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Hi Sara,
So the hard thing about toy play is if you ask for it, you must get it. I was having a hard time with this just last night. I was playing with my puppy in a new area, totally new place, probably more distractions than she was ready for and a newish toy. She engaged with me (she was off leash) and then I lost her for a while. I kept trying to re engage with her, then ended up putting her on a leash and finally got her to play with me. It took about 5 minutes. Food is higher value and if I had switched to it, I would have overruled the toy play. Does that make sense? It is HARD!!! But you have to get them on the toy when you ask for it, then when they are playing, quit before they want to quit. Let me know if you have questions on that.Yes to all of that! Use all your reinforcement tools in familiar environments. I do want you to start playing ball in areas away from agility. Start with somewhere semi familiar (Like the front yard) and then move to a neighbors yard and then a park (doing this all over time). When you get the same play drive in those places consistently, then try a new place. Make sense?
Here is some foundation work I taught in my blind cross class. This will get you started 🙂 Let me know if you have questions.Drill #1 – Foundation Flat work: The number one rule for a blind cross is that you need to be ahead of your dog. For the foundation flatwork, we are going to focus on several things. One is we want the HANDLER to practice the reconnect.
To start, you can put your dog in a stay or simply throw a cookie or two on the ground. You will start with the dog on one side, looking over your shoulder (let’s say the right side), release the dog (or if you did a cookie toss, you can call the dog) and as soon as the dog releases you will look over your left shoulder (this is the reconnect) and reward the dog from the left hand on the new side. You can reward with food from your hand, a toy from your hand or drop something at your side, but I would refrain from throwing a toy or treat. When doing a blind cross, I really want the dog to briefly come in to handler focus, so at this point, I want to reward handler focus. Be sure to work both sides.
Video: https://youtu.be/y6JOUWZBRIc
Drill #2 – Adding motion and speed: Here we will do the same thing as in the foundation flatwork, but instead of the handler being in a static position, you will add movement. Ask the dog to stay, or again you can toss a cookie on the ground. Then you will start with walking away from the dog, calling them to one side of your body, then switching to the other side and having them come in to your hand for a treat or a toy. Once the dog is okay with you walking, then you can try it at a jog and then at a run as you saw in the video from Drill #1.
Drill #3 – Zig Zag Game: In this game, you will follow the steps for adding motion and speed, but then you will move in a Zig Zag pattern. Toss the cookie back, then move out calling your dog over let’s say your right shoulder. Then you will zig a different direction and call them over your left shoulder. Then you will zag the other way and reward them back on your right side. Focus on the reconnect when you change arms and connection. Your connection will be brief, but we want you to practice that. If your dog starts to run past you, then you will want to reward more often for handler focus. Some dogs get excited with all the forward motion and running. If your dog gets too focused on your hands and treats, then you can toss the food or toy forward as you make the blind cross.
Video: https://youtu.be/W0Vb0IpO5-8That is perfect! You are ahead of the game! One of our exercises will be to have the handler run to every obstacle! Great work! It is a tricky balance because we want to stay ahead of our dogs, but on the other hand, we don’t want to lose motivation! Great work!
ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!! I love it and I love her speed!!! This is great! You both are running fast and happy!!! Keep up the speed circles for a while, we need her to love going fast again. Your rate of reinforcement was perfect and you did a great job giving it to her often. I would like for you to trust her a little more and try to execute your crosses a little earlier. I think this will help answer the questions in her mind about where she is going next a little sooner. Does that make sense?
Hi Diana,
Thanks for the video and I was able to go back and watch the others! I see the difference in your runs that you had mentioned. Your reward system is fine, you do a great job with “active” tricks. I really like the energy you are getting on the homework without equipment. Have you ever gone into the ring and asked for tricks at the startline? I think this would be a BIG motivator for her. I also ask Pepper for barking when we go into the ring. It gets her into some serious play drive and out of her own head.
In the last speed circle, be careful how you are rewarding. One thing I always try to do is reward while I am in motion. We want the dogs to think that agility is the ultimate game of chase the handler around the course. If we pair this behavior with rewards, then the chase part becomes part of the reward. Does that make sense?Okay, thank you for the info! I would like to see the two toy game and if you could incorporate a few agility obstacles into it. Meaning, send her over a few jumps and maybe a straight tunnel to a dead toy, if she will get it and look at you, have her engage in the toy that you have (you can move the other direction to entice her to chase you), then tug, tug, tug. My goal when playing agility is to make it 70% play and about 30% training. Mixing up the two. Look forward to video!
Hi Susan! Great to have you both here. Interesting. She does look a bit worried to me in the later runs. In Clip126, was that the start of the worry? Do you see in the background how she looks behind her when you throw the leash and then the announcer is pretty loud? Do you think this has anything to do with it (assuming this is where it started)? I am glad that you have ruled out any pain. I look forward to working with you both and good luck at invitationals!
Well, that is good then! So for your homework, I want you to keep your sessions short! I love to shape tricks, but if you need to use a lure to teach tricks, that’s okay too. Have you tried to get him to talk before you run? That was a HUGE game changer for Pepper. She looks like a crazy dog going into the ring barking at me, but it serves as a couple things, one it put her into play mode, it kept her focused on playing with me and it kept her mind off all the distractions outside. Excited to see your speed circles!
Hi Jennifer!
Glad you guys could join us!!! She is cute!!! First off, since she has slowed down, I assume you have ruled out pain? Another observation (I am just basing this SOLELY on one run), but there is a BIG difference between the engagement from you on the table and the engagement from you on the startline. Do you see that? Look forward to working with you both!!!Hi Sara,
Thanks for the info! That was a good run! I think that doing blind crosses will help take some of the pressure off of Jinx. Do you have someone who can help you with that, or do you need some help getting started (happy to do it here if needed).
When you are running in dirt, have you thought about a small tupperware container that has a lid on it where you can throw it and it stays closed? Then the dog can run to to, you open it and let the dog eat the food out of the container while you step back?
As far as the handling, yes, that is a big part of it. I would like for you to do more blinds because I think there are a few places that you are putting too much pressure on Jinx with your eyes (when you rotate on front crosses, people look at their dog). I want you to focus on looking 2-3 feet in front of Jinx keeping him in your peripheral vision. Make sense?Hi there!
First video: What I would like to see from you is more movement from the start. More motion, meaning I want him to chase you for the food. You can almost see him standing there saying what are we doing? Then when you move, he gets more excited.
Second video: What kind of active tricks does he know (tricks that involve movement)? Static tricks are calming behavior and active tricks (spinning, backing, moving hand touches) get the dogs amped up.
Third video: This was WAY better! Your movement was great and he was much more animated. You can see he perked up quite a bit. Can you see the difference in YOUR movement from the first video to the third? This tells me he loves the chase part of play. Does that make sense? I would like to see more play with more movement in your part. We will incorporate some of your tricks.Okay, some good stuff here! I really like the toy drive over the food drive. Will WiFi drive to a toy if you place it? What it you use the opposition reflex and throw the toy to the end of the tunnel?
On the toy mechanics, when she is tugging with you, do you let her win and will she bring it back if you let go of it? I agree that she is very handler focused and would like to work to get the toy off you. I assume you have two toys of equal value? With the speed circles, they can be any combination of obstacles you can use a straight tunnel and 3-4 jumps or even just jumps.
Can you send me a list of the different tricks that she knows?When we build value for the obstacle, we reward on the obstacle. Right now, I want her to associate the plank with loads of cookies. I wouldn’t worry about the rc at this point, we can work on those when she is speeding to the end of the plank. As long as she is driving straight off the plank, her rc will be fine.
You can then throw the lotus ball to get her off the plank or send her over the a jump, wrap a cone and back on the plank (you may need a helper to load the end of the plank).
Quit while she wants more then try again a little later.
Good luck this weekend!
