[agilitywawa]

Hi,

When I watched the Didi game video, I could see her slipping. I’d love the info on the turf rolls as an option. I can also rent some time in a bigger space relatively easily to do some of these games. It’s not realistic to think we’ll be outside again until April (if we have a good Spring).

Today I did the rocking horse with me trying to stay more in the middle and having the can and cone closer together.

We worked on the rear foot targeting on the contact mat too – have not done that in a while. I still have the mat on the Cato board. No video of that.

Then we went back to the head turn around the upright since there’s no speed involved. When we last left off, you had me trying to fade the big hand motion leading her around.

I had a question that I keep forgetting to ask you pertaining to the minny pinny and left/right cues. If I’m understanding the way you are using “left” and “right” in this context, it’s the way Terry uses the sprinkler cue with Burst – for a soft-ish turn (in either direction), generally only over jumps (not sure if he uses it in other contexts), so she knows there’s a soft turn staying on the same lead (and not going straight). Left and right cues are for more “dramatic” or sharper turns.
I had been thinking about using a sprinkler cue with Dellin and still teaching/using left and right for the harder turns (I use directionals with Mari and CiCi – more on rear crosses, turns off contacts into a tunnel and turns coming out of tunnels).
I like the way the minny pinny teaches the directions. I guess my question is what do you use for sharper turns and then what are your thoughts on the above. I like the sprinkler since it’s two less words to remember 🙂

Thanks!
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Hi Tracy,

Here’s “The Didi” – first some reminder reps, then bums, then bumps with words. I’m trying to not move and she seems fine. I have been going to an in person foundation class with her just to get her out working in other places. Last night she did a tunnel to a baby pinwheel like a pro – our first sequence. Fun to see the basement skills translate into a larger space. She thought it was super fun.

And my next attempt at the rocking horse spin. Good grief, there were still outtakes 🙂 I feel like you can almost see the smoke coming out of my head from thinking so hard about it.

Thanks,
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Hi,
I re-watched the video and I had sound, so not sure what happened. And I was so proud that I was using my words!
We did a little of the minny pinny (or maybe I’ll start calling it “The Didi” :)) this morning with a toy – totally different dog – much more enthusiastic. We did the steps as you outlined above. I’ll try another short session later and get some video.

I went back to my outtakes from last night on the rocking horse spin. Let me know if these are correct. If so, I guess it seemed too easy, so I had to put in an extra move. lol

Thanks,
Joan

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by agilitywawa.

[agilitywawa]

Hi Tracy,
Yesterday I did the backside slice and started adding the verbal to it. We also revisited the threadle and I used the other arm and she was fine (as predicted, lol). No video as it was first thing in the morning.

I really don’t have anywhere else where I can do the reverse retrieve – we have no little carpet – the hallway has a runner and it is aptly named since it is on the move quite a bit 🙂 I’ll have to wait until I can work in a bigger space.

I tried out the 2 new games tonight. I thought maybe we’d need Didi as a prop for the minny pinny – like here chase the min pin around the pinwheel!
We did the baby steps- started with wings touching each other, then moved the one out about 6 inches and then moved it out more. I left me in there moving it so you’d know when it moved since it’s hard to tell from the camera angle. I started off a little awkward in the treat delivery but it got better (it may still be incorrect). Then I figured that was enough for one session and did not add the bumps yet.

Then we moved on to the rocking horse with the spin. I was able to get about 10-12 feet between the garbage can and the cone. It took me a while to sort out the mechanics on that one! But I think I finally got it. Some of the problem got resolved when I finally figured out which hand the toy needed to be in to deliver the reward after the blind. This is a move I do all the time with Mari, but when it’s on a cone, I just cannot seem to sort it out. Hopefully I got a few that were correct. I cut quite a few out the video, lol. And if you tell me I’m doing it wrong, it won’t surprise me either!!

We started with a couple of front cross warm ups and then moved into it. I don’t really have enough space to add much of a turn and burn to this.

Thanks,
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Hi,
Ha! Grudgement is the perfect word for her reaction.

We did some backsides, threadle and reverse retrieves tonight.

