[Margaret Daunt]

Hi Tracy! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂

Because she is really young, we might need to experiment with you long after breakfast you train with toys. It is possible that her nervous system is in ‘rest and digest’ mode for a certain time after a meal, so food sessions make more sense to her brain and body. Toy play is in the more stimulated nervous system mode, so you can try it at different times of day that are further from meal times.

Interesting!! It varies, sometimes I can get toy play right off the bat! I need to pay attention if it’s before I unload my bag in the training area that I get toy play! She knows I have the Goods and what we are doing in that space, I can’t imagine she doesn’t by now! 😀 Something to play around with for sure!

SSC game! This time I put her in a crate in the bathroom lol however the soft sided crate was not zipped as you will see as she makes her entrance LOL! She’s not particulary fond of SS crates. My first dog to roll around in one – yikes! First I used a bowl, then a ball (not in the video, no interest what-so-ever lol) and then I put her snuffle ball in the bowl. I end most of our training sessions with the snuffle ball so she ‘knows’ this object well! 😀 Question! @ about 25 sec Sunnie looked at me for information, I wasn’t sure what to do 🙁 “Waiting out” with a puppy is probably not ideal right?

Thank you for the Insight on choosing a wrap cue! I know what venue I want to play in (International) but AKC/CPE is right around the corner from me ( 40 minutes ) Traveling is not always possible 🙁 So should I just have 2 cues so when I do get to play International we armed with the right tools? 🙂

[Margaret Daunt]

Hi Tracy! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂

She was a bit in food mode for sure – she makes it clear when she is not interested in the toy or she needs a moment to think 🙂 It is perfectly fine to train the harder side with treats but also we can also try to get her playing more. Question – with this a the morning session, had she had breakfast yet? If she was hungry, she might not have been able to think about tugging. You can save toy games to times where she won’t be hungry, if hunger might be part of the challenge.

Morning sessions are always after breakfast. I just hold back some of her meal for training 🙂 But majority of the kibble she gets for breakfast 🙂

I have 2 wrap cues: one to wrap to the right, one to wrap the left

Can I use 1 word for either direction? or does it have to be 2 different words?

Pattern Game in a new location- sorry you can’t see both sides but you can see her looking at me 😀 I forgot my charlie bears so I used kibble that’s why there is a bit of a scatter while she is looking for the pieces. Is this a bad habit that I am creating? Should I just keep it to visible treats? I know for sure when we take this on the road with a harder environment I definitely will have visible treats!

SSC Game 3- This was fun! I started with toys, then went with the cookie jar. I’m not brave enough to use a BAG of treats LOL! Looking back at this, my observations – started with the toys & jar too close to the prop? I should have preplaced the Novel object prior to? Not while we are in the session?
Does it matter if she sees me from confinement (crate or xpen) placing the Novel object?

[Margaret Daunt]

Hi Tracy! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂

We played around with Turn & Burn this morning. Started with the left turn, her harder side, with a crazy tug and then when she lost interest in that I switched to food. Most of the video is the left turn & I left in some “in between” stuff so you can see if I am using my antics appropriately 😀 We did do a couple right turns just to finish the session. I don’t “offically” have a wrap cue yet so I just started to say tight. 🙂 What is your wrap cue?

Then we played the Resilience Game in a low key familiar environment. Sure would love to do this in the GRASS! LOL!! I’m going to take this one on the road & use charlie bears, not her kibble like I did in this session, which caused alot of searching rather than grab & go – right?

Here is our backup -we are almost there!! I am trying to cue it with Beep Beep, but I don’t think my timing is quite right LOL!!

[Margaret Daunt]

Hi Tracy! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂 And especially for taking the time with the turn & burn problem solving video 🙂

One thing she is doing is sniffing her way through the question sometimes and I wanted to mention it because it is perfectly fine 🙂 She is clearing her head and problem solving! My 2 year old dog did the same thing at the same age as Sunnie – when it happened, I noted it as super interesting but didn’t worry about it. He sorted things out quickly without me bugging him 😂 and most definitely did not end up being sniffy at all in his agility or flyball.

WOW! This is SO cool!! Thank you for sharing that tid bit! 🙂

We tried collection sandwich on the other side – my harder side – clearly lol! But still Fun & Sunnie likes that game. Let’s face it she likes ALL the “Tracy Games” 😀

Turn & Burn – right turn. Sunnie was keen on playing with a toy this morning so I gave it a whirl. This tug has a lotus ball attached to the end (it came like that). I would like help with my logistics using this tug as a reward. Like I mentioned in my intro, toy play as rewards is new to me because I didn’t know how to use them & I want to do better for Sunnie 🙂

Turn & Burn – Left side – Help! LOL! <I tried> <we tried> 😀

Thanks Tracy!

