For more on running contacts, it's best to join running contacts class or get a Running Contacts DVD. This page is meant for those who just have a quick question or want to show their finished product - you are very welcome to do so, it still brings a smile to my face when I see a beautiful running contact, it's something addictive about it. It is on times frustrating as well... - but it all makes the end result even sweeter. So... Happy training, everybody!
 Last call for May classes! You can still join us in Tricks/Puppy class – or Running Contacts Repeaters class!!! |
 Silvia Trkman is known for bringing every dog, from her first dog on, to the very top of the sport. Her dogs are known for great speed, tight turns, running contacts and long and injury-free careers. Silvia is in agility since 1992 and is– 3x World Champion (with two different dogs)
– 5x European Open winner, with 4 different dogs (Lo, La, Bu, Le)!!!
– National Championships podium and World Team member with every dog she’s ever had – National Champion for 22-times (with 5 different dogs of 3 different breeds) – World Team member for 19-times (mostly with at least two dogs at the time – sometimes four 🙂 ) |
Just a quick question on hits? I am getting mostly 1FF+1RF hits, occasionally 1FF+both RF. Alicia is concerned that I should be getting more RF hits. Should I be adjusting my start set up to get more RF hits or are the 1FF+1RF acceptable -- generally both the feet are nicely in the contact zone.
Thank you!
1ff+1rf is actually a very nice, safe hit, BUT it can get uncomfortable when you add the height and usually becomes 2 rf then, BUT can also end with OR, so definitely keep an eye on it. You can also try to get 2rf with different starting spot yes.
Thanks Silvia. I think I’m going to see if I can get a start set up that gives more 2rf -- rather avoid a problem than have to fix one. 🙂
Thank you again!
Hi Silvia!!
A Running update with Astro, I think he is doing great 🙂 today was his first session at 1,60mt, I´m doing no speed aproaches, Can we beging with speed aproaches? or should I wait until full height?
Hugs!!
Cool! Definitely (gradually) add speedier approaches too yes! Give big JPs for tries with best separation.
Hi Silvia, we are finally back with RC! Our adjustable frames have finally been finished! 🙂 We have been working to get RF and no OR, and I am very happy as I can finally see it with the RC socks on. 🙂 We have progressed to, this our 1st session at this new height. My thoughts are, I think her RF split could be better some times and sometimes lower but really happy we have RF. Her whole session is very consistent it seems.
How do you see it please? Thank you
Cool!!! Give big JPs for best separation, but this is certainly good enough to continue like this, adding height slowly. Great job!
Thank you so much Silvia! 🙂 we will continue now that we are back on track and give you updates from time to time. 🙂
Hello Silvia! 🙂
I’m happy to report that my 2 girls, a 4.5 year old Retriever-mix who is a 2o2o retrain & my younger Border Collie who only knows running contacts, are both at 30-inch tall DW! We still have a ways to go before we get to full-height (and turns) but this has been my first time training running contacts and it’s taken several months to get to this point due to weather and training challenges that we have encountered but in the process have also learned to overcome (thank you!) 🙂 I want to thank you very much for your fantastic DVD and all the information and suggestions you offer here on your website, it’s been a pleasure to take this journey with my girls and I can’t wait until we can just keep running and never have to stop in 2o2o again! Thanks so much for everything!
I also have a question if you don’t mind… It’s about training the running aframe if you must raise it slowly. First let me explain the situation, my retriever-mix (the 2o2o retrain) is extremely conditioned to collect over the apex of the aframe due to our 2on2off and so I have been trying to work on getting her to realize she can just run normal over it, but even when she is driving forward fully she still manages to take the apex in an odd sort of way, pushing off of the very top of it with her rear feet, sometimes even hitting the downside of the aframe with her rear feet (at the very top) before hitting with her front feet at all (at first I thought she was only hitting once on the downside until I watched video and saw her hitting very high near the apex with rear feet). Does this sound normal? Or does it sound like it should even be a concern? I could be wrong but I do not believe she is getting very “airy” going over the apex but rather think that it might be related to the fact that she has always had a physically difficult time if I’ve tried to encourage her to jump with her rear feet out behind her (in full extension) as she instead tucks them under herself when jumping. She can run in full extension with her legs out behind her well and separated though which makes me think she is still trying to collect over the apex so I have completely lowered my aframe until it is flat with the ground and am rewarding normal running and plan to ease it back up to full height if she will learn to continue normal running over the apex as the angle grows. My question is how would you suggest I work with her on this without also teaching her to hit too deeply on the aframe contact? You usually suggest not to spend many sessions on the aframe to get to full-height as you do not want the dogs to generalize it too well which would cause them to hit more deeply and cause more stress on their bodies. I’m worried that since my current plan is to build the aframe angle slowly that in order to keep her aiming for the contact that I will in turn be teaching her to also go too deep if that makes sense? Should I adjust her starting distance so that she’s only hitting the upper part of the contact or do you think that will only teach her to completely disregard aiming deeply? Or do you have another suggestion for working with her on going over the apex normally?
