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This is our first attempt at Package 2: Standard Course 1. We did pretty well overall. Our problem spots were the weave entry (put the gate back in to help), the wrap after the weaves, and the left turn after the a-frame. One of our sessions didn’t get videoed because I failed at hitting the record button correctly, lol. On that one, we focused on those problem spots, and we were making some progress, but we still need more work. If you don’t watch the whole thing (it’s a little over 3 minutes), I’d really like your opinion on what went wrong with the last jump she took at at the very end. She landed really hard, and I was concerned she had hurt herself, but she seemed ok. She doesn’t do that as frequently as she used to, but it’s really scary when she does!! I know you said to keep connected when I’m ahead, but I don’t know how to run fast in one direction while my upper body is completely turned around 180 degrees, lol.
I will keep working on the independent weaves with countermotion. I think this will be a skill that takes a little while to work on!!
I will also try out putting the MM IN the tunnel. I’ve never thought to do that to build drive away from me. I was thinking about the tunnel and how I can send her to the other end of a tunnel (with me standing near the exit or even a bit away from it), and she will send from a good distance. I couldn’t figure out why this skill was so much harder other than the lack of motion from me (it’s even hard if I use motion). I finally realized that when I send her while I’m near the exit, I’m sending her away but she’s coming right back to me, which I think is reinforcing. I thought I’d been working distance all along, but it wasn’t the right kind for this skill!
I also wonder if mastering the send away for a discrimination might help with countermotion skills, too. 🙂
Tracy, does it matter if I use wingless jumps vs winged for the layering EoS sequences and Live Class set up? I have all of my wing jumps in the standard course, but I have 5 wingless I can use for the other ones and keep both set ups. If it makes a difference, I can pull the wings out of the standard course and leave the bars there to put them back, but if it doesn’t matter, I will use the wingless and save myself some time and effort! 🙂
We are a bit behind for this package thanks to being busy, rain, and the heat! We’re working on catching up, though. 🙂
This is our 2nd attempt at independent weaves. She really struggled when I added countermotion. I started way too hard and then made it easier. She was able to get the entrance each time but couldn’t continue with the rest of the poles. I ended up getting rid of the rear cross to try working on just the lack of forward motion from me. She did ok when I stood still, but if I go to other way, it’s really hard. She doesn’t have great form or speed when I’m not moving forward with her. I did move the Manners Minder farther away from the end to try to get her head down, but I’m not sure if it worked, even in the beginning when I was going with her a bit more.
This is our first round of the jump-tunnel discriminations. I put most of the training session from our 2nd day in the video. She struggled on day 1, mostly with going away from me to do the obstacle. She would take the jump almost every time I asked for it, but she didn’t want to do the tunnel even when she was right in front of it. She would run up to it and turn and bark at me. I think it was just too far for her to have to go on her own away from me with no forward motion. You can see a little bit of this in the day 2 video, but since we improved so much on day 2, I thought feedback on that would be better.
Package 2- Independent Weave Skills
We have been working a lot on weave entries and have just started adding in some proofing skills, so this was perfect for us! I initially used garden “gates” to teach Nox how to weave, so I used one of those instead of a wing since it serves the same purpose and she already knows it. I actually got rid of it after the first few reps since this is a skill we’ve worked on.
After watching my video, I see that I wasn’t varying my motion and position as much as I thought I was. The next time we try it, I will do more with running in the opposite direction and rear crosses.
I used a Treat and Train at the end since she will not work very long for a toy and doesn’t care too much about dead toys. I know that if I throw a Lotus Ball, she will start looking back at me, and I don’t think I have enough stimulus control on a pre-placed Lotus Ball to trust that she won’t pop out and go eat her cookie. Free cookies, lol!!
Thank you for letting me share your courses and games with my students!! It will help me run more stuff with Nox, and I know they will learn a lot, too!
I’m glad I will keep access to all of this info because there’s soooo much, lol. I’ve just started package 2 today, and I feel like I’ve learned a ton!!
I haven’t had a chance to watch the videos about the backsides yet, so some of the issues we encountered might be answered in there, but I wanted to try out the Live Class sequences while I had time and it wasn’t raining. I will be watching those tonight.
I’m not sure if you planned to watch and give feedback on the live sequences for people who didn’t have working spots in the actual live class, but I wanted to edit the videos for my own training purposes (editing them makes me actually watch and analyze them, haha), so I thought I’d post them here so I have everything in one place when I review this forum later on.
