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So, for fun – I timed the opening for both dogs. The results were interesting!
For Ruse – the BC was faster than both of your reps on the lead out push.
For Hero – the lead out push was faster than the blind. So interesting!! Good to know for planning purposes đTracy
Good morning!
These were 2 almost perfect runs! You Iâd a great job with both dogs.
With Ruse – The BC opening worked well. If you have a moment, we can time the difference between the BC opening and the push (I will go back and do that in a minute, when I am done typing this LOL!). Her threadle looked great, and so did your rotation on the #13 wrap. I am not sure we can get it any tighter than what you had here without slowing her down – she was turning beautifully and moving fast.
That 14-15 line was hard for both dogs LOL!! Yes, you did call her really hard but it is better than an off course đ The more you show her this ârunning past stuff without flicking away to itâ, the less you will have to be demanding of her attention đ
And well done on the ending line! I think you were spot on there and she got it nicely.
Hero also did well. With him and the threadle at 4 – he didnât hear the cue til after he was in the tunnel, then your physical line of motion was towards the jump, which pushed him to the front. So you can try calling his name (or starting the threadle cue) before he enters the tunnel so he is looking for the threadle already when he exits, and then run more forward/parallel to the jump and less towards it, til you see him go into threadle-mode đ Then a step towards it will seal the deal đ
He also did well on the 13 jump, it looked fast and tight which is what we want!
And the 14-15-16 line for him is different than with Ruse – he seems less likely to want to go grab the off course, so remember to maintain connection with him as you run past the off course #3 tunnel. You had your arm up and were looking forward, so for a moment he was not sure which side of you to be on – he came into you almost as if he was considering a blind cross because the connection shifted forward.
Great job on the ending line with him too!!! That was lovely and he seemed to know where to go the whole time so he could be fast and tight.Great job!!!
TracyHi! He looked great! Wow, he is really nice turning dog! Those right turns at the beginning look great – he is a natural lefty, right? So having the right turns look SO GOOD at a young age is awesome!
The left turns also look great!
When you added speed from the tunnel, he also did well – on the turns to the left, lovely! You can do the FC sooner and run away – try to do it before he even takes off. On the right turns, you can decelerate sooner to help him set the turns sooner (it is a slightly harder line for him with speed on the right wraps, so the earlier decel will help and you can also start to rotate sooner now too!
And great job adding in the big GO line at the end! As he starts to pass you – keep connected like you did but also lean forward (think of yourself as an Olympic sprinter :)) and pump your arms, to help support the forward go go go. When you stand up he reads it as decel and he looked at you a little. The connection plus accelerating and leaning forward will make it perfect đGreat job on these! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! I figured that he got really excited and offered circling around you đ
I donât have advice for a super specific routine – it is more about building a tool box of tricks and engagement games, then experimenting to see what works and how he does in the different environments. I keep track of it all and eventually you will find it pretty easy to pull from your toolbox to have him totally engaged all the time đ
Tracy
Hi!
>> Yea, Maybe I need to do those for maintenance now and then.
Yes – I would totally put it in the maintenance rotation , it is a hard skill so it is good to keep it sharp by visiting.
Wheee! She did well on the zig zag grid! Your form was really good, and so was hers!
The only hard time she had was when you made it tighter for the first time, she added a stride – but then she worked it out and went back to bouncing. Super! So you can totally keep making it tighter and take it out on grass whenever the weather improves. This is looking really strong so you will be able to get it pretty straight!Great job here!
TracyHi!
Yes, sometimes the bigger walk throughs are difficult! I like to run to the middle or end of the course to be able to have some room to myself on the course before the crowds get there LOL!
The walk through looked good – I think more connection will help, because there were times where you invisible dog was behind you but you were pointing forward, so it might not show her the line. Your plan looked good! ButOn 1-2, I think you can give her more motion to get even more speed, rather than stand still.
The connection rehearsal bit you a little on the backside at 5 at :49. By pointing forward ahead of her, your shoulders turned to the front of the bar and that is where she went. At 1:24 you used your body position to get up there but she still had a little question and slowed down – if you have the dog side arm back and look more directly at her eyes, I think she will find that line to the backside with more speed.The German on 6 worked well! You helped her with a bit of rotation to help her come in on the jump, but with some more experience youâll be able to run through there and just go the blind, and she will still commit. For now, after sending to the backside, you can keep moving through and look at the landing spot to help her commit, then toss the reward on the ground behind you to help her commit as you move forward.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! This is interesting about Keiko in class…
It sounds like a really fun workshop!!!
