Jasmine's Canine Career

New blog, new home!

2011-09-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

I started this blog years ago to keep track of Jasmine's career in agility. Now that I have a second dog, I've decided to create a new blog, with a new name, in a new home, Wordpress. Why Wordpress? Simple. I have to learn how to use it for work.

Here is the link. Have fun reading!

Lyne, Jasmine, and Fannie.

pitoujasmine's photostream

2011-05-19T15:12:00.001-07:00

pitoujasmine's photostream on Flickr.

Contact training

2011-05-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

For the past 3 years, I've been trying to find ways to avoid having Jasmine stand on the top of the A-Frame, watching the scenery, She was also afraid of the teeter, and would stop at about 1 metre from the end of the dogwalk.

With Seebe's help, Jasmine vanquished her fear of heights, does a mean teeter, and no longer stops at inappropriate spots on the dogwalk..... during practices that is. It's a whole new ballgame at fun matches and trials. After consulting our esteemed teacher, and probably trying her patience to boot, it finally clicked! Add distractions!!! My brain already knew this, but my common sense didn't I guess.

Distractions you say? I added distractions in the past, but not "good" ones or the right way as it didn't solve the problem. At the arena, I've been adding rolling balls and flying toys as Jasmine would delicately peck the ground with her nose during contacts. Still, once in a while she would go back to her old habits.

Then, last week, epiphany!!! As we were walking to one of the contact equipment, Jasmine was jumping, and trying to reach the bowl of cookies in my hand...... HELLO???? DISTRACTIONS????

First A-Frame, I put the opened bowl of treats about 1 metre away from Jasmine's nose as she pecks the ground. Right away, she breaks her position and heads for the food.

Jasmine 0 - Lyne 1

Second A-Frame, I do the same thing. I can actually "see" the nuts and bolts working in her head as she heads for the contact zone. She pecks the ground..... and that's IT!!! EUREKA!!!

I quickly give her the bowl, let her stuff her face for 0.5 seconds, and we start again. Every time, the bowl gets closer and closer.... and Jasmine pecks the ground, and waits for her reward... WOOHOO!!!

We repeated more or less the same exercice with all the contact equipement that day. The result? Yesterday's beautiful contacts and Jasmine's dash for the contact zone. Ok, I may be exagerating her "dashing", but it's sure better than before.

Conclusion? Jasmine 1 - Lyne 1.

We're both winners!

Finally! The Summer agility season is here!!!

2011-05-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Guides canins offered a "starters" evening, and I was brave enough to register. Although the venue is a beautiful one, Jasmine and I don't usually do well here, so reason enough for me to push myself and compete. I registered Jasmine in starters standard, starters snooker, and stargers gamblers.

It's certainly a "no frills" event. The trial itself will last well into the weekend, but most competitors have not arrived yet. I'm sure that by the time Friday will come along, the place will be a circus!

All three fields are ready and available to walk. The judge's briefing is done at the very beginning, then competitors are welcome to walk the courses at long and as many times as they want. The only downside is the very brief 5 minute break between events, which includes the official "walk".

Our first event, SG, isn't that bad. We've spent a lot of time practicing teeters, a-frames, and the dog walk, but that's become a problem. Jasmine absolutely loves them now and instead of going to the tunnel as planned after the jump, she heads for the A-Frame and (GASP!) blind-closses me at the same time. I was surprised, but made sure she nose touched the ground. We did the mini (YAY!) and the 12 weaves. Unfortunately, I haven't done any distance work with her and we didn't do the main gamble. Oh well....

The second event was the ST. Believe it or not, we ran out of time. I know that we wasted precious seconds at the weaves, but was that enough? My little precious did her down on the table "yes!", but she took the wrong end of the tunnel, so it would have been an NQ anyways. Hey! I wasted time with that as well! We also wasted time just before the table too!!! Well, that explains everything!

Last but not least, the SS. Personally, I call it the medieval torture device, but was pretty confident with my plan. The down side is Jasmine didn't wrap around the jump (the last red jump!) as planned and took it twice. There goes my plan! : )

Things to work on in the next few weeks:

Wrap around jumps.
Tunnel entries.
Distance.
Short sequences with weaves. Jasmine walked right by the 6 weaves in the ST.
Keep up the work on the contact obstacles.
Shadow handling.

No pictures... Sorry! Yes, I should have....

A first for me, I ran out of air in Gamblers... Nerves? Jasmine's speed? Yes, Jasmine was quite fast in the Gamblers....

Jasmine's last word? Prancing on our way back to the car.... She was quite proud of herself and happy to be back doing agility.

Well, whadaya know.....

2011-04-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

Yup! Jasmine got her third Q in her doggy lifetime, which also happens to be her first in the Advanced level. It was a last minute decision of my part to enter her in one event at the trial last week, just for the heck of it. The course was quite straightforward, and I didn't try any fancy moves. If you watch the video, and if you happen to be a judge, you might be tempted to call a refusal on our move when I lost my way... Did the judge call it? If he did, the scribe didn't note it, and Jasmine and I got a lucky break. On the other hand, we're not in trials every weekend, and when we are, we rarely qualify. Therefore, I went proudly home with a beautiful ribbon in my pocket. Both dogs earned pigs' ears for their good behaviour.

Fannie, for her part, was a good little dog, and sucked up all the attention that was given to her. Both dogs borrowed Noble Walter's crate and were quiet as a clam in there. They looked quite cute with the great silver ribbons attached to the crate.

Scary moment

We've been having a very wet Spring, with important rainfalls. The horse arena where the trial was held wasn't spared and several muddy spots could be found on the sand. Just before the second tunnel, I was so sure that Jasmine would detour to the water puddle (she's been know to do this during our off-leash walks), that I called "tunnel, tunnel, tunnel". It wasn't even necessary. She didn't even glance at it. : )

Fannie's training

Great news! Fannie figured out the basket exercice, and now, we're reducing the size. The same goes for the balance disk. Training a young puppy IS fun.

The basket case

2011-04-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

One rear-end awareness exercice which Fannie needs to do is the "basket" exercice. The idea is to shape her into putting all four paws in a basket. Once that's done, you reduce the size of the basket until she can put all four paws in a itsy bitty basket. We've been working on it for the past two weeks and no results. Before getting all depressed, I consulted Jasmine's notes on this same exercice and found this.

"Jasmine finally got it and in one day, went down three sizes with no problem."

That perked me up. : )

Introducing Fannie

2011-03-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Fannie is a little black miniature poodle, so picture taking will be difficult. Here a few pictures to describe her outgoing personality. Let's just say she's keeping me on my toes, and annoying the heck out of Jasmine.

Week 6

2011-03-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

This week's theme : "Fill the frame". There are many ways to fill the frame, and here is one of them. Jasmine could hear another dog and human walking and went into the sit to listen. It's also a submissive stance I guess. ; ) Fannie is in the car, snoozing away.

Week 5 - 52 Weeks of Jasmine

2011-02-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

Boy oh boy! Am I ever behind now! This is what happens when Jasmine gets a little sister. Yup! Jasmine now has to share her house with little Fannie, a black miniature poodle. You'll get to see her later on, but for now, here is week 5's theme, "Vintage".

Not bad if I do say so myself. My first thought was to get a shot of Jasmine around old buildings or objects, but hey! Why go for the ordinary?

I also used this shot as a profile pic on facebook.

Week 4 - 52 Weeks of Jasmine

2011-02-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

Theme: I ate this.

I worked the whole week trying to get the right balance of the food with Jasmine looking on. Jasmine is looking at the food, yet she's not the main subject of the photo, which was my goal. Unfortunetaly, getting Jazz to sit in the centre of the frame was next to impossible.

Thanks to muttsandaklutz who suggested I use a special feature on my camera. It worked. The food is in focus and Jasmine is part of the blurry background.

Minus 29 Degrees Celcius and Counting...

2011-01-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

Ah, the joys of living in Canada! The forecast for today called for -29 degrees Celsius, so no use in risking it. Dress in many layers, keep your car full of gas, put in the little bottle that will prevent you gas line to freeze, bring your Winter Survival Kit in the car (candle, extra blanket, matches), put on your warmest coat and you can be sure nothing will happen.

And nothing did! : )

It was minus 7 degrees in my garage, but by the time I was at Tim Horton's a mere 300 metres away, it was -19. Yup, that cold.

