Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Hi Tracy,
Interesting what the definition of “fluent” is regarding, for example, weave poles. I am quite confident that once Enzo starts weaving, he will stay in the weaves regardless of my motion (against his motion or sideways or whatever). I am confident that he can find (with handler support: arms, eyes) very difficult entries. But I know that, if they are adjacent to each other, he will not correctly choose “weaves” versus “tunnel” versus “climb it” on a verbal alone. Of course, I have never actually seen a place where that mattered. 😊
I really appreciate your good thoughts about “jump” versus “jump right” and “jump left”. Alas, I am at my limit for learning new words which mean “turn this way” or “turn that way”. If I just use “right” or “left”, then he might turn before the jump and I’m not sure he would be wrong. Especially because I use them as spin cues in front of me. I do not want to dilute my wrap cues (check and dig) by asking for a wrap and then “unwrapping” his response. I’m going to wait and see what happens once I start showing. Since I show almost exclusively in AKC, I’m looking for the minimum set of verbals which will support Premier courses and National courses. I anticipate that set will grow over Enzo’s lifetime but Patt was pretty successful with very few verbals indeed. 😉
For the next little while, I am going to keep my eye on this set of verbals and see how it goes. Patt was very fast on the tunnel re-direct using the threadle verbal and if Enzo starts to “get it” in the same way, I may hold off on a new verbal. OTOH, that would be a fun one to teach.
I recently got some training courses from Jenny Damm’s Facebook page (because they are a good size to fit in my club’s training building – long and narrow). Even her “easy” courses require more handler fitness and verbal support than we need in AKC agility. So I’ll aim for somewhere north of AKC premier and south of Jenny. <grin>
Thanks!!
BarbHi Tracy,
The list is slightly modified from the one I gave you last summer. I think my thinking about verbals is about the same.
Verbals are under constant pressure: which ones am I going to teach and use? Are they truly fluent or do they require support by motion? Based on various tests, I can say that these cues are fluent:
sit, down, stand, left (spin), right (spin), ok, and come.
Switch, Push and Around are very close to fluent but require some support. We work on them all the time.Everything else requires support. To my shock, obstacle names are NOT fluent and, without handling support, are not much better than 50-50.
Here are the ones I am working with:
Go on! — take the line in front of you, usually the ending line
Check — wrap left
Dig — wrap right
Easy — collect; add a stride
Hit it — contact command on the running A-frame
Jump — jump in extension
Left — turn left off the running DW or A-frame
In-in-in — threadle to slice; “S” shaped jumping effort
In-switch — threadle to wrap
OK — release (start, table, teeter; also use obstacle name)
Push — backside wrap
Around — backside slice
Punch it — contact command for stopped contacts; i.e. teeter
Right — turn right off the running DW or A-frame
Switch — RC – turn away
Jump-right — jump and turn 90 degrees right
Jump-left — jump and turn 90 degrees left
Flip — turn away and find the backside
Zing — run straight off the running DW (or turn less than
40 degrees)I wanted to add “Tight” (wrap tightly from a lead-out push) but I forget to train it and use “Easy” instead; I think I’ll just ignore for now and see if I really, really need it (after we start trialing).
I see that you have a separate verbal for taking the far tunnel entrance (what’s yours?). I have been using my threadle verbal (IN) for this but I will admit that it doesn’t support speed. When I tested it yesterday, I got a head-check and redirect to the correct end of the tunnel (he was blasting at the wrong end a warp speed). So I was happy to get the correct answer but I would have preferred his blasting to the correct end. On the other hand, with limited training time, which verbals are the best pay off?
So excited about this class!
Thanks,
BarbHi Tracy,
I am so excited that this course really starts tomorrow. I have made some progress with the tunnel/crate discrimination. If I put him in front of the tunnel, he is maybe 75% correct with “Tunnel!” and almost 100% with “Crate!”. I should be more diligent with training this more than once-in-a-while…
Barb <giant grin>
Hi Tracy,
I LOVE this! You are able to get in LOTS and LOTS of reps. Even when the dog makes a mistake, it is quick. I had it setup at home with weaves, A-frame, tunnel and it was not making me happy. Enzo was good with it (lots of cookies) but I’m not sure how much learning. We will back up to 10 foot tunnel and crate (or maybe table?). Sounds like fun!
Barb
Hi Tracy,
CONGRATS on your UKI Open results!! You and Jen Pinder both did really well. I get a warm fuzzy feeling when my instructors are successful. [Even though I know that isn’t the “measure” of an instructor, it is still fun!]
The crossed arms are the Judge’s signal to the scribe that a “do over” is in progress. As a handler, I can use it to signal to the Judge that I know I’m going into “do over mode”. On the start line, there could be a question (if the dog doesn’t cross the line but the handler is not going to accept the dog’s behavior).
Excited about Proofing 101. That is to integral to obedience and yet isn’t stressed much at all in agility. 🙂
Thanks,
BarbHi Tracy,
Lots of GREAT feedback; thanks!
The crossed arm cue is the AKC “do over”/”training in the ring” cue. I thought he should get used to seeing it. I don’t intend to use it for anything except bad start lines, at least in the beginning. (If we ever get a beginning…)
A lot of times when you want to me leave sooner, I’m having trouble because the “course” is so small and tight: there is no where to go! Will be interesting to see if I can remember to leave when I finally get to see big courses again.
Delighted to hear you will run the discriminations class. I think it will be a fun winter project.
Thanks,
BarbHi Again!
Two notes in one day!
Here is the next video: https://youtu.be/02cPbvMUKlA
First, I did the last sequence from week 5. I thought it was “ok” on the first run but the turn at 3 could be improved. On the rerun, I thought it was better.
Then I redid the second sequence to improve the Whiskey turn on #5. Surprise, #4 was supposed to be a front side. So I cleaned that up, also. I also ran it with a 360 circle, since it is a bit of a challenge for us to distinguish between the slice and circle. Happily, that went well.Thanks!
BarbHi Tracy,
Yay! I got a chance to work on week 5!
Here is the first one: https://youtu.be/OEnQYSC0hfY
I looked at the dropped bar in slow-mo and zoom and I suppose it could be a connection thing. At any rate, he got over it in one try. Otherwise I was happy with this setup. I left in the middle section where he was moving his feet around too much and I had to go back to reset. I wanted to practice the “no leadout” on this setup and I thought he handled it well.The next one is here: https://youtu.be/7rwL-MUrJT4
On paper, I wondered why you went around 4 the way you did; then I tried it both ways. I left in the first and last runs (with the Whiskey rear) because this is something I tend to do: chicken out on my handling and insert a rear. I really do need to do it enough so that it will be successful. 😉 Looking at the video, I am out of position both times: Enzo cannot see the jump because I am blocking the wing. Will have to rework it later…Thanks,
BarbPs: Did you decide to do the discrimination class for the winter?
Hi Amy,
Thanks for asking about Enzo. He is from Julie Oakes (Grand Oaks BC’s).
https://www.grandoakesbordercollies.com/
Enzo is from Laurie Thal’s Jo (MACH Grand Oake’s Power Surge)
and Marco Giavoni’s Fetch (Fetch Granting Pleasures)- brought from Europe; very much used sire.Barb
Hi Tracy,
Just a bit here about your last comments. On the second set, yes, the threadle/Japanese might potentially be faster, but it is too much twirling for me. I did a LOT of Japanese’s with Patt, but he is a bit slower and I never felt so “out of position” as I did with Enzo. It doesn’t look awful in the video, but I can tell you that it felt awful. <grin>
As the video was already running long, I didn’t include everything…! I can tell you that there was at least one wrap attempt where I got to the wing but my motion pushed him into the slice. I figured I would stop sooner and then get the wrap with backwards motion. 😉
Well, here is my attempt at the Deliberate Disconnection part 1. I’m assuming you used a wrap at 4:17 for pedagogical reasons; seems like a slice line would be better…( So, of course, I included the slice line.).
I did a remarkably poor job of dropping the toy on the line. I knew it at the time but the video makes it crystal! Enzo is very Unused to doing a circle wrap; I generally use “push” for “go out, wrap and come back”, since we tend to avoid “go out 360 circle and continue”. Needs some work.
The group that starts at 1:02 completely amazed me. I did not expect Enzo to stay out for the backside (Patt wouldn’t have done that in a million years with me at that distance). So, I showed him the nearside, just to make sure he knew that option. Then he still stayed out! Both ways!!
At 1:36 you see the full circle left with 2 jumps. I thought it went well. Then the rest was pretty straight-forward.
Thanks,
BarbHi Tracy,
That was fun and a great analysis! I’m a bit surprised at being behind (haven’t finished week 3 and here is week 4!) but I have been pretty busy. I hope to have more time after the election on Tuesday! 😊
At any rate, I was able to finish up week 3. The last sequence was lots of fun! I did it using:
– Whiskey
– Serp (running the dog’s line)
– German
– Threadle
– Wrap
I didn’t intend to do the Serp but I was late on the German and that’s what I got!Just a couple of notes:
– On the first rep, I used the verbal “around” which is Enzo’s slice verbal. Granted, his backside wraps are quite poor, but he does better when he knows to expect them!
– So, at :38, he did a better wrap (and I was in a better position to help)
– On all reps of the last sequence, I would have been better off it I didn’t need to babysit the #5 backside as much.
– While I did pull off the German, I wasn’t very well positioned.
– I think a spin would have helped the threadle one but it is so far from my first handling choice that I didn’t bother to perfect it. 😉
– I don’t love the wrap but based on my possible positioning and motion, it was pretty good.Thanks,
BarbHI Tracy,
Here is today’s training video. We did about half of the longer sequences (more tomorrow, I hope).
Some observations:
At :18 I forgot which side I wanted to be on, then
At :22 Enzo considered taking a side trip to the toyI was pleased with the rep starting at :30
The first run of the second course (:42) was clean but I thought he was lacking in confidence on the run across the barn, so I did a few isolated tries at the piece from #2 to #4. The repeat run at 1:009 went well.
Then I thought as long as I was “there”, I might as well try this same sequence with a backside at #4. I warmed it up a bit and ran it twice.
The run at 1:37 included his banking off my legs (not exactly legal, though I’ve rarely been called for it). Then the last run he made the turn without my “help”. I could probably have left sooner… 😊
Thanks,
BarbHi Tracy,
Independent backside serpentine lines – YES! That is exactly what we need to work on. I LOVE when a question goes to an instructor and they totally get it. Thank you! I get a kick out of how hard you are “selling” this on the video. I get it! I get it!
So, working on the serp line is the backside slice (“around” in Enzo’s case). But I would also want to have this with a wrap, so I guess I’ll have to work both (“push” is the backside wrap). Granted, his backside wrap performance isn’t fabulous, but he clearly demonstrates that he understands that he will be going in different directions depending on the verbal.
Well – I have to say that your baby introduction to backsides really caused something to go “click” in Enzo’s head. I worked on that for a while, did contrasts with the threadle IN and then put it back to the side. He was almost perfect on “around” versus “get out” but still a bit harder to do “nothing” versus “get out”. Here is a sampling of that, just fyi.
Then I did a bit of the jump/tunnel discrimination. That was fun, especially with a whole jump, since you have both a front side and backside. Here is a smattering of that:
Hurray – what fun!!
Thanks,
Barb
