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Good morning!
>>There is a lot to do again. How does anyone keep up? These, in with the seminars, plus the wkly games. >>
There is a lot! But there are ‘break’ weeks built in, only one new little thing posted last Friday đ
>>Her jump circles are getting really good. Did the wraps first. Yup, first one I pulled her off. But then it got better. On the other side she went wider. Maybe I am late?
I totally agree, she is showing really great commitment skills! We can really get into handling strategy now – she was wider on one side over the other because yes, you were late đ More on that below.
>> She is doing good getting that top jump so I think I need to trust her more and get over to the FC sooner. I am barely making it. She is being a good girl and not going behind me on the FC and coming in.>>
Yes – more trust needed! Here are the specifics:
On tat very first rep, she came off the wrap at :06 – you were stationary and moved suddenly – that isn’t exactly incorrect to do, but we can help her understand the commitment better there: as you start to move away, keep looking behind you at the landing spot and also toss the reward there just as you leave to help support commitment. Good job fixing it right away by sending her right back to the jump!
On the fluffy FCs đ it is a matter of trusting the lines to get the timing. You were quicker to get them when you went from your left side to your right side – it seemed less comfy for you on the other side, so those were later.
On the 2nd rep on the video. the FC was maybe a tiny bit little late: you can start it sooner so you are fully finished when she lands at :12. Going the other direction:
The FC at :24 was much later, it was just starting as she was landing so she went wide.Back to the original side, at :25 that was a good FC – maybe the tiniest bit late but you got to a better position so she read the line better between 4-5 – you can probably send her to the tunnel and be more lateral on #3 (jump after the tunnel) to get there more easily. Trust her to find the line as long as you are connected and moving.
For example at :59 and 1:22, you were waiting a bit and gave her a big send step to get the jump after the tunnel, which slows you down from getting to the FC at 1:00 and 1:24. If you keep moving and use your verbal, I think she will pick up that line easily and then you will have a really easy time finishing the FC.
Same idea on the other side at 1:11 – you can cue the 3 nd 4 jumps with verbals and connection, which will get you to the FC at 1:12 much sooner (it was late here, starting as she was jumping, so she was wider).
Thinking about it strategically, since the FC happens pretty close to the #1 jump: you can use lateral distance to cue 3 and 4 and stick closer to #1 the whole time so you can easily show the FC 4-5.
Isolating the wrap after the FC (like at :48 and :50) your sends are a little too forward so that is causing her to jump a bit wider on those. You can send with less motion then leave sooner, with a softer send and letting her see you leave before she collects to take off. That will be easier to do when you finish the FC sooner. You can also spin to create a tighter turn there (FC/BC move) but that is a whole lot of work LOL and you can get a great turn by sending sooner and leaving đ
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Great question!
I use giant chunks of string cheese for the most part, and sometimes I use giant chunks of freeze dried turkey.
But as a background for this game, I have also taught the mechanics of “eat it fast then re-engage” to the dog. What I mean by that is, away from the jumps: I toss a treat in the grass (something big and easy to find) and then as soon as the dog eats it and re-engages, I reward that with something better (like a better treat or a frisbee). So my dogs have discovered the joys of grab the treat, eat it fast, and don’t look for more on the ground because something better is coming from da momma đ
And then if they have a ‘big chunks of treats’ training session, dinner is of course much smaller or non-existent so they don’t end up getting fat đ
Let me know if that makes sense!
TracyHi! This was also fun to look at!
I know the serp ended up being the fastest on the first part, but I think that is because it was the best handled and maybe not the best choice overall. On the BC-BC, both were a little wide – the first one needed earlier timing and more connection. On the 2nd one, based on how this particular sequence is set – I think a FC would be faster than a BC there.
When you did the FC to the BC – the FC was tighter than the BC, so perhaps the FC-FC will end up being faster than the serp, if you are early and connected on them?I am not surprised about the timing on the 5-7 section – even with the late FC, that slice line should be mch faster. You can try doing a BC instead of the FC there, it is probably quicker to get through that line and she can read those really well!
Nice work here!
TracyHi!
