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Post prior to this had my training videos including snuffle mat plus training
below is second session of these at a different location as I go there once or twice a week to teach and train my dogs in an area big enougn to set up course so high excitment site
two plates in one of my training places- off site with lots of dog noise and dogs close so higher value than my place.
training plus towel again at high excitment training area
Firstly look afyer yourself get well before worrying about us.
Listened to live today really sorry tonhave missed it as lots of insights. Due to time differences i am teaching at that time it is early afternoon here. Is it possible to submit follow up questions to be answered in next live as lots kf things fell into place when you were explaining things. I need to go back and wTch again. I found it intetesting when you talked about some dogs needing movementsome need stationaru to help reduce arousal. I have always found veliz does better with movement or a job that is well understood. I am even more convinced that veloz sees the finish as a disconnect in the same way as if he makes a mistake. Ithink that if we could get a release or a settle behaviour at the end it would help. So was very interested in how you were talking about using the snuffle mat .
The other question i still havent got the snuffle/towel wuite right. I have been adding large numbers of treats a vouple of times and realise now should have been putting a smaller number and reloading more times. Amazing what you can miss even when you think you have read and watched carefully.I have been doing with my youngster she struggles with these exercises more than veloz does which i found interesting.
Get well soon
thanks.
Normally I would edit my videos down but not sure how best to edit videos for these – can you give someidea of what you want to see
here is my face – we have played this before but not as often as should.
Here is the plate with two plates in a slightly different place but still neutral
Here is my game with towel and abit of training. First sessions too long as I couldnt hear timer. sorry so long but with multiple time points
Thanks
The treats in the towel isnt really new to him so it is a behaviour he enjoys already. I think 2 min might be too long so I will start with a shorter training time and see how it goes. I think he likes it because even though it is a calm exercise it still involves movement and thinking.
Sorry I misunderstood I thought it was multibowls. Can do in training space- should I do in a range of places as we train a number of places.
Here is our food toss game- he was distracted in this and treats were rolling abit, also went too long so at the end on step 2 I went back to step one so finished with a little focus. I do think he was having some confusion as previous this exercise I havent asked for a look at me just a turn back to me. This bit of confusion lead to a little shut down. Also he finds a look at me quite stressful as use of eye is a strong trait developed for in these dogs. again full session video
ps there are alot of working spots- and difficult to find time to look at all any suggestions on who best to follow for simialr dogs or dogs that get zoomies or obstacle focused in the ring just so I can look at how others are handling things
Sitting beside him didnt reduce his energy but think it will over time. I notice a difference with time of the day too.
below first attempts at the two exercises. will keep working on these but recorded so have a baseline.
I havent got a snuffle mat but will get one after next week e3nd. In the mean time I used a towel in a pile with treats in it. Actually just used his dinner as he works well for any value treat – the only time a high value treat is needed is when he is is right on the edge of shutting down. i wasnt surproised he understood really fast what was needed as do alot with food scatters and kibble in boxes of screwed up paper so concept similar.
so this is first attempt – basically a baseline. I didnt edit video – basically quite consistent thru out.I have done pattern games before with previous dogs but not wirth veloz . Probably here still a few too many distractions with lambs just out of camera shot. I made a few mistakes I kept forgetting to wait for the look and he anticipated a few times. He did find the control of this quite hard. again didnt edit video
Beverley
Many thanks i kbew there was something not right with mat work but couldntvwork out whatthese are two games i havent played. But can see why they would help.
Beverley
try attempt number 4. We are havng storms here and internet and power keep going. lots of thunder and most of ground under water.
am hopintg videos will load this time.
answers to questions.
partly because the lead and collar become associated with the stress of going into the agility ring – as rest time he is in a harness. I styopped doing this and worked on lead and collar around an agility ring separately. He hasnt been in the ring for 12 months so not sure what would happen currently naround the ring and equipment i can now walk on lead and get listening behaviour. However, the removal of the lead is still not there- I get a shut down but am continuing to work on this at home with just lead on and off with lots of rewards. I can now tka eit off with minimal shutdown if I am sitting but with me standing in presence of adility equipment still not there. Interestingly taking his collar when he has got himself worked up often I feel a release- same thing happens if I give him a toy. Often if he gets stressed before an agility run he will actually press his head into me and his besty runs were when I did this just before he ranI totally agree and am not sure how to stop that shift in arousal.
