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Oh gosh, I totally do lure her to me with my body language and movement, ack! I’m so glad you said something! It will take some practice to untrain myself.
Arousal state is why I am here. I know how great her skills and her connection are when her arousal is HIGH-ish.
I grabbed a piece of cardboard to try the Instant Focus game.
Hi Tracy, thanks for the clarifications and feedback!
We went for a walk to the neighborhood park to work on “up down” pattern of cookie at my feet, specifically for me to work on moving around and waiting for her to offer engagement.
When I put out the novel item I brought with me for St Patrick’s Day, she showed no interest; I guess bottles of booze are not very novel around my house, LOL. I even tried to get her to run by it!
I had target plates in my vest pockets and tossed them around to give her SOMETHING to look at then disengage from. When her offered focus was getting really fast I added a few cued things.
I’m excited to try some of the other games!I have a question — on our way home she saw a dog she wanted to harass, and insisted we keep walking. Zippie moved into a pretty heel, slightly forged and FOCUSED on my face. Demanding. I could now ask for proper heeling, sits, downs, spins, all really flashy & without luring, all from the higher arousal state. Cool. I love happenstance opportunities to get and reward that high quality performance. I notice this after lure coursing as well. Any reason not to? And should I food-reward offered engagement whenever it happens around the house, even when I’m not “training”?
BrendaYes! She has a long history of pivoting on a bowl or mat, and we might even run from one to another outside the trial building, hop up – pivot-run to the next and repeat. I’ll try your suggested sequence this evening.
Yes, she was particularly reluctant to drive into my hand in the tricks video – I realized later that I had *just* cleaned that spot of the carpet that I was asking her to step into… Not helping.
I stopped at a park yesterday to do some work and got caught in a downpour so we ducked into the restroom – it was so clean!! So I thought I would show you our pattern feeding games. She does drive in for the feeding on the shoe.
I think these particular games help bring her energy UP, and would be reassuring in a stressful environment, but they aren’t really much help in the getting to the line.I love “Find My Face” !
Here is our Action Tricks Toolbox – I will set a timer next time as I did go long. While this was uploading I watched the Pattern Games video and realize I’m getting ahead 😉
I usually start sessions with a Location Specific Reinforcer warm up, Get It to bring her energy up before we start. I’ve also started adding “RRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrready” before the Get It, because I can really gauge her energy if she turns and digs in on the Ready then I know I have her. Sometimes I am whispering “rrrrrrr” to her at the start line or when working on weaves on their own. BUT I have not been waiting for her to offer attention before cueing Ready / Get it (oh, except when we’re playing Find My Face). Let me know if blurring these games is likely to cause confusion. I see watching my video that I’m not as consistent with my LSM as I think I am.Action Tricks – spins, find heel & pivot and release, send to platforms (I often bring washcloths to toss on the ground and hop from one to another), send around cones, a high hand touch is fun IF she is already a little high and the footing is good, the chin rest is only used as a brief start to the back up cue (she doesn’t really like nose touches, but she will slam her chin into my palm), if she is a little high then position changes are fun. I have not been able to teach any kind of jump up or going between my legs as she just really wants to not near my feet. (Altho “cookie” is the eat off my shoe LSM)
