Red Dog Agility

28/07/2024

Last lot of National pics. These ones are from Top Dog Photography and she got some super shots 🥰

27/07/2024

Thanks so much to Vero Fojt for these super photos of the kids at the Nationals!

10/07/2024

Day 1 and Brill got an ADX Q and 3rd in his first run 😍
We won’t talk about Snooker 😂
Withdrew from JDX as that ring was terrible by the time we were due and didn’t want to risk injury for either of us!
Will see what happens but with all our JDX heats in the same ring I’m not sure we will run any of them 🙄
Gordon and Bright did some nice work but no luck in their two runs.

12/06/2024

Let me all help you with some shopping 😂

I use this massager on both myself and the dogs and it’s so good. It really helped my dogs recovery after agility, particularly Bright who gets really tight.

Had to train the dogs by putting my hand between them and the massager and using food to reward it. Bright is very untrusting about most things so if she got used to it then they all can 😝 But it has a very low setting to start them out on.

Last multi day comp there was one night I couldn’t be bothered using it myself after doing the dogs. I was really sore the next day and I hadn’t been on the other days.

I use it mostly as a roller (my body weight on it) on myself but with the dogs I rub them down with it and sometimes concentrate on a tight spot with some side to side or a bit of rolling

It’s on sale at the moment so thought I’d share!

Contoured to the back, spine, and neck, this vibrating roller delivers the right angles of pressure to release soreness, tension, and improve movement.

13/05/2024

Video Analysis is now available! Introductory price of only $15 per minute of video you supply, as I am not sure exactly how much time it will take me to work through. Don't miss out on this low starting price!

I have been utilising this new coaching tool with a few students and have seen an immediate improvement in understanding and the students have been able to implement changes that improved their handling straight away.
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Video feedback will be slowed down and paused to really go into detail about handler position, body cues and timing. I will be pointing all the good parts and also any slight changes that will help the dogs get all the information they need.

Then I will give you a short list of what to work on, as well as share reference videos if needed to help with that. For a higher price, I could also do a detailed homework lesson plan as well.

Go check out the examples of what a video feedback would be like on my website below.

To organise this, just contact me either by email or FB messenger.

Video Analysis Agility Feedback Competition Runs Feedback

05/05/2024

I’m looking to add video analysis to my services. It could be competition runs or training as long as they aren’t longer than 1 min.
Here’s a little taste of what that would look like.
Feedback will be private and in an app. I’m excited!

28/04/2024

Does your dog pull off in their commitment to obstacles? More often than not when I am teaching I can see it happens because people are looking at their dogs.

I have been meaning to do this post for a while now, because it's a very common handler error.

It's very easy to constantly watch the dog, as many times handlers don't quite trust they are doing what they are cueing.

Also some handling systems also seem to teach handlers constant connection. I am not sure if that's the case but that is what people tell me when I suggest they are looking at their dogs too much.

One reason I think looking at your dog during a run could be an issue, is that usually when we are about to reward our dog we look at them. Makes sense that a dog would stop what they are doing in anticipation of rewards coming.

Another is that many agility dogs are herding dogs and some more than others, have a lot of eye and get stuck on their handlers when they look at them.

Of course we do want to connect with our dogs at some points on a course, to make sure they are on the correct side of us and on the right path. But once we know they are, it's important to look at the obstacles we are sending them to.

When doing send and go tight turns (dog is to take the jump then head back in the direction they came from) it's a really common time that dogs will pull off of jumps. Handlers should be rotating towards the dogs to give them information of where they are going next after the jump. But if you are looking at the dog as you do this, then it's really hard for the dogs to know they are meant to take the jump behind you!

If you find your dog is pulling off obstacles easily then make sure to video and check where you are looking! It may be just that simple little change that helps give your dog better information.

07/04/2024

My other passion is canine fitness! I am a certified fitness trainer CPCFT (Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer). 💪

Here is a sample of some of the exercises we do in a fitness session. We also did side stepping on the flat to add in a lateral component.

🤓 We have built up to 3 sets of 4 exercises and I rotate through the exercises like we are doing a circuit routine.

Brill is very strong 🤩 so we’ve added the elements of some instability props to make the exercises harder but we don’t use them much. I also don’t use any unstable props that are rounded and going to create bad form and stance.

We have a range of exercise we work through and do the sessions 3 times a week.

🏋️‍♀️ This type of work helps to make sure your dogs bodies are strong enough to deal with the stresses of agility. Plus you will see if they start struggling with something and it gives you a heads up before a major injury!

