Yoshi Training Diary

Yoshi Training Diary - June 2005

By Ellen Clary
(reverse date order)

Feedback is welcome:

[Time Passes]

Sun Jun 19
Shortened the weave guides again and he's still fine about doing them. Pur the chute, teeter, and the contact trainer away and put out some jumps, but left the weaves out. Will weave ahead of me.

Wed Jun 15 (I think)
Got out the contact trainer just for a refresher. No problem

Fri Jun 17
His second agility class. For the most part they were operating at a level above his, but he managed to do some weave poles without guides though had trouble when we tried them again.

Also saw a broad jump for the first time. He ran over it and I didn't help by saying "climb" instead of "over" the first time we tried it. Rachelle (who's subbing) flipped one of the boards on its side and then he seemed to get it.

He's trying to charge past jumps in order to get to the table.
He's a little unclear on running with me. Guess I should emphasize that more. Guess I've been too good about teaching him to work away from me.

Did a great running A-Frame with the target placed about 2.5 feet away on the ground. And did fine with the tunnel.

Got the zoomies once or twice, but I've resolved not to worry about it. He'll out grow it.

He was bordering on shutting down about 3/4 the way through the class so we stopped for a while and just did the last run which he did fairly well on. Though was much more interested in running in a straight line rather than turning with me.

He still doesn't like it too much when I lead him by the collar. Seems like he starts to cower when I do that. Almost as if I'm too close to him.

Sun Jun 12
Cut the weave guides to short pieces on each pole. and suceeded the first couple of times he tried them. Also doing chute fine with some initial hesitation. (I still lure him in with a treat tossed in).

Fri Jun 10
His first agility class! He's now enrolled in a class with Sharon Frielich, and I was quite pleased at how well he did even with one dog charging at him a little once. Willing to stay at the start line but worries about the other dogs some. Will go through the chute if Sharon holds it open. Will do tunnels if she is on the other end calling (I'm sending him in.) No problem on the A Frame and I can tell that keeping him off of it is going to be more the issue.

Sharon wants to see his targeting behavior with his head down more as right now I'm clicking when his head is up (doing that "oh, I'm so cute, look at me" which is pretty hard to resist, but I should click sooner.) She says that if his head is up them there will be more of a tendancy to fly off the contact.

Will we didn't do weaves in class I asked about them and she would like to see the guides go away before moving to 12 poles.

Jun 3-9 - at Mt Shasta
Yoshi got to play in the snow a couple of times when Terri was dropping me off and picking me up. He had a blast and we really need to get his buddy Cooper up here too.