Red Deer Obedience Results

The dogs and I had a great weekend.

Wicca finished her Rally Advanced title with two perfect scores, and a High In Class. I am so proud of this dog. The course on Saturday was pretty tricky, and she nailed it- food bowls and all! We were beat out in time only for the Sundays High in Class- just one second difference! I am so happy with how she is working - she was upbeat, focused and having a good time. I remembered all the numbers (even those between 10-14) so that made me feel good!

Boone scored a 98 on the first course, and a 97 on the second. He did so well, and kept with me even though he was a little stressed. I have not done much off leash heeling with him, so it wasn't pretty but we still did good. He stayed with me- which was a big deal, and he didn't spook at the judges at all. Oh, and to top it off he even did the food bowl exercise! Anyone who knows Boone knows that he is a complete chow hound so for him to heel around bowls of food on the ground was pretty amazing. He is a great little worker- and made lots of new friends on the weekend.

I entered Wicca in one round of Open on Saturday and she was amazing. I have never felt so confident in the Obedience ring before. She nailed every single exercise. We lost a total of 6 points (out of 150) for a few sloppy sits, and crooked fronts. Wow. I even had an awful throw over the high jump and she made a conscious decision to come back over the jump. It was a great feeling to know she was that ready for the ring. The long sits and downs went better than I'd imagined. She stayed. I left the room and she didn't follow me. That is huge. She did lay down at the two minute mark though- which NQ's us- but still- SHE STAYED! She stayed perfectly for her long down too. I was so proud of her- just for the stays. This is something we've been struggling with for a long time.

I feel confident that with a little more work we'll have a rock solid Open routine. I watched the Utility dogs on Saturday and I don't think that we have much farther to go for that. I got some great ideas for teaching the Go Back so I am pretty amped about getting to work on that.

There was no signs of stiffness, although I made sure to warm her up really well and I gave her a massage each day. I don't have any immediate plans for Obedience- I had thought of going to a trial in December, but I don't want to push it with her neck. The entries close tomorrow, so I've got some thinking to do tonite. There is a trial in February aswell that might work out better...so we'll see what I decide.

I will have pictures to post tomorrow. I got a photo done with both dogs (bought with my prize $ for HIC) so will post that tomorrow even though I am in the photo. :o) My friend Julia also took some candid shots that I can post.

Visitor

We had a visitor on Wednesday night, and all day yesterday.

Boone hates him


The Girls like him....mostly.


And Vito prefers not to be in the same room as him. :o)

Davin is an Australian Shepherd that belongs to a friend of mine- he even has his own blog. Davin comes for occasional sleepovers because he is a momma's boy and needs to learn some independence. Not sure if he is learning independence but he's sure having fun!

Say Cheese!

Flirty Ears

Tug!

Play Bow

Aren't I Handsome?

Play With Me!

More Aussie Smiles. :o)

Davin is all about the fun factor and is persistent. He never gives up trying to get the girls to play with him.

Pixels Class- Week 1

We don't really have a name for this class- or I would just call it that...but it is a continuation of our 101 class- more focus on handling, less focus (no focus) on contacts. Sarah and I teach the first class of 10 dogs, and then Kim comes to teach the second (the same class, different students). I get to participate as a student. It's a pretty great deal.

I have been doing 2 poles with Pixel at home, but haven't done them anywhere else. She had no problem last night, although I do need to make sure that I start adding my movement. Until this point I've pretty much been stationary until she hits the entry and I throw the toy.

We did an exercise on acceleration/deceleration last night- just on the flat. Pixel thought it was great, but couldn't get the concept of the deceleration...funny, because we do this all the time...

We had a four jump grid set up, worked on sending, running with, and recalling over the line. She did great- her jumping is very effortless, and hopefully she continues to be a clean jumper.

The next exercises were about front and rear crosses. Pixel had no problem with these, although I need to make sure that I am rewarding in the correct place.

