Blog Archives
Workout Wednesday – Conditioning
About this time last year, Jaxon decided that he really wasn’t interested in Agility anymore. I couldn’t understand why a puppy who had loved going to training & playing on the equipment now had no interest whatsoever. At every occasion, he decided running away would be a better option. I felt pretty sad for him, and guilty that I was trying to get him to do things he didn’t want to do. Then it receded to a point where he wouldn’t jump at all, and then I clicked something was wrong.
Workout Wednesday – 5 minute formula
What are we going to play today?
When out and about with Jaxon, I often get compliments at how cute he is, and how very well trained he is. My philosophy is it shouldn’t take long to train your pup, but like any other member of your family, you have to put time in to reap the rewards.
June Trial report – TITLE!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you ready Mum??
I imagine it to be like one of those Brazilian soccer callers when we cross the line…..”TITLEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
OK, so it wasn’t quite like that. And our title run came out of a run that could have been disastrous.
Post Goulburn Trial report
We went back to trialling on the weekend. It was a 2 day event with the Goulburn club in country New South Wales.
While the weather was slated to be freezing cold and wet, it was actually beautiful. We had cooler weather than Sydney, but not freezing. The rain held off until Sunday afternoon, and wasn’t too bad when it did arrive.
Are we there yet?
Workout Wednesday – core strength
We took delivery of our first core strengthening tool last week – a wobble board. While the one I bought is good for humans and puppies, there are a lot of others out there with soft plastic on them which are also great to use. I plan to get some of those soon too.
This week was about getting Jaxon stretching and balancing across a range of different exercises.
Discovery Monday – New Shoes!
Mondays come around quickly, and we’ve lots to share again!
This week I feel happy thanks to my new agility shoes that have been absolutely fantastic.
Gortex waterproof trail running shoes from Innov8
Over wet and soggy agility trials, humid mornings and the days after rain, I found that my old shoes were really starting to wear thin, and my constantly wet feet were not making me a happy handler.
So I went in search of some trail running shoes that would help keep my feet dry & give me some stability.
Discovery Monday – Getting in the groove
What are we going to play today?
It’s a beautiful thing when you really start to click with your dog as a team.
I’ve been training my dog for 4 years, 2 .5 of those consistently and through club, and then starting Agility. Over that time I’ve learnt a lot about being a handler, owning a dog, opening my heart, patience and persistence.
Discovery Monday – Jaxon learns to swim!
A little while back, Jaxon & I attended summer Agility Camp with Canine Fun Sports.
It was a fun time, but the middle of Summer really got us, and one day in particular was close to 40 degrees right up to 6pm in the evening!
Swimming was fun Mum!
Well the best thing about Agility Camp is the great group of people who are there – and their fabulous dogs.
Training Videos – The Twist
I’ve been trying to record more training with Jaxon so that I can review my handling, and see what I’m doing OK at, and how I can improve.
High ten!
This week, we’ve been practicing a few OneMind Dog moves. The first one I tried was the Twist. I’m still slow and working through learning the move, so Jaxon has been very patient with me!
Workout Wednesday – Speak!
If you met Jaxon at a trial, you would think he’s a yapper (sad face). However, if you met him at home, you’d be surprised at how quiet he is.
Ready!
I certainly thought he was such a quiet one that we’d have to encourage him to speak up sometimes.
One of the early tricks I taught Jaxon was to “Speak”. I watched a TV program about dogs that perform on TV, and thought Jaxon would make a great TV dog (no offers yet).
The thing that made me think was the fact the trainer was getting the dog to do certain actions at a distance.
Eventually, “Speak” became a trick that worked 2-fold. It got Jaxon to speak up, and it taught him not to bark at us other times.
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