Table This

In the interests of trying to be summer cheerful I will leave my sad post of this morning quickly and give you 2 pictures. My heart is still heavy for the losses.. and adds two more cats at the shelter I was trying to help, I appreciate the thoughtful kind comments too ~ more than words can say. Agility prevails nevertheless ...



Sampson's first time on a table so e got to do it on his own. He was quite relaxed and happy to offer a down. We also jumped two 16 inch jumps and ran through a tunnel then jumped the 2 jumps again. Too cute for words. Later he jumped, a little like Tigger in the Winnie the Poo, over one of Sally's 24 inch jumps.

Tables are interesting to train. I've read a lot of different things and tried a few different things but so far I'm still a fan of shaping as a starting point. Interacting with the table brings great things. Eventually lying on the table brings great things. Upping the stress of the table so it approximates a trial is tricky for me. Lately I've been asking Sally to stick her table while we tug or while I work another dog for a bit. That might be helping. Brody still does an ok table - though we certainly blew a couple of standard runs in advanced because of nothing but a table. Thea will be difficult on a table. May she make a liar of me but it seems it isn't comfortable for her so she leaps up lies down then bounces up again. I don't think I've ever gotten near 5 comfortable seconds with her. (I'll just go with it's good to have goals and leave it at that for now!)

I set up all 12 weaves today for Sally - I often don't as 3 are 2x2 sets. She popped out at pole 6 a couple of times; then pole 10; then started nailing it. She really does not like entering from my right side though. I can be offside and she'll come around me on my left to make a much more difficult entrance for herself. If I insist she is on the right side she blows through the first pole a number of times barking at me before finally doing the job. Character!

also added more blogs to my blog list - I am bad about listing all the blogs I visit as I tend to surf Lucy and Walters blog was my main portal to blog land for ages but I am trying to add the folks who comment or who I comment on the most as a starting point ;)

Do also feel free to note Thea got a link to her aac page - there is one q there at the moment as that is where aac is with updates (and you can be sure once Sally's pnly q is on her page I'll add her link too- but it's a big day none the less!