Sequence 1a
Sequence 1b
Sequence 2
Sequence 3
Thank you for all of those explanations and videos! I am going to work on those skills.
We did the first jumpers course again, and I was very happy with it! We still struggled with the backside to 14 (couldn’t master the double blind just yet), but we got it on the last rep! Here is that video.
We also tried the other jumpers course. Parts of it were really nice, but we don’t have a threadle cue, and I’m not quite sure how to train it. I’m hoping there is some more practice on that in camp or in the puppy foundations class (we’re going VERY slowly through the games, lol). Even still, we were able to successfully do the threadles some of the time. The video is a little long and has some bits of just trying to work on the threadles. I put a note in the video at about 2:30 (I think…) to skip to 4:07 to see a decent rep at the end.
I haven’t had a chance to set up the standard course, so I will probably save that for another time. Do you think it would be more beneficial to work on the 2nd jumpers course some more or set the live sequences? I am going to try to do one or the other tomorrow, weather permitting (calling for storms). Otherwise, I’ll probably wait and set up the new sequences on Monday. Amy recommendations?
Package 1- Jumpers Course 1- Round 1
Referencing your previous comment of “it’s a connection issue” and the problem of my lower body not showing the right thing, I think that could fix 90% of our issues, lol.
We tried the jumpers course, and some parts were great, and some parts were quite the struggle!!
We tried the 1-2 opening numerous times with the suggested blind cross, but I never felt like I could get the timing right. I either pushed her to the backside or didn’t cue it at all. I only got it twice out of the many times we tried. (I know you say to only let the dog fail twice, but she got a reward after every attempt, and she was happy to try again, so I kept trying to change the timing of my cross.) Eventually, I took out the blind entirely and it seemed to work well. Was I executing the blind incorrectly, or would it be better just not to do it there at all? I would like to try again if there’s something I can improve to make it work. Also, what exactly is a “forced front”? I’ve heard of this before, but nobody can tell me what it means, haha.
In your notes, you suggested doing a “throwback” or “spin” on the exit of 6. What is a “throwback”? Is the “spin” you suggested the same as a reverse spin like I did at the takeoff before 7?
I was super late with my cue for the turn at 7 multiple times. I just couldn’t get there in time to finish the cross with the line I was running. I think I can send her to the tunnel from farther back and maybe get there, though.
For 13-14, I didn’t understand all of your notes. Where would you do the two blinds? How far ahead do you need to be for that to work? What would the threadle look like from that side? I need a demo video, lol! If we had a better backside, I think I could have gotten this part if I pushed to the right, but I cannot figure out how the other side would even work. I technically got her to do it once from the left side, but as you will see, it was a little… creative.
Is the video and editing format ok? I know some people prefer not to have such short clips and want to see more. Should I just keep going and not try to fix anything when running the full courses (a little challenging with off-courses sometimes)? We very much did not obtain the goal of “first run, best run” this time around!
Summary of my questions:
1) What was I doing wrong with the blind after 2?
2) Should I even do the blind after 2?
3) What is a forced front?
4) What is a “throwback” and “spin”?
5) For 13-14: Where would the two blinds go? What does the threadle look like?
6) Is the editing format ok?
7) Should I be trying to fix things on the full courses mid-course or just run the whole thing?Package 1- Round 2
Nox and I tried sequences 3 and 4 again. I took your suggestion to send her to #5 in the pinwheel and leave earlier. I got more barking in each of the 3 reps, and she dropped a bar the 3rd rep (might have been tired). I only included the first rep since we were successful overall with it.
Sequence 4… well, that one still eludes us. I tried it on two different days, but we still can’t run the whole thing without error. Most of the time, I am pulling off of #4 too early in anticipation of getting to the right place to show her #5. I decided to just give you the (mostly) unedited session from the most recent attempt. I cut out going to get more cookies and lowering a couple of jumps. The rest of the session is there.
I think I am going to set the jumpers course and keep this sequence in my library of things to work on so I don’t spend the next 9 weeks on one sequence, lol.
Thanks for the info about the CD. I wasn’t copying enough of the text; I’ll have to try it again.
Below is the video link for the first 4 sequences. I only did the first 3 sequences twice each since she did pretty well on them. It was hot, so I was trying to save her body and brain for the harder stuff! We struggled on the 4th one. We did not complete it from the beginning correctly because I need some help with getting the turn from 4 to 5 before we try again.
I really felt like I was able to understand better where to give her the cues. The visuals you gave on the sample field guides were super helpful!
