or 3 jumps and after he gets the ball run all the way back and he carries the ball all the way. :-) But... still turning the wrong way.
First flyball practice in a long while due to all the agility stuff lately. Dead ball retrieves are still good although he's still not very drivey on the send out. We start at 2 or 3 jumps and after he gets the ball run all the way back and he carries the ball all the way. :-) But... still turning the wrong way.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Thursday August 25th 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Continued progress with the dead ball retrieve: He's sending to the dead ball on the ground over three jumps then carries it all the way back. If he's made to bark first he gets a bit more pepped. :-) The only thing is, he's turning the "wrong" way pretty much every time - d'oh!
Continued progress with the dead ball retrieve: He's sending to the dead ball on the ground over three jumps then carries it all the way back. If he's made to bark first he gets a bit more pepped. :-) The only thing is, he's turning the "wrong" way pretty much every time - d'oh!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Thursday August 22nd 2007 - practice at nearby abandoned field
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Practiced dead ball retrieve over/back two jumps at the nearby abandoned field. Drive ~70% of what it is at home.
Practiced dead ball retrieve over/back two jumps at the nearby abandoned field. Drive ~70% of what it is at home.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Monday August 20th 2007 - practice at the agility field
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Practiced dead ball retrieve over/back two agility jumps at the agility field today. His drive was good, ~90% of what it is at home.
Practiced dead ball retrieve over/back two agility jumps at the agility field today. His drive was good, ~90% of what it is at home.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Saturday August 18th 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Progress today! Started with dead ball retrieves (ball on the floor) over/back one jump in the runback area of the hall while other dogs were working in the lanes. Then, we did them over one jump and back over all four (ball still just on the floor). Wonder of wonders, only one time did he ignore the ball - the rest of the time he brought it back all the way except when I slowed down and looked at him. Keep running all the way back and he carries it all the way back. Woo hoo! Rewarded with chunky canned dog food. He's still quite slow and unmotivated on the run-out compared to at home, BUT he's taking the ball and carrying it over the jumps which is a huge step. Of note, with the ball on the ground he's turning the "wrong" way 80% of the time! Anyway, brought two jumps home and gonna try to get in some outdoor practice with that this week. In other news, Zara and Milo are now doing full runs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Progress today! Started with dead ball retrieves (ball on the floor) over/back one jump in the runback area of the hall while other dogs were working in the lanes. Then, we did them over one jump and back over all four (ball still just on the floor). Wonder of wonders, only one time did he ignore the ball - the rest of the time he brought it back all the way except when I slowed down and looked at him. Keep running all the way back and he carries it all the way back. Woo hoo! Rewarded with chunky canned dog food. He's still quite slow and unmotivated on the run-out compared to at home, BUT he's taking the ball and carrying it over the jumps which is a huge step. Of note, with the ball on the ground he's turning the "wrong" way 80% of the time! Anyway, brought two jumps home and gonna try to get in some outdoor practice with that this week. In other news, Zara and Milo are now doing full runs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Thursday August 9th 2007 - practice at nearby park
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Did two dead ball retrieves (no jump) at the nearby park. His drive was way down from what it is at home, BUT he did run to the ball and bring it back.
Did two dead ball retrieves (no jump) at the nearby park. His drive was way down from what it is at home, BUT he did run to the ball and bring it back.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Monday August 6th 2007 - home practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Dead ball retrieve over/back one jump is going great at home! He's really excited about it and tries to break free of my grip while revving him up. Only doing 2-3 per session. Need to take this on the road and do it at various places.
Dead ball retrieve over/back one jump is going great at home! He's really excited about it and tries to break free of my grip while revving him up. Only doing 2-3 per session. Need to take this on the road and do it at various places.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Saturday July 28th 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Boxwork was lame as usual today. Seeing the progress the other novice dogs made today (see entry on Lucy's flyball page!!!), I'm going to do some homework with dead ball/toy retrieving and try going back to rewarding with treats instead of tugging the ball to see what that does. I really like the deadball retrieve exercise over jumps that the other dogs did today (I didn't try it with Walter) and will focus on him being able to do that before taking the ball from the box. Being passed into by Sammy went fine.