The class ended with a 180. I brought out the ball (her favorite) and pretty much blew her little brain. She kept going out, waaaaay out, in anticipation of the ball. I ended up having to go back to a lower value item (i.e food) and then she was succesful.

I have been working on using the ball more in training- before she used to completely zone out- she was like the seagulls on Finding Nemo. Ball, Ball, Ball, Ball...

Now she is to the point where she can work, and think through the excitement- but she tends to drift away...HOPING that the ball will be thrown. The ball will be a great tool though, so I intend to work through her obsession.

Anyway, the class went great. Not just Pixels class either, but both groups of students are doing really well. We have some pretty keen new people, which is great!

First Barn Night

Every year we rent a horse arena to train in during the winter. Last night was the first night, and I had a great time.

It was hard to leave Wicca at home, but I want to give her at least another week before I do anything with her. I ended up taking Boone and Pixel instead.

Boone was so excited- he was barking, spinning and shaking he was so excited to be there. I had to spend the first few minutes doing some focus and obedience work to get his brain turned on.

My goals last night were to work on Discrimination, Turn, Weave entries, and Rear Crosses.

He nailed the discrimination- which surprised me as it is a weak point with him. Even when I made it more difficult he was still successful.

"Turn" is coming- he is doing it on the flat pretty reliably now, but is now at the awkward stage of putting it to use on equipment. He doesn't want to leave the frame contact on just "TURN" and still needs my help. I am happy with the progress though, and we'll keep plugging away.

His weaves were great- I even uncovered the bases and made them a little wobbly to see if he'd jump the middle like he has done at trials. No issue. He is a great weaver now and was able to do some pretty difficult entries.

Rear crosses. I suck. And these used to be a really good thing for me. At the trial a few weeks ago we bobbled every rear cross- any sign of pressure from me and he'd push away a mile. Last night he had a hard time, but only with a rear cross to the right. Strange eh? I ended up having to just do one jump rear crosses- the first few times I was in the wrong spot, but even when I was in the right position he still had a heck of a time. I need to work on this big time at home.

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Pixel came along as a "filler" - I knew Boone wouldn't last the whole night, and so came up with a plan for Pixel. She wasn't distracted at all by the other dogs and the horse poop. I am pretty happy with how she is progressing.

We did restrained recalls- which she thinks is super fun. And then I did some lead outs with her- I am in the process of proofing right now- she was releasing on my movement so I have been careful to not pair my verbal release with movement.

One jump games- wraps, front crosses, and rear crosses. At home we've been playing around and doing quite a lot of one jump exercises so I was happy to see that this is transferring to a new place.

Teeter Games- she is a surfer queen :o) She can handle a fairly high drop now, and I don't think it will be long until she is doing the full thing. I do need to make sure that I am calling it the right thing- Julia pointed out that I didn't really call it anything.....

Back chaining on the A-frame. I did six reps, starting one step off, and getting half way up the board. She was successful five out of the six times. This is quite a lot better than before, the stuff I am doing at home is totally paying off so I will be sure to continue with that.

And I ended on a small speed circle with a tunnel (okay, it was really a pinwheel) She did great- I made sure to keep my arms pumping- not out like a mad woman, and used my motion to propel her. I randomly rewarded with her toy, and she was having a pretty great time.

It was a really fun night, and it was nice to get back in the teaching mode as well. Our students rock, and everyone did really well last night. Some of them had never been to the arena before but it didn't phase anyone. Tonite is Pixel's "official" class- I am so glad that I have the opportunity to be in a class with her. It is nice to work on your own- but the feedback you get from a class setting can't be beat.

Boys Stink

I am sure that I won't be the only one blogging about this today, but hey- I can't be original all the time! :o)

Susan Garrett blogged this morning about her preference of girl over boy dogs. I am in the same boat. I LOVE a girl dog- the attitude, the problem solving, the pushiness. All of that is what I like to live with, and to train. In my experience Boy dogs are pushovers, hard to focus, slower to learn (although once they get it, they get it), and just more "go with the flow" types. There is nothing wrong with that of course, it's just not what I like.

