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If there were any exercises you were uncomfortable about – then do hold off. I usually get “very serious” about combining these pieces of the jumping around 8-9 months and the slant board around 9-10 months. I personally teach things a little slower, more thoughtful to start. And THEN once fluency is there I ask for more speed. The idea being if they are confident about the criteria I am asking for, when I ask for more they can turn it on because they don’t have to ask questions. So it’s usually a slow startup month and then they are even older and more mature when I want them to have a lot more control over their bodies.
For retraining when they are older – I would be worried about that in regards to striding and even more so for a smaller dog. But for all the foundations it should just be 1 jump for now, and nothing with a ton of speed at that age.
Let me know if there was anything specific you wanted to ask or if that didn’t directly answer your question.
You agility people with your 8,495 words LOL. But you know what – makes your dogs smart with that extended vocabulary!
I will NEVER say there are too many videos!! I live for video reviews. Well done with this setup. Can’t you just imagine a little slant board with the ball velcroed… then move up to the box… add a few more jumps… dog on the other side or in his lane. It’s going to come together very quickly so I hope you are ready!!
One thing that you can work on since Know Me is perfect. When we run back in Flyball, we typically run in a circular pattern (looking at the box – starting up the runup right side, then cut over once the dog ahead of us is back, and return on the runback left side). We will often reward with a tug using our left shoulder/arm because there is more mat on the inside of the lanes versus pushing the dog out onto a potentially slick gym or concrete floor. Also less risk of you accidentally hitting the dog that is running up the center lane into the pass. And there are days I’m having too much physical pain in my knees and feet that I can’t “jog” but I do still walk fast up one side and back the other and show my back so it appears like I’m running.
So you can start to show Know Me your back as he is returning. You can do this on the flat to start and work up to this exact exercise. Can’t you imagine his brain exploding if after he got his ball he saw your back leaving him – he’s going to BOOK IT! So that’s another element of “carry that ball even when you feel like your world is spiraling”.
But if you were to do a recall on the flat or over jumps, go ahead and dangle that tug in your left hand so it starts to feel more natural to you.
You have done a truly amazing job putting all the pieces together!! I’m so proud.
That first one to the left is the tightness that we are looking for. And that last one to the right was his tightest righty. Your timing on the calling to get that SNAP back is perfect. Watching in slow motion – all of his mechanics are great. He is on the correct lead, he’s pushing from his rear. I honestly think he’s only going wide because he’s getting to the point where he’s slipping off the Cato when he pushes super hard to go ultra tight, and he’s not an idiot. So he dumps off to the side a little bit. All the other work I have seen you do on the agility side with wraps and tight turning makes me not worry because I know that he’s very agile. Once we get to add the smallest angle to his slant board, he will have that angle to PUSH off – but he’s still got a bit of growing before we add that kind of impact (but boy am I excited to see it!!!!)
She is a terrific switcher! Now you need to add in a consistent cue. I think you said “Get It” for half of them which would be a fine, natural cue. This would be what you said as she carries the ball past the finish line and then you want her to out the ball and strike the tug.
Also – Unit 1 was the largest. It’s all easier after this point 🙂
Do not picture me and Julie side by side in the kitchen stirring matching jugs of Kool-aid…. That would be WAY off LOL … oh, Alise can you pass me the sugar??
I’m so excited to have you in the course and if you have any questions as you catch up please don’t hesitate to post. Tip – when you are going through the mat work exercises, you can keep it elevated on a Cato board (versus putting it on the ground). I’m trying something new and I’m liking the results.
See you in the Flyball lanes soon 🙂
I am so in love with Soozie! How much more perfect can she get?! She has a strong understanding of this game already and I really enjoyed seeing her muscles TENSE on the ready. She was ready and preparing her body to launch forward. She’s great at engaging for food or the toy. Can’t wait to see as you start to add some distance or motion to the game. Well done!
I shared a video in Unit 3 for Frankie who was also doing an agility send and the dog was turning away. It sounds like you are doing something a little different and the dog is turning into you, but you are also using the hand furthest from the mat?
I don’t have any issue in the hand that cues! Flyball is very flexible and I am a strong believer that the two sports can lean heavily on each other for the foundations! The most important area to focus on is that you are getting a teardrop shape in your matwork. Ideally I want the dog to come in from the center (or a little off center further from you) and then landing off the mat towards the center. It might look a little more like the shape of the letter U in the beginning as they gain confidence with where to put the rear feed but the goal is to have them execute a teardrop shape turn. It also depends on the dogs structure and build as well, for if they have the agility to execute a turn that tightly.
