[Deborah Hill]

Hi Tracy,

Here is what I came up with in terms of a reinforcement hierarchy. Cowboy is extremely social and is highly motivated to interact with other dogs and people. So far, this has been the case regardless of the environment we find ourselves in. He is also a chow hound. This guy loves to eat! Again, I have not seen him refuse food nor change the way he accepts it (slow, fast, hard mouthed, etc.)

Reinforcement Hierarchies Top 5:
Exciting and #1 being the BEST.
1. Interacting/playing with another dog_____________
2. Interacting with other people___________________
3. Cheese! ____________________________________
4. Tennis Balls__________________________________
5. Lotus Ball with Zukes or Pet Botanics treats_________

Toy Reinforcement Top 5
#1 being the BEST.
1. Tennis Ball__________________________________
2. Lotus Ball¬ with treats__________________________
3. goDog Furballz _______________________________
4. My socks! ___________________________________
5. Braided Fleece Toys____________________________

Activity Reinforcement Top 5
#1 being the BEST
1. Chasing /playing with another dog______________
2. Interacting with people_______________________
3. Walking, exploring and sniffing _________________
4. Chasing a tennis ball__________________________
5. Chasing bunnies, squirrels and other critters_______

[Deborah Hill]

Thanks so much, Tracy! I was really proud of Cowboy and was pleasantly surprised when he was able to take on so many new things in one day (I am going to include the horses next to the dog walking area).

For me, it’s always unnerving to go to a new place and work on unfamiliar equipment. To be on the safe side, we did the teeter separately at first and then back-chained it into the course and that worked well.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done and I genuinely appreciate being able to play this game with such a willing partner. I also want to thank you again for being a part of the journey.

[Deborah Hill]

Hi Tracy,

This weekend, Cowboy and I attended a young dog agility workshop presented by Judy Reilly. This was Cowboy’s first time doing a full-day workshop so I wasn’t sure how he would hold up but he did a fantastic job of staying focused during the entire event.

I am sharing this video with you because you had a tremendous influence on the outcome, not just during this class but the other MaxPup classes that came before it.

There’s still a lot to work on and improve but I am grateful that you were part of our journey!

Video: Cowboy at the Judy Reilly Agility Workshop

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Deborah Hill.

[Deborah Hill]

Thanks Tracy! I haven’t given much thought to my startline routine (crate to ring) so I am glad I had the opportunity to consider things I can use.

When Cowboy circled around me during the cookie tosses that was entirely his idea. He really seems to like that trick. I will start taking this act on the road to see how he does in different environments. I may have missed it but if you have other advise for creating a repeatable startline routine, I would love to hear your thoughts! 🙂

[Deborah Hill]

We are going into our 9th week already! Wow! Time really flew by!

Today, I worked on the engagement games for Week 8.  This was so much fun! I Started out using two magic words “Ready” (let’s him know I am going to give another cue) and “Get it” (used for tossed treats or toys).  I then switched over to some simple tricks that didn’t require a prop:

1) Elevated hand touch
2) Side by side spins
3) Leg weaves
4) Move in a circle around the human
5) Back-up

Cowboy seemed to be having a lot of fun with this one.  The only time I saw him get really thoughtful was for the back-up.  I didn’t use the clicker-board and I also tried to see if I could get the behavior away from the wall.  I think that combination was much harder for him so I rewarded for fewer steps.  His butt was wiggling the entire time so all good! 

Video: Cowboy’s Quick Tricks

[Deborah Hill]

Thanks so much, Tracy! When I introduced forced fronts to my BC, timing was everything! If I was a split second too early he would take the front side and if I was late he would just run past the jump. I thought I would have the same issue with Cowboy but he read them just fine.

When I watched your video, you had a bar on the ground to indicate the commitment point and I think that really helped me to visualize this. I will try again and see if I can do the other variations.

Thanks again!

[Deborah Hill]

Hi Tracy,

Today Cowboy and I worked on the forced front cross. I have a tendency to stay too far back from the jump but Cowboy still read it in spite of this. In addition, I did not use the sequence from your video and just worked with the jumps that were already set up for a class scheduled the following day.

