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Thank you so much for your reply Tracy!
I have come back to it a few times and it has been so helpful & encouraging!
Thanks for offering this class!Hi Tracy!
I haven’t posted much in here but the live Mental Management sessions have really been helpful and inspiring. Thanks for helping me realize that I was experiencing burnout. I have been working through this feeling of burnout and I thought putting it into words would help. But it feels like an embarrassing confession! I’m sad that I missed out on this fantastic handling class, but I’ll be back for more!🙂I acknowledged and embraced that I was having a burnout episode and that I needed to take a step back and just let myself rest and recharge. It was a really yucky feeling to just not want to do anything but simultaneously feel like I SHOULD be doing something. So I gave myself permission to literally do nothing – and it helped! I had to do a lot of nothing though. Hahaha.
This is a confession that feels both embarrassing & full of hubris to admit, but I had been campaigning really hard to try & make it to the top 5 Bostons for invitationals with Frankie. That was my inspiration goal for the year. I am SO proud that we ended up as #7 (yay!) but it is hard not to be disappointed that I went as hard as I could and didn’t reach the goal. My trialing partners have made it every year for the last 3 years, and I am at the same number of trials that they attend, but we are not as consistent. That being blurted out, I do understand that me & Frankie are on our own special journey and I have so much gratitude that she chooses to play with me in a trial setting every time. The ribbons are not the important part it, is the joy we both experience when we run happy & connected. She has so much courage & spirit to work through her stress to run with me.
I’ve done a lot of thinking and having such a high-stakes goal took a toll on my enjoyment and was very stressful. It didn’t allow me to celebrate the really “celebrate-able” moments that we did have, because in order to reach that goal, I needed “more” so it shadowed our accomplishments. I spent some time thinking about what I want this next season to be like for our agility training & trialing. It is going to be a challenge trialing with my training & trialing partners who do have that goal, and not give in to “going for it” but I don’t want to campaign like that again. But, I don’t want to not have big goals either. I want to keep growing & improving. Instead, I want to concentrate on doing well at AKC Nationals and at our Boston Terrier Nationals this year. I am also excited to be working with Bazinga again and I want to concentrate on giving her the best foundation, supporting her resilience & confidence and having a smart debut plan when she is ready. She is doing better & is healing! We are still working on balancing her biome and are transitioning her to a new food with the hope that we can back off her reflux medication. It is challenging to train with a special diet. I have learned that you can cut canned dog food into tiny pieces and freeze them to use for training!
What were my accomplishments for this year?
Changing my timing to big dog timing like you suggested!
Changing my start-line routine!
1. I dropped the start-line stays that caused her to shut down & switched to slingshot releases that support her better & keep her engaged.
2. I started letting her walk into the ring on her own 4 legs instead of carrying her in & putting her down at the start jump.
3. I’m now carrying my leash during our runs which took the leash-runner anxiety out of the picture for her.
4. Instead of waiting until the last second to take her leash off at the start jump, I have been taking it off right away as we come in the ring (I make sure the dog leaving the ring is under control & leashed first) and if she is connected with me, we do some of our hand touch & spin games! This is so new & she LOVED it!This has really improved her confidence and she is so much happier in the ring. We lost some ground initially because I had to get our new timing down but we seem to have a groove going now. She is happy & that makes me happy & we do so much better when we are both happy! We do have to rely on rear crosses for those super popular AKC starts that force a side change on jump 3, but that seems to work ok for us.
One of the last stress-blocks (or mental illness!) that I am working through that is interfering with me actually doing training is separating the dogs to take each one out to train. I have such a block about that!
In general, I have always had a hard time separating the dogs to take each one to practice. They love it so much & even giving them a stuffed kong doesn’t compare to getting to go out & play agility. Bazinga started throwing crate tantrums when she was not feeling well and that added to my anxiety about crating her to go train Frankie. I have been working hard to reward her in the crate & increase that duration and she is doing so much better. I am feeling better about it now but I feel like I need a better plan for the future.Thanks for reading if you got this far! I just had to get it all out! ☺
Whew! Hi! Sorry for the delay in my reply. I’m doing some processing on all the things that came up that led to the delay. Some were weather related (can not control) and some were that I think I just had a burnout & needed to close a chapter on the way I was approaching competing this year. I’m trying to process it & will post it in the Mental Camp thread since I think it is important for me to make some conscious decisions about what next year will look like. As ugly as the last week or so was, I think I’m on the other side.
I had to give up on the jumping course for week 1. It got demolished by branches falling in a windstorm & then flooded with days of FL rain. It took a whole afternoon to clean everything up & mow, I couldn’t bring myself to build it again. So I’m starting with a clean slate & did the Raise Your Game Part 1 from Package 2.
