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Hi! That is so clever!!!! He did really well here too!
I think the next step for the “Ignore The Butterflies” crusade is going to be having someone else be the bubble bubbler. Have that person be making bubbles as Nuptse enters the area. Then, as you enter, you can work on the pattern game with the “butterflies
already flying around.
Separately, after he does well with the pattern game, you can go to instant focus and the volume dial games.
All you need is someone who can be the butterfly bubbler! I bet you can even do this at a trial, in the parking lot of something 🙂The UKI trial with Paco sounds FUN FUN FUN!!! I am jealous!!!!!
Tracy
Good morning! Hope you had an easy drive home!
>>Just a comment: you can see that the problem I have with the teeter at home is that he stops short (4 on) instead of 2o2o. At a seminar or trial, he comes off the teeter entirely and keeps going. I find this to be a hard problem: when the symptoms are totally different at home compared to away.>>
Ah! That is good info. So since he is stopping short (the previous 4on behavior) at seminars/classes/home, you can just leave a target out there for a while longer to get the behavior and be able to keep moving. Separately – since the trial issue is likely based in higher arousal levels – have you ever done the motion override game, where you walk forward, cue a sit or down, while you keep moving? And it builds to a run? I think you have, So you can use that game walking (then eventually running) through a target plank (or however you trained the 2o2o that is not the actual teeter) and also towards a tunnel – sometimes you say tunnel, sometimes you say “sit”. It is a head-exploder but helps teeter behavior because the dog learns to do precise control positions in the face of BIG arousal.
I also work the 2o2o with distractions super close by (I often bring a tunnel so close that the dog only has room for his front feet and head LOL!), to simulate the heightened arousal. If you have a few minutes to look at these, I think you can get some ideas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt3x9dFVvBw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Z8PVgZzH8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y01If6d4QyM
On the run:
opening – looked really good both times! I like how he reads the #1 as a lead out!At 6-7-8 the first time – was he looking at the 19 tunnel? Hard to see what happened there but he did really well the 2nd time through.
8-9-10-11-12-13 looked good – a suggestion: replace the verbal at 9 with just check, no need to say ‘jump check’ as I think it sends him a little wide because ‘jump’ is a forward commitment cue.
Yes, I see what you mean about the weave entry! He was coming in HOT HOT HOT and didn’t see it til it was too late. One handling suggestion is to give him an attention cue before the tunnel then the weave cue sooner (while he is in the tunnel) – that attention cue (ENZO! is probably a good one, meaning “pay attention because we are going to turn!”) following by the behavior cue really helps the dogs who come in hot! You can also keep him on your left then rear cross the poles… but I think that makes it harder to get the ending line.
>>You can also see on this tape Enzo’s frustration behavior: he chews on the wheels of the dog walk (or any other small wheels). I don’t know why he picked “chew wheels” but when he runs off to chew on wheels, you know he is frustrated/angry.>>
That was interesting to see! It is better than biting you 🙂 I think it tells us that you can fix the weave entry then carry on in the moment – then go back to it at full speed in the next rep. If he just had a little oopsie and really understood the cue and behavior, he would be perfect the next time and wouldn’t be frustrated. The frustration is indicative of an “I don’t understand” moment so you can revisit it later.
For the ending line:
>>The ending was just a case of having an infeasible plan. I wanted a backside slice to a Japanese and pull. I found I couldn’t get myself turned around enough to support the Japanese (after more tries than are in this video!). I had to change to two backside slices and a tandem turn.>>
You were very close to having it perfectly, per your original plan, especially at 1:27!!! I think doing it as a Japanese relies on handling to be perfect, which is really hard. But, you can do it with that blind, as early as you can – then a threadle cue. So as you are finishing the blind, you are also cuing a threadle to help guarantee he takes the jump and takes the correct side of the jump 🙂 That way you don’t need to be in the perfect spot at the perfect time with the perfect connection – that is too hard with such a fast dog.
The switch works but is slower & wider – based on you being almost perfect on that first rep I think you can just add the threadle and let the dog training help so the handling doesn’t have to do all of the heavy lifting.Course 2 – it is definitely more civilized than the previous course LOL!
The walk and the run looked good – I think you walked a FC 11-12 then ran a BC there with the dog, which is a better choice.
