[Lora Abbott]

I also didn’t mention that arousal may have been a teensy bit higher as I did this session soon after arriving home from being away at a trial for 3 days. While her days were super boring, she did get a chance to stretch her legs Saturday evening in the arena running with another slightly older girl BC. While these two girls get along well, they are both super high arousal and kinda amp each other up chasing and I did have to end it when they went from sensible play to zoomies and seemed to be getting less “aware” of the danger of body slamming. Sunday she got a nice long walk in a field before we went home with an adult ACD who is much more chill. They ran together, but no overarousal seen. All this to say, yes her brain wasn’t in her usual state, but I didn’t think she was over the top.
And I have switched to a large Holee roller from the medium one I was using. I have a jumbo one too that is her house toy, but it’s less convenient to carry outside for training, but I can try it.

[Lora Abbott]

Going into the last day for feedback, I don’t have any video (I did film the session but don’t really want to relive it) but wanted your input on working on the serp cue. I tried a little “send and serp” work and honestly it was scary. I struggled with where to put the toy. Far enough along the line for her to land and safely take a stride, then pick it up it was way too visible past the jump and she just ran past it to the toy. Two of the reps where she DID take the jump this way, one of them she totally wiped out sideways picking up the toy as she was so off balance trying to make the lead change happen, and the other one she smashed into the wing and actually broke off two of the jump cups (they’re old, brittle Max 200 jumps that need the strips replaced any way, but still, *2* jump cups). I could make the toy more visible over the bar by moving it in closer, but then she didn’t really have room to land safely, or moving it farther away from the serp line and more onto just a slice line but that didn’t really create the “in then out” striding pattern.

Question is, should I take some of the arousal out and just use a manners minder instead of the toy? Or will she have to learn it all over again once the arousal is added back in any way? That whole “state dependent learning”. I feel like this is a behavior that similar to running contacts where the skill needed from the dog is completely different depending on the arousal.

[Lora Abbott]

“plus, as the soft turn verbals going into course work, you will see her have those “aha!” moments of responding to them in context.“
If I use them correctly lol, we both know how that’s going

And I got all the way out there, warmed her up, and went to reach for her collar for the first rep and was like “damnit, forgot it again” (had realized I wanted her to have a collar for proofing games when we did the wig wrap tunnel exercise a few days ago). Might try to toss a spare one in my training bag so I will have something with me even if it isn’t her regular one.

[Lora Abbott]

Did a Minny Pinny verbal proofing session this morning. I think she’s still guessing based on whether or not I release her. I tried to wait for the twitch like with the wing wrap/tunnel game, but I don’t think it was obvious with this one and I went with a head turn the right way and eventually it just felt like she swiveled back and forth until I released. Then there was the one naughty one where she went to chase my other dog (not the old black dog she’s a bit afraid of, but the one that is her best bud) who left the bed he was supposed to be waiting on to be closer to the action. He’s an arse if I leave him in the house, and packing him up into the car is time consuming, so I’ve started bringing him out for Beat’s sessions to watch (and then swapping so she watches while he does a few tricks so that maybe some day they can train together).

[Lora Abbott]

Ok good, we have one more week of you reassuring me when I feel like I’m just a terrible dog trainer lol

Because we had that one good session from my last post and then yesterday it felt like maybe we haven’t learned anything the past 6-7 months. I had the straight tunnel set up next to the weaves doing some discrimination work with my adult dog and figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to use that tunnel since the weaves don’t have any relevance to her, or so I thought. Goal was to work on some turns vs going straight out of the tunnel. We spent most of the session just trying to get her to go through the tunnel. It was like she saw the channel between the weaves and the tunnel as the tunnel. I figured that was still important learning, so rather than move the weaves I tried to work through that, but wound up feeling pretty frustrated that it took so much work and we spent very little time on the main focus of the session. Two steps forward, one step back I guess.

[Lora Abbott]

Ok, I did it! A whole handling session and I used all the right verbals! Super simple, just the smiley face with either wrapping or doing the race track around. I DID run/walk each of the 4 sequences that I ran with full verbals, including the correct intended reward marker, while she was still in the house (after I mowed the yard and set up the obstacles). I wasn’t sure walk/running all 4 sequences, then running all 4 would be as effective as walking each one then running it, then walking another etc but in this case it worked. I’ll need to come up with something (ex pen and just listen to her be mad?) while I walk-run for those times I don’t have to go out and mow the lawn first? Pretty sure if I just left her in the house and went out there she would still yell about it. I can put her in the car (it’s where I put the non-working dogs while I am out in the yard with the others) but it’s very far from the agility yard.

