Contact training

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!

Easy does it.....

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.....