Boxwork was lame as usual today. Seeing the progress the other novice dogs made today (see entry on Lucy's flyball page!!!), I'm going to do some homework with dead ball/toy retrieving and try going back to rewarding with treats instead of tugging the ball to see what that does. I really like the deadball retrieve exercise over jumps that the other dogs did today (I didn't try it with Walter) and will focus on him being able to do that before taking the ball from the box. Being passed into by Sammy went fine.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Saturday July 14th 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Walter wasn't in the mood to tug the ball today; I wonder if it's because my hands were bare, having forgotten my tugging gloves. Anyway, on the times that he took the ball he dropped it quickly, BUT on the bright side the choppy turn he's been doing when the ball is there is getting smoother. Also, did head to head recalls for the first time (and there were no gates or barriers between the lanes) and all of the dogs handled it really well -- I was so impressed!
This video shows a relatively smooth turn (used to be even more choppy/step-by-step) but a quickly dropped ball:
Interesting that he's on his right lead when about to turn left. The rest of today's video shows he does this consistently.
Walter wasn't in the mood to tug the ball today; I wonder if it's because my hands were bare, having forgotten my tugging gloves. Anyway, on the times that he took the ball he dropped it quickly, BUT on the bright side the choppy turn he's been doing when the ball is there is getting smoother. Also, did head to head recalls for the first time (and there were no gates or barriers between the lanes) and all of the dogs handled it really well -- I was so impressed!
This video shows a relatively smooth turn (used to be even more choppy/step-by-step) but a quickly dropped ball:
Interesting that he's on his right lead when about to turn left. The rest of today's video shows he does this consistently.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Saturday June 30th 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Wow, he was even less motivated today than he usually is at flyball. Refused to take the ball several times. He got a bit more energized when we started from three jumps back and I ran with him.
Wow, he was even less motivated today than he usually is at flyball. Refused to take the ball several times. He got a bit more energized when we started from three jumps back and I ran with him.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Saturday June 23rd 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
He did three decent turns with the ball in the unsprung hole in a row so we left it at that.
He did three decent turns with the ball in the unsprung hole in a row so we left it at that.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Saturday June 16th 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Well, not his most stellar practice as he needed extra encouragement to take the ball. Perhaps the summer heat is coming into play as the hall was quite warm and he gets demotivated in the heat. Yeah, that's it... ;-)
Well, not his most stellar practice as he needed extra encouragement to take the ball. Perhaps the summer heat is coming into play as the hall was quite warm and he gets demotivated in the heat. Yeah, that's it... ;-)
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Saturday June 2nd 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Sent him over one jump to get the ball from the unsprung hole, then taking the one jump on the way back, then tug with ball. He did a couple of very nice ones (though still pausing mid-turn) but got bored quickly at which point I ran with him more.
Sent him over one jump to get the ball from the unsprung hole, then taking the one jump on the way back, then tug with ball. He did a couple of very nice ones (though still pausing mid-turn) but got bored quickly at which point I ran with him more.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Saturday May 26th 2007 - team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
More progress! For his first turn with the normal ball in the unsprung hole, he paused, sniffed it, said "Hey, this ain't no treat ball" and didn't take it. Same for the second so I went and picked up the ball and we tugged with it. From then on he picked up the ball every time, bringing it to me for a game of tug. He's still pausing midturn but I'm confident that will fade once he forgets about the whole treat-ball/non-treat-ball guessing game. Didn't use any jumps for today's boxwork. Now if only I can manage to keep all of my fingers until he can transition to bringing the ball for an actual tug... :^)
More progress! For his first turn with the normal ball in the unsprung hole, he paused, sniffed it, said "Hey, this ain't no treat ball" and didn't take it. Same for the second so I went and picked up the ball and we tugged with it. From then on he picked up the ball every time, bringing it to me for a game of tug. He's still pausing midturn but I'm confident that will fade once he forgets about the whole treat-ball/non-treat-ball guessing game. Didn't use any jumps for today's boxwork. Now if only I can manage to keep all of my fingers until he can transition to bringing the ball for an actual tug... :^)
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Wednesday May 23rd 2007 - supplementary outdoor team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Seems to be working - Walter brought the regular ball all the way! Didn't do a lot though because it was warm and the mosquitoes were coming out.
