[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

All this happened before I read your response to Enzo’s run… This is almost (but not quite) too embarrassing to share. I set out sequence #2, walked and ran Casper on only 1 to 6. I reviewed the video and wrote this:
Well sure enough, here is Casper. I have a hard time guessing when he will be stuck to me like glue and when he will be off doing any old thing. That’s why I failed the tunnel brake on this one. So the first run got off but the second one was lovely.

Only THEN did I see #7 and #8. So I went back out and re-ran with all 8 obstacles. <sigh>

How do you think Casper looks? I was surprised at what a nice turn I got over #5 on the last run with no spin.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Why did I think that 2024 would be walk-through challenge free?

In defense of my 2:40 walk-through, I did study the map ahead of time. Also, it is only 9 obstacles.

Now, I did some home study on my run:
1. I didn’t take into account how far “out” Enzo would go on jump #1. That means the angle to #2 was shallower (more favorable) and I didn’t need the hard collection.
2. FC over # 5 is late – I had time to get to a better position
3. The turn 6 to 7 is not a thing of beauty. Not sure I could have “sent less”. The verbal is late, since he has already determined his takeoff point. If you compare the takeoff point for #6, when I wanted collection and the takeoff point to #9, where I didn’t, they look about the same.

Per your instructions, I didn’t run it again.

Maybe I’ll try the next one with Casper. <grin>

Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

AHA! Cues for the threadle wrap/slice that both start with “Come!” Well, yes. When the dog is presented with the front of the jump, square on, my minds says to me: “First break him from taking the front side”. In the cases you have seen recently, that has been “come” but I will also use “out” for the same purpose followed by PUSH (wrap) or AROUND (slice). When the jump is not completely perpendicular to the dog’s line of travel, I am more likely to trust the cue by itself. Also, I trust PUSH and AROUND more because they have a longer history.

In Package 3, JWW #2, I used all of it. <grin>

First a bit of analysis. I wanted a slice on #4 traveling from left to right (away from the weaves) because I thought that would be the best, quickest path. With me located between the tunnel and the weaves, he should exit the tunnel on his left lead so “IN” (or come in) should get what I wanted. However, it is a VERY short distance from the tunnel to that jump and not much time to process a tricky cue. Happily, I can take a giant lead-out and be partway down the tunnel before releasing him on the send to #1.
On the first run, I was in position for a backside slice going right to left, so I took it.
On the second run, I lead out to the far side of the tunnel which made the left to right slice easy.
On the third run, I just did the threadle wrap.

For the 7,8,9 line, I was confident I could get across the tunnel exit without getting hurt. I did not consider crossing before the tunnel entrance. Because too much motion right to left? At any rate, it did not seem to me that I would show him the correct path if I tried to get a FC or BC between 7 and 8.

I really wanted to treat 11 as a backside slice (left to right). That would make 12 easy. However, it was difficult to communicate.
On the first run, I was totally late and he took the front side.
On the second run, I stayed closer to the tunnel and was able to get the convergence and backside slice.
On the third run, I did the threadle wrap. That was easiest by far!

Then there was the 13-14-15 line. Should be easy-peasy but I really wanted the course to go 13-14-7. I didn’t get it right until the third run. This is the only part I was disappointed with; I walked it and reviewed it but couldn’t get it to stick in my head. Enzo was brilliant throughout.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

I should have known we wouldn’t just smoke the rest of the courses, given that we got one of them. <grin> We found the Package 3, JWW #1 course to be quite a challenge.

While, of course, it is all my fault; one big problem was I couldn’t keep 15 in my head. I really wanted to go directly from 14 to 16. Enzo’s problem in the first run was he wanted to go directly from 8 to 10.

After the first run, I repeated a few pieces, trying to fix/tighten up some things.

I think the second run just suffered from lazy handling. In particular, layering the tunnel for the 16, 17, 18 line doesn’t actually buy anything I need and cost the #18 bar. I tried to do better on the third run.