This was a fun challenge. I am starting to see some courses that would really run best if you could layer so I was excited to try this!Part 1 (Jumps 1-3)
Rep 1 – Frankie did the exact same thing as Hot Sauce & dropped the bar. I’m glad I was ready to reward her since your video prepared me & explained why it happened.
Rep 2 – Frankie did the exact same thing as Contraband! 🙂
Rep 3 she got it! She wanted to curl in but made a great decision & moved back out to the jump!
Rep 4 – She slid coming out of the tunnel 🙁 she curled in a bit but still got it
Rep 5 – got it nicely!
We ran it several times – she was so excited to be playing.
I noticed she was not driving straight into the tunnel if I tried to send with too much distance.Part 2
Questions on the wrap moves 🙂
I have not learned these handling moves yet & I’d love to learn how to work on them from the beginning.
I have never heard of a “Throwback” before but it looks like it is based on the moves from MaxPup where we send them around the barrel with us facing backwards. I watched your video a bunch & tried to copy the move & break it down for Frankie.Turn Away – this is new for us too! Frankie really read this well after a few tries. Do you use a directional wrap verbal with it or is it just a physical cue?
Part 3
We tried to run the whole course. I didn’t remember to stay on the other side of the “fake DW”. We did do a wrap and a Turnaway!
It was too hot to continue so we’ll revisit this after your feedback.Thanks for watching!
KathyHi Tracy!
We did Sequence 3 of RYG! We also went back to Sequence 1 and did some blind cross practice.I needed to walk it several times & a few different ways. I thought I had my plan and then decided to change it to the plan with Front Crosses on my video. I was originally going to
stay on the other side of 5 & 6 and serp it, but I wasn’t sure what to do with the backside on #7. I see now that I could have blinded 6 to 7. It leaves the tunnel very open though. But I think I’ll try running it that way & see how we do.I was very happy she came with me to #4 out of the tunnel and didn’t take #7.
Here is:
Rep1 – went good!
Rep 2 – we missed the backside
Rep 3 – went good!
Sequence 1 Blind Cross practice
https://youtu.be/8Yz-xrOzKfcThanks for watching!I started to set up the jumping course, if we are ready. It may be a little squished when I get it finished but I think we can run it.
Good morning! The weather stayed nice yesterday so we did the RYG #1 & 2 sequences from no distractions, to adding the jump & adding the tunnel. I think she did really good!
On sequence 1, I tried really hard to complete my blind as she landed #2. That was great feedback because when I thought about it, I was waiting until I saw her commit to #3 and that is too late. I need to trust her to commit earlier. I think this adjustment is going to help us get better at this move!!!
I made a handling mistake at one point where I thought too hard about the “it is NOT a threadle” 5-6 LOL🙂 and she felt my brain waves. I left that in so you could see it. That was all my fault.
I left another mistake in on my third video where I used my rear cross verbal accidentally & incorrectly and messed her up. I guess in the moment I felt like I had to push her out and needed the “go”…not sure what happened there – it was a brain mistake.The first time we did Sequence 2 with the tunnel added, she went for the tunnel after jump 4 but I called her & she CAME WITH ME!!! Woooo! The second time, she barely looked at it. Maybe a glance.
Thanks for watching!
I missed watching the live class last night, but will watch the recorded version.RYG Seq1 refresh
RYG Seq 2 rep 1
RYG Seq 1 with jump added
RYG Seq 2 with jump added
RYG Seq 1 with jump & tunnel
RYG Seq 2 with jump & Tunnel
>>
And thank you for the TikToks, they are HILARIOUS!!! Words to live by LOL!!! And I was watching them in the waiting area at the car service place (yes, I spend a lot of time getting in these places hahaha) and I *thought* the sound was coming through my earsbuds but nope… through the laptop speakers so the entire waiting room got to hear these words of wisdom. HAHA!!!
>>Bwahahaha!!! YAY! Sharing with everyone!!! 🙂
Good morning!
We did the Raise Your Game Sequence 1. I wanted to do the blind cross from 3 to 4. I feel like I am not that strong on blinds that are less than 90 degrees, so I want to work on that skill. I tend to default to rear crosses but I think if I can improve my speed & connection and work on teaching the skill with Frankie so she knows the handling cues, blinds will help our speed on course. That way, I can get ahead (ish) and show her the lines. Sometimes, I have to wait a little to get the rear crosses in. Curious to hear what your thoughts are!
Rep 1 – she read the blind well! Not sure if my timing was great there though. At 6 I used our still pretty new threadle verbal “close” and she got confused & spun.
Rep 2 – I clicked into auto-pilot and did rear crosses. I left it in so you could see the difference. I know I’m supposed to run it the same way for the exercise! GAH! I’ll stick to the blind.
Rep 3 – back to the blind. I kept quiet at the threadle and she read the body language.
