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Keep me posted! I am thankful that we can watch the videos over and over til the answers reveal themselves LOL!!!
Awww this is a great update! I am so glad you had fun! Abbey and the Incredipaws crew are among my favorite trainers/handlers, it is really cool that you have access to them! I might have met the other Kelpie that goes there at a seminar in October? Cool dog, he is going to turn out great!
I am really excited that Ted handled a new location so beautifully – what a great opportunity! And I bet he loved getting to open up and run around there, so you probably had a very happy pup on your hands afterwards. Yay!!!!T
Hi!
>>Training with little kids is always interesting!
I bet! They seem so engaged and want to be involved – super fun!!
>>When he got worked up with the teeter he would get more and more frantic and sometimes take off running. That behavior has been getting better lately.
Glad it is getting better! One more thought – because it appears to be a high-arousal behavior triggered by the teeter and he doesn’t quite know what to do with himself so he takes off and runs – keep your sessions very very short, like 2 reps then quit. That way he can learn the behavior and never get into the take-off-running zone. You can do 2 reps, go do something else, come back later, and see how he does!
The handling on the video looked REALLY good! The GO after the tunnel at the end of each looked super strong 🙂 He is moving fluidly, with confidence and oh yeah: FAST! Love it!
On the wraps: On the first rep, you had a little too much slam on the brake and your dog-side leg stayed back at :13, so he didn’t commit. You took that one extra step forward with the dog side lef on the next rep and he totally got it. Yay! You can play with decelerating sooner to then rotate sooner – it is the deceleration that will help the commitment.
The backside rep looked awesome – super connected and clear so he was able to read it with speed and accuracy.
The rear crosses are indeed harder – the first one was a little late, you ran the wrap line from the first reps so he committed to that, and your RC pressure was too late. But the last rep on the video was totally different – you pressured into the RC line MUCH sooner and he was able to read it. NICE! And I am sure the training with throwing of the rewards there helped too. Fun!
He is coming along really nicely in the handling, and you look so connected! Great job!
TracyAs a reformed arm-flinger, I learned to be a good penguin/squirrel by running with a bottle of water in my hand. An open bottle – so when I would fling, I would also get water on my head LOL!!! That would be a fun holiday game here in MaxPup!!!!
T
Hi! So in the previous post where I mentioned he was moving away and to consider it as possibly him avoiding – I thought his first 2 runs up the board here were stronger and notice how he whipped around to engage with you at :31! Progress!! I doesn’t mean we want to do a million reps LOL! But it is a definite sign of a change 🙂
About the bang game: He might just be stronger turning to his right to get on the board than to his left, or it could be that you start on your left side (he turns right) on these sessions, then switch to the other side – so he is more sensitized by then. The wing there involves criteria and when he doesn’t quite get all the way up, you are resisting temptation to withhold the reinforcement – yes, give him the food simply for interacting with it! That was a good decision. I would suggest a couple of things for the bang game:
– don’t use the wing, let him offer whatever he needs now and get lots of yummies 🙂
– have less tip, especially when he is on his harder side, so it is easier to jump on – that will make it easier to get all feet on it. He might simply be stronger pushing off his right hind than his left hind at the moment, and it will balance out as he grows up (still a teenager LOL!)You can also split the sessions into only the 2 reps of the mountain climber. Or only 2 reps of the bang game (and even only on the good side!). Separate sessions by hours or days – the pairing can cement that way 🙂
I see improvement already, he is doing great!!!!
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! Catching up on the Stark teeter videos!
>>I have video of Stark doing the teeter for his dinner. He was great with the bang game on his left side but was a little hesitant on his right. I’m not sure why.Not sure either, possibly too many reps, possibly the proximity of the PVC thing, who knows 🙂 But you can also have less tip on the bang game, make it an inch off the ground so it is really easy to jump on.
You can also let him guide the session – we humans like to do one more… but note how after the release he was moving away from the teeter, not bringing the ball back, having trouble jumping right into your arms – so you can move away from the teeter as well to engage and not go back to it. He might be taking your proximity to the teeter as a sign that you are going to ask him to do it again, so he is avoiding a little.
