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Okay, clip from yesterday of mountain climbers with a bit more drop and some angled approaches. Then 2 clips from today – Motion Override (he’s more fluent with the lie down vs sit in motion apparently) and Jumps 4 ways. We definitely need more work on our rear crosses (I’m too used to Rip’s running style) and after lots of “go” stuff recently needed a bit more connection and pressure on his line for the backside wraps.
Mountain Climbers
Motion Override
Jumps 4 Ways
A bit more Mountain Climbers from this AM but before I got your PM feedback so it does include some of what you suggested but not all feedback is incorporated.
The licki treat stuff is just the cat stuff so kind of baby food consistency – so would drip. I just ordered some Buddy Butter to try (I got Cheeseburger flavor so it’s flavored peanut butter listing peanuts, beef, cheese, honey). Much thicker especially if you refrigerate it apparently. I got the 14 oz container but they also have 4 oz pouches. Probably less likely to drip, but I think most of this stuff could drip with an overly enthusiastic squeeze or dog dribbling. Even the stuff that guy (in England? – can’t remember exactly where) is allowing in his new custom venue must drip sometimes, right?
All good advice and helpful context for the science part of my brain. We’ll keep making sit more fun in low pressure situations with high ROR so we get a bit more +CER for it so that piece doesn’t contribute. Well also work same process with other positions like down and stand so we get +CER and then work up to some of the 3 D’s with all the possible position before we take it to the field. I’ll continue to mix in treat toss away, circle behind (as long as he’s not getting nutty about it or losing stimulus control on that stuff since I feel like that’s a real possibility from what I’ve seen). I have really given him a lot of choice and control to opt out and used other start methods so far. Just starting to feel like it’s time to start helping him through that stuff before it’s cemented.
I’m also going to go back to Cato board and then fade to smaller sit targets for a while. He appreciates clarity and I think that will help him if I don’t rush to fade it too soon (which I think I did our first go ‘round).
We worked on mountain climbers yesterday. This is his 3rd short session on this since we did a bit of this a few weeks ago. I use some little props to get no drop and then can progressively remove/recombine them about 2 inches at a time. This session I had removed one balance pad so there’s a tiny tip. I’m using one of those little contact material foot targets that straps to the teeter and has a plexiglass square you can put a treat on. I’m using like those little licky tubes of treats (like the original cat Churu type but for dogs) so he has something yummy to lick when he gets to the end.
I’m going to read and re-read this a few times. Just to clarify the freeze is when I ask for a sit or down in front of an obstacle he freezes and is “unable” to sit or down. It’s not failing to release once he actually does sit or when not asking for a position first. I’ve done some start lines in a stand but they feel unstable/unsettled.
We do LOTS of starts from cookie tosses or sends behind me or around a wing or backside wrap to get into the sequence. That’s all great (other than I’ve started to worry the send behind is a crutch and I’m worried it could become an overarousal habit and lead to spinning, which I REALLY don’t want in this pup).
It’s the actual start line type behavior that’s an issue. He’s also great about being sent to someone to be held. I’ll share some clips from the seminar so you can see. I did avoid asking for start lines after his first turn (where he did do some sits before his arousal built). He never freezes after we start working in flow.
Here’s a longer video mostly to show that he’s normally engaged, enjoying the stuff, getting reinforced etc. lots of voluntary movement and happy to do the things when this happens.
First part is a little fun match at Ashley Deacon’s Golden Gate Dog Sports Halloween weekend. It’s literally in an industrial warehouse area of San Francisco and Vibe’s never been there before. Second part is the seminar this past Saturday. Again, new location, never been there. We don’t do contacts or weaves yet so just game him some fun jump tunnel sequences and toy play. He’s focused, having fun, getting reinforced, etc.
Importantly he struggles with sitting when aroused, especially around or anticipating doing the equipment, and freezes instead of sitting just as much at home as these new locations. We had the same issue or worse yesterday at home working on compressed weaves and just a single jump tunnel.
So, interesting seminar day yesterday. Dogs were both great, but spent a lot of time pushing back a bit and advocating for them. I’m looking for advice on our issue with Vibe freezing as a arousal goes up and I ask for a stationary behavior or start line. This has been a pattern since he was really young, and I’ve mostly avoided forcing the issue or creating any conflict.
I’ve got your start line class from years ago and been working through that content. I can get a nice offered sit, sit after “ready” word, steps away and then release away from equipment and after bringing up arousal away from equipment. Around equipment and especially as we start actually doing agility and real big arousal goes up I get a lot of freezing and inability to respond to cues.