I would offer video but my camera broke a few weeks ago so I hope that what I have described above is clear enough to understand. Thanks for all your help! 😀
Yay for DW! With retrains, you actually need to spend some more time on raising AF, so no worries, just continue like this, avoiding starting spots that would give you ff and she will be fine. You don’t need to start completely flat though, do make it obvious it’s AF, not DW.
Thank you! Glad to know! 🙂
Hi Silvia- I’ve been working on training a running dogwalk for a while with my 18 month old Rat Terrier. He’s doing a running A-frame already and a 2o2o teeter. We started with the RDW last August with the send to the Manners Mjnder method and just couldn’t really progress. Between injury, neuter surgery, winter, and just plain training setbacks, we never progressed past running on the carpet. I liked the way you taught it better than what I was getting with the other, so switched about a month ago after buying your video. I think he gets running the carpet very well after 8 months of work with it. Our first session with a plain plank went great as well, but our second session was horrible with tons of leaps. I have been working through the trouble shooting section of the video and he seems to do better from a sit stay (no tunnel send) and I have the carpet over the plank. He seems to have developed a pretty consistent, comfortable looking stride of one and a half hits, which results in a front foot hit. On the carpet he does this pattern almost 100% of the time and quite a bit on the plank. His rear foot hits on the plank occur when his stride is a little shorter, less confident, and I don’t think he is running as nicely. Now that he is doing better and not leaping (as often) should I alter his starting position to encourage the rear foot hits or just take the front foot hits, since he has shown he understands he can do either behavior? I obviously don’t want him to learn that the front footed hits are preferable but at this point they are better than his rear foot hits.
Videos from our last two sessions:
The plank is not ideal, that’s why he was choosing to do just one hit on it -- wider, thinner and longer would be better. But I guess you’re getting enough of good ones now even with this plank to continue like this. For more rf hits, I think you’ll need more length -- try two planks end to end.
Thanks Silvia. Two planks end to end seems to have done the trick. I had to play around with starting position but now it seems like he is having an easier time meeting criteria. I’ve only done two very brief sessions but its almost like he is saying thank you for giving him more board to work with. I will stick with this set up for a while, but as a next step would you recommend fading the carpet off the “down” plank before raising it? How would you go about raising this kind of setup? A very low table (I think I can make mine as low as 4″) with an up and a down ramp? Doesn’t seem like placing a brick under the set up the way I have it now would be very stable. I haven’t had a chance to go back through the video yet for other suggestions about raising the set up when you are using something other than a regular plank.
Thanks again! Kraft definitely thanks you too.
Great!!! You can fade the carpet now or later, it doesn’t really matter and he probably doesn’t need it in a first place. You can raise it as mini AF first, but then before you add too much height just switch to low DW -- see the video, that’s why we have it 🙂
Hi Silvia!
Jenga is 7 months old and we’ve been working on the plank for about two weeks now. Not sure if I’m ready to raise the plank yet. He’s hitting pretty consistently, I’m jackpotting a lot, and clicking almost every time. What do you think? We’ll be signing up for class in June! Can’t wait!
Thanks,
Courtney
Oops, I should post the video.
The video is private, I can’t see it…
Sorry… I can’t seem to get this posted right today!
Maybe add some speedier approaches first (looks like he is starting from a stay not very far from the plank?) and if that goes well, raise it some yes.
You’re right, he isn’t far from the plank… Will try with some more distance! Thanks!!!
Hi Silvia, today was Astro first competition doing running A-Frame, I made some mistakes but he is a great dog 🙂
Great job for a first trial! Astro is really well trained already? Nice AF -- maybe some collection though, are you rewarding it from hand or why he didn’t drive ahead more?