[Margaret Daunt]

Hi Tracy! Thank you for the feedback 🙂

Yes, you can limit reps of break the CBs in half.
Mine crumble into a million pieces! Maybe I have an extra dry batch LOL!

Collection Sandwich!! Fun Fun Fun!! I made maore room in our training area 😀

I scrolled back to see if she had already told us about a left turn side preference or not, but I couldn’t find it (and I can’t remember due to lack of caffeine LOL!)

When I was doing the wing wrap in the very beginning and sometimes it still comes out. Here is your comment: She had a bit of a chain going for a couple of reps: going around the cone to her right (from your left hand to your right hand) then sliding between you can the cone to her left. That likely means she is a righty, so we can adjust things a little to help get the left turns (moving from your right hand to your left hand).

Turn & Burn- when she was on left, once she started going, was ‘easier’ for her than when I tried on my right. I split the videos for each side. Here in her on my left.

When she was on my right I did some trouble shooting, not sure if this was the right thing to do or if I should have done something different. This video is about 3 min, I didn’t want to edit anything out. I understand if you can’t review because of the length. Didn’t want to go that long ( I didn’t realize at the time) to avoid in the future, at what point should I have stopped? Again, if it’s too long to review, no worries!

Thank you!!

[Margaret Daunt]

Hi Tracy! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂

FINALLY understand what you were telling me all along LOL Me interfering was making the task cloudy 🙁
but for the next session start exactly like you did here: but let her step her front feet back onto the mat without you moving a muscle 🙂 That will get her offering the behavior and not waiting for you to move your hand.

I kept the beginning of the session in because she looked so dam cute waiting for me to load my pockets & then got tired of waiting LOL We are getting there! I started the session with charlie bears, her kibble is so small she doesn’t always find them so quickly. It looks like BB’s I didn’t want to load her up on charlie bears either, unless I just do like 5 or so C.B. “reps”?

Prop Game countermotion- wow what a difference when I gave her some room to “run” to start. I think this kid will turn on the after burners once we get outside and get to do all these fun running/chase games! 🙂 Maybe it is good thing that we are practicing in a small space first ?! 😀 I am itching & looking forward to when we can really run!!

[Margaret Daunt]

Countermotion this morning 🙂 too much thinking on my part lol! I started with the clicker and then ditched it, easier without, but then switched hands to toss the cookie lol

[Margaret Daunt]

Thank you Tracy!

We tried Prop Game 1 with a RC. I was doubting myself if I was really RCing LOL! I even started walking it without Sunnie, well she was following me, so I stopped, I didn’t want to confuse her 😀

Played a bit on the Backing Up. Am I making sense to her with my mechanics? 😀 Maybe the session went on a bit too long too?

[Margaret Daunt]

Hi Tracy! Thank you for talking me off the ledge with the bowls LOL!

You are welcome to have separate markers, but I don’t think you need separate markers. The dogs are fine with get it meaning thrown or placed, as long as it is out ahead. My dogs have a get it that covers toys/treats that are out ahead moving or placed and there is no confusion. They have a lot more awareness of what is happening and don’t need the extra verbals.

Whew! Perfect!! Get It! Will be my dead toy marker, love it. Less words for me the better LOL!

Thank you for tips with the backing up, we’ll give that a whirl! 🙂

Tonight we played Prop Game 1 Parallel -FUN!! I left the clip of the start of the session for you – Ya think she has a wee bit of value for the potholder?! LOL! I’m out of site a little because I had to walk diagonal in the room so I had more space 😀

Just for more FUN we did the WW with a crate. I left the bowls more visable since it was a much larger prop! She had fun with this 🙂

[Margaret Daunt]

Hi Tracy! Thank you for the feedback & thoughts on the bowls 🙂

So we’re good on playing our stillness game. She will learn thru different games that the bowls can be used in many ways. It’s just that with the cone wrap I presented a picture that looked like the stillness game therefore she made a bee line to it. Will we ever be able to use the bowls with “obstacles” for wrapping for example like the cone or we will figure out a different approach? 😀

Do I need a marker word for a dead toy or dead lotus ball? >
I think it depends on where it is. Out ahead? Your ‘get it’ will work nicely for that!