Wondering if you have advice for in the moment with the freeze of how to help him get unstuck. I’ve tried some things like hand touches to movement and re-cue, moving away from the anticipated obstacle and re-cue. Pattern games, treat and toy tosses behind when he’s still able to respond before that point but think I need more in my tool box. Or a better way to approach using those behaviors.
Quick session this morning before a weekend road trip. Some of the sequence with the blind to the opposite end of the tunnel. And a bit of the tunnel jump send.
Yes, all the baby vs big dog timing is a work in progress. 😆 Luckily he’s looking like commitment, confidence, and distance are going to be similar to Ripley which will make my life easier.
This morning (in a light rain) we worked on the wrap start to the speed circle and then a few reps of the blind between middle jump and jump 3. My timing and position will need some work. I think I did 2 post turns on the wrap after the blind and 1 spin (which would typically be my preference to keep that turn tight and get my feet heading the right direction sooner).
I did this session before I saw your feedback so will need to try the bit of decel/break arm to get the better turn on the middle jump when we revisit this later this week.
Short sessions of 1 step send and teeter end stuff this AM. Then some elevated plank on/off/turns after a 2 mile hike later in the morning.
Great feedback and I’ll take it all in and apply. I think on 1 step send I was still going for lazy handling vibe so wasn’t using all of my words. The tunnel was also not as curved as would be ideal for this exercise. There wasn’t anything straight ahead coming out of the right side. 🥴 In the absence of any physical or verbal tunnel break he was just (pretty appropriately given he saw motion heading in on the early reps) going straight. I love that about him so will just do better about giving the cues he knows to show what’s next and also focus more on indicating the line vs the obstacle.
On the lower back stuff I don’t think it’s at all a pain thing and haven’t seen anything in particular about LVT in the breed or his line. But, I have noticed some koolie’s showing some pretty impressive lower back flexibility. Vibe himself just when he pees will lift his leg up and over the level of his own pelvis (like 6-8 inches above his pelvis) and hold it there to the point where his little rear starts to tilt over to the other side. He’s comfy and happy doing it but it’s pretty odd given that most dogs just lift the non-supportive leg to about knee height. I’ll have to get a picture sometime.
Here are some pics of a really nice Koolie, Grimlock, from Vibe’s breeder. We connected via the breeder’s Facebook and met up at the North American Invitational in Chicago last spring. She’s super nice and Grimlock is just lovely. I just remember seeing these crazy pics of him at USO and TDC showing this extreme back flexibility.
Will do. I feel like his baseline is pretty high arousal, so not a big ask to be thoughtful about incorporating more. I’ve been going light on tugging due to a bit of rotator cuff stuff after lots of tugging at seminars and trial last week (both Vibe and Ripley are really strong tuggers) but will ease back into it and we did do a bit in this morning’s session.
We worked on some 1 step sends and then teeter bang and back up this AM.
Yes, planning on running dog walk and running aframe and 4 on teeter. I feel 2on2off teeter could cause issues with him learning the goal is to reach for the ground with his front feet and some faults I’m seeing dogs have when they really try to achieve that. Also, I feel like he (and many other Koolies) have a bit of increased lower lumbar flexibility and I don’t want the teeter bounce back to put extra stress on that area. I think he’ll be more fluent and solid on criteria if I have him drive to the end, ride it down, release after the hit.
For RDW/RAF foundations we’ve done mat work intermittently and getting back into it now to start that actual training. He hasn’t done any RDW plank work yet. I wanted to go really slow on introducing actual contacts as I have visions/fears of him knowing what they are before he’s super savvy about them and just flinging himself around.
I have your teeter class in my library from years ago, so just starting the 3 tracks now since I had to scratch our month long trip to drive to Florida for US Open not feeling comfortable making that huge trip while I’m still recovering from nasty COVID stuff. Good news is we’ll have more time to systematically work through training stuff with Vibe and he’s at a great age for it.
Early this AM while waiting doe it to get light enough out for our morning hike we did wobble board and then brought back out the Galican wobble plank. We haven’t worked on this stuff for quite a while. With all of the growing he was doing the past 5-6 months I wanted to give bones, muscles, joints, ligaments (and brain) time to sort themselves out before circling back to this. He still loves this stuff and not showing any concerns about noise, predictable and unpredictable movement, etc.
Taking advantage of good weather and daylight for another short session of TTFJ and pulled out a dog walk plank to do some plank work.
I think today is the last day to post and I’m on a bit of a training break (ended up in the ER after not taking great care of myself at the craziness that was WCO).
We’ve already signed up for Max Pup 3 so we’ll get back to training as soon as possible and be ready to post when that starts.
Thanks for all your great feedback this session and looking forward to MP3.
Cindi
