Dogwalk Training: Running Contacts

It’s probably been at least two months since we’ve done a training session on dogwalks. Griffin had a few reps at agility class (and missed every time). And during a private last month (was good, one was a jump). But no ‘real’ training.

Monday night we did one session and yesterday we did two. I took my camera but it was a little deceptive. I had it on the HD setting, thinking that was the best, but it’s not handling the motion so well. I’ll try a different setting today.

Last night we had help, and someone else was clicking for me. And I admit that most of the time I was watching his feet instead of running forward 100%. And I usually saw a good touch. But our clicker-er did not.

Who was right? I’m not so sure. And we didn’t even have the camera to reliably back us up. Once we saw that I was plainly wrong, I was sure of a touch but the camera said no.

So… please take your camera to training. And remember to charge the batteries first. I’ve been trying to prompt my students, esp in advanced agility, to bring a camera to class. One of them is reliably doing so, the others not so much.

Griffin fell off the dogwalk, he didn’t take a jump before it and then had a bad entry, he caught himself on the up ramp but then across the top he just couldn’t balance and he jumped. But the landing was good and he was right back to work. I hesitated between putting him right back up and waiting a few weeks before trying it again, but did go right back to it. On future reps he was a bit more cautious, but still running. Until he got tired. We’ll do less of it today.

The day after Christmas we saw a pair of coyotes in the field where I play with Griffin. They were probably bigger than him! Now I’m going to be worried about him going off to explore the scents.

I really need to learn to use my camera!