I can do in person sessions and personalise programs to your dogs needs.

Book here - https://booksteam.com/Customer/BookNowServices.aspx?k=d8d87b32591&

If you aren’t local to me, we can also do these via video online.

You really don't need any fancy equipment to do these exercises. 90% of my dogs work is done on cut up bits of rubber matting!

❓What fitness training do you currently have in place for your dogs?!

https://youtu.be/3QopNWbH2o0

Here is a sample of some of the exercises we do in a fitness session. We also did side stepping on the flat to add in a lateral component. We have built up t...

24/03/2024

Had a wonderful weekend with ACT people. Thanks so much Kylie White for organising and hosting!

Was great to catch up with some regulars as well as meet some newer people. I made them run a lot the second day so they got some fitness training too 😜🤣

20/03/2024

Toy Play!!

Time to share another important lesson from this kid! And it's all about toy play. ⚽️

The agility community worldwide, has been taught over the years that tugging is the thing we all need to be doing with our dogs. In some circles, it's considered top priority and even implied that without tugging you can't have a great agility dog!

This of course is quite ridiculous, but there is a community pressure out there in some clubs and with some instructors still saying this. It is getting better I think but many people really don't know how complex toy play really is.

With Keen's foundations, I had brought him up with tugging. Lots of toy games and plenty of tugging. He learnt to do all sorts of tricks and was fab at doing them. Great self control about only grabbing it when I cued. BUT he also thought about toys like they were life and death too. Which made him desperate in his training. 🤯

After I had learnt a lot more about over arousal, it also meant I had to look at our rewards system and the part it played. Tugging was a big issue. I hadn't been taught how to do it to help the dog deal with the conflict of it all. I was taught to teach the dog self control and that they can only grab a toy when cued but it was always we played tug together and then I asked him to give up the toy. Also I was taught to slap the dog around while tugging.

Some of you may think this is normal because it's what you've been taught too. So what is wrong with that way of playing? Well it's a game of tug that's meant to be enjoyed by both parties and yet one party always "wins" the toy, as far as the dog is concerned. No wonder Keen never wanted to give the toy up when I asked. 😏

Slapping the dog is a thing we really need to lose. As I said above, tugging is already very high conflict with the dog. We are in their space and both holding on to something. Sometimes people are leaning over the top of their dogs too. Add to this people are slapping their dogs as well and it's making the whole thing a lot for the dogs!! Many dogs do not particularly like being touched at all when they are working. Slapping the dog can end up with a dog avoiding tugging because they don't like it. Conversely you can make your dog even crazier with it. I think this second point was probably why it was brought in because crazy means faster dogs right? 🙄

Once I found out that my toy play was lacking I signed up to do a Shade Whitesal course to learn more. It honestly has been such a change for both me and many students as well.

Bright came along after Keen and right from the start with her toy play I let her win the toy heaps and rarely actually tugged for longer than a few seconds. I love our toy play together and have so many options in different ways to play too. 🤩

These days, I really use toy play as a way to manage arousal levels and help to prevent problem behaviours too. I have quite a few different reward markers and I use them based on what I am seeing in the dogs emotional state to help them maintain optimum arousal levels.

For example Bright has very little natural self control. I use a Catch marker that means stay where you are and the toy is coming to you a lot to really encourage an increase in her patience.

Brill I use lots of different markers to keep checking he is listening when he's excited. So after we have done some agility, I reward him in a few different ways to check on arousal. Also I use the different markers to help solidify a behaviour ie him going into 2o2o and with me running past I can say catch to help him get more value in hitting that position. If I reward him off the contact towards me, it's just encouraging him leaving more.

Recently, I have worked with a couple of students that have dogs that get over the top about their environments easily. Both of them were holding on to the tug to play with the dogs to keep the dog with them. But this is problematic because it is really winding the dogs up more, which is the one thing we are trying to avoid. So we have come up with some strategies to let go of the toy a lot more and also focus on other reward options like Catch and Chase. And we decided popping a lead on while the dog wins the toy can mean they can comfortably let go of the tug and not stress the dogs is gong to leave and make bad choices too!

I haven't even touched on the dogs that don't want to tug and how the pressure of trying to force them to, can really affect your agility and even worse your relationship. There are many other ways we can reward the dogs like food pods, balls, target perch, food bowl or treat and train to name a few. If you do use these types of rewards though, it is important you are playful in how you interact with the dog still.

Toy play is much more complex than people realise. What have you noticed about your dogs and toy play? Is there anything you think you might be able to change if you are recognising some of the issues I talk about above?