This was really good to see with the timings! And some really good info from Min đOn the first video:
>>If we ditch the first post turn to the right when she didnât drive straight to the last jump, it seems to be about the same with the send & go vs the spin.
I think the send is going to be faster overall, for 2 reasons: first, it gets you up the line better so she can chase you faster. Second, if you give the next verbal cue sooner and don’t mark her turn with a ‘yes’ or ‘good’ – it will be even faster. The zig zag was the yes marker – it is very distracting for the dogs because they are not sure if they should continue on the line or come to you for reward. So, welcome to the “Don’t Say Yes” system LOL!!! Just give her all facts: yell tunnel to get her on the line you want. I will be doing more about not using ‘yay’ markers on course in the next set of games because it is something everyone is doing, and the dogs are asking questions đ
>>So the extension line and then the tighter approach to the tunnel is faster for her even though she may be faster through the tunnel on the inside turns since she is already on the left lead heading to the tunnel. I think part of that is that t I have trouble with the inside wraps/spins in this situation where you are approaching on a hard slice
The part was also really interesting – I think the best handling was the spin to the left, really nice! But also not the fastest LOL! Pretty =/= fastest. And with these, you can also give the tunnel verbal earlier on all of them so she can drive around the wing to find the tunnel.
The slice line (fastest line) had a slightly wide exit on the FC, so it can be even faster – you were a little too late in the decel and ended up past the line a tiny bit which caused you to close your shoulder forward – so she went wide trying to figure out which side to be on: keep your dog side arm back so she can see your eyes to get the great line.This ‘slice line to harder tunnel line’ being faster than the wrap to a really fast tunnel entry is exactly in keeping with stuff we saw on a very similar line yesterday at a seminar – we timed it with a lot of dogs and that slice line was faster with all of the dogs and the tunnel entry was even harder than this one here. Good to know!! I would be in competition that most folks would do the wrap line, so you will beat them by a mile there.
T
Hi!
>> I wanted to have you look at these before I trained and taped again because honestly the only mistakes I found were mine!
Yes, I only saw little handling bloopers, Winn was great!
Sequence 2:
>>I did notice she seemed very slow our first run but I am not sure why.
I think it was because you were pretty decelerated, so she stayed in collection. You can lead out less and power into it more!
Good opening 1-2-3 with strong connection – and yes, leading out less so you can run more will definitely get more speed. Then you can decel sooner for 4 then leave, so youget more speed from 3-4 but also the nice turn.
One detail: don’t spin on the entry of tunnel 5 because it causes her to look at you when she exits (the spin is a turn cue) and we want her to go straight to 6
On the 6-7-8 line: she looked at the off course after 7 – try to send and go rather than round the line with her. That decelerates her and also doesn’t show her the line to 8-9 as early. By sending and going, you can get a FC or BC before the tunnel so you don’t have to decelerate into the threadle (whcich slows her down) or rear cross the tunnel entry – let her chase you down that line for a blind cross. Wheeee! Much faster đSeq 3:
One detail for more speed: line her up facing 1 on a slice so she sees the backside entry at 2 and has a straight line to it, rather than having her set up straight to 1 and having to turn when she lands to find 2
The backside serp to the blind looked great! The in in on the 2nd rep also looked good! So I timed them both and the in in was faster đAfter the tunnel on the first rep, remember to make a massive connection to her eyes as she exits and use your backside verbal to help propel her to the backside – you were much clearer about it on the 2nd rep.
She pulled the bar on 7 at 1:08 because you decelerated and closed your shoulders and said “good girl” which is more of a distraction – so drive hard with connection and just say tunnel đ Tell her she is a good girl when the run is finished đ
I think you mentioned you kept forgetting to do the Fc before she enters the tunnel at :42 and at 1:10 – Yes, that is correct đ you were really late at 1:10 and ended up on her line so she took the backside of 9. Start the FC before she enters the tunnel so she sees it and can be turning on the exit. The BC there might be even easier, because you can start it sooner and finish it quicker, because there is no rotation.
