[DevWind]

Mine are from Training Treasures. They aren't quite as bouncy as some of the others.

 

[DevWind]

That's where many have gotten dumbbells from which likewise are nice... but I heard they are really backed up. o__O

I saw a photo of dumbbells going out earlier today so maybe they are catching up.

 

[DevWind]

I ordered scent articles on Aug 30th, and have not received them. Last communication had him verifying the diameter of the bit I requested.

Everyone says his work is worth the wait, but I have to wonder how long a wait is too long (CC is charged at the time of the order not delivery).

I wouldn't know about scent articles. Mine are Scentsabell. Took 3-4 months to get them.

 

[DevWind]

Speaking of scent articles… how do you know if your dog needs multiple bars? Is it based on pickup/carrying? Or is it so you can put your scent on multiple bars?

I don't know that any dog actually needs multiple bars. I feel like it's a handler preference thing.

 

[DevWind]

Actually it is not.

My King, Rowdy, Casey, Faelan, Towhee and now Finch all did/ do fine on single bars and I actually prefer them.

My Aedan does not. He needs multiple bars..perhaps I could force fetch him to single bars but that is not the relationship I want between us, or how he feels towards scent articles.

Every team needs (and deserves) to make the choices that are best for them, their relationship and it does depend on the dog sometimes.

That's fine if you feel that he needs multiple bars.

I do have a question though. Why do people think force fetch is such a horrible thing? My dogs thought it was great. The first thing they wanted to do at the training building was to jump on the table and work on it! Maybe my trainer skipped some horrible part of it? Pilot was force fetched and LOVES fetching anything. We're talking about a dog who will pick up a dime off a tile floor! And you won't find a dog more bonded to his handler!

 

[DevWind]

Thank you! I was just curious why people felt that way. It doesn’t matter to me how everyone trains their dogs. As long as they aren’t abusive. I’ve learned a lot about how others train. I’ve gained respect for some and lost it for others.

Happy training to all!

 

[DevWind]

So, do y’all really think color matters? I enjoy green. Lol

Not sure...my friend has a dumbbell with orange bells. Her dogs ALWAYS find it immediately. Orange is supposed to be a color they can't see. My dumbbells are blue and white and red and white. I intentionally configured the colors so the dog would only see the white part. There's a small ring of color where the bit and bell meet and the flat part of the bell is a color. The rest is white.

 

[DevWind]

I can see that being a problem. All of Pilot's gear is matching. His gloves have a blue band, his articles are blue and black, dumbbell blue and while. Even his leash matches. This is exactly what happens during 2 years of lockdown....

 

[DevWind]

I like my stuff to match also and my favorite color is green.

Bet you can't guess what mine is....

 

[DevWind]

Basically there's the "Just Right Gloves" crowd - with the soft plushy gloves with the fancy cuffs for $30.... and then there's the canvas work gloves (you can get a pack of 24 off Amazon for $14 bucks, just needs to be white).

I have the Just Right Gloves. They wash better than the cheap canvas ones. Just don't expect to wear them in a pinch....they are all right-hand gloves! LOL Mine are the sweatshirt kind. I think it was $15 a set when I ordered mine years ago. Pilot doesn't care what I use.

For the love of all that is holy, PLEASE wash your gloves from time to time! I volunteer at the NOC every year, You would not believe the amount of disgusting gloves I've seen.

 

[DevWind]

I already gave up trying to figure out the dumbbells and now there are special gloves?

Yup! You better stick with your ducks!

 

[DevWind]

#truth

I cannot believe the condition of some of the gloves (dumbbells & scent articles too) that some people bring to trials, matches even training sessions.

I have heard horror stories about things that fall out of article bags too. Stewards, judges, volunteers & especially your dogs deserve better than dirty filthy equipment

Yes! A simple wipe down with a little water would do wonders! I'm surprised that some of the equipment doesn't excuse itself from the ring!

 

[DevWind]

You


When you finish your CD you go into Open A. I was only putting things into perspective when I talked about Open B. However, fronts and finishes are important no matter where you are in your training,.

You can train for CD, CDX and UD at the same time... it make Obedience more fun. The one thing to hold back on is the DOR which should be added after getting the CD. If you train all the exercises you should be able to get the CD, CDX and UD in no more than a 6 to 8 month period ..of course trial availability can have it take longer...once your dog is ready for CD. Debut in CD when you know he is definitely ready for CDX. I think I'm getting too far ahead. You need to do what is best for you and your dog.

We just have fun working together. I like working on precision.

To all new handlers reading this… 6-8 months will not be reasonable to accomplish this unless you already have the skills. Your first dog will take longer. Don’t try to rush to keep this time frame.

 

[DevWind]

It takes an exceptionally good dog, usually with an exceptional trainer, to get a CD, CDX, and UD in 6 to 8 months. That's a tad unrealistic (to say the least!) for the vast majority of teams.

If you subtract everything being shut down for Covid, it took me about 2 1/2 years. I go to 1 trial weekend a month on average. Which I think is average for a lot of people in my area. A lot of weekends were spent doing one rally day and one obedience day. I've stepped it up recently trying to get all of our RACH legs out of the way. (3 to go!) I consider myself a fairly good trainer.