>>His first time going up the teeter he was a little concerned and was a little more confident doing it the second time.>
Yes, I think both reps were stronger especially the 2nd one!
>>We stopped after that and it left him looking at me and saying WTF mom!! Hahaa!!that is EXACTLY what we want him to do LOL!
Onwards to breakfast below 🙂
T
Hi! All of the MN is reporting that their outdoor time is just about finished… but I was excited to see outdoor training videos from MN today! Maybe it will be a short winter 🙂
This video looks really good:
>>Did you just say I had too much connection on the Go? (SCORE!) >>
I know right? Happy dance! Just wait til we get to the part where I ask people to stop connecting entirely LOL! Best.Day.Ever. (There are rules of course, but it is very useful to disconnect sometimes haha)
On the video –
The Go line looked really good! You had a good timely reward, not a lure because it did not create the behavior, just affirmed it 🙂
The RC looked good too! You can add some decel at the end of it as he is passing you to tighten up the collection a little. The backside was also very nice, plus he really likes the thrown toy on the last jump there. Wheeee!
When he turned the wrong way on the first wrap (:50) – I think he read the timing and position of the decel for the wrap as the setting of the RC line? It was similar to :21 when you did the RC, with the decel and set up for the rear cross happening with you near the wing and before he took the jump after the tunnel here. The decel timing and position was a little different on the successful FC wraps – when he landed from the jump after the tunnel, and you were ahead of the inside wing and not near it. You can drive further into the tunnel so you can accelerate more the whole time, rather than get caught a little ahead and waiting.
Yes, some of your rotations were late on the FCs but I think you were being sure he turned to his right and not his let. You were better at 1:26, I think you were trusting him by then 🙂
rotation was late, you were turning to a post turn then rotating
And the motion override at the end looked good! He is doing really well on that too.Great job on these!!!
TracyHi! Bummer about the extreme zoom on the videos!! But at least Mother Nature gave you more time with green grass!! These went really well. An overall theme that emerged is that the lower your arms, the better things went. When your arms got high, things didn’t go as well. Because she is small and quick, we can figure out ways to work the most comfortable low arms so she can see things clearly and quickly – either squirrel arms (or T.Rex arms haha) where your elbows are bent, arms touching your ribs, and hand right on your stomach, or penguin arms where you elbows are locked straight, upper arm touching your ribs, and hands low and slightly behind you. These should both show great connection while allowing you to be quick, so it is a matter of which feels more comfy.
Here are more specifics:
One step sends – these are going really nicely when you keep your send arm low, kind of like if you were tossing something to the takeoff spot. That maintains connection and shows the line. When your arm got high and you pointed to the jump – it broke connection and turned you body, so she came off the line. Your timing was good! So I think the arm position will make all the difference.
>>d I didn’t rotate my hips and feet too quickly causing her to cut in before committing to the jump>>
I don’t think it was caused so much by your feet & hips – watch your dog side arm go above your head, which pulled your shoulders off the line and broke connection. A nice low arm (think of sending a bowling ball to the takeoff spot) will help.
BC to tunnel video:
VERY NICE!! I can bug you about arms here too – she is SO quick that your blinds need to be quicker – not in terms of starting them, but in terms of finishing so she can see the reconnection. The way to do that is to keep them tighter to your body and not extended out away because it takes too long with such a speedy dog to get them pulled in for the new connection. See above about squirrel/T.Rex or penguin arms – this is a good spot for that!Looking at arms – on the 2nd run – the high arm going over your shoulder is what pulled her off.
>>Bindi is a tunnel freak so I actually was pretty happy that she followed my cross and went into the opposite end of the tunnel.>>
You were very clear in timing, connection and line on these! She read them brilliantly and did not appear to even look at the other end of the tunnel. Yay!
Wraps and Fluffy BCs – nice low arms in the pinwheel! That worked nicely to help with the sends. On the wraps on both sides, try to decel sooner as she lands from the middle jump, so you can rotate sooner too. I don’t think you need to give her the step forward to the jump as she is passing you, I think you can start to rotate at that point which will get you outta there sooner.
Good job getting to the position for the fluffy blinds! At :24 and 1:13 as you exit the BCs, this is also a good spot to be a squirrel or a penguin (or a T.Rex lol!) to show really clear extit line connection. Your dog-side arm was out away form your body, so she had trouble seeing which side to be one (and also was not sure which side after the wrap at :25. And exit line connection (showing the reward across your body with the opposite arm) will also help!
Good stay rewards mixed in! Yay!!!!
Double blinds: The Doubles are going well! On the exit of the singles we can clarify the connection – try not to let your hand come up so high as you send into the first blind, because it delays the connection on the new side after the BC. This is another good place for a squirrel or penguin – and you’ll find you can also run faster with your arms in tight, plus it is easier to get the exit line connection. You were starting to get really comfy with these – check out the amazing timing of the first blind at 1:08!!! Wow!!!! I think you will find these fun and effective 🙂
Great job on these! Let me know if the penguin/T.Rex/squirrel idea makes sense 🙂
Tracy
Hi! Bummer about all the white stuff, but I think you made good use of it!!! Your rotated FCs and spins all looked good on the single wing after the tunnel. Your tight blinds crosses looked especially fabulous – timing was perfect and your line was perfect! And connection was clear 🙂 YAY!!!!
You can take those into the double blinds, using the 3 wing set up you had at the end – you were doing FCs and spins on those, but you can send her into the tunnel so she exits facing a wing and then do a BC on the wing, followed by a BC on the flat to skip the middle wing and get to the other outer wing.I think the hardest part was the circle wraps – those were hardest for everyone! At :38, :53 and 1:14, you were doing it a little fancier 🙂 by sending her around the wing then doing a RC wrap on the wing. so she wrapped it twice. You can make this more into a reverse wrap by sending her to the wing on your right side like you did, but then moving right behind her butt so you end up on the outer line to get her to do the full 360. You were moving along the line behind her butt on the circle wrap heading back to the tunnel! She was a little hesitant on these (all the pups are, so far!) so you can work the skill by walking through them and tossing the reward behind you when she turns her head (and as you keep moving).
If you have time to re-visit this before more snows come, that is my suggestion – you can do it at a snow-safe pace 🙂 You can totally revisit the double blinds too, mainly because they are fun 🙂 But they do require more running, so they can wait until the ground is less slippery.Great job here! Stay warm!!!!
Tracy
Hi!
OMG the husky song, that was hysterical! I love how he shrugged it off and got back into the game 🙂 Good boy!Wing commitment video:
Facing backwards to the wings and standing still was perfect! When you added in moving away, he had some questions – it might have been that you were too far from the wing, so two options there: stay in the middle-of-the-box position and start moving away just as he arrives at the wing. Or, start closer to the wing and start moving away just as he leaves you. You can work both then meld them together.
When you added the tunnel, the decel in the transition became important. At 1:24, you slammed on the brakes without a clear decel, so he did not commit. 1:36 had good decel and lovely commitment – when you did that nice clear transition, he committed every time and that allowed you to leave earlier and earlier. Your spin at 1:54 and 2:00 were really good, nice flowing!
He was not as sure of commitment at 2:08 because there was not quite enough connection to his eye as he exited the tunnel, so he looked up at you. But you had clearer connection on the next rep, so it was much smoother.Circle wraps: these were hard for everyone because there is soooo much countermotion! You can do lots of throwing the reward behind you to help him finish the circle.
Try to keep moving forward with no steps to the side, even if you have to decel and wait for him to pass you – I tell myself to keep my feet together and lean forward a little. That way you won’t show any sideways steps or have to scramble out of it – that is what was happening at :09 and :34 and 1:08 and 1:45 on the other side, where he looked like he was committing (turned his head!) but did not commit. Part of that was him trying to sort out the countermotion, part of it was your sudden burst of acceleration. So you can walk through, doing less of a sideways step (more like what you did at :41 and 1:02 and 1:12 and 1:24) and drop rewards in behind you as you move forward to help convince him to finish the circle. As soon as you see his head turn, fling the reward in behind you as you keep moving forward rather then deliver from you hands, so he doesn’t lock onto where your hands are going 🙂Tight blinds – NICE! You were turning nice and early and his turns looked great on the blind which set you up for nice countermotion on the middle wing – after the circles in the previous video, this was easy for him 🙂 When you do the spin (to the blind) in the middle wing, you can move away sooner on the FC then finish the BC while moving away – this will result in better position – I think you were taking a step back towards the BC wing before moving forward to the tunnel which delayed the BC element of the spin (1:01)
The only suggestion on this one is to run a very direct line from wing to wing, so he can run a direct line – you had a little zig zag going, stepping back towards tune tunnel after the BC on the outer wing, which made it harder for him to see the wrap wing
Doubles – these went well too! He is really quick around the wings, so you can be even quicker with the 2nd blind: Keep your arms in tighter, try the bent elbows and squirrel position to get that 2nd blind in sooner in terms of connection. I love double blinds as threadle replacers, partially because they are easy and fun! Your running lines when he was starting on your left were great (2nd half of the video), so keep doing those – you were a little more zig zag when he started on our right in the first half. And oh yeah: don’t break yourself falling down! Eek!!!
These look terrific! I hope mother nature continues to give you green grass!!!
Great job 🙂
TracyHi! This one also looks really good, her commitment looks lovely!
You can do the earlier rotation on these – rotating as she is passing you – to stretch her commitment even more. You were tending to be earlier on the rotations on the FCs when she was on your left (like at :15, and also when you did the FC after the 2nd wing) – and you waited longer when she was on your right. All of her sends looked awesome, so you can see if she maintains the commitment on the send if you rotate as soon as she passes your leg (I bet she will, she was awesome at :15!)You can also add challenge by moving the wings further away… but you stay nice and close to the tunnel. This can let you play with sending her further and further away: 15 feet? 20 feet? Have fun stretching the boundaries!
Great job!
TracyHi! She is looking great here!!
On this game, you can add challenge: Start backwards to the first wing so you are already facing away and she gets the feeling of leaving you to commit, even when you are rotating and moving away. You were facing this first wing and moving towards it to start, but I think she is ready for the backwards sends 🙂 It will really help solidify commitment especially if you ever are early or slam on the brakes too quickly. When you were in motion on the wraps, your rotations were good! So now, try to do them sooner 🙂 Decelerate as she is exiting the previous wing and then rotate right before she passes you – this is harder but I think she can do it (and it will also help for when this all goes onto jumps 🙂 The race tracks were terrific, she seemed to have no questions!! Good jobs with the verbals there too! And the wraps thrown in there on the race tracks were lovely – they had that earlier rotation and she committed AND turned super tight. You were turned before she passed you on those. So, because this went so well, definitely try rotating before she passes you and see how it goes 🙂
Great job!
TracyGood morning! Sorry about the soggy yard, but your indoor work here looks great!!!
On the motion override sits – she was doing really well with responding to the cue, and you are adding more motion which is terrific 🙂 One thing I noticed is that as the session progressed and the rewards were tossed forward, she was moving forward before the release a bit. So, you can counteract that by releasing and tossing the rewards all the way behind her, so she does not have a reason to move forward (and she is not likely to break a stay to turn back LOL!). She is a little sideways on the stay which is not a problem. You can add challenge – when you toss the reward back behind her, keep walking forward. Then after she gets the treat and starts moving towards you, cue the sit while she is still behind you and you are moving – that might be harder! If not… add more motion and build up to jogging (when the yard isn’t so soggy :))Her 2o2o on the wobble board looks great! And since she is comfy with it in different places and different noises, you can combine the 2o2o with motion override: start walking past the wobble board and cue the spot behavior… and keep moving (slowly) until she hits and holds the position, no matter where you are. You were stopping relatively close to her here, so you can use motion override to help her understand that da momma will be *anywhere* and she can still get into position. My rule for myself when training my 2o2o contacts is that I build up different positions so I can stop with my feet anywhere except parallel to her feet. That way, my feet and position and stopping don’t become part of what she relies on to stop. I think she is ready for it on the wobble board!
Let me know how it goes 🙂 Great job here!
Tracy
