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**it was the agility gods delivering a reminder about the power of connection LOL!!
HA! š
** You did go to the blind side right away but you were heading more towards the jumps than the tunnel.
I KNOW!!! I knew it when I was doing it and I couldn’t stop myself!!! UGH!
**The other thing I noticed was that she was getting progressively later in committing to jumping at the 4 backside (:09 versus :57). It could be that you were quicker to do the blind on the first rep and a little later on the blind on the second rep, and she is waiting for the blind to come in for the bar. Either way, we donāt want timing of the blind to be a factor because jumping the bar should be a default behavior ā so you can isolate that jump and as you leave for the blindā¦ turn your head and donāt actually do the blind (disconnect and donāt reconnect LOL!) and as she gets to the backside entry wing ā toss the reward to the landing spot so she gets it as a reward for choosing to go to the backside. You donāt need to wait for a jumping decision, we are rewarding the decision to go to the backside of the jump ā and that reward placement helps create the default of taking the jump no matter when you do the blind š
I noticed that too…will definitely work this!
**Does she always jump into the tunnel like she did at 1:24? I guess so, she did it again on this sequence. HA! I hadnāt noticed that before!
A LOT, yes…she is extra! I still worry that she has an eyesight issue…but my heart says she doesn’t, it’s just behavioral. My second agility dog, Crickit, another Mini Aussie has ETS…but she is very consistent regardless of speed, and stutters…where Kindle is not. I did have Kindles eyes checked, but not that it means a lot with ETS. Anyway…yes, she jumps into the tunnel…actually jumps in and on the side to bank them. She moves tunnels and tunnel bags like no other 12 lb dog I know!
Ok…so we tried the GO sequences…
First, there is no video because my phone has been acting weird and it decided not to save the video…I have no idea and was mad. I will try to repeat it later…but probably won’t get to it until Friday now. Anyway…here is my analysis:Sequence 1.
Goals overall were not to play with disconnection (I physically seem unable to disconnect on a straight line…my entire body will just not let me) but play with her bubble. 1st rep, jump 2 was ok…jump 3 came down. I was outside of her bubble for certain. Repeated with small change to my location and was better. I was actually fairly surprised how this went overall and felt her bubble has grown!Sequence 2.
***WARNING*** ADULT LANGUAGE.
%$#&ing straight lines. Seriously…this is why we can’t trial. There are no crazy threadles, backsides, slices in AKC Open JWW. There are straight lines, and THIS WAS A STRUGGLE. So…first reps were done with a rear cross over 4. She REALLY struggled with jump 6…however, I wish I had video… the bar wasn’t coming down, but she was bouncing between 5 & 6. Does she not realize she is a 12 inch dog??? So saying her name between the two jumps got her to put a stride in. Next I tried the FC wrap. I struggled a bit finding the magic bubble size that allowed me to get the tightest turn at the wrap…but in the end I did have a couple acceptable rounds. She struggled less with jump 6 than with the rear cross, but overall found that if she got ahead on the end line and felt me race up behind her…brain exploded. Apparently we do not like to lose a foot race!Sequence 3
Included a backside so we were both happy happy! I know the courses are likely supposed to go from simple to more complex, but this certainly was not the case for us! I did find that she is cueing to take the backside slice jump on my head turn…which is interesting because I thought it was soooo independent! I always say our dogs know what our bodies are doing better than we do! Jump 6 was still the biggest struggle here as well…but the “hard stuff” was easy peasy.Anyway…sad I don’t have video for you to see…but I guess my main question is: Is it acceptable for a dog her size to be bounce jumping the distance between 5 & 6? Am I wrong to think she needs to put strides in? I know this is probably hard to say without video. :-(. I need a new phone…
**Yes, it is a bit of an attention cue on the turns toward you and I also think it helps with collection on those turnsā¦ so try not to use it on the turns away from you like the get out and the backside pushes. Otherwise you are asking for attention and then sending her away, which can delay her from seeing the bar to jump.
Got it! No to remember it!
**At a trial, because you want to support the jumping on the first rep ā go deeper into the tunnel after 1 so you are moving up the line and not too far ahead or outside the bubble for 3.
Keep my head on…got it! LOL
**Your brother was so funny, sneaking in there!
OMG the comedy keeps coming too!
