Adventures in Training the Beagles

Texas Kennel Club–Sunday

We had a real nice, but slow Jumpers run.  Every one agreed that she was going in the right direction the whole time, but just not moving fast enough – and also didn't think it was me.

On the other hand, we had a REALLY bad Standard run where she was back to not wanting to do agility at all.

Not sure why, but husband has been making comments about her weight.

Texas kennel club - Saturday

She knocked the second bar in jumpers so I worked distance and speed to see how I could push. Ended up with No tunnel and no weaves but fast.

Q rate 4/10

She refused the teeter but got back on. Not sure If she was in the paint going down or not. Got everything else.

Yeah, she got a refusal and time so she didn't Q but at least she did the teeter!

Q rate 4/11 which is better than last year.

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Dulce Better

Went to agility class with Donna Ward last night.  Picked her up and dumped in the car.  Was fine in it, as usual.  Willingly got in at the end of class.  I randomly treat that behavior now, and I think I rewarded it last night.

Had some issues with her at class.  She was more interested in smelling the barn then playing with me and eating food.  A few times, I stuck food in her face where she was sniffing and she wasn’t interested.  Did add stinky chicken which helped, but then she wasn’t willing to disconnect to go through tunnels and such.

Baby steps.

And man, a long day.

More on Dulce and car

She came car sick. Back in May, I brought her home and she was a mess. Covered on droll. She was also in the car a week later when we were rear-ended.

She is better now, she is only reluctant when getting in from the garage. I often deal with it as a management issue and pick her up and put her in the car but life would be easier if she would willingly get in her by herself.

She is fine on trips now and when we are at a trial all day. She will also get in and out on leash okay.

<Shrug>
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Baby Steps

We were 4 seconds short of Qing in Jumpers.  Running, with me, no excursions, but slightly behind me the whole trip.  If she would just pick it up.

Standard was interesting.  I was doing a bit of stressing as the judge was standing just where I wanted to do on each run, and I left it to her to get out of the way.  Need the map for this, but she had the tunnel under the a-frame, and I needed to be at the fulcrum of the teeter.  Her way put me behind Macy and I needed to be ahead of her.

I went my way and it worked, Macy came out of the tunnel and I was standing by the teeter calmly.  She went up, and bailed.  Couldn’t figure out what to do – call her up the teeter and leave, or go on.  She made the decision, she went on.  I knew that calling her away from the obstacles would bother her – little stressor that she is, so I did the best thing.  Cooing “good girl, good girl”and scooping her up.  Held her and hugged her to the leash.

It worked out exactly the way I would have wanted it if I had to not Q.  SHE made the choice to get back on the teeter. 

Q rate for the year – 4 out of 9.  Way better than the old one.  -- 0 --

And yes, we are getting closer, and I’m being patient on the baby steps.

Oh, and I’m seeing a different dog outside the ring – she is barking and demanding that I tell her to do something and reward her.  I am not sure I like that dog, but that dog does agility better.

We have:

2 Open Jumpers Legs (need one to move up, but do I want to).

1 Open Standards Leg

1 Open Fast Leg

Definition of insanity

A good old friend reminded me today that the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting a different outcome, in reference to my 24+ year history of beagles.

However, I don’t expect a different outcome.  I love my beagles, love their attitude.

And by the way, we never thought Macy was a distance dog, but she got her first Open Fast Q today with a lovely send:

 

Macy Open Fast Q #1

 

Stupid comment of the weekend – “ yeah, everyone in the building heard you.”  a) dog wants me to have energy in my voice which translates to loud when you are a soprano b) made the judge remember my Q yesterday when the scribe forgot to record the send.  As always, get over yourself.  

Frustration

Dulce is doing really well as a conformation dog and as an agility dog, but lousy as a companion.  She doesn’t really like to get in the car, and she is very destructive around the house.  She doesn’t seem to be making progress in those areas, and I am very frustrated.

The hopefully, last straw was when she got either in my desk or on my desk and get a hold of an insulin pump holder and matching meter case.  I don’t think I paid for them, and I don’t wear them often, but it was the fact that they were put away and she shouldn’t have gotten them. 

Her problem is that she likes to solve puzzles.  Unfortunately, though she doesn’t really understand that the best puzzle to solve is how to get my attention in a positive way. 

I’ve spent a few days trying to get over the last escapade – she really scared me once when she chewed the cap off my insulin pump when I was napping with her (fortunately I keep extras). 

And yes, I have come close to returning her to the breeder because of the problem.  But she really is a good agility dog, and I don’t want to give that part up.

A work in progress.

No teeter in Standard, no speed in Jumpers

On the other hand, she was completely with me and did the whole courses.  But she couldn’t bring herself to complete the teeter, entering it correctly and bailing before the balance point – her other popular performance includes a refusal then jumping up the side and completing the teeter.

She was slow off the start line and then got involved with the dirt after jump 3 or 4, not sure which one.  She kept going slow, so I pulled ahead of her trying to get her to catch up and that made her bobble the last few poles.  Everything else, both before and after were correct, but not fast enough to Q.

On the other hand, I am still celebrating the Fast Q and the new title.  And her Q rate is still higher than it was for over a year.

Tesoro’s Herald Square, NA, NAJ, NF

Macy just got out of AKC Novice entirely!  Scary though, as I knew she got the send in Fast, but the scribe didn’t write it down.  Though, no, the judge didn’t remember the cute beagle, but remember her loud handler.

Hey, they have ear flaps, everything has to be muffled … right?

The map:

Map: Novice Fast–McKinney, Texas–January 21, 2011

The run:

Rally

Why does Every one only do courses in class and why dont they teach the behavior?

I took a rally class from another instructor years ago and she taught the behaviors.

Weird.

They sjould start with group heeling as a warm up and focus on each of the different types. Have one class on fronts for example.
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