[AngusFangus]

We have our annual show at our club coming up the first of April, and Mr. Simon is entered in Open all three days.

We have been practicing a little at the club, and it's AWE-FUL! LOL Oh, this is going to be bad.

But, we're going to try just to see what happens. I don't hold out a lot of hope that he will Q, but if he does well on a few things I'll feel encouraged. As long as he seems to be making an effort, I am happy. It's when someone (cough...Angus...cough) does not make an effort at all that I get upset.

Our biggest problem will be, believe it or not: Heeling. He has suddenly gotten very, very laggy. He's always had a tendency to do this, but lately it's really gotten worse. Having a lot of trouble with "fast" and right turns on the Figure Eight. I'm doing all the things I'm told to try and fix it, and I can get him to do it here, but not at the club. ?

I just got their CD certificates framed with their pictures. I'll have to take a picture of them when I get them hung to show you guys. We had a photographer come to the club and I had her get some shots of them heeling. I had food in my mouth, so they look much better than they ever would in an actual trial. LOL

 

[justine]

Oooh good luck! I don't think I'll be competing in obedience or rally with either of my two goofs.. They are too crazy!

 

[3TailsWaggin]

A few quick excerpts from a previous thread in the obedience section about heeling/lagging from Susan (Caleb & Micah's mom)

Now having said that with heel position I did a lot of marking with the clicker. Do not correct for lagging--most Labs the more you correct the more they lag. Don't hurry them either--the sound of the hurry and encouragement can be taken as praise. I don't do a lot with Mic's lagging but praise and click when he's in heel position. Has helped Caleb a lot, too with his fasts. Also, clicking on the about turn has helped both of them on that.

I tell them to place up for my set up command--to get ready to work, in position to work. Heel is to move out with me. If I do say anything to them, it is something like "hup, hup" in a lower tone but not so low it's totally corrective and then click when in position, with head up and working not just being there. It has helped Caleb's about turns and lag on the fast so I worked this primarily with Micah's heeling. We'll see what he does in the ring as we go on, but I sure like what I see. And yes, it does go against the norm--but I have found with Rotts, Labs to name just a couple of breeds that the more you correct for lagging the more they'll lag. Oh the problems I have worked through with lagging! I'm sure some field bred Labs can get corrected and corrected and not care, but then how fun is it for them? Isn't it suppose to be a team sport and both of us having fun? Anyway, my two cents. I'll shut up

 

[georgie]

Good luck Simon. Have a good time.

 

[MNLab]

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

 

[luke from georgia]

simon, you can do it!

 

[AngusFangus]

That's a good post from Susan - thanks Linda!

I am going to have to work on this hard in the next couple of weeks. I'm thinking about taking a ball out in the backyard and throwing it during the fast. ?

His about turns used to be laggy, but I managed to fix that...I think...somehow. I treated on the about-turn every single time we did it. I guess I need to do something like that with the F8 too.

We practiced tonight and he was perfect, of course, in our house.

 

[Clanceycanuck]

Oh Connie, that sounds like such fun. Good luck to you both !