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<<You probably could have gotten a blind cross on the jump before the 2nd tunnel at :14.>>
I hadn’t considered a blind there, but I think it could have worked and Annie would have preferred it. She knows I’m not going to continue running into the fence, so there would have been some uncertainty for her there. I’m probably lucky she took the tunnel. She will refuse a tunnel if she has to. 😉<<It is possible that a FC at the weave exit then run like mad with a “go tunnel” verbal will get rid of her question there?>>
A FC would have been sooo much better. Then I would have been able to get ahead of her on the weaves a little bit and it would have been very clear after the last pole where we were heading next. I couldn’t see that tunnel at all before making the turn and I couldn’t dare look for it or Annie would have popped out of the weaves.<<Nice transition into the FC on the double jump! … What you did there was drive, then decelerate… then rotate.>>
The decel is the hardest part because we aren’t usually moving all that fast .. and in the past deceleration was a perfect setup for a refusal.<<About the exit line connections: you did an awesome blind at :08! >>
That blind was an anomaly. I almost always get barked at. I’m psyched about the blinds class though because I think Annie actually really likes blinds and I think she might even like them for tight turns. She just wants the handling to be better.<<Great job! How did the connections feel while you were running? >>
The connections are starting to feel a little more natural. This is a big change to how Annie and I used to run together, so the learning curve has been a challenge for me (not for her). It’s only been in the past week or so that I really realized that the connections were going to be in use at all times. I thought they were going to be interspersed at key moments on the course. Had I known that where I was headed on course was going to be in my peripheral vision most of the time and that I really wouldn’t be pointing at things as much, I doubt I would have tried to make the change. I really don’t see people running like this at the local trials we enter, so it still seems kind of weird. One thing I have noticed in the past couple trials though … Annie is typically the slowest border collie in her group at trials and that has not been the case this fall!Hi Tracy,
Annie and I are still working on the Week 3 sequences, but in the meantime I have a course from real life. We had this nice flowy easy course in class this week, so I really tried to focus on regular connection — keeping my shoulder open to the dog and having obstacles in my peripheral vision. I’m curious to hear your feedback. I’m finding it a lot easier to keep connected on short sequences in the backyard than on a real course where I have to pay more attention to not run into obstacles.
Annie has 3 questions during the course. At the 2nd tunnel I’m guessing she was fine until my arm swung past the tunnel entrance toward the fence. While she was in the first tunnel I briefly forgot what was next, but I don’t think she was aware of that. The 2nd question was at the exit from the weaves. I didn’t see a problem with it, but Annie was clearly miffed. I’m assuming she couldn’t tell where we were going next.
My friends said “nice” for the wrap on the double because Annie had 2 really ugly landings on the previous runs. I still have a hard time letting her know that the wrap turn is coming. She seems to be surprised by it a lot of the time.
After the double I tried to run like a human since we were just making a loop around the outside of the ring. I had just re-watched that Jenny Damm video you sent me a while back and I remembered how she would sometimes run with her arms pumping. I don’t know how these things pop into my head during a course, but I was curious to see if Annie would take the obstacles if I wasn’t pointing at them. Result – I was thrilled! She took everything and there were even pesky wingless jumps in there! Check out the last tunnel exit before the dog walk — no head check! I don’t know if that’s because of my handling or because she had done the course twice already, but I’m taking credit.
Lastly, any thoughts on exit connection other than at the weaves? It’s harder for me to tell when I’m getting that right.
Get Out!
Annie went completely out of character last weekend and nailed the gamble in the linked map (the gamble is 2-4-6-8). The last time (and only time) she ever got a Level 5 gamble was in 2018! I almost scratched the run because it makes me sad to see Annie confused and sniffing by herself, shut down on the other side of the line, but I thought there were some training opportunities in the opening so I went for it. The buzzer went off and I said “Get Out”! I stood in disbelief as I watched Annie take off for the jump. We don’t layer things, ever. Then I heard the teeter bang and for a moment I wondered if the wind could have tipped it. When I came to and realized Annie took the teeter I quick ran to the other side of the A-frame to meet her and cue the finish jump! I guess it could have been a miracle, but maybe, just maybe, this commitment work is starting to pay off. 🙂Hi Tracy,
These are Annie’s Week 2 shifting connection short sequences. Our videos are out of sequence because we spent a couple extra weeks on Week 2. I’m pretty happy with these sequences overall, but I think I’m getting barked at more than I really deserve to be. Also, on the first two front crosses/wraps, I’m not sure why Annie is ending up so far behind me. She seems to be focused on me. Is she just following my right arm? Maybe I should keep my arm close to the bar and not let it swing around so much?
I guess we are not hip to the latest trends, but that is changing! We don’t get out much since Annie is reactive. We train and compete at just one place and that’s how Annie likes it. We only happen to know Anna because she usually comes by once a year. Hopefully once we’re back to the old normal, she’ll come back and we can show off our new fancy European connection skills!
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“The backside is all about the opposite shoulder.”
So, THIS is the thing I never knew! But it makes me wonder, when do I get to point at the wing — or more generally, at the takeoff spot? Whenever Anna Eifert would come to town, she would remind me to point at the takeoff spot. And indeed, pointing at the takeoff spot has served Annie and me very well for years, but I can see where there is a lot for us to gain from Regular Connection (shoulder back). So my question is, can Regular Connection coexist with OMD-style handling where I get to point at the takeoff spot?
I actually tried out my new Regular Connection at a recent trial (even though we weren’t really ready to debut it) and Annie ran around a *lot* of obstacles. Easy ones, like the 2nd half of a 180. And she flew into *every* off-course tunnel. I desperately wanted to point at the takeoff spot, but how do you point and also keep your shoulder open to the dog? What’s a girl to do?
Here are the first of the Week 3 games.
Get Out – I was completely shocked that Annie read this, but she did!
Backside Slice
Annie did great when she was on my right side. She’s used to me pointing at the wing, so I was really impressed that she did these. We never got a good rep with her on my left though. First, she ran into the tunnel which is still set up from the Week 2 games. I rewarded that because I thought it was hilarious and I thought I possibly did actually cue it. After another unsuccessful attempt, I decided to boost my confidence by putting her back on my right. Our front-side reps were actually a little swervy on both sides.
Hmmm, it seems like we could really benefit from better tunnel exit connection. 😉 I’ll admit there are times after a run when I realize I never even saw Annie exit a tunnel. I have a nagging tendency to want to see where I’m going, but hopefully we can nip that in the bud, lol. Seriously though, I think this crazy connection stuff is going to be HUGE for us. And yes, I’m very interested in hearing your comments on our timing, but first I’ll clean up those tunnels.