I feel like I could have BC’d between 14 and 15 and treated 15 as a push instead of a threadle wrap. I might have gotten a bit tighter turn, since he’s more used to the push but I like the threadle wrap as a skill and want us to get better at it.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

HI Tracy,

Hope your trip is going well. I have been looking into exercises for Casper. I have only taken about 100 courses on-line and surely some of them would (you’d think) address core strengthening. And I’m sure they do but they didn’t pop out at me.

So, I am starting these simple ones on the ground. As he gets better, I’ll put them on balance inflatables.
• Sit to Kick Back Stand
• Stand to Down
• Bow
I also think about sit/sit-pretty/up and then back down. But he isn’t ready for that yet.

This video is just more jumping at 16”. I wasn’t sure exactly what you saw as the next steps (except core strengthening). I was excited about a couple of things on this video:
1. This is the first time I’ve used a ball with him and
(a) he loved it and
(b) he brought it back and released it without a struggle
2. I think his forward focus was very good
3. I added some motion and that seemed ok.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

First thing, I am confusing myself. Except for Casper, this summer, every time I have done grids like these I have used a placed toy. Every time. I assume this is to promote forward focus but that’s how Susan Salo teaches it and that’s how I’ve done it. I’m not sure why I didn’t this time. Maybe because we started this work as the end line of a sequence?

At any rate, while some people can throw toys and they magically appear over the dogs head and support forward focus, I am CLEARLY not one of those. Also, Casper is much more handler focused than previous dogs and I need to work on that.

So, here is the video with 12” jump and placed toy.

I think the wing and toy combo has resulted in forward focus. Finally. <grin> OTOH, he was jumping at least 16 and didn’t lower to 12 in these 7 trials.

Regards,
Barb

If you haven’t heard Terry Pratchett’s Guards, Guards — well, go get it. He is the best!

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Casper did not remember his puppy cone work very much, so a lot of time/energy was spent trying to communicate that. I think we eventually got a series with him (mostly) focusing forward. He struggles with forward focus on almost everything and I think this will, eventually, help a lot. So thanks for the cone idea.

Here is the video. I think I followed your advice. Over the next few days, I will try to improve his driving to the cone. I cut most of my “cone work” out of the video but it was inserted in a lot of places. I don’t know if this helped or not but starting about 2:12, I repeated the video just isolating the jumping.

Thanks!
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

First, the distance on the exercise is 19 feet.

Yes, Casper has seen a drill similar to this one but not for months. I have used 7,7,7,15 then 16, 17, 18, until a stride is added. Then back down a foot at a time to 15.

Here is today’s drill. I used your distances (6,6,6, 12,then 15, 18, 21). I was surprised that he made no errors in the reading grid at all.

So I got excited and went out to the setup. He did it fine from a stop after the tunnel. And only made one mistake exiting the tunnel. I threw the toy anyway (an error) which proves it is a good thing I train with almost all positives, since errors just mean extra toys/cookies. <grin>

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Again,

Here is Enzo doing the hot topics for package 3. I’m hoping by doing the drills with Enzo, it will sink into my head that that there are more choices than I usually consider. <grin>

I wasn’t at all scared on the BC of the tunnel. But also, Enzo is much less likely to bash into me compared to previous dogs. My Malinois, Terry, had no shame about running his line as fast as he could and the devil take the hindmost.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Regarding the standard course #2, I think it went very well and your comments are spot on. My challenge, as I see it, is to try and find the “good line”/”good handling” on the first run.

I guess you must have thought we didn’t have enough to do — there are a lot of hot topics in package 3! Happily for me, my dogs “go on” really well, so that part doesn’t need too much work.

Here is the driving ahead part with Casper. He is perfectly willing to drive ahead but keeping him focused ahead is a different matter. My throwing is pretty terrible, so I did leave it out there sometimes. And, as you can see, he consistently drops the last bar. Maybe I should shove it out a few more feet, so he has to add another stride. Notice he added a stride when we started up close but left it out as soon as the tunnel was included. When he bounced the distance, he mostly dropped the bar. Advice?

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

I decided to try and apply your advice to running the second standard course, instead of re-running the first one. This course took a couple of tries, since my handling strategy didn’t make it. On the first run, I tried to get #10 from a long ways away. That didn’t work. But I decided that I could handle #7 from the takeoff side and then I would be well positioned for #10. In the second run, I did it that way and it worked well. I was really pleased to get 21 both times, I thought it was pretty tricky.

