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Hi Tracy,
Here’s our first real homework assignment video from this week’s assignments since that other stuff was video we already had.
I kind of have a broken rib so the lazy pinwheels exercise was perfect.
So I feel like on the left right question I should decide that left or right means do the tunnel or jump, instead of only using it on jumps – then turn as you come out/land to make my life easier. I agree with basing cue on dog’s body not mine since I don’t want him turning to look at me if I’m behind and don’t want to worry about our exact relationship to each other if I’m ahead or doing weird cross/spin things.
Here’s the baby level of a question mark. This was a gamble – Intro line us shown here but higher levels layered the inner tunnel and I did that too just because I didn’t think I could go all the way into that far pocket and get the front cross to get out again. I used a get out and a bit of an off arm (kind of the modified lap turn arm) but it’s a similar scenario to a non-obvious/run across my feet tunnel entrance (which would be chute for us) and if I’d been farther behind I would have needed just a verbal – so a right would be good if it seemed kosher to have that do double duty as a tunnel and jump verbal.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tG1bzwEET2hwkm7P6
I saw a more advanced version of this at a show a few weeks ago – before he was old enough to enter – where the 2 tunnels were completely parallel and it was a distance challenge. So dog needed to come out of tunnel 1 at speed turn away from handler full 180 to another parallel tunnel – all with handler 20’ away and not super visible from dog’s POV. Would that also be a directional since the turn was 180?
And this – 6A to 6B where you’re a bit stuck behind the a-frame.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rZ2J4ou15iW1vmxP7
And this – 3 to 4 where I want to just stay at the entrance to 3 and run like hell as he commits to 4. Because the tunnel curves it is a bit of just a go on but there’s a rear cross kind of plus a front cross after that technically. Some dogs turned left coming out.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/m11z5JddTAzTmNjg7
Lots of people at these shows use “switch” – change your lead away from me – and I’ve used that with my previous dogs – but it’s just feeling too handler dependent and risks changes on the flat and pulling off commitment (which sometimes happened with my previous really fast and responsive BC).
This was his first taste of NADAC. He’s only allowed to do “Intro” in that venue until he’s 18 months old and the baby dogs jump 4″ lower than their full height, plus they have more classes with no or fewer jumps (and no teeter or tire in that venue) so it’s REALLY baby dog friendly.
On 2o2o training we used a target pretty briefly and faded it and just did lots of speed into 2o2o on various planks and plank like objects.
At home he’s VERY independent and able to find and stick 2o2o with all kinds of variations on my part – lateral distance, my position – ahead, behind, even with, speed, motion etc. So at home I can continue running ahead, blind cross, front cross, diverge, converge, keep a consistent lateral distance etc. and he finds his 2o2o and waits for release. That’s my goals for eventual trial performance.
He was also able to do this in class and the couple of fun matches he’s done (and he hadn’t done any contacts in trial settings yet) UNTIL last week. Last week in class, after we’d entered this past weekend’s show, was the first time he struggled to stick the landing on his contacts. Sequences in class are getting longer, faster and more fun and he just couldn’t quite stick it. He was trying, not being naughty, just couldn’t quite do it.
We refreshed a bit at home in the 2 days after class and before the trial but it’s clear that when his arousal is higher my motion – especially speed forward – can pull him off his 2o2o. So, we’re keeping that on our list of things to really work on in the next few weeks. It is definitely my goal that he can find and stick his 2o2o no matter what I do but obviously we’re not quite there yet.
I’m resurfacing my old DW with the rubber skin and can do some low DW/partial DW stuff once that’s good to go.
I am completely waffling on RDW. His stride is so long when he opens up I’m just not sure I want to put in the time and reps to train it.
ALSO – I need help with verbals. Now that we are walking and running real courses I keep seeing situations where I’m not sure what verbal to use. For example – turns out of tunnels – I’ve got left/right which in my mind means find the next jump and turn that direction, so doesn’t feel quite right to use with a turn out of a tunnel. I want to be able to say it early enough before a jump that he can hear/understand/do and don’t want it to degrade to do this when I say it so I end up getting turns on the flat before jumps.
