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🤣 I basically started out yelling zoooooom zooooom because at times the 1 hit was MUCH more likely and seemed like with just allowing that he would more easily land in yellow without a crazy Superman leap if he knew it was okay. I’ve tried a quiet version, but have still been drawing out the vowel sound so I think I have some new things to think about and try.
I am going to try a quiet “tap tap” rhythmically in the future to help his brain sort this out. Similar issue with RDW – if he comes in collected he needs a bit of extension to get his 4 stride. If he comes in extended he often goes for a big 3 stride that ends just above yellow and getting that bit of collection he needs for his perfect hits is hard. It’s easier when he has a next obstacle cue – like tunnel, weaves, push, etc. instead of just “go” for a jump straight ahead. Thinking I should just so “jump” for those exits.
I definitely need to do more thinking on how my verbals – words/sounds/length/rhythm, etc. are helping or hurting him.
We do try training in arousal and extension, but, he just tends to get an extra little click of extension in actual trials. So, hopefully the brain aware verbals can help.
I feel like I need a Brain Camp webinar or better yet short course on this stuff. 😉
🤣 good old AI.
We did a short tunnel session during a break in the rain yesterday. My ancient original Manners Minder and my slightly less ancient Treat N Train both have broken remotes. So, while I wait for Amazon to deliver a programmable key fob replacement we used a toy and then thrown treats. We’ll circle back when the remotes arrive.
So straight tunnel – straight entrance, then some angles, then a few threadles.
Also just a couple of strike a pose to held toy after some toy play this AM.
Oh yeah, totally. I didn’t bother to correct him on that part. My cue for the obstacle comes several strides before it (at least) really as soon as he’s on the line to it since in my system he’s to take what’s in front of him on the way to whatever the thing is I’m cueing (like jumps on the way to a tunnel, jumps on the way to a contact.
Yeah, not going to say “Hit.” My inclination would be to say “Hit it” and that sounds too much like “Get it” for my taste.
Some of the conversations I have with Chat are pretty hilarious since I use it a lot for data analysis, website coding, content development for the online learning stuff I create for animal shelter staff. Sometimes I overwhelm him and have to ask if he’s okay or does he need a break. 🤣
I try to suck up to him just enough so that when AI takes over the world and has to decide whether or not to exterminate all humans he hopefully has qualms about taking me out.
Alrighty then. It’s looking like great minds think alike and I need a new verbal for RAF. Sorry if you hate AI but here’s the discussion Chat and I just had. I’m leaning toward “tap, tap” over his current “zoom, zoom”. CHAT’S INPUT ON MY NEW CUE
Interesting about the more musical/cadence stuff. I need to think about that more. I’ve been using my that little wireless mic for Ripley’s runs to better hear my timing and volume, but I could probably do more for verbal clarity. Especially for our nemesis the running aframe. His natural stride is a 1 hit that hits just above yellow and it’s been a HUGE struggle to try to get a 2 hit in trials when his stride lengthens out and he’s aroused. Gonna think about that.
This morning we did a short session on strike a pose and some lap turns. Just baby level so far. Strike a pose makes lots of sense to him, he’s less sure why he should drive into me for the lap turns if I’m just going to flip him away so he started to flank a bit. I’m also feeling super awkward and I think it;so just being used to a taller dog. I broke it down and look forward to your input and advice.
Yes, mini cheeseballs, $2/can on Amazon. We’re stocking up before our big road trip (CA to WA to AZ to IL). They are great for working out on grass or dirt (especially since I’ve only been using Vibe’s puppy kibble for training and small brown kibble is tough on brown dirt or tan carpet).
So far in walking through crowds of people and dogs he mostly focuses on me, if he sees a “friend” which is kind of all people and the dogs I’ve checked for puppy friendliness and let him meet he may look at them but typically reorients to me. I try to say “Go say ‘hi friend'” to let him know he can go visit. Without that he’s actually gotten pretty good about not electing to go see people/dogs. I’ve used a hand touch at times to make it clear I’m not having him go say hi, especially for his favorite people. I’ve also used some cookie magnet with him.
