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Hi! Thanks for the update, I am very glad to hear everyone is ok now!! Looking forward to seeing your videos 🙂
Oh no! Did they xray her toes? Looks like toes or wrist… did you check that her nails are fine, pads fine, nothing embedded? Poor girlie!!
Hi Deb!
Charlee looked great here – she was pretty perfect with letting you go *anywhere* while she did the teeter. NICE! You can definitely add more motion (jogging then running) and more challenging lines (like you moving away at a 90 degree angle).The next part will be fading the Manners Minder from the picture… depending on how she has been trained in the past, you can either replace it with a target of some sort (like a plastic lid) or move the MM further and further away from the teeter so it is still a focal point but less easy to see.
And you can definitely add in the sequences too! She looked great here!Nice work 🙂 Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Great job on these! On the first run – keep working “turn and go” as a theme: turn and go when she lands from 1, send and leave when she is approaching 4 – see how early you can do both so that you are fully facing the new direction before she makes a jumping decision rather than rounding the curves with her (which causes you to end up facing forward too long, and that is why she dropped #2)Yes, I liked the blind too!! One little detail – as she exits the 5 tunnel, you can be positioned closer to the 8 jump – then you can send her to 6 & 7 from a more lateral position so you don’t have to run all the way to back 8 – with a bar there, that motion of running back to 8 might open up a slice to the wrong end of the tunnel. Your position is good there with the blind, but sending to 6 and 7 from more of a parallel line will let you move directly ‘downstream’ to the blind rather than running on a slice line to it.
seq 3:
One small detail at the beginning – most of our dogs are locked into the front side of a line as we do leads out, so you can start the “in in” cue sooner by getting your hand position ready before you release her so you can immediately do the in in cue, before she even takes off for 1. You started it after the release, and she landed from 1 looking at front side of 2, then came to backside at :30 and :44 (there was a little zig zag). It was really subtle but getting the cue in sooner will make it a straighter line and also help when she is in higher arousal, like at a trial.Good timing on push to 5 after the tunnel – she looked at you a little but that is probably just lack of experience with backsides after tunnels.
>> I am using my verbal turn cue before she goes in. I could try a physical cue as well since she still seems to be blasting out.
I could hear it clearly and early on the 2nd rep – not sure if you did it on the first rep too where you didn’t cross? The physical cue totally helped on the 2nd rep but also the early verbal was great too.
The spin on 10 looked great – lovely turn and you got far ahead on the ending line. Yay!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyYay! He did well here! He had the one oopsie at the beginning when you added the verbal but didn’t really show him the hand cue yet – that hand cue really helps for now.
Based on how well he did here and that you could already add motion – you can move to the last part of the game where you show him the 3 different cues: the send to the other wide of the wing (the ‘normal’ wrap), the ‘dig dig’ threadle wrap, and then the ‘take nothing’ to just follow your motion.
Great job!!!
TracyHi!
Good list of verbals! It all made sense to me.
>>Do the weaves need their own theadle cue?)
Yes, I think they will need that – but it is a lower priority at the moment. We might need it for US Open?
>>Uh and the generic “yes” that is confusing my dogs but that I feel compelled to “mark” good behavior instead of just reinforcing it by cueing the next behavior.>>
Yeah…. I feel that. It is a human self-control and human re-training moment LOL!
Tracy
Hi!
>>I find it easier to time the crosses earlier when I am FC-ing vs BC-ing so I think that is what is making the FCs faster for me.
Double FC – 4:89
Double BC – 5:11That could be a good reason for it! For the first blind, you would basically have to take a leap of faith 🙂 Also, I think the outside line on the 2nd blind made the difference – you set that line with a lot of acceleration and you ran a wider line than the FC, so she was wider. If you can do the first BC and then decelerate into the 2nd one, right on the line of the wing – I bet it gets faster. And the FC can also use a bit of decel and getting right on the wing. #Obsessing LOL!
>>Jpg 3 –
Late BC – 4:96
FC to left (less late and tighter line because I was better at sending on the lala – 4:68I think the key here is not the FC or BC… it is how far away you can be and send to the backside. The further away you can get the send, the easier the FC and BC both become in terms of timing.
>>Question on the Instant Focus game in Games 3. I used a baseball cap as my prop for get-outs in MaxPup. Can I use that again if I would like the behavior to be a foot target or should I get a new prop?
Sure! I used a different one because I thought it would be a good challenge for me to start from scratch with something new.
T
Hi! Good start here, this will be a good behavior and good prop for this game!