Although Jasmine and I haven't been training or practicing very much lately, I was adamant that I participate at least in one "official" run in January. AARF is one of our favorite venues as everyone is so friendly and things are relaxed, which is my kind of competition. We're also getting more and more comfortable out there and I definitely don't was to lose that!

I was working yesterday, so obviously I hadn't registered Jasmine in any event. Today, the only run we could participate in was advance jumpers, so we "jumped" at the possibility!

At our last handling class, even I realised that my timing sucked. This is apparent again in this run. (groan).

Some observations

At the startline, Jasmine is usually happier if I don't carry her in. I have no idea why I did since for the past 3 trials, I've been keeping her on leash until I ask her to sit. Oh well. We were the last to run, but that's quite common for us.

During classes, our instructor usually tells me "call her while she's in the tunnel!". My "duh" moment was to wonder why, but today, I have the answer. Jasmine does sometime look for me at the exit, but most often than not, she doesn't. Consequently, it's not surprising she barrelled out, and kept on running straight ahead.

My usual routine

At this point, my usual routine is to blank out all my logical thinking, which of course, I did. I didn't handle the next sequence very well, so Jasmine ran around the second jump. My carefully planned threadle after jump, tunnel disappeared from my mind. My mind is still on the forgotten threadle when it's time for the front cross after the last tunnel, so my timing sucks. Jazz hesitates a bit at this. The rest of the course goes well, except for the last two jumps.

Running out of the ring for her reward

I realised last July, that Jasmine was leaving the ring, sometimes in the middle of a course, to go for her reward. Since then, I've made her finish her courses by calling her back in the ring. At the last trial in AARF, it was so obvious... She ignored her last two runs, went for the table where the bowl of treats were.

At our last handling class, Jasmine pulled her leaving the "ring" trick again. My instructor then suggested to "make" her tug as a reward instead. I did this at our second try, and it worked.

The result of this shows today as well. Jasmine doesn't leave the ring completely, but stops, comes back to me, and finishes the run. Not bad! Progress!!!!

Watching the video afterwards

A bit funny. As I'm watching the video now, the judge raises her hands so many times to note our faults, I feel as if she waving at me.....

Week 3 - 52 Weeks of Jasmine

2011-01-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

Theme: Colours

You have no idea how grateful I am to my agility instructor right now, for having taught us how to "shape" a behaviour. It made this session soooo easier. After using a smaller basket to practice, I took out this larger basket for the photo shoot. On my command, Jasmine jumped right in, waiting for her reward. It took me a few tries to finally find something I liked. I borrowed this angle idea from the photographer at Muddy Pawz. I'll add the link to her blog to recognize her help in this.

I didn't centre the picture well. I'm hoping that by the end of the year, this off-centre situation won't happen as often. :-)

Week 2 - 52 Weeks of Jasmine

2011-01-16T16:01:00.000-08:00

As you can see from this picture, I haven't mastered the art of editing yet

The theme, circles, got me thinking about all Jasmine's furry curls, her ears and....her nose. Muttsandaklutz suggested I use the paronamic setting on my camera to catch Jasmine's nose. Unfortunately, time wasn't on my side, and this is my weekly participation.

This picture was taken at my parents' house, while Jasmine was taking a nap. She didn't even open her eyes as the camera went "click".

And we're back!

2011-01-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

After more than a two months' absence, Jasmine and I have attended our agility handling class. I was very excited since this was supposed to be a "dog-filled weekend" and this lesson was just the beginning.

Our instructor set up a course where rear crosses, threadles, and serpentines were required. All of these moves are challenges for us, so although I complained about it, I knew that it was for the best.

Rear crosses

The rear cross attempt wasn't bad. I may not have been at the precise spot that our instructor was aiming for, but it was a rear cross. I didn't slow down, neither did Jasmine, and we nailed it, twice I believe.

Threadles

It's unfortunate that I'm to embarrassed to ask someone to video. I know that during our last run, two threadles were required, and I did the appropriate arm movements. If it worked is quite another story.

Serps

The last run had a serp. If I did it the right is still beyond me. I have videos from last year where I'm practicing serps at the local agility field. I can't make myself watch them. It ain't pretty.

It's yer choice

Jasmine has been exiting the course ring early in trials, just before the last of second last jump. The reason behind this is the reward she expects to receive at the end of the run. I took the opportunity during this lesson to do some "It's yer choice". Jasmine left the practice ring too early, again, and I called her back. She had to finish her run before getting her reward, and even then, she had to play with her tug before. I hope she'll remember this next weekend at the trial.

Overall result

Apart from my timing, which was off, things went very well. Jasmine is responsive to my commands. No zoomies manifested themselves. What could I as for more?

Dog-filled weekend

I decided not to go at the January Fun Match offered at a local agility venue. The forecast for 5 to 10 centimetres of snow scared me, and I decided to head home instead. My weekend at my parents' was also cut short. Sigh. Driving during the day during a snowfall doesn't phase me. It's the nighttime driving that gets to me. I hate not being able to see the road.

Week 1 - 52 Weeks of Jasmine

2011-01-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

This is my first contribution to the project. On a whim, I checked and found that I could actually *see* the assignments of the official flickr group, instead of inventing them on my own. Oh well, I'll know better next week.

I thought I'd start this endeavour by posting a photograph depecting Jasmine's personality. I ended up with this. Here she is, in one of her favorite spots in my new house.

I often see her in this pose if I work around the house or on my laptop. Too lazy to follow me, she rests her chin on the edge of the bed to watch me move from one spot to the next. She also adopts this pose when we're attending agility class and she must wait in her crate while the humans listen faithfully to the instructor.

Jasmine, although very sociable to our cicle of human and dog friends, will likely growl at her first meeting with strangers. If she is ignored however, she quickly becomes your best friend.

Therefore, like a little turtle, Jasmine timidly (and safely?) pokes her head out of her bed to watch the world go by. Once she sees the coast is clear, she'll drown you with welcoming kisses.

Seperation anxiety???

2010-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

What the heck? My WFD is manifesting seperation anxiety! The move isn't going well for poor little Jasmine. At first, I didn't notice anything apart from her pooping or peeing in the basement. That didn't worry me overmuch because that's a behaviour she usually falls back to in a new environment. If I keep an eye on her, it isn't a problem since I can predict when it will happen. This time, it's nothing as trivial.

First, it was peeling paint from the front door.

Then, it was scratches on the front door molding.

Finally, the botton of the molding was chopped off. See picture below.

Yup, all this damage made by a little bichon mutt. I did a "call out" on facebook and here are some of the suggestions that I was given.

Put on radio. Actually, it was suggested that I rig something up and make the radio (and house lights) turn on 15 minutes before my arrival as a predictor. However, since I usually turned the radio on when I left Jasmine alone, I decided to keep the old habit. Time will tell if rigging something up will be necessary.
Leave at random times of the day, and keep them short.
Put Jasmine in her crate. Unfortunately, I never trained her to loooooove her crate. She endures, but that's about it. Therefore, the crate is up, all cozy inside with a fluffy blanket, and I'm hoping she'll decide it's her "happy place".
Get some dog appeasement pheromone (DAP). Done, and it's plugged in.
Ignore Jasmine 10 minutes prior to my departure and after my arrival. I pat myself on the back since that's a habit I've had from day 1. In those days, it was to avoid Jasmine peeing in excitement near the front door.
Last but not least, give her some wonderful long lasting reward when I leave. Not easily done with a low food drive dog. She ignores her treat until I come back, and I, the evil human, puts it away until the next time I have to leave.

Wish me luck!

Easy does it.....

2010-10-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

It's finally done! The condo is sold. A new house has been bought in the community where I found my new job. I moved into the new place last week during one of the worst rainfalls in history. Several of my neighbours have had serious flooding in their basements, but that isn't surprising after 60 mm of rain fell in just 12 hours. I count myself lucky after only founding a very small puddle downstairs and a leak in my fireplace.

Ever since I accepted the new job in late June, no real breakthrough has happened in agility, except for Jasmine's first try at standard courses in a trial environment. I was a bit worried in July when she started limping down the A-Frame and even the front door steps at home. Even so, I ignored the voice of reason and got into a frenzy of competitions in August and September. What I was thinking? I finally scratched Jasmine from the trial at Dreamfields last month. Too much going on and my sanity was being affected. Not only that, but I decided I didn't want to invest hundreds and even thousands of dollars in vet bills later on.

