I volunteered at the MAC USDAA agility trial last Friday and Saturday. It's always fun to see old friends, make new ones, and watch all the amazing dogs and their handlers. I did some ring stewarding, timing, scribing, and leash running. Of course I timed the hardest classes... ever... heh. I was in the P3/Masters ring and timed Snooker and Gamblers. It's really not that bad, but I had to remember to switch the time for the horns and do manual start/stop on some runs... It was definitely a learning experience. I've now done all jobs at a trial except score table. I'm sure that someday I'll get to do that though!
A couple friends and I do our own C-WAGS "shows" online every once in a while. It's good for making me train specific behaviors if nothing else. The current part I'm working on isn't going very smoothly. It's a modification of the utility directed jumping.
Explained:
Go Table / Jump / Jump - This challenge requires that the dog leave the handler
go out to the table, sit or down, and take the directed jump.
Ring set up includes:
An agility type pause table set at 2nd base – approximately 20’ away from Home Plate. The pause table will have two heights; 4” for dogs that jump 12” or less, and 12” for dogs that jump 16”.
Two jumps set approximately 20’ apart: 1st base and 3rd base. Any combination
of bar jump, high jump, broad jump or agility style jump constructed to be stable and safe for all dogs may be used. * See jump height table in the obedience rules. (A 6’ - 9’ tunnel may replace either or both jumps).
◊ This challenge begins with the team in heel position at Home Plate - opposite the
pause table.
◊ On order from the judge to “send your dog”, time will start and the handler will send their dog across the ring to the table where the dog must either sit or down –
judge’s predetermined position.
◊ When the dog is positioned, the handler will call/send the dog over either the right or the left jump – handler’s choice.
◊ The dog should go straight to the jump, over it and return to front position.
◊ Without instruction from the judge, the team return to original starting position and perform the same sequence again EXCEPT if the dog “sat” on the table the first
time then it must “down” on the table the second time (or vice versa). If the dog
was sent to the right side jump the first time then the dog must be sent to the left
side jump the second time (or vice versa).
◊ Time stops when the dog sits in the front position the second time.
◊ Handler may not leave Home Plate. (Hysterical, desperate gesturing by the handler
at Home Plate will be ignored by the judge and a source of entertainment for the
gallery.)
◊ Retry – Unlimited retries allowed within the time limit. If the dog takes the
incorrect jump, the team will have to begin from Home Plate, resending the dog to
the table and then the correct jump.
◊ “Fouls” – Will be incurred if the handler leaves Home Plate; If the dog takes the
incorrect jump.
This challenge will be considered Passed if: the dog goes out to the table, assumes the correct position, takes the correct jump, goes out a second time, assumes the correct second position, takes the correct second jump, the handler does not leave Home Plate, and the dog gets back to Home Plate and sits before the 60 seconds is up.
It's a lot of fun... but I don't have a table so I was using the lid of a storage bin. I got that cue semi-solid "on" coupled with a "go" to indicate moving away from me but I just can NOT get a solid "sit" out of Bailey when she goes out. Right now I'm testing out a 'wait' when she reaches the lid then a sit, which seems to be working... if she hears the 'wait' cue! I've got a bar jump and a broad jump out there. Need to pick up my old weave poles from the farm to use to mark the outsides of the jump so I'm not teaching the dogs to cut the jump early (again... I think we finally worked through that).
The two other exercises for this "show" are relatively easy. Right turn, back up two steps in heel position as well as a cloverleaf figure 8. I just need to get cones/pylons/something to make my cloverleaf then I'll video that one too.
