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I can see I am going to really do some thinking about my marker words. Long way to go there, but I’m grateful for all the ideas you are giving us for those things!
Looking forward to your thoughts on these.
Practicing the Stays (Catch only):
Tunnel practice! I tried a few things at the end before a) deciding to use the Manners Minder, and b) remembered that I needed to hold him at the beginning at first.
I actually have another session or two after these that I video’d but that would be over 2 minutes to start, so I decided to show what I did at the beginning. And he was new to the MM so I had to work that separately first because he was pretty suspicious of it initially (NOT rewarding LOL!).
Rear cross on the flat with prop:
So actually the rear cross work on the flat WITHOUT prop I can’t figure out where my video went, but I swear it went way better than this! Here’s where the wheels start to fly off the training wagon. Again, without prop seemed super straightforward for him, but I didn’t feel like I knew what to do here very well. 😁
And then this Handling Combos stuff…Oi! Wheels have now completely flown off the wagon. LOL! I don’t even know what to say about this one. 🙂
~Kristin
Thank you, Tracy! Quick question….do you have a different command to get the cookies/toy from hand vs. throwing? For example, do you also use “bite” to get the toy when you throw it? Or with the cookie is it “snacks” to get from hand and something like “search” or “Get it” when throwing? I have seen the differentiation of that before from some other people/instructors and am not sure if it’s an advantage to have separate cues for throwing vs. taking. Curious your thoughts on that (or maybe I missed it in a lesson somewhere!)
Trying to utilize your feedback from the last two practices below. Definitely went better on both.
Rear Cross:
Serp/Threadle cues:
Thanks again!
KristinOh my gosh, this is why you are THE BEST at what you do!! Superb feedback – I can’t wait to try it. I read it this morning and have been itching all day to give it a go, but will have to wait until the weekend to try (BUSY!) 🙁
But between late last night and early this morning I managed to get in two games for serp/threadle one with food and one with toy.
Let me know what you think!
Thank you!
KristinHi Tracy!
Only had time to do a little more rear cross practice today. I was still not as timely in most cases, but still better. Ronin is so funny and started taking his lotus ball to the prop and then open it there to get his treat. Weird but cute!
We will continue to work on this and I will work on the turn on the flat.
~Kristin
Thank you, Tracy.
Okay, so I swear I read your replies at least 3 times, rewatched, trained again, and feel like I am not really any better for the Sandwich games and Rear Cross work.🤣I re-watched the demos again and also my latest try, have had a few ideas of what went teensy better and what is still wrong, but not totally sure. I swear I tried to stay more connected on the blind crosses and still we struggled. And rear crosses…eh I dunno. I wish I had some highly astute questions to ask but I don’t even have that! LOL!!!
Sandwich Second Try:
Rear Crosses Second Try:
BUT…all is not lost, because Ronin and I did way better on the wraps than I thought we were going to. Ha!! The funny part of this is that I was practicing the mechanics on old guy Emmett first and it did not work AT ALL with this prop because he kept trying to figure out how to get INTO his kennel! Hee hee hee! The little guy doesn’t really know it’s a kennel yet I guess.
Have fun trying to train me on these – I will continue to work on getting it right. 🙂
KristinSorry to layer my posts here and not wait for a reply first, but we did some more catching up this weekend. 🙂
So in addition to the new stuff in my previous post, we did Backing Up Part 2, Collection Sandwich and Rear Crosses.
Backing Up Part 2:
For this, I struggled to find a better object than the mini-teeter in a pinch, but curious about your thoughts on whether I should avoid this object for backing up if I plan to teach running contacts?? Otherwise, how do you think this went?
Collection Sandwich
Wow, this was hard to coordinate those hands, run straight, get my timing down, etc.! LOL!!! I actually practiced this in several sessions but am only submitting video for a little bit of it so I wouldn’t go over the initial 2 minutes. I do have additional video of sessions where I’d switched the camera around and was running away vs. towards. Let me know if you’d rather see that.
These were our first tries:
Rear Crosses:
I think he was a little tired for this because we’d just filmed a bunch more collection sandwich stuff with a fun toy too so he was less enthusiastic. I am also really glad you mentioned in the demo video not to worry about him turning the wrong way at first because we definitely had a lot of that!
I hope you had a great seminar today and get a chance for some good rest before starting off the new week!
~KristinHi! Sorry for the super slow reply; it’s been a crazy week!
Regarding the canine fitness course, it is the one taught by Debbie Gross Toracca through Fenzi Academy. You can take courses 1-4 separately or buy the whole package, do the case studies and take the exam at the end for your certification. I learned a huge amount across all 4 classes, but also in this case the homework and instructor feedback on the other students’ work was particularly educational because for I didn’t realized for fitness training there are often more than one approach that will work or be “correct” for a particular case so the learning went more beyond the lessons than I have experienced before. I am sure there are a lot of great courses similar to this, but I definitely had a good experience in that one.