Then there’s rear cross wraps and rear cross soft turns – do I use my same dig dig and check check that I use for wraps without a RC, do I use my same left/right soft turn even with the RC?
How about a 180 degree and push out turn out of a tunnel away from me at a distance – to another tunnel or a jump – like in a gamble or just when I’m behind and want to layer the tunnel he’s coming out of?
So many little variations of things I’m getting all in my head about them.
Help please!
That sounds great.
Here’s some of our previous plank work (also from February – that’s when he turned 12 months old and I let him start doing more fun big boy stuff).
Here’s where we’re at on full dog walk in an actual show this past weekend. I admit I got excited by how great he was doing and how much fun we were having. His dog walk is a single cue for the full behavior including 2o2o. I originally taught 2o2o with a “feet” cue for just that feet and then faded it out. On our first couple of runs I got worried and threw that in there and lagged behind him. I realized quickly that’s not how I run at home or classes and so did some toy runs and tried to run the way I do at home with full speed running and then just a little decel at the end. I have thoughts about trying for a running dog walk in the future but want this solid first and that would have a different cue if I think I want to really go for it.
Sorry some of the video from this weekend is crummy. Sometimes I just set a tripod up since my friends in Elite were usually in the other ring when baby level/Intro was running.
This is the only recent full teeter in a sequence I could find on video (from dog camp a couple of weeks ago). The little shows he’s doing so far his level/the classes he’s allowed to do don’t have a teeter yet. I did do “rehearsal runs” the night before the show at the UKI show we tried and did all the contacts (including teeter) in 1 of those runs but I didn’t tape it. He’s only allowed to do Speedstakes “for real” at UKI, CPE doesn’t have a teeter at level 1 and NADAC doesn’t have a teeter at all. He didn’t have any issues with that brand new teeter, in a brand new location at full speed in a sequence.
We did do quite a bit of foundation work on banging, motion under your feet, driving up the board and driving into 2o2o before we got to the real teeter and then we gradually got it up to full height.
Hi Tracy,
We’re at a 3 day show (we’re doing a bit of tour of venues so he’s seen baby level CPE, UKI and this weekend is NADAC – mixing up training runs with toys and “real” runs since he sometimes gets annoyed if I interrupt a course to praise or play).
I did some mountain climber work back in February (I got the self-study version of your teeter course). I’ll post that here and let me know if you want me to revisit it. He’s doing a full-height teeter with 2o2o and no issues seen but I’m happy to circle back to whatever you think is best.
We had a busy and FUN weekend.
Ripley had his first fun match. It was a 2 day event at a location where he’s been taking some beginner classes.
We had a great time and he was awesome. He doesn’t always know what I’m asking, especially once the excitement and some speed kick in, and we still have to figure out some issues with all the legs he’s apparently grown, but I felt like overall he was all in and having a really good time. I tried not to correct anything that went wrong (almost succeeded but a couple of resends here and there).
We were seriously not perfect and watching the videos back I have lots of self-critique – BUT, not once did I feel like he was scared, overwhelmed or not having fun. Even when he needed to sniff a bit on the grass field (especially since there was a very consistent particularly smelly area on the left side of the field where we often had to enter).
It was crazy how much there was to think about. I went in with some pretty solid plans and contingency plans so I wouldn’t get too excited in the moment.
Day 1 I had my camera on a tripod so the video isn’t too great. Day 2 my partner was there so the video is much better.
It’s a LOT of video. Apologies but I wanted to capture at least some of our waiting for our turn, getting into the ring, doing the thing and then leaving, plus going to our remote reinforcement at the end.
Here were our goals/the questions I was asking on each of the runs:
Day 1 –
Run 1 – can you take cookies and do some basic behaviors while waiting and in the ring.
