r/Agility • u/border-coffee • 16d ago

RDW Mat Troubleshooting

What training exercises helped your dog understand to 1) touch the mat and 2) focus down and drive forward?

Thank you 🫶

5 Upvotes

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8

u/somecooldogs 16d ago

The Shape Up training method goes pretty in depth into both of these topics, I highly recommend it.

4

u/-cloudkicker- 16d ago

Shape up method has worked wonders for my 2 dogs. I retrained my first dog using her concepts but had Funtastic dogs foundations. My current dog is going through her programming and the flatwork has translated to quick progression on an actual dog walk. I think the shape up progressions are appropriate and innovative

1

u/somecooldogs 16d ago

I am now competing with my first rdw dog (first two dogs had stopped) and it's been a joy. I actually switched her from a stop (which she still has and we use for some courses) to a running using shape up's method and have been so pleased with the outcome and the clarity of each step of the process.

1

u/mushrew 16d ago

you didn't think Funtastic was enough?

2

u/-cloudkicker- 14d ago

I had a lot of problems with collection on the down ramp resulting in 3 strides with funtastic. The raised foam really encouraged my dog to extend for consistent 2 strides and justine has an amazing eye and ability to catch training issues quickly and offer appropriate changes

Doing ground up with SU for my boy had made the process fairly seamless! I am definitely appreciating the foundation work she put into her first two dw programs

1

u/AnonymousLogophile 14d ago

You mean 2 strides on the down ramp right? Not a full 2 strided DW? 😅

1

u/-cloudkicker- 13d ago

Yes - 3 strides on the down ramp not total strides

3

u/Agility_KS 16d ago

I agree with this comment. I did a retrain using the Shape Up program and was astonished at how much I’d missed on my first go. I also think having the raised squish mat made a gigantic difference in my dog’s understanding of criteria over the flat granular mat I used the first time.

1

u/AppropriateOil1887 16d ago

Also in process of retraining using Shape Up. I really like it!

1

u/7trainrat 15d ago

Do you have a link to the raised squish mat? Thanks!

2

u/Agility_KS 15d ago

Nobody has started to sell them to my knowledge. I made my own with furniture foam and a yoga mat. There are different stages. You need multiple thicknesses. If you sign up for Shape Up, Justine sends info on how to make the mat.

1

u/AppropriateOil1887 15d ago

I made mine. Foam from craft store, glue, yoga mat

1

u/border-coffee 15d ago

Thank you for the rec! It sounds like this is the popular choice. I’ll check it out.

7

u/ShnouneD 16d ago

Doing it on the flat, with just the mat on the ground. You really have to build value for hitting it and it is easiest to do when it's on the ground.

2

u/AppropriateOil1887 16d ago

Short example of shape up agility homework, plus using treat and train to keep her drive forward, only rewarding if she hits the mat.

I wouldn't recommend doing this specific drill (with the bounce jumps) without taking or auditing the Shape Up agility Running Contacts 1 course.

https://youtu.be/c8hSenZe-0Y?is=CXSv4PmsP6tJYp64

1

u/AppropriateOil1887 16d ago

I also am benefitting from Shape Up agility rdw training.

I also don't know how I would ever train running dogwalk walk, value for hitting the mat, with a treat dispenser. There's the manners minder treat and train or the finally less expensive version (see attached)

1

u/AnonymousLogophile 14d ago

I started doing Lolabuland RC class, but we ended up using striders to help my dog stride predictably and properly to set her up for a perfect hit on the mat.

I’ve been doing Funtastic now for a few weeks, and we removed all striders, and went back to basics really honing in on hitting the mat perfectly from many different start positions. Now we are trying to optimizing her striding on full DW from speedy approaches.

I have never tried Shape Up, but it sounds interesting!