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Thanks so much for being the voice of reason!!! There is a lot of peer pressure in dog sports and it’s nice to be reminded that remaining steady in achieving the smaller goals keeps it fun and still allows for the larger outcomes.
Thanks, Tracy! I really am proud of him! Going on a long car drive to a new place can be a lot! I was so nervous!
I’ve had dogs that I thought would be OK in a new environment, have a meltdown, disengage and try to leave the ring. They wouldn’t take food and tugging was definitely not on the menu so I was thrilled when this little guy walked into the building ready to go. He did so many wonderful things both in and out of the ring and I am really looking forward to strengthening our partnership!
I do have one question. I think Tribute may have been the youngest puppy there (20 weeks). Some were a couple of weeks older, while many were in the 7 to 10 month range. They all had incredible startline stays and sequencing skills (through the wings no jumping). I am wondering if I am being too conservative and if I should be doing more. I have seen young dogs that were amazing at first and then fall apart mentally when things became difficult.
Question: How can I gage when to ask for more without crushing confidence and desire for the game?
Thanks so much again, Tracy for all of the great feedback!!!
I had a lot going on at work last week so I didn’t work on an assignment. However, I was able to join Mary Ellen Barry’s pop-up puppy workshop.
This was Tribute’s first workshop and he handled it really well! We focused mostly on the beginnings of a reverse retrieve and, as expected, he became tired towards the end. The fact that he is teething probably didn’t help our cause either. However, for the most part, Tribute was a game little dude!
Here is the video:
Hi Tracy,
I absolutely love all the foundation games in this course and I especially love how Tribute’s confidence is increasing with each passing week!
Here is what we worked on this week:
1) Commitment – This was never meant to be a training activity. I usually warm up with tugging and then decided to ask for a reverse retrieve so I know it isn’t entirely correct. I will see if I can work on “Prop Game 1: Building Sends And Commitment”
2) Vito / Two-Bowl Game – Here was my progression:
a) Two bowls (seated)
b) Two bowls and a cone (seated)
c) Two bowls and a collapsible laundry basket (standing)I noticed that Tribute looks up at me each time before moving to the other bowl. Is this something I should be concerned about and if yes, how can I address it?
3) Strike a Pose (intro to serps) – This was harder than it looked! I need to clean up my mechanics!
Video: Tribute MaxPup at Get Rev’d Agility 102625
Thank you, thank you, Thank You! This is great feedback!
I will keep working on the backing up and will start the two-bowl game. Ironically, I took an in-person course covering Movement Puzzles and we started with moving back and forth between two bowls before progressing to cones and beyond. Why I never made the connection is a mystery, especially since I watched the two bowl game video the first week of this course!
BTW..Tribute is backing up on a mat designed to train a running A-frame. It is not mine but I was planning on buying one. Before I do, is there any major advantage/disadvantage to teaching a running A-frame with a mat verses the PVC box? I ask because the mat is a lot more portable.
Hi Tracy,
Today, we continued to work on backing up. I followed your advice and used a larger target and fed from both hands.There was immediate improvement! Genius!! BTW…my cookie tosses were not consistent so there were times when Tribute needed to dive under the chair to get the treat. I tried to minimize that from happening.
I also introduced wing wrap foundations.There was a lot of luring happening but I felt he was beginning to pick it up at the end. I will continuing working on this before progressing to the collapsible barrel.
Video: Backing Up & Wing Wrap Foundations
Thanks so much, Tracy!
This week, I worked on three things:
1) Backing Up – Tribute has not done this before so I paid for any backwards weight shift. He picked up on this pretty quickly. However, he is not straight. I will try again next to a wall or fence.
2) Parallel Path – He appeared to be doing well at this. Should I try for more lateral distance or stay where I am right now?
3) Rear Cross – HALP! I love this way of teaching the rear cross and plan to use it on one of my older dogs that still struggles with it! I was able to get one cross and the rest of the time, Tribute focused on my hands and wouldn’t move ahead of me which made it challenging!