**Seq 3:
Whoa she read the backside push at 2:26 perfectly! Great timing, great execution! That allowed you to get way ahead and the timing of the blind was great. You might have been distracted by her brilliance there LOL! It was impressive!So split the difference and move out of the spin early like you did, but not that fast and toward the next jump so you can get the great turn AND stay in the bubble. You did this naturally at 3:21, pretty much exactly what I was picturing ā yay! The whole line was so nice!
Great job on these!! I am loving the independence on that backside in particular.
Thanks! š
And Gypsy is SO CUTE!!! Is she a mini Aussie? My dogs all got excited and ran over to watch her LOL!
She is! All 6-7 lbs of her! LOL. She doesn’t trial…the environment isn’t her thing, but thats ok because we have fun at home and she loves it!
**Gooooood question! It might be too much pressure on the jumping at this point (my demo dog was having trouble with the jumping on an 8 inch bar in the video!!) It is very stimulating š So you can just walk up the line with less connection or no connection and reward commitment. You can use a generic jump verbal rather than GO GO GOGOGOGOGOGGO š We donāt want her head to explode after all!
Got it!
Ok…sequences 4 & 5! These were FUN! Sequence 4 I tried to remember to move out of my spins sooner. Sequence 5 starts with some comedy…it was VERY windy today, so our actual first attempt didn’t make video…but I will come clean and say I got rather cocky with her backsides and didn’t watch her head and she took the front of the jump. Our second actual attempt is the first on video…we got the backside of jump #7. The remaining reps I just kept repeating…decel, decel, decel in my head! LOL
Thank you Janet! Intense has been frequently used to describe Kindle…itās pretty accurate! Everything she does, she puts her heart and soul into. She is truly a wonderful teammate. I have struggled to get it together with her, so your notes help to build my confidence, which often lacks…thank you!
**Two general thoughts:
Try to use her name only for coming towards you and use directionals for when she has to turn away from you. You were tending to use her name for all the things šI feel that ā when I am super focused on the handling, I do the same thing (name name name rather than all the words that my dogs know LOL!)Ahh…ok…so the name thing has been kinda a crutch…a bandaid to get her to think about her jumping. It does seem to be effective, but perhaps it’s not actually her name, but my handling that supports her more? While I’m using her name, it’s not the name per say, but how I am actually handling that has changed? I have used her name basically when I want her to think extra hard about jumping…especially coming out of a tunnel…it also helps me to remember to re-establish connection (which prior I was bad about). Does this make sense? I know it’s not ideal…
Otherwise…yes, remember the verbals you spent all that time teaching Rebecca! Ugh!!!**Also ā on the tighter turns, decel is a primary cue for her.
Decel is magic, according to Kindle.Ok…seriously I need some drills…suicides in the sand courts for me this week! I’m like a tractor trailer…I can get moving, but I don’t stop quickly! LOL
So we had a bit of time this morning before the rain came through…yay! We started on Week 4 sequences. The concept of disconnection on the blinds is familiar to us, so I decided to start with the sequences.
Lots of good jumping effort! One big splat early on in sequence 1. Gosh darn she is soooooooo sensitive to any lateral movement off…I look like I took a weird step sideways there. Anyway, I was proud of how she bounced back and the rest of her reps were much better. Tried to remember decel (when I remembered where I was going!). I am going to mentally repeat, connection, decel, bubble over and over!
Appearances in this video include my brother…I think he was trying to sneak by when he figured it was safe because she knocked the bar! LOL.
Also, the “voice” you always here is my second youngest dog, Gypsy. She almost always does a rep or two with me after I play with Kindle…all my girls get a chance to do something when we play, even my oldest! Anyway, no need for feedback, unless you want to tell me she’s the cutest tiny black dog…cause I think she is! LOL She will continue to make vocal appearances in videos I’m sure…but now you can put a face to the voice!One last question…the thought of disconnecting on a straight line makes me concerned. Should this be an exercise to table? As for the GO…Kindle loves that word…maybe too much. She definitely knows it, but loses her ever loving mind when I say it. It’s like go means to JUMP NOW. However, I did spend some time today with GO off the DW to a jump. Because of her jumping, I hadn’t worked that in a while…previously she was having a very hard time with take off point off her RDW. I’m happy to say that today her jumps were great! Not a single bar, and she judged take off well…so I may be able to start adding GO back into our vocabulary. Thoughts?