>>I had a tug, a new toy (flat beaver with squeakers) and good treats for the lotus. Keiko was great on the sequences â 3 to 6 obstacles with a variety of handling (FC, backs, outs, far end of tunnel, false turns, rears on the poles â that sort of thing.) She had fun, was energized and connected with both treats and toys (though the beaver won the popularity contest.). The one time Keiko shut down was when the instructor wanted me to stand in a very specific position for the back send, and to place the reward for Keiko just going to the backside.
Hmmmm – I think what you are seeing there is that she does not find a âdeadâ toy to be reinforcing. A moving toy? Yes. A cookie? Oh yes! You running? Heck yeah? A toy just laying on the ground? Bleh. And if you were not moving, it became double bleh so she didnât light up.
It is actually pretty normal LOL! So you can mix up the reinforcement – either use a thrown toy (you or the instructor can toss her flying squirrel, for example) or if you want it placed and not thrown, use something higher value – I bet the Manners Minder would work! My Manners Minder lives in the car so I can use it LOL!
>>>The instructor wanted her to drive really enthusiastically to the reward. I really believe Keiko was bored, and confused as to why she should get excited about just a short trot to a reward. Sheâs so interesting. She will try something a couple of times. If she gets rewarded for what sheâs doing, and the situation doesnât change, she shuts down. >>>
It totally be that she is wondering why she is being asked to repeat – many dogs slow down or change their behavior because even though they are getting rewarded, they donât like the repetition on something that doesnât have a lot of motion.
>>Once, maybe twice is okay, but more must mean somethingâs wrong. And, since she canât figure out what it is that needs to be changed, she just checks out. Does this make sense to you?
Yes, absolutely – so more running, fewer reps and if she gets it right – move on to something else đ
>>When I try to ramp up the excitement or change the reward at this point, it doesnât seem to help her get re-engaged. >>
Yes – she might be reading it as pressure and shutting down a bit.
>>Should I just tell the instructor she needs a break when this starts happening? Have her do something else unrelated and easy, and leave? I donât like seeing her withdraw her interest and enthusiasm. She loves best running and watching for cues regarding course changes. >>
When the instructor wants to do something like the one jump stuff with a placed toy – use a Manners Minder or a food bowl with a piece of cheese in it, if you think that will light her up. And then you can ask if Keiko can do a wing wrap or tunnel before it, or have the reinforcement move more so she doesnât deflate. Let me know if that makes sense!
Tracy
Hi! Lots of good work here!
Looking at the sequences:
Fusionâs sequence looked really good! Nice connection on the 1-2 line and also on the push to the backside! You can do the blind on the landing side sooner so you reconnect sooner, so that she doesnât jump up there. Yes, one more step needed to 5 at :29, you turned away a little too soon for a youngster.
The blind 6-7, went well! Nice connection throughout!
2nd video – on the walk through, it was hard to tell what you final decisions were, so you can walk a few more times and add in the connections. That will help it he even smoother đ
I also think you made things a little harder on the ending line – after the backside, you can send her to the other side of the backside before the tunnel to slice it, rather than do a FC then a wrap – letting her stay out on the line will be easier for you both!On the run – this is an important connection moment 1-2, so really give her big eye contact there and at 2:12 đ more like at 1:15 and 2:40 that was a good connection!
On the backside at 1:22, you had your outside arm going but I think you can give more eye contact to push to the backside. A wingless is also harder to see, so you had to work a little harder to show it to you her but then she got it! You got it nicely at 2:48!
Connect more out of the last tunnel, with your arm back and eyes on her eyes – really exaggerate it.
Veloz – that was really interesting, he was reading it as a threadle on the backside – my guess is that your position of standing still near the wing was a cue to decel and come into you for the threadle? I think moving into it might help. You can try moving up the line with big connection and see if that helps, rather than being stationary.
Fusionâs last video –
She definitely had trouble with the other dog! That was a great distraction to work through! She had trouble til you started the pattern game, then she was MUCH more focused! For the tricks and stuff, try to do tricks with more movement and running – you were calm so she was distracted.You can do things like spins and fast heeling and I think that will really help her. I know it sounds odd, but getting her MORE pumped up will actually get her more focused đWell done on these! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! Both dogs did really well on this course!!!