 

[DevWind]

Did anyone else listen in on the AKC Judges Q&A last night? I always have people getting on me for the way Winx carries her dumbbell. She picks it up by the bell. They keep telling me that I’ll lose points for it. Turns out that’s not true! Yes, I know, she might drop it. She never does though. There are some things with her that just aren’t worth the battle. Once she gets it in her head that she’s right, there’s no convincing her otherwise.

 

[DevWind]

My Abby can be that way, but we don’t do competition stuff. Logan used to pick up a bumper like that — I called it a cigarette hold — don’t know what it is called — but I would take it from him, say “No” and have him take it again from me as I held the ends and say “Hold it.” He eventually figured it out. Of course, that may not translate to dumbbells (haha), but so far he’s picking it up from the bit.

I didn’t know you don’t lose points for it though. I didn’t know you don’t lose points pacing, but ever since Logan paced that time, he’s been back to trotting. No idea why. Lol I think I did pick up my speed a little bit.

Do AKC judges have regular Q&A sessions somewhere? On the AKC app, I assume? When?

I don't know. I got an email about it and signed up. I'll definitely do it again! I could be on the list because I'm a CGC evaluator and Temperament Test judge.

 

[DevWind]

She would lose points if she dropped or juggled the dumbbell. As long as she has a secure hold on the dumbbell with no mouthing, it is fine.

Many dogs pick up by the bell and it's a somewhat looser hold or more precarious hold while returning over the jump.

Basically same thing as retrieving the gloves by the merest fingertip.

*She has her CDX, so obviously at this point would not worry about it unless it is leading to the same issue with articles.

I'm not worried. She has never dropped it. She's a happy, silly girl. I'm not breaking her spirit over something that doesn't matter. I'm working on teaching her articles. She picks them up correctly. I don't care how she picks them up as long as she is having fun. She's almost 8, so whatever we do at this point has to be fun for her too.

 

[DevWind]

Obedience Judge’s Q & A Webinar

Here is the link to the recording of the Obedience Judge’s Q & A Webinar that was offered April 18, 2023 Obedience Judge’s Q & A Webinar – Recorded April 18, 2023

akcobedrlyjudges.wordpress.com

this is a link to the judges

I don't know how Connie teaches it, but we do "do it to get it" when training go-outs.

Dogs have to go-out to touch the stanchion, or trained to run a straight line to the wall.... clicker training used. Bait is tossed on click or marker word. And then faded to end of exercise or end of run through.

I also know people who put bait on stanchions and quickly fade.

I think if somebody is learning all this stuff the first time - they need to work it out with their trainer. There's no one way to teach things.... My opinion as somebody who only got to match in utility, never showed. My boy at the time was better at utility than he was at open - which was stupid. 🥴

I send to a mat and fade it out. I don't want him to touch the stanchion at all.

Not stupid....he liked Utility better!

 

[DevWind]

The go-outs are just about the hardest thing to train in OB; consequently, there are multiple ways to train them as people try to avoid the common pitfalls. When I first trained go-outs, I it took me a long time just to get started because I couldn't decide on a method. Analysis Paralysis. Don't worry about it. Pick a method and just do it. If your current instructors are putting cheese on the stanchion, put cheese on the stanchion. I've used that method. I've since gone to Laura Romanik's "Go-Bop" method, in which you never put any bait on the stanchion, but there are plenty of current and past OTCH handlers that use the cheese on stanchion method.

The amount of equipment you buy depends on your budget, your level of obsession, and how close you are to a training facility. My level of obsession is pretty high and I'm a long ways from a training facility. This is my personal setup:

View attachment 902260

For the Novice level, you need virtually no equipment other than a leash. For Open, a couple of homemade jumps and a dumbbell are all you need. For Utility, I think it is very helpful to have 2 jumps that look more or less like ring jumps, six 10-foot gates, and 3 stanchions. 6 gates, 2 jumps and 3 stanchions will give the go-out "picture" similar to what it will look like in the ring. However, if you have access to a facility, you don't even need that. I certainly wouldn't buy a lot of equipment until you have a leg or two in Open and you are sure you want to keep going to Utility.

Keeping in mind that the big expense in Utility will be all the gas, hotel bills, and entry fees you pay while you're racking up NQs in bloodbath of Utility A.

That's impressive! I have 3 stanchions and 2 gates. My club has a ton of them that they don't use so I purchased them cheap. Just the old wood ones. Some of the cheap J&J agility jumps that I made into obedience jumps, I made a canvas cover for the high jumps and with Anney's help, put stripes on the other. Very cost effective and it works for us. One of these days, I'll build myself a broad jump. I also have a 6-pole set of 2x2 weave poles that the guys at work made for me.

Utility A is the most expensive 3 leg title out there. My friends keep telling me about how expensive my RACH will be and I remind them of how many times we NQ'ed in Utility. It's hard to keep your spirits up while constantly failing. (That's why I started rally!)

 

[DevWind]

I wonder if I can convert my agility jumps & make it work? I suppose I could just drape a white sheet or something over one for the high jump, although knowing me I will end up with obedience jumps also.

I think it would work just fine.