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Plank – Various from 3/23- 3/30
So I’ve been experimenting to come up with ways to consistently get his fluffy little butt out of a trot on the plank, but then dealing with some more misses because he’s had too many reps while trotting.He’s likes chasing thrown toys, but will tend to turn is head to watch if I try to throw it as his immediate reward. (Dead toys in front of him are typically boring).
My motion often gets him moving faster, but of course too much of my motion just makes him launch up in the air. (I am seeing a similar thing with his teeter training where he is fastest/most confident if I am moving even if I’m behind or ahead of him).
Having more space to spread out in (especially outside) tends to motivate him more.
As you mentioned, too much of the same thing tends to slow him down (boredom? who knows). So with that, I decided to try mixing things up a bit more just to see what would work. I also decided he could do a trick for a reward if he trotted through the target, but it would be treated more like a miss than hitting it. (I bent this a bit if he had 2 errors in a row with a launch and then broke in to a trot)We tried adding a bit of height to the board just for something different, but that involved him needing to start right on the board (or the porch step or platform I was using) and he often trotted because he didnt’ get a running start at the board. We tried this in 3 different locations with similar results so I am currently trying to find some ring time with a low DW just so I can try starting him on the top plank so he can pick up some speed going down the ramp.
3/29/21 – Added in more of my motion and staying ahead. Got some launches and misses, but he was actually running. Used his frizzer for the reward so was getting some head turning.
3/30/21 – Even with the few launches, I liked this session. I used his raw food at breakfast in a Toppl for the reward. (the Toppl prevents him from gulping the whole meal and I don’t have to deal with spooning out a portion from the dish) He seemed to do better if I was carrying it and running it out to the dish target. When I had it in the dish ahead of him he either got it when he missed (whoops!) or started pulling up to stare at it (He will do that with his favorite ball too sometimes when it’s not moving). He has a few reps where he jumps up a bit and lands in the target. I’m not sure if that was by design or accident, but he had at least 2 feet hit so it got rewarded.
Adding 2nd Set – 3/29/21
Ah-hah! So you keep the first set at a fixed angle and then isolate the distance or the angle of the 2nd set as the variable. (Further distance and tweak the angle. Then closer together but back to 3/9 before tweaking the angle again) Then when you work up to first set at 1/7 and second set is closer and 1/7. You get to start over with the first set straight and the 2nd set further out and 3/9. Rinse & repeat. I was trying to tweak the first set angle along with the 2nd set and distance. No wonder it got muddled.So this video was this morning’s session where first set is at 1/7 and the 2nd set started further away and changed angles. Then started to get closer. I did another session in the late afternoon and we got to the 2 sets being regulation distance with the first at 1/7 and 2nd at 2/8. It was really windy all day, especially in the 2nd session so I was so happy that he ignored all the blowing leaves and the kids playing across the street. (blowing leaves are a huge distraction for him). We even threw in a threadle side entry. Unfortunately it was so windy that my little gorillapod got blown off the fence on the 2nd rep so I got a few minutes of a close up of the driveway on video.
We experimented with a tennis ball for his and he warmed up as we went along but it’s clearly not as high value as Nemo so we went back to Nemo later.Bang it on Teeter – 3/29/21
We’ve been working separately with his scratchy target thingee (with and without the travel plank) to get multiple scratches. Then I started putting it back together on the teeter with a small tip. I think it’s gotten better but I’m still seeing his head turn some times before I can get a treat in or at least his eyes flicking to me on the video. I had an earlier session where he came off the board with me when I added some motion, but he did better about staying put when I moved a bit in this one.Uphill – Mountain Climber – 3/29/21
Tip reduced to 5in (I finally measured it) and we did a few sessions over the last few days of 1 hit wonders for his raw food at meal time – mostly me going with him or leading out. And then here’s tonight’s video where he is showing more speed up the plank and his head is staying down to look for the reward even on the send!
Do you think it’s better to give him a day or two off on uphill to do some downhill and end position stuff just to let this sink in more before I try this again to confirm it wasn’t a fluke before adding an inch to the tip?I do think he does a lot better when we have more room and I can run more and be more lateral. But the teeter is staying in the basement a while longer since it is a pain in the butt to get out of there. It as 70 today, but heading to 40 again tomorrow.
Actually I’m running in to the same thing with his RDW where the best way to get his fluffy little butt out of a trot is my motion. Of course then there’s the problem of him launching at my motion, but hey! it’s supposed to be challenging right?
Weight Shift – 3/23/21
Tried a higher target and further out. Still not seeing the weight shift, but he is looking more confident about the wobbly plank.
But loving the Teach It – way easier than mixing and matching chairs, milk crates, duct tape and wooden spoons that fall off.