THANK YOU!!!
**Gauging lines with smaller dogs (how deep into tunnels should we go?) is one of the big learning curves in agility!
Such a learning curve! I was familiar with the concept before…erroneously thought I had mastered it…HA! Kindle is teaching me a whole new meaning!
**OMG the rooster looked so judgey that he didnāt get a chance to run the sequence! LOL!!! What a handsome dude!!
That and he wanted his dinner snack! He likes eating muffins on the porch! LOL
Here is our work we did throughout the day today on the long sequences! I also included a little Wonder Woman weave action for Halloween! Kindle says Happy Halloween!
Overall, very happy at these first attempts! Sequence 1 I think I like with the spin better…sequence 2 was the toughest for us, and I think I prefer the FC there…might just need to work the timing of the spin a bit better in this sequence. Sequence 3 is our jam…and 4 overall went easily too!
Hope you get some treats tonight!
P.S. My paper is about done!!! Sad it’s going to rain again tomorrow š
The rain stopped!!! We were outside bringing in what we could save from the garden before tonight’s deep freeze and Kindle insisted on trying two of the sequences again. I think I made some progress! Of course her ME wasn’t as good…but I guess perfection waits till another day!
Now ask me if I did any work on my paper…LOL
There is a surprise appearance in this video too! <3
**I totally relate: we get used to really driving our experienced dogs then we forget how we canāt drive the next dog until they are a lot more experienced. I like the phrase ādial it downā ā that can go on your list of things to remember!
Definitely!
**So you can put that on your list: commit to the timing. Take the risk š
Yes!!! Take the risk, but commit to the timing!
**You can make these as specific as possible. āStay in the bubbleā is pretty clear, but you can also add in specifics of how to stay in the bubble (run closer to lines), how much to connect to her (lots! and also exit line connection), plan your verbal and practice them in walk throughs.
I find that I am practicing more in walk thrus than ever. Not just walking to remember the course, but getting very specific…it has helped! You mentioned flyball skills with your dogs too…Kindle and I also compete in freestyle flying disc (shocker! lol) and a lot of similar struggles occur in disc. If I put the disc too high, Kindle will not wait for it, and will often launch and miss, although she does sometimes make extraordinary catches! In freestyle itās easier to get that muscle memory on my end as our routine doesnāt change each time, so I can practice disc placement in the same sequence over and over. Perhaps thatās why Iām finding our disc to be coming together more easily than agility, despite my greater experience in agility…sorry, nerd pondering!
**>>OH! Anotherā¦collection. We arenāt strong in collecting over jumps LOL. With thatā¦I will leave you my video! HAHA!>>
Actuallyā¦ she is doing well!!! She does best when you are connected and set up the lines without rushing ā so she sets up her own collection nicely. Here are specifics:
Do you think Iām expecting too much for her to turn even more tightly than our best videos? Specifically jump 3 out of the tunnel.
First of all: OMG your videos are so funny!!! I didnāt even realize your were barefoot!
LOVE being barefoot!!! I wear minimalist shoes when I have to or not home…had TERRIBLE plantar fasciitis before…building my foot strength cured me!!!
**1st rep ā very nice! You can start the spin on 3 even sooner, be decelerating when she exits the tunnel. Your position was good on that jump to start it sooner. The backside looked really good! You can start your backside verbal before she enters the tunnel and keep repeating it as she exits (try not to call her name then say it ā the name curls her towards you and we want her to stay out)
Ugh! I yell at my agility students for saying their dogs name exiting a tunnel when they want them to go out!!! Duh!!!
**Seq 5… you softened your connection and āswooshedā her to the landing spot more than you did on sequence 3 (1:05 for example) so she was wider on 3. On sequence 3, when you looked more directly at her for longer, she had a better turn. Your timing was good here so as you are setting up the spins, get strong connection to her eyes and maintain it as she is passing you to reproduce that nice tight turn.
The backside push connection looks really good and then you maintained a really strong connection to the slice jump after it: that supported her jumping effort perfectly each time! Yay!I noticed the swoosh too when I made the video…ugh!
I really see a big difference in her ability to find the jumping effort on these videos ā it is VERY cool! It takes some patience in handling but if that is what it takes, then that is fine because you do it really well!