I liked the BC after the frame 3-4 because it landed you in the perfect spot to set the turn on the tunnel exit at 5 to get 6. I also think it will end up being faster than the dog-on-left option, tunnel threadles tend to be a little slower for more dogs.
You can send him away on the 6-7-8 line to work the big layering! It is a challenge but layering is getting to be a big trend, so it is fun to train!And another opportunity for an attention verbal:
Try to give an attention verbal on 13 to get a better line to the 14 tunnel discrimination: as he exits the tunnel and is looking at 13, call his name then start the ‘come’ cue.On last thought – you can use an earlier dig cue on the RDW – Over the weekend were were looking at timing of his threadle wrap verbal on the RDW and this is a similar situation – I think he needs his dig cue to start while he is no further than the center of the DW, maybe earlier – he exited here and didn’t know exactly where to go, so the turns got wide. I think the early dig cue is easier than the threadle wrap, because your position support it more.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>This time I pushed for more, but stayed connected and we had no bars down. We do need to work more on turns out of puppy cannons when off course jumps are on her line, but we smoked the runs that really counted. (Snooker to get to the finals and then the SS finals for the bye.
Wow! Congrats!! Especially snooker – that is a hard game to smoke under pressure 🙂 Yay!
>>First run & done!>>
With a baby dog? SUPER!!!
The walk through was really good – I felt like you were really focusing on connecting with the baby dog. I can nit pick a little (because we need to be as perfect as possible :)) – Connect more after the release rather than looking ahead immediately, and I can nit pick being connected longer after the cross 7-8 and after the backside at 9. But those are tiny details, everything else (choices, lines, pace) looked great!And the run looked great. The running start was fine, he was pumped up! And the rest looked super strong and connected – and you ran strong lines too, without having to disconnect to see them, Because I am a weirdo, I timed your walk through run (starting from where I think InvisiKal landed from 1) and your real run – they were nearly identical, which means you are getting the pace right too. Yay! Now, I think his speed surprised you on the 5-6-7 line and you hustled – which means you can drive the lines about of tunnels faster. But you were connected and made the adjustment, and I am excited about his speed through that line!!!!
You had all the connections all the way through too. Great job here!!!! And I think this will overall help increase his speed and confidence in new places (as well as help him ignore the mulberries LOL!), because high speed success like this is SUPER reinforcing and he short session leaves him wanting more more more 🙂Great job here!!
TracyGood morning!
>>In lessons, we leave the channels a very little bit open and she does great. Should I just keep working them a little open?
I would say yes to leaving the poles more open, to where she can be very successful as you add things like the independence while you are moving, then very gradually tighten them up.
She is working so hard at trying to sort out the weaving on the mats! And the mats probably don’t offer as much grip as grass or turf do, which changes how she has to use her body to weave too.
On the first video, coming in with speed she was on a slightly harder angle around the wing, so you can try an easier angle from the wing, and also open up the entry poles (which will make it easier to get the harder angles) And then as you added movement, she missed on the last rep. So keeping the poles a little more open all the way through will allow her to sort out how to stay in and let you move and have the exciting toy in play too!2nd video – looks like the first couple of bases are open then the rest get tighter? You can have all of them a little open, that will help get her into the weaving rhythm rather than some open and some closed.
I think continuing to add angles and speed while very gradually closing the poles will help – she has trouble when you are moving also, so be sure to build in your motion as well but I think you will need to open the poles more to do it – her rate of success will get higher which will allow you to add in more distractions like independence, motion, and reaching for your toy (see below :))on the last video – she popped on both reps when you reached for the toy – dogs see everything LOL! So have the toy already in your hand for now, or don’t reach for it til she has finished the poles. Then you can gradually introduce the concept of staying in the poles while you reach for the toy, but that will go better on open poles.
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>Thanks for the Click / treats for the handler…
They were well-deserved. I could only provide the clicks, hopefully you can provide the treats LOL!
The tunnel threadles went really well! On the first couple of reps, you were giving a lot of shoulder pull, turning almost parallel to the tunnel especially on her left turns – I don’t think she needed quite that much. But, as you saw in the next part of the session: adding a directional on the wing before the threadle cue helps a LOT! Eventually it will be a jump not a wing, but the turn cue to turn her really helped.
2nd video, with the bigger sequence -this is where we got to really see how the turn cue on the wing before the tunnel threadle helped her: no turn cue? She looked straight. Turn cue? She was ready for the threadle 🙂
On the first one – She was wide at :17, no turn cue. But you gave a turn cue at :26 and she was mUch tighter 🙂 Nice!
And the speed lines/sending looked great!
At :43 on the turn away (tandem) on the wing – you can get her attention on your hands (you can show her more of your hands, look at your hands – then when she is coming towards your hands, turn her away.) The cue to come in was a bit vague there and you had a lot of motion through the turn away moment so she did the tunnel where she had already been sent a few times. Now compare it to the next reps:
You did it as a lap turn there at :50 where you faced her, which definitely was clearer – as you turn her away, don’t use a lot of acceleration through the hand cues for that turn-away moment because it sends her wide. Then you had a MUCH better tandem moment at 1:04 – patient, connected! 1:26 was good too, a bit too much speed in the arm cue when you turned her away so she was a little wide. You had less acceleration on the turn away moment at 1:50 and she was really tight. Nice!
Back to the tunnel threadles:
We had a left turn tunnel threadle at 1:09 – she did not turn because there was no turn cue on the wing and you did not turn your shoulders (you were facing the wrong end of the tunnel the whole time). Note he difference at 1:32 and 1:55 – you gave your turn cue on the wing nice and early, and turned your shoulders, she nailed it. Yay!So that is useful info – the turn cues on the wing help get her attention on you and be prepared for the tunnel threadles – and then when you are quiet, she can continue to look straight.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Good work on these – serps are hard and we all need to sort out the connection required for the dogs as they learn the skill (it is not the easiest of skills for them, especially when there is a tunnel out ahead LOL!)
Seq 1:
On your first rep, you needed a more intense connection on landing of the serp jump so she knew where to be for that next line – you did it beautifully on rep 2 then you had it after that each time. Yay!oy, the neighbor dog! LOL!! Very cute but a bit distracting 🙂 I think that is why she missed the tunnel send on the next rep – good job being encouraging and rewarding her!
seq 2: This is a harder serpentine for sure, because of the tunnel being a visual distraction. A couple of ideas to help her: at 1:23 & 1:45,call more (you might have been, sound got really quiet there on the video for some reason, my internet is having a strange day :)) ) but also really open up your left arm back rotating to the jump and look at her eyes until she lands from the serp jump.
Your shoulder was forward on those so she looked at you but then read it as a ‘don’t come in’ moment. At 2:06 your shoulder was much more open and you almost had it then, you pinged your shoulder forward the tiniest bit… so she went back out. I thought your cue at 2:26 was good, but she was still sorting it out – then you both nailed it at 2:38 (Good reward!!) And the rep after that was strong too 🙂Because serping into you with the tunnel out ahead was difficult, you can also revisit the proofing game from the previous MaxPup class – I think you did that one, where we put the serp jump *thisclose* to the tunnel. My guess is she needs a little tune up on that skill – my dogs need that tune up too LOL!!
seq 3 – this also went well, it is a harder sequence! After the cross in the beginning, connect more at 3:05 to show her which side ot be on. But if lack of conenction causes her to be in the wrong spot, either keep going as if it was correct or reward as if it was totally correct so she doesn’t deflate.
On the next rep, backside looked good!
>>That backside felt reallllly awkward! I admittedly didn’t watch the video and just viewed the PDF so I bet if I went back I would see it handled differently or more clearly than I was.
I think it was strong! Maybe it felt weird out of the cross of because you were so far ahead and didn’t have to move much? You can also keep her on your right and send her to the other side of the backside but I think your decision there was the best one in terms of getting nice fast line!
At 3:43 you were too early for the blind – she exited the tunnel, you were already on the new arm and she could see you through the gap, so she was a good girl to not take the jump – you tried to save it by backing up a bit but you can also reward that (she was correct :)) or keep going.
You met her between the uprights on the FC after that – your line on the BC was better on the previous rep, but you can delay the timing til after she exits the tunnel and sees the next jump: that is exactly what you did at 4:19 (good adjustment!) and she nailed it confidently! Yay!
Great job here!! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi there!
Great job working these walk throughs, they are more important than the runs 🙂 And he looked fabulous!!!! Here are some ideas on each walk/run for you, then some overall ideas.Seq 1:
Walk through:
On the simpler lines, you probably don’t need to walk the whole line on the simple sequences – you can take a quick look but go to the harder parts right away – that will give you more time in the walk through to add the motion and connections in.
