Agility in Albury

03/08/2024

Hey All,
Dates for august lessons at chiltern are the 16th and 31st.

Let me know if you are interested!!

09/07/2024

Hopefully Fly is picking up some tips 😊😊

09/07/2024

Want to watch the nationals live!!!! That's it, decided what I am doing with the rest of my week off!
My plans to go this year fell through but doesn't mean I have to completely miss out 😊
Note, that the below link is the only official stream. Unfortunately, some dodgy people will try to tell you otherwise...

08/07/2024

The latter is more expensive, anyway.

Show your love for dog sports in style! ShopCanineAesthete.com. 🛍 🐾

08/07/2024

Agility nationals kicking off this week!!!!. Best of luck to all the competitors 😊😊

The time is now….let the 2024 NSW Agility Nationals begin! 🐾

Please tag us in any of your posts for the event so we can share the love💕

04/07/2024

Hey All,
Dates for July are friday 12th and Sunday 28th.

Reach out if you are interested!

01/07/2024

Interested in ideas on how to support your dog before, during and after exercise to keep then injury free? Then this session we have with Dr Raquel Butler might just be for you!

25/06/2024

01/06/2024

Hey All!!

June already.. 😐

Dates this month are the 14th and 29th!

Reach out if interested 😊

03/05/2024

Agility lessons for May!

- 10th
- 26th!!

Reach out by messenger if you would like a lesson.

27/04/2024

Want something to do tomorrow? Head up to Wagga and check out the agility trial held by Kyeamba Kennel Club at San Isidore!!!

On all weekend and this year the Wagga trial also is NSW teams selection event for the Agility Nationals this year!! So they means so.e really good competitors will have made it down our way 😊

Spectators are welcome, but they have asked that dogs are left at home unless competing.

Due to an injury Harley sustained earlier this week this will be the first year I haven't competed in this trial since my agility competition career started many many years ago...

03/04/2024

Hey All,
Dates for April are:

- Sat 20th
- fri 26th

Message me if you would like a spot! Happy to organise a group session if you have done some of the basic foundations with me already.

06/03/2024

I have signed up to this as I am a little lost as to where to start training for an event I haven't attended!! Should be a good program.

I think even of nationals aren't on your radar this year, it will still be a good program to give you new and different ideas for your agility training!

Either way, it's worth a look!

01/03/2024

Got a dog that likes bugs bunny and pods???? Then check these out!!!!

Bunny Pod 🙂
Standard & Mini
Taking orders via messenger only.
$39

25/02/2024

22/02/2024

Ok back for 2024.

Dates for March are 8th and 16th.

Let me know if you are interested

23/01/2024

📣 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘! 📣

We know you've all been eagerly awaiting more info about the K9 Natural 2024 Dogs Australia Agility Nationals. We're excited to announce that the nationals schedule is now available at https://nswagility.com.au/schedule

09/01/2024

Puppies and mature dogs chew a lot – and not just while they are eating.

While this drives some owners mad, veterinary scientists suspect there must be functional reasons why your best friend chews bones, sticks, shoes, furniture, your hand. But science has largely overlooked the reasons why.

To find out, Professor Paul McGreevy at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science is leading a study to explore the functional significance of gnawing (and chewing) in domestic dogs.

He wants to hear from the dog-owning public what they give their pets to munch on.

Professor McGreevy said: “Gnawing is a common element of the canine behavioural repertoire, with feral dogs spending much more time chewing than hunting. So, the influence of gnawing on domestic dog welfare is likely to be highly significant.

“At first glance, we get the sense that this activity keeps dog’s teeth clean. But despite the importance that dogs place on gnawing, the activity has been largely overlooked by science.”

In veterinary behavioural medicine, gnawing is reported in association with distress and anxiety; as a part of destructive behaviour that can occur either when dogs are left alone or being confined, regardless of the presence of the owners.

“Gnawing could have potential as an indicator of welfare problems,” Professor McGreevy said. “Furthermore, gnawing the wrong items can cause physical injuries to the teeth or gums and can result in the ingestion of foreign bodies if dogs chew inappropriate objects such as stones, sticks and fabrics.”

An understanding of the significance of chewing could see the development of new techniques to assist anxious dogs.

“Here at Chew HQ, as we have informally called ourselves, we are asking owners to tell us all about the types of chewable items they give their dogs to chew, tear and gnaw. We want to hear how often dogs are given these goodies and how they behave before and afterwards. We are also interested in the state of the dogs’ teeth and their gut function.”

Dog owners can complete the survey at the following link: https://sydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9pHXiHv8c3qtytM

31/10/2023

30/10/2023

Hey All,
Dates for November are Saturday the 11th and Friday the 24th.

I will then be taking a break for December and January.

If you want to book in reach out 😊😊

23/10/2023

One thing I have held off on training my dog is left and right to help navigate a course.

This is mainly due to me very commonly getting stuck telling the difference!! Not unusual for me to say the other right!! Or other left!!

I've decided to challenge myself and teach Harley left and right. It has lead to some amusing training sessions where I have gotten all flustered and Harley just takes his best guess, taking the right because that's what i said when I really meant left.

Anyway, I have recommitted to the goal.

So I wanted to share a video produced by Mccann Dogs that shows you how to start by teaching left and right spin.

Now remember it's based on your dogs left and right, not yours, so if you need to label their shoulder with a sticky dot to help you out go for it! I won't judge :)

Teaching your dog or puppy to turn left or right on command is a really cute trick. It can also be used by competitors in the sport of dog agility! In a few ...

20/10/2023

15/10/2023

As some one very guilty of making up training plans on the fly and then wondering why my progress is a bit slow at times this is a fantastic idea! Just like everything else that comes out from Lisa ☺️

Free Online Dog Training Diary - take the guesswork out of your training.

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!