Tomorrow is our first trial of the season!

ghggp said:
Finnie did great! I am glad he looks so enthusiastic about working! I can only dream that Liam will allow someone to pat his head!

Good job!!!

Piper might have been distracted by the bad lightning! It was very glaring by the lighting through that window. Oh well... hang in there...
Team Piper still has your back!
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I agree with you about the lighting Gloria. It's funny, I practice with Piper in the building and never really noticed how bad it really is! I knew about the glare from the windows but not on the matting. I have to really start cracking down on Piper though, his fronts are AWFUL in the ring! I have a video of Piper in Utility and I can post it if you want lol. On articles he went around me with the article in his mouth, then to my side where he dropped it, picked it up and kinda did an awful front.
He was trying to get my leg at one point in heeling...just awful lol. Of course he's been out of it for a year. I have two weeks to fix him lol. I have a few ideas.
Now I'm off to bed...18 hours up, of course I'm not tired anymore lol.
 
Piper's mom said:
I agree with you about the lighting Gloria. It's funny, I practice with Piper in the building and never really noticed how bad it really is! I knew about the glare from the windows but not on the matting. I have to really start cracking down on Piper though, his fronts are AWFUL in the ring! I have a video of Piper in Utility and I can post it if you want lol. On articles he went around me with the article in his mouth, then to my side where he dropped it, picked it up and kinda did an awful front.
He was trying to get my leg at one point in heeling...just awful lol. Of course he's been out of it for a year. I have two weeks to fix him lol. I have a few ideas.
Now I'm off to bed...18 hours up, of course I'm not tired anymore lol.
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Yes, would love to see it! You can post it privately if you want too!

Oh my, sounds like tough love for Piper!

Fingers crossed for Liam today!
 
ghggp said:
Yes, would love to see it! You can post it privately if you want too!

Oh my, sounds like tough love for Piper!

Fingers crossed for Liam today!
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You and Liam will do great, just be patient with him...I honestly never thought I'd be where I am now with Finnie even 4 months ago! He's come so far, Liam will get there too it'll just take time.
For Finnie to allow a stranger to approach him and be touched on his head without moving was a huge accomplishment for him...I know back in December I'd been thinking he'd never make it in the ring and just look at him now!
 
Not actually tough love but just working him more...
Today we had our class and again he started to mess up his go outs, definitely a first for him! After class we went to a mall parking lot (by Walmart and Petsmart) and I started doing what I did last year...just sending him to random walls, chain link fences etc. Later, at home I worked him on his heeling (he's gotten VERY sloppy), fronts and we did some bucket work (his absolute favourite!). In case your wondering what that is, he steps onto the bucket (it's a rubber feed bucket, not too big and non slip) and I move around it one step at a time telling him each time to 'get in'. He has to move his rear legs to move around it while maintaining heel position. Helps to remind him where he has to be and to keep nice and close while heeling.
We did this for about 30 minutes (I also worked Finnie on bucket and did heeling for about 30 minutes), then when I went to take them in the house from the garage Piper stood outside the garage door looking at me...he wanted more, poor guy. Tomorrow we'll get back to it.
 
always more when it's cookie time...

I have been trying to get mine to do the bucket thing- only Destin would actually put his feet on it- everyone else just jumped over it.....
I thought doing that would help with pivots since Cran had some issues with that. even though we never mastered the bucket, he's doing better with his pivoting.
 
Calliesmom said:
always more when it's cookie time...

I have been trying to get mine to do the bucket thing- only Destin would actually put his feet on it- everyone else just jumped over it.....
I thought doing that would help with pivots since Cran had some issues with that. even though we never mastered the bucket, he's doing better with his pivoting.
Click to expand...
Actually I've cut wayyyy back on the treats. My trainer thinks Finnie is only working for the food and isn't actually learning. And Piper I cut back to just a few/training session, next week maybe just once in preparation for our next trial.