If you don’t want him to pick it up and you just want him to touch it -you can hold it in your hand for longer (rather than put it on the ground) and click sooner, so you can isolate the nose and prevent him from picking it up. Also, changing the placement of reinforcement can help – have it either from your hand or toss it up high to him, so there is a response cost for picking it up (in terms of delay in being able to get the cookie).
But, for this game – any behavior that is happy-making and high value is perfect! So when you take it to new locations and he picks it up, reward anyway 🙂It looks like the behavior has a lot of value, so you can definitely start the next step where you take it on the road!
Keep me posted, great job here!
TracyHi!
That restaurant sounds good, I will definitely check it out!Looking at the course in sections:
I don’t think you needed deceleration in the opening, just one more step to commit to 2 then you can peel away. You were peeling away too soon so he came off the line: let him land then send him with connection to his eyes and a low arm (don’t point forward to the jump). The line up was not a bad place, necessarily (except at 2:38), I think the first couple of off course DWs was a frustration behavior – even though he got rewarded for the openings, he still has a sense that something went wrong and I don’t think he is a fan of the start and stops in training (even with rewards). You were definitely clearer with the send at 1:05 – clear movement and you did it when he landed from 1.
He definitely had some trouble with the backside at 4 – part of it is getting him to default to taking the jump as you run past, so you can work it by tossing the toy behind you as he gets to the backside (rather then cuing him to take it then rewarding). We want to toss the toy really early – it is partially a reward for going to the backside, and partially a way to create taking the jump as a default behavior as you leave so you don’t have to stay there to cue it (like at 1:37, 1:55, 2:38). He might have had a harder time here because it was right in front of the street (pretty big distractions) and/or because it was a right turn. He did not have trouble later in the course when he was doing the backside before the DW, when it was turning left, turning away from the street, and also going towards the DW which is really high value.
>> I felt like I was stopping to reward there appropriately before moving on.>>
Yes, but it was a stopping reward – which he might not find all that reinforcing. I think he much prefers moving rewards and a lot less start-and-stop in training.
>>I had one lapse in judgment by screaming yes because he got that freaking right turn out of the tunnel and I lost my mind with excitement. I’m in the 12 step #justthefacts program and the first step is admitting I have a problem>>
Haha yes, I am in that same program – I think I am on step 3 which means I have given it to my higher power and also which is the step where I take inventory of all my faults? Step 4? I am working that one too LOL!
>> When he actually does the skills I’ve trained it makes me so excited. (Why I don’t know because it’s not like I haven’t invested the time and am asking him to do things he doesn’t know>>
Well, we get excited because it is exciting 🙂 So nwo we all need some human self-control so that we don’t screw up the next section of the course by yelling “YES!” lol
When sending to the tunnels: The better you connect directly to him, the better he commits: At 1:41 you were using the verbals but didn’t really have connection, so he didn’t take it. Compare it to 1:59 and 2:43 when you had connection AND verbals and he was perfect 🙂 The same goes for the straight tunnel later in the course at 3:59 – more connection will totally help! And, in that situation, give your ‘go tunnel’ cues while he is in the previous tunnel – you were calling his name there and then said tunnel, but the name cues him to look at you and we want him looking at the tunnel.
Nice job with the the RC at 2:03! It would be a BC there when you have more time thanks to weaves instead of a straight tunnel 🙂
He did well on the RC and you threw the toy… and he checked out because he has a limited threshold for the stop and go in training, unless you are running with the reward (2:06). So while nothing was necessarily going ‘wrong’, he seems to find the stop-and-go with a tossed toy to be generally not fun. That is good to know! So…. keep going rather than stop. And if you want to reward – keep running and let him chase you, as if the course is finished.Yes, he was striding high on the RDW… when you put the RDW in course work, we want to rehearse correct behavior. So I use all of my props, not just the mat (Hot Sauce has the mat but also a flyball jump and the MM to help her when I am running courses). Then you can fade it in the full course work – but you won’t want to rehearse the high striding because it will become harder to recover the good striding. And we don’t want to tell him he is wrong… so we use the aids.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Nice work on this one, glad you got it in even with life and crazy weather getting in the way (you have had some CRAZY weather in your area!!)
Great job here, especially with it being your only run – really strong!! I looked at the spots where she was checking in, and it was mainly happening on the exits of contacts & weaves, more ideas o that below (the jump & tunnel lines didn’t appear to have any checking in, yay!)
