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Hi Gail!
Great to have you and Pistol here!!! It’s great that you recognize all that and have been working to overcome the stress. I look forward to working with you both!Hi Allison,
I am glad that your session was so successful!!! I think we can always build on toy drive, but we really have to work to motivate our dogs with what motivates them 🙂 Also, lowering the jump height takes the pressure off the dog. We all are guilty of putting pressure on our dogs!!! 🙂This is the opposition reflex game that you will see in week 3. I think you can start the work on the flat now. The important thing is that if you watch the video, I am waiting for her to push against me before I release her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQgHtvesW5Q&feature=youtu.be
Let me know if you have any questions.That is great you took the course and take the time for Kelsie to get acclimated!!! Nice work.
This is the opposition reflex game that you will see in week 3. I think you can start the work on the flat now. The important thing is that if you watch the video, I am waiting for her to push against me before I release her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQgHtvesW5Q&feature=youtu.be
Let me know if you have any questions.Okay, thanks for the information.
Opposition reflex games are where you hold the dog back and race off together when the dog is pushing against you (we play these games in future lessons). One thing that I find really helps motivate my dogs in class that need it off the startline is to have someone hold the dog across the chest as I lead out. You can pair it with a work like “ready, steady” and then when the dog is struggling to get to you the person releases the dog to you. Does that make sense? If not, I can get you a video. I would work it on the flat as more of a recall game first, then take it to agility training.
We talk a lot about startline games in the next couple lessons and I think there are some games that would be great for the two of you.
Food is perfectly okay, just try to be moving when you deliver it to her as opposed to a static reward. Get her to chase you for the food even if it is in your hand. Make sense?Hi Laura,
Nice play methods!!! She has great toy drive and loves to chase you for the toy. Hoping that you still have this same course set, I would like for you to do 1,2,3 and have her chase you after 3 for the toy, then 15 seconds of play. Then 4, 5, 6, chase you for the toy, 15 seconds of play. And so on. See how those reps go (I would like to see them on video), then combine 1-5 or 6, chasing you for the toy. Try to refrain from static toy play (I want you in motion, meaning she has to chase you for the toy to get to tug and play).
The second rep was better and I like how you did the speed circle, then the handling. I would like for you to get her to chase you for the food as well. If this does not make sense, let me know and I will send you a video on how to do that. Remember that movement is motivating and even during the reward process. Dogs find it much more exciting to chase their toys and food than for it to be offered to them in a static position. Does that make sense?
The area where you made the mistake wasn’t too bad 🙂 I would have just rewarded her sooner.
So I went back and watched your intro video for comparison to how she ran in your yard. She LOVES the encouragement you give to her on the course at home as opposed to what she gets at the trial. It is hard to put yourself out there at the trial, but I would encourage you to voice those “good girls” and “that was amazing” at trials too. She will have more fun and so will you 🙂
Does all that make sense?Okay, sounds good! I certainly like the fact that you adjust your cues to your dog’s needs. Next week we will introduce some games that will help with commitment at a distance. I think they will be really good for Prue.
I agree, if you notice any “shut down” behavior, I would allow Prue to go on. As long as you have the speedy fast Prue, have her do the obstacles that she misses. And feel free to place your toy at the end of the line if Prue can bypass a toy during the sequence. If not, you can place a bucket over the toy or put it in a chair or table and have her drive to it. I call that reinforcement stations which we will talk about in the next couple lessons.Hi An,
My course designer program looks to have a bug in it, so I have contacted the software company. In the meatime, I would like to see the first course run with a rear cross and then for the second course, you can take a tunnel out and replace it with a jump. As I said, I would also like to see what you are doing in classes. Thanks!Hi An! So, I have to admit, you two are seriously impressive! I think you are such a cool team!!! I will admit, you two are the first team I have ever worked with that’s used a chair. I want to understand a little about how you need to handle Pasha so that we can be successful. Meaning that when you run courses, do you generally use a lot of distance and handle with rear crosses from behind? I would say the first big thing that I noticed is how late Pasha is getting the information. I suspect that training verbals is SUPER important with your handling style?
I appreciate the effort you used to get the front crosses, but I think that the better way to handle this sequence is with you behind and doing a rear cross at #7. At 1:07, you will see that you are on Pasha’s line and he is a very good dog and actually stops to avoid you. I am going to change the sequences a little for you. I will send you some shortly.