I found teaching Finnie the bucket was very easy. I gave him a treat if he put a paw on it, didn't have to be both...took him maybe 10 minutes to realize he'd get a treat for stepping on it. And then on leash on with Finnie standing on it I lured him with a treat by holding it on the left side of his nose (it takes a few seconds to get them to move properly) and as I took a step I moved the treat slightly away (but still close to his left side) and said get in causing him to reach to the left and he moved his rear to the right. (If this makes sense...I can get a video of it if you want).
I still do the bucket with Piper as they forget and get very sloppy and with Finnie I'll do the bucket and then take it away and see how he is on his pivots. He's still not there yet but it's certainly helping him to move better and keep close to me.
My bucket I got at a sort of country style hardware store that sells feed supplies, horse equipment and such. It's a softer style rubber (I actually have two of them).

This is what I use

https://www.peaveymart.com/FEED-PAN-2-Quart-P2648.aspx
 
Piper's mom said:
Actually I've cut wayyyy back on the treats. My trainer thinks Finnie is only working for the food and isn't actually learning. And Piper I cut back to just a few/training session, next week maybe just once in preparation for our next trial.

I found teaching Finnie the bucket was very easy. I gave him a treat if he put a paw on it, didn't have to be both...took him maybe 10 minutes to realize he'd get a treat for stepping on it. And then on leash on with Finnie standing on it I lured him with a treat by holding it on the left side of his nose (it takes a few seconds to get them to move properly) and as I took a step I moved the treat slightly away (but still close to his left side) and said get in causing him to reach to the left and he moved his rear to the right. (If this makes sense...I can get a video of it if you want).
I still do the bucket with Piper as they forget and get very sloppy and with Finnie I'll do the bucket and then take it away and see how he is on his pivots. He's still not there yet but it's certainly helping him to move better and keep close to me.
My bucket I got at a sort of country style hardware store that sells feed supplies, horse equipment and such. It's a softer style rubber (I actually have two of them).

This is what I use

https://www.peaveymart.com/FEED-PAN-2-Quart-P2648.aspx
Click to expand...

I have something similar - got it from Tractor Supply.
I was using the clicker when they touched it with their foot but the older dogs all thought it was something that must be jumped and not touched. kind of like the yellow contacts in agility sometimes. I should dig it back out and see what we can do with it now. I've noticed that sometimes when I try to teach them something and then kind of let go of doing that for whatever reason- travel, weather, whatever that when we get back to it, it seems to make more sense to them the second time around.

I definitely have to scale back on the cookies at certain points- some of them just get a little too worked up for the cookie that there's no real attention left for actually working on the exercise......
doesn't stop them from wanting to keep going and maybe there will be a cookie somewhere............
 
Well our second trial of the season was yesterday and Piper did horribly in Utility. We're in A and the order is seek back, articles, signals, moving stand and directed jumping. You'd think I'd only just started training him!
He did the glove good then I sent him to find mine for articles and he started towards the pile then decided hmmm...I'm gonna go smell the fence...on second he went to the pile but wouldn't look for it.
Signals he did great lol...no anticipating lol and his moving stand was good (even though the judge took so long to touch him it was like she was introducing herself to him!). Directed jumping he did the first but on second he didn't go out, just to jump.
This building is really loud, has super high ceilings (I had to really yell for him to hear me) and I had zero focus from him, weren't able to do mat time as I worked Thursday evening. We qualified in Open but he's doing this thing (only in a trial) where on the retrieves instead of coming straight to front he goes around me first and I get a crooked front:gaah! How can I correct when it doesn't happen in practice?!!!
I'm at the point where I'd be happy just to get his Utility and then be done with obedience with him...I'd then finish his Rally. Two more days to try.....
 
Well, I feel bad for you as I know how hard you have worked to get Piper up to par!

All I can say is on a bad day Piper is way better than Liam! :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Maybe Finnie will take over the roll of star. (y)
Maybe Piper feels he should be able to retire??? :(
 
It's so hard when you really want to do an activity with them that they just don't take to. I've had that happen with show dogs, so I know what you're going through. Perform perfectly at home or when practicing, but get to the venue and they know nothing and have no interest in participating.

Does Piper like Rally more than Obedience? If so, maybe that's his venue. If you can get his Utility and make the switch you might both be happier. Wishing you better days for the rest of the trial!
 
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