**Agility Workshops This Weekend**

If you and your dog have attended agility training at DTI then you can come to the Improvers Workshop On Saturday 9th.

Anyone who has attended Agility Training levels 1 and 2 plus dog club can come to the Improvers Plus Workshop on Sunday 10th.

Or Anyone can come as a spectator if you are interested in learning more about agility.

Booking details for Participant (dog and human) and spectator (human only) are here: http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie/seminars_workshops.php

Just click on the INFORMATION button for each day!

I did the Sunday workshop today and it was excellent -- this is the second workshop I have done with Carol and I learn so much every time (mostly about how to better communicate clearly with Jaspar -- and her teaching really helps my overall understanding about working with dogs in a positive and rewarding way ).

Jaspar absolutely loves these training sessions and the great part is seeing him suddenly 'get' what he needs to do too -- a lot of obedience and agility is about training dogs to work towards a goal and to have the self control to not just run around doing what they want, but check in with you to see what you want (again coming back to communication -- you need them to learn to look to you, and you need how to learn to make it clear what you want them to do -- which is a challenge on both sides. It is harder than it seesm to be clear to a dog and to get your timing exactly right!).

A concrete example today was one exercise to get Jaspar to go over two jumps, make a U turn back towards me to send him away over another jump, then make a u-turn again and go through the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel was a target on which were placed his treat reward -- some meat pieces. At first he would only do two jumps and then run straight ahead to the treats. Mainly this happens because he is going so fast and also he knows that he is aiming ultimately for the target. The goal is to get him to make the U-turn. Within 3 tries, he was doing all 4 things and then didn't even remember to go get his treats on the target! :lol:

He's out cold now after 5 hours of agility class -- and Lucy is too, as she was mostly entertained and fed treats by her minder, Sarah, who got a Cavaliertalk calendar as a thank you. Sarah is the same age as Lucy, she told me today!

I missed this. I was too late for the other class last week also - bummer.

I always enjoy watching Jaspar in action. You have a really great bond with him - it's incredible to watch you both in action.