Seems to be working - Walter brought the regular ball all the way! Didn't do a lot though because it was warm and the mosquitoes were coming out.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tuesday May 22nd 2007 - home practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
I have a gut feeling (or perhaps a desperate hope? :-) that I may finally have found the trick for getting Walter to bring the regular ball! The idea popped into my head this weekend at the Trenton tournament watching a dog whose tug sends her too far over the top so she's rewarded by playing tug with the ball. Well, Walter loves to play fetch with tennis balls, and he enjoys tugging, so I put two and two together and decided to try putting away the treat ball; instead, his reward for taking the ball is we will play tug with it. So yesterday and again earlier today I grabbed some gloves and we played tug with a tennis ball away from the flyball equipment. Like any game of tug he enjoyed it; the hard part is figuring out how best for me to get a grip on the ball without getting my fingers dented by his teeth! This evening I put the normal ball in the unsprung hole and he was bringing the ball all the way to me, and he seemed to be having a lot more fun! The first few "turns" he cheated but then I backed him up all the way to the kitchen and he was doing the turn again, though still pausing mid-way. Can't wait for team practice to work on this some more.
I have a gut feeling (or perhaps a desperate hope? :-) that I may finally have found the trick for getting Walter to bring the regular ball! The idea popped into my head this weekend at the Trenton tournament watching a dog whose tug sends her too far over the top so she's rewarded by playing tug with the ball. Well, Walter loves to play fetch with tennis balls, and he enjoys tugging, so I put two and two together and decided to try putting away the treat ball; instead, his reward for taking the ball is we will play tug with it. So yesterday and again earlier today I grabbed some gloves and we played tug with a tennis ball away from the flyball equipment. Like any game of tug he enjoyed it; the hard part is figuring out how best for me to get a grip on the ball without getting my fingers dented by his teeth! This evening I put the normal ball in the unsprung hole and he was bringing the ball all the way to me, and he seemed to be having a lot more fun! The first few "turns" he cheated but then I backed him up all the way to the kitchen and he was doing the turn again, though still pausing mid-way. Can't wait for team practice to work on this some more.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Thursday May 17th 2007 - supplementary outdoor team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Walter did well with bringing a low-value-treat ball to me.
Walter did well with bringing a low-value-treat ball to me.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Wednesday May 16th 2007 - home practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Walter has been doing his pause-turns for a regular ball at home this week, bringing the ball almost all the way to me.
Walter has been doing his pause-turns for a regular ball at home this week, bringing the ball almost all the way to me.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Saturday May 5th 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Started with recalls past 4 or 5 dogs lined up, no problems. For today's boxwork session we alternated between treat ball and no ball, about 7 or 8 turns in total. The turn was fine with no ball but he was hesitating mid-turn when the ball was there the way he did last week. Darn these dogs with good memory! but once he realizes we're not trying to trick him I think his flowing turn will come back.
Started with recalls past 4 or 5 dogs lined up, no problems. For today's boxwork session we alternated between treat ball and no ball, about 7 or 8 turns in total. The turn was fine with no ball but he was hesitating mid-turn when the ball was there the way he did last week. Darn these dogs with good memory! but once he realizes we're not trying to trick him I think his flowing turn will come back.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Saturday April 28th 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
It became clear today that Walter is really, really taking his time to sniff the ball before deciding if he'll pick it up or not. (treat ball = pick it up and carry it; regular ball = maybe pick it up, maybe not, and if he does he'll only hold it for a second before spitting it out) He puts his hands on the box, pauses to sniff the ball before he picks it up, then hops his feet onto the box to finish the turn. Seeing as this alternating between treat ball and regular ball isn't having the desired effect, we're going to only use the treat ball for several sessions. Only when he's got that part down will we gradually and slowly introduce a regular ball.
It became clear today that Walter is really, really taking his time to sniff the ball before deciding if he'll pick it up or not. (treat ball = pick it up and carry it; regular ball = maybe pick it up, maybe not, and if he does he'll only hold it for a second before spitting it out) He puts his hands on the box, pauses to sniff the ball before he picks it up, then hops his feet onto the box to finish the turn. Seeing as this alternating between treat ball and regular ball isn't having the desired effect, we're going to only use the treat ball for several sessions. Only when he's got that part down will we gradually and slowly introduce a regular ball.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Saturday April 21st 2007 - U-Fli (Carp Curling Hall)
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Walter kept us company at Lucy's U-Fli tournament today, which was the first time both dogs were crated (as opposed to staying in the car) at an event and it actually went quite well. To prevent a day-long barkfest their tarps were placed so as to block their views of each other, and both dogs were quite quiet. Also, he settled nicely when brought inside the building a few times.