If you want to learn more about this, my Arousal course has loads of different reward strategies and involves a lot of toy play skills.
https://courses.rdagility.com

16/03/2024

Brilliant had some fab runs last night. Q and 1st in AD. Yay he finished his weaves! 👏👏
Thanks so much to the judges and everyone that made the trial possible.
Homework list is sort his aframe so I can run ahead more and not worry about him killing himself 🤪 And more weaves training required. In arousal, when I cue them he just barks at me and doesn’t search for them!
JDX was a super run and I just needed to run through faster so he knew his line better!
This was a much better trial arousal wise for us. The dogs lost their minds on the first one back a couple of weeks ago 😂😂

15/03/2024

This move has been a constant challenge for Brighty. First part shows what she did a comp the other night 🤦‍♀️ She doesn’t want to take her time on take off and wants to rush the whole thing. It gets even more challenging when I need to be moving off and running somewhere.
So here’s our training drills to try to sort it out I have a pole to restrict the space she’s given (about halfway along the bar) plus I plan to have the toy down in a collected landing spot tons. We are working on different angles and on the end one I’m trying to practice moving ahead of her more too.

10/03/2024

Had a wonderful weekend teaching down at Double J Down Under.
Set up a couple of Tamas Traj courses for the advanced dogs so we can start practicing for Nationals where he will be judging. Handlers and dogs had fun and really had to push themselves to make some things. Dogs really loved the speed and flow!
Novice courses are inspired by Tamas using the same layout and really letting the dogs have nice flow and decent spacing.
If I had my time again, I would have changed the ending of novice jumping as I don’t like the loss of speed and flow for the dogs.
Photos of courses attached
Thank you to Francisca for the beautiful facilities and to everyone that came along and trained. 💞

22/01/2024

Lessons Learnt!

After losing Keen last month I have wanted to start doing some posts of the things I learnt from that special dog 🥰

🤯 Lesson 1 Clearer Communication

🤩 During the first year of Keen's training, we had a strong bond due to me raising the litter, which helped with his focus and engagement. He had excellent foundation skills and could perform all the necessary tasks for agility training.

😏 However, things started to fall apart when we began actual agility sequencing.

🥳 I spent a couple of years searching for answers and eventually found training resources that prioritize a dog's feelings and mindset. This was a game changer for Keen's training and also for teaching my students and their dogs. One of the most important lessons I learned was the importance of clearer communication.

🤔 Dogs are constantly trying to understand what we want from them and often have to guess what will earn them rewards. This can be frustrating for them and may lead to unwanted behaviors. To illustrate this, imagine teaching kids a sport without explaining the rules and just telling them to guess. Some kids might try different things and occasionally succeed, but many others would give up or become distracted.

🧐 By paying attention to Keen's responses during our training sessions, I noticed that when he was unsure of what I was asking, he would become more energetic and less focused. On the other hand, he worked calmly and efficiently when he had more information about when and how he would receive rewards.

📢This led me to make the following changes in our training approach.

1. Structured Sessions. I introduced a structured format to our sessions, clearly indicating the start and finish and establishing a rhythm that suited Keen's personality.
2. Clearer handling information. I made sure I was not worrying about him getting things wrong and tried to handle him like he was the perfect dog. Timing of my handling was so important for him.
3. Location Reward Markers. This has been my most favourite part of the communication lessons. It sent me down a rabbit hole that I always get so excited about. The different maker words give the dogs so much more information and clarity. They can be used for discrimation testing, help to build the skill the way we want (think if we want to reward a stay I can give a Catch maker which means stay where you are for the toy to be thrown to you) but first and foremost it really helps dogs that are passionate about their rewards. That really helped Keen to be able to think better in his training.

❓I'd love to hear how your dogs show they are frustrated and confused? Recognising this and trying to find ways to prevent it happening can really help! Last bit of advice is to make sure to always vide. This gives you so much information, if you watch their responses to things that happen within your training sessions.

01/01/2024

Happy New Year from us at Red Dog Agility!
I wanted to send out my thanks to everyone that came along in person, or joined me in the online space for 2023. I am so grateful I get to help people and their lovely dogs work together more as a team.
2023 did not have a good ending for me personally and in particular I am really feeling the loss of my special boy Keen.
But I want to channel those feelings into something more productive that might help others. Keen has taught me personally, so many lessons in dog training and I will be sharing bits and pieces of this over the coming weeks, in the hopes it may help others too.
I know already how much this beautiful, smart dog helped me to fix or prevent similar issues with their own dogs. Now let's see if he can help more!
Hope to see many of you in 2024 and best wishes that you get to move closer to your dreams.
Remember to always put your dogs first and foremost and their health and wellbeing (physical and mental) should always come above any sports goals you may have! Hug your dogs xx
Show me your puppy photos of your favourite dogs. Shh don't tell my other dogs ;)
Stay tuned to this page for training tips and my thoughts on all things dog sports.

