a Taj MuttHall Dog Diary: Weaves and Weekend

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Weaves and Weekend

SUMMARY: Boost's weaves are a disaster, and it's USDAA time again.
Yesterday's weaving practice fell apart. Boost couldn't make the slightly harder entries again.

I dropped the number of poles to 4 so she wouldn't have to be doing a lot of weaves just to practice the entries. I'd been throwing the toy as a reward, but not quickly enough, so she was essentially doing a u-turn at the end to come back towards me.  I worked on throwing the toy earlier to get her to go straight out of the weaves, and she started popping out.

Frustrating-- even if she made the entry, she was popping. Or she wasn't making the entry. I caught myself saying "No!" on more than one occasion on the pop-outs and finally stopped to do some very simple weaves (straight on entry with me running alongside) to have 3 successes in a row and stopped for the day.

I have to rethink this. Thought I was going back to basics but apparently I'm going back to screwing up the basics.

And it's agility this weekend, too, curses--feeling so unready.

However: It's USDAA out in Turlock, always a pleasant group of people, and the weather should be absolutely perfect. They're predicting rain for Monday, but until then, parrrrtay!

Only thing is, hmm, I was planning on sleeping overnight in MUTT MVR on site, but I'm reconsidering, looking at those overnight lows. Even with down and two dogs...brrrr...

3 comments:

  1. Here in NY it's 20. I havent seen grass in weeks just snow. Trade ya!!!!

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  2. Are you using 4 straight poles? I like to use 2X2's to train enteries. Start with just the first two poles unti the dog gets the idea and then I go to 4 poles but with the first two at the open angle. Work around the clock. Then slowly close the anle of the first two poles. (I hope that is making sense).

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  3. @Anon: OK, you're right! I occasionally keep a gratitude journal, and that could be one thing!

    @Diana: Boost had no trouble making the entry with just 2 poles when I've tried it this week, any angle, any position. Move it to 4, it's either been perfect or a problem. (I started her with susan garrett's 2x2s 5 years ago, then something wasn't working for me--don't remember what--and continued without the 2x2s.) I'm not sure I see the benefit of having the first two at an angle to the others if I'm working around the clock anyway.

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