Walter kept us company at Lucy's U-Fli tournament today, which was the first time both dogs were crated (as opposed to staying in the car) at an event and it actually went quite well. To prevent a day-long barkfest their tarps were placed so as to block their views of each other, and both dogs were quite quiet. Also, he settled nicely when brought inside the building a few times.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Thursday April 18th 2007 - home practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Have had the box at home this week. Haven't had to use the treat ball at all; he's bringing a normal ball back from the ledge consistently. The problem is without much room to get up any speed, he often cheats the turn.
Have had the box at home this week. Haven't had to use the treat ball at all; he's bringing a normal ball back from the ledge consistently. The problem is without much room to get up any speed, he often cheats the turn.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Saturday April 14th 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Some more work with the treat ball and one jump. To prevent him from dropping the treat ball like a kong to make the treats fall out, I put one big piece of treat inside instead of a bunch of small ones and wouldn't give him a treat from my bait bag until the ball was in my hand so he'd still associate the ball with a treat as much as possible. A few times we snuck in a normal ball and he picked it up every time, but he dropped it sooner than he would drop the treat ball. Next practice, we'll put the treat ball in the unsprung hole.
Some more work with the treat ball and one jump. To prevent him from dropping the treat ball like a kong to make the treats fall out, I put one big piece of treat inside instead of a bunch of small ones and wouldn't give him a treat from my bait bag until the ball was in my hand so he'd still associate the ball with a treat as much as possible. A few times we snuck in a normal ball and he picked it up every time, but he dropped it sooner than he would drop the treat ball. Next practice, we'll put the treat ball in the unsprung hole.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Saturday March 31st 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
For various reasons Walter hasn't had a flyball practice in a month but he had a pretty good practice today in that when he went to fetch the treat ball from the ledge from behind one jump, he had good drive forward and didn't need me to run with him, which may just be a first. On his second set however his drive was fading, and sneaking in a regular ball didn't exactly fool him. Recalls running past Zara in the lineup area went fine.
For various reasons Walter hasn't had a flyball practice in a month but he had a pretty good practice today in that when he went to fetch the treat ball from the ledge from behind one jump, he had good drive forward and didn't need me to run with him, which may just be a first. On his second set however his drive was fading, and sneaking in a regular ball didn't exactly fool him. Recalls running past Zara in the lineup area went fine.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Saturday February 23rd 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
More good work with the treat ball. Warmed up with only one no-ball turn, then with the ball on the ledge and one jump. For one turn, we sprung the box just so that he'd get some exposure to the noise. And for one turn I tried not running with him quite as far, but he didn't get all four on so I didn't try it again. For passing, we did something new today which is Walter does a full recall and then another dog does a full recall in the opposite direction after we pass them. All the dogs handled this well.
More good work with the treat ball. Warmed up with only one no-ball turn, then with the ball on the ledge and one jump. For one turn, we sprung the box just so that he'd get some exposure to the noise. And for one turn I tried not running with him quite as far, but he didn't get all four on so I didn't try it again. For passing, we did something new today which is Walter does a full recall and then another dog does a full recall in the opposite direction after we pass them. All the dogs handled this well.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Saturday February 18th 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Last week's practice was cancelled because TTH was in use for an event. Another good practice. Some progress with the treat ball on the ledge: we added one jump and I run with him part way to the box. He's maintaining the turn even with a boxloader.
Last week's practice was cancelled because TTH was in use for an event. Another good practice. Some progress with the treat ball on the ledge: we added one jump and I run with him part way to the box. He's maintaining the turn even with a boxloader.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Saturday February 3rd 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
A good practice: Mr. Shy Guy took the treat ball from the ledge maintaining the turn while the boxloader was standing on the box with back turned. We jokingly pondered if a magic treat ball is legal at tournaments. We couldn't come up with the answer but it will be quite a while (if ever!) before Walter would be ready to race anyway!
A good practice: Mr. Shy Guy took the treat ball from the ledge maintaining the turn while the boxloader was standing on the box with back turned. We jokingly pondered if a magic treat ball is legal at tournaments. We couldn't come up with the answer but it will be quite a while (if ever!) before Walter would be ready to race anyway!
