# A little bummed



## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

We did our first rally obedience last week. I loved it and so did Dash. We're planning to do agility in the spring, the reason I didn't do it right now is because the class is outside and I'm not sure about that this time of year!!

Yuki is so stinkin cute! Glad he gets to stay with your family


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

Rally can be fun also since you never do the exact same thing in the exact same order like you do in regular obedience. And some of the signs are actually fun and some are challenging like the figure 8 past full bowls of dog food...


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

Oh, I feel your pain...I tried signing Chanter up for a place that does lots of different things. The classes that I was interested in were few between and the ones I like filled up so fast. Chanter hasn't been to anything for 2 years. I kind of gave up. Hmmm..rally, maybe I will look into it.


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

I ended up putting my name on their waiting list for the Nosework classes at one place we train it was the only way to get into a class...

Nosework FYI is WONDERFUL for dogs that need a confidence boost. They only work alone so no challenges to them by other dogs, they learn to trust themselves as they search for and find the hides (treats) and they are NEVER EVER ALLOWED TO FAIL.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Rally is great fun and it is a good team builder. You can talk to your dog and you always have a different course so smart dogs like poodles don't get bored playing the game. It is also easy to practice on your own even if you don't have signs or want to build a course. You just need to know what the exercises are and you can practice one or two at a time, indoors or out. I also think that having great obedience skills and excellent communication between you and the dog are both important foundations for agility that too many people I see don't seem to spend enough time on.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

spindledreams said:


> I ended up putting my name on their waiting list for the Nosework classes at one place we train it was the only way to get into a class...
> 
> Nosework FYI is WONDERFUL for dogs that need a confidence boost. They only work alone so no challenges to them by other dogs, they learn to trust themselves as they search for and find the hides (treats) and they are NEVER EVER ALLOWED TO FAIL.


She did say there was a nosework class that is going to be on a weekday evening, maybe I'll give it a chance...Yuki really needs to boost his confidence, he can be quite unsure of himself in most situations and gets very clingy to me.

Can you give me some more info on it? I'm going to reasearch now but just curious what you have to say.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

lily cd re said:


> Rally is great fun and it is a good team builder. You can talk to your dog and you always have a different course so smart dogs like poodles don't get bored playing the game. It is also easy to practice on your own even if you don't have signs or want to build a course. You just need to know what the exercises are and you can practice one or two at a time, indoors or out. I also think that having great obedience skills and excellent communication between you and the dog are both important foundations for agility that too many people I see don't seem to spend enough time on.


I agree obedience is a very important foundation. He has had almost 3.5 months of weekly obedience classes and almost daily practice, so he has a great start already! I think he will really excel in rally and would do great in agility once he gets some more confidence...he definitely has the speed, focus and energy for it.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

kcp1227 said:


> We did our first rally obedience last week. I loved it and so did Dash. We're planning to do agility in the spring, the reason I didn't do it right now is because the class is outside and I'm not sure about that this time of year!!
> 
> Yuki is so stinkin cute! Glad he gets to stay with your family


I'm glad you guys liked it! Luckily we have a huge warehouse nearby that the agility training takes place in during winter so we have lots of room and don't have to fight the nasty cold weather.

And thank you, I'm beyond happy he gets to be a permanent member of my family...he fits right in!


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

I am thinking about doing fly-ball with Willow.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

hopetocurl said:


> I am thinking about doing fly-ball with Willow.


Thats awesome!! Atticus would never bring the ball back. I can see him stealing it and running off to the corner with it and guarding it from the others lol he doesn't like to share at all...he's a little stinker.

Yuki is scared of tennis balls...not sure why though. But his random/strange fears are what caused him to fail the service dog program, so I can't complain...it led to me adopting him!


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

When we first started I did some research and discovered that some folks are using it as a step in rehabbing dogs that come to the rescue with very little confidence or trust in themselves. I can't find that article right now but it was interesting reading. The way nosework is taught is very different from from any of the other performance games we normally play. For one thing only one dog at a time is allowed on the course so dogs learn to wait their turn and there are no challenges or competition from another dog to find the treat. You take your dog out and just let it walk around until it finds the treat. Then you drop a couple of extra treats in the box and praise highly for finding the treat. In our class we did 3 finds then the dog was put up and another one came out for their finds. We did 3 sets of finds per night so this is a small class and each of you get individual attention. The dog is never allowed to not find the treat BUT you never directly show them where it is. You can kick the box or drop a box near the treat box etc but don't point to it or even stare at it much if the dog is having problems (this is hard for me) The dog learns to trust themselves and every find builds a bit of confidence. YOU on the other hand get to learn to read your dog. To know when it is excited or on scent and when it is getting discouraged and needs a hint. YOU have to learn to trust your dog also as they know better then you do where the scent is. This game is all about the dog and most adore it. Our class included a GSD, a Silken Windhound, a Tibetan Terrier, a Field Spaniel and our Poodle. Grin the Field Spaniel had just arrived form Australia and the owner was using the class as a way to form a non-threatening bond with him.


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

I had the same problem, but finally found an agility center I like that works with my schedule. Although I do have to run out of work early and it's a little hectic getting there in time for the class. 

Last night, I was running late, and forgot the leash and didn't swap out her rhinestone collar for a more serviceable one. No worries- they gave me a leash to borrow and Lily now has a new nickname- Diamond Lil. Too funny.

It's one of the high points of my week though- Lily loves it and is doing really well. And it's the perfect antidote to what is usually a busy, stressful Monday!

Hope you are able to find a class that works


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I think you will find rally to be a good confidence booster too since it is all about reinforcing your team connection and you can be Yuki's cheerleader along the way.


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## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

We had our second class last night. I really do enjoy it. It's a nice change from regular obedience classes, Dash would get so bored going through the same motions over and over. He seems much more eager to do what I ask in this class, plus there's only one other person in our class so we get to run the course multiple times and then switch the signs and run it a couple more times. Such fun!


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

I tried calling a few times and no answers at either place...left messages and no call back. I'm getting kind of annoyed.

I guess I'll just have to stop in at some point but I don't want to interrupt class or come when no one is there. Why must this be so difficult?! lol

Right now he is extremely bored in our weekly obedience class doing the same thing every monday...he was dragging behind walking in slow motion last night but was behaving, just acting bored. He did great on his stays (actually fell asleep lol) and left all of the dogs and food alone when we walked past/weaved in between them...he's always good with leave it and wont even try to sniff anyone/anything, but I was so proud of his stay. We put all of our dogs in a down stay along the back wall and walked across the room, a few of the dogs darted off to their owners and Yuki was the only one who stayed and just kept his cool. I was so proud of him!


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

Finally got through to the trainers!!

I'm going in on Thursday night to meet the trainers for Rally. If I sign up both Yuki and Atticus I get a 20% discount on the second dog! We'll see how it turns out, I'll keep you updated.


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