trainer-20-04-26-0
Hi Martin,
A quick follow-up to my introduction a few weeks back (Ankaa, my young Border Collie, now 8 months). We’ve worked right through Siesta’s Puppy Diary and then the S’Mores Puppy Diary, and I’ve really valued how structured they are — at every stage I knew exactly what to work on and why.
We’re now finishing the S’Mores modules (I’m combining the 8–9 and 9–10 month content, aiming to wrap up around the end of August, when she’ll be about 9½ months). Looking at what comes after 10 months, there’s a lot of great material on the site, but I’ve lost the clear throughline that Siesta and S’Mores gave me.
You mentioned in your reply that you were hoping to put together a module on “what you do at what age” — that’s exactly what I’m looking for, so I’d love your guidance. What I’m after is a coherent roadmap for roughly the next 6–8 months, matched to Ankaa’s progression and, importantly, to her physical development as a large breed, up to the point she’s ready for her first competitions (I’m planning to start her somewhere between 18 months and 2 years old).
If it helps, the areas I’d most like a steer on:
– Remaining obstacles and when to introduce them for a large breed — seesaw, weaves, full-height dogwalk and A-frame, tyre, long/spread jumps.
– Jump-height progression (grids / jump gymnastics) toward competition height, tied to growth-plate maturity.
– Handling systems and a sensible order to teach them — front / rear / blind crosses, sends, distance, discrimination on the move.
– The build from sequences to short courses to full courses.
– Competition preparation — startline routines, proofing, ring conditions, and how you judge the “ready to compete” milestone.
– Physical conditioning alongside the skills — the athlete side, which I really want to get right for a large BC.
No rush at all — this is me planning ahead. Once I have the throughline and the age milestones, I can back-plan and line my competition calendar up behind it.
Thanks again for the videos and the format, which I genuinely enjoy.
Best,
Dominique