On to training stuff! I worked on Parallel Path and Countermotion this week. There were a few struggles but one of the biggest was keeping his attention enough not to leave for the prop without me. And it took me awhile to remember when i was supposed to throw the treat vs. having him get it from my hand. But we’re working through it together. 🙂
Parallel Path:
Countermotion:
Looking forward to your feedback!
KristinHi!
Regarding getting a vet fitness expert…totally agree! I recently completed a year-long canine fitness certification course and really gained a new appreciation for the knowledge required to properly design a program based on the unique needs of the individual dog and at that will totally change based on life stage, health and a myriad of other factors. My course was fairly comprehensive for a lay person, but no where near what a true specialist in that field can do. So it was great, but made me only just slightly more experienced than average! Full disclosure, I didn’t actually sit for the cert test once I finished the class (long story) bu I was only doing it for my own dogs’ benefit, not to obtain clients.
P.S. when I started that class – which I highly recommend – I had no idea how badly I’d need it to get Emmett back in shape after he got sick and wasted away to almost nothing. He’s getting better but now I have tot safely build that muscle back up slowly.
P.P.S. when doing work on the big peanut or egg ball, ideally the dog would have a harness on with a handle on top if possible for safety and to help with stability if needed. Which I did not do in that video because it was a quick and dirty session just for video!😀I am also kind of passionate about the subject of fitness! LOL!!!
On to training… I advanced slightly the Wing Wrap game for week 2, using your idea of the pop-up crate and sitting on a ottoman vs. on the ground. I think it went okay (until I got an unexpected visitor) Trainus Interuptus!! 😆Based on what you are seeing here, how would you recommend I proceed or tweak? Maybe stand up with it flat, or open the crate up and try sitting?
Thanks!
KristinHi! So I did not explain the first goat game video well at all LOL!! That video was taken about 2 months ago and was my poor attempt to explain why we hadn’t done much with Goat Games 1.0. 🙂 He was much littler in that video, but has long since graduated to this:
He loves his ball work!
So on the baby teeter thing…earlier today I was down in the basement doing something else (not paying attention to the dogs) and Ronin started running around on that teeter tippy thing all on his own without me. Sooo, I thought maybe I would just keep it the same (not easier with towels, etc.) but add your suggestion of trying the back and forth reward pattern. I think it worked great!
>>you can move the bowls back to behind your hips a little so he has more room to be able to turn around and wrap again.And you can change your position to sitting on a couch, or in a low chair… working up to standing.>>
Aye, aye, captain!! I can do that, especially since with explanation that it’s not as much about he distance right now, but the back and forth pattern. I’m excited to try this again with those progressions and see how he does!Thank you!
KristinHi Tracy! Thanks for the great notes on the tugging and suggestions for how to get him to let go. I tried trading for a low-value treat and couldn’t really get him back into tugging again. What DID work was your suggestion to trade for another toy, so YAY!
I also loved the hockey analogy for the backing up treat delivery. As someone from northern MN where hockey is king, that particularly resonated with me.😀I also appreciate your explanation for where we’re going with this for use in agility. I do plan to teach a running contact with a front foot target (which I’m surprisingly confident about – that’s rare!) but use the Back Up command with Emmett tons in everyday life, so I’m looking forward to have Ronin understanding it also and seeing where else I can use it in agility.
I didn’t get video of Goat Games 1, but Ronin’s been on and off things like in the video below for several months. In particular he enjoys the disc-thing below without the base that’s shown in this video as it is low but very wobbly. He took to that and all the other wobbly and non-wobbly things I’ve tried so far very well.
So for Goat Games 2 Movement and Noise I picked a thing he’s never seen before, the mini-contact trainer. He surprised me by being much more tentative about this than I thought he would be, which is why I’m really glad I made it easier and quieter than I initially was going to. I have a Pawd on the opposite of camera (the most tippy side) and the cardboard box under the camera side. At 0:47 on the video we broke off for some play and I realized I didn’t have a toy handy (Doh!) so I just had to play without one, which worked out fine I think. Note that just where I cut the video at 1:05 he did return to me on his own for more play find my face. We quit there and returned several hours later for round 2, in which he seemed a lot more confident. How should I change the way I’m rewarding or moving?
Plankrobatics: Despite reading your instructions and watching the demo video I still felt tentative and awkward about how I was supposed to reward on this, but he seemed to do okay despite my weirdness.😆
Wing Wrap Next Steps:
I tried to keep my hands a little quieter this time (per your suggestion) and wasn’t always successful, but better. I swapped the small jump standard I used last time for my thicker exercise foam roller. After the failure and then subsequent successful choice, we broke off for some play, then came back for a just a couple more successful reps before calling it quits. This was a good session, but I still get the sense that I’m going to have to progress the difficulty VERY slowly on this exercise.