As long as itās not a trial I can do it! š It is coming together…and I love her to pieces and sheās just so fun…I just want to be better for her. š
You look fine!! Getting home in time to be outdoors is totally worth it š
Definitely! But looking forward to sleeping past 3:45am tomorrow!!!
And OMG the bags under my eyes!!! Geesh! I’ve been taking advantage of remote teaching the next couple weeks and getting to work SUPER early so I can come home and work on schoolwork and still have some time to play outside…but the lack of sleep is beginning to show! LOL
**it is harder when there is only one jump out there, we do get more flicking when the dogs assume that we are messing up and we *must* want the jump LOL!!
Makes sense!!! Good to know!
**You can also use more distance away from the jump and try arm-across-the-body with the reward so she can see the connection even more clearly.
Got it! I was afraid to use my opposite arm because I wanted to be clear which side I wanted her to be on…but that was my natural tendency to want to use it.
**I liked your big parties when she got it right!!
My sister makes fun of me! I don’t care…I’m honestly boring without my dogs! LOL
Onwards to sequences!
**The only difficulty was the timing of the turn cue on jump 3 ā on the 3rd rep, you decelerated earlier so she had the best turn. You can be at the wing and decelerated pretty early with her, so when she exits the tunnel you can plan to start the decel.This jump is the bane of my existence!!! I tried in sequence 4 & 5 to be decelling sooner…maybe accomplished it marginally…
**On the get out reps: she was looking straight before she exited then turned to the get out right as she as exiting ā which means the cue was a little late. You can start telling her to get out right before she enters the tunnel, so she is already getting out before she exits.
And same on the around/backside…could’ve cued earlier. :-/
**Seq 2:
First up, REALLY NICE FC on the purple jump to get back to the tunnel!š
**Now, the get out ā as with the first sequence, try telling her before she enters the tunnel to see if she can settle her jumping in? With you further away from the jump here, it is definitely outside the bubble so she had jumping questions. She didnāt splat the bar or anything, but she jumped really big trying to process it. You can also work the skill separately by working tunnel-get out jump with you moving forward but closer at firstā¦ then gradually moving further and further away.
Yes…that was hard…will try!
Sequence 3:
**I see the same questions on the get out jump here too, in terms of her jumping big š…Yup!
**We can keep working the get out so she feels more comfy working the lead changes at that distance…
Definitely!
**And, these sequences are allowing us to figure out what she needs for each context: if you see this at a trial, for example, you know that the best results are when you go in closer to the get out jump.
Yes…my bubble baby!
And on the next 2 reps, where you did the ācome meā threadle/wrap move: that is a STRONG skill so you can choose that as your top priority! You were able to get a good turn on the get out jump AND on the come me jump too.
š
**Trials are really hard because we do have to get it as perfect as possible on the first try. And you are definitely NOT making stupid mistakes!
I’m definitely dumb at a trial! Seriously like we never practice or something. I go from micromanaging her jumping, to running wild. She also gets super high…imagine that!
** My first suggestion is to keep a list of handling reminders: literally, write it all down in the āThings To Remember For Kindleā notebook. For example, write a list of things that are strong and what context to use them in.
I struggle with this. I like to RUN…I’m not patient…I want to run aggressively, I don’t want to run safe…but I think my baby dog needs me to dial it down…for now at least. My older dog and I were such an easy team…we loved driving each other, and I loved to run balls to the wall with her. But she is a different dog, and we didn’t start that way…I need to keep reminding myself this.
**And have a list of āskills in progressā to avoid at trials.
I have a list for each dog (and one list for each dog in flyball too LOL!) and I read my list before the walk through so my strengths are fresh in my mind. That has really helped me screw up MUCH less, plus I donāt come out of the ring and *then* remember that I have a skill I could have used š
So if you were to write a list of the strong skills and things to remember with Kindle, what would be on it?She has a TON of skills…which are trial ready…it’s me I think. For example…last weekend I was doing a blind and she flanked the jump. She flanked the jump because I should have turned my head WAAAAAY earlier…I know this! I want to bang my head against the wall and scream at myself! But that’s an example of me wanting to run with the blinds, not wanting to play it safe…but also worried about her jumping and not thinking about MY job.
I try to think about things Kindle needs.