Ruseâs run looked really good!
On the Push 2-3 – you can lead out and be in position sooner, or do a blind 2-3 (running into it starting dog on left then blinding to the right. I think you had better position on the lead out on the 2nd run and the turn was even nicer!
The threadle after the tunnel to 4 looke really good and the Middle section looked awesome! On both runs!! YAY!
On little detail to tighten a turn: Turn your feet earlier at #13 (1:21) so she collects more – you had more rotation at 2:35 and she had a better tur. By deceling and rotating your feet to 14 so she kind of runs across your feet, youâll get great collection.
Where did she go at 1:25? She was really convinced LOL! Oh I see, it was a tunnel in the distance – she was convinced LOL!!! A more compelling verbal and shoulder turn helped it on the 2nd run there đ
O the ending at 17 – try to have more of your arm back and make connection, and go to the center of the bar – donât push as much or âswooshâ your arm forward – I think you were blocking the wing and over-pushing, so she thought you wanted the weaves when your arm went forward.
You changed the ending on the 2nd rep and I liked your first plan better – going the other way did open up the line to the backside so you would need the spin or a threadle or more decel for her – I htink with more connection and showing her more of the backside wing, you can get 17 with the original plan.
Hero: He also looked great!!!
The opening went nicely 1-2-3. More motion towards the bar on the #4 threadle will help, you were trying to move away too soon for a young dog. At :27 and at the end you nailed it, perfect!
Middle section – super nice !!!! That ran really well – and also really nice rotation on the 13 wrap at :51! You can decel more and keep your hands low and quiet to help him collect more, you had a lot of upper body motion so he jumped a little wider even with the great foot rotation.
On the ending line – using the FC on 16, be sure to decel to get it tight (it is hard to get there to decel, though!) but the decel you did on 17 really set the line nicely to 18! If you want, you can totally try to get the original plan of the other side of 17 with him too.
Great job with both dogs! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
I think these are going well, you have a TON of good tricks and skills for your routine!
When you were doing the cookie tosses at the beginning and he went behind you – was that cued, or what that him being stimulated? If he was stimulated, that is good to know because you can use the game ot help get him more stimulated in a high distraction environment!
The moving tricks (hand touch, spins, leg weaves, circles) all look GREAT! I agree, the backing up was harder for him – so if you need him to be more thoughtful, you can use that in situations when you would like him to be less stimulated. And it is a great body warm up đ
Great job here – you can take this into different locations and his classes so you can play with engagement with different distractions and arousal levels đ
TracyGood morning! These look good!
Kaladinâs run:
The opening of the walk looked good, maybe stick a little closer to the tunnel til he is in it so he doesnât peek at the 3 and 4 jumps. Yes, the FC 5-6 was an interesting choice in the walk through LOL! A lot of rotation and your feet overruled you during the run LOL! To double check spots like.
Also, did you check the decision making moment 6-7? He will land out on the slice line (towards the camera), the distance is a bit shorter on the slice line, and the line 7-8 is better on the inside path (turning right) so it should be faster turning him to his left, even though it doesnât look as smooth. Also, turning to the right, I suggest a spin to tighten up that line.
On the run – He seemed to do perfectly fine at 12,getting ready for NFC! You ran it closer to the tunnel 1-2, and it worked well. You can wait there for a heartbeat so you donât get caught decelerating at 3 (it is a tight space for sure on this sequence!)
Good job on the blind 5-6! And he was a bit wide on the 6 turn so yes a spin would work well there!
On the re-do – I think the backside threadle on 3 was too hard so for both of you – hard to get there and hard fo him to see, so I liked you original plan best!Good walk for Min! I think the ideas for Kaladin hold here too – Good blind 5-6! And the 6 jump is a good one to try both ways and time for sure! Actually 3 ways: right turn with the post turn, right turn with the spin, and left turn (a front cross). Most folks at a trial would naturally turn right but I bet the left turn is faster here, especially for a small dog like Min!
The run went well! It was fast and connected – the spin can be sooner so she can be at maximum tightness and speed. You faced forward til she took off then spun, so try to decel into as she has landed from 5 so she sees it before takeoff. The rest looked great!