Run 2 – can you play with toys in the ring, even with your leash off.
Run 3 – can you take cookies, play with toys and do some easy obstacles or short sequences. (wasn’t able to film Run 3 outdoors as they asked me to move up a lot due to missing dogs but he did really well).He’s used to the indoor arena, has never been in the outdoor grass space and it has LOTS of smells, lots of critters and critter habitats, horses on the other side of the fence, etc. Most dogs struggle a bit on it in general, but especially at first.
Day 2 – Goals/Questions
Run 1 – Are we picking up where we left off or do we need to take a step back
Run 2- can you do some easy sequences
Run 3 – can you do some longer sequences and still stay engagedI let him do the most in tunnelers since he was feeling really confident and seemed very focused.
I broke the videos down since there were so many and they are so long.
Here’s Day 1 – standard ring stuff (realized too late that he’s never seen an a-frame without slats – baby dog stuff)
Day 1 – jumpers stuff
Day 2 – standard ring stuff
Day 2 – jumpers stuff
Day 2 – Tunnelers
We’ve got a 2 day fun match this weekend at the facility where he’s been doing some classes. I entered him both days knowing it will be a perfect next step.
Just different enough from what he’s done there already between classes, attending shows to watch and playing in the ring during walk thrus a few months ago.
My plan is lots of really easy baby behaviors and no pressure, all fun. Not planning to do any actual courses, no long sequences and no difficult obstacles. I’ll be sitting myself down for a serious talking to trying to ensure I don’t get excited and start to ask for too much. The struggle is real. 🤣
I’ll scope out some upcoming shows with FEO/NFC stuff.
And, we’ll be seeing you up at Argus for camp in August/September. 🥰
We’ve been doing a lot of practicing the skills from this class when we visit shows these days. He’s still too young to trial but most weekends we end up at some kind of an event.
Here’s a bit of leash on and off. When he was a pup he wore a harness and then we switched to a regular collar.
This is a limited slip type leash – so it can only tighten as much as I set it to so it can’t hurt his neck. He hasn’t worn it before but we played with putting your head in the loop when he was younger.
We just worked through some steps here up to distraction of throwing the leash (and even greeting an invisible leash runner which Ripley didn’t care about (but Mighty Mouse thought I was crazy).
Hi Tracy,
Fun class last night.
I still had the last exercise set up so went ahead and worked on that this morning.
We haven’t done a lot of this stuff other than I think the prop games in MP1, but he seems to understand the concept pretty well so far (and he’s definitely a concept dog).
Here’s our full session. I did play a bit with distance since he was enjoying the out.
Cindi
Weather is crazy. Today it is cooler – 70’s – but near gale force winds. 🤣
Tree behind the camera is making some noise and a little hard to hear my release so I captioned the rep he broke.
Definitely his “I’m uncertain” tell is that shortening/rounding of his stride and his head coming up.
We need to work up to 5 jump grids I’ve the next few weeks for our in-person class so I used that set-up here.
Jumps are 8-10” and distance center to center us 6’.
Weather is crazy. Today it is cooler – 70’s – but near gale force winds. 🤣
Tree behind the camera is making some noise and a little hard to hear my release so I captioned the rep he broke.
Definitely his “I’m uncertain” tell is that shortening/rounding of his stride and his head coming up.
We need to work up to 5 jump grids I’ve the next few weeks for our in-person class so I used that set-up here.
Jumps are 8-10” and distance center to center us 6’.
We worked on the concept transfer for rear crosses today. Just a short session. Gonna hit 92 today so we got out there before it got really hot.
We did a 2 day conditioning seminar with Bobbie Lyons over the weekend (which he was great at) so gave him some time to rest and recuperate from any sore muscles.
We worked on the ladder grid exercise today. When I got out there I realized I wasn’t sure how close we were supposed to start them to the first jump so just varied it a bit.
I don’t have bars that I can lock in so just went with jump bumps. I set this at 6’ between each jump.