Jasmine went on a complete break from agility for at least three weeks. The result is no serious limping has been observed for at least 14 days. Yay! We participated at an agility fun match today and she did well. No zoomies and boy, was she focused. She did a good A-Frame but stayed on top during the other tries. The contacts could have been better.

What about flyball you ask? Well. After three (or is it four?) years of training, mademoiselle Jasmine has finally caught the ball while the box was triggered.

Sometimes, it pays to take some down time.....

September already?

2010-09-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how time flies when you're having fun. At the end of June, I applied and got for a job at a library about 85 km South of here, and it seems that I've been in a rush since then. The condo has been listed and sold. Found a house at the new place and waiting for banking authorization and the house inspection. On top of that, I went crazy a few months back and registered in a series of trials in September.

Indeed, not very good planning on my part.

In August, some of us planned a camping trip at Sharbot Lake Provincial Park. A camping trip which comprised of 8 humans and 10 dogs. Yes, very impressive. The good citizens in all of us opted for campsites that were set a good distance from the others, making sure that our dogs were quiet. Well, mission accomplished in my mind. : )

Our digital and video cameras were clicking away the whole weekend, so here is sypnosis of the two days we were there. I'll try to give credit to the right photographers, but I apologize in advance if that doesn't work out.

For the most part, these pictures have already been on facebook, but I still wanted to add them to the blog as well.


Tucker and Jasmine make sure that Lyne doesn't forget any important ingredient.


If Jasmine wasn't playing or sniffing around, she was napping.

Tarot time!

Tucker waiting for his handler to join the group.

Sometimes, you take pictures, but you don't expect to have such a cool finished product.

Picture 1 of my two favorites of the weekend. Jasmine swimming to her floating toy. Photographer : Mutts and a Klutz

Finally, this is my favorite. Jasmine swam to retrieve a toy, and came back to me. Now isn't that a proud puppy? Photographer, Mutts and a Klutz.

I truly, truly hope this becomes a yearly tradition.

You win some, and you lose some

2010-08-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been chaotic, to say the least. Not only am I changing jobs, I'm moving as well. Jasmine's training had to be put on hold because of the required house visits, so I'm not as diligant as I used to be.

This weekend was the K9 Kup, and I tried to sneak in a few hours of training to avoid any agravations due to zoomies, failed weave entries, and so on. Hmpf. Sure, she didn't zoom away, but she did run clean either. A very frustrating situation when you know she can be very good when she's "in the vibe".

I was very proud of her yesterday when she did a mean teeter at the training field. She also respected our new "no zoom rule". What could possibly go wrong today?

Famous last words.

Snooker course

Not my favorite game, but I admit it's fun when your dog follows you. A fellow team member showed me a great sequence and I morphed it to make sure no flicks were involved. We did a great beginning, but I goofed thinking I could "skip" a jump which was part a three part required sequence . Don't know why I did that, because I never did before. Bill, today's judge, told me he didn't whistle us off right away because Jasmine was doing so well. Either that or he didn't see us skip that jump. : )

Jumpers

Gasp! Jasmine self-released at the startline! Double gasp!!! I was pretty miffed. My mean lead-out champion cheated on me. Hmmmm. I'll have to work on that before the next "real" trial. I got her focus back and finished the course. However, I've thought about this and next time, even if she simply self-releases at the very beginning, I'm taking her off the field right away. That little stunt took me so off guard that it resulted in her going off doing her own thing for a few seconds. What's interesting is that even with that little joy ride, we still finished under time. Jasmine IS a speed demon.

Standard

Nose touches woes....Startline stay is good. Rear cross on the teeter, and she hesitates before "spot", but since we're still working on that obstacle, I accept it. She waits for her release. Good 2. Completes the table. Good 3. Everything is going smoothly until.......yep, that darn A-Frame. It's becoming a trademark of hers. If Jasmine admires the view, I lose her soon after. She omits the nose touches on the A-Frame and tries to run/play away. My voice gets rough as I'm thinking "oooooooooooooh no, she's not pulling this on me today." My weave queen doesn't weave. (sigh). I try her twice, no go. I can hear my coach saying "LYNE, YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT TRYING UNTIL SHE GOT IT". I agree. I'll do as she says at the next trial or K9 Kup, I promise. She also didn't do any of her nose touches. Argh! I think she self-released on the dog walk, and at the very end, blew her nose touch. Hmpf.. Listen to my voice when I say "jump". It's rough because I'm peeved she didn't nose touch and self-released soon after.

All in all, we've had better days, but she didn't zoom away, I'm grateful for that.

Here is the video.

Obstacle Training

2010-06-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Our ongoing quest for a Q in Advanced Jumpers is quite difficult. Maybe it's a psychological wall in my head? I can nail the difficult sequences in class, but in competition? Oh boy. Something else entirely. I'm hoping that this weekend's fun match will also help me practice full sequences as well as front crosses. They're always a problem in trials since I can't seem to figure out where to use them. : (

My goal for July is to have Jasmine successfully complete obstacles. As of yesterday, June 14th, the A-Frame is done! Yipee! No longer does she stop at the very top to contemplate the scenery. She quickly trots downward to a beautiful 2o2o contact.

The training for the A-Frame has been going on since last April I think. I always start by doing several rear-end body awareness exercices which are to "back-up" as well as backing up on the obstacle itself. After, I physically put her on the first slat from the ground and ask her to target, or in our case, "spote" is our command word. Oh and, by the way, don't forget to wait for a focus forward before giving the target command. After each successful AND confident attempt, I raise her position on the next slat, and up she goes, until she reaches the very top.

I was training on my lonsome yesterday, when I suddently thought (yes, that does happen once in a while) what's the difference between starting her from the top of the A-Frame to doing the whole obstacle? I took my courage in hand and the result was the fastest and most confident A-Frame in Jasmine's life. Wow!!! I tried it on the other side (dog on left). Same result! Double wow!!! Tried it making sure she was nose touching and staying in her contact position as I was continuing to run away. Same result! Triple wow!!! All that hard work finally pays off.

Next on the list? The dogwalk.

People read this blog?

2010-05-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! I had no idea. I met a friend at a trial this weekend who told me she was anxiously waiting for new posts on this blog Initially, I thought LR was my only reader but it seems that I acquired a second one. ; ) I apologize for being so slow and will try to improve my posting frequency in the future. I have to admit that my blog was originally written in French and I added this English blog later on to keep a kind of brag page for Jasmine's accomplishment. Way back when I was in high school, I was considered quite a writer, but my every day job requires me to write only report-like compositions, all very blah and boring.

The first blog "La carrière canine de Jasmine", was my solution to that. It would be my place to write about our adventures in different dog sports and make it interesting. That way, I would go to my original love, writing. I may not have mentioned this before, but you may have noticed by my style of writing that English is a second language for me. My first language is French and I really want to keep it alive, not only by speaking it. If any of you have heard of a very good agility blog in French, let me know. I'd like to add it to my list of "interesting links" on the French version of this work.

I started an English a few months later after the French one, but the work involved keeping both blogs updated, as well as doing the translation, was a bit too much. It discouraged me and I didn't blog at all for several months. Now, I'll make an effort to keep both running and updated. The entries might be shorter, but at least you'll have the latest news.

Thanks for the encouraging pat on the back.

Q 2 = Bye Bye Starters Jumpers

2010-05-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

We're back in beautiful Kingston for a Spring trial. Finally, I can truthfully say I completed a run with no butterflies in my stomach. That is an accomplishment in itself. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm getting more and more comfortable?

Just before our run, we do a few jumps in the warm-up area, when, as we were walking out, Jasmine was attacked/lunged at by a boston terrier. This isn't the first time a dog of that breed attacks her, and I'm starting to wonder... Is this only a coincidence or is she sending out bad vibes to them? Anyways, I spent a good moment working on focus exercises with her such as sit, heel, down, stand, and rewarding her with salmon treats. I then insisted she play tug with me, which she finally did after I knelt down. I now know what to do to get her to tug for with me on deck. Usually, she does everything she can to avoid making eye contact with me.

For some reason, I did the walking/run release at the start line to practice what we've been doing in class. Jasmine is having trouble targeting when I walk or run during lessons. Maybe I shouldn't have tried this in a trial but it worked. Did I mention I'm getting too comfortable in trials?