Also worked on the wrap vs tunnel cues again, this time trying to be VERY deliberate about starting out with motion to help her and fading it through the session. Stuck with her easy side (turning left and ski and tunnel are more different than tight and tunnel). She still needed motion to help her when switching from tunnel back to ski, but I was able to fade that out again quickly. So overall I was happy with both of these sessions.

Sunday 5/25 is the last day of submissions? I can’t remember.

[Lora Abbott]

This morning I tried the starfish sequences. It felt like a decent session, as the main focus seemed to be getting the tandem out of the tunnel with increasing speed and discriminating going straight(ish) to the tandem or doing the 90 degree turn out of the tunnel. Those all went great.

One thing I didn’t even pick up on until I was watching it later is that in the last sequence, the jump after the tandem is a RIGHT turn, which for me would be “jump” rather than “hup”. I think this is just another example of me having too many words/cues and not keeping them straight. I even walked/talked it out before I ran it and still didn’t realize it was the wrong word. No wonder she really doesn’t seem to have any clue what “hup” means: she skips the jump wing and goes for the tunnel on one start line and one other time on that jump in sequence. I’ve said it when it means nothing too many times already? Guess I’m still struggling with the whole “gotta have a verbal cue for everything” when it just feels like a stream of things coming out of my mouth that maybe don’t mean much to her any way?

And one other tendency I’ve noticed coming on with her that I’ve noticed with many of my previous dogs (so clearly it’s something that I’m training into them) was her looking around on the start and winding up fixated on that bird outside the fence on that last rep. It seems to be a thing that I ask dog to sit, start to lead out and they just start looking around until I come to a stop and then they pay attention again (or get distracted by BIRD!) Something I’m doing to cause this?

[Lora Abbott]

Tunnel threadle session, I knew this would be hard for her! There were a few more failures that I cut out. Towards the beginning I did one that was “successful” but I really patted my leg and babysat it. Towards the end I experimented with showing more motion into and out of the tight turn and she read it immediately. I don’t think the arm cues were excessive, but it did require some steps backwards. Too much or just right?

[Lora Abbott]

Did a session on the “switch” cue this morning that at the time I thought went great, nearly perfect, but in watching the video I’m not sure if I’m “helping” too much? Too much feet turning at the jump to cue it or toy out too early to call her past? I also realized that when I was preparing to do the blind I couldn’t cue with the outside arm like when I wasn’t doing the side change, but I think the connection and feet pointed towards the jump probably cued it. The blind was inevitably late because of how close the wing is to the jump- by the time she saw and committed to the jump she was only one stride from it.

Oh she’s also in heat this week, my first experience with this as an owner and not a patient, so that’s been fun 😎

[Lora Abbott]

It was technically her second, I had done one that morning and one in the afternoon (this was from the afternoon) but they were nearly identical as far as what occurred so I only included clips from one session.
I have struggled with what verbal to use for a “jump”. As noted “go on go” just means carry on in a straight line (I would like it to mean take the obstacle on your line AND carry on in a straight line after it, and have it apply to jumps, tunnels, dog walk, etc). Tight and ski cue take the jump and wrap right/left, and jump and hup cue take the jump and turn gently right/left. There was a scenario in a seminar course where I struggled recently with my adult dog (who has very few verbals). Jump 1 taken straight on, with a straight tunnel straight ahead, and the jump they were supposed to take about 4’ to the side of it and the course continued straight ahead to a backside after that; it was advantageous to layer the tunnel to support the backside at #3. Logistically I’d like to use “go on go” to indicate going straight after #2, but I can see how this doesn’t tell the dog which obstacle is #2. Is there a way around this without having yet another verbal? I tried setting him up for #1 so he could only see the jump, but this didn’t really work. The seminar presenter just stood in front of the tunnel so we could move on to the rest of the handling bits on the course but I’m still scratching my head how to approach this with “future” dogs (ie Beat).

