Lull in the Action

Cosi and I will be off the trial circuit for a while now. We will compete in June but then we're off until August. The indoor place I used to frequent with Brisco in July and August has indoor/outdoor carpet as its surface. Cosi slides on that; he needs sprint turf for grip. So there will be a lull in the action for a while, which is good too. We can work on foundation skills and enjoy classes.

Here's a good foundation drill to work front crosses and serpentines:

Set up two jumps in sequence about 15 feet apart. With your dog on your left, run from jump #1 to jump #2, slowing up right before jump #2 to cue a turn. Turn towards the dog and now he's on your right. Run towards jump #1, slowing up to cue the turn, and turn towards the dog.

For serpentines, turn the jumps so they are parallel to each other. Set the dog up with his left shoulder just about at the jump bar. On the opposite side of the jump and with your left arm cuing the jump, release the dog. Switch to your right arm and indicate jump #2.

Happy Training!

Non-Agility Weekend

Fall is finally here in Pennsylvania. I love fall agility trials--cool (sometimes downright cold) in the morning and warm in the afternoon. This is a non-agility weekend for Cosi and me. I'm sure by next weekend's event, we'll be in full swing with much cooler weather.

We got a Mind Game from a friend, and, boy, do the dogs love it. I'm going to get pictures this weekend of Cosi playing with it. The dogs have to move pieces to get to the treats underneath. Cosi is a whiz at it, pushing objects out of the way and gobbling up the treats. Then he looks at me as if to say, "OK, what else do you have?"