I really liked your spin on the 10 jump! It set up a really lovely ending line!Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
For this particular instant focus game, make it a random object and not a body part. But definitely train the chin rest and hand touch, because we will be using those for the next set of games đTracy
Hi!
I totally think it went better – a lot of it was just teaching him that tight blinds crosses are a good thing đ and that there might be two of them in a row LOL!On the first couple of reps, the BC at 8-9 ended up being late at :16 and :25 in terms of getting the new connection so he could make the adjustment for the tight turn (plus, he was NOT expecting that such a thing even existed). You can start the 2nd blind sooner: when you finish the first blind and see him land, stay connected only long enough to see him on the new/correct side – then use your jump cue and start the 2nd blind so he sees it starting before he has to make a takeoff decision.
When you isolated it in the other direction, it was more of a training session to get used to it: :36, your arm too high and you looked forward pretty early, so he read the blind starting too soon
:42 – better!! The bar down was him figuring out how to do the collection for a tight blind while you were accelerating.
:51 – your disconnection to start the blind was too soon, so he never committed to the jump (you looked forward to start the BC immediately after the release there)When you put it back into sequence, you can see that he was processing it and figuring it out: at 1:01, he was AWESOME, good boy collecting to make the tight blind!
nice backside after it!And great job with the connected sends to the backside at the end of the video, that gave you great positional advantage!
Nice work! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! It is always smart to stop training when frustration starts – I think you solved the issue without needing me, though đ 1-2-3-4 looked great on reps 1 and 2! Tight and fast!
The way this course ended up set, there is a definite threadle from 5-6. Just a post turn sets him on the line to the backside, as you saw at :11 and :25. A threadle cue of some sort is needed. At :25, you did a cross arm (but he didn’t see it because you open up back to him) and called his name – nope, still a backside. You added a spin to get the turn there on the 3rd rep, and it worked really well! The other option is a threadle verbal and open arm cue to show the line.
He dropped the bar on 3 on the 3rd rep, probably because you were planning to spin so you rushed out there a bit more than on the first 2 reps. And he was a little wide on the tunnel exit – at :40 you started the FC after he was in, so he couldn’t respond til he exited. So, send away more to 7 and let him see you start the FC before he enters, and it will set a nice line đNice work here, sorting out that 5-6 turn! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi again!
Another good session here!
>>His speed and engagement was killer this session⌠which probably has somewhat to do with the lack of distractions here.Yes! I noticed that too – rest break, plus no distractions, plus you were super connected: and he had an easier time engaging.
>>I did the opening⌠I didnât realize until I reviewed my video on our break that idk which course I was trying to do but thereâs so good parts here.
Ha! Yes, I was having a little trouble following it but there were a lot of good parts!!
These first reps had a lot of info and the only praise words were when you were actually delivering reinforcement. And with the rewards, you were engaged (no conversation about how it went) so he engaged nicely. You always praise with high energy before your get it cue, which is why he gets distracted by praise on course – he is not sure if you are delivering reinforcement or continuing.
For example, at 1:47 and 2:14, your verbals were check check yes tunnel – the yes is non-informational at that point (just marking the jump) and since it is often paired with reinforcement, it is not clear what to do next: come to da momma? take the tunnel? So try to just say – check check check tunnel – so he can drive out to the tunnel and not have to consider different options.
You were really connected on just about everything here, he was fast – when you restart the reps, you might want to take a moment or two to walk what you are going to do differently – there was a lot of start and stop here. Yes, he got rewarded but it tires the dog out and when there are distraction, it might play a role in why you sometimes lose him.
The only little disconnection moment happened at 1:53 – after the straight tunnel, your arm came up really high then you dropped it and looked forward, so he missed the 2nd jump after the tunnel there. You kept the arm down and had great connection at 2:20, and he found the line beautifully!
One thing to note, since we are looking at reinforcement and patterns: when he was great on certain lines, you were really excited when delivering the reinforcement. When there was an error at 1:53 (handling error) you had a very different energy on that reward there – he will read the different energy and potentially disengage – that lower energy reward might be what tells him that things have gone wrong.
