To really make the class as good as possible, all participants get a package of Running Contacts That Make You Smile video + 15 weeks of feedback. That made the class even better as you will get a really good picture on what to work towards right at the start and then we can really focus on each dog rather as discussing general questions. Because RC video is included, the price is a bit higher, BUT if you already have a DVD, the price is actually LOWER as it was (as I’m expecting to have much less work explaining everything! ).

As all the feedback is completely individual, all levels are welcome to join the class, from total beginners to those wanting to work on turns, handling after etc. Minimum age for this class is 6 months and minimum equipment is a plank (DW down ramp length) and at least 15m of room.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B63-rVq8M5o

When ordering 3 DVDs (or downloads), you will get 4th one (the cheapest one) for free – just leave me a note or send a mail to let me know which one you want as an extra!

Here are the videos you can choose from, in the order they were published:

1 hour, 45 eur (about 59 usd)

This video covers how to teach tight turns and why, when and how to use them on course, detailed course analysis, trouble shooting and more.

45min, 40 eur (around 52 usd)

This video explains how I teach heeling, step by step, from easy puppy trick to beautiful heeling with great focus, perfect position and lots of enthusiasm.

1h 20min, 45 eur (about 59 usd)

This video contains some general advices on how to teach tricks, trouble shooting, reasons why to teach tricks in a first place and step by step instructions how to teach 10 different tricks, from basic to advanced.

1h20min, 46 eur (about 60$)

This video explains  my favourite 10+ tricks that help the dog to learn the concepts of learning and takes their problem solving, complex thinking and generalization skills to a whole new level that makes dog training really simple.

1h45min, 48 eur (about 63 usd)

This video addresses Conditioning, Attitude, Games to play, dealing with Stress and making Agility training more about running. So no, it’s not just for dogs with speed issues! It covers all the most important pre-agility steps to a confident and injury-free agility dog.

2h, 47 eur (about 62 usd)

This video gives step by step instructions for teaching your dog 15 different tricks to improve your dog’s balance, strength and coordination: a perfect way to keep your dog fit, injury-free and fast and agile on agility course!

2h45min, 50 EUR ( about 64 USD)

This video covers the whole training process of how to train running contacts on a dog-walk and an A-frame, featuring 30 different dogs on their journey to running contacts.

2h 24min, 50 EUR (about 64 usd)

This video covers everything from first introduction to agility elements to building amazing foundation skills. – Inspired by my Foundation class students, posting such great questions and achieving such great results with this program!

Aww, you might want to watch this graduation video from our smallest graduate… Guaranteed to bring a smile on your face

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Bpag9FPYs

[View with PicLens]

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All by Maja Rokavec

Thanks to all also for your help searching one of participants’ dog who took off on a walk in the woods… And came back this night after 28 hours, so that was sure a very happy ending as well!!!

I better go try to catch up on all the comments now!

photo by Miha Mozer

Le is a really cool dog - a real couch potato at home, wanting to be cuddled all the time, but a super midget on agility field, always trying her best to guess what I want. Yeah, while my BCs make me feel like a good, in time handler that provides them with all the necessary info at all times and stays ahead at all times, this little midget is leaving me in the dust and make me scream from behind – I feel completely useless, but strangely enough, she mostly still guesses what I want! – Always a thrill to run little Le!!!

Here are some of our recent runs Le had best time from all jump heights in all those runs, in the first one for 4s for example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZCA8TitzJE

My first post here dates exactly 3 years ago! Since then, there have been 157 posts and unbelievable 68,051 comments! We have 2440 registered members, 8 different training DVDs and offer 7 different on line classes, from Puppy Class to Graduates Only, all commented personally. I’m proud to say I know almost all my students by name and am still in contact with many of them, from first Puppy Class in March 2011 on.

On this occasion, let me thank my wonderful students for being such a cool group to work with and to help this website, classes and DVDs to grow and get better&better. And my boyfriend for his 2nd job of being a technical support of this site. Thank you all!

And, here is one of the first posts I posted on this website again: How it all began…

I don’t remember how it all began… My parents report that I was very quick learning to speak. Of course, as I had something important to say: I want a dog! My parents were shocked. Third child and first strange wish like that: why on earth would one want to go into trouble of owning a dog??? None in my widest possible family never had a dog, it was not all that common at that time (huh, I’m getting old!), dogs were mostly guardians of farms and lived in very bad conditions. But I REALLY wanted that dog! I learned to read very quickly too as my parents got bored of reading me the only book about dogs that was translated to slovenian at that time: a dog breeds encyclopaedia… On one of the first pages, there was a Samoyed puppy picture and I decided I absolutely need a Samoyed. I became a passionate reader, reading everything that mentioned a dog at any point, dreaming about moving to Alaska and working with sleddogs.