Video: Backing Up, Parallel Path, Rear Cross
Hi Tracy,
Thanks so much for the fantastic feedback! It’s extremely informative and motivating!
I signed up for your Toy and Food webinars. I was unable to attend either one but can’t wait to listen to the recordings! Keeping that in mind, any toy/food mistakes in my video are the direct result of not having listened to the recording yet!
Today I focused on two things:
1) Blind cross game – I love the concept of feeding with the outside hand. However, it still feels a little unnatural and will sometimes feed with the “dogside” hand2) More goat tricks! I used the following
a) Donut – This is Tribute’s first time seeing this, so I didn’t spend too much time on it
b) Wobble Board – I used a toy for this one. His retrieves are improving 🙂
c) Food Tub Perch – Tribute is becoming very confident with this and is starting to pivot with his hind end. I am also able to consistently send to this object, a little 🙂
Video: Tribute MaxPup at Get Rev’d Agility 100525
Hi Tracy,
There is a lot on this video but I didn’t spend much time on any one thing. Here is what we worked on:
1) Pattern Game: Last year, I attended an in-person workshop offered by Bobbie Bhambree. We are playing a pattern game where I am placing food on my shoe. I started here because Tribute was a little distracted by my other dog who was in the car having a FOMO barking fit. Tribute was great for the rest of the session.
2) Blind Cross: I need to do more work on my throwing mechanics, LOL!
3) Goat Tricks: This was brand new for him. I am using three different objects.
* The first one is a platform I bought specifically for Tribute when he was 8 weeks old. It has a nice rubber surface and is very sturdy. Unfortunately, Tribute grew since then so, even though he can place all four paws on the platform, it wasn’t easy and my treat placement wasn’t helping
* I switched to a larger platform and he had no issues getting all four feet on, or sometimes three feet 🙂
* I used a small feed tub and shaped him to place his front feet on the tub. Again, my treat placement wasn’t ideal and I kept throwing him off balance but he got the idea. After I put all the items away, I noticed a really large feedtub on the shelf and will use that next time
4) Toy Retrieve: I tugged with Tribute after each exercise (and also gave him a break in-between). However, I am only showing you the last play session. I was asking him to retrieve the toy. He is bringing it back somewhere between 55% and 60% so I don’t think it is a solid behavior but there appears to be some understanding.
Video: Tribute MaxPup September 28th
Yikes! lagging behind again!
Tracy, I love your feedback! I especially loved your comment about the stationary toy. I had another go at that exercise and used a tug with a Hollee Roller at the end. It didn’t move the way I thought it would. However, Tribute was still willing to move forward towards it. I also have to watch his eyes to make sure he is looking at the toy (easier said than done!)
This video has only two segments:
1) Focus forwad using a toy
2) Foot targeting on a prop. I will start practicing this with different objectsI also attempted to do the blind cross activity but my brain kept telling me to do a front cross so I will try that one again! I really struggle with flatwork stuff when there isn’t a jump for context!
Video: Tribute September 22nd
Hi Tracy,
Here is my first video covering the following:
1) Focus Forward – Food is a higher value for Tribute but he does like to tug so I used a toy. The first two tosses were close and he didn’t have much of an issue. The third time, I think I tossed the toy too far away and he did have questions. In addition, there are people/dogs outside and he is aware of them.
2) Collection – I used food for this one and also included the side change at the end. Out of curiosity, should I be luring Tribute to circle around me? I have food in my hand so didn’t know if that was correct.
3) Hand Targeting – Tribute is reasonable comfortable with touching my hand
Video 1: MaxPup Tribute
Yes! Katniss was one of my favorites from the earlier litter.
Tribute is a really cool guy. He’s sweet, happy-go-lucky and just plain fun! He can be reserved and very thoughtful which is a bit different than some of my earlier dogs (very high arousal) but I absolutely love it! I can always see the wheels turning with this one.
Here’s Tribute’s journey so far. My primary will be agility but I would also love to do herding and some form of scentwork if he’s game to come along with me:
