[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy.

I think we are pretty much on the same page!

And another thing… I once promised myself that I would not get to the point of planning strides for my dog agility. I am remembering that…

Time to move along. Tomorrow is zigzag day. 😊

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

I did notice that the striding was sometimes different between the online and parallel options. I think running on grass will help figure that out.

I decided to set up another course. In yesterday’s one, I wondered if Enzo was able to be on course because the tunnel was an obvious target. So the question is: Can the line be set and the handler leave when there isn’t that kind of target.
Course: https://youtu.be/1w94eXXagGA

Here are the courses:
On the light circles, the line can be set at 2 to 3 and 5 to 6; same for mirror course in purple squares. So, I’m putting the FC’s more on the line than usual. I will do one of them parallel first followed by on-line and the other the other way. That is to avoid the ‘learning effect bias’.

The handling is:
Lead out/FC between 2 and 3
RC on 4
FC between 5 and 6
Pull to 8.

Not saying this is the handling I would use irl; just handling to try out our discussion. 😊

Running on the line from 2 to 3 is not handling I would normally use. But running on the line from 5 to 6 does not feel “risky” because I don’t need to diverge from Enzo’s line. All I need to do is get off the line in time to run 6 to 7 as straight north/south.

I’m writing this before I run it, so you get the “before” thinking. I often feel like I am waiting on a FC like the one from 5 to 6 because of the parallel line. By running on the line, I think I can leave without waiting. Will be interesting to see.

Video: https://youtu.be/okQs9Q6Rc4c

I used ll to mean Parallel and OL to mean On-Line.

And the answer is:
Circles Parallel: 8.7
Circles On-line: 8.5
Squares On-line: 9.8
Squares Parallel: 9.1

The way I count “strides” is to count the number of times the front feet strike the ground. Therefore, a bounce would count as 1 stride and a full stride would count as 2, et cetera. I find it easy and consistent.

Looking at the circles; counting strides:
Stride ll OL
1-2 3 3
2-3 2 2
3-4 3 3
4-5 3 5 (??)
5-6 4 3
6-7 3 2
7-8 3 3
Total strides:
Parallel 21
On-line 21

Looking at the squares
Stride OL ll
1-2 3 3
2-3 2 2
3-4 3 3
4-5 4 4
5-6 6 5
6-7 2 3
7-8 4 3
Total strides:
On-line: 24
Parallel: 23

Looking at Coach’s Eye, we see that, for the circles, the on-line run is about a half a stride faster at the FC between 5 and 6 and that carries through to the end.
https://youtu.be/9u4k2N1_jTY

Looking at Coach’s Eye for the squares, once again it was during the FC between 5 and 6 where the difference showed up. It looks like I got in his way during the on-line run and the parallel run is about 1 and a half strides faster.
https://youtu.be/Zg29WjFymCA

Thanks,
Barb

ps: I wanted to add my course map but I can’t figure out how to upload a picture from my computer. It asks for a url which I don’t have because it isn’t uploaded anywhere. So I made a video of it…

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Well, I just had to set it back up. Most important question: Did I do this they way you are saying?

I ran both the original setup and a mirror image. If we call the two methods Yours and Mine we could become crabby and entrenched, so I’ll say Online and Parallel. 😊

Regardless, there did not seem to be a significant difference. I was afraid, with the online method, that I might actually get the wrong end of the tunnel, since I was not running parallel to the dog’s path but diverging from it. That didn’t happen, although I’m not sure when I would be bold enough to intentionally start on the line and run a diverging path.

Version1 was cropped to allow short comparisons: https://youtu.be/tZZxeIPcKB8

Version2 was cropped a bit longer: https://youtu.be/HLpMU-JU1qY

If I were more agile with Coach’s Eye, I would be able to compare them more accurately. If I have time later tonight, I may tackle it. When I just read the time off the iMovie, they were always within .1 which is less than the accuracy of that eyeball method.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Not sure I’m following you at all but I think I understand this better than the line thing (more on that later).

At any rate, maybe this is what you want. If so, here is my baseline.

First thing: from in front of me, Enzo can spin left or right on cue “left” or “right” with accuracy in high 90’s.

Next, from between my legs, he cannot choose “left” or “right” with any accuracy (even with hints). At least I can practice this inside and get it trained up.

Note: It is 11:30 am and temperature is 90 degrees. Entire training session was 5:28. It felt much longer. 😉 Also, Enzo and I both decided we were done at the same time. Happily, he isn’t like some dogs who will work until they die of heat exhaustion (my Malinois, Terry, was like that).

The setup is so that the target jumps are on a soft 90 degree turn.

I don’t think he is paying any attention to the verbal cues on these tunnel reps. My motion is 100% predictive of what I want. Is this what you wanted me to do??

He was basically perfect leaving the tunnel each time. The only one which I thought was at all questionable was the last “go on”.

https://youtu.be/X0cesQ1eJsk

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Good morning,

Enough whining. I do not understand what you want from the lead out, so I made two pictures. Then filmed and talked

The first one, with the circled A is that I considered that I did:
– Lead out to a strategic position at the point of the first turn.
– Move as soon as he is committed to jump #2 (almost immediately)

The second shows me starting on the path (is this what you mean by “Try to lead out right on the line and execute the FC with the same timing but on the exact line you want him on (then get outta there of course)”. But I don’t like it because then my path is not parallel to the dog’s path. Running a parallel path is one of those “things” I do.

Video: https://youtu.be/Y8J3Ijrutyw

I think I don’t understand. How lucky I’m in a class and you can explain! 😊

(I thought you were taking the weekend off? Hope you had fun, at any rate!)

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Oh, I meant to add: I am a bit disappointed in how poorly Enzo responds to tunnel cues, since he has been working on them for a long time. At least as long as cues that he responds to very well; for example backside wrap versus backside slice.

Oh well, it doesn’t really matter. The dog tells us what he does or doesn’t know, regardless of what we think we have taught or we think he should know. <sigh>

Possibly has something to do with how easy it is to work jumping drills and what a pain it is to work tunnel drills. 😉

B

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Today is July 5; today’s high was over 90 degrees. I just looked at the weather app on my iPad; it shows the high temperatures out to July 19. Every day is OVER 90 degrees except July 11, 12 and 13 when the expected temps are 88, 87 and 89 respectively. That means we will be doing few or no sprint drills outside.

My plan is to work on things in the barn. I don’t get quite as “much dog” in the barn but we can do more than 2 reps. 😊

I’ll work on it for a few days and show you how it’s going.

Thanks!
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

I think it is a good thing that you are looking at these! <grin>

Your explanation is detailed and uses examples and, well, I’ll just keep plugging along and hope to educate my eye over time. (For example, I can critique a Belgian Shepherd’s conformation and type in extreme detail. Wasn’t always the case. So there is hope.)

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Thanks for the great feedback. Alas, temperature is 88 and I need to prep the field for tomorrow’s UKI trial. So, that will have to be enough for that one.

However, the barn has a/c and we were happy to go in there to train. He isn’t quite as fast in the barn but we go with what we have. 😊

Starting off with the Novice Sequences. Please note, all the times are VERY approximate. I just get them from iMovie by trying to align Enzo over the first jump and last jump for each run.

The biggest problem on all of these runs is the turn out of the tunnel!

One: https://youtu.be/6FZ9x2xSkyo
First time through, I let him drift too much over #4 and that made the turn to #5 very difficult. Second time the turn was better but the time about the same. Third time I tried the better tunnel brake and RC; and got the best time. Not really a surprise, since I got much nicer turns.

Two: https://youtu.be/SDLi8YcP4e0
This first run had a nice turn out of the tunnel. He is only reading the tunnel brake when I am near the entrance. (sigh) It also had a pretty nice wrap – again I was close to the jump. The other two runs I am further away from the key points and they are slower.

Three: https://youtu.be/gGz_pl-1Fs8
Hee hee. Not really loving any of these runs. The third one had no tunnel brake at all.

Hope you had a lovely Fourth. Alas, my dogs are freaking and today is only the third.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Have a great time! I bought a tight wrap (like a thunder shirt) for Enzo for fourth of July. Hope you don’t have firework troubles!

[Barb VanEseltine]

Well, 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 (as a spin), right (as a spin), ok (release), come. I thought “switch” was in this list but Enzo demonstrated to me today that it still requires motion support. Push and Around are very close to fluent. We work on them all the time.

Everything else requires support. 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)
Jump (jump in extension)
In-in-in (threadle to slice; “S” shaped jumping effort)
Push (Backside wrap)
Around (Backside slice)
Punch it (Contact command for stopped contacts; i.e. teeter)
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

I see that I am missing a threadle to wrap cue but I think I would use In/Switch. I haven’t missed it yet. 🙂

Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

It’s Friday, so here is my zigzag video. Setup:
– I tried to duplicate the amount of zigzaggedness from last time
– Started at 12 and moved up to 16

Video: https://youtu.be/qt_4yWagdt4

I thought the 12’s looked pretty good. The first 16 is pretty raggedy but the next 3 look ok. I numbered them so you would “get” which one I did in slo-mo.

I am staring and staring but I am not good at deciding if he is properly jumping off his rear or improperly pulling off his front. (I feel like I know the words but not how to apply them; recognize them <sigh>).

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Well, I did give it a try.

Video: https://youtu.be/FDJgmTVlbOo

The coolest part is watching him add a stride on the last rep.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Many great ideas!

If the weather cooperates, I will try your running line. My thought is: would I really be able to do that multi-layer irl if he hadn’t seen it before? Because, to be honest, I considered it and “chickened out”. 😊

I would expect him to pull in to take the off course #3. I had a similar line with my Monday team (3 of us) and he couldn’t quite do it.

But…we’ll see.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Ok, I know this is weird. My plan was to work with a friend (first time seeing her in 6+ months because her dog was out and then the virus). We were to be in my yard, masks and so on. So I built the masters 1 course, because her dogs are masters dogs.

Well, it was still too hot at 6:00, so we canceled. But by 8:30, it wasn’t as bad, so I ran Enzo. Here it is:

https://youtu.be/lIxFtK00JYQ

Thanks,
Barb

Ps: I know the teeter is <bad>. Working on it with Jen Pinder. Some progress…

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