Set goals for 2016

No matter what type of training you do with your dog, be it agility, rally, flyball or just general pet dog obedience, it's good to set goals to give your training a direction.

If you compete in agility with your dog then you should currently be in the middle of your winter training and starting to look towards the next season of competition, therefore now is a great time to set your summer goals.

But goals mean nothing if we don't put into place a plan to achieve them.

For example, if your goal is to progress from Grade 3 to Grade 4 this season, you now need to set little steps in order to achieve this.

If your dog is missing the down dog walk contact, then put into place little goals and steps to achieve consistent contacts, which will then help you to achieve clear rounds in competition.

Plan which shows you are going to enter and get the entries sent off. Consider entering some competitions NFC to work on ring experience. Or maybe your dog is knocking poles and therefore your plan will include jump grips, workshops and fitness exercises.

Perhaps one of your goals is to teach your dog a retrieve. You can set a training plan including step by step instructions on how to achieve this. Your first step may be to book onto a workshop or research different training methods before setting out your own training plan.

Ensure that your goals are SMART:

Specific - it is clear, defined, do you understand what you are aiming for?

Measurable - how will you know when you have achieved it, can you measure how far it is from completion?

Achievable - is it achievable, can you do it?

Realistic - is it realistic, do you have the resources, knowledge and time?

Time - do you have enough time to achieve it, have you set a realistic completion date?

Talk to your instructor about your goals and they will be able to help you in classes to aim your training in order to complete them.

Daisy Peel is coming to Dig It!

DAISY PEEL

August 3-4th, 6-8th, 2015 

Dig it Dogs, Sandbach, Cheshire CW5 6DY
and
Cheadle, Staffordshire

"Advanced handling is merely more precise application of the fundamentals"

Daisy Peel is known worldwide as a leading instructor and competitor in the sport of dog agility. She has represented the USA internationally over a dozen times, across three continents, with three different dogs; four times at the FCI World Championships, three times at the European Open Championships, twice at Crufts, twice at the World Agility Open, and twice at the Americas and Caribbean. She has placed individually at the European Open and at the FCI World Championships, is a WAO World Champion, as well as an Americas and Caribbean Gold Medallist. Daisy has won three AKC National Championships, and three USDAA World Cynosport Grand Prix Championships, with two different dogs. She has been a Finalist at the AKC Nationals and USDAA Cynosport games numerous times, and has won numerous USDAA Regional Championships.

Daisy is also recognized worldwide for her abilities as an instructor. Her students have excelled at the top levels in AKC, USDAA, and AAC (Canada), and have themselves been selected to represent their countries at international events. Daisy’s thinking that “advanced handling is merely more precise application of the fundamentals” means that she is dedicated to the improvement of handlers at all levels, regardless of their current level or goals and aspirations. Daisy teaches students of all ages and stages around the globe, in person and through her Online Classes, and is dedicated to helping people further their self-improvement through better training, better handling, and better mastery of their mental game.

 Videos of Daisy Peel:

http://www.daisypeel.com/videos/youtube-videos/

 I have had the amazing experience of representing the United States of America for a number of agility competitions.  Each experience was an amazing one that has been a large part of who I continue to become as a person, and I’m proud to be able to represent the USA. 

•   USDAA Grand Prix of Dog Agility World Champion (2009, 2010, 2013)

•   
AKC Agility National Champion (2007, 2010, 2012)

•   
World Agility Open Individual Pentathlon World Champion (2012)

•   
World Agility Open Snooker World Champion (2013)

•   
FCI World Championships USA Team (2007, 2010, 2011, 2012)

◦                   
3rd Place, Individual Standard, 2010 World Agility Championships, Reiden Germany (link to video)

◦                   
6th Place, Combined Result, 2010 World Agility Championships, Reiden Germany

◦                   
4th Place, Individual Agility, 2012 World Agility Championships, Czech Republic

◦                   
5th Place, Combined Result, 2012 World Agility Championships, Czech Republic

•   
FCI European Open USA Team (2011, 2012, 2013)

◦                   
2011 European Open Individual Agility – 2nd Place

◦                   
2011 European Open Team Agility – 1st Place

◦                   
2012 European Open Individual Finals – 5th Place

•   
FCI Americas and Caribbean USA Team (2011, 2012)

◦                   
2011 Bogota, Colombia – Gran Jumping de las Americas Y Caribe 2011 Champion (gold medal)

◦                   
2011 Bogota, Colombia – Gran Agility de las Americas Y Caribe 2011 Champion (gold medal)

◦                   
2011 Bogota, Colombia – Americas Y Caribe 2011 Open Team Champion with Jester, and Linda Mecklenburg and Wonder (gold medal)

