I drove up to Charlotte for a lesson with Meagan. She is just so great for the ego. She has such nice things to say about me and my dog. So when I get to the lesson she has a surprise for me. She set up the "shorties" sequences from "Clean Run" magazine that I had such trouble with. I had to laugh because I had also brought my magazine with it open to the "shorties" page to ask her how to handle it. She told me to pick the one I had the most trouble with. It was #3. Of course when she showed me what to do , it was a piece of cake. Just like in the picture, front cross between the weaves and jump #3, then kinda post turn from #3-#4 but get into the pocket between the jumps as your dog is turning ( I guess its like a front cross but not really). As the dog takes #4 precue with your outside hand. Tell the dog "tight" ( or "in" or"'wrap" what ever your word is for a tight turn) and call your dog dog as your going toward the tunnel. I know this is very confusing. If I have time I will post video tomorrow. Watch tomorrow I wont be able to do it. Lol. We also practice rear crosses because sometimes I pull Miley to tight with the rear crosses and she misses the outside jump of a pinwheel. Of course tonight she did great. That just shows you what nerves and frustration do to your handling. The only bad thing was Miley did a lot of circling behavior. When ever we would stop to discuss the course or something , Miley would start running big circles around us. I think it was just that she had been in the crate all day. She was out maybe 30 minutes when I go home and then back to the crate for the car ride. I think she just had a lot of energy she needed to release. She was great during the training it was just if we stopped. Stopping is boring, lets run.
The ferret is much better today. Yesterday was really bad. She hasn't been able to get herself out of the bed in the crate. Her tail was sticking up in a weird position and she couldn't use her back legs. I was feeling bad. Maybe it would be better to put her down . But they said it would take the medication a week to start working and it hasn't been a week. Today when I went to give her the medication she got up and got out of the bed. Then tonight when I got home. I went to let her out and she got up and walked down the ramps to the bottom of the crate. Maybe things will get better for her now.
7 comments:
Glad you had a fun and productive lesson in Charlotte! Miley is so fast, you have to do things so quickly it must get frustrating. But the good news is...it's getting better, she's getting better, you're getting better.. and you're having fun!
Hope the ferret feels much better tomorrow!
I understand what you mean, it looks easy but not when come to handling the dog. We have a practise of the similar kind of sequence with Sizzle, I just unable to pull him to me between the two jumps (#3 and #4), I used "in" and he just wanted to take the jump all the times!!
Hopefully the ferret is getting better!
I could totally relate when you said the sequence was a "piece of cake" once she told you how to handle it. I was having trouble with an obstacle discrimination at class last night. My teacher said do you know what I would do? I gave her an idea...she said, "No", then gently told me to do the complete opposite. It worked like magic.
I felt like an idiot, but it was so cool to see Oreo respond like that. So, having someone there with us really helps sometimes.
I'm so glad you had a good lesson! Sounds like Miley did well and I'm sure you're right about the circling - she just has lots of energy and doesn't want to stop doing agility ever!
Poor ferret! Hope the medicine kicks in soon!
OOOh I am so sorry the little ferret has been going through hard times, but I am very glad she is looking better today-hopefully that medication will really kick in soon.
That is so funny that you wanted to ask about the shorties and Meagan had already set those up.
I will have to try that particular one.
Miley says she wants to go herding, LOL! She says maybe she can herd her handler and instructor back onto the agility course so she can keep going, hahahahhaha
Interesting - was it like a backey uppy? We would have done butt to the bar post turn from 4 to the tunnel.
Little sequence reminds me some of what we worked on during Silvia's seminar. Tight wraps, odd turns...good practice! Hope the Ferret feels better...
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