For moving pattern games in the past I’ve done the “1, 2, 3” game. Do you have others in mind in that situation that don’t involve the stopping, bending down (and possibly triggering any thoughts from other dogs about a cookie on the ground) that the back and forth and up and down game do?
Also, I see verbals is up this week. So, I’ve got LOTS of words, I’ve actually played more with Ripley lately with not giving verbals at time and letting my motion and position give more info since I find sometimes a sudden verbal is more likely to cost us a bar or a blown contact. But, we do have them and use them regularly. I plan to use the same words for both dogs, I can barely manage a single cue much less different ones for different dogs. I am a data nerd, so they are all here in my Notion database of verbals (try not to laugh 🤣) – RIPLEY’S VERBALS
Some clips from this weekend. Almost no rain, so the boys got to run and play on this trial site’s awesome field. Little bits of training near the ring that went well. Luckily it was a small 2 ring but 1 judge trial (Roger judging) so nice options to train during walk thrus and on the side of the arena not being used when dogs were running.
It is so wet and cold out and we are sooo bored. I did some hoops and barrels work with Ripley since he’s going to CPE Speedway Nationals in May (after 2 CPE speedway trials we did for fun without much actual recent training on that stuff) and Vibe got very jealous.
So, I made a baby version with the barrels for him. We also worked on “tails” LSM (reinforcer delivered behind) and some toy retrieve. We ended on some pattern games and arousal mobility stuff because by the end of the session my exciting “toy, toy, go, go” stuff was getting not only Ripley (behind a baby gate in the kitchen with a squeeze cheese stuffed pickle enrichment item) but also our Swissy (behind a bay gate behind us) all amped up and barking.
We’ll head to a trial tomorrow where we’ll have space in the covered arena for some training. Any suggestions for what to think about working on there?
Barrels
Tails and Retrieve
End of Session Pattern Games and Arousal Mobility
Curious if you caught any of the “Kynology” workshop weekend that was presented live in-person and also live streamed in December? I signed up for the live stream (slightly misled about the focus but also always interested in seeing anything “new” out there) and watched the full session recordings during a road trip.
It was super interesting how some actual science was presented, but with interesting bias added in that if you’ve never actually examined the original science could be convincing. It was also fascinating that with the emphasis on the 3 quadrants other than R+ when it came time for the actual demos with owners and their dogs it was the most fluent trainer (for bite sport dogs) who was advocating for less control, less compulsion, more reinforcement, more engagement with the dogs, and appearing to bite his tongue when others were actually trying to use the techniques the lecturer (a different guy) was advocating for.
I could see how someone watching without a background in the content could be led down a path that might not be ideal for most dogs and owners.
So, a bit of an ugh! on the seminar. Not Vibe, he was awesome. But, even though it was at an agility place and I think everyone in the class was an experienced agility person, and it was called “Drive, Focus, and Control” it was HEAVY on control, medium on focus, and not much drive work. It seemed much more like an old school pet dog training thing. I don’t think the guest instructor has done much agility and mostly does board and train on owned pet dogs.
Lots of mild to moderate to serious compulsion, coercion, punishment stuff in the explanations and demos. I really don’t like it when frustration and extinction bursts are used as a primary tool for training. When a forward focus was demoed with the facility’s owner’s 18 month old dog and the dog repeatedly did the cartoon yoink where the dog bolts to the end of the long line, the instructor steps on it and the dog’s body goes flying forward while their neck jerks back, I don’t really find it funny or instructive. A bit of Serenity prayer mantra on my end.
Anyway, Vibe was so good, and I just didn’t need to, and wouldn’t have, taken away the choice, control, confidence and optimism I’ve been encouraging in him. Still a great opportunity to work around other dogs in a brand new location and he had fun. 😉
Here’s a clip of the 3 main little turns Vibe had. Recall to handler with an x-pen barrier to go around. A kind of follow me exercise (where Vibe was sure the tree stump was a new parallel path prop 🤣) and then training go to mat and lie down on mat (we got bored so we added in some distance/distraction stuff at the end to get some Startline stuff done in the environment.