And you can time the difference between the openings – the higher arousal routine versus the more normal routine to see what is fastest off the line đ It looked great here but a timer will tell all đ
Great job here Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
I agree, we donât wan to make it a needle in the eye thing!!! What if you did a run NFC with just contacts, to just get her more relaxed in that environment. That if that goes well, ask for weaves in the next NFC run when she is more relaxed.Also, is it highly unusual that she couldnât get the weaves at all, even fom one jump or a sit? If so, get her checked by a chiropractor or massage therapist to make sure she is not sore anywhere.
Keep me posted!
TracyHi!
I agree – Lots of options on this sequence!
The walk through went well and the side by sides were pretty close! I think you were a little ahead of the real run (going at a faster pace) on the walk through video, but that is great – being ahead of the pace works well, as long as you stay connected like you did here.On the first run – I think you made good handling choices and also you were really connected! No need to manage 2-3 by calling her, it slowed her down. But then tandem turn 3-4 worked well and the big send 5-6-7 also worked well! The serp you did on landing of 7 worked nicely!
On the 2nd run, I think there were 2 places where you cut off a lot of time: you drove more 1-2, so she was faster there. And you didnât manage 2-3 so she was faster there too! I bet the 5 second difference was mainly in those 2 spots. The FC on landing of 3 worked, but there is a lot of rotation and I think you were a little in the way – the tandem turn from the first run was very clear and also a blind cross is possible there too.
>>and meant to do something to tighten her turn on jump 6, but I really didnât do anything differently there, and her turn looked the same. During the walk-thru I did try a blind and a FC for the landing at 7, donât know why I didnât give it a go here on the second runâŠWhat would you have done?>>
I thought your decision to stay on landing side of 7 was really clever!!! You used her good distance skills and she was great there – I think that is a better choice than any crosses đ 2 ideas for tightening up 7:
– use your wrap cue there, rather than the general jump cue which cues a bit of a wider turn
– start calling her sooner, even before she takes off for 7, so she can drive directly back to 8.Great job!
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi there!
>>I am having difficulty picturing when Iâd use a one-jump-backside slice like this. The 2 jumps is ânormalâ. I donât want to make a lot of extra work for you, but if you have a drawing of a set up that would use this, I would find that helpful.>>
I will draw it and also try to find some course maps with it!
>>She has now had a couple of months of class, and is getting better at staying connected, but she still sometimes just disconnects.
It is in the middle of a run, after certain obstacles or in a particular part of the ring? We can look for patterns and see if we can find the trigger. Also, try you to time your turns, to keep them under 2 minutes or so.
>>The last time this happened, I went back to my seat. She realized I was no longer on the floor, and came back and got in her crate. The next time we had a turn, she worked quite well and stayed connected. hmmmâŠ
Could be that she needed a mental break, either the turn went on too long or the sequence was too hard – and the next sequence was shorter/easier/.
>>One of the issues with this room is that it is so crowded with crates, equipment, etc along the walls that there is no fencing or barrier to separate the people, crates, other equipment and other dogs from the agility sequence. Itâs a challenge Iâm working on. >>
Sounds like a really hard environment! You can play the pattern game in different parts of the building, but I also really recommend the volume dial game so that you can get her jazzed up even with all the distractions.
>>So, Iâm wondering if you have any specific ideas, besides the excellent Transition exercises youâve given us, about other things I can do in these 2 very different settings that would help her maintain focus and connection. I feel I should be looking for a class that is a bit below her ability level so we can have shorter sequences and activities that sheâll find fun and successful.
Your thoughts? Iâve never had this type of issue before, thank you pandemicâŠ.>>Yes, I imagine we will all be playing a bit of âcatch upâ in the new places thanks to the pandemic. Our young dogs didnât get the normal exposure, but no one is to blame and it will turn out fine. I think the volume dial game is a biggie: tricks for treats! Very active tricks and barking on cue if you can get her to do it đ Get her really pumped up! Also, really time her sessions: Keep them very very short so she goes fast, gets reward and then you leave her wanted more đ And I love your idea of going to a lower level class so she doesnât have to think out he course – she can just go fast fast fast and learn to ignore the environment.
Also, will she chase your flying squirrel in the new environments? Bringing in super high value toys can really help.
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
