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Two Years of Fusion!

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We’ve had this blog running for two full years!  That’s quite impressive, and it’s all thanks to you, our wonderful members and customers! Thank you so much for making Agility Fusion a fun place to be!

To celebrate, we’re hosting a contest!  The prize will be a Dog Game (which we reviewed here) – the Spinny, to be specific!

To enter, comment on this entry (if you’ve never registered before, do so right here before commenting with either your favorite article you’ve read from Agility Fusion, or, if you don’t have a favorite article/ are new to Agility Fusion (welcome!) ask a question you would like us at Agility Fusion to answer. Good luck!

The winner will be chosen via random number generator on or around May 30th.

p.s. It’s okay if you like and mention the same post as someone else. Just be honest and share! 🙂

AND THE WINNER IS… number 42!  Congratulations, Sandy!

42 Comments on “Two Years of Fusion!”

  1. My puggle and I are just back yard agility for fun. We enjoy checking out new aquipment and differnet ways to use them.

  3. I really enjoyed the articles on what to expect and do at your first trial. That was a big help! Also, the explanations of some of the CPE games were great. I’m so glad I worked up my courage and tried them. They are a blast!

  4. I’m new as well. I’m just starting out in agility. My dog has issues with focus…he’s easily distracted and also with reactivity…any suggestions would be appreciated.

  5. I like the inspirational stories like Chaser and I also like your agility updates on rules and such. Thanks for such a great blog!!!!

  6. I enjoyed the video on the blind handler competing in agility with his dog. Lots of good info. on this site. Thanks

  7. thanks agility fusion. My dog is still a puppy but we have been enjoying some training with the open shute and weave poles. I found the article on the weave spacing a helpful suggestion and I also enjoyed the link to guessing what the dogs are saying when they bark.

  8. I’ve been coming to this site for about a year now, and I can honestly say that I learn something every time I log in. My Sheltie and I are new to agility and have not yet competed in a trial – which I hope will be soon – and I always read something here that helps in some way, whether it’s encouragement or techniques. Thank you for everyone’s contributions.

  9. Hi, I am new here! I have not had much time to read many posts but I am looking forward to reading and learning from everyone here. Due to medical problems I am forced to train my dog using a wheelchair. I was wondering if anyone here has information on the special difficulties training and showing their dogs from a wheelchair and the difficulties with directing their dog, manuevering the course etc. that using a wheelchair causes.
    Kai and I hope to be able to show soon but we could definitely use some insight into training and showing with a disability.

  11. I enjoyed the article about Chaser, the Border Collie, who knows 1,022 words. Brilliant! With one of our past dogs (she went to the bridge at age 17) — we had to spell certain words……then, she even picked up on what the spelled words meant. Got to love-em — so bright, joyful and trusting.

    Off topic — Hi to Helen, a fellow Recaller.

  12. Picking just one article is impossible! I have to say my favorites are the ones with ideas on trick and agility training All articles on here are just awesome!

  13. I’m new too and must echo Deborah’s question – our first trial will also be outside in June. Even in class, sniffing is a problem. Our puppy (just over a year old) is enthusiastic about agility yet easily distracted by the need to sniff. I don’t think it is stress with him – just his innate curiosity about everything.

  14. I have printed a few of the weave pole blogs for my students. They tend to get easily frustrated when their dogs do not take to the weave poles as quickly as everything else. Reading that experienced handlers struggle with weaves also is reassuring to them.

  15. I liked the one about Weave Spacing, my dogs are both larger and clearly do better with 24″; I had my own set “extended” with welded bars added to the bases so they are now 24″ too!

    The person (Diana?) that asked about big dogs body/foot awareness might check out the “Ladder” article – saw a standard poodle do this too, at a trial just last weekend (back feet slipped off dogwalk, dog looked highly confused!).

  16. I love them all, but the keeping it positive post is so important for me to keep in mind.

  18. Really enjoy all the posts I have had the time to read but especially liked the one “Aging and Agility”. My Rottie is 13+ now and he was my second agility partner, I lost my first one two years ago. The article talks about keeping the old guys active and on good supplements which has helped my old guy tremendously. It has to be one of the hardest things to watch your active agility pup slowing down and turning gray.
    Thanks so much!
    Glenda

  19. I can’t say I have a favorite, but if I have to pick one, it is any video which helps me train my agility Cocker.

  20. I love all of the articles. They are often a bit freudian – you somehow know what we are working on! How do you do that?

    However, my absolute favorite is “Turning into a Canine Delinquent”. Danny is a terrier mix. He is also a rescue and his early life was probably not very good. He has made so much progress, but some of the fear is still there.

    We have been working focus and foundation skills He’s come a long way. He does beautifully at class. However, take him to a different field and he has a meltdown. The last one was the worst. He started the course, stopped and left the field. We were terrified.