Backside – I put down a leash on the floor to keep myself honest about my position. I even left in the end of a couple of reps where she BROUGHT ME THE TOY TO MY HAND 🙂

Threadles – trying to make sure she was not leaving when my arm started to move. She did really well – grudgement period is over.

Question – I do use the other arm for my threadles with Mari and CiCi and I’d liek to do that with Dellin, so how do I transition?

“Reverse retrieve – while she was technically correct, she literally made me snort with her passionate (not!) trot to you during the retrieve portion LOL!!!”
She usually saves this kind of move for right after I tell someone that she is mental for toys 🙂

We adapted the game with more tossing the toys as she was coming back. The HR were proving difficult for me to pick up quickly so I switched to the udder tugs.

Thanks,
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Well, it has taken several days to get Dellin back doing the threadle – she took A LOT of offense at my stepping on her (memo to self – don’t do that again). I had to move the jump to a different part of the room for several days, change out the jump for a wing, go back to the prop for the nose touch to get her to come to the back of the jump, yada yada, yada. I used mostly toys and yesterday I was able to use the MM again and she ate the food. But we are back now – I was able to put the jump back in the original spot where there’s more room to video, lose the hand target, and I started using a word. I used look, look, look with Mari and CiCi but I find it kind of hard to say, so I opted for “In” – hopefully I can remember!
Sorry that the toy is off camera on that first side. It’s hard to get everything in with the space.

Then I did a little bit of reverse retrieve – it’s hard in the small space to really run away, but so it goes. Used HR then udder tugs. Side note – she has been doing some retrieve to hand with those little green HR that she loves so much which is good for her (with me sitting on the floor still).

From my previous homework on the backside where you said:

Try to start further away from the barrel, as close to the camper as possible – it looks like you are starting with her and then bending your line a little to commit her to the backside by moving towards it then away. So if she is further back and even in a stay, yo can be ahead and moving when she start moving, so you can be very straight. That will allow you to start to work your way over to positions 2 and 3, which I think she is ready for (these were position 1 mainly).

Is position 2, like the middle of the bump? and position 3 where the second wing would be if it was a jump?

Thnaks,
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Hi,

I misunderstood where to stand on the threadle work! So I went back to it tonight. After one rep, I accidentally stepped on Dellin’s paw (not hard) and she a very dramatic reaction. After which she would not leave her stay to come to me. I moved the jump to another part of the room and had to start tossing treats back and froth just to get her moving through the jump. I used some toys too and let her chase them. Hopefully she won’t hold the grudge for too long or I may have to try the threadle in a different place.

As you can see in the video, she is physically fine and we did the backside exercise with no problems. I was trying to move parallel to the bump – I just don’t have much room. The treats were also bouncing some, so they may not have ended up in right place all the time, but she really likes these, so I was trying to keep her happy.

Joan

[agilitywawa]

Thanks for the feedback. I revisited the games with the tweaks – hopefully I’m on the right track now.

Pivot with jump bump:

Backsides with me throwing the treats (very bouncy treats):

Head turn – trying to fade the big hand motion – not sure if I’m doing this correctly:

Lastly, the threadle. This did not go as well as the first session. First, she had little interest in the MM, she’d run to it, pick up some kibble, drop it on the floor and then ignore it or maybe eat one after playing with it. I left her last rep with MM in where she gets “stuck” (staring at the thing she does not actually want – lol). So after that rep on the video, I moved to the toy. She was more excited, but I had more errors. She was good in “position 1”, but as I tried to move her closer to the middle of the jump or position 2, she was taking the front side of the jump. When that happened, I’d move back toward position 1 to get success and then try to move back to position 2. I left a couple of those in the video so you could see and let me know if I’m doing something to cause that. I don’t think we had any successful reps at position 2 today. I stopped after doing the one side since I though we had been at it long enough.

Thanks,
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Hi Tracy,
I tried out the new games. I have to tell you, I did literally LOL watching the video of Export. With his back to the camera, the black patches on top of his head and the mohawk, my first reaction was, is she training a goat to pivot?? Then I realized who it was 🙂

Here’s some baseline pivot stuff for us – going both ways. I don’t know if this is too “obediency” for what you want.

