A-frame work has a breaktrough

I have been working on a running A-frame for Pixie. She has learned A-frame by clicker training and 2on2off technique. I started this project last autumn. Our first goal was to brake A-frame stops. This was easy on blank and piece of dogwalk and running dogwalk was ready in no time. On A-frame she just didn't know what to do: jump or come slowly to 2on2off.

I tried different helps to brake the running in A-frame. My first try was with the "box". It is square shaped frame made of pipes. Soon she run with it nicely. But when I took it away, everything just fell apart. Pixie came really uncertain what to do. After that I tried speed bumps. It stopped her from slowing down and getting more better at running over the A-frame but again she didn't get the idea after I took the bumps off.

So we were at the beginning. I finally what's the Running Contact video of Silvia Trkman. It showed so easy and Pixie had done nice job with the dogwalk. I founded two key factors that I had been missing: Jackpot and hitting contact with hind legs. So we started to use double reward. Pixie would get tennis ball from running over the A-frame and would get Jackpot reward if she did it without jumping the contact zone and gradually she got the jackpot only when she hit the contact zone with her hind legs and low enough. Soon we both the idea!!!!!

Now we are working on turns to right and left and changing tennis ball reward to another obstacle. This journey has really hard but I have learned so much. I actually learned more from this because I didn't watch Silvias DVD. Although it took us way way longer to reach the goal!!

Marianne, Pixie and Louise

Nose touch and making passing more calm

I have read now tons of articles about clicker training. The story of Emma Parson (author of Click to Calm) and Ben really stood out. She told about her aggressive dog Ben that lunged and showed aggression to other dogs. Emma's methods of curing Ben where just exciting. It was very interesting to read how clicker training worked to calm the dog even though it didn't even eat the treats in the beginning. Clicker has just a strong influence to the brain and how it handles to feedback. (Story of Ben and Emma).

We have few very lunging and aggressive dogs on our walking routes. Pixie gets really hyper and her mind goes anxiety state of mind from uncertainty. Louise react by protecting by barking and this behavior got stronger after Pixie got attack by another dog. So started to use clicker and nose touch to keep my own dogs calm. First time we passed a one of the aggressive dogs just said "touch" to Pixie and she started to poke her nose to palm. Pixie was calm and worked nicely with me. Louise was calm because Pixie has always been the provoker with her anxiety. Just making Pixie comfortable to the situation of passing aggressive dog made to whole team work better.

Now we have done this for several times and it's getting better and better. I hope this help us all the situations that might escalate to anxiety from Pixie and protective actions from Louise. These exercises on the walks have made both dogs much calmer and they have make me calmer too. It has been win-win situation to all of us and our team has become even better than it was before. 

I have to go back to reading... Can't wait to learn more!!! We have also made some changes in agility and Ob training.. But more later on!!

Yours Marianne, Louise and Pixie

Click for silence

My Spanish Water dog barks a lot when we do agility and I mean between the exercises. So I tried to make her silent between the cues and make her listen better. I just started marking every time she was quiet and I didn't give her any cues if she barked. It just worked like wonder! Louise became more focused and listened even better my cues which didn't drowned under her barking. We were both much happier and relaxed.

Next barking problem, that we will attack, is barking while I'm training Pixie. For that I probably will need some assistant to click the right periods. I have just learned so much more after my readings about clicker training. I have just been absolutely blown away by all the scientific work done behind it. Especially about the things that happens in brain. Clicker is to powerful and I hope to try it soon training humans in agility.

TAGteaching is very interesting area of training and have made some plans to try it in agility training. I spend last night planing first some tag points that I should work more on tracks and other tag point ideas evolved from there. Hopefully I will get change to try my new learned skills in reality.

I can't wait to get this all together!!! So just brief note what I have done in these few days.

So excited!!!

Marianne, Louise and Pixie

I'm living my dream!!