Bonus – some snippets of MaxPup Fast Trackers in here since both Dot and Roulette were there.
Seminar Day
Okay, some training at the trial today during a class and then off leash during a course change just outside the ring.
We did a few different things:
1. Backup to some stacked dog beds
2. Backup to an elevated dog bed with the front feet off and angled against a chair
3. Pattern game 15 feet from the ring then <10 feet from the ring
4. Turn and burn around a big traffic cone
5. Some hand touch stuff
6. Voluntary collar grabHe had lots of fun and we also played with his tug toys in various places around the ring and outside in the grass yards.
We also signed up for some kind of little puppy training thing tomorrow and Ginger and her new puppy will be there too I think. 😁
Training at a Trial
Thanks for yesterday’s feedback. Super helpful (and wonderfully supportive) as always. 😊
We’re getting there – slowly but surely – with understanding his reinforcement procedure preferences and helping him move more fluently through arousal states. I suspect in the not too distant future I’ll laugh at needing to work to increase his arousal.
So, this AM we did a short session before we hit the road to let Ripley play at a NADAC show (main goal for him is a nose smush behavior at the end of a high arousal run instead of going to his leash and grabbing it to prepare for UKI Invitational where there’s chaos and unpredictability at the ring exit where leashes should be +/- dogs lunging at their toys near Rip’s valued tug leash – we won’t be using a tug leash there). 🤣
So, we worked on some toy related LSMs – grab it, drop it, tug. Interspersed that with pattern games (Rip’s infamous cheese ball ping pong minus the cheeseballs). Fun, easy session, and we’ll see what fun stuff we can do at the show today (any suggestions if you see this before we’re done there?).
Tug LSMs and Baby CU Pattern Game
Okay, I swear to god I’m not ignoring your feedback on cleaner LSMs and cues for switching reinforcement. You are 100% correct and I know this stuff, it’s just not yet showing up cleanly in our training. I’m going into our sessions without as clear a plan as I normally have with Ripley because I don’t know where our toy drive and food/toy switching will be day to day with Vibe.
BUT, this week I’m seeing a lot more consistency and ability to switch effectively and figuring out which toys work for what (which is a bit of a moving target still with teething but getting better).
So, I got your great feedback from yesterday’s session after I trained him this AM so I’m not fully following your recs but I will be going forward. Some of it did show up but not super cleanly YET.
I love LSMs and the clarity they provide so I’ll get my sh@t together very soon.
Today we worked on the handling sandwich and it went pretty well – he was perfect – I just need to give him the clarity we’ve been talking about going forward (also I read the instructions days ago and could have followed them better). I’m going to start reviewing videos and field guides last thing the night before so that when we do our early morning training I’ve got my act together.
Another milestone that might or might not be visible in the video, but we’ve got “ears up” this week – they’re big and adorable.
Toy Play – Toy/Food/Toy Switching – Sandwich Stuff
Okay, thanks for the feedback and suggestions on yesterday’s stuff. We’re still working on fluent arousal mobility. He tends to be very focused and serious when we train so it’s still hard to get him to go from “work” to toy play, but getting better.
Today we worked on prop sends – parallel and countermotion. I interspersed more toy play before, between reps, and after and he is getting closer to what I expect we’ll end up with as far as fluency in switching and using toys as actual reinforcers.
Prop – Parallel and Countermotion
Yeah, the body awareness continues to be unusual for his age especially with how fast he’s growing and how hard it must be to keep adjusting to his new daddy long legs.
Thanks for suggestions on next steps. I tend to revisit skills with progressions with a few days off in between so I made a list of those steps.
We worked on a straight send and go on barrels at a show this weekend so I went ahead and did the full 360 style this AM to start with something more arousing to also work on tug play. I’ve modified our AM routine a bit to minimize Ripley’s frustration since we had some build-up leakage this weekend at the UKI Festival. So, Vibe gets his kibble in his giggle ball while I train Ripley, then Ripley gets his pickle with peanut butter/squeeze cheese while I train Vibe starting with toys.
I feel like it’s a better routine for both of them so far.
Turn and Burn
