[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy! We’ve been practicing and are in weeks 3 and 4. I just can’t seem to get video posted. Here’s a few from the past couple of days:

Position changes on the giant fitbone. She won’t outgrow this it just looks like it. It’s 34″ long and my adult Border Collies can easily fit on it. I’ve mostly been doing her position changes on an aerobic step and just a few on the unstable surface as you suggested she’s not strong enough for much of that.

She’s doing much better with backing up. Need to start adding some distance

Here’s the blind cross with collection turn. I couldn’t get her to chase a toy. She very much prefers food at this point. I bought her some new tugs from Clean Run that just came today. You’ll see them on future videos

This is the 2nd time doing this. Outside is pretty distracting. This is the only toy she’s been willing to chase. It’s actually a leash so I really don’t like it to for tugging due to the snap flinging around.

First time shaping a tunnel. I added a 2nd bowl today and she’s getting the hang of it better. No video today.

First time trying strike a pose. She did pretty well I thought. It doesn’t look like my feet are quite right although it seemed like they were at the time.

Gemma is 15 weeks today and has really grown. 17.8 lbs at the Vet today and about 16″ tall!!!!

• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Laurel.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Laurel.

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy!
We did some more videos yesterday. First after puppy class at my dog club. They have wobble boards and a travel plank. Later we did some training at home.

This is the travel plank. She hasn’t played on this before with me. The litter had some small puppy size things like this and a wobble board in their play area. I have a teeter down completely flat (does not move or tip) in my yard which she runs over and across on her own.

This is the wobble board. Next time I’ll try tugging around and on it. There is also a tippy board there which I put down for her but thought it was too tippy for now.

This is the giant fitbone again with her doing position changes as you suggested.

Here is where she is with the wing wrap. Since you mentioned that we’ll be taking the wing wrap object to different locations I decided to get a folding leaf bag for ease of transport. This video is the first time she has seen it. It is a bit bigger than it seemed like when I ordered it. She’s growing so fast I think it will be ok. She just turned 3 months old and is up to 15.4 lbs and about 14″ tall. I think she’ll end up about 19″. That’s my hope anyway lol. I got her a new tug toy and up trying to build a bit more interest in tugging. I think she currently prefers food. I am sometimes using higher value food than her kibble.

This is backing up and targeting hind feet. In her last backing up video I had a red kneeling cushion down for her to target to. That seemed not tall enough for her to notice when her feet were on it. I tried a few other things and ended up using a Cato board. It seemed to work and I got a back up with back feet on right at the end so stopped with that.

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy!

We’ve been working on backing up. I’m just using my leg to help her move straighter back, not the training gates yet. She’s finally starting to get it in todays video:

I’ve been using my marker cues with Gem. I’m used to this from Morgan.
Food ones are:
– “search” for thrown cookie
– “scatter” for a bunch of treats dropped on the floor. This can be used to distract her from doing something I want to interrupt and also can be an end of session marker”
– “catch” throwing a cookie for her to catch. She doesn’t know that one yet
– “good” I deliver a cookie to her mouth while she is still
– “yep” She comes to get a cookie from my hand
Toy markers:
– “toss” I toss a toy for her to catch
– “get it” She chases a thrown toy
– “take” She comes and takes a toy from my hand. Frequently we’ll play tug with this toy

I’m not using all of these with Gem yet

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy! Very helpful feedback. I’ll work on all your suggestions this week.

This weekend we went to a Nosework trial on Saturday and an Agility trial yesterday. She met lots of new people and watched interesting things. Nothing fazes her, she loved it all 😊. She also started her Puppy Kindergarten class last week. Just 3 other puppies in it. She did pretty well but thought an hour was way too long lol

This weekend we worked on wing wraps with multiple cones for distance and then a large trash can, shaping to stand on the giant fitbone and finally beginning backing up.

Here is wing wraps around multiple cones and trying to remove first cone. She takes the short cut every time. Not sure what to do except make the space available smaller. I know this is quite a long session but being a Border Collie she loves working so I lose track of time.

This is the next day. I’m using something she can’t walk through like the cones and I tried standing up. She definitely noticed the change but did adapt.

Here is her first time on the giant fitbone. She really likes getting on it. I love how confident she is with new things.

Backing up isn’t going well at all. She started out with a few steps back but then thought this exercise is about lying down. My hand motion and standing in front of her is pretty much the same as how I have been teaching her a nice, foldback down instead of butt first down. It’s not surprising she’s confused. I didn’t show you the whole session as it’s more of the same except me trying to change my position and using the mat as a prop for her to back up to. She just keeps lying down instead of backing up.
I’m thinking of switching to using training gates to assist with learning a back up. They help with the puppy learning a straight back up too. I would be standing at her side placing treats similarly so just not in front of her. I think it will help her to see this as different from my cueing down. Julie Flannery teaches backing this way. I just need to acclimate Gem to the gates. Let me know what you think.

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy!

