Happy Pappy New Year from the View from 4 Inch

Taylor contemplates his resolutions.

Where every year is the Year of the Butterfly.

Give your Papillon, agility dog or favorite furry pal a big hug for us!

Little Friends Pet Photography: Capturing the Spirit of Dogs

Revealing the nature we know,

yet somehow never even suspected about dogs.

All of us have photos of our dogs. Some snapshots, some captured in the heat of competition. Some carefully posed, or at least as much as our dogs will allow us. Many I've taken of my own dogs have been featured in my posts.

But still...when it's all said and done, few really seem to capture that extra "something" we see, or at least believe that we see in our dogs in those sly little moments they give us every day.

Today, however, I found something really special: A photographer that seems to have developed the gift for capturing in images the coy, humorous and even fierce nature of our wolfling pets...seemingly as effortlessly as capturing fireflies in a jar.

The site is innocuously named, Little Friends Lifestyle Pet Photography by Seth Casteel. But the name barely begins to describe it.

Take a virtual stroll around the gallery. You'll find many of those moments that are so similar to the ones all of us glimpse in our dogs as we travel through our days. You know. That flash of a moment that seems to capture everything about who your dog really is, and what your relationship with him is all about.

Only, you never seem to be able to quite get it on film, much less truly share it. I really love the way this "seen/unseen" nature of dogs comes through in Casteel's work. Don't wait. Take a break from your day and steal away a moment to indulge.

Teaching an Aggressive Teeter Performance

Starting with tugging at 2 on 2 off and building

to an aggressive release.

I have been fascinated in how Swedish trainer, Fanny Gott, builds drive from the earliest stages of training. One of her secrets is training a very engaged release. I will try to find the video where she teaches the very earliest stages of this, but at this time, I was thrilled to find this video that shows how she translates this skill to the teeter.

In this video, she demonstrates a back chained training progression that starts with a 2 on 2 off at the end of the teeter and releases to a reward, in this case, tugging.

The dog is backed up further on the board, until the dog is running (charging!) the length of the board to the end of the board for the release/reward.

The basic skill progression for this could also be taught on a contact board before progressing to the teeter itself. She also teaches this skill by working on stairs.

Here is Fanny's article on the subject, posted to her blog.

In the article, she asks us to note that her dog Epic's performance in this video is not entirely correct in that he is primarily releasing upwards into the toy, rather than head down and centered into the 2o2o, which is the preferred form.

Also, notice that all rewards are given straight on to the teeter, as opposed to from the side. Rewarding from the side will train the dog to curve to the side at the end, inhibiting independent obstacle performance and potentially setting up for side dismounts or an ineffective release.

The overall result of this training results in a dog whose primary goal in teeter performance is to get to the reward/release. This differs fundamentally from training that focuses on teaching the dog to "tip" the teeter by focusing on the pivot point. This hoped for result is an explosively fast teeter performance that is focused on a powerful release into the next task ahead.

Thank you, Fanny, for posting this valuable training demonstration!

Using a Contact Training Board for Strength Training

This simple set up builds strength while teaching skills.

Exercises that build core strength and stability while teaching fundamental performance "values" such as impulse control, focus and a strong release are all the rage right now. This video by Sweden's Fanny Gott is a prime example.

In this new video snippet, Fanny demonstrates a technique for teaching a dynamic stand, then transfers the technique to a contact training board.

I was sort of fascinated by how many fundamental skills and abilities are covered by this simple approach. Can you count them?

Here are a few for starters: Core strength, dynamic stand, independent leg/foot awareness, balance, impulse control, release to reward, balance on contact, foundation independent contact performance (teaching dog to drive to stay on board), release from contact.

Looks like a great idea for winter time training!

The Holy Grail of Combining Crosses

Video: The why's, why nots

and the what-can-happen

of combining front crosses.

Today, the clouds lifted and the sun has broken through the clouds on the issue of combining front crosses in dog agility.

At the time I first started exploring the topic of blended front crosses, Linda Mecklenburg posted that she would be putting together some videos that would demonstrate how this handling looks. I've referenced the initial video she produced here.

It gets better, kids: In support of the article she prepared on Combining Front Crosses for the December 2011 issue of Clean Run, she has now outlined the most comprehensive definition yet of the species, genus and phylum of the strategy of front crosses.

To support the concepts presented in the article, Clean Run has posted a series of 10 videos

in which Linda demonstrates front, blended and double front crosses, along with examples of miscued and inappropriate applications.

The visuals are shown at actual speed and then in slow motion. Linda's handling is crystal clear and the set ups are simple enough to inspire use for personal practice.

My own plan is to save a link to this page on my iPhone and to set this up for my next practice session. It will be great to have these videos on hand, both as a model and as a troubleshooting tool to help me learn the most effective use of these techniques.

Thanks to Linda and Clean Run Magazine for presenting this very professional presentation of this emerging skill set.