>>I still havenât mastered the verbal game with the 180 because he needs more info here and Iâm just standing there.
Is dig dig dig the wrap cue? Then the left was the better option – but most of all, I think he needed motion cues before the first 180 jump at 2:24 and 3:04. You can try to run in then move away laterally so he turns on that first jump, or even do a spin. The name call helped and the left verbal helped but I think more motion will really support the line better (and don’t say yes because it pulled him off the line when he as heading to it when you said yes and tried to leave).
Same thoughts at 4:19 – you can move into it more – he slowed down when you were standing still on that 180.
>>I also had a really hard time sending him out to that far jump (which should be the teeter). We got the off course a couple times which wasnât awful but it was a really hard line for me to let him land and push back out. I donât often layer and he wasnât reading that.
It was hard to see what was happening exactly because the camera was so far away – you can start closer to the straight tunnel so more motion can propel him out away to the line so you can add the layer? Layering is getting popular as a challenge on course, so we can definitely keep working it.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>Gosh I wish I could have been there đ. Iâm so jealous because I saw you had a long sleeve shirt on
Yes, the mornings were a little chilly then it got to sunny and mid-70s, low humidity. It was really nice!
>>So this set up was perfect because it forced me to stop and reward more! Yay! I was still having some reinforcement issues. Iâm trying to be upbeat and positive about him taking the toy but thereâs still a disconnect. Youâve mentioned that I have a tendency to just hand it to him, but when heâs happy I do tend to kind of do that too but he views engages in it.
I watched this mainly to look at the reinforcement – there are some definite differences and I think the more we sort out the reinforcement, the better things will be in the handling too.
One biggie that I am bugging everyone about: just give info on course (directionals, obstacle names, reward markers) and don’t use big praise or yes words. The praise/yes moments stop the flow of info and cause errors, like dropping the bar on 3 at the beginning and also after the RDW or coming off lines because it is distracting/not informational, and a lot of our dogs perceive that YES! as a come get your reward marker – and then something goes wrong, and he knows it, and he deflates a little. So – just the facts on course! No praise til the podium đ
When you tried to turn to the slice on the 2nd rep at 3 but didn’t quite get it (I think that is what you wanted) and you just carried on, giving info, he was happy to engage on the good boy get it while you kept connected and kept moving.
A little pattern I see her that could also have an impact on the reinforcement: when you stop moving and present it and also say something conversational like “that was better” – he disengages. That happened a couple of times, like after the backside at 1:59: you said “better” and tossed it away. And also at around 2:56: presented the toy then he drove to it, then you said ‘that was better’ and he disengaged. So keep moving and praising and having him chase the toy – don’t mentally disengage in that moment, because I think he is reading that and disengaging. And I think when he disengaged after the RDW when you presented the toy, there might have been a food distraction issue? Looks like food was either in your hand or your pocket so he turned down the toy in favor of getting the food. If he struggles to tug when there are cookies right there, you can either only have food with you, or only have the toy, not both (for now). You had more engagement at the very end – you were engage, he was engaged… do you remember if there was food present there or not?
And keep track of when the disengagement happens: it could also be later in the training session, which would mean changing reinforcement more often or even keeping sessions shorter. I know 3 minutes sounds short, but it is a long time: it totals out to be the same as 6 standard runs and 7 or 8 jumpers runs!
And good job working on the tunnel when the pool was *right there* – that is a pretty massive distraction!!! He did well working through it and you were very engaging with the frisbee.
The connection went well and the handling is looking good – a lot of it is giving more directionals and leaving sooner, like that line after the a-frame – as soon as he commits to the frame, leave him to do it independently so you can get up the line to handle the line after it.
>>The area from Aframe 8-10 was crunchy for me. Initially I was like imaâ serp this bitch⌠but then I ended up screaming because I thought we were going to collide. He really is so considerate of me. Then I wanted to keep the slice so tried a spin. He went to the backside but understood it wasnât the other jump. I did the wrap last. Iâd love your guidance on how best to handle that space.>>
I like your gut instinct to serp it. Send to the tunnel and leave so he exits the tunnel to the frame with you already ahead, then you can get the serp there much more easily. Lots of trust and independence needed on that line đ
>>Also, I killed my time management here. First run we stopped before the three minute timer, and the second turn was super short with just the two DW sequences because a thunderstorm came up OUT OF THE BLUE.>>
Yay!!! Timing the session was great and Mother Nature was happy to assist with a thunderstorm LOL!
