[Kyla McNeill]

Hello!
Here are some threadles and serps with the cookie now on the dish. Cookie toss starts with the threadles and waiting starts with the serps. He did not want to sit in this session so we did standing waits.

Rocking horses with a slightly curved tunnel. He seemed to look at me slightly more when he came out of the tunnel on my right side but he thought this was very fun!

[Kyla McNeill]

Hello!
Here is another attempt at the decel game.

Some stays in the arena.

I did try previously to have a cookie already on the dish when practicing serps and threadles and he was able to do it perfectly when I had someone to hold him at the start for me but was not able to handle it when I was on my own and starting him with a cookie toss. Worked on this to help prepare.

[Kyla McNeill]

Hello!
We tried some different angles for the serp jump and a few threadles as well.

We also worked on more stays but I forgot to restart the camera. He did great though! He was near equipment but not directly facing it and I was able to move some distance away while he held his sit fabulously and then got to chase his cookie ball.

Can you please remind me when the posting period for this course ends?

[Kyla McNeill]

Sounds good. Thanks so much!
Yes, Lennan on the bed was quite easy and Aelfraed is used to him being around in sessions at home but not in the arena. I did think Lennan playing around with the toy would be more difficult but Aelfraed said it was fine.
I do not think he can stay long enough yet to add it into the decel game so will try a farther cookie toss for now.

[Kyla McNeill]

Hello!
We worked on some distraction with his brother Lennan (best buddy and playmate) first on a bed and then playing around with a toy.

Decel game.

Backside slices building distance, although one side seems easier than the other.

[Kyla McNeill]

Sounds good, thanks so much!

Haha, he already believes the tunnel is amazing and the jumps are pretty fun too so not sure how the stays will go in front of those obstacles yet, but we will definitely give it a try. Will probably try in front of contacts and weaves first as he has no association with those at all and then build up to the exciting obstacles.

[Kyla McNeill]

Thanks so much!
We did a few minny pinny reps today and he was really bouncing it this time!

Rocking horse tunnels seemed like he increased his speed!

Rocking horse barrels with running was very exciting. Apparently we’re not ready to put threadle wrap into this game. He had been doing well with it previously but he definitely didn’t seem to know what I wanted him to do and also wanted to continue with the running game.

Worked on some stays as well.

[Kyla McNeill]

Thanks so much!
Sorry about your ice storm. I’m glad we didn’t get an ice storm here. It does look like winter is here to stay now though. We got quite a bit of snow a few days ago and temperatures are staying very chilly! More snow coming next week too. Aelfraed is loving the snow but it does mean an end to specific training games outside. We did play with some retrieving in the snow yesterday which he thought was very fun.

We tried some minny pinny with jump bars locked in as I didn’t have any smaller bump items available. It seemed to go well and he was very excited about this toy which was great!

I think the rocking horses with tunnel games may have helped increase the fun for him on barrels. We played some rocking horses with two barrels again and he was really driving ahead to the barrels.

We also worked on some backside slices.

[Kyla McNeill]

Hello! We worked on some rocking horses tunnels again with more running to the barrels.

Also serps and threadles with pre-placed cookie on the dish. He didn’t realize the cookie was there on the first rep but focused on going to it great after that. Not too sure why I didn’t pre-place the cookie on the first side of serp.

[Kyla McNeill]

Thanks so much for the retrieve suggestions. We will try that.

Here is Aelfraed’s minny pinny with increased angle to start and treat ball at the end.

Here is our first attempt at rocking horse tunnels.

[Kyla McNeill]

Thanks so much!

For the minny pinny and grabbing a toy, we did start out with a toy in that last session but at this point he is still giving up on the toy quickly in the arena environment and sometimes won’t take the toy at all. Would it also be appropriate to have him chase the treat ball when he catches up to me? He is really liking the treat ball now.

When I throw toys for him when working outside, his preference is definitely to keep and run away with the toy for a bit. Normally he takes it while I praise and clap, he runs around and chews it for a few seconds, then will lie down with it somewhere and is totally fine at that point with me taking hold of the toy, but he definitely does not offer to bring it and if I call him he just leaves the toy where it is for me to collect. I’m totally OK with this system for right now but would eventually like him to bring the toy back with him as he does sometimes run quite far off the working area. When we do the retrieve separately from other work, he consistently understands to bring the toy when I present a second toy, just does not always choose to actually switch toys, he might keep tugging on the first. Is this fine to keep practicing with the second toy even though he’s not actually switching to it? I guess it seems to help him understand we’re still playing. The cookie trade doesn’t work great. If I wait until he’s to me, he’ll probably do a fly by before he’s noticed I’m offering him a cookie, and if I offer the cookie when hes further away, he will drop the toy prematurely.

[Kyla McNeill]

Hello!
Thanks so much for the last feedback. On the last minny pinny, yes I was saying the verbals even on the repetitions I wasn’t holding him but it is hard in that building sometimes for the camera to pick up voice it seems. We worked some pinny pinny again yesterday and he seemed quite ok with the brief collar hold plus cookie to start.

For retrieve, we cannot try it in the tunnel situation at the moment as you suggested as he is still very on and off with the toys in the arena environment. He will sometimes accept the toys, sometimes not, usually will go off the toy more quickly, and definitely is not ready to try tossed toys in the dirt. Since we had a nice day, I did try the threadle wrap with 2 barrels outside and tried to incorporate the retrieve. He was happy about the barrel activity and less happy about the retrieve portion. First rep he did bring the toy but was hesitant at letting me take hold of it to play. 2nd rep is edited out after he grabbed the toy because I let him keep it for a little at first and he ran out of view of camera so you couldn’t see him anyway. I did try to invite him to chase me after he’d done his run away with it and he had no interest. 3rd rep he seemed like he was bringing it but did a fly by. 4th rep I brought out a second toy as he was on his way. Last rep he was not interested in trying to bring it.

We worked on some serps and threadles.

Restrained recalls with running around him. He was very excited. Auntie had to hold on tight, lol!

Over the weekend, we got together with friends and played pattern games.

[Kyla McNeill]

Hello!
We did some more minny pinny. He said the toy was not an appropriate reward for this activity, at least not today. Is the hold to start critical? He seemed to jump and twist around when I was holding his collar.

He was very good at find my face outside.

Even though the last couple of times we did reverse retrieve, he wanted to keep playing with the toy that had been tossed rather than switching, he does seem to have trouble bringing the toy back when the second toy isn’t there to help. Patting the ground with my hand helped sometimes but not always.

[Kyla McNeill]

Thanks so much! Ah yes, I see the blocked connection.

Aelfraed just thinks this Minny Pinny game is great! He’s so cute! He also thinks his human is a bit slow on the restart at times. I especially enjoyed when he reversed in order to tell me it was time to go the other direction. We hadn’t even tried that direction yet, he just knew!

We worked on some backside wraps with the treat ball on a line. The coordination was a little awkward at first but it got better and he seemed to enjoy the game.

He’s really understanding the threadle wrap when turning to the left, even when my cue was very late on the first rep. The right is still harder for him.

[Kyla McNeill]

Hello!
Aelfraed had a first try at the Minny Pinny today and he said he was totally happy with that!

We had some great success with tug while working on rocking horses barrels. He was jumping at me rather a lot on transitions though. I’m not sure if he was expecting the toy?

Worked on restrained recalls (which he already thinks are super fun) to introduce dragging cookie ball. He really seemed to enjoy that. There was a distraction of someone else he knows entering the building and he was keen to investigate. He did return initially but said it was too hard to return to the game so we played some pattern game and he was ok with getting his cookies out of the dirt.

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