On the video:
It looks like you cued 4 as a front side – it should be a backside if you get a chance to run it again – it is a little harder that way 🙂
She drove right to the end of the teeter but checked in before the weaves. In general, try to gve your ‘what’s next’ cues either before she exits the contacts/weaves, or as the release off the teeter. I couldn’t hear if there was a release verbal on the teeter or if she is a hit-and-go dog – if there is a release, use your weave or go cue as the release to get rid of the check in. If she is a hit-and-go dog, then give your weave cue as she is arriving at the top of the board (she should still ride it down – no leaping off allowed even though you have given her the next cue – that is similar to RDW training, where we give the next cue but still expect them to maintain criteria).Hooray for the BC 7-8 at :19, great independent weaves!! Super!!! She had the tiniest hesitation after the weave exit… you can start your tunnel verbal when she is at about pole 10 so she can drive right out to it after pole 12 🙂
She looked at you coming off the a-frame – part of it was your position, closer to the DW and not really on the line to the tunnel, so to help smooth out her question you can drive in more across the a-frame contact and accelerate to the tunnel. Also, for verbals – start your a-frame exit verbal when she is at the apex of the frame – you can tell her to go tunnel (or ‘out’ tunnel, if she has a turn away cue for that line because it is not really straight). You were a little quiet and late, so when you are quiet, she looks for you (which is generally a good thing).
At :32, after the #13 weaves – you can try to send to the backside from further away to get more ahead of the RDW for the line to the tunnel #16. That will help smooth out her question/check in after the dog walk. But, more importantly, say go more than once and say it LOUD (don’t be gentle with it LOL!) – you said it once time kinda quietly as she got on the top ramp of the DW on the first rep and then didn’t say it again til she was off the board and looked at you. I think saying it loudly and several times will really help her get it right away. For example, at :58 you said it 3 times and she did well! And really smart dog training to also work on the turn cue for the other side of the tunnel – she did great!!
And nice ending line too after the tunnel – really well done!
Great job here! Let me know what you think! She is SO FUN to watch and you are doing a great job with her.
TracyHi!
This is a really good game for him to help smooth the transition to new environments and set him up for success.
Good shaping session with the foot pod in the house – don’t be toooooo picky on this behavior for this game. You were trying to get just one foot and not have him roll it, which is great for using the paw pod for fitness but for instant focus, we are happy with any simple interaction. That is why we want a pretty meaningless prop, so you won’t care at all what he does with it LOL!The first moment outdoors shows us why we play this silly game 🙂 You can reward that very first movement towards it, when he made the initial interaction – true, it was not even close to what he was doing in the house but it was interaction, so….. we reward it. I generally lower my expectation by about 50% when I am in a new environment for this game. When he didn’t get rewarded, he tried to leave (stress behavior) so that is insightful! When doing instant focus in new places, you can have a lowered criteria expectation for now, so the rate of success stays high (I place the reward to help the accuracy but also reward just about any interaction). If the rate of success stays high, he will be a more relaxed dude in new places – but if he fails, he might stress a bit. So at first the lowered criteria expectation (any interaction) will set up the success and then over time, you can build it up to higher expectations. For me, it is like behaviors in the ring we ask for at the beginning of their trial careers (short stay on the start line, jumps, tunnels) versus what we ask for as they get more comfy in new environments (long lead outs, weave entries, contacts, etc).
Nice work here! Let me know what you think! And try to take this on the road as much as you can 🙂
Tracy
Hi!
>>Flick is with her between me and the wing, and doing a 360 circle around the wing, backside first. It’s a term from OMD – I’ve had a fair amount of instruction from OMD coaches and instructors here in CT. Haven’t seen any of the outside/backside push you mention here. Does it have a name or are people just coming up with their own cues?>>
The OMD folks would call the backside circle wrap a reverse wrap. It is a similar line to a flick, but the dog is on the outside of you (like a push to the backside) rather than the inside of you.
>>You’re right – I will need to watch this. Right now, what I am noticing in the class we are taking is that when I get more revved up and use more verbal praise, she does better and seems to enjoy herself more. If I’m focused more on handling and cuing, she gets more serious and, sometimes, seems worried.>>
Yes, for now, keep up the excited chatter in class – we can take it out at home but leave it in class when the info that she needs is mainly about how well she is doing 🙂
>>I’m glad you’re going to give us some tips and exercises to give this a try. I’ve just evolved to using “turn” and my girls (bless their Aussie hearts) have seemed to figure out what I mean. It’s been many, many years, so I have a rather ingrained habit to break…..Something tells me you’ll have a way that works. >>
Yes – stayed turned for the next games package – it is something that we do every.single.year in CAMP and it is HARD but sooooo worthwhile 🙂
T
Hi! These are going well!
Using the MM on the Go line is great as it is in the exact right spot to reward the Go line. An idea about using the MM – if you are going to use it for the Go line, have all of your sequences going towards it as well (wrap, RC, backside) – that way he is not locking onto it as the lure for the Go, and also it is a good way to be sure your cues for the other turns are on time. And for the other turns, you can reward from your hand so he learns where to associate reinforcement to match the verbal cues.