◦                   
2012 Chile – Americas Y Caribe Individual Gold Medalist

◦                   
2012 Chile – Americas y Caribe Team Bronze Medalist with Solar/Juno, and Linda Mecklenburg and Wonder/Scopey

•   
USDAA Grand Prix of Dog Agility Regional Champion (2004, 2009, 2010 (x2), 2011, 2013)

•   
USA Representative at Crufts (2011, 2013)

◦                   
2011 – 1st in Agility, 3rd in JWW, 2nd in the Finals

◦                   
2013 – 1st in Agility

•   
AKC Rose City Classic ISC High Combined Winner (26″) (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)

Monday August 3, 2015.  

12noon - 6pm 

TRAINING TROUBLESHOOTING SESSION: how errors in reinforcement affect weaves, contacts, start line stays, etc. 

£80 for £10 working spots, £40 for auditing. 

Sandbach inside.

Tuesday August 4, 2015.  

10am - 6pm 

GRADE 7 COURSE HANDLING AND TRAINING.

£100, 10 working spots. 

Cheadle outside.

Thursday August 6, 2015.  

10am - 6pm 

GRADE 6-7 COURSE HANDLING AND TRAINING.

£100, 10 working spots. 

Cheadle outside.

Friday August 7, 2015.  

10am - 1pm 

CHALLENGING JUMPING SKILLS, push your dog and your handling skills over some tricky jumping exercises to improve your dogs jumping and your timing. 

8 spots, £50  .

Sandbach inside.

2pm - 6pm

GRADE 1-3 0R YOUNG DOG WITH EXPERIENCED HANDLER, important handling and training skills needed for agility progression.

10 spots, £50. Sandbach inside.

Saturday August 8, 2015   

11am - 5pm 

GRADE 3-5 HANDLING AND TRAINING

£70, £10 spots.

5pm - 7pm 

CLEAR MIND, sports mental management directed towards agility, organizing and clarifying your goals, skills and focus as a team to achieve success. 

Unlimited, £25 per spot. 

Sandbach inside.

ANY AUDIT SPOTS ARE £30 PER DAY

*Note Monday's sessions will have a 30 minute break, Tuesday and Thursday a 1 hour lunch break.  Please bring snacks and drinks, for you and your dog :), thank you.

Booking via email: training@digitdogs.co.uk

Book now to avoid missing out!!

Summer Fun Day!

This June we opened our doors and welcomed everyone to our Open Day and Fun Dog Show.
Have a go agility, have a go rally and have a go flyball. All for free! We want to encourage as many people to try something new with their dog and have a go at a dog activity.

The Dogs Trust attended to provide free microchipping and advice and a total of 20 dogs were chipped!

Our Fun Show started at midday and was very popular! Judge Dawn from The Paw Wash Groomers had a tough decision to make. As we rolled through the classes every aww'd and coo'd as we reached the Pleasant Puppy category. Aaron Roscoe, Signal 1 Producer, came along with his tiny pug puppy and they got 1st place! Everyone was nodding in agreement, she was just gorgeous and so well behaved. 

It all got a little silly as we got to best 6 legs and the deserving winner was a spotty dalmatian and its spotty legged owner! Now that's what you call Best Spotty 6 Legs!

The show finished with a great laugh in The Egg and Spoon Race! Hold your spoon and your dogs lead in the same hand and race to the other side. Such fun!

Once the fun show was finished there was still lots for everyone to do and we must thank Oscar Pet Food for kindly sponsoring the whole show. Monkey Dog Wear brought their great selection of collars and leads to sell, plus Windyways and Instructor Bex successful made a good amount for their fundraising with their table top sales. Of course we can't forget Bret in the Brunch Box who completely sold on of burgers! I'm glad I had mine as a cheeky late breakfast before the rush.

In the afternoon the Carrry On flyball team gave us a great demonstration and Lydia & Freddie got to show us that they are not only amazing at agility but flyball too!

We are pleased to announce that the Fun Show raised a whopping £100 for the Dogs Trust and thank you for everyone who came and participated in the day! The weather was glorious and we hope that you all enjoyed your day.

Check out our full gallery here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitdogtrainingclub/sets/72157645069884742/

See you next year!

A Lesson With Bex

In this post one of our instructors, Bex, gives us a peak at her beginner Agility class plan.  Read more from Bex in her blog: http://dogagilicious.m.webs.com

Today's lesson was a combination of working on old maneuvers, the front cross, and introducing new ones, the rear cross.