Never thought for a moment about using my arms so the usual routine is there. I start with no arms, bring in arms in the middle, and then just run for dear life at the end. Luckily, Jasmine sees her line for the end sequence, but I kept yelling out obstacles names even so. Another behaviour she finds challenging in class and I had a flashback while I was huffing and puffing my way to the finish line.

Result? Hehehe. A Q! We've now finished the Starters Jumpers Class and we've moved up to Advances.

Yikes!!

Double yikes!!!

Interested in the run? Here is the video. Enjoy!

School is over!

2010-05-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

At least a month has passed since the last time I posted anything on this blog but remember, Spring has arrived and much needs to be done. Does that mean I'm a garderner? No, my condo doesn't allow me that luxury. Nope, it's finally agility time!

First, let's go back to my 2 days at Say Yes! Yes, I did enjoy it. Yes, I did learn many things. Would I go back? Of course! Do I appreciate my instructor in my neck of the woods? Even more so!

During the two days, we had to keep our dogs either crated or in our cars. In my case, my vehicle isn't an option because even if I leave the windows wide open, the inside is till too warm for a dog. We were also going through an April mini heat wave and it was hot, hazy, and definitely humid outside. Jasmine was instead crated in the building and didn't like it one bit. I spent a very long two days taking notes and anxiously listening to Jasmine's clawing at the inside of her crate, and her barking, and her whining, do I need to go on?

First thing I did when I got home was to buy Jazz a new crate. Why you ask? My old one doesn't have a flat bottom, but a wired one usually used for puppies or (ahem) rabbits. She now has more space to stand up or lie down. This may I have my best purchase yet.

Second, I make sure I reward Jasmine a lot more for being quiet in that new crate. By the way, I was able to stay at a local bed and breakfast on the last day. The motel I had been staying at had no available rooms for the Friday because of a local swim meet (or whatever they're called). Here is Jasmine on the Saturday morning, just before we left. I don't think she felt like getting out bed. As a friend told me, she was flicking a dew claw at me, that's for sure.

Off to school!

2010-04-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well here we are, on the eve of a Say Yes camp in a strange hotel room. This is our first time at Say Yes, and I'm indeed looking forward to it, but at the same time, a bit worried. Worried that I'll feel overwhelmed with information and worried that Jasmine and I are not to par with the other students. Oh well, I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation so let's hope everyone is friendly to amateurs.

Flyball progress!

2010-04-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that when Jasmine improves, it'll be a while before a new ability will be offered on her part. This is the case for flyball.

For the past few weeks, we've been getting the help of another team captain during our training. Even though I could cleary see much improvement in the other dogs, Jasmine was still insisting that pawing the ball out of the box hole was much easier than catching it during her turn. I do believe she may have had a change of heart.

Saturday morning, she took the ball from the hole without cheating! She did about 7-8 successful repetitions before I gave her a break. Was it a fluke? Nope! A second short session showed us she meant business. Now, the boxloader has started to put his/her finger on the trigger to keep it in place so we can phase in an activated box.

On a side note, we're now using foam balls that are sold as cat toys instead of small tennis balls. The main reason for this switch is they the only toys that Jasmine has caught mid-air. It may not make any difference, but hey, I'm striving for success!

Q

2010-03-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Such a simple letter, but what a long road to earn it. At long last, we've done it. That long unatainable Q has finally crossed our path and yes, we grabbed it with both hands and four paws.

The trial is hosted by the Chomedey Kennel Club in Chomedey, or if you prefer, Laval, Québec. I've never been there before, but it's a great excuse to stay overnight at my big brother's place in Boucherville. Not many of my Ottawa area agility friends are there, so other victims fall prey to my unending chatter during the weekend.

Our jumpers run during day 1 is uneventful. Jasmine zooms away after a series of flicks and blind crosses from my part. I calmly decide to withdraw her.

Day 2.... Ah yes. Day 2. My two Ottawa agility buddies are very supportive, but my flicking reputation preceeds me from a Facebook post the night before. They have been instructed to help me analyse the course. Still, I'm extremely nervous. I prespire like a little piggy, and I can't feel my legs. Am I worried about a Q? No way! Not flicking my dog is more on my mind.

It's finally my turn and Jasmine allows me to do a lead-out like an old pro. The rest, dear blogging friends, is history. Here is the video.

After the run, a felllow participant came to me to announce that the judge hadn't raised her hand. That simple sentence was music to my ears and I screamed like an idiot. Yep, I screamed. A lot.

That scream represented all the work both Jasmine and I put into training for the past three years. As I'm writing this, I feel an Oscar moment coming up and this strange urge to start thanking everyone I know, including the ones I don't, for helping me get this far.

Rest assured, I will not.

You know who you are, and to you, my thanks. We couldn't have done it without you. : )

At long last, like other blogging agility enthousiasts, I can finally add Jasmine's AAC achievement page on my blog.

I'm feeling all tingly inside as I click.

AARF Jan. 30th, 2010

2010-01-31T17:56:00.000-08:00

Never will I write such a long post! My previous entry tends to go on, and on, and I haven't even finished translating it for the French blog, that already something new has happened.

Yesterday was our second trial of the month and the first one ever at AARF. The facility is in beautiful historic Spencerville Village, Ontario. How I love these small communities who don't tare down their historical buildings.

During the last few days, our area has been hit by cold weather and when I started my car this morning, I could read -25 degrees Celcius on the dashboard. Good thing I plugged the thing last night because the motor cooperated and started like a charm.

As much as I try to treat Jasmine like a big dog, I do put my foot down when she's cranky, and that's what she is when it's really, really cold. Therefore, I made the poor creature wear her Winter coat, which I'm sure she considers it very humiliating indeed. However, as the day went on, the temperature got warmer to a more comfortable -15 degrees and the coat was no longer necessary. Jasmine was free to trot proudly around.

Here is the video of the Starters Jumpers Run. I chose to do a lead-out since Jasmine has always been very good at them. This time, I hold her quite securely in my arms to the startline, remembering quite well what happened at MorningStar earlier this month. Once in sit-stay, I bravely run to the third jump in the sequence (I've never done that in a trial before) and release her.

What worked well

The lead-out
The tire (I was a bit worried about this obstacle, since Jasmine ignored it twice at the fun match two weeks ago)
Jasmine took the first tunnel with no hesitation. In a past life, she would have gone straight outside the ring to investigate.
Yes, she did zoom, but came back to me every time. : )
I was suprised that Jasmine didn't try to gorge herself with the footing. This arena is usually used with horses.

What didn't work so well

Forgot to call her after the first tunnel, even though Seebee had warned me to. I was too much relieved after the lead-out, tire, tunnel sequence, that I forgot her suggestions.
Jasmine went straight out after the first jump of the pinwheel, something that happens quite often lately.
She's coming at an angle at the winged jump, resulting in throwing her off her line and zooming away. I didn't expect that.

All in all, I should be quite proud of her. I must admit that I was quite discouraged on my return yesterday thinking about Jasmine's zoomies and ring crew/judge socialising, I was seeing myself back to the drawing board, training, training, and training. Now, a day later, I can watch our performance with pride. Yes, we have come a long way.

Red Gates Fun Match, January 16th 2010 - Not the best of days, but.....

2010-01-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

The day didn't start well at all. Like every ordinary day, I wake up and extend my arm to where my glasses usually wait for me on my night table to grab them. After blindly shuffling my hand around, I realise that nothing is there. I get up and sit on my bed, squinting my eyes to make sure I'm not mistaken. Nope, still nothing. I don't worry because I may have forgotten them in the bathroom last night, so off I go. Still nothing. Okay, deep breath, don't panic. It's only 8 am, and I still have ample time to find them before leaving for the fun match. Still, although I'm not completely blind, I prefer to go through life seeing things clearly and not only blurry outlines.

First breakfast, then shower, clothes, and getting my gear ready. At 9:20 am, I still haven't found anything. Glancing over to the living room, Jasmine looks at me from the sofa with a slightly guilty look. Could that be it? The last time this happened, she had chewed the glasses to pieces during the night and when I woke up, she hadn't followed me during my morning routine like she usually does, but stayed put on the chesterfield, and simply watched. Mmmm. Something fishy is going on.