For your question on if the hand matters – here is a video that in the beginning shows some of my mechanics in how I “point” to the ball and would often have the toy in the opposite hand. But honestly if you did what you described and had hands reversed, that toy would be placed already in the hand closest to the box to encourage nice head placement coming off (or to have the ability to throw it quickly). So yeah, I think you are fine as long as that turn is shaping up!
**FloJo wasn’t a traditional Flyball train – so there is a lot of creativity with props in there you can ignore.
Backing Up on the Flat – Nice cookie magnet here – keep her head at normal height versus pulling her head down (it makes her back arch up and I would rather see her keep a flat spine for the backing up). Nice slow and individual steps and she looks like she is easily going back in a straight line! For adding the Cato, what if you just had it flat on the ground. I might even have her back over some brooms/PVC pipes on the ground. Just to practice going over something super small and feeling confident about it.
Mat Work – Woohoo – I out loud said “NICE JOB”. She had that ghost moment but you brought her back easily with a fun reward. If you want – you can keep the target mat elevated on the Cato board. I want to see a little more push and extension from her, and I’m not sure I’m seeing much benefit these days of going to the ground just to then elevate it up onto the slant board.
RSO Tug Distance – great job once again engaging her through the ghost times. She’s a looker for sure. I wonder if she will be one that will benefit more from being out a little earlier for her turns so she can watch and calculate everyone and everything, normalize it, and then she can focus entirely on one thing.
Two Tug Distance – It is interesting to see how powerful motion is for her. I feel like if you got to the “3 rep and done” again at home or practice I would toss in a recall or some sort of spicy recall that turns into a toss the toy ahead of her. She really lights up with the motion of the toy and I would utilize that to keep her into the games. She is A+ from the carry and the switching! Taking the time on these exercises is going to make the pattern come together so quickly!!
I really love seeing the two sports build on each other!! Amazing job being creative and combining the two tug game with his running contact. I didn’t see any releases until you cued ting.
His mat work is looking really nice – he’s leveling out and clearly understands getting his back feet up. I wish I had more footage of his dad because everything about his movements look like a spitting image of Homestar. His dad was a 3 in – 3 out with striding (with his lucky leg) and I can see Know Me doing the same because of the way he really shifts his weight going into the mat work. You can start adding a step away now and then. It might cause him to get a little sloppier, so I wouldn’t do it all the time. Just a slight bend in the knees as he’s going up to commit and you look like you are racing away from him and toss the cookie. Just one step is fine for now. The counter motion will help proof his commitment to targeting – as in the future it would be a dog in the other lane but we need him to keep moving forward and hit his box.
Ah yes – for the social butterfly use that reward for the social aspects. Don’t make it all work no play. Do the work, and then PLAY/visit.
The one at 2:39 where it took me forever to say YES was more because I was trying to find her. She flanked me unexpectedly and thankfully I didn’t trip on her. But if I had a dog that was spitting before I cued the “YES” then I 100% would do that intentionally.
Troubleshooting:
I would either be still and silent and let them connect the dots going back for the tug to try again and then reward heavily with the dog’s own successful decision.
I would more than likely on the next rep have them bring the tug back with me running away, play tug with that toy they brought me, and then quickly say YES and switch to another toy. It’s just a reminder for the retrieve/carry.Once you are getting consistent carries you can start to YES sooner (imagine around 20′ past the finish line is where you would ideally have them spit and driving into their tug/treat).
That’s not lazy… that’s efficient LOL! Very nice top line into the bow – it looked textbook perfect.
For the ball retrieves – I might even limit it to 2 great reps – and then switch to something she thinks is insanely fun (which when Huzzah was a puppy meant “okay we are done now and you CAN go say hi to other people and other dogs”). I’m not sure how much of a social butterfly she is, or is she saying the environment is a little stressful and she’s worried and it’s a better idea to just wander off instead of risking doing something wrong? If it is more the later – I might do some sideline things like a simple “watch me” and get the cookie. Make it a mission that for the next 3 months, your training building and the sounds of Flyball means great things.
I also challenge you to think of things she does at home that she LOVES. Is it a particular game? Do you act different at home versus at practice? Sometimes we aren’t as silly and ridiculous around our teammates and our dogs pick up on us being stiffer. If she has a favorite game – play that at practice after your two reps of working. Keep it spicy – so she doesn’t get bored.
Check up ahead of you in this thread where Frankie posted the Backing Up Stairs – perhaps just going back up one block would be enough (and prevent you from getting that sit). I tend to keep my hands lower as well so it looks less like a sit cue. Backing up on the flat itself is great.