I see the next course below: nice work here! Onwards to the next one!
Tracy
Hi!
>>Teeter was amazing at sotc last weekend. Thought she might bounce off one she was going so fast but she rocked back and stuck on.>>
Wow! Good girl!!!!
>>I do need to work on entering the ring, she is higher than a kite once she sees the dog running before us. Wondering if teaching her to tug on leash will help, but tugging really elevates her.
Tugging on the leash with tricks mixed in to go back and forth between play and thinking can help. And doing the cookie toss game outside the ring can help keep her from getting too high or watching: you can drop the cookies on your feet rather than toss off to the side.
Sequence 2: Really nice work! She was flying! And you really had strong connection, which really helps a lot đ
A couple of little details to smooth some things out:
Turn sooner on jump 2, she went a little straight and turned after landing because you hadn’t really turned before takeoff.
On the 4 jump – the post turn can totally work nicely for her, she reads it well – but send and go so she sees the next line before she lands and can power to it without watching you. You turned with her there so she looked up at you as she landed.Speaking of turning with her: at :14, you turned with her at 7 and because you ran up there and did a gentle shoulder turn, she looked at the off course jump at :15. When she lands from from 6, send and leave! That will set you up for a FC or BC 8-9 which will be faster and clearer: you were decelerating and waiting to set up a threadle, which is a little slower and sets up a rear cross on the tunnel entry – so she exits looking at you a little to see if there was a turn or not. The Go cue came after she exited, so be sure to start it before she enters especially after a rear cross on the entry.
Sequence 2:
Definitely move sooner after the in in – as soon as she is approaching the wing, start to move but stay super connected, that will help remind her to turn to the jump.
Good timing of your push cue at the entry of the tunnel, it helped propel her out to the backside of 5!
She dropped the bar of 7 at :43 – you were decelerating so she was collecting trying to figure out what was next and didn’t quite get it done. You can accelerate through that line rather than decel for the tur, which will also allow you to get the FC for the tunnel exit start before she enters (and finished before she exits). The other way to tighten up the tunnel exit at :46 is to do a blind cross so the cross is finished and reconnected before she exits. (Plus a verbal, I don’t think you cued a turn there).I like the spin on the 10 jump at the end! You can rotate your feet sooner and as soon as she passes your feet, do the blind and leave – that way you can be reconnected sooner. The reconnection was a step or two late, so she looked at you when she landed from 10, and considered not taking 11. The earlier reconnection will support the line.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi there! Nice work with both dogs – you were really connected and that really helped! And a lot of what you mentioned that you would smooth out matches what I saw too. Here are some thoughts:
Demi’s runs on Seq 2: – yes, it was really nice!
On the opening 1-2-3, you can move more on the opening and not stand still to send to 2 – that will make to even smoother and faster.
4-5 had nice collection! You mentioned using more decel but I think her turn was good – any tighter would be slower and she seemed to have no questions. It is going to be a little easier for you to get a straight exit if you don’t RC the tunnel, try to do the spin at 4 and get her on your right side to send to the tunnel. The other reason to do the spin is that when you do a FC on 4 to get her on your left, you end up rear crossing the tunnel. Rear crossing the tunnel entry causes her to look at you on the exit (because the RC is a turn cue) rather than continue straight to 6.At :20 on the FC to the tunnel at the end – start the FC sooner as you mentioned , but a blind will be easier and quicker for both of you! Plus don’t run towards her at the jump line as much as it pushes her to the center of the bar so she turned after she landed – keep running down the line there more towards the tunnel. I don’t agree that the threadle (tandem) you did with Wilson would be better, because it would cause her to look at you at the tunnel exit because it causes you to rear cross the tunnel.
