My wonderful students!
I know I'm starting to repeat myself, but... - I REALLY love my long-distance classes - so big thanks to Melanie for the idea 🙂 - and big thanks to all my wonderful students who are making me smile with all the progress from one week to another. You are sure making it look so easy!
Look at Nina&Winnie here, my shortest-distance long-distance students 🙂 , at Lesson 1 of Foundation class:
Melanie&Grit at Lesson 2 of Foundations:
And here are Anne&Tai from Running Contacts class:
- I know, it just makes you smile! 🙂
For everybody asking about next RC class: it starts 9th of January, so I'll open the registration beginning of December. Next puppy class starts end of January and next Foundations class starts end of February. Handling and Advanced Tricks are open for registration.
I can’t see Ninas video. Would it be possible to remove the music?
Sorry, not my video…
Silvia, we sure love long-distance classes, too! Thanks for sharing my video, I didn’t realize it was that good 🙂
Susanne, I changed the music, it might work now on this link:
thank you very much, Nina! I loved watching your video. Winnie is very cute, and Ben is absolutly great 🙂
I love long-distance-classes very much too, each of them, and I will redo foundation class in january 🙂
Silvia,
How old has to be the dog to enter the puppy class? My border collie will be 5 months end january, is it ok?
Thanks!
Sure, you’re welcome to join in! There is no age limitations for Puppy Class, we have puppies from 8 weeks to 12 years 🙂
ok, great! I’ll join the class with my little Kwizzz then! 😉
Great! Looking forward to meet Kwiz! 🙂
Silvia, we love, love, love class! My only request is to always have them!!! 🙂 So glad you are younger than I am…. LOL
Oh, and the “forced breaks” mid-class are awful; please stop doing those. LOL 😛
🙂
No they are not if you have to work long hours! If you need more to do -- buy a DVD!
Haha, I have them all!! 🙂
Me too 🙂 I’m really jealous of people who can keep up with the classes, and who have really nice training areas !
Its funny to see comment feeds from classes we are no longer in -- makes you feel a bit sad!
-- Nicole & Sen
Hi Melanie,
I LOVE the forced breaks. Gives one time to work on things that their dog is a little slower in picking up. Also gives time to the people who have very full lives a chance to catch up. IMO the breaks are a brilliant idea.
Happy training,
Maureen
Haha, that was a joke (mostly). 🙂 I know they are good and needed. I just really miss class during that time. Of course they are a brilliant idea. Everything Silvia does is brilliant.
Hi Silvia and Melanie --
Is the purpose of the carpet an introduction to chute ?
Thanks!
The carpet is the beginnings of the running dogwalk. Smart idea for a puppy, isn’t it?? 🙂
They are pulling up the carpets at the office and my boss says I can take what I need. How long and wide does the carpet need to be??
Thanks Melanie 🙂
Very cool! yes.
And we love you, Silvia!
Rarely have I experienced what I have in your Distance Classes -- responsiveness to questions, kindness, clarity, and FUN (but challenging) lessons. I can’t believe that I’m already starting to “speak agility”! So proud of my little girl. This new lesson is amazing… lots and lots to work on and “get” in it. I really enjoy how your lessons build on each other and really stretch us in multiple ways.
Can’t wait for “vacation” to be over. 😉 I miss my daily dose of classmates’ videos and your comments. (But then, I’m weird… I always loved school!)
Thanks! I planned the break that way in order to not rush introducing straight lines and give everybody more time as the program of the class is so intense that it’s really impossible to master it all in 2 weeks. That’s why you’re getting 3 weeks for the next lessons + this break.
Thank you for taking care of our mental well-being! 🙂
Just wanted to let you know we are enjoying our break!
Having fun playing around with a lot of different things -- agility, tricks and just playing.
No pressure! Just fun!
Catalina,
Couldn’t agree more! I’m loving the break too. I miss my LoLaBuLand family during the break, but I’m also very grateful for the time to absorb, practice, play, and rest!
Rachel
Be prepared -- we’ll be back to the classroom soon! 🙂
These videos did make me smile, thanks for posting them Silvia! Thanks for your long distance classes. I’ve really enjoyed them and my dogs thank you too! And thanks to Melanie too for putting the little bug in Silvia’s ear!
Hi Silvia, Missing your classes a lot right now. I tried two different online classes here. In one the instructor never answered, had a delay, etc. She apologized online and I asked for my money back. She did it with a snappy little note. We were so spoiled in your classes with daily responses. Then I applied for online herding instruction. You were allowed to watch the instructor working his dog and could only comment on what you saw with no references to your own dog. When I went to make a comment the site said “comments closed” for 3 of the 4 weeks. I’m planning on running DW in January, but lately Nero’s tracks in the snow show me that his natural stride is HUGE. Also with herding we’re having a little trouble with speed and control right now so I’m starting to wonder if 2/2 would be better in terms of my herding goals. I’m attaching a little video of my latest endeavors. Mostly this video is Nero….
Nancy and Nero (1 yesterday)
Happy birthday Nero!!! Long-stride is no issue for RC, they need no learn to adjust the striding no matter what their stride length is. And well, you can always teach both, RC and 2on2off 🙂
See you in January!
Hi Nancy,
My puppy/tricks class with Silvia is on break, so I watched your herding video instead. I have a few suggestions for slowing your dog down, keeping him back and preventing so much wearing: 1) do some work with just 1 or 2 sheep. Some skittish Barbados would be perfect. With a larger group of dog-broke sheep, the dog learns he can creep up close with no ill effects, but he’ll learn the error of his ways if he creeps up on just 1-2 sheep. The first lesson or two will be a disaster, but this is the best thing I’ve ever done for teaching my mile-a-minute agility BC to slow down and stay back.
2) You might try working ducks for a while. The slower pace of ducks can teach dogs patience and to use more eye and less movement. I did 90% of my practice on ducks, but still got many placements when working sheep & cattle.
3) The ol’ tried and true method of running through the flock and “threatening” your dog to back off them by waving a stick with a plastic bag tied to the end. You have to do this quickly and then immediately get back to your side of the sheep, or the dog will just circle to your former side. Good luck!
(My credentials: USBCHA Ranch sheep/cattle competitor with a show-line Ch. BC, and student of USBCHA judge, Danny Shilling--MO). 🙂
Hi Sharon, I’ll try your advice on the smaller number of sheep tomorrow! I did a lot or work with my last chicken and he had a great “method” with her. I really want to work with ducks as well as my pup really understands frail critters well. My email is nmcreel@bresnan.net. Thanks for calling my sheep “dog broke”. I’ve been working my pup with them for almost a month and he has done all the “breaking” himself. I’ve starting working on a get out command and he’s starting to react nicely this week. Anyways I could talk herding all day,
Nancy and Nero
Have you got a new pup in tricks right now? I think the tricks class gave Nero the most awesome body awareness.
Wow, it is really impressive to see such tight multiwraps (Melanie&Grit)! I am having a hard time with multiwraps cause the 2 places where I get to train both have redicilously wide jumpwings! It is a shame, I’m thinking about making stick in the ground jumps myself but I do not have much space for them and I’m not even sure how to 🙂
I think stick in the ground jumps are very cheap to order via internet. Or, you could build a PVC version that Malanie has.