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She got the backside wrap at 1:06 but was careful like Kip was – too much leaning forward pressure there from the position
This is good to know for both of them. They both can wrap so nicely and I always struggle when I’m rushed in course. So I knew it was something just couldn’t figure it out. I’ll have to practice standing up/not rushing these better.
Here’s Emmie on Standard Course 2 as well. I had a target out on the teeter for her. At the end I got a little confused as to what I was doing so did a fake out of a BC.
Here is Kippy on Standard course 2 (set with jump replacing a frame and tunnel replacing dogwalk). I struggled on a lot of parts of this with him. But like I was saying above, he actually listens to verbals more than I realized. A few weeks ago we did a short training session for “go” out of a tunnel to a jump. I back chained it without any motion from me. A straight tunnel to a jump with me getting behind is really hard for him and will usually end up in a fumble or refusal in the middle of the course. I was actually really happy with the weaves to straight tunnel and jump (I think #7?) on this course because he was running full blast forward. Definitely had to break some stuff down and fix it, but I realized through the little training we did in there I was not telling him to jump. But that definitely made it clearer for him. During Emmie’s turn I did the same thing. I told her “go” when I should have told her to “go jump”. I think she took the “go” as the ending line and she was done.
Anyway this has been fun to have him do some of this too because it’s helping me fine tune some stuff with him.
You can start with her on your right and run into the opening, doing a BC 2-3 (starting the blind no later than when she lands from 1). That keeps you running the right direction the whole time while getting the 2-3 turn too
I will try this with Kippy on this course. Honestly I’ve been finding most of these courses to be more difficult with him because he doesn’t have the verbals Emmie does. And I’ve just been struggling in general with him because we are out of sync and haven’t trialed for so long. So it’s been really nice running these with him too.
For now, it was smart to run straight past the teeter and reward her – she was great both times through there. Was the reward placed out there already? If so, she gets a double gold star for ignoring it until she got there.
The reward was placed out there already. 🙂 She looks longingly at it when we leave it there lol.
So a different way to cue that collection can help in those high speed situations: when you finish the FC, don’t turn towards the jump bar at all: turn your feet to her, and use your hands to face her nose (rather than indicate the jump bar or takeoff spot). You’ll find that your back ends up to the wing. That is a stronger collection cue and she will be able to make the turn. It is almost like a half front cross followed by a throwback
I actually think I have to practice this a little more with her too. (For both myself to get the mechanics and for Emmie). I don’t do spins very often with her but I have in a seminar and faced her like you said. She actually had a hard time jumping into that. I think it would be different with all the speed though.
And of course use your directions – you might have been saying it but it is hard to hear because the verbal is quiet and you were facing away from the camera. Or, it might have been hard to spit them out when you are running so hard, so that is definitely something o practice without her: sprinting and saying quiet wrap cues
Since this is the first dog that I’ve trained this many verbals, there are a lot of times I revert to old habits of saying nothing 😀. It’s definitely a work in progress. I also realized doing these courses how much Kippy listens to my verbals too (even though I don’t have many with him)! I might have to start being more consistent with him too!
Hi Tracy,
I hope you enjoy your holiday and do something fun! Here is Emmie on standard course 1. I replaced the A frame with a jump and the dogwalk with a straight tunnel since we don’t have those contacts yet. Not sure if I made it easier or harder on myself ha. I did have a target out for the teeter. I also added a target at the end of the weaves if she pulled out of the poles. But on a great note, she was hitting all her entries! On the first time through to the end, I sent her off course accidentally on 20. I also had a hard time using her verbal wrap cues on this course for some reason.
Weaves – After watching these, I think it could be an inexperience thing: her struggles could be the visual distraction of the other obstacles and/or lack of experience of these entries with all that speed – but she started to get it really nicely, so she was definitely ‘seeing’ them and finding them really well!
Her speed has continued to increase over the past year so that could definitely be a factor.
But since it is REALLY hard to decel and kind of freeze there – the other option is to continue moving through a spin! You had the time to do it and I think it will make the turn perfect.
I like this option!
As you work on the tight blinds, a way to help him understand the turning is to do the blind then run away and reward across your body. So in this instance the toy would be in your left and you would run, showing him the toy in your left, and keep running til he caught up to you.
I’m a little confused on this – can you give another example?
So to leave sooner there, think of it as more of a parallel path backside line and less of a push or send: lead out less but allll the way across #2 – release and move forward to your line with a lot of connection and give the backside cue with as minimal of a ‘step’ as you can do – he should propel away to the backside and then you just run forward. That will easily get you up the next line even more. I try not to use ANY step in these situations: just connection and verbal.
So he has very little commitment – he will take the front side so fast it’s ridiculous so I’ve compensated by overhandling that. And on top of that, we’ve been doing a threadle class so his little boy brain is hurting. He started threadling the first jump off the startline during practice the other day with no cues 🙂 (He tries so hard lol) So his backsides have been hit/miss even more. Can I try your above suggestion and give an example video?