Same thoughts with Wilson on the opening line about moving into it more, and also doing a spin at 4 rather than FC 4 then rear cross the tunnel.
The close close (threadley tandem) to the tunnel worked well, just call him and start the cues sooner – you started on landing and that is late. Your position was good but he needs to hear the verbals starting before takeoff to 8. However, the threadle to the tunnel 9 there creates a rear cross on the tunnel entry plus it puts you behind: so he looked at you on the exit. That can cause problems on other lines (jumping or off courses or refusals) on bigger courses, so try to stay ahead (with a FC or BC) so you can keep him looking straightCourse 3 with Demi:
you did a Forced Front on the 2 jump which is great on the first run and in in in threadle on the 2nd run. Both looked good – I felt you left sooner with in in threadle cue (probably easier to leave sooner because you don’t have to rotate). I timed it and the threadle was faster! She looked like she had no questions here about taking the jump as you moved through it. One detail on the lead out: try to line her up on a slice for 1 so she is facing the entry to the backside at 1:05 rather than facing the wrong side of 2 and having to turn to find the backside.You call her name a lot đ For example, you call her name after tunnel 4 when you will really want to be using your backside cue. And it bit you at 1:15 on the first run from 6-7: you called her hard “DEMI!” and turned your shoulders so she came off the line. Stay connected, keep moving, tell her to jump: and don’t call her name đ You did not call her name on the 2nd run and she found 7 nicely! But then you decelerated sharply and flung your arm up high, so the bar came down. That is a spot to stay connected and keep moving, just using jump or turn verbals.
Do a blind on the tunnel exit instead of a FC, it will be faster and easier for you and her – at 1:47 you were trying to finish the rotation and she was already out of the tunnel. The BC before she enters will be fully finished before she exits.
You can also do a spin on the 10 jump to set the turn to 11 instead of the full post turn: the full post turn faces her towards the tunnel so she jumps long (and dropped the bar on the 2nd run) and it delays you from getting up the next line.This sequence also ran well with Wilson – you kept moving smoothly through the lines! The in in worked well in the opening and you were able to then nicely set up the 5-6-7 lines (don’t call his name, not even quietly LOL!) He sent better to the tunnel plus I think he is not quite as fast as Demi, so the FC after 8 finished sooner – but that is a good spot to call his name and start the rotation before he enters (2:14). The ending line looked good – you decelerated to help with 10 to 11, so it would be interesting to see how he does with the spin there so you can leave sooner and not have to help set the line.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>Forward:
â˘Go on! (keep going in a line over the next obstacles straight ahead. Sounds more like gwan)
â˘Name of obstacle as obstacle cues (saw, tunnel, over, walk-it, frame, table, hoop, etc.)
â˘Weave (to look for entrance), then weevweevweev while weaving to reinforce staying in poles.
â˘Bottom (2o2o position for all 3 contacts). Saving âhit itâ if we run into an issue somewhere
â˘Over (go forward and take jump)>>These are good! For the ‘over’ cue – does this also imply a slight collection, a gentle turn? It does when I use that type of cue, and it is a nice balance to the gwan versus the tight turns.
>>Distance/discrimination:
â˘Get out! (Take obstacle that is not on straight path such as a pin wheel, layered obstacle, gamble, etc.)
â˘Here (come to obstacle near me, not necessarily one that is âstraight aheadâ)
â˘Far (go to far end of tunnel, even if canât see entry)>>These will come in handy for gambles and for one big lines in big yardage courses!
>>Various Turns:
â˘Turn (on rear cross, turn in opposite direction from way we had been heading)
â˘Back (go to the back of the jump, take it while turning toward me
â˘Wrap (go forward over jump and come back to me on same side as sent)
â˘In-In (use in threadle situation as well as instead of forced front cross to tell dog to come to the back side of the jump rather than over the front, then to turn and jump over the jump in a slice)>>Also good! You have this one liste below:
â˘Flick (for back/360 wrap around wing of jump we are passing)And I think it belongs with these – is it a threadle wrap so she starts between you and the wing, or a backside push wrap so she is on the outside of you? As agility continues to evolve, you will likely need a verbal for each – the push circle wrap takes priority right now, and then the threadle wrap can be added later.