Why then do I have two boy dogs? By chance really. Vito wasn't planned, and neither was Boone. I like the dogs personality (and looks in the case of Vito) But I do find them a challenge to work and live with compared to the girls. Vito is so sensitive and cuddly, and always at your feet. Seriously, you can't pee in private when you live with a Vito. Boone is super smart, but not much of a "think outside the box" kinda guy. He will just keep throwing behaviors at you hoping that one of them will be right- not really thinking about what it is I want. I mean, I love my boy dogs but it would not be my choice to get another.

The girl dogs were planned. Wicca is a bitch, through and through. That's just part of who she is, and I love that. She has no qualms about telling me I was wrong, or choosing her own path if I've screwed up. She is not dependant on me to make her choices. I like that. Pixel is not a hard edged dog like Wicca but is still a girl in every other sense- she is super sassy, and opinionated. She is very smart, but often over-thinks things. I have to be careful that I am super precise in my training as she often will learn the wrong thing if my timing is off. She will do what I want generally, but isn't afraid to vocalise her displeasure. (Her little grunts and groans are about the cutest thing ever)

I didn't always think this way though. Way back when I wanted a masculine looking German Shepherd for competitive obedience. There was a dog that belonged to a friend that I loved. His name was Denim and man did I love that dog. He made me want a boy dog, and when I got my first purebred dog I wanted the only male in the litter but he was spoken for. I came home with a female and fell in love with that personality.

So what do you prefer and why? Everyone will have an opinion on this so I assume we'll be seeing lots of blog posts about this topic in the next few days! Susan is a trend setter for a reason I suppose. :o)

Obedience

Wicca is on a heeling diet (due to her neck)- but I am still planning on going to the Obedience trial this weekend. We won't have practiced in two weeks- but I think heeling is one of those things that you either have, or you don't. Wicca is a great heeler so I don't forsee any issues on the heeling exercises. This will be her third time in the open ring.

The first time was three/four (?) years ago- she walked on the broad jump, came painfully slow on the recall, and petered out on the heeling. The second time was last year- she did very well and did everything but the long sit. She shuffled forward and then lay down only a few seconds into it. We had a funmatch over a month ago and she rocked it. So I am feeling pretty confident. If anything it will be the stays that get us. :o)

I only entered her once each time- and this weekend is no different. Once is enough stress for me! :o) So Saturday afternoon she is doing Open, and Saturday morning and Sunday she is doing Rally. She needs two Advanced legs for her Advanced title.

Boone is entered aswell- this is his first time in Advanced Rally. I have been practicing lots with him and he understands all the exercises and we've worked on proofing for the judge etc. Last time he was spooked by the judge following us so we've been working on that.

Pixel is coming along too- although she isn't entered in anything. I still have to get a microchip that the CKC approves to get her CKC #. But it will be a good experience for her- I will have lots of extra time to work her beside the rings etc.

Should be a fun weekend- although I get way more nervous for Obedience than I do for agility.

Happy Halloween

Halloween 2009, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

What's halloween really but an excuse to torture the dogs. :o)

Wicca only needed a hat for the perfect costume :o) (she's a witch)
Pixel the Princess
Vito the devil, although he does look rather innocent here.
Boone the clown.

it's all very fitting. :o)

Happy Halloween everyone!

Happy Gotcha' Day!

Coincidentally I got both Boone and Pixel around the same time (end of October)- just a year apart. Funny eh?


Two years ago I offered to foster a scared Pyr Shep for a friend. A month later and I knew he was meant to be mine. Here is a link to the first blog post I wrote about him. He has come so far in two years he is a completely different dog. He is happy, confident, outgoing and loves people. He is a dog who is just all heart and I adore him.