23/12/2023

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Xmas.
Remember to appreciate every moment with your special dogs, as you never know how long it will last.
Keenie Bean from a few years ago being the perfect model he was 💞 So handsome and clever.
Show me a pic of your special heart dog and tell me what you appreciate most about them ☺️

30/11/2023

Last few hours to sign up for my courses and get 30% off. Use code bf2023

23/11/2023

SALE!! 30% off all courses starts today!

Black Friday sale starts today with 30% off all my online courses using the code BF2023

This includes my all new Ready To Go! start line stay course which launches today too!

I am proud of all of my online courses so please go to - https://courses.rdagility.com to look at all I have available. Courses are suitable for all levels of handler or dog!

If you are having trouble working out what course would suit you then please contact me!

Don't forget my puppy diaries which are also a great resource for anyone that has a new puppy. At 30% off these are great value! These diaries are my most comprehensive training resource and show you all sorts of things I do when raising my dogs. To purchase these go to my website - https://www.rdagility.com

Please share if you have any friends you think might benefit from my courses!

19/11/2023

Coming this Friday my new Start Line Course called Ready to Go!
This course will delve into all things self control, as well as tips to help dogs learn to love stillness behaviours.
Not only is this course perfect for those needing to fix their start line stay but I highly recommend it for a puppy/young dog to prevent having to fix it later on!
As I have been going through and creating the videos, I can see all the work I have put into Brilliant's stays right from a baby! He learnt that offering being still and calm got him things.
Bright is the poster child of not wanting to stay. so she has been the reason I have come up with everything in this course. lol
Added bonus is that there is also a Black Friday sale starting the same day, so all my courses will be 30% off until the end of November! Discount code is bf2023
My online course platform is https://courses.rdagility.com so make sure to go on and check out all the courses that will be on sale!

18/11/2023

Black Friday Sale Coming Soon!!
This Friday the 24th of November, all my online courses will be 30% off!
I also will have a new course opening called Ready to Go! Start line stay course.
You have many other courses to choose from, so why not head to my online platform to see what's on there! My course platform is - https://courses.rdagility.com
Each course has a preview video, to give you an idea of some of things covered in it and they also have the curriculum listed below too.
I am also in the process of revamping my Threadle course, so if you purchase that one I will give you access to the new version as soon as I replace it.
Let me know if you have any questions!

06/11/2023

The kids and I had our yearly fun with Dave Munnings! Wish we got to do this a lot more often. Dave you said such nice things about Brill but he is doing so well because of your influence on my training too. 🥰

Lots of layering/discrimination challenges and plenty to work on for next time.

Venue is amazing as usual and temp was perfect for the dogs ☺️

Thanks so much Caroline Bentley for all your work to organise too 😘😘

Video is mostly for my memories. We didn’t get through big sections without help 😆but both kids worked super well. 💞

15/10/2023

The use of time outs in agility training.

Recently a regular student had posted on fb that she had been walking her dog out of the ring if she didn’t do a start line stay at a competition. This was not something I had advised, so I assume at a club level she was being told this was how to fix the issue.

This is a very common trend for fixing all sorts of things in agility. It’s particularly used with higher arousal dogs that are unlikely to shut down from this type of training method.

In the past, it’s been sold as a technique to have dogs think about what they did wrong that caused the fun to stop. Similar to how kids are sometimes given time outs to try and change behaviours we aren’t happy with.

The difference between kids and dogs is you can actually verbally tell them, the reason for the time out. With dogs, it’s assuming that they know it’s the thing they just did wrong (breaking stays, dropping bars, leaping off contacts) but this is a huge assumption. It’s actually very likely they have no idea and unless you saw an instant change the next time you tried, then it’s actually fairly safe to say they didn’t know.

These days, I try to look for other ways that are more reward based to get the message through.

With the particular issue of stays, another thing that’s very commonly taught in agility, is that the reward is getting to do agility. For many dogs this is fine, but if your dog struggles with stillness and patience then it’s better to come up with a reinforcement strategy that really cements the behaviour better.

