Feeling is getting better.

We have had a long brake from agility competing. We have just trained and try to find our team work. Training hasn't gone well. I have had huge problems to get through a course without mistakes. Pixie has dropped par or two and my handling has been simple horrible. Piece by piece we started to make better and better parts during different courses. Best thing was we started be relaxed again. No hurry, no worries, just time to find ourselves again.

Last weekend we had a competition in Kirkkonummi. First course was super. Pixie only did contact mistake in A-frame but otherwise it was very nice run. Both us were relaxed and I kept in my mind a thought that I was there for Pixie and only for Pixie. This thought really helped me to concentrate to handling and keeping the contact to Pixie. Second run was a little disaster. Pixie did super running A-frame but crashed the jump and we needed to take a little brake. She also dropped also from dogwalk. So we had little cracking in our team work.

The third course was a team jumping course from WC 2014. It was cool to be able to try a course from WC. This was almost perfect run. Few turns went to too long but otherwise we were a team and we had a relaxed feeling. This is how agility should feel. We had so much fun. I so clad we had found our team spirit and right feeling. Just loving agility again.

Freya has been doing herding. We have still a conversation going about does she work for me or have her own fun. She has improved a lot and her herding drive is going higher and higher. Freya is getting better in stops and both of her flanks are opening. She also did her first flank training in a pen. At first she had her weak moment and lost her drive, then she collected her thoughts and she worked really well in tight space. Kaisa a few moments with her and she worked like charm. I have still a lot to learn how to give her commands with my body and voice.

Freya update :D

Freya’s herding

We have started to do stop and naming flanks. It has been very hard task for me. She super fast and her herding instinct has grown stronger and stronger which means that it has been harder to put term to her herding work. I have haft to run a lot but in the end it has paid off. Freya has started to be easier and easier to handle and she has starting to also give up on sheep when asked.

Today we worked on our away driving of a herd of sheep. First they ran away one time before we got a right place to balance pull from a big herd. On first try Freya try to make quick on strong rushes but soon she calmed down and started to run the herd in balance.

Our second task was to make a drive in a balanced position. I left Freya on down position and moved behind a herd of sheep. Freya was on a long leash but worked on loose leash the whole time and kept nice balanced place so that the herd didn’t run away. This was first time she worked on really calm and listen what I said. Actually she really sensitive and I had problems to keep myself calm and not give her unwanted commands. Freya also gave up sheep easily and we could walk away with loose leash. Just a super moment! 

Obedience Freya

Freya has been working on positions in healing. I finally found way to make her stop fast. I started to turn right in front of her after a cue. Soon Freya got the idea and started to do fast and accurate stops. I did this for few times every time we trained it and now she stops even if I keep walking on. Time really flies and I had forgotten how I thought this cue to Pixie. Down positions has been improving and it’s almost ready to trials.

We have also improved our healing work by working on in turns. Freya uses her back side really well. Our only problem seems to be that does moves too much and sometimes her bottom is behind my legs. I have just ignored the over turns and we have done it again. She has catch up really fast to hold her right position on my side. I also have made healing work on the right side just make body work both ways and keep her straight.

Freya's retrieve has also improved. I still work on our lift and return from short distance but I have also started to do speed work. In speed work I through a dumbbell to long distance and as soon as she catches the dumbbell I show her toy to make her run super fast back at me. It has worked really well. I still work on the separated pieces of the retrieve but the whole chain is getting better and better.

Freya's agility

I have started to teach Freya handling maneuvers. She has been fast learner and she seems have already a quiet good obstacle focus. Sometimes we do have problems if I keep a toy in my hand. Freya has a habit of changing side to my hand that has the toy. We have done some basic training to change to focus to my handling and it starting pay off. Other wise Freya and I have big tool box to handle different course combinations. Although she has only done maximum of 3-4 obstacle training. Usually I train maneuvers with 1-2 jumps.

Freya has also started to do 2on2off on seesaw. This will be her only obstacle that she will have stopping contacts. I have just shaped the position and teach her that to keep the position before I say "come". She has had her good and bad moments. Hardest thing has been when I have gone behind her. Freya wants to face me so had some difficulty make her give up on my face and focus on the position. Now she has started to do the whole seesaw. It has started to be easier to keep focus to the front with secondary reward a little away from the seesaw. It still a long way from ready but we are getting there. 

More Sheep herding and ob

Sheep herding

I have to start with our sheep herding. Freya went to second training last weekend. First we did some basic moving of sheep. Freya started to have nice tiptoe movement and waited the sheep to move. We started to name her movement straight to sheep to "walk on". I have decided to use English as my cue language. Freya also did some work off leash of finding of flight distance of sheep. She worked really well and Freya has been very light to control. This sport is really taking me to a new place and really like it.

Obedience

Freya has been working on her basics. We started to work on stand and laying down during heal work. I first have started to make stand and laying down separately around me. Now we work on these position while I walk. Next stage is to bring them to real heal work. I haven't still been happy with her stopping speed so we a big project on that.

Also I have started to do staying in a group. This has been a little challenge for us. I think one of the reasons is that Freya thinks she need to offer some thing new while I just stand and wait. So we need to built this behavior from very little pieces so it will calm and stands distractions.

I think our best ob moment so far was training at my friends training field. When we were training two boys came to play soccer at the same field. Freya worked super! She didn't pay any notice to the boys and even work on when they kicked a ball next to us. I can just say- super puppy!!!

Pixie and I have been working on our team spirit. I have done very short training and praising her all the time. My goal is to make us work better together and with higher drive. Our 30 sec training has already done miracles. Pixie still works like charm in the more difficult task. I hope that soon we make everything together and make us work us team even better. Short training has really give us both more energy and the precision has improved a lot. Will I compete in Ob... I don't know, but I see as project to improve my skills as a trainer and improve our team work.

Next time some our agility work!

MLPF

Sheep herding

Last weekend we spend a day in sheep herding school. This was Freya's first time doing sheep herding. I wanted to know how she would work and would herding be something that Freya would like to do. First round was just horrible. Freya just barked and jumped all over in the line. My thought was that this will be a horrible day. Kaisa Hilska ,our trainer, just told me that this is normal with young dogs. It still didn't make feeling any better at this point.

On the second round we started to see will Freya have natural flanks. First she tried to come close and took after that some distance and look away. After a little brake she started to found the flank in both directions. This was really exciting watch when Freya started to use her genetic skills. I was just amazed. At that point I really knew we people get to involved in sheep herding. This is the sport where dog need to have own ideas and skills.

Third round we started to see will she have natural way to find balance in when she controls the sheep. This was pretty wild. Freya kept going on flanks at first and didn't really find the balance point. When she founded the balance point she started come forward right away. This a little problem because Freya didn't have any control commands yet. So this was our homework for the next. We need get "lay down" command better before we can start practicing moving in a balance with the sheep. In the end this day was so super and learned so much about my border collie and I now could tell better why have certain abilities and habits. Super super day!!! Thanks Kaisa!! Herding will be something we will work on in the future.  

Some much more to tell.. Until next time.

MLPF