1. CONNECTION
2. Not to pull away laterally suddenly on jumps
3. Maintain her “bubble”
4. Remember her verbals and use them (my older dog went fairly deaf at the end of her career…I got used to running quiet)
5. Be smooth, not frantic, but also not hesitant…she totally feels thatSkill wise…honestly…what doesn’t she have? The ability to judge the take off of a jump under a variety of circumstances. Everything else is strong except this…it’s a big one.
OH! Another…collection. We aren’t strong in collecting over jumps LOL. With that…I will leave you my video! HAHA!
Thanks so much for all your thoughtful effort! š
Ok…my reward for sitting down and getting some of my paper written was playing this afternoon!
First, the skills.
Get Out I knew would be a challenge for my little flicker to balance…I see a jump, I take the jump! I think we made some good work here…definitely an exercise I will be repeating!
Backside slices I feel pretty confident with…but I can see I still give a tiny push to them. Honestly not sure I need too…more habit. I had never used the outside arm before either, but am conscious of my shoulders.
Sequences 1-3 went fairly well. Jumps after the tunnel are always are challenge, but overall it was good. I’m aggravated with myself…I feel I can problem solve and fix what I am doing wrong pretty good…even before watching the videos back. BUT, why can’t I get it on the first try??? If I know what I need to do…why do I keep making the same stupid mistakes??? Ok..this might have a lot to do with trials too. š
Anyway…back to paper writing…boo
Rebecca
Thanks Janet! To be honest, I havenāt had much extra time to watch anyone else…but once my assignment is done for grad school next week maybe I can check out others too!
And Iām super lucky to have an awesome teammate in Kindle š
**Your faces into the camera crack me up!
I am REALLY liking your handling on that first sequence (sequence 2): basically you are saying to Kindle, “here is the info on what is next, go as fast as you want and set up your own turns, sister!” and… she does. She is so fast AND tight here without rushing, and you are super connected and not rushing.Haha! Glad my comedy is enjoyed! And Yay! š
**That rear crossy move is a real winner in your toolbox – she just is beautiful. Do you have a verbal cue on it?
I do! I call that ME. She knows that one well. š
**All I could hear on the 2nd rep was the rooster hahaha
He was MAD that I didnāt let him off the porch yet from breakfast! He loves to target Kindleās frisbee and sometimes gets pushy with her about it. In his defense, he is just trying to play too!
**I feel like the soft brake and the spin were about equal in terms of her line but the spin might have kept you moving better? The soft brake on the 3rd rep had more motion but I still think the spin got out outta there sooner without popping the bubble.
Agree! I felt the spin to be more natural and since flow and smoothness is so important for us both, felt the spin produced that more naturally for me.
**I suggest adding a verbal to get her to drive back sooner along with a really exaggerated exit line connection (frisbee across the body while you make eye contact). The verbal can be something like “KIN KIN KIN!”
Got it! I always think about how I will use my dogās names like that when selecting my names…Kindle is Ki-Ki-Ki (like key)!
**Your timing on the 7 turn was good but I think it had too much ‘swoosh’ in the form of the right arm across your body – you can let the right arm be very subtle as the left arm acts as a bit of a brake on the takeoff side of the jump. She was a tiny bit wide on 7 due to extra swooshing. So it is not really leaving earlier on 7 or 8, it is more about using the other hand as a brake as you connect.
Ahhhh…yes! Damn swoosh arm! Got it!
**Let me know if that makes sense! She was pretty darned close to perfect so I am just looking at tiny details now.
š
Ok…tried sequence 2 & 3 again…break arm vs spin to start. I like both…the posty type turn got me dizzy! LOL. I thought she read them equally well, given I didnāt push into the space for either.
Tried to push commitment on sequence 3 a bit more…not sure I really accomplished anything significant other than becoming more comfortable with the timing. I do think staying back closer to jump 7 is better than leaving right away because she had a tendency to take off earlier on 8 if I ran out of room or didnāt support 8 as much. That knowing when I get ahead and when she needs me is tough…but I think Iām figuring it out!
Hello!
We decided to go back to sequence 2…after I rewatched my first attempt and Iām happier, but still annoyed at myself for doing stupid sh*t. Anyway…
The good- Kindle has a lot of good jumping! Very proud of her!
The bad- my arm got flipper and bigger each rep of that spin! Ugh! Why???
I think the second rep was my favorite. Going from 4-5 is tough for her…not sure if there is anything I can do to help?
