# Racer's Rally debut



## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

Ok so I'm a little late with these videos. This was the first time I asked Racer to actually "work" in a trial type environment. Also his breeder & many of our friends were there so he was a little distracted. Then there is mom who can't seem to hold onto his leash the second day.:alberteinstein: I was super happy with my baby dog. He qualified both days with 94s. His pivoting has improved greatly & he is progressing with off leash work. He also made me laugh when he thought it might be a good idea to play with the sign on the first day. I don't think you can hear me but I said, "Don't you dare!" It would be terrible to knock over a sign & NQ before you even get through the first exercise.


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## DreamAgility (Sep 2, 2013)

How lucky you are to have such a good boy!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Awesome job! And he looks very happy to be working so well for you!


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

He looks like he is having a great time! What a sweet boy!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Congratulations! Those are great scores for the first time out. Keep up the good work.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Congratulations on scoring so well and having such fun doing it!!:clap2: You both look very much "in the moment" and happy.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I will add that you will be really happy to lose your leash when you are ready for advanced. Then you don't have to worry about losing points for tight leashes. Your judge for the second day is tough so you should really, really be proud of that score. When you call Racer to front try not to bend over towards him. Bending over pushes most dogs to back away from you. Stand tall or even lean back a tiny bit.


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

Thank you Lily. It looks at some points in the video like I have a tight leash when I really don't. I had my hands glued at my waist with slack in the lead. I still get so nervous in obedience & rally that I have a tendency to tighten it up so now I just glue my hands, in rally anyway. I don't think we were knocked any points for a tight lead. 

Off leash is better because then I don't have to worry about dropping it lol. I will try your suggestion about standing up for a front. I know I will have to in Ob one day so I might as well start now. I'm sure you've heard the theory that you should use your upper body when calling into front to help direct your dog. It is not working with this one . Fronts are something we really struggle with but I know we will get there. A different method may be just the trick. 

I'm really looking forward to regular obedience with him as I think he will do really well. I need to start working now on a stand for exam. He is such a social butterfly that he really believes everyone has the desire to pet him so wiggling is a good idea. 

He has been so much fun! I know that being on my third dog I am a better trainer but his learning style is so different from my shepherds. Both are intelligent breeds but I think they work for different reasons. I am enjoying this journey.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

You want to make sure you have a hanging J shape in your leash to make sure you don't get points off for that. Some judges specifically look at that. I have members of my club who are judges and I judge matches (doing an AKC sanctioned A match next weekend), so I've had lots of conversation with judges about leashes.

I do use some upper body motion to get Lily to front, but once she is coming around I definitely stand straight. I hope that explains better what I mean. Maybe it will work for you. You can also try teaching him to sit squarely on a mat or towel and then using that as a target area for the front by having it right in front of you on the floor.

I had the same issues with stand for exam (or even a sit for a greeting) when Lily was young. She wanted to lick everyone. Also I allow her to jump up to greet me (now on cue). You will start by standing right in front of Racer and getting him to stay still just for a person to approach and extend their hand. I would add hands on dog before adding distance. Once you have hands on and distance make sure you don't let him sit when you go back to heel. I usually took a step or two forward right after the judge said exercise finished to prevent the sit. This was a very hard exercise for Lily to learn, but now she has a terrific utility level moving stand (you will find moving stand useful later in rally too). You will get it since you do have a smart dog on your hands.

I love working with Lily she is lots of fun, even if sometimes at inconvenient moments. Peeves is very smart too, but very serious and always doing the herding dog environmental scan. She just loves being "on stage."


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