[mcgintyrch]

Thank you, Tracy.

Thanks for the info on using a Cato in UKI. It’s highly rewarding to her so she gravitates to it whenever she sees it.

It was windy (Santa Ana’s out here) so lots of scent floating around and leaves.

I started talking to my imaginary dog when she dropped her head to eat dandelions. She popped right back up.

YES she found my face for real. We had worked on it on it with a couple of jumps the day before. That’s so cool. I will work on it in the ring.

I’m going to make up a flash card with my game plan on it so I can review my plan before I take her out of her crate.

I need to develop something fun for after the run other than inviting her to jump up on me. I have a remote reinforcement word (chips) which means we’re running to a container outside the ring for cookies. In my dreams, she would tug with the leash. In my nightmares, she would grab the leash and play keep away with it. She does not bring things back.

Thanks for your help!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by mcgintyrch. Reason: Left out words

[mcgintyrch]

Yes, she really likes the Cato board. I can try it if you think I should.

We worked on find my face the past few days and did that after a few jumps (unrecorded). She came right around to my front. ☺️

These videos are sequence 1 of the mid course sequences.

Thanks for all of your help.

[mcgintyrch]

Thanks for your kind comments. Frantic is an excellent, accurate description. I can’t avoid thinking that she is going to leave me and go hunting …lizards under tunnel bags, behind the white barrier to the side of the A-frame and on the back wall. Someday I hope I will have her full attention.

Funny thing about the table… according to Dr. Brainiac, patterns create neuro pathways…or something like that. We have played lots of tugging and food games on the table since she was a baby. Who would have guessed she’d drive to it on a course. 😂

I was ALMOST using food as a lure? Oh, I assure you, I WAS using food as a lure. 😂

Yes, I will use the up and down game and take the leash off while we do that. I will practice calmness.

The leash is such a big thing! I don’t know who has bigger feelings about it – her or me!

🙏

[mcgintyrch]

Okay, here comes the sh*t show. It took an unusually long time (almost 2 hours) to get to class last night for our 2 minutes of ring time…freeway closure due to wildfire. 😣
I did listen to the zoom on the way. I really needed something to shred after that drive 😂.

I don’t trust myself to run my imaginary dog. I completely disconnect with JJB at the start and throughout. And I didn’t keep going when we made a big mistake at the weaves, I repeated.😣

Second run isn’t much better. She’s not fully engaged, neither am I and I talk too much to keep a connected.

Thank you.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by mcgintyrch. Reason: weave mistake

[mcgintyrch]

Yes, she can get sniffy at the start and get up on the first run.
I am planning to start away from people tonight.

Okay, got it!

Thank you!

[mcgintyrch]

Okay….if you’re still out there. What do I do if she leaves me at the start line? Run my imaginary dog? Not require her to stay?
Thank you

[mcgintyrch]

She did well with the pattern games just 3-4′ away from people or things.

I will work on getting her lined up more appropriately for the line to the next jump. Thank you!

I thought she was very forgiving for my bad rears – she read them all. I just should not have gotten so far ahead of her on the line.

As you can see – oftentimes, I have trouble continuing on when we have a mistake. I just get flustered and we party.

I did video at the field, but…my camera field of view didn’t capture that part of the course. It captured her returning to me in the middle of the course as I was running.

I will have someone film me tonight in class in case my imaginary dog needs to run with me. Is it okay to turn in those videos?

Thank you, Tracy. This is so very helpful!

[mcgintyrch]

Here are sequences 3 and 5 from last week.

We were able to practice the pattern games while at a Nosework trial this weekend. She also did some serious chewing to decompress after searches. 😂

Sequence 3
My rear crosses suck. I wasn’t patient in letting her get ahead of me.

Sequence 5
I tried to kind of Serp/blind that middle jump which got me in trouble. She was tired and I was irritable on these. She had been jumping on me a lot this day.

Oh, I also tried running with my imaginary dog today when she left me at a practice field. She came back pretty quickly. 😁

Thanks, Tracy!