You had the tunnel as 10 here but it is actually 12 🙂
Serves me right for not looking at the map and trying to do this from memory. I missed that whole section LOL.
Here is Emmie doing Jumpers courses 1 and 2. She has really been struggling the last couple of days with this weave entry so I put wings up right away before we ran Course 1. It seemed more distracting than anything for her so then I took them down but she still struggled with it. Then I tried course 1 later again this evening and she was nailing the entry. And obviously had some sort of connection issue after the weaves because she kept coming with me instead of heading back into the tunnel. Sorry for all the background screaming – had both dogs out so I could switch them back/forth.
Hi Tracy,
Here is Course 3 with Kippy. We could not get through it. I could not get a nice turn off 4 or I pulled him off of it. And then I was rushing his weave pole entries (he can hit his entries but it’s definitely something I’ve always managed and is a weakness). He is a very sensitive guy so he can start getting worried he’s doing something wrong if we do it too much. So we tried a few more times in the evening but same result. When we did get to the end of the course there was no way I could push him to the backside of the second to last jump so I just let him take it straight on (because I gave up lol). I tried Course 1 again using your feedback and we were able to nail it on the first try.
On the backside at 2 she did really well finding it and her exit turn was great! You can also play with having her slice the other direction on it (so she enters on the wing closer to the center of the course and exits the backside on the wing away from the course. You would start on your right and do a serp tp blind – that would actually allow you to get to the BC 4-5 even sooner because you would not have to step to 3 at all. Plus, that will have her turning towards her right the whole time which sets a prettier line.
I didn’t even think to go that way – that does look like a better line! I was thinking the other option might be a wrap but that would put me behind.
When you got the tunnel threadle on the 2nd run, you pulled yourself too far away from the tunnel – she still had a nice tight line but then you were out of position. That caused you to have to explode to get back to position, which sent her wide out of the tunnel. So, stay close to the line for the tunnel (don’t pull away) or better yet… get in there for the blind (you totally can!)
So would you push to the back/blind, or just time it as a blind?
I think she is all business too. She was like “what the heck, why are we going back?” Lol. But it’s good to know!
I did a quick run thru on just a tunnel and weaves and she was magically back to her old self nailing the entries. Crisis and mini meltdown/panic attack averted. So we tried Jumpers Course 3. I didn’t get through it but didn’t want to push the weaves tonight and I messed up the rest anyway.
Emmie got to work on some transitions to trial stuff tonight. You can’t hear it very well but our cue is “Let’s go get your cookies.” She loves her toys but going through the pressure filled area of On The Run during a trial is a lot for her (tends to get snarky) so I like to feed her all the way through there instead.
He just turned 8 in May. The way he reads my body language and accel/decel is both a blessing and a curse. He’s my second agility dog and first fast dog so we got to learn how to compete together. Emmie is my third dog and first dog I decided that I needed to push myself outside my comfort zone to train some skills (because I really am a lazy trainer – I just keep telling myself how fun it will be to have a RDW to keep myself motivated LOL).
On the hard spot you mentioned (exit of the tunnel #5) – you can call his name and start the FC before he enters tunnel #5 at :08 That will get you a tighter turn. The FC has to happen REALLY fast there though… so a blind will be sooo much easier to do on time here because your feet can just fly forward and your upper body will show the turn.
This was my goal in that first rep but he was blasting out that tunnel because I was racing to get over there. I switched to a FC because I knew I was going to be late. I switched to all the pulls to get through the course a little tighter on the later reps but I don’t care for them because he does read those as converging on his lines (it’s also why I very rarely do rear crosses with him and if I do they tend to be on the flat). I just don’t know if I can get there for the BC either!
Weaves: if he will allow it (I don’t know how independent his weaves are), you can do the cross and start moving up the line before he exits, so you can be further ahead after the tunnel #10 at :18 and 1:38. He looked pretty independent here!
That can allow you to get the FC 12-13 at :23 and 1:39 sooner (he was already in the air when it started (a blind would work here too :)) Ideally you would decelerate and start the FC when he lands from 11.I should’ve tried that because I think it would have helped him to take 11 without hesitation too.
Course 2:
opening 1-2-3-4 – nice, both times!!!! A little decel on the “in in” threadle at 5 will tighten up the turn to 6 on both reps there.Ha – I tried to slow down that second rep….not quite fast enough LOL.
The ending looked strong too! He dropped the bar on 18 at 2:44 – when you suddenly accelerated. So he finds that sudden accelerations to be challenging!He typically does not drop bars (even during acceleration) so I’m chalking that up to him being a little out of shape ha!
And it is linked to the opportunity to reward him for finding the jump after a tunnel and not running around it, even if there is a sudden change in motion or a bit of pressure on his line.
When I slow down and there is convergence, it is definitely difficult for him (again, rear crosses = our nemesis).