Then we tried the backside slice game. You may be witnessing the very first successful use of the MM! She used to run up to it, sniff the treats and walk off, so she has made huge strides since class started.
She definitely turns wider going to her right – maybe the MM was not placed correctly? Although I am starting to suspect she is a lefty, so this is just her more difficult side.

Then we tried the threadle game. I was surprised how quickly she figured that out.

Last, the head turn game. My mechanics were a little clunky and she did not want to follow the hand all the way around the cone at first, so there may be fewer reps going that first direction. But then she started to figure it out.

Thanks,
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Happy New Year!
I see our crap weather has made it all the way to the East coast!

Got it on the above. It may be a while before I can get back to a big space 🙁

Ha – “Dellin seems like a dog who speaks in ALL CAPS when she is working 🙂”
Yes, and I think she was also thinking STOP TOUCHING ME, I’M WORKING! She has some definite opinions. And when she’s not working, she is otherwise very cuddly.

I forgot to show you the remote reinforcement – her marker is “candy”. I did a couple of simple just walking away from it to remind her and then we did some simple behaviors. Note the extreme chewing on rep one. LOL. In the other class we took, she had gotten to the point of more “work” before the reward (she was quite young when we took the class). I have also used toys for this.

Then back to the contact mat. Started with the mat raised and then took it away to see if I could get the timing of the click correct. She was a little bouncy this morning – I think she usually keeps her rear feet separated better.

Thanks,
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Happy New Year!
On Friday we had the opportunity to train in another new place.
We did some more rocking horses and turn and burn – trying to remember to do the front cross, not the post turn. I think I only forgot once 🙂 Dellin did cut behind me once – was not sure why.

The we returned to the tunnel – some sends and a couple of threadles. My threadle word is “here”, said like heeeeeere with the adults.

And then we had better space for get out with the prop – I tried to remember to keep moving and it was easier to bypass with more room.

Thanks,
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Thanks for that! I may have another opportunity on Friday to work in a bigger space and I’ll focus on those comments.

Here’s the serpentine – I actually touch the wing so I know I’m in the right spot. LOL.

Then we did a little with the contact mat. I started with it on the floor for a number of reps then I put it on a plank. Wondering if you see any visible difference in the reps.

I started watching the new videos. Dellin has a marker for remote reinforcement – “candy”. And we took a 6 week class on using it with both food and toys, so she has some history (although it has been sitting for a while). Now that she is more happy about food, I bet it will looks different!
Thanks,
Joan

[agilitywawa]

Hi,

Question about the contact mat – I’m not sure what this would look like:
“You can also elevate it by attaching it to something higher (maybe 2 inches tall) so you can isolate the back feet because she lifts them to get on the mat.”

Thanks – I’ll keep moving on the go out. Otherwise it looks like that awkward moment where you are stuck on the gamble line attempting to direct the dog…

I’ll also do that serpentine exercise standing closer to the jump.

Last night I got a chance to do the rocking horse in a big space and on a new surface – dirt. I also did a little with the tunnel – a few sends with her on the outside and then a few with her on the inside like the threadle (and I used my word).

Since we were in a new space, new surface and there were people behind us, I started off with just some single wraps and worked up. And also did a little turn and burn. She had some trouble ignoring the toy in my hand at the beginning, but seemed to work through it.

[agilitywawa]

At home trials – not jealous at all as we head into days where the high temp is below zero.

Thanks – I’ll get closer to that jump. Tonight I have the chance to work in a larger area (barring bad weather), so hoping to do the rocking horses. I may have to use cones since they are more portable.

After a break from the contact mat, I got that back out – I was really working on throwing the treat sooner and not having her look at me and I think there has been some improvement.

Then we worked on get out with her prop. Bypassing it when she was on my right was much more difficult for her. I guess optimally, I’d need more space – that’s a pretty tight bypass!

Then a little retrieve to hand. She was getting a little sticky toward the end of this, so I cut it short.

Joan

[agilitywawa]

I hope you enjoyed your day off!

To get her better grip to dig in on the rocking horse, I could do a ring rental and work on the rocking horse and revisit some of the tunnel game.

We did the next steps of the serpentine – the dish, then toy in hand and then toy on the floor. I took the target out of my hand. I just worked this one game in our session.

Thanks,
Joan

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