At 9:30 am I check my e-mails and take the time to change my facebook status to discribe my current blind predicament. At 10:30 am, it's time I leave for Red Gates. 10:45 am, the car is loaded, I'm wearing old glasses from five years ago, feeling grumpy, and Jasmine is very picky in choosing her bathroom spot on the street. Argh! We finally leave at 11 am and it will take a miracle, or an X-Wing Fighter from Star Wars, to get to Red Gates on time.

I arrive at 12:08 pm, but the check-in time was at noon. The owners have finished their welcome speel and participants are already walking the course. I count myself lucky not to have come across too many red lights. After walking the course with a very preoccupied mind (not good), one of the owners tells me I'm up. Now? Already? Jasmine is usually second or third but the other usually 6 inches dogs aren't here today.

Sh**!

I run back to the car, make Jasmine pee, yet again, and run back in. We reach the startline with no treats in my pockets, only the tug in my hand. Uh Oh! I have a plan to run Jasmine through several different sequences but my head is so in shambles right now, I have trouble thinking straight. This isn't good because as I mentioned in my previous post, I'm one of those handler who needs to focus on her dog before a run.

Oh dear.

Standard Run - First Try

Our first attempt at the standard could have been worst. The first sequence offers an obstacle discrimination, something we haven't really practiced, and my plan is to stand beside the tunnel she's supposed to take. It doesn't work on the first try, but considering we haven't done this before, I'm not really worried.

We start again and, I try to put her in a sit in front of the first jump, but the next dog in line is one of her good friends, Mongo. Major distraction, no doubt about it. I show her the tug and succeed in getting her focus by playing a few seconds with her, but that obviously isn't enough. She runs back to Mongo, then to Lisa, to finally come back to me. On a side note, this is a great exercice to judge how Jasmine can overcome distractions and concentrate on me. Our second try to the sequence works and I reward her at the exit of the tunnel.

The next sequence is blotched when she takes the wrong end of a tunnel, but I'm probably to blame. It's hard to see from the angle of the video. I tug with her anyways, because I have the distinct feeling I'm not giving her the right signals.

Standard Run - Second Try

Whenever I have a set of 12 weaves available during a course, I always attempt it with my little weaves' lover. Jasmine completes very well the sequence I choose, but avoids the tire, twice! This isn't the first time this happens (never in a trial environment, but still) and I plan to include this important obstacle in a future training session soon.

She also stops a few times to sniff the ground around the weaves. I wonder if this is because I haven't played with her enough before?

Jumpers Run - First Try

What I've always feared comes true. The machine which gives the electronic "go!" with the Voice makes Jasmine release herself before my cue. You see, our release word is "go" and I was afraid this would come back to haunt us. Oh well. I corrected her and hope this isn't repeated.

I underestimate her and don't try a huge lead-out at the startline. She barrells out of the tunnel, and since I'm not there to direct her, off she goes. Always in a rush, I don't give us time enough to regroup and it pretty much goes downhill from there. I won't make the same mistake twice.

We attempt the sequence a second time, a tough sequence might I add, and everything goes well, except for my duh! moment of the day. After doing a superb rear cross, I forget the tire before a turn at the end of the sequence. You can hear the audience laughing because my mistake is pretty obvious and my verbal handling is in the "Jasmine, uh oops! uh Tire!" category as well as having my body angle all over the place.. Poor Jasmine doesn't have a chance of understanding what I want.

We continue with a good rear cross before a tire, turn, jump, but a second "duh!" makes me forget the last jump. Bad, bad, Lyne

Jumpers course - Second Try

I'm so proud of the leadout and Jasmine is soooo good. I reward the first one at the exit of the tunnel and try the complete course after that. The rear cross before the jump doesn't work but that's another skill in the works. The one before the tunnel does, so yay!

Things to practice or to remember

Tire! (No kidding!)
Rear crosses (they're so fun to do too!)
Directionals (They may have been handly in the Jumpers course)
Remember to anticipate important distractions and not to underestimate them. (Mongo)
Trust Jasmine in leadouts. (Oh yeah!)
Leaving my glasses at the same spot every night before going to bed. (Hmpf!)
I used the slip-lead like in a real trial

Here is the video. Enjoy!

First Trial of The Year In Kingston

2010-01-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

We don't attend competitions that often so trials are still very important to me. I was looking forward to the Morning Star Trial because the venue is wonderful, the organisors very welcoming and Jasmine's comfort level very high in the soccer dome

I registered us in one event only, starters jumpers. I arrived the afternoon before to take the time to settle in and avoid having to worry about the road conditions. Mother Nature cooperated and we only had to cope with the cold. We still attended flyball practice in the morning and this resulted in my nodding off on the road somewhere around Spencerville. Good thing the highway has those grooves in the pavement on the side. It jerked me awake and I was able to steer the car back on the road. I consider myself very lucky and next time, I'll go to bed very early if I have to do a long drive somewhere on my own the next day.

Sunday morning was a bit warmer, around -15 degrees celcius and the venue, which is really soccer dome was warm enough. Our run was the first of the day.

I'll scan the course and upload it later, but I was surprised to see a rear cross was required in there. I've practiced it before with Jasmine and even included it in fun matches but who knows how it'll work in a competitive environnent? Needless to say I wasn't impressed. I could always have done a front cross instead, but Jasmine being the little speed devil she is, I'm pretty certain I wouln't have been able to position myself in time to do it.

Needless to say, in the end, all this debating wasn't necessary. Jasmine avoided a jump and when I directed her to take it again, I positioned myself on the other side and the rear cross wasn't required anymore.

What didn't work out

We got two refusals, both of them were jumps. The first time, Jasmine tried to avoid one. The second, she was sucked in by the black hole which is actually the soccer goal. She also tried to enter the tunnel by the wrong end, but I was able to avoid the judge's "hand up". I'm still not sure how that happened. By the by, the "black hole" refusal was supposed to be avoided by my great presense of mind and my calling her while she was still in the tunnel. Been there and called her too late. The black hole sucked her in instead. : )

I got carried away with my chatting before the run. I met a handler who has bichons and both dogs hit it off right away. I also have a flyball buddy whose little chihouaoua is in the same height as we are, so I was talking a mile a minute and was having a bit too much fun. It seems that I'm one of those handlers who MUST focus on her dog and her course before a run. Poo! I'll have to limit my talking. Sheesh!

Result: We finished the course in 34.09 seconds (the max was 41 seconds) with 10 points deducted. I guess that's two faults?

What worked well

Jasmine didn't zoom around, hurray! She stayed by my side like the good little girl she now is. I also tried not to use my arms and run silent but her avoiding that first jump affected my confidence so I called a few obstacles and pointed when it wasn't necessary.

Jasmine is very comfortable at Morning Star. Her tail is up and she trots in a cheerful way. Stress was pretty much absent all weekend.

What was weird

I decided to walk with her at the starline, so while I was "on deck", I put her down. Mademoiselle trotted off to investigate a table and chair left aside for the judge. She's never done that before. I called her back, picked her up, put her at the startline and kept a hand on her back until our turn. That's not something I want to repeat.

Here is the video. Enjoy!

Fun Match Video

2009-12-13T18:30:00.000-08:00

With all my bragging, I forgot to post the video.

Video of Jasmine's success.

Here it is.

Success is so sweet!

2009-12-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of Jasmine today. Yesterday was the last fun match of the year at a local facility. I'm very much addicted to fun matches so here I was, again, trying to make Jasmine an agility star.

Two courses were offered to us, and like always, I avoid all the contact obstacles. Jasmine isn't up to par yet.

Standard Run 1

I choose the starters level for the first run, a standard. My plan is simple ; keep it safe, reward Jasmine as much as I can, and keep her in my line of sight. I do a lead out, but from the video, I see I'm much too close to the third obstacle, the tunnel. I reward Jasmine after the jumps, but that wasn't really necessary. The real issue in our practices are her tunnel exits. The judge remarks that my dog has much more confidence than she did in the past and her voice was enough to entice Jasmine away from me for a little walk to visit her. Yep, it's becoming more and more obvious that more "it's yer choice" exercices will be necessary.

Standard Run 2

What I love to see, a happy table. Jasmine's wagging tail is one of the reasons why I do agility and leaves me with a good feeling. Unfortunely, I take a few steps back and off she goes and self-releases. Must work on this.