I totally agree about the teeter! This happened at my friend’s house when I wasn’t there. At my house, I only have a teeter which currently I have flat on the ground. Gem doesn’t have access to it in any case.

Today we worked on the rest of the week 1 games. I have 3 videos to show you. We went down to my dog training club to do these today. Gem has been there several times but not running free like today.

I started off with the resilience walk from week 1. Hope it’s ok that I did this off leash. This is a very safe space, fully fenced with no need for a leash. As you’ll see I blocked off the contacts. It just happened today that all the agility equipment was out. I was super surprised that she went through the tunnel on her own. I’ve let her free to interact with the tunnel I have outside at home which she hasn’t shown any sign of wanting to go in:

This is the Prop game 1: sends and commitment. I’m using a folded up rubber bath mat which is heavier so won’t move and not slippery like my previously used prop was. I think she did pretty well with this.

This is the blind cross foundation. I was super late with my blinds I think. She did really well considering. For some reason I couldn’t interest her in tugging. Likely a combination of working in the new place and needing a more enticing tug.

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy!

We’ve been practicing but I haven’t gotten videos posted until now. I have 4.

First is the drive to handler, decel and turn. I think she’s doing great with this but I need more practice. I can definitely go further and faster. I’m finding it harder because she’s still so small but super quick and I don’t want to trip over her. She’s growing fast! Putting on 2 lbs a week now. Went from 11.2 to 13.3 this past week!

Here is focus forward to tug. She’s doing great with this and tugging more & more. I’m using my verbal “Get it” which is my Marker for chasing a thrown toy. Maybe I should start using “Go, Go” instead? Means drive ahead of me to the next obstacle on course.

Here is wing wrap foundation week 2
with larger items to wrap around:

Here is Goat tricks week 2 with
movement. I tried this with different fitness items I have. I think I should maybe take some air out of this large disc for her? I have a giant fitbone that might work better. The last weekend of April she stayed with my friend when I was away. My friend has a teeter out in her yard set to tip with just a 4″ drop for her older puppy. She wasn’t expecting Gem to interact with it but she did. On her own she was running back & forth down the whole board and loved the tipping!!!! No noise since it’s on grass.

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy! Great suggestions and encouragement:). I am definitely relaxed and calm when I train my dogs. It’s my natural inclination and is what Morgan needs with her high arousal issues.

Gemma is 11 weeks old today. Growing impossibly fast especially legs. She Loves training!

We worked on several different things today. I have several videos to show you. First is shaping:

1. Shaping a front foot target. I used a slightly higher object and she got it right away.

2. Here is the GOAT shaping using a Cato board. This is the first time I tried this with her:

3. This is the beginning Decel and drive to handler:

4. This is the Decel and drive to handler outside in my front yard:

5. This is the focus forward to a tug toy. Outside again with a longer toy. Sorry I had the tripod set so it just cut off her first getting to the toy. I can redo it if you want but think it still shows enough:

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy! I will try the next step.

We also did the focus forward to a toy exercise yesterday. I did as you suggested. We did a session inside that went well and then took it outside. She is Much more distracted outside. She plays the game with enthusiasm but doesn’t keep her focus on it as much.

Probably the Most important skill I want to perfect during this class is having her want to bring the toy back to me to tug and not run off and play with it by herself. I don’t know if you remember my first Border Collie, Morgan? We had a working spot on your Zoom brain camp last fall. She was my first dog that I tried to tug with and I ended up with a dog that will not bring her tug back to me. It’s super hard now to use tugging properly as reinforcement.

Here is our outside tug session from yesterday. We did another session (not videoed) this morning and it was the same. I think we need more practice inside and in different places inside before taking it outside. Also maybe shorter sessions? Especially in new, more distracting locations. In the original training space she wants to go on & on & on! I need advice on how best to end up with a dog that wants to tug with me!!

[Laurel]

Hi Tracy,
Yesterday morning Gem went to the Vet for a vaccination so we didn’t do any training. She’s feeling great and today we did several exercises.

Here is video of the wing wrap foundation. She did great with this so I moved the jump upright out a few inches which didn’t faze her a bit:

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy for your great feedback ! Gem & I will work on this again.

I am away all weekend at an agility workshop with my older dogs. Gem is staying with a friend. We’ll get back to this on Monday.

Friday afternoon we started with focus forward to a tug toy:

I was trying to tug just straight forward with her but see in the video I didn’t always. I’m pulling her neck up way too much. Will kneel down and get more on her level next time.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by Laurel.

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy! Yes I understand your instructions. I did start initially with a little higher object but she was just going around it. I wanted something she could just run across. I’ll try something a little higher when she gets this better.

Here is her wing wrap foundation. This is her second time with these. First was last night. We did both food & then tug toys.

[Laurel]

Thanks Tracy. Here are the 2 pre games. This is her first time shaping so it took her a bit to figure this out. Hope it looks ok
to you. We started touch a couple of days ago.

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