Last year at this time I brought Pixel home. I was so excited to see her off the plane. She came out of the crate as happy as could be, and has been motoring along since then. She is everything I wanted, and I often sit and think about how lucky I am to have her. She has grown up into a beautiful dog who gets attention wherever she goes. Pixel has been an easy pup to raise- and has a wonderful future ahead of her.

So Happy Gotcha' Days to two of my favorite dogs. :o)

November is on it's way....

October is almost over. Not sure where it went, but November is on it's way!

This past month I took some time for me. I had a break from agility classes and it was great! Instead of teaching four nights a week I only did one, and on occasion two. It was pretty perfect.

Starting next week that all changes. My schedule is a busy one- mostly because that's they way I like it. I have a hard time saying no, and I do love what I do. I've made sure though to not overflow my schedule so we'll see how it goes this winter.

As of right next week this is my teaching schedule Monday- competition obedience, Tuesday- Agility at the barn, Wednesday- Agility at POTR and Pixels class, Thursday and Friday are free except for occasional agility, or private lesson I choose to do. I have given up Pet Obedience for a few months. I need a break from the raw beginners that seem to suck you dry. :o) (nothing against any beginner/pet people that read this- just that you are much more work than the people that are used to being bossed around by me!)

November is also a busy month dog wise- I have Boone and Wicca entered in Obedience/Rally at the Reddeer Dog show. There is an agility trial the weekend after, although at this point I am not sure what I am doing (going, or not going) and the weekend after that is the last Kim Collins Outreach of the year. Again- not sure what I am doing with that, it will depend on how Wicca is, and if I feel she is able to physically handle it. If not- Boone will have to stand in. In amongst all of that Pixel is being vaccinated, and spayed. OMG! (that's a whole 'nother post)

Oh, I am sure you all noticed but I changed the header- Wendy took this picture of Vito on a walk yesterday and I LOVE it, so much that it just had to be the header. Vito doesn't get enough face time on the blog so this way he can be front and center for a while!

Rare Breed

Ever see a Rare Pointing Corgi?

:o)

just because

I wasn't going to blog twice today, but I LOVE this picture of the girls together. They were running down the path together and I told them to down. Pixel needs work on a moving down apparently! But still, a great photo!

Goin' Places 43/52

Goin' Places 43/52, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

"Goin' places that I've never been.
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again.
On the road again -" Willie Nelson

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Finally! I was able to take a photo of moving Pixel. :o) I really wanted a moving photo for this weeks 52 Weeks photo. Pixel is a dog that doesn't stop moving for long, and combined with my photography skills most of the photos I've gotten of her are stationary. (or blurry and not submitted :o) )

She looks like she is on a mission, so I thought the "On the Road Again" lyrics were a perfect fit.

Uploaded by manymuddypaws on 28 Oct 09, 6.53AM MDT.

steeplechase video

A Kink in her neck and over-reacting

At the trial Wicca saw Susan again, a Sport Physio/Rehab person. She has had a stiff neck lately and I was a bit concerned again about her shoulders. Well, she has a kink in her neck- most likely caused from heeling. Geez. I have been practicing a fair amount lately (I have Wicca entered in Open Obed in a few weeks) so obviously this has caused some problems. Susan reccomended heeling on the right side, aswell as the left. I am just going to lay off the heeling for a while all together.

I have written before about how stressed I am about Wicca's health. Yesterday just about did me in. She had a REALLY hard time weaving yesterday. Like, could not get an entry if it was on the "on side." This is due to a few things- one, her neck. Because of the kink in her neck it was not comfortable bending her head that way. Two- the footing. It was very deep, and she was not the only small dog to have weave issues.

Her neck is not even caused by agility and yesterday on the way home I was telling Sarah that I was going to stop doing agility for a few months. Sometimes I am not even rational. That's why I didn't blog about it at all last night. I was not thinking straight. When your dog is hurt, and the sport that you and your dog love is causing the hurt it's a pretty emotional thing.

