Quote: Cheri Grissom

A DQ for taking one extra step? Yikes, the Canadian rules must be tough!

I'm glad you commented.

I didn't know enough to comment, but I was taken aback.

I enjoyed that video! It's nice to know other peoples dogs can have off days, doing stays with my boy at training the other night he was good for about 30-40 seconds then bolt off to jump all over other peoples dogs, at least he wasn't aggresive like he usually is just in a very playful mood!

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

eta: A DQ for taking one extra step? Yikes, the Canadian rules must be tough!

It wasn't a extra step; I wasn't supposed to take any steps. There are two different signs for right turns. The first one is a 90 degree pivot right and the other one is a turn right, one step. In both cases you come to a halt, sit your dog, complete the move (dog moves with you), sit your dog and then move off. The pivot must be done on the spot. I mixed the signs up and took a step at the pivot one. I realized what I had done three signs later when I came to the turn right one step sign. Each sign can only be used once per trial.

Glad to know I'm not the only one with an exuberant puppy.

Edited by Debbie Martin (11/10/2012 09:39 PM)
Edit reason: spelling

watched the video, I think I heard her bark something under her breath that said:
"If I was setting up the agility course this is how I would run it!"
Got to love them.Sharon

 Quote: Sharon Empson

watched the video, I think I heard her bark something under her breath that said:
"If I was setting up the agility course this is how I would run it!"
Got to love them.Sharon

Yes, it was so obvious that the course needed leaping sections. LOL

Regardless if this was excitement overload or a stress issue, going right back to another trial without working it out first could very well create a pattern for the dog. Just a thought!

 Quote: Debbie Martin

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

eta: A DQ for taking one extra step? Yikes, the Canadian rules must be tough!

It wasn't a extra step; I wasn't supposed to take any steps. There are two different signs for right turns. The first one is a 90 degree pivot right and the other one is a turn right, one step. In both cases you come to a halt, sit your dog, complete the move (dog moves with you), sit your dog and then move off. The pivot must be done on the spot. I mixed the signs up and took a step at the pivot one. I realized what I had done three signs later when I came to the turn right one step sign. Each sign can only be used once per trial.

They have the exact same sign in AKC rally, but I believe that move would have been considered an IP or incorrectly performed station, which would have been a 10-point deduction. Or, it could have been scored as a handler error, which could be a 6 to 10-point deduction, or possibly as much as an NQ (non-qualifying) depending on the severity.

On two occasions, I've gotten the 10-point deduction, once for turning the wrong way on a 270 turn (which meant I had to do an additional 180 to get back on course), and another time when my dog refused the jump. We were allowed a second try, which would have resulted in a 3-point deduction, but he refused it the second time, too, so it was an IP.

DQ or disqualified means something quite different in AKC and is a very serious offense such as a dog attacking another.

It's interesting to learn how the different organizations work. Best of luck to you in your training and trialing with your girl! I go to as many matches as I can, as it helps to be able to correct or mark-and-reward my dog in the ring.

 Quote: Debbie Martin

Our second class was going well until my girl had a meltdown. She started barking and jumping around and then diving for my feet. She actually had her teeth on my shoe a few times. I tried to give her a few more commands and carry on with the trial but she was getting more and more out of control. I finally grabbed her collar and put her into a down and made her stay there while I tied my shoe and took a few deep breaths.

What I *really* wanted to do was wring her neck!!!

I'm not sure if she was just over-stimulated from all the dogs and people around or if she was over-tired and acting out due to that. Whatever the reason, I can't have her doing that.

I've made arrangements to go back to the same place and train there a few times this week. I'm a little worried because we are supposed to trial again next week at another new place.

Any thoughts or suggestions of what I should do should this happen again? Or something I can do to prevent it in the first place?

Hello,

Do not worry about the trial next week. Aim for the trial next year. Ofcourse you can compete in the next week one, but your aim for the finished product should be an other 6 months from now.

A few thoughts. By driving for your shoes , if you mean she is trying to bite into you (playfully or stressfully) and if it is an unacceptable behaviour for you , I would give a very severe correction. This correction will be for trying to bite my shoes rather than non compliance to the previous command.

I seldom use correction for non compliance of obedience commands. Corrections are reserved for uncouth behaviour.

I do not want my dog to learn that the ring is a place where it can behave badly and not face the music.



This is what I do to proof my dogs. You have to see if it suits you and your dog. I go to an environment where there is absolute chaos and train there. Like a market place or a bus station or some place where the stimulation will be 10X of what I can see in the ring. During the initial days, it will be just engagement and focus training. Then you can start with simple stuff like sit, down etc... in a few weeks your dog will learn to tune out the noise.

In a few months you will have a dog that will be rock solid in the ring.

Added later:

Just saw the video. It is very funny and cute. But she is having a lot of fun WITHOUT YOU. That can become a problem. You have to have a way of preventing that and making her have fun and run about the ring AFTER compliance to the commands. Premack principle.

If she loves having the zoomies so much, you can use it as a reward , but she has to do some thing to earn it. You can take her to the ring and ask her to sit and then let her have her zoomies. Next would be just one jump and then you can reward her with the zoomies. Just build on it one step at a time.

Bob, we have class on Monday night so I’m going to talk to my trainer and see what she thinks we should do. I don’t think I can get my entry fee back but I don’t care about the money; I have to think about what’s best for my dog. I may consider going but not competing, just to put her back in that type of environment for the practice.

Cheri, I looked again at the rule book, and you are partly correct. The CARO Rules has our infraction as “Incomplete performance/Minimum Requirements not met NQ-IP” but it is listed under the category of Over 10 points: NQ (Disqualification)

Ram, Yes, she was diving for my shoes and biting/mouthing them but with no pressure. It totally caught me off guard because she has never done anything like that before even as a puppy. I thought about correcting her but a solid correction but would have definitely got me disqualified.

As per the CARO rule book; “A harsh verbal correction shall be defined as one that offends the sensibilities of the judge or that causes an obvious adverse reaction in the dog (cowering, tail down, etc.). Any handler who has been excused from the ring for physical or harsh verbal corrections on TWO separate occasions shall be prohibited from competing in future Rally (CARO) events for a period of two years.”

If it should happen again away from the ring, I would be giving a correction; not so much for jumping around or barking, but for putting her teeth on me.

Duane and Bob both had the same suggestion of expanding our training areas and I’ve already put that into effect. We went to a shopping mall parking lot but stayed more to the outside of the lot while doing some playing and basic obedience; sits, downs, short focuses. We’ll try again tomorrow from the other side of the mall and gradually get closer to the mall. The parking lots will be crazy busy soon with Christmas coming up.

Small correction; as funny as that video is, it is not me or my dog. Mine is an American Mastiff, short-haired fawn with a black mask and much bigger.

Sounds like Sasha and I have some work to do.

Have you gone to any fun matches? You are lucky to live where you do, there are quite a few facilities around you if I'm not mistaken. I'm pretty sure that the Red Barn in Barrie has ring rental available as well, if you want to train in a new indoor location.

This wasn't in competition, but the first time I took Pan as a young pup to a new obedience class, she was overloaded with stress and she bit me (hard and seriously) while vocalizing so that everyone was watching, lol. Dogs really do love to embarrass us.

I have since put in the time to train in a lot of locations and around a lot of distractions, and now I have a dog that I can take anywhere. It takes effort, but it does pay off!