To start with it happened when every a break in flow- so potential triggers included me stopping, tight workm ie wraps, a bar down, if I was too far behind , unsure where to go. We worked on improving verbals, did a lot of wrap work in very short sessions breaking it right down, in the ring I did short straight line courses and gradually built it up. started these on familar grounds, strange places and then into shows. I carried a toy so that i had something he could grab and put the get the toy on command. Basically eliminated all except at the end of the runs. Worked hard on getting a sit at the end as if I can break his we are stopping charge then it changed the arousal. I dont really like the sit as it is a behaviour he struggles with in arousal- my other dogs I have a bag at the end that they go to but with veloz we managed to poison this. H
E WILL GO -TO- A BAG NO TOUBLE ANY-+Where but around agility gear. At shows he is relaxed apart from when I am running another dog or when I go to enter the ring to finishI try not to react to bars or offcourses with any of my dogs as find these mistakes tend to go as they get confident. My feeling is they are signs of my cues or miscommunication or environmental I work with all my dogs on trying to keep the flow as they all get stressed with mistakes.
I know that the triggers include- tight work especially if not long lines in between, barking dogs, late cues, confusion, me running other dogs, lack of training (my dogs do better more work) mistakes (they know when bars come down or if they go one way and I am not where they expect) stopping, strange places. I try to avoid these and work thru individually. Lately weather has been so bad so all dogs stir crazy and limited ground not under water so lack of exercise so Veloz behaviour worse they normal. I wouldnt normally do any agility training with him withoout being able to do some long lines first to get him in the zone. but did the below session in literally the 4 minutes between the thunderstorms. I think the thunder raised arousal.
I was surprised how long he too to settle normal he physical settles as soon as I hold him but metal obviously takes slightly longer. When take the collar at the end of a run often feel him releasetraining and recovery time was long here. perhaps because too much thunder
mat work
Sorry i realise you asked us not to post before you answered the previous pist so there are two posts here above and this one.
Re exercise two. It depends on what measuring and behaviour.
If veliz shuts down this is less common it takes longer to recover and i usually intervene by asking for a different behaviour or sitting beside him and then i usually get a head pushed into be asking for a stroke. The overarousal the behaviour disappearance deoends on how hjgh he goes usually in training i often manage to stop before he sctually explodes. In the ring the behaviour stops as soon as i break it. In a strange place if it happens i get one bounce a small circle and then a sit or a come into me. Once this happens very quickly i get a dog who is responsive to tricks. I do use trick behaviours to get an idea of where his head is some tricks he can do while he is still relatively high eg a spin a nose touch intensity tells me where he is a sit is near the bottom. If i bring out a toy the pressure goes down really fast and always if choice of bouncing me or grabbing a toy i am holding choice is a toy. I do wonder whether one of the reasons we still how a major issue at the end if the runs is that he is in the zone knows what he is doing and then it stops and the finish behaviours are not strong enougn. A sit at the end was working quite well as long as got it in early before break. But a sit requires him to be firther down so was thinking whether i needed to introduce one of his easier tricks. I did introduce a mat type behaviour but did it too early and poisoned it -it is very useful prior to start and he will actively seek it but at end he avoids.Sorry was meant to be so long and wordy.
Basically the physical behaviour disappears fast with mental taking slightly longer.Question re mat
I have always struggled to get true relaxation. My dogs actively seek the mat and lie on it. But they actively wait for the food to arrive rather than relax on the mat. I dont have this issue with other dogs i treat a mat behaviour. My youngster will stand up and move mat closer and then relie on it if she thinks the treats are too long in coming. My old boy stands up and then thumps himself down again. Veloz just stares at me and will lift a paw and then stands up and searches the mat. At shows he lies on a mat and is more relaxed than without it but still on alert.
I am unsure how to get them to actually relax as are waiting for treats do i treat more often or less do i ignore …. Value of treats doesnt matter although very high value they get impatient fasterWalking on collar mix reasons. He is often on a harness that needs to be removed before entering the ring. He stresses alot about the act of removing the lead even though done alot of lead off on games with tracy this is amped up at a show. None of my dogs do i trust to walk nicely into the ring with me off lead especially when a another dog is still running or other major distractions. So veloz usually sit with him in holding ring when a finger on his collar and then walk into ring by collar. Not ideal but tgese days is least stressful for both of us.