A first: I try a sequence of "tire, weaves". She nails it on the first try! I'm so proud of her! And the weaves!!! She's so fast! I trained her to do this? Wow! CB must take the credit, but still, I'm the one who would take out the equipment every night to practice. Mmmm. CB also took the time to comment on all the videos I sent her. Argh!!! Oh well. Let's both pat ourselves on our backs. (pat, pat, pat)

Boo-boo: When Jasmine skips poles, I call her back to start again, but I don't position myself so she won't weave when she comes back. I remembered on the second try. Finally.

I took the time to do a couple of 180s. Piece of cake.

Steeplechase Run 1 - (Advanced level)

Again, I ask Jasmine to complete two sequences with weaves. Success. As I'm running, I'm trying to remember not to use my arms. Ahem. Not much of a success. : ) It seems that Jasmine skips poles when I rush her through the waves. More practice is required. Her startline stay could improve but I'm wondering if the cold sand has anything to do with it. She pops up and I have to ask her to sit again.

Steeplechase Run 2 - (Masters level)

It took all this time for me to realise the importance of "finding the line". At the startline, I have to correct Jasmine for not keeping her stay. What I mistakenly did is position her so she sees ME and not the next jump in "her line". Result, she avoids it and runs to the next obstacle. This is an obvious testimony of this very essential skill and my error. Yes, she is rewarded a "screw-up" cookie.

Another first: I do a rear cross before the weaves. I've tried this before in practice but never in a sequence. What happens? Success again!

This fun match was a great way to finish the year. Only last March, Jasmine would zoom away in this very same arena. What a change. Thanks CB!

The photo session

2009-12-07T19:27:00.001-08:00

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the photo session. She looks pretty comfy doesn't she?

Jasmine, the supermodel!

2009-12-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

If you go have a look at MuddyPawz's blog, you'll find certain photos that were taken by photographer extraordinaire Wendy Beard. A little Christmas gift.

http://www.muddypawz.net/blog/

Wendy was superb and Jasmine was very much comfortable the minute we walked through the door. Her little ears were perky and her tail was up, sure signs that she's calm and happy. She quickly became Wendy's best friend and followed her everywhere.

K9 Kup 2009

2009-12-06T19:13:00.001-08:00

We had the chance in participating in the K9 Kup competitions again this Summer with The Fast and the Furriest Team. Here are a few pictures of our adventures...

Here is our little corner at ADSC (All Dogs Sports Club) in North Gower. A baby tent for the dogs and a big tent for the humans. You can see Tucker and Jasmine.

Very much like the "shovel 3000" in the "Têtes à claques" videos, here is one of the many uses of the travel plank. One minute you can teach your dog how to do contacts and the next, use it for a pot luck.

Here is the whole group. Great people who are always ready to have fun and a good laugh. We ended with a 7th place finish and there were 14 teams. Wow! This is also where Jasmine got a "Q" in Gamblers. I know, I know, it doesn't count, but a girl can dream, right?

Teeter Power and….. the nose!

2009-12-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

The teeter

The teeter remains the most difficult obstacle for Jasmine. Not only does it move on its own, but it makes this horrible noise when the plank hits the floor, which is waaayy too loud for Jasmine’s little ears. You can google it if you want for the exact details, but it isn’t any headline news that the dogs’ hearing is much more developed and keen than the very lacking humans’. It’s not surprising that the teeter still is a challenge for certain dogs like mine.

Our coach/instructor showed us the bang game. It’s very simple and yes, fun! We block the teeter so that the plank is only about 1 cm from the floor. In our case, we simply used a chair. We then ask the dog to climb on the end of the plank and her weight makes it drop to the ground.
I also want Jasmine to get rid of her fear of both the noise and the equipment. Every time the other dogs of the class would make the teeter go bang, I would shove a treat in Jasmine’s mouth. Let’s hope she learned something from that evening. Her first time on the teeter was good, but that’s it. She then tried every way she could to avoid the plank. Our only progress was getting her paw on the teeter and pushing the plank down. A doggy scientific experiment if you will. She probably thought she was verrry brave. We must work more on it.
Our success of the day was the stationary plank. A few months ago, she would speed walk it. Now? A full run! Now THAT is progress! Mmmmm. I wonder when she found this new self-confidence?

Nose targets

I decided to review our nose target technique and two days were long enough to convince me that yes, it can be corrected.

We're back!

2009-11-22T19:50:00.000-08:00

I’ve been terribly negligent of this blog this Summer. I feel as if I’ve been either on the road, training Jasmine on her weaves, in agility class, making videos, editing videos or uploading videos on facebook, and finally, trying to keep my house clean since June.

On my off time, I’ve been either working or popping in at work so that Jazz could fill her role as book club mascot. All, in all, a very busy Summer. Are there any achievements after all this? YES! Plenty!

Achievement 1 - Zoomies

Zoomies have been reduced to a minimum. When she zooms away, either I’m asking Jasmine to do something she doesn’t understand or there’s cat poop in the area.

Achievement 2 – Weaves

Jasmine is now a weaves maniac. If she sees me walking around with the weaves, she starts making that high pitch bark that all dog owners love to hear. The bark which means: I wanna work! I wanna work! She finds such high value in weaving; I have to hide the equipment when I’m setting things up for practice sessions. I have Susan Garrett’s 2 x 2 method to thank for that. Give Jazz any weird entry and she nails it. Now we’re practicing distractions.

Achievement 3 – Start-line stay

It’s rock solid. Need I say more? I can walk confidently away and Jazz stays put.

Achievement 4 – Swimming

Not exactly in our plans, but yes, Jasmine can nowswim. All it took was one visit to a local beach and voilà, Jasmine was paddling away. We also had the chance to discover Sand Banks and what a day.

Unfortunate consequence 1

All this weave training and overall fun made us forget certain very important agility moves. 180s. The champion of 180s has lost her medals. Bad, bad, Lyne. Back to work.

Unfortunate consequence 2

All this beach bumming has made Jasmine decide that paddling is a must before I lower her in her bath water. Pretty hilarious to see!

Unfortunate consequence 3

Not updating this blog...

Contacts 1er juillet 2009

2009-07-01T20:16:00.001-07:00

Yep, on Canada Day!

Contacts

2009-07-01T20:06:00.001-07:00

This is one of the steps that need to be mastered for contact training. I prefer the 2o2o method.

I forgot the plexi so the hand will do.

I'm pretty happy with the results. Just for the heck of it, I included some recalls in the session. I love to see her barrelling to reach me. What a fast dog!

Next session: Need to practice the teeter. Since a "plank" is required, a training partner is essential.

Sigh.

2 x 2 30 juin 2009 0001

2009-07-01T20:01:00.001-07:00

The training continues.

2 x 2 Training

2009-07-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

The number of posts on this blog is caused by the training I do with Jasmine. In other words, I don't have much time. The chosen method to teach Jasmine how to weave is the 2 x 2. She already knows how to weave, but she's too slow and we're starting all over again.

This video shows where we are right now.

Sessions June 30th 2009

Weather: 22 degrees celcius, raining off and on.
Time: Evening
Location: Backyard

To reward Jasmine, I use a toy which is currently a favorite of hers. I also put the poles closer together. For a reason or another, she doesn't "see" the second set of poles and off she goes to zoom. Is she too focused on the toy? I try to finish the session with some easy attempts. Is it normal that she doesn't understand?

Sessions July 1st 2009

Weather: 27 degrees celcius, windy, humid
Time: Mid-afternoon
Location: Agility field

I use the same toy but the poles are farther apart than yesterday.
The training goes very well.
I add distractions. Unfortunately, the human distraction isn't fast enough for Jasmine. I abandon this method for the toy. Toy is more reliable than the human. ; )
The mistakes at the end are caused by the fact that I'm not pointing her in the right direction. Bad, bad Lyne.

Oh miracle!

2009-07-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is like the fisherman who cought the catch of his life. At least I have witnesses. I ran Tucker for the K9 Kup and while I was walking the Jumpers course, I made a spur of the moment decision to try it with Jasmine as well. The course is simple and all the FC are after tunnels so the risks of zoomies are minimal. At least I think so.

Play by play description

Although Jasmine self-released herself at the startline, I stuck to my guns and made her sit again. She complied, did the focus forward and only then did I release her. I'm the boss, right?

