[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Well, we didn’t do AU specific homework but I videotaped his first time in the channels. He started trying to weave in them! So I had to backchain using a single treat auto dispenser but the stupid thing wasn’t working well after he got the idea I switched to a toy and just did a call-to:

And here is our 4 weave poles. I had been practicing in one direction (towards the camera) and then when I switched to going the other way (away from the camera) last session he was uncertain. So I will put these poles outside and move them around and practice going both ways. I am borrowing the full set tomorrow. He is definitely more thrilled with the toy than food but when I was first teaching it, I used food for more thoughtfulness.

And about the DW mat. Since my last lesson, it is now placed on the DW with a part of the mat on the ground to cover the “drop off” at the end of the plank. The DW is low. Tonight I got out my 3 foot tunnel and a wing. He was hitting it in one direction but then after wrapping the wing leaping over it. So I tried to break it down more. He definitely was more enthusiastic about this than when it is on the DW.

Anyway, this was after a long trial weekend. Just didn’t have the energy to set up the full tunnel and jumps tonight. Plus it was HOT today! Good thing we did some stuff later in the day outside.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Heading to a 2 day trial so did some homework today. By the way, I do have a set of home channel weaves. And I found some 2 x 2s to borrow. The see saw is gradually tipping…not quite to the mid way point yet.
He’s not all that thrilled with the DW mat work. The manners minder was totally boring for him so Jess started using a toy with him and having him go to wrap a wing after hitting the mat. At home, he is just kind of blah about it. Won’t see Jess for awhile so I’ll keep working on it. Maybe it’s a confidence thing. And FINALLY, Linda Rose is starting a novice class so we are registered for that. They also have channels at JAG so maybe Linda will get them out sometime. It’s really a novice/open class so hard to say what levels everyone will be at. Obviously, he will not be doing contacts or weaves.

Tried the zig zag with not as much angle…maybe it’s my set up or something else but he can bounce going one way but adds a stride going the other way. I made it a bit easier for a single rep but still no-go. I wonder if using a 4 ft bar would be better? So I just left it for now.

Lap Turns:

Tandem turns – he would not come to my hand when using dog side arm so I ended up just using the outside arm and that made a difference. It was a total fail using dog side arm so I deleted the video and changed my handling.

Serpentines – I should have reviewed the set up so this is not what is on your demo video…Oops! Hopefully something good came from this. He thought it was fun and seemed to do well!

Well deserved decompression, followed by a small chew and zonked out in his crate.
https://studio.youtube.com/video/IMrhrjklv54/edit

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Question: I have only ever had 2 sets of 2 x 2 weave poles. I’m working on getting Brioche thru 4 poles. It’s going pretty quickly. Jess is over in the Netherlands. I don’t know what the progression is once he gets 4 poles. Do I need to borrow another 2 pole set?

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
We have been working on more tip so I did one rep straight and one to each angle:

Lead Outs, part 2. On the second video I did not maintain good connection and he broke his stay. Lesson learned. He really wanted to go on one of the reps but he stayed!

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Started with the see saw angled entries. No problems. He took it upon himself to climb right up the see saw while I was reloading the food. Guess he likes it!

Zig Zag Grid went well. I put the bars at 6″. He has not been seeing bars at all aside from locked in on the lowest jump cup previously so it’s time to let him see a bit of height. Wasn’t sure how it would go but he did fine.

Lead Out with BC. Figured we would do one type of lead out at a time. Again bars at 6″. I was relieved he didn’t knock the bars. Except for the last sit/stay I was using food to line him up. I know I shouldn’t get him reliant on that…but we were outside and you know….birds were flying etc…

He’s doing well with the tip-it so far. I have that foam pipe insulation on the cross bar where the see saw hits to cushion the tip and reduce the sound. Should I keep using that? It’s metal on metal otherwise. In the very beginning he didn’t like that sound so much. I don’t have problem with keeping it on for now unless you think it is detrimental.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
I tried the set point down in the basement tonight since it’s raining. The difference is I did not use jump bumps like I have for the past sessions. I used the grid jumps from my Susan Salo days so they are about 4″ I am guessing and then the third jump at 8″. Interestingly, he added a stride in the first space. I gave him a couple tries to sort it out and then decreased the space from 5 ft to about 4.5 ft and then he was fine.