I’ve never used a dead toy before. All I know is that it’s pre placed. 😀 While I love Get It – I use that for thrown cookie or toy. That won’t be confusing?

Here is our attempt at BackUp, not the first session. I was playing around will the balance pad & a wedge along with my mechanics. I was just confusing Sunnie more! Sometimes I need to get my bearings too LOL! I couldn’t get her to move back after I gave her the intial cookie, she just stood there. So I ditch the props, lured her further between my legs and finally saw the little backing up to click! 🙂 Still a work in progress, but I get what I have to do now 😀 <I think!>

[Margaret Daunt]

Aha! Watching both of these, I see why she goes to the most direct route to the dish 🙂 The stillness game is all about focus on the dish – and when the dish gets to the other side of the cone, the context is almost entirely the same (including being held similarly) that she thinks it is the go-to-dish game.

Ok! I see what you mean now. It IS the same picture as the stillness game 🙁 She’s so smart she was doing what she knows, the hooman was on the wrong page 😀 Honest opinion, should I not continue with that game since we will be using bowls with you? Or is it too late, she “knows” that exercise/picture already. I don’t want to confuse her either.

We went back to the barrel with moving the bowls behind me. She caught me a few (ok maybe many LOL) times moving the bowls which interrupted her flow. Otherwise it was FUN to see her run!! 😀

Questions regarding the Resilience Game 2 lecture 🙂 I need help with some markers please. So far I have: Get It- thrown food or toy, TRADE- drop whatever is in your mouth (good or bad) for a cookie GOOD- I hand deliver cookie YES- come to me for cookie. I would like to add STRIKE-toy reward in my hand to grab & tug with me. Do I just repeat the word when she does this action & that’s how she’ll learn what it means? CATCH – how do I teach this? 😀 I throw cookies at Sunnie and she looks at the ground waiting for them to drop LOL! Do I need a marker word for a dead toy or dead lotus ball? I never had more then 3 marker words with my previous dog. I only taught her what they meant during the past 2 years. I would just say all the words all the time SMH. I didn’t know 🙁 So I want to do better for Sunnie 🙂

Thanks Tracy 🙂

[Margaret Daunt]

Here is a short clip of the exercise I am referring to above. Basically teaching the dog that stillness = the release cue to the reward. Teaching an informal stay. This is just step 1 (this is not my creativity, it’s from another class) I don’t want to muddy the waters. I hope that it’s 2 different contextes & I can continue with both somehow 🙂

[Margaret Daunt]

We gave SSC a whirl this morning with being closer – she still cut in! I should have stopped at the last one she was successful, but I did one more – bad momma 🙁 I’m stumped. I have been doing an exercise where she drives right to the bowl after a 3 sec delay, I”m holding her collar. Is this screwing her up for this exercise? She needs to learn eventually to not go to a “dead toy” or by pass the toy or bowl right? So I don’t *think* that 2 exercise I’m doing should be confusing? It’s in 2 different contextes right? Thanks Tracy!

[Margaret Daunt]

Hi Tracy! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂 Has anyone told you that you are brilliant?! 😀 not only do you share the how to but the why, the emotion & everything else. I hope I get to train with you in real life someday! 🙂

Thank you for your thoughts on Sunnie’s toy play & food play. Great food for thought and things I never thought of that I may need to alter for better success all around 🙂

I didn’t get video, but I dragged out the wobble board on a laminate floor so it would make noise. We did some circles so it would really bang LOL no issues at all! Check that off the list 😀

“Going well until it didn’t” basically sums up puppy training LOL! 😂😝 LOL! this was really funny & made me feel OK that things went sideways and will continue to go that way from time to time 😀

I looked back at Wed session of SSC, she deliberatley went under my arm twice to get to the dish. I was even close to cone. You’re right, it’s the timing, she was going straight and then veered under my arm to go to the dish on my verabl. I’ll try this again and not say dish so soon & see what happens. So good girl on Sunnie for listening to da momma LOL!

Our Magical Toy Races the day after I was asking if my puppy was broken 😀 This was after breakfast. I wanted to experiment to see if we started with toys before bringing out any food, how that would go. Here is how it went. I spent more time playing with the toys than the race itself, I didn’t want to lose the toy play momentum & it’s just fun, I love playing with her!

Since Sunnie was still hopped up on toys I wanted to try the wing wrap game, but I really didn’t know how to incoporate the toys, she lost interest, so I didn’t push it 🙂

[Margaret Daunt]

Just have to add today is a new day and we started with toy races LOL!! I will share later 🙂

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