>>Others:
â˘Sit/Wait (Start line)
â˘With me (VERY useful for Snooker, and in tight situations. Means come to my side and move with me until given a different cue)
â˘Around (wings, barrel in NADAC)
â˘Down (table)
â˘Loose noose (exit behavior to put head through slip lead noose so we can Go Get Cookies!!)>>Good ones!
>>Also, I have been working (for a while, itâs a work in progress) at getting my verbals out earlier, especially when the dog is in a tunnel and canât get a visual cue from me. And, as youâve seen in videos, I use lots of praise words and noises. đ>>
One thing I am noticing as the dogs mature is that the praise was working when they were babies but now it is delaying the info, so they either come off lines or look at us too much. We will keep an eye on how Keiko feels about it, because at some point you might have to eliminate the praise in favor of giving her faster/sooner info on course, especially when she is going at flying squirrel speed đ
>>Youâll notice a lack of âleftâ and ârightâ or something similar. Keiko and I have done many exercises and sessions with you using âlef-lefâ and ârye-ryeâ. However, I have never really used this type of directional cue with any of my dogs in trials because I canât be sure to figure out the direction they need to be turning when weâre running, so the simple âturnâ cue has served me well. If youâve got some tricks about being able to tell left from right in the stress/excitement of a trial run, Iâd love to hear them.>>
I practiced them, mentally and not with the dogs, pretty obsessively until they were second nature. When talking about the sequence, instead of saying something like “the jump at 3”, I would say “the left at 3”. And in training, I would take a decent amount of time to walk the course and practice the left and right to have them planned and ready and rehearsed – because yes, it is way too hard to figure it out while the dog is running, but if the verbal is already in my mouth and brain, then it becomes very easy to g[get out while running đ We will be adding more of that rehearsal in coming weeks here đ
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>> I know she is capable of doing the things they are doing in that class, BUT I donât know that sheâd do them in such a new and different environment. I have no problem putting her in a class thatâs âtoo easyâ agility-wise, but would probably turn out to be somewhat challenging from her pandemic perspective.
Yes, that is a great idea: put her in a really simple sequencing class so she is not challenged but the agility (fast and fun speed circles or something like that) but instead she can sort through the new environment!
T
Hi!
>>Yes I plan on going to PA next weekend. I am hoping Waldo will be ready. I was supposed to pick up the RV last week but not quite ready⌠fingers crossed. We have been playing games at home, it would be nice to see if I can play them in a new location. Better fine my ear plugs LOL>>
Great! We can play some games with the dogs. What type of RV is Waldo?
>>I am super happy with the teeter performance. I really did not have to go to the end of the teeter but I wanted to see that he met criteria.
Holy cow his teeter looked GREAT here!!! Yay Watson!!!!!!
>>The struggle with this section was the push and the serp. I think I need to open up my shoulders a bit more. I was trying to show the tight turn at the end of the serp. Do you just use a verbal here? He usually serps quite well so I was surprised we missed this.>>
Yes, that was the only hard part for him. On the backside (:02) – keep your dog side arm (right arm) pointing all the way back to his nose and look him very directly in the eyes for the push until you see him heading around the backside. That will get your upper body facing the backside line and he will read the cue better.
For the serp (ike at :11) – yes, I agree that opening your shoulders more will help – stop with him right at the teeter (don’t run past it) and then send to th jump and tunnel so you can be another 2 or 3 steps ahead – then really open up your shoulders and make a big eye contact – and keep moving across the bar after the tunnel to get the serp. It is a hard serp so the further ahead you are, the more you can show the line. Then when you get there and get him turned (like at :27) keep the connection and shoulders open til he takes the next jump: at :27 you got him turned but then pointed forward to the jump with your right arm so he slipped right past it.
>>PS I just love this course and am so happy I took the time to set it up. It has everything I wanted to tackle this summer in it. Are you a minder reader? How did you know?>>
Ha! We will call it a happy accident đ Glad it was fun, he looked great!
Tracy
