Sunday, February 15, 2015

Getting back on track

Management of Kili continues, somewhat successfully so far. We had a great practice this week where she didn't give me any indication of being sore. We had some trouble with our weave poles, but I think that's just a bit of rust. And interestingly, all of the dogs in class seemed to have trouble with the weave poles in one direction in particular. The problem for us in the winter is that we can't get any extra practice in. In the summer we would work on any trouble spots in the backyard, but that's just not possible with 2 feet of snow on the ground.

I've also made the decision to train a running A-frame with Kili in an effort to reduce stress on her back. When she comes to the bottom of the frame for her 2-on-2-off behaviour, there is sometimes A LOT of momentum that she has to stop to make it. With a running frame she would simply just keep going and wouldn't be slamming all of her weight into her front end. Greyhounds have really straight shoulders, which makes them relatively weak. Coupled with a bit of a back issue, I think the running frame is the way to go. We will keep our stopped contact as well, as there are bound to be some situations where a running contact is less than ideal, but I'd like to reduce the frequency. To train the running A-frame we will use a wicket. The one we used at practice is actually a little too high. The idea is to force the dog to drop its head to get under the wicket, thereby preventing it from leaping from high up. This wicket allowed a little too much head space. Hopefully my own wicket will arrive soon.


3 comments:

Milo and Jet said...

Hi Kili
Looks like your doing well with your Agility Training :) Milo & Jet

Janette Ash said...

Happy you are back on track. I understand fully about the snow and cold weather. The horse arena we work in is so cold. Spring can`t come soon enough. Best of wishes for continued health Kili.

Apex Agility Greyhounds said...

Thanks guys!

Yes, the barns are very cold, especially here in Edmonton! We have a propane patio heater for our sitting area, but it runs out of fuel so quickly!