Let me know what you think!
KristinThank you for the wonderful notes! I am going to experiment with a few different ways to maintain connection on that blind cross like you suggested and see which works best. You gave me a lot of good ideas.
And for the driving forward work, I love your suggestion to use a big towel for the treat throw for now. I had actually thought about doing that potentially, but since I had the helper I used him. 🙂 BUT I will not have a helper for the next two days so the towel idea will be used!
>>it was hard to get his head down, maintain enough speed to win, and not go ass-over-teakettle while picking up the toy.>>
Funny you should mention that, because I tried this once in a short, little puppy gathering about 2 months ago and indeed he stopped so hard that he indeed did a complete flip end over end. Had the class in an uproar laughing because it was so funny and cute, but I was relieved he didn’t get hurt! We DO have a hollee roller! It’s smaller than than the normal ones you see, but would be great to try for this. I picked the Chuck It for this since it’s one of his favorites, but honestly I think the game is so fun for him I could put any larger toy into play for this and he’d think it was a blast. I’ll try it!I have a couple more videos from yesterday also (it was a very quiet Thanksgiving this year!).
Video 1 – Tugging
Okay so don’t judge me but I had JUST finished my workout and Ronin was absolutely demanding to play so I figured it would be good opportunity to video some tugging. I would not normally video in just my workout clothes, but I’m getting too old to care what people think of how I look (I exercise so I can keep up with hubs’ activities 😀) and no else is going to care about reading my thread anyway. I thought this was good but realized I am kind of boring – not a surprise to me as being super fun is not my strong point! I was actually trying to tone down the tugging a bit and let him do the work without me moving the toy around too much and my vocals kind of followed suit. Is that okay or should I be more vocal? I also wasn’t sure if too much talking would distract him, but I guess that’s something I could experiment with as I get to know his likes and dislikes.
Video 2 – and later that day, with a much more appropriate outfit 😆we have some backing up work. He has done this just a couple of times before this week, although I tweaked my method slightly based on your demo video and I was amazed how fast he picked this up! One question for now though, is the backing up onto an object going to be mostly for the purposes of training a 2-on/2-off contact or for something else? I kind of want to know where we are going with that one in terms of backing up ON to something. Thanks!
Thank you!
KristinI hope you have/had a great Thanksgiving and time off! I am sure you will have some catching up to do, but wanted to get these latest practices out while I still had things in my brain about it.
Great insights as usual on your last reply! I will keep working on the Decel and Turn, but add the tug toys and stay more upright until it’s time for the reward. Also thanks for the suggestion about using the proper release word. I am not sure where I got the idea I was supposed to use his name, but even in he moment it didn’t feel right so I was relieved to hear you say we should be using the proper release.😀
I tried out the blind cross again, and although I think I did a little better I’m still having a hard time with the connection on the first part (before the cross) and thus I think he was anticipating he side change because he was never really sure in the first place what side he was supposed to be on. I need to remember the big picture of what this is even though I don’t have flow and obstacles to provide that guide. But I’ll keep working on it!
I also worked on Week 2 Driving Ahead and FF Part 2. For this one, I tried the treat throw back and he could never find it, so that didn’t really work. I am not sure if it’s undesirable in this case to have a helper but I did it anyway because without being able to use the treat throw I wasn’t sure how else to “cheat”. It was interesting on a few of these where he kind of blew by the toy at first a little bit…I am glad he was moving that fast! But I think he has a bit to learn about self-induced decel and body awareness perhaps.😀
~Kristin
Thank you for all the wonderful feedback! I am determined to do a better job on a few of these and share the harder ones again so I can improve more.
For the Decel and Turn, am I actually supposed to be staying more upright until the exact moment that the moves in for the turn and that’s when I put my hand down? I tried it on my knees (without video) and it felt too weird so I skipped it. That being said I think this session is still a little better than the first one, but still can use improvement with more connection and better timing on a few. I did get rid of the platform for this and indeed that did help. Anything else to either keep doing or change?
Thank you!
KristinThank you for the really excellent feedback – love it!
>>Try to have your cookies ready and so you can keep your hands pretty stationary and just toss treats – if you are moving the treats or hands a bit, it is distracting to the puppy 🙂 and he will end up looking at your hands too much. So, have a small handful ready to go, then be perfectly stationary as he is offering.>>
Ah, yes you are quite right. I had to go back and look at the video again to see this, but now I see what you’re saying. Makes sense!