Meantime, I was inventing 1001st way to get your parents get you a dog. No luck. My first pet were fish that I caught in a river nearby. I also got some frog eggs and raised some lovely little frogs that eventually started to jump out of their terrarium so my mother made me take them back and got me a parrot instead. I also had a hamster, turtle… I took good care of them, but none of those animals ever took my mind off having a dog. My parents also tried with signing me in sports, musical and culture activities, but nothing really got my attention. It was all just a very, very long training in patience and persistence in following the Dream.

It’s not even my cake, but I have a wish anyway: a dog!

My wish to have a dog and all the creative ways I was coming up with to make my parents see I absolutely need one is what I most remember from my childhood. I have no idea where the wish came from, it was just there from as long as I can remember. The same way with agility: I read about it in 1989, just a short presentation of the sport and knew immediately that’s my Thing. I realized that’s even easier as moving to Alaska to do sleddog thing – if only I had a dog!

I got Aiken when I was 11. He was a Samoyed, but thought he is a Husky, I never met another Samoyed with that much will to run and that passionate about hunting. I wish I knew more about dog training then, he could be great if only I knew how to redirect all that drive into something more useful as chasing birds and cats and mice and rabbits for hours. He was very passionate and unstoppable about it, I always had to rescue him from holes he jumped in while chasing cats or gardens he jumped in but couldn’t get out etc., life with him was sure full of adventures.

I know he should be kept on leash, but leash never fit into my picture about having a dog. But I sure did want to go into dog school with him, but my parents were not ready to pay for my dog’s education. So, in order to make some money, I started to publish a magazine. Dog magazine, of course. I put together a magazine with stories and articles on different topics every month, for about 5 years (!), copied it and sent it to 50 or so addresses of my subscribers! I sent some samples to some dog products companies too with a request for sponsorships and actually got a sponsor! I didn’t get rich, but I did gather enough money for dog school!

We were like 20 in a class, 40+ year old men with German Shepherds and Rottweilers and me, a little girl with a Samoyed who hated long stays (yes, the story of my life, all my dogs hate long stays, I wonder why ). Instructor thought the problem is I’m not strong enough to correct him and hanged him on a choke collar himself. Bzzz…. Wrong move. Didn’t fit into my picture of owning a dog either!

I decided for a different approach, my own version of clicker training, passed an exam with flying colours and by that got a green light for agility classes! Yes! My parents were (again) not excited about driving me there twice a week, so I often went by bus. Had to change two buses and did quite some walking to get there, but hey, I could do agility! – Well, not in so many words… Aiken thought it’s lots of fun for first two lessons too, but then had somewhat different plans. It was very, very frustrating, but I don’t give up just as easily. If I can spend 10 years asking for a dog, I can spend few years, getting a message to my dream dog that we go chase mice to the next field if only he can do some jumps first. It made a great difference when he realized it’s actually all about running. He thought it’s about obstacles first and those got boring after two lessons (yes, of course we did all the obstacles on a first lesson already, it was year 1992 afterall!), that’s why I always emphasis that the dog should know it’s about running. As soon as Aiken realized it, he actually started to love the sport and never left me in a ring alone anymore. What a victory! My sweetest and most important win ever!

Yeah, that’s how it all started. It was a tough start, but hey, it only makes everything else look easy. Like getting Lo without ever seeing a PyrShep before, learning French to get La, raising autistic Bu etc. You have to love those tough starts!

This is certainly my favourite class and always lots of fun. This time, we’re making it even better by making Foundation Fun DVD part of it. So the price might look higher, but if you already have a DVD, the price is actually lower now as I’m guessing teaching the class will get much easier now with the help of the video.

We’ll address all the topics addressed in Foundations video + see-saw and weaves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFefnBjnaiM

To follow the class, you need at least 1 tunnel (2 is better) and 3-4 jumps. The class is 12 weeks long (+ we’ll do a 2 week break somewhere in the middle). We’re starting April 8, but there is already some pre-homework to do, so best is to register now and then enter the classroom.

And good news for all getting puppies those days: on 18th March, we’ll re-open January class and make it on “open registration” meaning that you can register at any point and get the normal 12 weeks of feedback, also after the class ends for original participants.