However, in the case of her neck the issue isn't even agility. Susan worked out the kink and Wicca already is feeling better and has a better range of motion. She also gave me some really great exercises for her shoulders. I was concerned yesterday because at the end of the day she seemed to be favoring her back right leg. I think she slept on it funny, and I was over-reacting.

Wicca actually had one of the best weekends physically- she didn't knock many bars, and didn't have any crashes or ouch moments. Her new running aframe is going well and taking lots of pressure off of her. I need to take a deep breath and stop worrying so much. She is fine. She is healthy. She is not lame. She is not going to die.

I am however going to put her on a weave pole diet until her neck is feeling better. l This means that I will pull her from the agility trial in November. It will be a good break for her. My plan is also to do only light training- and just work on getting her into the best shape physically that I can.

Also Sarah had a good though- I am going to use a bigger crate at trial. Her "house" crate is large (german shepherd size) but at a trial she is in a small normal corgi size one. She can't really stretch out all that great. Too bad she can't be trusted in a soft crate, it would be an easy fix then. :o)

So that's the plan. Get her neck back to normal, keep her active, but don't over do it. No weaves, or contacts. Just light handling. We'll still have plenty to keep us busy!

Training Troop Trial

I am feeling pretty mixed up right now. So I apologize for the erratic writing. I will try to keep things in order.

It was a great weekend. The trial itself was very well run, and the people are awesome. There are some really nice agility people in our area. It's nice to go to a trial where almost everyone is nice to each other.

The dogs did very well. I had some great runs with both of them, and a one or two not so nice runs.

Boone earned only one Q this weekend- in Advanced Snooker- which just so happens to be the Q he needed for his Advanced Games title. This also moves him up to Masters Snooker. His other runs (except one) were SO GOOD. He really did a great job this weekend and worked hard. We ran team for the first time in almost a year, and he did great- running his half clean. It was a great run. His contacts are really solid- I need to work on my timing of my "target" cue so that he is not slowing dogs. His speed was great- faster than ever before. And his weaves were very good (and fast) up until the very last run. The bobbles we had were mostly my fault. Although, he did have one very naughty run. The Sunday standard was pretty disasterous. He was very wild and not listening. He rarely has ever done that so I wasn't sure how to get him back. We ended up getting buzzed off. :o) I got lots of great feedback about him- some people hadn't seen him in a few months and were surprised a the difference. I haven't forgotten where he started, but I don't always think about it. He really is a pretty amazing dog. He was happy, confident, and having fun all weekend.

Wicca ran really well on Saturday. She was one of a few (7 or 8) dogs to get the gamble earning her 11th Gamble Q. Her other runs on Saturday were pretty good- we had some really good moments in the standards, but the jumpers was a train wreck. I can't even remember really what happened now, I remember there had been no knocked bars all day until that run...just an off course or two. The other Q she got was in Steeplechase. She had a smoking fast run- the third fastest overall. She did have a knocked bar, but the fault just gets added to the time so we still qualified.

She also won the Judges Choice Award for a Masters dog. Both of the judges were not local so had never seen her before. They were pretty amazed at her speed, and drive for such a short dog. I am proud to have won that. She won it twice before when she was a starters dog at that trial, so it's pretty neat to have won it again in masters. One of the judges commented that she didn't go over the ground, she went through it. And she really did have to. The arena is filled with dirt/sand/wood shavings. Although it was cushy for us to run on it was hard for some of the smaller dogs. The divots at the weave poles made it so she almost had to jump to weave.

I am very proud of Wicca this weekend- she didn't knock any bars all day Saturday until the last run, and only one or two on Sunday. Her A-frame is going pretty good- she knows that she will be released now but is still running full tilt down the frame- which is exactly what I want. We also had some pretty good handling moments. Of course there are things we need to work on. Her startlines. Man, oh man. I really need to make sure that I am sticking to my criteria with this dog. Her dogwalk/teeter contacts. She came right off the dogwalk on Sunday- I picked her up and left the course after that. And the teeter. The teeter is completely my fault. Again- criteria. I need to make sure she sticks her teeter until I release.