Rear crosses were introduced with the use of just two jumps in a straight line, the dog was released over the first, and their toy was thrown over the second, coaxing them to drive forwards giving the handler time to cross behind them (as shown below), once this was smooth, it was practiced within a sequence of obstacles.

The same course was used all night, but by changing either the order of the jumps or the handling, the focus split between these two crosses. The diagrams below show the same course repeatedly but the solid line shows where the handlers should run, and the dotted line shows where the dogs should run.

The classes homework from tonight's lesson was to begin training back foot target with the use of shaping, this is demonstrated nicely below in a video with my mum and Mia. 

To begin with a channel needs to be set up with only one entrance and an upturned box (preferably with some carpet or material on top to prevent the dogs feet from slipping). The trainer should sit on a chair at the entrance with the box not too far away and the dog in between the two but facing the trainer. When the dog puts their back foot onto the target (box) the behaviour is rewarded by a click, and the treat thrown under the chair. This is done repeatedly until the dog confidently puts both back feet onto the target, at which point the distance between the box and the chair can be increased slightly. 

The second video is what we are aiming for.

The other piece of homework for the class was to walk their dogs, but as they do, practice rear crosses. Basically, the dog is on one side of you whilst walking, you let the dog go ahead a little, so you have room to walk behind them and switch sides. The idea of this is to enable the dogs to become more confident with their handler moving behind them for when they have to rear cross in a course.

Remember November : Winter Series Show

The first show in November marks the start of Winter and it was a tad chillier than anticipated! We had a busy show and due to someone not being able to count (Lydia) we ended up with more entries than planned so opened up a third ring for Steeplechase.

There was cheer and laughter in the air (very loud laughter from Avril) and a number of instructor misfortunes contributed to the enjoyment. Sue never made it to the show due to her house mate leaving for Birmingham with her car keys! Then I covered myself in hot chocolate while doing the drinks run and had to lose my jumper (brr). Lastly Katie's Springer, Milo, jumped up at her and ripped a big hole in her jeans and she had to wrap a jacket around herself apron-style to hide it!

There were plenty of mishaps in the ring too! Rob and Buddy (famous from previous posts) had a cracking run until Buddy somehow mistook a jump and got stuck with his front legs on one side and back legs behind, with the pole under his armpits! He eventually managed to scramble over and didn't even knock the pole down. Lou's dog Twiggy somehow got in between the timer and the jump wing (no one quite knows how) and then her other dog Poppy had a wild run; firstly self-releasing off the seesaw and then running off the dog walk and over the finish jump, leaving Lou stood at the second to last jump waving goodbye!

However it wasn't all bad. Intermediate was definitely the busiest class this time and it's pleasing to see that a lot of dogs have moved up the grades during summer. The show still had its beginner appeal and Deb had her first run in a new place with her youngster Beanie and they did really well. Bex and Gemma got placed in every run. Katie and "baby" Milo got a 2nd on his 2nd Birthday! Sue, Avril, Lou and Sheli all got placemets with their dogs and Adele and Oliver beat Lou to 1st place for once!

We had some great judges putting together lovely courses and we all really enjoyed running Emma's Steeplechase. Rachel ran Emma's dog Tess, but half way around she realised her mum was in the ring and had to run over to say hello! Poor Steve our website designer then got bullied into scribing for Judge Emma, who happens to be his daughter.

Away from the agility everyone couldn't help but notice the new added muscle to the show in the form of a tall welshman! It was a great help having two guys at the show and Nick (Mr. New Guy) and Ash are always a welcome sight when it comes to packing away time. Even if Ash was wearing a very bright, pink hat. It clashed a bit with his ginger hair!

It was a late finish but the spirits and atmosphere were high as usual (although I think it's safe to say we all collapsed once we finally got home at 8pm)! December will be back to the plan of 2 rings and away before 6pm!

Buddy's Beginning At Dig It Agility Shows

A note to anyone that hasn't yet competed but are thinking of doing so:

A year ago Buddy and I went to the Dig It Halloween show. It was our first competition and some of it was outdoors, whereas all of our training had been indoors.

In his first agility run he did a nice wait, he jumped the first fence, rounded the second fence and legged it towards the trees where he had picked up a scent when he was near there 2 hours earlier. I managed to coax him back to do a few more jumps and onto the dog walk where he stopped and stuck his nose in the air to see if he could find that scent again.

On his second run on the same course he jumped fences 1 & 2 then stopped and looked at me before making another run for the trees.

On the indoor course that day I backed up and briefly fell onto the tunnel, giving some amusement for the other waiting competitors. We eventually got around that course on our second attempt, with a stop for a lot of barking at me from Buddy, and we got a 4th place.