On the wrap cues – add in deceleration sooner, so he can collect before takeoff. On the reps here, you were accelerating the whole time so he was wide for the first couple (but then he figured it out and realized that heading back to the MM was the sweet spot :)) So when he lands from the first jump, decelerate and begin the check cue, then you will find it easier to rotate for the FC as well.
He had an accidetnal rear cross at :40 – you pressured in towards his takeoff spot a bit too much, so he thought it was a rear cross cue. On the other reps, you were facing the wrap wing so he read the wraps direction really well.The backsides went really well!! You had really strong, clear connection on the pushes – at this stage, you can add more independence: move more towards the center of the bar and not as close to the wing to send him to the backside. It creates more independence sends and also gives you a better position for what would come after the backside.
He is reading the RCs really well, but he is reading them when he is over the bar rather than before takeoff. That means that the RC pressure is a little late – you were running straight then cutting in for the RC after he thought he was supposed to jump straight (you can see him jumping the center of the bar on these, looking straight). So you can begin the gentle pressure on the RC line sooner, heading more towards the center of the bar – so he will add a turn stride before takeoff and you’ll see him jumping the part of the bar closer to the wing, so he has a better turn to the next jump.
Great job with all of your verbals here too! I think he is really beginning to understand them too!
Lovely session! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Hope you had a fun trial weekend!>> Will the Lazy Game contacts impact a running contact? Should the game be changed in anyway.
Nope, it is no problem with the running contacts – it is a confidence boosting/plank acclimation game that will help with running contacts.
On the video – This generally went really well. Great job paying attention to the detail of the verbals and body cues! When she was taking the wing you didn’t want in the beginning – it is hard to tell from the camera angle – but when she kept wanting the white wing that was on the right side of the screen, I believe it was because your were blocking the 2 outer wings (like the red wing at :56). It did not seem to be a left or right turn preference because it happened on both sides, it looked more like you needed to step one step further over so she could see the wing you were indicating without needing to go around you. If you are blocking the wing, I can see why she would think it was the wing out the side and not the one behind you (especially if you turn your feet to the side rather than stepping straight back, which was happening here). So try to line yourself up nearer to the line of the jump cups so she can see the full wing.
For example, at 1:22, you looked to be in the perfect spot and she had no questions about which wing it was. Compare that to the earlier reps at the beginning and you were more on her line, which can block the wing.You were starting to leave earlier which was great, but remember to reward fast and on all the correct reps. For example, you were a little late rewarding at 1:26, and did not reward at 1:48 when she was correct. I think you might have been thinking about the verbals and physical cues, but still get that reward in really quickly to give her feedback in the moment.
>>Some of our race tracks were pretty wide but I think most of her wraps were fairly tight.
I think the wraps looked really good! I didn’t see any race tracks on the video (did I miss them? More coffee needed!) but the race tracks can be wider because we are asking for speed and extension.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi there!
Ooh, I liked your blind crosses here! She reads them brilliantly and because of her speed, I think you will need to use them a lot so you can stay ahead of her on course. They are looking great!
A couple of little details to smooth them out:
First sequence, with the BC to the tunnel – she was flying!
Timing was good on these! Keep trusting her and starting the BC early, so you can make that strong connection as you finish it. She reads that really well!>>But am I too……deep after the BC?? She ends up having to go around me
I think you are asking about the BC before the tunnel – yes, she was having to go around you because of your position when doing the blind:
Your line was too far over towards the tunnel exit so she was wide based on your location: her line was a little wide hen you were starting on your right and blinding to your left (like at :21) and even more so when you did left to right like at :11 and :30
What was happening was that you were running to the landing side of the #5 jump (the BC jump) and by running there, it opens up the straight line to the tunnel exit. So let her stay out on her line more and don’t let yourself get between the uprights of #5 – run more towards the #6 tunnel entry. That will set a really nice line 5-6 after the blind.She had a bar down at :10, probably because you sent and left at high speed. The handling was correct, she just needs more experience with that – you showed the same cue at :19 and she rattled the bar at :20 (I didn’t fall but she touched it). But then she was fine with it at :28 and afterwards, so I think she just needed to practice the skill more.
I really liked the fluffy BC at :36! You trusted her a lot on the 3-4 jumps and started it on time, finishing it on time too! She read it perfectly – note how she put in a GREAT turn on the 4 jump! Also really strong on the last rep! AS with the BC before the tunnel, the further over you can be towards the next jump, the less she has to go around you (although I thought she did well on the BCs here, they seemed easier than the FCs for you both).
Great job! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
