Skills to train--looking for any and all ideas!

corbinam

corbinam

Moderator
I try to get out in the yard about 4-5 times a week to work with the dogs. Typically we just work short sequences, or maybe some obstacle performance (with weaves and contacts).

I used to use Clean Run's backyard dogs to come up with some ideas for set ups, but I stopped subscribing since I have no money :lol:

Anyways, I'm always at a loss for things to work on, and just end up making up sequences as I go. It's not always a bad thing, but I never really get to a trial and say "oh good! We just worked X at home and I feel confident!" I normally think "crap, we've never worked on this/seen this before".

So I'm thinking of trying to work on one particular skill every time I go outside. Problem is, I can't think of that many off the top of my head!

I'm looking for any and all input! It can be simple, difficult, foundations, tricky, etc.

Here are some ideas I thought of to give you a good idea what I'm looking for:

--Straight line to opposite side of the tunnel (ie: keeping the dog from racing in)
--Contact to tunnel (under contact)
--Discriminations: tunnel/contact

Thanks in advance!
 
270s, serpentines, 180s, pinwheels, deceleration/acceleration, hard 180s off contacts, recall to heel positions, 180s with a jump out there like a pinwheel- many dogs out of habit will go take the middle, threadles, finding the back side of jumps! Ugly weave entries, 1 tunnel at each end of the contact with the ends really sticking out (saw this in may, it was hard with a running contact as you either had to leave and let your dog find the contact after they did the tunnel, or be behind at the contact end
 
What about that site where you can get course maps? Or try things from Bud Houston's blog or agility nerds?

I would also work on the things you know you have issues with. i.e. for myself, I have issues with the weave entry and distance from the weaves (me from him). I could work on that for a week. Or alternate it every other day.

Also, if you somewhat follow a system, you could make sure you know "most" of the moves they do. Or work on new stuff. i.e. again for me I'd work on blind crosses (I can never spell the K word, lol).

Or, in class on Wed, I was going to do a certain move and my trainer said, "does Koji know that?" And I"m like, I'm pretty sure, although it's not one we do often. Basically it's me standing on the side of the jump, showing him the jump with my arm, having him and my arm wrap around and we move the opposite direction (I can map it out). but point is, it's not something "typical" I do.

Maybe scour blogs of people in different venue's. i.e. do some NADAC stuff. Or CPE type things. Watch them handle (cuz IMHO, they tend to handle slightly differently due to the courses), see if you see anything new and useful, etc.

Okay, that's all my suggestions. I guess I have so many things to work on....I could go at it all the time.
 
In addition to what HopeShelties suggested...

Distance work - keep practicing and adding more and more distance and difficulty. Difficulty can include layering, obstacle discrimination, etc.

If you still have your course maps from trials, what sections of the course gave you difficulty? Try to build those sections in your back yard.

There are course maps available here: http://agilitycoursemaps.com/Home.aspx. Maybe you can find something in those maps that you can work on.
 
(additional, of course...! :wink2:)

It can be funnny (and helpful for finding own ways for new situations) to create a new sequence with the Mikado-system. It means to throw a bundle of bars (5-10) away from you, then pick up the ones, that lay too near to an other bar and throw it again in an other direction, pick up and do it again or put the rest away.
Of course you can also use some bars to mark positions for other obstacles - start and end of a tunnel, contacts...
Then you try obviously easy and harder ways in this course.

I do this sometimes for "self- or "each-other-training"... It's a great game. Sometimes I find a good one and draw it for my classes. :biggrin2:
 
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