Different Strokes

Different Strokes

For Different Folks 

Practicing all the time can sometime lead to a lot of boredom, so our advance class instructor Ron Trainer likes to fill in at times with a longer more difficult short course to keep things interesting and keep the group focused...

 

Remember our focus here at Big Times is that agility is made up of a series of challenges which we counter with a series of specific skills.. Thus we have a tendency to teach and practice SKILLS.. Which at times can become frustrating and boring...

 

As you will see in the following videos 2 people, 2 different ideas, 2 different skills and 2 different executions...

Which one is right.. Both..

They worked..

Is there a better way in each case sure, but these 2 handlers reacted to what they were presented with by their dog.

I guess you call that Handling..

 

Colleen and Cooper

 

 

 

Lisa and Cisco

 

 

 

 

 



AKC Nationals

Running Agility

I do not profess to be a writer but I would like to put some thoughts out there to consider.

After spending the greater part of the last 2 days watching the Agility Nationals I have come to the conclusion basics are where it is at.  From start lines stays to driving to the finish.  More dogs failed because of simple miscues from the handler. Some of the weak basics start line stays, wraps, sends and go outs.  And people forget the natural cues like movement, shoulders and eye contact.  So many stopped at jumps causing the dog to stop.  The surprising thing is the weaves were really not a problem for the better dogs but the basics were.

Here at Big Times we are are into basics, nothing fancy just the basics. We pride ourselves on looking at lots of course, pulling out the problem areas and presenting basic solutions to the problems to our students.  

If your really interested in doing agility it starts in a basic beginners class with good sit stays, come on recall and walking on leash.  Nothing fancy just basic good manners.

Not much else to say except you sure can learn a lot watching the AKC National Agility Championships.....

 Well got to get back to watching !!!!!!

Queen City Agility

March 6th I got the chance to run down to Queen City and watch 3 of our students show their stuff.. The fact that they are all at the excellent Level made it easier.. Here is Ruth and Ponto's Jumpers run.
The team is a well oiled machine and showed it Sunday.  Big Times Kennel was well represented..

Ruth and Ponto

Corgies Practice

Checking in on Team Corgie

AS everyone knows we have 2 students and 3 dogs going to the Nationals.

The Teams

Ruth Miller and Kerrie (corgie)running in the 8 inch class

Ruth Miller and Ponto (aussie) running in the 16 inch class

Becky Brinck and Maddie (corgie) running in the 4 inch Class

Practice Practice Practice

Here ron has set up a series of problems, which the teams have been working on. Generally at the end of a practice session the teams like to put the whole thing together a nd see how they do.

Ruth and Kerrie Clean Run

Becky and Maddie

A  little mishap at the weaves (handler error)

a clean run otherwise..

Practice never ends..

Practice Practice Practice

At Big Times we try to focus on individual skills and occasionally we put them together in a short course...  Here we feature a short course a contact, a sweeping weave pole entry, multiple wraps, another contact and a send to the table.  4 dogs , 4 styles 

RUTH and KERRIE

COLLEEN and COOPER

DAN and SMEDLEY

LISA and CISCO

Practice Practice Practice

Practice

Everyone likes to run courses but success comes with a lot of practice...

And a successful teeter is no exception. 

Handlers as well as the dogs do a lot of running.

We always start with the teeter as low as possible and supported with sand bags so there is no movement..

Here we are on stage 4 where we have started to raise the teeter and the dogs are working with the movement and the noise.. Most importantly we focus not only on the teeter but the 2 on 2 off contact

Becky and Zoie

Connie and Cooper

Ruth and Nemoy

Steve and Reilly

How important is motion

Motion and direction play a big role in agility... Motion and direction being natural ques over shadow just about everything else.. Donna and Sadie were having a hard time with a send..

Sadie goes around just like she was told...

Watch the motion of the handler. Donna sends the dog 

Before the jump then proceeds forward

Sadie takes the Q goes to the backside of jump and follows Mom

Same thing happens here 

 After some adjustments and a little practice

Sadie get good information and completes the task