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Today we had another go at practicing 2O/2O on the travel plank. This time I used a target plate and then switched to the Manners Minder. Cowboy’s reaction to the two treat delivery approaches are different but I couldn’t tell if one was better than the other.
Next time, I would like to try the Bang Game on the end of the teeter given that Cowboy appears to have a better understanding of how to shift his weight backwards on the board.
Video: 2O/2O on the Travel Plank
Yes! Obsessing over weather is definitely a thing in the dog sport / horse sport world!
Thanks so much, Tracy for the feedback! We will switch to teeter stuff for the time being but am having a look at the new lessons you posted yesterday.
Hi Tracy!
I checked the 5 day forecast and there looked like a lot of rain predicted for most of the week so I headed out today and did a short weave pole session with Cowboy.
I started off very easy and kept closing the angles of the poles. I was unable to get them completely closed. In the last rep they were set at 12&6 and 1&7. However, I was happy with what he did give me in this distracting environment (lots of joggers, cyclists, people walking their dogs, etc.)
Video: Outdoor Practice Poles 1 – 4
Thank you, thank you, THANK You for the comprehensive feedback!
I agree with all of your points and in the next outdoor session will consider ways to help increase the number of successful reps.
I guess the one thing I was really happy about was Cowboy’s willingness to engage with me. I was sure that being in a large open field would have tempted him to run off to parts unknown when thing got hard but that never happened. He may not have been as focused but he wasn’t tuned out either. All good stuff and a great launch point for future success!
Today was a 2O/2O day using the travel plank. After watching the video, I will definitely need to work on my mechanics. I thought I was closer to the end of the plank than I actually was. I also need to watch where Cowboy’s feet are! 🙂
Video: 2O/2O Travel Plank
So this video is a bit on the longish side (3 min 37 sec) because it contains two back to back training sessions.
On Saturday we headed outdoors to a different location. It’s a relatively quiet area without any major distractions (or so I thought!)
When we first started, Cowboy made a beeline directly to the Treat n’ Train and totally ignored the poles. This happened repeatedly so I finally removed it and used a toy instead (not shown on video in the interest of time). The session went much better after that. Although, there were still more errors than usual.
On Sunday I headed indoors. I wanted to know whether the errors I saw on Saturday were largely due to the new environment or to a lack of understanding, I am sure it is both but I was curious to see which one had the greater impact.
The session went really well. I started with the poles open (offline) and then immediately closed them. There were still mistakes but very few and he looked a bit more confident than he did on Saturday.
I will continue to try outdoor training sessions and also look for different places to practice so Cowboy has the opportunity to generalize agility behaviors.
Video: Weave Pole Practice with Wings
Excellent! Thanks Tracy! I will give this a go.
Out of curiosity, would it be an issue if I use a short training tab (assuming I can remember where I stored it!)? Cowboy has a lot of coat around his neck and I sometimes struggle to find his collar through all that hair (he’s very polite about the process but doesn’t appear to enjoy it). Alternatively, I can use a harness. I have a Curli Belka Comfort harness. It supposedly does not interfere with shoulder movement.
Hi Tracy!
I did some “offline” nose target practice with Cowboy and then added in the travel plank and the teeter. For the most part, he was happy to target the plate with his nose. However, as he became more excited, he would also throw in a few foot targets.
Overall, I thought there was improvement in his understanding of the 2O/2O position. A few times one of his hind feet touched the floor and he corrected it on his own without much prompting from me.
Video: Teeter Bang Game
Hi Tracy,
Today was indoor theme park day! I worked on three exercises:1) Backing Up
2) Tug with wobble board added
3) 2O/2O with Travel PlankThe backing up went well. The goal of the tugging session was to get Cowboy to rock back on his hind end on and off the wobble board. I partially succeeded. He was a little wild here.
I finished up with the 2O/2O using the travel plank. Oddly, Cowboy decided this was a foot targeting exercise and proceeded to step on the target plate multiple times. He did move into position, but did not drop his head much. I am wondering if I should try again with the T&T since he does tend to keep his head down and forward when staring at the food delivery tray. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Video: Cowboy Teeter Games
Torrential rain had us back indoors. Overall, I thought the session went well. Although, I think I will need to revisit wing wraps (haven’t done much of them recently).
Video: Find ’em Game Using Wings
Thanks Tracy! I will retry.
Today, I practiced the mountain climbing track. I used a pre-loaded target plate which worked well when the board was stationary but not so much when it moved. As you’ll see in the opening part of the video, cheese went flying everywhere so I just hand-fed after that. I will need to come up with a different set up for future sessions.
Video: Mountain Climbing with Tip
Today, Cowboy and I practiced the end position on the travel plank and the teeter table game.
Cowboy’s 2O/2O position is not strong right now and it looks like he has more interest in collecting treats than rocking back into position. However, I plan to keep working on this including asking him to enter from different parts of the plank (sides as well as straight on) to verify his understanding.For the teeter table game, I kept the 20″ table but removed the 12″ one. He appeared to be OK going over the plank but again was not rocking back and appears to be very upright. Recalling over the board appeared to help some since he slowed down when he reached me. All good information since I know what I need to work on (including that early release from the down stay!)
Video Cowboy Teeter Games