[mcgintyrch]

Okay, I’m letting you know what I think…WOW, just WOW. Very helpful. We can be 10’ from people to have low latency. We will keep working as you have outlined and go to different locations.

What kind of treats. She eats anything- dandelions and bees! So, the type of treat totally depends on the type of distractions that we have or may encounter. All kinds of soft meat dog treats or chicken and sometimes steak. Just kibble if we’re working with no or few distractions. If I need to lure her through an area with continuous engagement, I will use a Toppl with cream cheese or squeeze cheese – it has super high value and I can toss it at the end of a run.

I really like the idea of starting further into the ring. In fact, I had decided I would do this just to get away from that pressure.

And hell yeah, to the invisible dog! I really don’t care what people think. This is about what’s good for her. Thanks for prescribing crazy stuff!

I agree that our focus should be on engagement. It is the key to all things good. So should I not post any of our sequence videos?

For decompression she likes licking things the most – it takes longer, so pupsciles, Toppl, lickey mats…but also snuffle and treat scatters. She likes all things food.

Many thanks, Tracy! I really appreciate your help!

[mcgintyrch]

She can do pattern games around people, but it is super difficult. She’s a walmart greeter. On our first run, I don’t have her attention at all. She’s, as of late, completely distracted with people and the environment. Once we do get going, it’s not just an off course situation (I don’t care if that happens) – it’s a zoomie, visit my fans, go hunting at the corners of the yard and anywhere else the wild things could hide. Just a thought – This may be happening more since our class is now at dusk. So, I call her back and we pick up at whatever obstacle we’re standing near. If it happens a couple of more times, we leave and go for a walk. It is very frustrating and I try to keep my happy face on. It gets better on subsequent runs and she can play games at the start.

Her feral animal behavior – I think it happens most often when I’m leashing or unleashing and/or asking her to get IN or OUT of her crate or xpen. LOTS of jumping up to bite or mouth.

Thanks, Tracy. I have lots of videos of our sequences – I’ll start posting those.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by mcgintyrch.

[mcgintyrch]

Thank you! Been working on the patterns and volume dial in different places. Did those at a scent work seminar over the weekend. She was able to tug with me there. I think it helped to get her working straight away off of the start line.

Tried some tugging at agility class and games. I believe she is too stressed at the start line since people are less than 10′ from the first obstacle. Seems to be a lot of pressure for her. She is unable to do much in that situation and our first run is a dumpster fire. We just aren’t connected and she freelances after 4-6 obstacles, but returns when I call her. I did get folks to move back and then she was able to do some patterns games and focus.

Lately, her overall behavior seems to have reverted back to some of our worse puppy times – a velociraptor that cannot be calmed. She tries but the mind and body are possessed by evil spirits.

Really enjoyed the webinar last night!

[mcgintyrch]

OMG! What a long day! I bet you were running on adrenaline getting back home! Congrats!

[mcgintyrch]

Yes, she can tug in different places including trial venues. She can’t tug before a run in class, but she can tug after a run in the crating area.

Yes, I can do that with treats. She has a soft mouth; however, the higher she gets, the more snarky she gets. And yes, she knows some tricks and likes to do them.

Here’s our sequence 1 with a blooper. I was throwing treats on the ground or putting them on my shoes before we ran. My space is a little smaller than 50×50.

Thanks for your help! Hope you’re having a great weekend of flyball!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by mcgintyrch.

[mcgintyrch]

Thank you for the feedback. We play pattern games in many places- including class. I was taught to use pattern games when she has been fearful. It has helped us tremendously. So, she anticipates a game to pop up in certain places and situations.
Anyway, I will slow it down as we do in everyday gaming. ☺️
Here’s some volume dial work. Not sure I’m doing it correctly. She was a bit tired when we started this session. Thank you!

[mcgintyrch]

Here’s some pattern game work. I use pattern games with her quite a bit to help keep her engaged and to ward off evil triggers.

I’m not a big fan of throwing treats in dirt,but that’s where most of our training occurs – on dirt.

Thanks for your help!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by mcgintyrch.

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