Thank you Jaakko so much of telling me to enter Louise to Finlands National Championships!! Louise was amazing!! My dear Louise just flied and showed what she made of. Final result 22. /221.!! Not bad for mini maxi. Amazing weekend!!!! Here are few runs from that weekend:



To this all Pixie just flied yesterday!!! She has been recovering from all the treatments and we had this one competition time to make our double zero to our ticket to National Team Trials... And hell WE DID IT!!!!!!!! Thanks again Jaakko! So much work has been done in my mind and our brake came on perfect time. We have starting look like agility team. I could have just cried of happiness after these two runs:



Other work I have been doing is studying more about clicker training. I bought new books of Karen Pryor. Reaching the Animal Mind has been amazing. I understand my clicker training even deeper and done some changes to improve my skills. Hope to some day keep a course about clicker training. I hope to also find a horse that I could do some training. It's been amazing to read about dolphin and other training event happen in Karens life. It just makes want learn even more. Hopefully I will have money to go Clicker Expo some
day. I will write more about our clicker training when I have more time.

That's for now
Marianne, Louise and Pixie

Some training videos from Spring 2013

Pixie is getting better and better. Hopefully she will fine to run in few weeks. We have been on brake again because the last years dog attack. She has still problems on her right side and we are trying to make it better. Pixie was treated by Leena Piira and Tanja Kotti. She also got laser treatment to her injured muscles. I will be going to my Finnish Natiotal Championships with Louise, Pixie has to wait yet another year. It might be actually a good thing... We are still developing team.

Long spring with lot of changes

It's been long time since I have been writing. So much has happened during this spring. Our team moved to Turku for better training and competing opportunities. Time started like a fairy tale. Pixie won big agility class and showed that she has potential to be high class agility dog. It was just a little light. Pixie has been working like a dream. I have developed serious problem not to been able concentrate during runs. So we have been working my mind to make little steadier.

It's been really hard to see runs turning to DQ just because of my mind hurry go forward. I have had trouble of keeping thought on the run and on dog especially. In Pixies case the second you forget her, she will be gone like a wind doing best she sees. There was point of braking when we had enough DQs. I had to think things in a new way and put all my thoughts together in different way. We have come long way as team, but I need still time let it all sink in what we have learned since we moved in Turku. I have thank Jaakko and Janita so much of keeping us on the track of becoming a better handler in training and in competitions. Still lot to do but the mind is moving forward and skills are developing. I just have to give myself some time to figured all out. I'm not natural talent in agility but my dreams and my perfect Pixie, will keep me working to the ultimate goal.

In OB my both dogs have been doing super. We have been tending Lentsu's ob course. Both dogs have been doing better and better. Louise has learned to do scent discrimination with canter both ways. Pixie has fire on her heal work. After high season of agility I will start working on both dogs OB champion titles. I can't wait to get working on that!!! I think I have started to like obedience... ;)

That's for now!!!!
Best summer for all!!!!

Getting there.... :)

Pixie has been competing few times. In the end February we did two really nice runs with one fault. It gave hope that we would getting clear rounds. Pixie had change her focus more to me and I had started to find inner peace on the tracks. It started to feel like real team work.

In the beginning of March we did it! Nice clear round and a win. First time I felt this was just the beginning  I have started think competition more as way bring all our work together. I have started understand Pixie better and even my own thoughts. Mental work as really helped to find balance in our work. I have known all the time that we have talent in us. This has been first time that have been able see how we can achieve our goal and enjoy even more of the trip to it.

Tears, sweat and blood all that and much more have been needed to learn to be better at agility. But it has been just perfect trip that goes on forever. I needed to go really deep to find my errors in mental training to find the keys to become good handler for my perfect Pixie. We still have lot to do but my diamond is starting to be at her best after the dog attack. Thank you all that have helped us during the hard times. Agility is nothing without the very best friends!
I'm finally also working on our training method page and also on somethings about mental work what I have been working on.

That's for now...

Marianne, Louise and Pixie