Here is the past video from March:

And here is the one from today:

Was it a bad idea to use the Salo jumps? Or why do you think he was adding that stride? Did I set him up too close to the first bar?

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Such fun at the seminar! Thank you.

Back to serpentine practice. Kind of seems like he understands it better with the send and on that one I did not angle the jumps.

Continuing to gradually increase the tip on the see saw:

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
After reading thru the feedback I tried to to do better with repeating a couple of games. Let me know if these are any better.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Started with the serpentine refresher and the second angled jump:

Teeter Games. I do have a question on the mountain climber. Jeri Prekop sent me a couple of videos of her training one of her dogs and she was asking him to lie down at the end of the teeter while he ate the food. You haven’t mentioned teaching that behavior so just asking if there is a reason to do that? I know she is probably doing it to keep the center of gravity low for the dog. Also, I happened to have yellow duct tape so I am using that. First rep the bits of roast beef bounced off the board so I switched to peanut butter again for the bang game and then he stays on there forever!

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Next question. I do not have a target cue for anything. I say “hit it” for both dog walk and A frame as he approaches them. I say “see saw, see saw, see saw” for the teeter. Benni was taught the see saw using the 2 table method so I did not do these games with Benni as they were not incorporated in Max Pup at that time. So just say “ready” then?

And do I continue keeping the board about that high off the ground for the bang game? Do we ever make it a bit higher or there is no point to that?

Also, because of the shape of my teeter board, the red band does not fit snuggly at the very end. I was using that small container to take up the slack but that will not work when the teeter is actually hitting the ground. It was fine for mountain climber.

Yes, Brioche got a modified German clip. His tail is also clipped straight without the plume effect. He has very heavy coat and his ears were very thick and messy. This will be good for summer at least.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Bang Game. He kind of looked at the board as if to say “don’t we usually climb up hill on this one?” Do they get confused by switching back and forth from bang game to mountain climber?

Do you notice anything different about Brioche…? 🙂

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Just watched the target game at the end of the board. Brioche will have running contacts except for see saw which we are currently training going all the way to the end of the board and eat all the food placed there. How does the foot target training get incorporated into this? Should I do the foot target at this point in time? If so, I am assuming I will not be using the actual see saw? And would I use the same exercise band target for this or something different?

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,

So…I think I will be using “dig” for backside (push to the backside) circle wraps. It will be a DIFFERENT verbal for threadle wraps correct? I think this is the technique where Jessica uses “me-me” and I’ve heard some people say “flip”. I think I prefer “me-me”. But before I go outside and try this, I want to make sure this assumption is correct and that I start using the right verbal.

It blew my mind to see the threadle wrap (not to mention after a spread jump!) in the STANDARD course at the NAC in CA! I would most likely not have been able to get thru that with Benni. I never taught it to him. We have done it in slow motion in training but have never used it nor seen it on a regular standard course. Geez. If I wanted to do these things, I would do premiere. I don’t choose to do that. We can do all the other premiere type things because we are seeing backsides here and there now. He’s good with that.

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
I hit pause instead of stop so you will see one rep of the see saw (I have not moved it yet) and then we go into the double crosses. It would have helped if I actually remembered to say the verbals for the left and right turns to go back into the tunnel. Oye. This was very hard for me!

one rep see saw…get your microscope out…it did tip every so slightly…

Tandem turns. I was saying “here, here” a lot. Is there a verbal I’m supposed to be using? I don’t use my outside arm for this.

I tried to do the things you suggested on driving ahead game (staying closer to the tunnel and let him run ahead, sending out to the tunnel and running ahead of him past the jump). I’m not sure how successful I was at it but here you go:

Hopefully, I posted the correct videos. Guess I’ll find out when I hit send!

Thanks.
Sandy

[Sandy Mainardi]

Hi Tracy,
Sunny day…rain the next 2 days so we tried a couple of different games. One is back from week 2 that I never got to.

I kind of drifted away from the wing unintentionally.

Thanks.
Sandy

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