I think the easiest way for you AND Pasha to get more drive is confidence. If you do not have confidence in how you will handle a sequence, then it is much easier to go slow and get it right than fast. I will add some drills to help with that. You can do this again, but with the rear cross. I would like to see what you are doing in classes and how Pasha responds to that environment, so yes, please send the video. Let me know if you have any questions and I will get you some new maps.Hi Kathleen,
Off the topic of class, YOUR FIELD TURNED OUT LOVELY!!!Okay, I love how much play and excitement you initiated in the beginning! When she missed the jump, SOME dogs I will allow them to bypass and keep going (depends on the stress level), but I don’t feel like this was the case here. She looked like she was committed, then at the last minute, you dropped your arm and she came in. Perhaps she is not very forgiving in that regard? HOWEVER, one of the very best commitment games I ever learned (it was actually Anne Lenz who shared it with me) is if you ask for a jump (or any behavior – think of a sit) and the dog does not do it, have them do it before you go back to the beginning of the sequence. This is how we build on commitment and independence so that you do not have to run into every obstacle. You will do this by holding your position and having the dog go do the obstacle. Make sense?
She is SO cute!!! Okay, I would also like for you to break down your cues for me. If you rewatch your 3:57 video, I hear, hump, go hup, get out hup? Our “doers” are like “ya, ya, mom is talking and I am doing”. Our thinkers are listening to and doing calculations as we are running and talking! I would love a list of your verbals from this sequence and what they all mean?
The sequence overall was nice. A few places where you rotated off the jump slighty and she came in or you dropped your arm as she was approaching it. I know you have border collies, have you run other small dogs before? I think for her the support of the line is super important. Does that make sense?YAY!!! That is great! Agility is the ultimate game of chase the handler through the course, and BONUS if you have a toy 🙂 They get very excited with this game!!!
Okay, thanks for the videos. So, correct me if I am worng, but I feel like there is a bit of the “goldie locks syndrome” here? Not too hot, not too cold, but just right? This is in reference to the speed she produces and the distance you are from her? Seems to me that the further you are away from her, them more thoughtful she gets? She has good speed at the trial (though I think there’s more), but doesn’t want to come off the startline at the seminar. Were the courses technical at the seminar? Was this later in the day? I would suggest at seminars you run her at 8″ unless she has jumping issues? Can you see how far ahead of her you are when she exits the tunnel on the seminar run? I know you need to get down the line and as instructors/handlers, we are trained to get ahead of our dogs, but I feel if you are too far ahead of her, she starts taking in more and more of her environment? If you essentially wait for her at the end of the tunnel, and drive through that line with her, you will get more speed. Yes, this means you have to work/run harder, but she will give you more. At some point, you will not have to do this, but for now, I think it would really help her. Push for momentum from her. At the seminar, I would have gone back to her and run with her from the startline. Have you played many opposition reflex games with her?
I would also like to know what motivates her and on a scale of 1-10, what are her #1 highest value reinforcements to the lower value? Please list. Do you have “play” games you play with her away from agility? What is her play style?Hi Margaret,
So a couple things I want you to work on off the bat. She is a nice/thoughtful jumper (thoughtful jumper is a good thing 🙂 )! I would like for you to run her for the first couple weeks of the course at 12″. Once in a while throw in 20″ just so that she sees that height, but any time we are working for speed, I want you to take the pressure off and run her low. Over time we will start moving the bars up as we get speed. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS reward for speed! Even if the sequence is incorrect. If she goes fast she gets rewarded. Have you played opposition reflex games with her?
Another thing I would consider doing when you go to new places (we talk about it next week) is decompression walks. Meaning you allow her to go around a new environment well before you work and take in all the smells. You can see in the video at the trial that she does this herself, then focuses more on the run later. Does this make sense? The drive lines are great! I would just move with her now and like I said, I would lower the height even more 🙂Hi Laura!
That was GREAT!!! You have great mechanics with your toy and your “play” methods are really good! I would like for you to get him to release the toy and sometimes give it right back to him. I LOVE your movement with the toy too. This was HUGE with my dog Pepper. She really thought me standing there with a toy was very boring, but chasing me for the toy or to the toy was WAY more fun! Nice work and good for you for recognizing the fact that the heat is a factor!
Last night (before I watched your video, I went out and made this video for you. Some of it is applicable. Will Flynn drive to a dead toy? Have you played a two toy game where you have one on you and one on the ground? When he circles and does his “party circle”, I would have a second toy handy and get him to re-engage with you. Here is the video and what I would like to see in your sent session. You can use the same set up, just leave your toy right there at the startline/finishline.
Another SUPER important piece of advice when I was working to build motivation is to take the “negative” emotion out of training. You have a very upbeat and postitive training style, so when that doesn’t come out or you simply slump your shoulder because Flynn wasn’t motivated in that sequence, it greatly effects sensitive dogs.
Regarding the toy in hand, I would enter FEO and any runs that allow you to run with your toy. Start making it part of every environment and convince Flynn that sometimes it’s there and sometimes it’s at the end of the line.
Let me know if that makes sense or if you have any questions about the video 🙂