Pre-game 2 >>One tweak to set you up for when we build on this: have the target in your flat open palm rather than dangling, almost like you are asking for a nose touch to your palm but now there is the target in it. And when you are waiting for him to re-engage after a cookie toss, keep the target stationary and don’t move it towards him, let him come to you>>
I can definitely fix this and will try that again, especially since we will build on this I want to get it right.Building sends to the prop:
>>Also, I am not sure if he was offering a stay or you cue it, but for this don’t use a stay and don’t let him put himself into a stay (overachiever LOL!) I think he was waiting for a release in the 2nd session at like :35. Instead get him jazzed up by doing that goofy ready dance so he is hopping around and looking at you, then send him. The ready dance will also help you get your hand off his collar, and it will teach him to be kinda patient while engaging before the send.>>
I felt like I struggled with this one a lot, even in the second try (video below). To answer your question, yes, he was putting himself in that stay, so for the second try I tried not to let that happen. He was more tentative this time and not huge into it so we only did a little. Should I keep practicing more on this to get it a bit more consistent and solid from the sides and back to, or just move on?
Sorry I cut my head off on this one:
Decel and turn:
>>One suggestion – as he is coming towards you, make more eye contact by opening up your dog-side shoulder more and looking at his cute little face. Then as he is arriving at you, your cookie hand can drop in and you can start the pivot. More eye contact will help him know exactly which side to be on. He is bending really nicely on the pivots! Good boy!Because he is little, you can do this on your knees if your knees will permit it, or do it standing up with a long wooden spoon>>
Makes sense for sure – I will try this again opening up more and might try it on my knees just to see how that works out. Either way, definitely going to do the cookie toss instead of the platform!Wing Wraps:
I tried this one again tonight and although I didn’t get my first part on video, he seemed to have gotten over the “waiting for the OK” issue on his own and went to the plates readily, so I moved on to testing with he jump standard again. I kept it easier to increase the success rate and the one time I got greedy and moved it out too far and he squeezed between I immediately put it back to closer and ended positive. Should I do this one some more gradually getting it farther out?
Blind Cross:
>>The toy placement mechanics require some practice to overcome the old muscle memory – try not to lean over and don’t switch hands 🙂 I think the leaning over was you being really good about presenting the toy nice and low, so you can use a longer toy that can drag on the ground to get it nice and low for him.>>
I can definitely do this! Good feedback.>>Speaking of being late- you are going to need a nice long head start like the one you had on the last rep, he is a speedy little guy! You can start closer to where you want to be nd toss the cookie further away, or have the hubby or anyone hold him to start it as a restrained recall (if he likes those) – that way you can get running and get way ahead, starting the blind when he is halfway to you.>>
Sounds good, I think I may need a bit more room on this one, but will try it again, especially since he clearly thinks it’s pretty fun! 🙂~Kristin
Hi Tracy!
I’m finally getting my act together and submitting my Week 1 videos for your commentary. Lots of work but so fun to start! Some of it was much harder (for me) than I thought it would be, so certainly give me your honest critiques. I’m not that sensitive and will not be deflated by your pointing out of all the places where I need to clean up my mechanics, follow instructions better, etc., so don’t hold back. 🙂
Pre-Games 1 and 2
A pretty good start. I had done one session of each of these not on video, so I think this was pretty good.
https://youtu.be/k2zvCTs7nEQBuilding Sends and Commitment
I forgot at first we are supposed to have them turn back to us to get the reward instead of throwing it, but remembered after I watched the first video.Tried to be better in the second session! I felt kind of awkward with this one, perhaps because I was also using the wrong hand to cue on several of them as well…geez!
https://youtu.be/aYh1txMA-acDecel and Turn
I should’ve had his platform moved over a bit so you could see him better, but hopefully that doesn’t detract too much from the video. In his case, the platform may not really have been helping me because he’s been rewarded so much for being on it that when we turned in the circle and faced he would tend to want to run back to it rather than continuing to turn with me.
https://youtu.be/fJurQolLpxwDriving Ahead and Focus Forward
First things first… yes, that X-mas tree has been up since last year, so I guess I’m all set now for the season! Ha!!
He was so squirrelly on this one that I realized pretty quickly I needed to have a collar on!
https://youtu.be/Y45Lroe2qEEWing Wrap
This was by far the hardest one for us I think. Part of the issue is that I have been doing so much practice with waits, stays and impulse control that he kept thinking it was a trick and he needed and ‘OK’ to eat the food from the dish. Never totally got over that this week, so I think we’ll need to keep working this one to get the true lesson out of it.
https://youtu.be/-X1eK8A-GbEBlind Cross
I joked to hubs before starting this one that it would probably be the easiest…boy was I wrong!! It took more tries than I care to admit to STOP the muscle memory of switching the toy in my hands instead of reaching around with same arm to maintain connection like you mentioned. Seriously have been doing it the old way for so long it was hard not to switch hands for the reward! Tell me what else I can fix as I am sure there is plenty!
https://youtu.be/3huxGPy-HBwLooking forward to your critique! I know this is a lot in one post though, so I understand if this takes some time to get through.