Tire, jump, tunnel, FC after the tunnel and pinwheel. She runs off after the second jump of the pinwheel and I call her back. OMG! She obeys and comes back. SHE COMES BACK! I admit my heart did a little somersault but what a day! After that, it's a breeze.

It's no coincidence that I chose a Jumpers course. Jasmine does zoomies after transitions. Obstacle to a jump, etc. In this case, there is none and I didn't need to skip obtacles. I also chose a course I knew she would be confident about.

I'm still in la-la land.

To work on: Startline stays, pinwheels and I need to get fit. Jasmine runs so fast, she always ahead of me.

Fun Match Mai 2009 Partie 2

2009-06-14T19:41:00.001-07:00

Watching this gives me a good feeling. Plus je le regarde, plus je suis contente.

fun match May 2009

2009-06-14T18:51:00.001-07:00

Part 1

It feels soooo good

2009-06-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

It feels so good to do a fun match with a dog who cooperates. Today's goal is to practice our start line stays as well as put into practice the techniques learned during our lessons.

In my opinion, the results are quite good. Of course there are zoomies but one of them happens after a tunnel where jasmine has no directions from me, because I wanted to reward her at the exit. Unfortunately, she keeps on going straight, which is the normal thing to do and off she goes. At our second try, she does a blind cross before the table but I correct her right away and restart the sequence 2 obstacles away. Success.

I'm so proud of her right now.

2 x 2 20 mai 2009 0001

2009-06-07T19:50:00.001-07:00

The roads to 2 x 2

2009-06-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

Please note that this video was made before a training session with CB. You'll see a lot of mistakes along the way which, I hope, I'll be able to correct later on this weekend. As it's the case this Spring, it's still a windy day. Not only did Jasmine had to focus on me, but most importantly, ignore the gusts of wind. For my part, I'm still surprised that the camera and the tripod stayed upright.

We're still beginners at this method. I'm using the Go! command but that's a huge mistake. We musn't use any commands at this stage since I'm using shaping to train Jasmine to 2 x 2s. The dog makes her own decision to take the entry and it's up to us to help them gain speed. Jasmine still hesitates in her entry but once she's off, she takes speed.

More news to follow....

2009-05-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Let’s not waste this good weather so I joined the weekly practice at the Krazy Kanines Dogs Club. Environment Canada is forcasting rain for tomorrow. My goal is to attempt Gregg Darrett’s diagrams 3 and 4 (see previous posts). I also remember CB’s advice to always keep Jasmine within my sight.

Please note that I’m not including the images of the diagrams from the DVD because, quite frankly, I prefer to respect the copyright.

Diagram 3 & 4 from the DVD "Great Dog, shame about the handler".

Diagram 3, 1st attempt: Success

Diagram 3, 2nd attempt: Jasmine leaves me to zoom so I take her in my arms and give my spot to someone else.

Diagram 4, 1st attempt: Everything goes well, except I set up my front cross too soon between jumps 3 and 4 so Jasmine doesn’t complete her 180 but follows my body and does a threadle instead. In my opinion, that’s worth a “screw-up cookie”. ; )

By the way, I’m now knowledgeable enough in the sport to understand why she didn’t do her 180. Wow! I’m getting good at this eh? (wink, wink) I take a few minutes to pat myself on the back.

Ahem, Ahem.

Diagram 4, 2nd attempt: Success!

I finish the practice with a 2 x 2 session. The poles are set in the 8 o’clock and 2 o’clock position. I use the command “Allez” to signal Jasmine to cross the poles.

Success: When Jasmine is on my right and must cross the poles from the left.

Must improve: When Jasmine in on my left and must cross the poles from the right.

Note: We were at the field maybe 1 hour but worked maybe a total of 8 minutes. I gave Jazz a lot of breaks in her crate.

Slowly but surely...

2009-05-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

Another plateau has been conquered I think. CB kept us very busy during our lesson yesterday, but with great results! Last winter, we had attempted Diagrams 1, 2, and 3 from Greg Darrett’s “Great Dog, Shame about the Handler”. At that time, Jasmine wasn’t capable of doing more than 2 to 3 jumps without zooming.

What changes winter and practices can bring. Yesterday, we did those same diagrams. I was so confident that Jasmine would zoom away, that I didn’t take the time to program my head to remember the sequence after the third jump. Was I ever wrong! Yet again, I underestimated my mutt and sure enough, she zoomed away alright, but only after I hesitated in the sequence.

At our second try, Jasmine leaves me to join one of her boyfriends, Fidget, who was working close by. She had to say hello, didn’t she?

We hit jackpot at our third try. I don’t lose her and we completed the sequence.

Reason for our success: Keep my eye on her and don’t hesitate.

What a great day!

Other improvements :

She can now keep her balance on two dyna discs.
She comes back to me when I call her during a zoomie.

Must work on:

Jasmine has trouble staying in her crate when the door is closed (or open for that matter). She even tore the netting on the crate. Bad Jasmine!
We’re still having trouble with the basket. Yes, CB, it’s a new one with lower edges.
Keep an eye on Jasmine during sequences. Always.

Anecdote:

I think I’m now part of the hard core agility crowd. The lesson was outside and we kept on working even when it got dark. The moon was out and here I was taking notes by the light of the barn, which isn’t very useful by the way. If there’s no movement, it shuts off.

Homework for the week (time and venue permitting)

Keep working with the basket
Find an extra dyna disc from someone
Try diagram 3 from the DVD
Try the exercice CB explained called « slicing ».Start working on the 2 x 2
More crate games

Flyball, have we conquered the plateau?

2009-05-03T17:40:00.001-07:00

I haven’t added an entry for a while because… well, nothing was happening. Nada. Rien. Nil. Until this morning that is. You see, Jasmine decided to pick up the ball on the box once more. Why? That’s where it gets interesting. Last weekend, I had the chance to run a “point and shoot” Border collie for the flyball team, Doggone Ballistic. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but by the end of Sunday afternoon, I was sold.

A Border collie runs FAST, let me tell you. Her name is Skye and when she was coming back from the box, she would look me in the eyes while running at least 45 km/h. I had the feeling she was saying “Givemethetug, givemethetug, givemethetug”. That’s very unnerving if you ask me.

During the runs, my friends took care of Jasmine. Generous of them isn’t it? I could see her little black eyes over the blue curtain which was separating the lanes from the spectators. I was told later on that she was standing on her two hind legs to watch me. Yes, she saw me with another dog, in other words, her rival.

During this morning’s practice, I think she tried to cheat once. But overall, I’m very happy with the result. I can’t wait to see what she has planned for next week. ; )

Red Gate Fun Match 4 avril 2009

2009-04-07T19:24:00.001-07:00

2009-04-07T19:13:00.001-07:00

I had promised myself not to participate in any other fun matches, but I can't help it. I'm addicted to them. The course is pretty straight forward, but there's no way Jasmine is ready for this kind of atmosphere.

Sigh!

The disappointments:

She refuses to do the tire. Pretty weird.
The zoomies are many;
After each transition, Jasmine chooses to zoom away...., and I'm being modest.

The good parts:

Very good table (well, the first course that is.) Shoot! I forgot to reward her. Argh! When will I learn!
A very speedy dogwalk.

I'm trying to decide if I should participate at the fun match in May. If so, I must, I repeat, I must limit myself to 1 obstacle at a time. It it works, go up to 2, but never more than 3. I really don't want to destroy what I've been able to built with Jasmine since last November.

A video of our day is in the next post.

Flyball Practice And Other Antics

2009-03-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

Spring fever is in the air and the dogs are particular victims. Saturday's practice was a bit bizarre because all the dogs are excited and not really doing their jobs. Their minds are elsewhere I think.

During the first recall, Jasmine cheats and runs beside the jumps. (Gasp!) The second recall is done perfectly (Phew!).

Box work: Jasmine isn't up to par as she was previously the last two weeks. I test my training method and I omit starting the box work with a tugging session. Consequentely, Jasmine is very slow and unable to focus. We also activated the box mecanism so she can get used to the noise. Mmm. We wonder if that's the reason she started to cheat again by getting the ball with her paw as well as hesitating before hitting the box for her swimmer's turn. Another factor may be the presence of strange dogs in the other lane. She keeps looking over to watch what's going on. Yes, she's the curious one. We'll see how it goes next week.

To be continued.