Mostly it was a good weekend. I am pretty tired- as are the dogs. I am looking forward to a full week of NO CLASSES. It will be a good break.

Happy Friday

We are off to an agility trial this weekend. It is the "Halloween" trial, so there are costume contests and all sorts of goulish things. I'll make sure to have some pictures to post on Monday :o)

Hope everyone else has a great weekend!

A Lesson from Wicca on Gophering

Find the hole.


Now, take a big sniff to make sure it's down there.


Really get down there, you need to let 'em know you mean business.


Digging at this point is acceptable.


For best results whine, bark, and keep on digging.


Make sure you come back up for air- it's a little stuffy down there!


Repeat as Necessary!

*pictures by Wendy

Vito :o)

Vito just amazes me sometimes. Truly.

I took him to the agility field last night- just for him to get out and play around in between working Wicca. He did awesome.

He was a tugging maniac, and was running and having a good time. His dogwalk was speedy, his jumping great, his discrimination sucked :o), and he was happy and silly. He was so excited to work. I don't know why that shocks me so much- he was the same the last time I took him out too.

Vito is a struggle sometimes. I love him to bits, but we don't have a great working relationship history. Now I don't ever put training stress on him, and it is just about having a good time. We got out once a month on average I would say and he toodles around and does his own thing.

Sometimes he is pokey and distracted, other times it is like he has lightening up his butt (like tonite.) Either way I am pretty happy that he was happy and having fun with me. He is a dog that I don't really expect to play agility with me. When we do play it is not about being accurate, or about him learning something every time. I don't expect him to work hard when we train. I am pleasantly surprised when he does, but I don't go out there thinking that he will. At one time I did, and quickly realised that he had different plans. After some soul searching I decided to just let him be. And we are much happier because of that.

At the same time I see how much fun he does have sometimes, and wonder if I did put in the work what I would have. Would he be a good agility dog if I actually was serious with him? Quite probably. I realise, and admit that I am the issue. Lots of people run and train dogs just like Vito and do well- some really well. I just am not that kind of person anymore. I think I was so traumatized after Kate that any sort of shut down/nervousness freaks me out. I can teach other people how to train those types of dogs, but can't seem to do it myself. (Although Boone started out much worse than Vito, and is now a pretty great agility dog) At this point I am not willing to jeopardize our current relationship.

Despite my hangups, we will continue to train at home and go out once a month or so. If he gets to the point where he is having fun always, and I think that I can mentally handle him then perhaps we'll get more serious. If not though, he is quite happy doing what he does now. :o)

A Year Ago

A Year ago today I posted about having the fever, and starting the search for a breeder. I was taking it slow, not in a rush. And then I saw her. I applied for Pixel shortly after stumbling across her picture on the breeders website. From the second I saw her I knew that she was the dog for me. I don't know how I knew, but I just knew. I am not a big believer in fate, and karma but something about this dog caught me and I couldn't stop thinking about her.

I was looking for a specific type of dog, and found all that and more. Looking back on my old posts made me smile. I thought I'd share with you.

Oct 23/2008 The Fever Continues- What I am looking for in a Puppy

A Girl- Wicca is out numbered and I really do like a girl dog personality more than a boy. CHECK

A dog with an edge- I want the bad puppy, the one that gets into everything, and is trouble from the start (Wicca was that dog as a baby...oh who am I kidding she is that dog now!)
CHECK- KIND OF. PIXEL IS A PRETTY GOOD GIRL

Blue, Black, or Red- I am not a brindle person, and from the photos I have seen it seems that the brindles are bigger...There are always exceptions though and color is on the bottom of my list. Blue is my preference. CHECK

A Small Dog- I really don't want a big boned Cardi- lots, and lots, and lots of those out there, mostly those seem to be the ones that are bred purely for the conformation ring, I want an agile corgi. So a small female is high on my list of priorities. CHECK- SHE IS PERFECT, SMALL, ATHLETIC, AND SMALL!