I am extremely pleased with the second run – I thought almost all of the cueing was timely and he ran a pretty nice path (too bad it wasn’t the first run…).

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Again,

Here is Enzo doing the first standard course from package 2. As I mentioned, I pulled the A-frame away from the #17 jump.

He ran clean on the first attempt –a record for us running your courses! Instead of relabeling and working on the second course, I decided to just leave it alone. I imagine you will have some ideas and it will be sitting there ready to go. <grin>

As I look at it, there was some lazy-ass handling there but the passes through the tunnel underneath the DW pretty much discourage one from handling with too much speed, since you would wind up going in and coming back out. At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

OH, one more thing. Here is Casper doing the beginning. Not sure why he dropped bar #1 but the rest was lovely. I did a forced front because his threadle IN is still a work in progress. Just for grins.

Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Ah, you say “brake arm” and I say “early FC”; tomayto/tomahto…. The course was completely undisturbed, so we could play on it with some confidence about doing comparisons (although the camera angle is slightly different). All of the following discussion is for JWW Course #2.

First: the handling of 6-7-8. I didn’t think I could make a straight line with a BC or a post turn. What this video shows is the original handling, labeled A and B. Then today’s handling, one BC and one post turn labeled 1 and 2. I need your good eye. I almost convinced myself that today’s runs show him having to change leads to make the correct weave entrance. Maybe not. There is a striding difference.

Yes, I did give the “around” cue while he was still weaving. I am very confident that he can process a cue and not pop the weaves, so I do give the cue if it makes sense.

Also, I did want to try that far line and see if the bar is still hard for him. So, while doing the other things, I ran that a number of times. This video has the first video’s two runs, labeled A and B. Then today’s runs are 1, 2, 3 and 4. Apparently what his latent learning said was “add a stride”. It is a touch warmer today than when we ran before but I don’t think that made any difference.

Lastly, I looked at the 12-13-14-15 line a few different ways. There were the two dog paths but multiple ways to handle the wrap at #13. Also, it took me a moment to consider that I should just treat #14 as a backside slice (easy for us) instead of a Whiskey turn (hard for us).
1. Takeoff side wrap to slice: 7.8
2. Backside wrap to slice: 7.4
3. Original way slice/slice: 7.2
While I agree that option 1 was not very well executed (both turns wide), number 2 was about as tight as we do it. So, at least this time, the slices win.

If you are looking at something like Milwaukee, Wisconsin to London, Ontario, then you’ll practically go through my yard. If it is more like Eau Claire, Wisconsin to Sudbury, Ontario, you’ll probably go the northern route through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. If you choose the southern route, you’re more than welcome to drop in.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Here is Enzo, doing what he does. <grin>

Jumpers 1:
For reasons which can only be guessed at (or laughed at), when I walked this course I thought I could get a blind between 13 and 14. That proved to be wrong and made a mess out of the first run. I gave it some thought and we re-ran the ending and then the whole thing. Much nicer.
On paper, I wondered about slicing 14 but IRL, that seemed unlikely to be anything but a mess.

Jumpers2:
I didn’t spend a lot of time working on the dog path on paper for this run. As a result, the dog path is what looked best on the ground. I feel very confident about my choices at 2, 6, and 9. The choice at 6 might depend on exactly how it is built; in my yard, the left wrap seemed the only sensible choice.
Now the way to go around 13 and 14 could be debated but I feel pretty good about the way I went. Certainly, he came out of the #12 tunnel heading to the #13 backside on the R to L slice and from there the choice on 14 seemed obvious. It turned out to be “un-obvious” to Enzo, who struggled to find that one backside. Lazy handling, I guess. On the second run, he dropped #11. I included a close up and still don’t see what I might have done – he took off very early.

(If you are driving through MI with time to spare, I am in Kalamazoo, just off I-94, the major east-west route. I have an air-conditioned pole barn if you want to pop in and train a bit. Also, I have a huge, fenced yard for other adventures, training or just playing.)

Thanks,
Barb

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