[Lora Abbott]

A wee bit rainy today but squeezed in a session on layering. Interesting that turning right (her worse direction) she tended to drift out to the far side of the jump and turning left (good direction) she drifted in between the jump and the tunnel. On my left (turning right) I felt like I had to do a lot more work than necessary to get her to turn and find the jump, like I was having to do a false turn to get her on the right line.

[Lora Abbott]

Here is a bit of the diamond game with the blind crosses. It’s actually two sessions, one this morning and one this afternoon (when she said it was actually rather hot!) The first rep was very late, the second was a bit better, and the third I tried to be closer to the wing where I was doing the blind so my position would help commit her to it and my motion away would be more obvious and help her turn and I think the turns got better after that in both directions. I really struggled at the end with just the race track part with getting her to actually commit to the things. I left in a bit in the second session of me practicing the sequences, just to prove I did it, though I have no idea what I was doing with my arm on one of them (adjusting my shirt?) Don’t know if she was just hot and tired or if it was a connection error, but I felt like I had to babysit her the whole way around and escort her from wing to wing. And since I couldn’t trust the commitment my blind was late. Something I always seem to have an issue with with young dogs, never knowing if they are going to hold commitment so I can blind early enough.

[Lora Abbott]

Judged again today, so minimal opportunity for training, but we made it work at the end of the day. She got to hang out with the handful of us course building, which was valuable learning in itself about not jumping on people and minding her own business running around with her toy.
Did a quick session of wrap/tunnel discriminations while the trial committee was filing out. She’d already met all these people while we were course building which made for some good learning about dealing with interruptions and I think she made some good choices at the end there. And ooof! She learned that going from anti-slip tunnel to turf requires some self regulation! (To be fair, pretty sure she did the same thing her very first rep doing a tunnel in the dirt arena).
She had some great stuff, but again I probably should have quit after the first side. Ski and tunnel she can figure out the difference, tight and tunnel she cannot. I tried to make sure it was VERY easy for her on all of the tights after her two failures with saying the cue, then placing the toy as a visual, then releasing, but I think I forgot a time or two.

[Lora Abbott]

Replying to above:
The only big reaction I’ve gotten from her in a “trial environment” was only sort of a trial environment. We were course building for the trial the next day in the arena and a few friends and I had let our puppies (a Mudi and a Border Pap) hang out to play in the arena while we did so. Someone started a tractor to move it which spooked all the pups a bit, pretty normal reaction but they all got over it after a quick startle. But then the judge’s 9 year old daughter appeared from where the tractor had just disappeared and Beat did lose it a bit barking at her. We had the girl go out and come in a different entrance but same thing so I just leashed her, kept her moving and playing her pattern game until it was clear she wasn’t just going to get over it and then put her up so we could finish course building. So it was at a trial, but pretty unique circumstances and I think the main trigger was the tractor. Had her outside the next day while the little girl was just milling about and no real reaction.

We did some work on the rear cross exercise this afternoon. It was quite warm and she’s definitely not acclimated yet. There was a several minute break of sitting in the shade between working the first and second directions, so this is essentially two sessions. I left in me practicing the handling and the verbals (sped up the video). We struggled a bit with the warm up exercise of just having her drive ahead to the jump. When doing the rear cross, she found it easier if I moved faster and was really running/driving the new direction rather than trying to move slower and be less distracting.

[Lora Abbott]

As far as the lateral lead outs, I was sort of testing how much support she needed, so you’re right, I definitely should have rewarded when she came with me since I was really pushing the edge of how far I KNEW she could commit from.

And as for the FedEx guy, I think he ran because he was legit afraid! He jumped a mile when she rushed at him, and I can’t say I blame him, she was being kinda scary for her (I’m sure he’s seen way worse on any average day). She’s had some stranger danger since about 6 months, mostly in less populated areas just as you noted. It has gotten quite a bit better recently, partly because of working the pattern games with her in those situations, partly maturity, and also partly because I take her with a buddy most of the time now. My terriers may have their faults but stranger danger isn’t one of them! (Only Rattie I ever had with that issue was a foster during COVID who hit adolescence I think right when everything went into lockdown.) One of those herdy breed traits I know exists, but I’ve never had to deal with in my own dogs.

As for managing it at home, I can take a slip lead out with me and close the gate to the potty yard (since she also nailed herself rushing through the gate). I have a good old agility table I can use as a station, though may need to rethink where I put it.

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