A Multipurpose dog- although above I said I don't want a big boned dog I would like a dog that I can do anything I want with and if the fancy strikes me to put her in the show ring then so be it. I showed Wicca briefly- no competition and I gave up. It was kind of fun... FAIL- BUT HEY, I AM NOT A CONFORMATION PERSON ANYWAY, AND EXCEPT FOR THE COAT SHE COULD EASILY FINISH.

A dog that is sound- here is the catch 22- I want a dog that is built well. Wicca has a bad top line, and although as of yet it hasn't hurt her performance or athleticism I would like a dog with a nice topline, a good front, and of course one that is a good mover...CHECK. THIS DOG IS BUILT VERY WELL. SHE HAS A GREAT TOPLINE, A NICE REAR, AND IS A GREAT MOVER. SHE CAN TURN ON A DIME AND IS VERY ATHLETIC. (i.e springs for legs)

A dog that will fetch- toy drive is very, very important and I need to have that in a puppy right from the start, it will make training that much better. CHECK, CHECK, AND DOUBLE CHECK. PIXEL WOULD FETCH ALL DAY. SHE LOVES TO PLAY AND TUG AND FETCH.

And most of all I need a good work ethic- I need a puppy who loves to learn, and wants to play. CHECK. SHE IS SO EAGER TO LEARN, AND IS SCARY SMART. SHE IS NOT A HARD DOG LIKE WICCA SO I HAVE BEEN CAREFUL, BUT WOW. THIS DOG WILL DO GREAT THINGS.

That shouldn't be too hard to find....right? APPARENTLY NOT. :o)

Pixel also has the best sense of humour, she is so funny. She is a good blend of confidence and common sense, and she is a great dog dog. She also is friendly towards people (although doesn't stand still long enough for much of a hello!)



It has been a great year, and I love Pixel more and more each day. She is the exact dog I was looking for. I can't believe how lucky I am.

Contacts

I have been working every day with Pixel at home on the travel plank and already I am seeing a difference.

She was having a hard time on the aframe staying on and keeping drive to the target.

I went back and worked on just targeting on the flat board. And then I started raising the end up.

I have discovered I need to have the target closer for her to rock back on her rear enough to stay on the board. She doesn't have the muscle memory to rely on yet.

Last night I had her do the whole board off the couch and she was able to maintain position and drove to the target.

In a different session I also did some "happiest place" games. This is the best game ever that I got from Terry Simons. It really teaches the dog the value of staying on the board. Because that is part of the issue right now I figured it would help her to understand. I couldn't trick her off the board (out of position) so I am pretty pleased.

Contacts are one of those things that take a long while to get. But in the end it is so worth it. At this point I am pretty certain that I will also teach Pixel a running frame. But I want her to learn a two on two off to start.

So yeah. Progress is a wonderful thing!

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Updated: julie asked for more details about the happiest place...here you go!

Happiest Place explanation
The happiest place is just that- teaching the dog that the best place to be is on the end of the contact. You can do this two feet on the board, or four feet depending on your dogs contacts. The first step is to just feed the dog- the WHOLE TIME they are on the board. A Hotdog or Cheese string works best. You can't run out of food. Release before you run out. Once the dog is excited about the position and eagerly chowing down you then start to pull your hand away. If the dog leaves position you close your hand, until they get back in position then you resume feeding. They learn super fast that the food ends when they leave the board. You can do this on all the contacts- the teeter included. Oh, and you just get the dog to hop up on the board- not do the whole thing. You have to be there, ready with the food. It is also important to think about head position while you are doing this- feed low. I have found this works really well for all levels of dogs- it is a good way to proof your position, and a fun game to do with puppies. We do this in all of our intro classes. Hopefully i've explained it well enough!