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Saturday January 27th 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
I learned something new about Walter today. Well, it's more of a confirmation of something I had suspected, which is that he learns/performs much better when no one's standing too close and watching him (except me of course). We did the first few turns with a boxloader, and he took the treat ball from the ledge but very hesitantly and only put his hands on the box. But handlers were short today so we put the box against the wall so that the boxloader could go and help dogs at the other stations. What a difference: All of a sudden he was taking the treat ball from the ledge AND maintaining the turn! Wally is definitely not the type who likes to show off for other people! :-)
I learned something new about Walter today. Well, it's more of a confirmation of something I had suspected, which is that he learns/performs much better when no one's standing too close and watching him (except me of course). We did the first few turns with a boxloader, and he took the treat ball from the ledge but very hesitantly and only put his hands on the box. But handlers were short today so we put the box against the wall so that the boxloader could go and help dogs at the other stations. What a difference: All of a sudden he was taking the treat ball from the ledge AND maintaining the turn! Wally is definitely not the type who likes to show off for other people! :-)
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Saturday January 20th 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Recalls: no problem. Boxwork: Tried once with the regular ball but it wasn't happening. Switching to the treat ball, he took it from the unsprung hole but didn't do the turn. For now though we'll take that. He really does not do his best work or learning at flyball practice; he seems stressed and pre-occupied and I'm sure it's even worse because he doesn't get any exercise beforehand. Oh well! Not everything in life or dogsports comes easy so we'll keep at it.
Recalls: no problem. Boxwork: Tried once with the regular ball but it wasn't happening. Switching to the treat ball, he took it from the unsprung hole but didn't do the turn. For now though we'll take that. He really does not do his best work or learning at flyball practice; he seems stressed and pre-occupied and I'm sure it's even worse because he doesn't get any exercise beforehand. Oh well! Not everything in life or dogsports comes easy so we'll keep at it.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Wednesday January 17th 2007 - home practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Hallelujah again! More progress! Today I used only a normal ball, not the treat one. After a couple of no-ball turns, I put the ball into the unsprung hole and Walter picked it up! This is the first time he's done that. I think the trick with him is to make him believe that treats come out of the ball, even non-treat balls. So even though he dropped it a few feet after doing the turn, I went and picked it up and made as if the treats in my hand came out of it. I was so thrilled that he was picking up the ball that I temporarily relaxed the turn criteria, although by the end of the practice he had gotten in several with the turn. Hopefully after he really gets the hang of it I can fade the treats and bring the tug back into it.
Hallelujah again! More progress! Today I used only a normal ball, not the treat one. After a couple of no-ball turns, I put the ball into the unsprung hole and Walter picked it up! This is the first time he's done that. I think the trick with him is to make him believe that treats come out of the ball, even non-treat balls. So even though he dropped it a few feet after doing the turn, I went and picked it up and made as if the treats in my hand came out of it. I was so thrilled that he was picking up the ball that I temporarily relaxed the turn criteria, although by the end of the practice he had gotten in several with the turn. Hopefully after he really gets the hang of it I can fade the treats and bring the tug back into it.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Tuesday January 16th 2007 - home practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Hallelujah! Progress! I have the box at home this week so I took advantage. By the end of today's short practice session, Walter was not only picking up the treat ball from the unsprung hole but also maintaining the swimmer's turn! Really revving him up, running with him, and cueing "hit it" were key for maintaining the turn.
Hallelujah! Progress! I have the box at home this week so I took advantage. By the end of today's short practice session, Walter was not only picking up the treat ball from the unsprung hole but also maintaining the swimmer's turn! Really revving him up, running with him, and cueing "hit it" were key for maintaining the turn.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Saturday January 6th 2007 - Team practice
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
Boy, this dead ball retrieve thing at TTH just doesn't seem to be happening! May try going back to the treat ball instead. Did some runs where I run with him to the box and back, then did the same thing as the last to run in a lineup of our house league guest, then Sammy, then Walter.
Boy, this dead ball retrieve thing at TTH just doesn't seem to be happening! May try going back to the treat ball instead. Did some runs where I run with him to the box and back, then did the same thing as the last to run in a lineup of our house league guest, then Sammy, then Walter.
Monday, January 1, 2007
Monday January 1st 2007 - Goals for 2007
(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)
My goals for Walter's 2007 flyball year are for him to do independent full runs as part of a line-up. Once he realizes that he's supposed to pick up the ball and bring it, then the rest will fall into place... Come on Wally, we've got all year, you can do it!!
My goals for Walter's 2007 flyball year are for him to do independent full runs as part of a line-up. Once he realizes that he's supposed to pick up the ball and bring it, then the rest will fall into place... Come on Wally, we've got all year, you can do it!!
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