Short Agility Sequence with Tarot

We have come a long way from the original methods of grabbing the dog by the collar and hauling them over each obstacle as a beginning to its Agility career.  Incremental training of starting small and working to full behavior provides the dog a much stronger performance.  While taking those small steps, the working relationship between human and dog develops, sometimes unnoticed until a sequence or routine is put together.
  At the end of January I started Tarot with beginning exercises and had to break for a few weeks.  Despite this short amount of time, I was surprised to see how much she has learned.  I put together a very basic sequence to see what she understands and was not disappointed with the results.  What I was not expecting was how Tarot searched for the obstacles and thought about each one.  There were instances where we goofed up, but I welcome the intelligence that went into the mistake.  I have not had a dog do that since Crumpet.

  The first run was not recorded (of course!), but I had to step back in realization of how far we have come in a very short amount of time.  With obstacles modified and the course basic, Tarot dove forward, moved with confidence, and had a perfect run.  More than once I had to remind myself this was not an experienced dog and to not ditch out on the supportive handling.  My brain gears are now moving because I can adjust exercises to see what else she can do.
  When I did pull out the camera, it was placed a corner to let run.  Not the greatest location for seeing stuff, but it works.  By this point, Tarot and I had been working for half an hour and we were both getting tired.  Runs were not perfect, but even then the dog learns to try different ways of moving or make ill choices that have to be weeded out.  This is the learning process for any living being; we all do what works and discard what does not get reinforced.

Obstacle specifics
- Tunnels: Darker Tunnels are hard for the dog to see in and we normally start with them
- 16” Jumps: New height Tarot is learning
- Weaves:  Channel Poles open less than a foot
- Chute:  Barrel with tarp covering the opening with a few inches of drag (off camera)
- In the background – two tables 24” high with a board stretched across to mimic the Dog Walk.

With the camera angle not allowing detail, I wanted to keep this one short at just over two minutes.
Enjoy!
Joyce