Uphill & Downhill Teeters – 3/26/21
up to about 8in of tip for both directions.Downhill –
He is faster/more confident if I am moving with or ahead of him, but he is still driving to the end if I send. Should I be looking for any more speed before I add more tip or is trotting without hesitation what I am looking for to progress?Uphill:
It’s hard to see at this camera angle, but I don’t think he’s doing much of a weight shift back, but it’s also not dropping very far.2×2 Tunnel Discrimination – 3/27/21
This was 2 sessions that had a short break between them mashed together in the same video. Still having trouble getting him in to the tunnel (guess I should enjoy it while it lasts!) Started at 1&7 but then got to straight poles.2x2s – 2nd set – 3/25/21
This was from yesterday over lunch (so of course since I did this we ended up doing weaves in class that night)
We had a session with 2 sets of poles from earlier in the week where he failed twice with the 12&6 poles in the first set even with an easy entry. I moved them back to 1&7 in that session and ended there. So I started with 1&7 this time and then moved to straight. The 2nd set is still about 4ft from the first. I didnt’ want to move them to normal distance until he had better success with the straight entries.
I cropped out us doing tricks in the middle while I waited for the very noisy Amazon Prime truck to stop across the street and then back up… (can we say loud beeping???) So I was impressed that he was able to weave again after that.And I might have missed part of step 6. Was I supposed to start angling the 2nd set while the first set was still at 1&7? Whoops! He did the 2nd set at 3&9 but at the “regular” distance from the first set at 1&7. Do I push that distance out again when I start angling the 2nd set or leave it in closer but keep the first set at 1&7 instead of straight?
Channels – 6 poles – Distractions – 3/25/21
Biggest distraction for him was doing this in a different place, his group class which he hasn’t been in for very many weeks. So other people in or around the ring and sometimes quietly waiting dogs outside the ring.Picked up speed nicely through the poles with the angled entries, but the RCs were too much for him so I went back to an easier entry to end before his brains completely fell out of his head. I think the first attempted RC would have worked if I had just tossed the frizzer sooner as he was just getting to pole 3 when he turned and looked back. Instead I was worrying about completing the cross (no idea why). I do like how he stayed focused forward well with the frisbie toss and didn;t pop out whe I was getting ready to toss the frizzer.
We have done those games with asking for a simple behavior when moving food/toys are around, but it was a little while ago so I picked them up again. So far we’ve made improvements on a hand touch while I’m holding and slowly moving his raw food dish in my other hand. I get a solid hand touch without hesitation but then he looks over at the food as his head comes up. I can get repeat touches but not without the eye flick between.
Channels – 12 poles – 3/24/21
Took advantage of my nearby training facility having lots of 2x2s to set up 12 poles in channels. I like how he accelerates once he gets in the channels. 1 oopsie on a RC on entry. I’m saving the crazier counter motion stuff for when I’m using 6 poles at homeQuestion on the serp exit challenge – Do you want the dot to exit and serp with you or do you just run across the end of the poles ahead of them while they continue to the MM/PT?
Weight Shift – 3/22/21
OK- played around with how to position the plank, bosu and teach it and am not really seeing a weight shift even when he got going. I don’t own a doughnut. I’m wondering if the bosu is just too low? I do have 2 versa discs I could stack on top of the bosu but it might be too wobbly thenDownhill Teeter games 2 – 3/21 & 3/22/21
Did a bit of tip for his downhill games on Sunday and then his new Teach It arrived this afternoon! (actually it got delivered by the guy around the corner at the same house number on 13th lane. We live on 13-1/2 St. That’s apparently very confusing for UPS…and the USPS)
So we did a 1-hit wonder with more drop tonight.2×2 – adding 2nd set – 3/22/21
OK – Good thing he’s not really weaving yet with the 2nd set at 3&9. Since I cleary can’t count and keep track of the number of reps!
Started the 2nd set further away and then move a bit closer and eventually got them to “real spacing” but with the angles.I like how this breaks down adding the 2nd set more. I think that’s what stalled us out when we tried it earlier a la Susan Garrett – when you add the 2nd set at more of an angle, it was too big of a jump for him.
I’m getting confused – does the dog start or end at 12 o clock? Whatever it is, I’ll work on the tricky off side entry with him as you mentioned by getting close and dropping the reward in right at the pole exit.
Channels – 3/21/21
Here’s channels using a frizzer as reward (technically a Flying squirrel since he started eating my frizzer the day before). He popped out a few times in the last set when on my right. Not sure if it is related to me about to toss the toy. I was trying to throw sooner so that he doesn’t start to turn his head on exit, but also ended up rewarding a pop-out as I was throwing as his shoulder was passing #3 and then he popped out.
Weather is supposed to be rainy mid week so not sure how much weaving we’ll get done.2x2s – straight – 3/21/21
Warm up on 1-7 and then went to straight. I was heading in to straighten them out and he thought I was sending so his first straight poles were inadvertent. Yay puppy!He does better keeping his rewards straight than I do. As witnessed by throwing the ball instead of hitting the remote on the last rep and by accidentally triggering the PT on the 3 o clock entry he missed. The offside more angled entry with me moving seems to be his weakest area now.