Who says dogs are not intelligent? I was at CM's place Saturday morning when Jasmine was standing at the patio door and, the screendoor wasn't locked. Oh dear. She didn't even ask to go outside but simply pushed the screen sideways and out she goes! Good thing the backyard is fenced. My apologies to CM because Tucker was closely watching Jasmine's antics. This is the same dog who learned how to open crate doors and steal socks from Jasmine.

Later on in the afternoon, I was doing some housework when I noticed that Jasmine was very quiet. A clear sign that she's up to something. Well, she was lying down on the gym bag (you know, the onefull of treats and toys which I bring to the weekly practices) and had figured out how to open the zipper with her nose and paw. Her head was IN the bag and she was indeed digging in.

Yes, she's a very, very bad influence.

Finally some progress in flyball

2009-03-26T18:45:00.001-07:00

I thought this moment would never happen. I was so sure that Jasmine wouldn't repeat her performance, that I hadn't written anything about it in the blog. Well, the moment has finally arrived and no, it's not a fluke. Jasmine can now do her swimmer's turn on the box, pick up the ball and land on her feet.

She doesn't cheat. She doesn't try to pick up the ball with her paw.

Can you believe it? I've been waiting for this moment for at least twelve months. After two weeks, I can say with certainty that Jasmine understands what to do. I'm hoping that I'll have the time to film her at next week's practice. This way, I'll be able to upload the video on Youtube.

Next step: Trigger the box in one of the opposite holes so she'll get used to the noise.

Let's cross our fingers and think positive thoughts .... : )

Time for a picture break

2009-03-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

LR asked me to include pictures of Jasmine as a puppy. I then decided to add picture of the lastest bathtime.

The bathtime pictures are proff why long haired dogs have long hair.

Puppy Jasmine

Bathtime

Enjoy!

Eventually, I'll understand

2009-03-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

180 degres, Threadle, Argh!

Woohoo! For the last several weeks, we've graduated to working with TWO jumps. I admit the weather hasn't permitted me to practice Susan Garrett's exercices from the "Success With One Jump" DVD, but I promise to be a better student.

The 180 degree turn doesn't cause us any problems, exept for the focus forward.

The threadle is another story. We've been working on it for the three weeks and I couldn't figure how to make Jasmine understand to join me between the two jumps. Nope, she would take the jump, hesitate, and retake the same jump. At our lesson with CB last Monday, Jasmine accomplished a good threadle so mission accomplished. I have to be careful though. CB suggested that I stay beside Jasmine and not in front of the jump as I was doing before.

Other detail: Put up my hand to get Jasmine's attention before starting an exercice.
Most important detail: Criteria, criteria, criteria. I'm not constant with my praises, commands and you name it.

What to remember:

Don't overdo it with the praising. Basically, if she does a good deed, praise. A better deed, praise a wee bit more. A greater than life deed, praise like she just learned how to read and write.

Don't let her reinforce herself. Sniffing instead of listening to my commands, make mini-zoomies at the end of her leash when she realises I'm going behind the house to play or train with her, not give her repeated commands which she ignores, etc etc,.

It won't be easy.

March 5th, 2009

2009-03-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

Nose touch : This exercise is to improve a dog’s contacts. At the moment, Jasmine nose touches my hand but licks it as well to make sure I get the hint. “Yo Lyne!” I’m touching your hand. Gimme a treat already!” Of course, I wait for her to really nose touch but I get only licks. CB recommends not reinforce the touches that are licks. Focus on getting good touches.

February 21, 2009

2009-03-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

I tried a teeter exercise during a practice session at BF. Jasmine has improved her teeter in 2008, but there’s no dashing at all. This could mean the difference between a Q or nothing in the future. Therefore, I’m using a method taught by CB which is to put a plank on two blocs and make the dog run from one extremity to another. Looking good. Speedwise, it's all trotting, not her blasting full speed. I was running beside her, getting her all riled up..... and she trotted ........ FASTER.

Practiced the 180. No problem on both sides. The threadle is another story. My cue is still too late. Have to work on that.

Started to practice her nose touch on the plexi again. Working fine.

When I sit on the floor, she starts to back up automatically. Yea!

Tunnel: she seems scared to go in when there is no "light at the end of the tunnel". Barrels in only when she's decided it's safe enough.

Jasmine rally-o fun match, Feb 20th 2009

2009-02-23T19:26:00.001-08:00

Please read previous post.

Rally O Fun Match at Best Friends, February 20, 2009

2009-02-23T19:15:00.000-08:00

Finally! We finally try a fun match which is held inside a facility. Jasmine is in a good mood during the run and I’m very pleased with the finished result.

Our good moves: Down, Sit and we have an evil Weave Once and Spiral Left.

To practice

Turns
Heel
Side Step Right.

I admit losing her focus at one point but I simply whistle and she’s back with me. : ) Mission accomplished.

Of course, the advanced run isn’t very good, but I really didn’t think when I registered. I also had great ambitions. : )

By the way, one of my buddies, Lisa, describes a little incident which happened about twenty minutes after our run. I’ll leave you to read her post in her blog.

Red Gate Fun Match Feb. 14, 2009

2009-02-16T08:31:00.001-08:00

If you want, you can read the comments.

Our Waterloo!

2009-02-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

Standard Starters, Take 1

Zoomies Galore, but CB is on hand to corner Jasmine. The best thing to do in this kind of situation is to pick her up and leave. My original plan was to reward after two or three obstacles throughout the course but this decision backfired on me. My timing was horrible and I lost her focus.

Standard Starters, Take 2

CB recommends to start a the same sport where Jasmine lost it and zoomed. Okay, no problem. However, she refuses to do her Start Line Stay. Do we have to do that? I have no idea but I don’t insist either. I’ve lost her so many times in the past in this very same spot and frankly, I don’t want to risk to risk it.

Her contact on the Dog Walk isn’t one of her best accomplishments. I’m more and more tolerant of the finished product and as a result, she is now stopping at least half a metre for the floor. As CB says in the audio commentary (which I muted by the way, just in case), “Gotta work on that”.

After the tunnel, it’s the table. Ohhhhhh. I’m so proud of her. LR noticed in the last several months, that Jasmine always does a great table during practices but not in competitions. I just forget to reward her LR, but not this time.

I hesitate at the next obstacles because quite simply, I’m lost. We don’t do the weaves but my strategy isn’t very effective. Next time, I’ll do some shadow handling instead of offering her the tug to keep her busy.

I sooooo want to reward her now and then that I forget my front crosses several times. You’ll notice, dear reader, that I do them at the very last minute. I’m looking forward to the day where I’ll be able to complete a course and not worry about losing Jasmine’s focus.

Oh dear. Now I’m in bit TOUBLE! I use luring so that Jasmine does her contact on the A-Frame and this is against CB’s training method. She’ll be butt-kicking me at next our session for sure. Forgiveness is required. In fact, look closely, and you’ll see that I glance beyond the camera’s focus each time I think I’m made a mistake. That’s because CB’s is standing in that general area.

Starters Jumpers, Take 1

My little brain finally understands that if the dog’s line is a straight one, it isn’t necessary to stop the dog and reward her. Therefore, I CHARGE! Yes, I still insist on rewarding Jasmine at every tunnel exit, but she has a tendency to zoom out. I’m just proofing.

Because of our work during the summer of 2008, Jasmine heads for the A-Frame after completing the jump and no indeed, it’s not on the course. : ) I muted out the audience’s chuckles. Little gates had been placed to stop the dogs from trying the Frame but lo and behold, did that bother my little mutt? Nooooooooooooooooo. I take her in my arms and reposition her before the first jump. Yes, I hesitate. What should I do the first or the second jump? I cut that out from the video.

Blush, blush. I’m a bit embarrassed by my attempt at a rear-cross. Gotta work on that.

Starters Jumpers, Take 2

Mademoiselle has cold paws. : )

Same course, less rewards. This time, she refuses to take the tunnel in the corner and I’ve noticed that often happens when the equipment in put in a, well, a corner. Gotta work on that. I insist she take it but it’s a no go. Should we try to repeat obstacles or just let it go? I wonder.

Rear-Cross on the jump before the tire....? Bwahahahahahaha! Nuff said.

At the very end, you can see CB gesturing and saying « Reward ! Reward!”.

I swear to you, one day, we’ll get it!