[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
More stays/releases with prop. If I pinch my fingers together like I have a piece of food it seems to work for the luring when I tried it.

Wrap Foundations. I don’t know why but I get lost like I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with the combinations. So…hopefully some were correct. When I try to send him with the hand that is holding the toy, he is slower to commit but hopefully this gets better with time. I still haven’t come up with a different word for left wraps. Maybe for now I should just send and say nothing or make a sound that is motivating. I didn’t get to the post turns…that should really throw me for a loop! LOL

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Worked on the sit/stay with the prop. I keep forgetting to do some releases so I did a short separate video including that. He did have trouble sitting with the toy in sight so I put it away. Also, when I lure him with food into position, I am giving him the food. Should I phase that out?
Here is what we got:

Then I switched gears to the Find My Face game:

And went back to a couple reps of the stay/release without the prop:

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

For some reason the second video didn’t post a thumbnail, just the link…the one with my husband in it.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Two more varieties of self control slice. Your excellent suggestion of leaves from the yard got his interest right away…. the second one with husband sitting very still and positioned prior to bringing Brioche downstairs was fine…not sure Brioche knew he was there (husband was advised to be very still…LOL). I forgot to use his name in the leaf video.

https://youtu.be/yrnVWMCyfl0?si=qCMr5u91VBMk39uO (scroll to about 25 seconds- I had to run up and get the dog after turning the video on)

Then I used cones to try the tandem turn (180) instead of the threadle wrap like you suggested. I think it went fairly well. I did screw up my mechanics when I switched sides with the 2 cones but then I figured it out. My word is “turn” and on course I only say it once with Benni unlike some things that I say 3 times. I think it was better when I just kept the food in the one hand and not reward from the outside arm to toss it. He actually did fine following the food and then toss from the same hand. Just had to figure it out for myself.

So, what do you suggest for progressing the self control game. Have my husband standing or…? Should I try the leaves again? Maybe once was enough on that. That was the first thing in all these weeks that got him!

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Finishing up week 9. I did not do the threadle wrap because I don’t think I’m going to need it and have no idea what I would call it for now.

Reverse Retrieve went fairly well.

Volume Dial – he’s quick to offer a high five- his favorite trick. I think I just moved my hand too quickly asking for the spins which require more thought because we don’t do them that much so I just went with the high five.

Sit/Stay with toy – he didn’t stay seated when I put him between my legs and went to move away. So I just did the sit by my side which is improving. I realize what I haven’t done is release him forward. So what is the best mechanics for that so as not to mess up the stay work we’ve done. Do I say “break” and then throw a toy forward while I stand still? Or do I say break and move forward with toy in hand letting him chase it or…? Should I do a ratio of sit/catch vs sit/release? More catch than release or what?

Lastly, I thought I would work the tunnel verbals like you suggested with holding him while I say the word a few times. He was doing really well but then at the end, he disengaged…just too much for one night. But I see that he does get the idea. So I’ll let that cook for a bit.

He had a foundation nose work lesson this morning just hunting for food in boxes including boxes on grass which went better than I thought it would. So he had a chance to use his brain in a different way earlier in the day. Then rested all day until this evening. He gets so excited when he sees we are going to the basement to play.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

PS Based on what you’ve seen so far with the toy retrieve, do you recommend trying the week 9 retrieve game?
Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,

Big news! Benni earned his NW3 Elite title on Saturday!!!!! Holy cow! It took us 8 trials to finish this. Some learning experiences along the way. So Brioche got lots of sniffaris.

Onward to week 9 games.

And more sit/stay work:

Sits with one chute board and no platform. He still needs the platform I see… Cannot wait to get rid of the hair so I an actually see his legs better. Still waiting for his points to be posted to AKC.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Thanks for the feedback regarding verbals. I think I will use “dig” for the backside circle wrap. So tonight we did additional work on the backside slice and 360.
I noticed here that when I send him after lining him up he goes wide to start with and then wraps the cone nicely. At the end when I used only food, he stayed more on the path straight to the cone on the send. So I’m not sure if this is part of the learning process that he swings out and then comes in and around or if the toy is just making him less focused on the task than the food?

I did try to move a little faster as you suggested. And once I said “dig” instead of “back”…SMH! He was just too focused on the toy so I switched to food…seems to be a theme.

I continue to do more platform work for the sits.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Regarding the verbals. To clarify.

Rear cross…instead of saying switch you use “right” and “left”? Which is what I say when I want him to stay on the same lead (keeping him on my same side) for right and left turns. If I were to use it for same lead as well as switching leads (RC), isn’t that confusing to the dog?

So if I say “tight” for R wrap, then I would use some other word for L wrap?

And using “back for backside slice is good but then something different for backside wrap?

These are the main things you are suggesting…? So then I just need to come up with 2 more verbals and possibly eliminate “switch”. I’ve been saying that for so many years that will be a challenge!

Remind me what you use for backside circle wrap and L frontside wrap. Thanks.

Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
For the Stealth Self=Control/slice I used a box of toys. I don’t know if the idea was supposed to be a moving distraction but I don’t have that unless I coral my husband to be in the vicinity doing something. My husband is EXTREMELY exciting to Brioche…

Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
I’m a bit conflicted about adding more verbals than I currently use. I only do AKC and have no plans to do anything else. My knees only have so many runs left in them. And I don’t do much premiere course work at all. Benni does know back sides and “in-in” to come to me on the take-off side and then take the jump.

I have always just used “tight” to mean wrap the wing towards me no matter which side I am on. I use “back” for any kind of backside although in regular AKC it would most likely just be a backside slice. I use “switch” for rear crosses. “Right” and “Left for directional turns on a jump. “Turn” on the flat as in tandem turn. “By” is my bypass cue for the non-obvious end of the tunnel. Of course, I use “go” and “out” in the traditional ways.

The one thing I have recently thought would be useful in AKC is for me to have a rear cross wrap cue separate from “switch”. I was thinking “flip”. Words have to make sense to me in relation to the movement I’m asking for otherwise I will make mistakes in my verbals.

So I am undecided about the additional verbals. Benni does fine with my current vocabulary. Not to say he doesn’t turn the wrong way sometimes but that could be more about my mechanics than my words.

Any thoughts?
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Started the backside slice work.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
I actually bought that puppy program and you are right – she is very helpful. She gave me the specifications for making his various platforms. I did some of the prefoundation work and then just didn’t have time to do a whole lot of it. Here is a video I did tonight using the sit platform along with my obedience chutes. I made this game up (not that it is a genius idea) but I thought it would help him come in straight and sit tucked in.

For the 360 game, I just used a cone because my barrels are so big. I don’t really have anything the size of what you use to demonstrate. I don’t even have a round waste basket. I do have spackle buckets…
He seems to much prefer wrapping to his right.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Here is what we did tonight. When I switched to the barrel and the wing, I wasn’t sure when to click.

More sit-stay work. I am going to start doing more platform work for positional awareness with him. His sits are awful with knees outside the elbows! I did much more work with Benni as a puppy in a competition puppy class…I didn’t do that with Brioche.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Yes, he has seen the hind leg stepping around the bowl before as part of my puppy fitness. And I have done both stand still and have him come from behind and side step to “front” position or with me moving around the bowl and him working on staying in “front”…obedience game.

We are heading out to an agility trial this weekend so I wanted to try the threadle again and also the tight turn game before we go. I am NOT good with a clicker but I tried….food, ,clicker, mechanics…oh boy.

Food tossing is a fine art, I am convinced! LOL But here we go:

Thanks.
Sandy

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