Thanks to Mel at Canis Major Essex Clinical Canine Massage for another full day of massage for our dogs. Zircon likes to chat during his treatment!
Crufts training prep
With Crufts fast approaching it’s time to brush up on those skills!
No puddles here!
We are so lucky to have a surface to train on🍀 even after the epic rainfall last night, the surface is good to go, not a single puddle in sight!!
What to do when things don’t go to plan???
There is not a handler among us who can go clear EVERY time, so we need a plan.
I firmly believe that while my dog is competing, I want to keep him happy and confident, motivated and moving.
Almost every error can be blamed on the handler, I will accept responsibility and do my utmost to work out what went wrong and how this can be improved, using an appropriate training plan between shows if necessary.
Here the dog takes jump 2 from the wrong side, immediate elimination. Is that really the dog’s fault? Could the handler have taken a better line to show the dog the way?
How to ‘recover’ from this is important to future success. I feel it is important not to lay blame on the dog, but immediately work on with good focus and connection.
In this case, the dog worked the rest of the course with enthusiasm and completed with praise, all with the aim of making the whole experience pleasant enough that my dog will start the next run with confidence, not cautious of a handler who is unpredictable in competition.
We learn from every run, in training or competition, so do our dogs!
While it may not have been our day to be in the placings, our practice paid off and Foden worked the ring like a total pro.
How’s that for a straight line going away from the judge?
He managed a walk past, can he hold position while I run by??
How solid is our stand?
Hmm, so far so good 😃
Time to polish up those straight lines in preparation for the green carpet !!
Agility really can be fun for any dog, as this chap shows. He may not be about to rock the show scene but he can certainly enjoy doing as much or as little as he can do.
Simple exercises, such as this, can be fun for any dog to learn and form an important part of foundation training for the future agility superstar 🌟
If you want your dog to have fun while learning get in touch and book a 1-2-1 session, training tailored to suit you and your dog.
Email zoe@inthedogsinterest
Text or WhatsApp 07775 853455