Rewarding the dog with forward motion will actually build them anticipating the release even more. Makes it even harder for this type of dog to stay.

I personally love using the catch marker and throwing a toy back to the dog while I’ve lead out. It’s key that I look the same, whether I’m planning to release the dog or give the catch marker. I also advise that the toy is hidden in a pocket, otherwise a smart dog works out when you will and won’t be throwing it back.

The regular student took all this advice and worked on it through the week and the next comp the dog did all of her stays! She also has taken my over arousal online course and is part way through implementing tips from that to help the dog mentally be able to think better.

It’s so satisfying to see people making progress from putting in the right work.

In the future, I’m planning to do an online course on start line stay games. Summer plans!

Let me know your thoughts on time outs and if you’ve come up with better alternatives to get the message through!

23/12/2022

Merry xmas to everyone! Hope you have a wonderful and safe holidays!
Thank you to everyone that supported my business throughout the year. I loved working with you all and I feel so grateful that I get to work with such special dogs and their people.
Hug your dogs and can't wait to work with you all next year.
Oh and stay tuned for my xmas sale on my online courses!

12/10/2022

So proud of this team! Sue Moon and her border collie Ryley showing how it should be done!
Ryley has been a very challenging boy since he became an older puppy, when he started to find the world more difficult. He has very big feelings about both visual things and many sounds. His big feelings can end badly (redirects back to handler), if he has a really big reaction to something.
We developed the routine at the start of this video, which is testing where his head is at. He knows this routine so super well now, that it gives Sue information if he doesn't respond like he normally does to the toy markers and perch work.
Because he knows the routine so well, it means it's also something that settles him in a bit and if he ever gives us an indication he is not ok, then doing a couple of rounds of this can help get him back in the right head space.
Day time has always been an extra challenge because he can see a lot more. He usually does agility at night and we've noticed day sessions are a bit harder for him!
The next bit I want to point out, is the flow of this training session and how Sue doesn't give him time to make bad choices. Also how she deals with errors.
When he pops into that tunnel and he was meant to do the jump, can you see how he starts scanning outside the arena and Sue gives him a tug marker and plays with him? Such a good decision and if she had stopped and taken a lot of time trying to get him back on track, then she would have lost him.
After that, at 1.10 he scans outside the ring again. Another sign he is distracted, as that is not what he usually does in the night sessions.
Then Sue doesn't quite make the blind x, so he takes the jump out of the tunnel on the wrong arm and in the wrong direction for the sequence. But Sue doesn't stop and try to fix this. She just rewards him briefly, which is the correct thing to do! It's not Ryley's fault that Sue didn't make it and rewarding him there is just smart training.
Next go, Sue decides to start him on the tunnel because that guarantees she will make that blind x better and they finish on a lovely run!
All of this is what I cover off in great detail in my Arousal - The Hidden Distraction Course. It is currently open for registration with a few working spots available. You just need to click the drop down box on the price if you want the working spot.
For more info click here - https://courses.rdagility.com/courses/arousal-thehiddendistraction

https://youtu.be/522jAZ7yLRY

16/05/2022

For the third time this year my field is trashed by the weather 🤦‍♀️
This has not been a great year for my business that’s for sure!
Starting today for 5 days I’m having a Flash Sale on ALL of my online courses. Discount code is flashflood22 🤪
To browse all of my courses go here - https://courses.rdagility.com
So much to choose from and such great value.

15/01/2022

Nail grinding with cooperative care. Both of these dogs have been a challenge with this. Brill I taught nails right from early on but he just was getting worse and worse. He has very hard nails.

Bright I used to do similar with food out in front but no platforms. She wouldn’t let me grind much at all and would constantly be pulling her feet away. Was particularly bad with the front ones and particularly her left foot.

So a few weeks ago, I decided to try this version with a toy. The platform helps to keep her still but she always has a choice to get on it not. If she stops returning to the platform, then I would stop the session.

You can see in one of the earlier sessions, how much she pulls her foot away front left. That was what every foot was like before lol That session I actually stopped after a couple of attempts on that foot and next session I started on that foot, which I think helped a lot.

The end shows Brill doing similar for a lick thing in front. I had been getting Gordon to hold a thing and lick it the whole time I did nails but he was constantly pulling and moving. This way is working much better but it does need a food guarder because he’s naughty about food 😂

Let me know what works for your dogs nail care! Always interested in learning new ideas 😃

05/01/2022

Xmas comp Winner!! Lisa Kaddatz is the comp winner. 🥳🥳

Contact me to choose your prize Lisa 😃