My thoughts on the day were that I would have a hard job getting this little black nutty, sniffy dog consistently around any course and I would have my work really cut out at any outdoor competition.

We entered the Dig It Winter series as a beginner which has courses with no weaves and no seesaw . It was initially a struggle but we managed get around a few courses, got some clear rounds and by the end of the winter series we even got a first place.

The relaxed atmosphere at the Dig It shows and the help from both fellow tailwaggers and other competitors helped me a lot. I'd gained enough confidence by the end of the winter series that with a little encouragement from Louise and Dave I entered a few outdoor KC shows.

In our first few shows we had quite a few mishaps (to list just three misdemeanours: Buddy went off sniffing sheep poo; I knocked a pole off with my hand spoiling what would've been our first clear jumping win; Buddy ran out of the ring to check on barky dogs or random people).

Then it seemed to click for both us, I got to feel that I had a better idea of what I was doing and Buddy became more focussed in the ring. We won 3 jumping in one weekend and went to grade 2. The little bugger has hardly stopped winning since.

Today, one year on after our Dig It debut, he's won his 2nd jumping at Grade 4 and we've both had a hell of a lot of fun getting there. I'd like to think that I'd have enjoyed just as much had he not won anything as I can see how much he really enjoys doing it.

If you've not competed yet and are thinking of doing so then the Dig It winter series is a good place to start. There will be failures to begin with and there may be times when you look like a fool but the rest of the competitors have already been in that position and you will get nothing but support. If you find that you've had half the fun that I've had then you'll have still had a lot of fun.

- Rob Archbold. Agility Competitior. Tailwaggers Member.

A Night At Heelwork To Music

Heelwork to music, or doggy dancing as I like to call it, is something I most look forward to when watching Crufts on the telly! Especially when I was little I could not wait to see Mary Ray and her dogs performing some awesome tricks and it used to amaze me what they could do! It still amazes me today, but now I see the logic and methods which she uses and the simple way to teach your dog to perform all of those stunning tricks.

I recently went along with my Border Collie Guinness to our first ever class. My pockets bursting with treats as I was dragged into the Obedience Hall by a very eager dog!

Gwynneth runs our Heelwork to music classes at Dig It and she is an inspirational instructor. Very experienced and knowledgeable,  she adapts flawlessly to each dog that is in front of her and gives you confidence to work through your struggles.

The class starts off by looking at some small exercises which are later all put together to form part of a routine to music. Everyone works to their ability and progresses at different levels. You need to teach your dog what to do, add a cue, increase distance and improve the dogs ability to perform on the cue only. I looked like a lost puppy at first having not done this before, but Gwynneth demonstrated the method for everything and then gave really useful feedback and improvements as needed. She also shows you how to do something using your own dog which I find very helpful and a pleasure to see.

We then moved to working on some heelwork. The clue is in the name, heelwork to music involves heelwork! And competitive heelwork at that as we want the dogs to hold a nice, neat position while we are dancing around with them.

Next Gwynneth brought out various props! This was my favourite part of the night. We each worked on a different prop and swapped around a few times. I taught Guinness to perch on a step, to circle a walking stick, how to jump through a hoop and began to teach him to touch a target stick. Others were retrieving items into a bucket and carrying the bucket around (the dog not the human) and I even watched a dog put together a childs toy! 

After some time using props we moved on to teaching and improving other tricks. We covered the beg, roll over and getting the dog to walk backwards through your legs. I had started to teach Guinness to do a beg but Gwynneth told me to use a different method and explained that he wasn't using the correct muscles and therefore wasn't building balance the way I had been doing it. Of course, I thought!! No wonder we weren't improving. As with all of the exercises everyone worked to their level. Some people were able to step away from their dog while it held its beg and others were starting to circle around their dog. It didn't matter what stage you were at as long as you were working through in order to progress.  

After a coffee refresh we returned to working on heelwork, but different exercises than earlier. Then to finish off we had another go at the routine to music that we had put together at the start of the night. This went with varying levels of success but it was certainly good fun and Guinness and I were even doing some of the moves to music after only being there for a couple of hours!

Phew! What a great training session! My brain was packed full of new ideas and knowledge and so much to take home and work on. I felt really pleased and inspired.

The class is really relaxed and friendly but is kept moving at a good pace. You work on exercises together but at your own level and Gwynneth moves round to give everyone short one to one sessions. If you want to do something different during the class then that's up to up, although you get the most out of it by joining in with everyone else.

A must try for everyone and their dog! They're only held once a month and its well worthwhile just going to one session if that's all you fancy! It improved my training skills and I taught my dog some new tricks all in 2 hours full of fun!