    The article and great comments are very helpful. We need to find another location to do some practice. We need to get him out around more crowds. We need to relax more and just keeo going and hope that he gets past it. And if I can tell that the fears are taking over, I will just tell him it’s OK and take him home.

    Thanks for a great resource!

    Karen (and Danny)

  21. I like the post about weave pole spacing. As a physical therapist it makes perfect sense to me that wider poles reduce the stress to a dogs back, especially the large ones. Since my dog suffered a back injury the larger space between the poles allows her to continue to compete without eliminating the events with weave poles.

  22. My middle dog loves to chase…cats, squirrels…but takes her being in the mood to run agility at her best….
    How to get more speed and drive in your agility dog confirmed my training.

  23. My favorite has to be the video with the blind man guiding his dog through an agility course. Even the third man helping the blind man was working as such an awesome team. If they can do it then it makes me want to work just as hard with my dog.

  26. I , too , have enjoyed all articles and cannot choose a favorite. Everything is great!
    I would like to see an answer to the “sniffing in the ring” question as well. I have a hunting breed and she loves to sniff! I am thinking about doing nosework with her as well.
    Thanks!
    Keep it FUN!!!

  27. I really related to the Aging Agility Dog article recently as my older cattle dog just turned 10years this past December. She still competes but I have dropped her down jump heights in all venues and only do one or two runs per trial as I notice she just doesnt have the stamina to do more. I am looking in to supplements for her beyond what I already give all my dogs – maybe some specific joint supplements soon. Thanks for all the great articles and fun contests!

  29. I also am new to agility. Any advise on giant breeds, having trouble on the dog walk? (slipping and falling off)
    Thanks

  30. I love all the articles and comments in Agility Fusion. I hvae picked up something helpful every month. The comments are as important as the articles because we all interpret things differently.

    Now a Question. My Muffin started competing in April and is doing fairly well (we even complete our AKC JWW Novice title). We are having problems with contact obstacles that are different from the obstacles we practice on at our club field. Our chute has a blue barrel with a blue chute — the venue where we are having trouble has a closed chute where the barrel is nearly clear and the chute is yellow. She absolutely will not go into it — whe have been in four events with this chute and can’t seem to get past it. I am tempted to pick her up and push her through it (I know I will get disqualified) just to stop this fear. Help!

  31. I have loved all of the articles but I think my favorite was the introduction of Hoopers! plus video. I think this new game is so great because it allows both those too young to jump and those getting older to still play our favorite game and learn or practice the moves.

  33. The series on first entering trials was a keeper that I printed out for easy reference. I enjoy watching the video clips and reading about Quick’s agility experiences. I pretty much enjoy reading anything agility related.

  34. Picking just one article is impossible! I have to say my favorites are the ones with new ideas on trick training and agility training 🙂 Overall, all articles on here are awesome!

  37. I am also new to the sport. The only trial I entered, my Boston Terrier got so engrossed with the score keeper’s tennis shoes, I could not call her off. I would like an answer to Deborah’s question, too. I was at a seminar and the presenter said that sniffing was a sign of stress. I know I was stressed, so she must have been too. I also have another problem. I started my second Boston Terrier puppy. He is 7 months old. He was doing all the baby obstacles with gusto the first few weeks. One night he acidently stepped on a motion board just as a bigger dog was getting on it and it threw him off. He has been terrifed of motion ever since. He is now transferring his fear to the dog walk. Any advice?

  38. I am new to agility and have our first trial coming up in June. Outdoors, why not make it extra challanging! Any advise on keeping your small dog from sniffing every thing???

    Thanks

    Love Affordable Agility!

  39. I’ve read a lot of helpful and interesting post on Agility Fusion, but of course when I need to I can’t remember/find them. So a question/topic suggestion instead:

    I’d like to know more about how people handle reactive (specifically dog reactive/aggressive) dogs at trials. I have a dog reactive/aggressive dog who is working on her foundation training. Her behavior has improved by leaps and bounds in the year I’ve had her but I’m still nervous about being able to have her compete one day. I’m more concerned about getting to the agility ring than how she’ll do in the ring.

    Just noticed the Multiple Jump Challenge post mention in the comment before mine, that does look like a fun challenge, only wish I had the space to try it!

  42. Pick just one favourite? One of my favourites I can’t find at the moment. It was a post about what agility can do for dogs and it had many comments about shy and fearful dogs coming out of their shell during agility training. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s stories.

    Other favourites include the video of the blind handler doing agility (http://www.agilityfusion.com/2010/10/amazing/) and the multiple jump challenge one (http://www.agilityfusion.com/2011/03/multiple-jump-challenge/), which prompted me to buy a set of 4 jumps and gave me some ideas on what to do with them.