March Winds & April Showers!

photo by Jennifer Burns

Bird of Paradise

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the wind and rain to stop.

Flower of the Week

photo by Sydney Nazario

Sparaxis (harlequin flower)

Saturday Photos

The dogs enjoyed jump grids and some play time afterwards.

photos by Donna Golemon

Kerry & Ube share some shade and water with Coffee.

Flower of the Week

photo by Jennifer Burns

Remembering Derby

Derby was Donna’s 2^nd Aussie. April 14 would have been his birthday. Derby loved eating the plums off this tree! If the branches weren't low enough, he would put his feet on the rail and stretch to pull the plums off. Absolutely EVERYTHING Derby did he did with great enthusiasm!

Now when you pass this tree you can be prepared to - Be enthusiastic, work hard and reach for the stars!

P.S. Derby is the "dirty" face Aussie in the Tandem photos at the bottom of the blog.

Value and Reinforcement

This is an exercise for the beginning class but anyone can play the game.

Value and Reinforcement - The VALUE is for building value for ONE JUMP. The REINFORCEMENT is for the staying and releasing at different distances from the dog. Below is a video for the VALUE. We are having technical difficulties with the second video.

VALUE - To built value for the jump you want the dog to take the jump, without luring the jump. If you were to lure the jump you would throw the cookie or toy over the jump prior to the dog looking/moving towards/looking away from you. We are not doing that. Instead, we want to reward the dog for moving forward over the jump and not looking at you. Start by doing some type of relationship value exercise (tug, touches, crate games, etc.). Then walk over to the jump, turn your shoulders towards the jump and wait to see what the dog does. If the dog just looks at you, wait, when the dog looks away at anything, toss the treat over the jump. Try to toss so that the dog sees the treat. Continue until the 10 treats are gone. Watch the video for help.

The next exercise is the video we are having difficulty with. Here is the description and we hope to get a video up soon.

REINFORCEMENT - We are teaching the dog to follow the line of jumps and to STAY while the handler gets into a lead out position. This is where you are building value for the dog STAYING until released no matter how far away you are. There are three positions with this, dog is sitting - 1. toss toy ahead, release and move with dog to toy; 2. leave dog, drop toy even with you, release dog to toy, no forward motion by you, you are already even with toy; 3. toss toy behind dog, release dog to toy REMEMBER IN ALL THREE SITUATIONS THE DOG IS TO BE LOOKING AT THE TOY OR TREAT before the release. If the dog does not look at the toy, be quiet and wait for him to look in it's direction and then say your release word. Put a leash on the toy if your dog like to play "keep away".

Remember in two weeks we will be moving on to the next step of the one jump. So built that value.

Happy 3rd Birthday

to Coffee Bean.

Yum!

Do I get cake?

Flower of the Week

photo by Donna Golemon

Red Ribbon Dogs

Helen Marie has a word of advice. "Never leave an agility trial without checking your score". At the Vallejo trial when she asked the scribe she was told she didn't make time in Ex Jumpers. Looking at Lorie's site this week she found out Merlot earned a second leg with a 2nd place and 1 second to spare!

At today's trial in Santa Rosa, Zorro earned his 2nd Open Jumpers leg with a clean run under course time.

CONGRATULATIONS

to Merlot & Zorro.

Hope you get some

"Easter Biscuits"!