Video: Forced Front Cross

[Deborah Hill]

Thanks so much, Tracy!  It was a great workshop! Challenging enough to uncover skill gaps but easy enough to enjoy lots of successful moments 🙂
 
With all of the Border Collies there, Cowboy certainly wasn’t the fastest dog but he was sooo consistent and ran clean during most of the workshop. Rebecca did think I could get more speed out of him once I improve my timing and he better understands handling cues.
 
When I signed up for your class I was thinking that I was adding skills for far off future events,  I never expected to be using any of it during this past weekend!  I was so thrilled! Thank you very much!  

Once the glow has subsided I will start working on those force front crosses (the bane of my existence! 🙂

[Deborah Hill]

Thanks Tracy! This totally makes sense. I am starting to work on release and reward procedures but it still gets a bit jumbled 🙂

On Saturday, I attended an agility workshop with Rebecca Thrift. I have wanted to try an “either/or” workshop for a while now so I am glad I had the chance. I took both Kaeto (Agility University Alumni) and Cowboy.

This was Cowboy’s second agility workshop and the most technical thing he has done. I am so grateful for all of the great exercises from your class. They helped tremendously! We weren’t perfect but I did feel comfortable trying the things I learned here! Thanks so much!

Music Video: Rebecca Thrift “Either / Or” Agility Workshop

[Deborah Hill]

Thank you, Tracy, for the clarification on the Tandem and Lap turns! This helps tremendously! I will have another go at these but wanted to submit a video showing Cowboy’s teeter performance since I haven’t shown one in a few weeks.

Cowboy generally does well when I am walking past or when I am near the end of the board. However, in this session I am rewarding for getting into the 2O/2O position while I run past. I am using the Manners Minder for this session. It is about 16′ away which is the furthest it’s been so far.

I got three different responses:
1) He kept running with me and wouldn’t stop
2) He would stop in a 4-on position and then go to 2O/2O if I waited him out
3) He would stop in the 2O/2O position but I am not sure if this is happening intentionally or by accident

I look forward to hearing your thoughts. In addition, I am considering teaching a running A-Frame. I have not taught one before; although, I have started running Cowboy through a PVC square. Because, I have not combined running and stopped contacts before do you believe this will cause confusion (i.e. will Cowboy be more inclined to run through the end of the dog walk and teeter)?

Video: Cowboy practicing end behavior on Teeter (2O/2O)

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Deborah Hill.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Deborah Hill.

[Deborah Hill]

Today, we tried lap turns and tandem turns. Cowboy appeared to understand the lap turns better than the tandem turns (I also need to work on my form!). I plan to reattempt outside if it is not too hot. 🙂

Video: Cowboy Lap Turns and Tandem Turns

[Deborah Hill]

Yay! I always dread working on startline stays and lead outs! Thanks for making it fun.

Yes! I do need to trust Cowboy. Once I removed the Manners Minder (he is obsessed with the thing) there were zero errors. I will continue to keep at it!

[Deborah Hill]

Thanks Tracy!

I tried again today. In the first part, I used the Manners Minder (set off to the side) and then on the second half, I removed it to see if it made any difference.

I found I was able to obtain a little more lateral distance than yesterday but if I stepped too far to the side, Cowboy would skip the middle jump.

Overall, his ability to hold the stay in front of two jumps improved. I did not try the reward behind or off to the side like in your video but given how keen Cowboy is to go forward, I will include it when I do this set-up using a front cross.

Video: Two-jump Lead Out with Blind Cross

• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Deborah Hill.

[Deborah Hill]

Thanks Tracy! There was a power outage while I was making the video! Here is a revised version:

Video: Lead Out with Blind Cross

[Deborah Hill]

Thanks so much, Tracy for the great feedback! Last year, I did a OMD workshop (young dog workshop) with my other guy and we really struggled with the countermotion parts of the course. Next weekend, I am going to do an agility workshop with the same person and wanted to be at least marginally prepared! 🙂

Yesterday, I did the lead out exercise at Get Rev’d Agility and forgot to hit the record button! Ugh! I tried again this morning and it went well (for the most part). I struggle with a one-jump lead out so having Cowboy sit two jumps away was a big deal. Loved this assignment!

Video: Lead out with blind cross
Replaced video

• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Deborah Hill.

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