Last video i dont think i said anything about tge bar going down as i try to ignore mistakes but he knew. Traing was about 4.5 minutes intotal but did some cuddles, play, walking around getting treats for calmnes, a little scatter feeding in the session. A fairly typical session these days with out the attack. Differences we have been very wet so alot less training he does better more training. Also was running late so did training class not agility before i trained him. He had had a run but no actual training. He hates it when he thinks he is missing out.
I realise it is complicated as none of my normal stuff has worked. Does this mean it is a lost cause and perhaps i should work my youngster who gets focused on running and jumping
oops sorry not sure what happeed there shouldnt have tred on mynphone
second attempt
vdeos early
show just after back
recent training
Veloz is now 5 but has done very little in ring- Put him in for his first show when he was just over two. a few behavioral things which we worked thru with training and periods off in ring. Covid Hit- then have had 18 months out of ring. Back into ring short period and his behaviour was an issue so is not competing currently
He showed signs of something wrong during our first lockdown for covid here. Had a new vet she didnt understand that when I said he was quiet just how abnormal that was. She didnt find anything. Crate rest etc and six weeks later same thing happened no real symptoms but not happy. Messaged vet got normal vet when said he was quiet she arranged to met me at surgery immediately as she knew how abnormal that was. Long story found a back injury- they thought serious enougn to put him down. I took him to my phsio who is great she thought diagnosis was partly wrong- back but muscular not structural. Lots of treatment he respond so well after six months no signs anything wrong and as he was being an idiot and getting frustrated put him back into gentle training for agility with no idea whether he would get back or not. After another 12 months put him back in ring with small amounts. But behaviour was an issue. I think the issue was probably there for a while although nobody had found anything except that I was concerned he had an extremely strong preference for going in one direction- but lot of heading dogs have a strong side. having said that there is no doubt that the fitness program has strengthened him and there has been no sign of an issue for 2 years. I only do jumps at the moment no weaves or contacts
One of his early runs and early training. I had to do alot of work after this to teach him that I could be in front, I could stand still and I could change direction- he was happiest when we were going forward. I spent alot of time trying to improve my handling and going back and reteaching alot of the cues for close work as was aware that my lateness of cues caused frustration and confusion and this created an issue
These videos from 2019
one of his first competitions- end not show but I also had a toy for him to grab
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAO__d2n91RUMlBNT1BUUFlVSjZRWDNSNjJYUFZMOFc0QS4uTraining at a strange place and asking for behaviours not like
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAO__d2n91RUMlBNT1BUUFlVSjZRWDNSNjJYUFZMOFc0QS4u
This video is from dec 2021 one of his early runs back in the ring- his startline was terrible and since then we have done alot of work on that but he only did one more show after this. At the latest show his start line was better but he bounced me at the end.This is recent training- I pushed his buttons a little, I forgot his toy, in a strange environment, I had been training other dogs first and we have had floods and rain for last two months so he come out feisty- perhaps he knew I needed a good video of his explosions. I dont usually manage to get this at training but this is what a major explosion looked like- usually at recent shows not this bad but bad enougn. boil over at the end- left rest in so you can see rest of his behaviour if you wish.
Sorry have had 50% of the yearly rainfall in the last four weeks so every thing is either under water or slippery. Although did manage to get some competing done a bit further away at the weekend. But everybody is going stir crazy. Had hoped to get something done today but skies have opened up again and water running everywhere again.
Beverley and a bored fusion
Heres our attempts yesterday to do some the live 2 stuff. Sorry its quite long as has several sequences as well as some of the warmup- didnt get all the warm up as forgot to turn camera on
Fusion
By suitable I mean none although try to get out with others as often as possible.
Tried some of the do it once – struggled – to be fair to me is was very wet and slippery in places and I notice the slope- the dogs dont seem to care but they are more atheletic than me. I also put the jumps where it was safest for the dogs ie less slippery and no holes so some angles not as good. What I discovered was fusion has more trouble layering if she is slower and I am moving less smoothly.
