Ponto speeding up a little when running on for the toy over the three jumps.  Will video again tomorrow to see if speed has really increased.  Nice tight turns round the wings of the one jump to tuggy.  Also tested her today to see if she would recall past some very smelly mackerel and she did.  POA tomorrow:

Video running on over three jumps and her turns.
RZ practise
Lots of PBJ games and drop toy and run games.
Crate games.

Agility Training at Sopley today.  I did my best to follow SG's guidelines on being a good student.  Jo was really helpful with how to get Ponto to run on.  I think following Recallers more assiduously than I did in Recallers 2.0 is really the answer.  Ponto also woke up with a gammy ear.  The vet has given me some stuff to put in her ears, this is the third time this year.  I hope the new antibiotic gets rid of it.  She behaved so well at the vet's, I didn't use her halti as she didn't like it behind her ears.  She walked loose lead from the car to the vets.  We went in and she lay down beside my chair and ignored the other dogs in the waiting room.  I can't believe how much she has improved.   We played nose touches and throw the toy and run in the garden this afternoon.   POA tomorrow . . . practise running on at jumps, think about making it into an even better game.

Ponto doing one jump with tighter turns.  Improving, will move on to speeding her up and maybe adding a follow up jump.
Ponto going ahead of me.  At one point on the video she appears to take an extra short step.  Then she is more confident the next time and jumps smoothly.
Hand touches - progressing well, did these in bedroom and kitchen.  Using plexiglass as well now.  Have to be vigilant when it is on the floor as she is tempted sometimes to touch with feet as well as nose.
Forgot to test the sit when I am running with the toy, will carry over in tomorrow's POA.

POA for today for Ponto:

One jump practising tight turns with front crosses.
Back chaining running on from me over three jumps in a straight row.
Nose touches.
Testing whether she will go into a sit or a down when I am running with her holding her toy.

H - garden for all today  except nose touches - do these anywhere, anytime and when we are out on our walks.
Time - 30 seconds to a minute each time.

Agility Training at Sopley today.  Wow I am on a buzz, definitely in the zone after taking Ponto to training this morning.   We played crate games, played and she focused on her way to her turns to run.  Then WHAM, BAM, the other people were standing with their dogs on lead chatting and one dog, a big black labradoodle pulled to run to Ponto wanting to play (but of course Ponto's attitude is that a dog wanting to play with her is a threat to her existence), the owner lost grip of her lead and the dog was where Ponto and I were playing tug before going to the start line.   Ponto's hackles raised a little but thinking on my feet, I upped the game of tug as the owner and the trainer got control of the labradoodle, Ponto continued playing despite the slightly raised hackles.  I then played tug, drop and run with her a few time moving to the other side of the agility course and once I was sure she was really 100% focused on me, we went back to the start jump which was only a few feet away from the other people and their dogs standing chatting on lead.  I decided to be daring and put her in a wait, but only stepping away from her, not doing a lead out.  She focused on the jump and we were off and she did a nice run.   Thanks to Recallers and to learning to really play a situation which, for my very reactive dog, could have ended disastrously, she proved to me that working with me is playing with me and never mind the rest of them.

POA for today, tomorrow and everyday - play the tug recallers games.

Ponto has started doing her perch work, but still as a tendency to bark when she is confused and thinking things out.  We played loads of hand touches, RZ, and tuggy recallers yesterday.  The only time she doesn't find lots of value for her toy is coming out of her crate when at agility training.   At home she happily ignores other distractions like the dogs barking next door, food on the ground, my dogs running around at the same time.  Susan Garrett gave us the challenge to think of something that we are struggling with and invent a new game to play in order to achieve it.   Decided that today I will use food when I release her from the crate, stay pretty near the crate and then start running when she gets to the RZ and the food, then produce the tuggy.

Agility Training yesterday.   Ponto still not wanting to run fast out of crate.   She ran well but still needs to build up more drive.   Decided to play lots of tug games with her, because although she loves playing tug and works to a tuggy toy, she will be distracted from it if other dogs are too close and I need to work on this.

On Being a Good Dog Training Student

I downloaded Susan Garrett's epamphlet on "Being a Good Dog Training Student", and went to training today having planned beforehand what I wanted to do, including crate games and focus over one jump at the start. Fortunately in the course Jo had set we had the turn I had been practising but had had difficulty with.  Jo put me right as to where I should position myself, although the others were doing the turn round the jump the other way. It was a lightbulb moment.  I also practised visualising the bits of the course we were doing beforehand.  Ponto was very happy to drive fast into her crate but more reluctant coming out and had a Don't Want to Don't Have to moment regarding playing with her tug.  At home we never have this, but it was the first time playing crate games at the agility field and she is always nervous with other dogs around.  However, by playing dive to get the tuggy we overcame the problem to a good extent.  Also, although she focuses on the first jump at home, she tends to look at me at training - again because she is concerned about what is going on around her.  I through her toy over the first jump and then released her to it.  This seemed to speed her up for the next bit.  Going to continue working on this regularly.