• 10Aug

  Beating the Late-Summer Heat

  Contests 43 Comments

  It’s time for another contest giveaway here on Agility Fusion!  This time we’re giving away a Doggie Drencher!

  Just comment on this entry with what you and your dog have been working on this summer (and tell us about any competitions!) for your chance to win!

  The winner will be chosen on or around September 1st,  via random number generator random.org.

  How to enter this contest:

  If you have never done so before, you must first register your email address on this blog. We will then notify you if you are a winner of this contest. You only need to do this once, and you will be good for all future monthly contests (and get priority notification of when they occur)!

  Scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your comment/answer. Or, if there is no box, click on the “comments” in the upper right corner.

  

  Tags: agility competing, agility training

• 28Jun

  Volunteering ~ part of Blog Action Day!

  Dog Agility Competing 3 Comments

  A great deal of discussion has been centered around agility trial volunteers – or lack thereof – of late on the Yahoo!Groups in agility.  The Agility Nerd asked those of us with dog blogs to take part in a Blog Action Day.  I wanted to weigh in with my, admittedly slightly rambling, thoughts on agility trial volunteering, and how it applies to agility in general.

  Much of the controversy could be negated, I think, if the venue hosting the trial ensured the volunteers felt valued.  At the trials I have attended as a 4-Her, I was fortunate enough to be treated wonderfully as a volunteer! (I didn’t do much, but I tried.)  I can’t imagine how I would feel if someone belittled my efforts to help.  Before you snap at a volunteer, or anyone, stop and think of why you’re behaving the way you are.  Chances are, it isn’t their fault.  Even if it is, treat them with respect and courtesy.  They’re giving something for, essentially, nothing.

  Volunteers DO get some perks though, such as experience in a trial atmosphere (this can really be invaluable for beginners), trial or meal vouchers, etc.  It’s a token, and thanks goes a long way to making a volunteer want to come back.

  I think especially for beginners it is absolutely vital to keep the volunteer atmosphere welcoming and friendly.  Agility forms a wonderful, tight-knit community, but on the flipside of that, it can form nasty cliques.  No one goes to agility trials to feel looked down on, and if someone has negative experiences with a trial, they may quit the sport for good – which would be a huge loss!

  Don’t treat a person in a way you wouldn’t treat your dog.  Be friendly, be positive, be rewarding!  Not all rewards are monetary or materialistic.  A smile can make someone’s day, a snide comment can break it. If someone doesn’t understand, teach them.  Create a community of people who are happy to volunteer in a positive environment, and don’t resort to bullying tactics.  No one wants an unhappy worker, or to be one, either.

  While volunteers vary in how much time they give, and the work they do, I believe personal taste should be allowed for.  Not everyone wants to or can do every job, or can volunteer all day!

  

  Tags: agility competing

• 27Jun

  Trial Temperature

  Dog Agility Competing 1 Comment

  Summer is upon us, and trials are in full swing all over the country!  Many clubs only offer outdoor trialling, rain or shine, or blistering heat.  It’s important to keep your dog as cool as you can!

  • Provide plenty of fresh, cool water.
  • A frozen kong can keep your crated dog content and cool.
  • Crate in the shade if at all possible, and if not, create your own shade!  I’ve seen plenty of pop up tents, sunshades, and umbrellas at trials, depending on how much space is available.
  • Bring frozen soda bottles and put them in the crate.
  • Some competitors swear by misting fans – whether or not it mists is immaterial, but a fan is a godsend on a hot day.
  • Cooling coats, bandannas, or blankets
  • Check around – sometimes on hot days the trial hosts will set up a kiddie pool to cool off hot dogs.
  • Pay very close attention to your dog!  If they tell you it’s too hot for them, please listen.
  • If it’s REALLY hot, it might be a good idea to turn on your car with air conditioning in it – with a sunshield to help keep the sun out of your car.

  Trials should be fun for you and your dog, don’t let the heat beat you!  Do you have any tricks for keeping cool at trials to share?

  

  Tags: agility competing

• 20Jun

  Weave Pole Spacing Revisited

  Dog Agility Competing, Dog Agility Training 1 Comment

  Well, it’s been a while – USDAA announced their weave pole spacing change almost a year ago (read our original entries here, and here!) and AKC’s spacing has been changed almost two years! What do you think of the changes, now that you’ve had time to get used to them? I’ve heard some dogs are faster, some are slower, and some are virtually unchanged! I still believe it is a good change, speaking as a big dog owner!

  

  Tags: agility competing, agility training

• 15Jun

  Contact Obstacles and Chutes

  Dog Agility Competing, Dog Agility Training 4 Comments

  Marlene Remington asked My Muffin started competing in April and is doing fairly well (we even complete our AKC JWW Novice title). We are having problems with contact obstacles that are different from the obstacles we practice on at our club field. Our chute has a blue barrel with a blue chute — the venue where we are having trouble has a closed chute where the barrel is nearly clear and the chute is yellow. She absolutely will not go into it — when have been in four events with this chute and can’t seem to get past it. I am tempted to pick her up and push her through it (I know I will get disqualified) just to stop this fear. Help!

  That is a problem.  It’s a sticky situation, too, because practicing on the trial equipment is not allowed. However, maybe you can get in contact with someone at the venue and rent their ring/equipment at a later date, take a few hours, and work on shaping your dog to complete the obstacle. Treat it like Muffin doesn’t know how to do a chute at all. Sometimes an obstacle can look so different in design and in a new place that a dog isn’t sure what to do with it.  Don’t shove her through, even though that is tempting!  You don’t want her to associate being pushed with an obstacle, especially one she sees often in competitions.

  For the contacts on the club field, ask if you can move them around with other members.  That way your dog is learning the obstacle not the position of the obstacle.  Also keep in mind that if your obstacles are sand-treated and the competition obstacles are rubber coated or vice versa, it can lead to some variation in performance of the obstacle. If you have both kinds of obstacles in your area, you may want to train your dog to perform on both surfaces equally.

  Lastly, is it possible that your dog may not be quite ready to compete? I know she’s doing fine, but from the sounds of things there may be one or two obstacles she’s just not ready for or doesn’t fully understand.  It may be worthwhile to take a step back in training and review the chute and contacts, with massive rewards and partying.

  I hope this helps!  Good luck to you and Muffin (cute name, by the way! ) and happy hurdling!

  

  Tags: agility competing, agility training

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