That was all we did to get started! Thanks for watching!
Hi Tracy!
Since this is my first Camp, I am not sure I understand the video submission guidelines.
I’m trying to apply the guidelines to the first package so I get a feel for what I need to do.
If I start with the Raise Your Game Package, do I submit for the first sequence:
-1st rep
-second rep
-last rep
-any middle rep
Wait for feedback & then work the next one (or rework the first sequence) based on the feedback?Thank you!!!
>>Happy birthday, Bazinga!! I hope she got lots of gifts and snacks 🙂>>
Bazinga says thank you!!! She had a fun day!
We’ll be back after the 12th ☺Hi Tracy!
I know we are in the 11th hour on this class & I want to thank you again for the extension! You gave me such great feedback on the Handling Challenge 6 session, I just had to push & try again! We also did a session of the Verbal Only Commitment (from the chair) (((I won’t make you watch it – lol!))) I tried calling her back before she made the wrong choice and it seemed to help her. I’ll keep working on this with her.>>I think what was happening here was that you were emphasizing the verbals a lot and dialing back the handling… which is what made it harder for her to read the lines. ….
…This is good to know! At the start of the next session, continue to use the verbals but also emphasize the handling that supports the verbals to help set the lines, and I bet she gets it.
>>
I did not realize that I was dialing back my handling. I hope that I improved on this next session.>>And when you are working the switch away on the tunnel exit, converge your line of motion towards the exit and drop your hands down to your knee-level or below so she can see the hand motion. You were hanging back a bit and your hands ended up above your shoulders, so she didn’t see the turn away cue.
>>
The converging totally worked for the switch away. If she saw me move in before she went into the tunnel, she was ready to turn on the exit! Thank you!This was such a challenging & fun class. I think we learned a lot. Frankie worked hard and was very forgiving of all my shortcomings as a handler.
Handling Challenge 6 – Combo 2
Hi Tracy!
Wed’s class was fun to watch!>>Set point – what was the distance between jumps here? This will help us keep track.>>
The jumps are 3 feet apart and both pool noodles are on the ground.>>I think you were not really trusting her stay LOL so you were releasing, getting the toy in, and running all at once, at different spots. So she didn’t always seem to know if she should release when the toy moved or not. Moving more slowly will help her hold the stay as you lower the toy before the release.
>>
Thanks for the feedback about my release timing. I will keep it more consistent.We tried the Sends & Serps game. She got the first one and then we struggled. I angled the jump (a few times). It was VERY dependent on my mechanics. If I got my timing right & looked at my hand and had good body language, she got it! My video cut out, so I included what we got & a lot of the in-between so you can see how it went. I was able to work both directions and eventually straightened the jump. I’ll try to fit another session in with her today.
Thanks for watching!!!!
Hi! We revisited the Challenge 6 but it was just one of those sessions where we did not have anything that we had in the last session. I tried to break things down into small pieces to refresh her, but ended the session on a happy note & just played when she just seemed distracted. I was hoping to get to try Combo 2 but yesterday was not the day. I flipped the course so maybe it all seemed new going from the other direction. We will try again today.
Thanks for all the feedback above! I watched my feet in the videos & I will pay attention to them.
We did not get a lot of games in this weekend. We were at a trial and then Bazinga came down with some kind of booger-thing and wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t want to do anything too strenuous with her until she was feeling better. We did practice our wraps on a wing of the practice jump at the trial though – she loved it!We did the Set Point with the moving toy yesterday 🙂
We did the Pill Bug game this morning! I need more speed! LOL
I’ll be on hold from April 1 to 12th. I’m traveling to stay with my Mom while she has surgery. I won’t have any dogs with me 🙁 I’ll watch all the videos though so that we can play when I get back. I’ll double down on our efforts this week so that we don’t fall too far behind.
I missed the flyball tournament! I was so bummed!!! I hope they run it again.
Thanks!
KathyWrap Proofing
Ok. She amazed me with her wraps!
I was not moving at all in the beginning and I threw her off. I figured it out after a few tries (I’m slow) and started turning with her a little.
She was into it & really pulling against the collar!
Moving Target
Still working on interest in toys as a reward. I tried throwing a cheese stick and she looked at me like I was loco! I am spending time just playing with toys and tugging more to build value for the toys. Also showing her that I am putting a treat inside the lotus ball and then playing & letting her have the treat from inside. For this game I stuck a whole string cheese inside the holee roller!!! That got her interest.
Smiley Faces
OMG!!! Directionally Challenged Human Alert!!! I need some way to teach my brain to act fast. I got the left & right turns messed up on the post turns & I practiced ahead of time! I’m going to have to remember to yell the opposite directional from the arm I have out for turns!
At least she read my cues and maybe understood that I was not using a wrap verbal.
