Sizzle ... at last!

Sorry folks that I haven't update on Sizzle. He is fine now after a couple of weeks of good rest, no walkies, no training, he is dying to do something! I took him back to training this week, on Tuesday, we went to our weekly club training. We started to train outside now and this is the first time, Sizzle got to train outdoor. He was great, he did some beautiful sequences, fast and furious, the new cloth tunnel (chute) didn't bother him anymore, he just pushed pass it in speed. Unfortunately our contacts are not great. I have no complain about his A Frame, he still does his lovely running A Frame. I have a little trouble there though. There were four other young dogs training with us and they all using a food target and normally they spread the food around and sometimes we forgot to remove the target on Sizzle's turn so he ended up sniffing! All the contacts on the outdoor field are made by Alvah, the all weather contacts, they are aluminium and lightweight. I don't think Sizzle is bothering by the noise of the contacts but the dog walk was on an even surface so it kinda of wobble a little when he shot up in speed, so he got frightened and went slow in the first couple of round then got better. With our running dog walk, I now put his ball out for the first time to remind him to "get it" and he got it, at the 2nd and 3rd go, I remove the ball and he still got his target point which is good. I am still not 100% sure if he understands the cue "get it". I didn't get to practise much at home as I am too busy with my mum and the pup (excuse really!).

I don't think you can complain about this running contact, there were no toy or food and he did "get it" but not quite what I was asking for. I would like the two front paws to hit the point but instead he is using his back legs!

I think it all depends on the speed he came down from the plank

I think our worst obstacle is the see-saw. He is taken a back with the see-saw, he is not running all the way up to the see-saw anymore. He ran up and pass half way to wait for it to tip. I think this is probably the begin of the see-saw nightmare as Saturn is the same. I tried to do a little see-saw work with him this morning:

please excuse my old mum's photography, she is trying her best.

He also surprised me with the weave at training! I still open up the V Weave at home in a slight angle but we haven't been practising for two weeks or more. On Tuesday, we did a jump-weave (in a straight line) sequence, he did the weave on its own while I was still standing behind the jump. Oh, I forgot to mention, it was an upright competition weave!

I need to work on our entries from different angle as I know he has his weakness there!

I also took him to Flyball training on Wednesday evening. We haven't been to Flyball training for 2 months, if you remembered he was very unwell for the last 6 weeks.

He was pretty good at the runback and fetching the ball, we also did some changeover a while ago but that all seems like history to me. I don't know if he still remember Flyball and luckily he did. His eye was either on the ball or the tuggy. His runback is getting better. They put up 8 jumps to teach the dogs to stride. Sizzle's pattern is single, single, single, double, single, single, single. I am sure we can improve that to all single stride.

We also did some much needed BOX work. Eventhough Sizzle has been to two Starters competition but he never really did trigger the box. I remembered he probably accidentally trigger the box once or twice and training and that's it. I haven't got a box to practise at home so all need to be done at training. He was a bit frightened about the box before but not on Wednesday. I tried to swing him around the box to start with and of course he didn't know what I want from him but he is a smart little dog and he soon learns to put his four paws on the box, he did a beautiful swimmer's turn like Sing but the different way to Sing. Look like he is a left handed (I thought he was a right handed!). We then got to practise on the box for 5 minutes and each time, his turn is better and better, WooHoo!! Maybe a good break is what a dog's need!!