Little handling details for planning purposes: for the FC 4-5, you can move up the line to 5 not across the bar at 4 to get a better turn – moving across the bar sends the dog wide then they have to turn again after landing. A BC is also good there and probably easier 🙂
I don’t think he needs the arm check 8-9, the off course jump is not on his line so I would be surprised if he left you to take it.
On that last wrap: a foot rotation will make the difference. When he lands from 10, decel and turn your feet to 12 so he runs across your rotated feet. Upper body cues 11 and then as he passes you, you start moving to 12. When your feet faced 11, it was hard to know if you wanted the slice or wrap there.
As you added speed, you added the verbals which is great! Add in more connection though – in your last walk through, you were not really looking at the invisible dog. So, try to really see your invisiPoodle and go as fast as you can during the last part of the walk through to really rehearse the connections and the speed, so you will be ready for his speed 🙂Run: He is showing great commitment! NICE! You got caught on the quickness required after the last tunnel #9 – that is where more speed rehearsal is the walk through is helpful so you can practice getting outta there at the end 🙂
2nd run – much better there sending to the 9 tunnel and leaving for 10! You over-helped at 11 at 4:30 a bit though.
As you work it – think about handling that wrap more from the takeoff side rather than indicating landing so he collects on takeoff, and you can be showing countermotion to 12. Having your feet rotated to face 12 is great more like what you did at 5:17 because it really cues the turn. When you rotated to fully face 11, he jumped wide (correctly) plus it opens up the 10 jump as a 180 – he didn’t take that jump but he did go really wide and look at it.
The swing to the slice side worked but it was the longer (slower) line so your wrap to the inside was the correct decision.Sequence 2:
Good handling plan in the walk through! As I was bugging you about in the first sequence: more connection needed especially on the serps – the last serp was really connected on the walk through, so make sure all your serps are connected like that in your walk throughs – always look back for InvisiRiot 🙂
Also the plan is good but you can consider a blind 6-7 rather than the FC but either way, connect more – practicing the connection there will helped you also find the line at speed so you can execute it perfectly.Run – missing the connection rehearsal 6-7 bit you here: you tried to connect after the FC 6-7 for the first time and at speed, and it ended up putting you on the wrong line so he took the front of 7. So in your walk throughs, remind yourself to look back to the dog after a cross and also go fast as you do it 🙂
After you get the FC on the backside of 7, try not to back up then go to 8, just run forward to set a nice tight line there.
On the backside serp at 9 – this is a spot where connection will be really helped. At 3:16, you were looking forward to the tunnel so he didn’t see connection: he looked at you and ran past it because your shoulders were closed forward. Much better connection on 2nd rep! It is definitely a skill to work, so all you will need to do is connect, you won’t need to decel or back up. It is hard, especially with a tunnel right there 🙂
The Ending serp was great each time! Not surprisingly, you rehearsed it with connection and speed so when you ran it, you ran it with connection and speed. Yay!!
Overall ideas to add to your walk through checklist:
– More connection, try to obsess on ‘seeing’ Riot
– Look for the blinds 🙂 if you see a FC, try to replace it with a blind and see if it makes sense. I’d say it will most of the time! And remember to re-connect after the blinds and the fronts.
– Move faster in the walk throughs, for more reps of it – try to go even faster then you think he will go, And repeat the fast part of the walk through several times til you can do it with complete connection and verbals.Great job here!!! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! She was so funny on the teeter LOL!!
The tunnel turn at the beginning looked good! Yes, crossing on the exit of the next tunnel is aggressive but you had it at :24 – you just needed to trust the sending and go go go 🙂 You’ll know if it is a bad idea in the moment based on where she is: of you are near the exit before she enters? You got it! If she enters before you? Plan B!! You were 5 or 6 miles ahead at :37 and got it really nicely 🙂
Next sequence:
You can give her a slightly better line up at 1, more of a slice – it is a really hard angle but it will set up a straight line to 2 (and she totally can do it, she is great at those.
She hit the wing of 2 at :57 – more connection needed as you turn and go, I think you were looking ahead and broke connection so she started to rush.
Then push more to the poles, she didn’t know what you wanted at :58 because you were pretty stationary – connect, run, drive her right in 🙂On the middle section 5-6-7-8-9-10:
She did really well on all of the independent commitments on that first rep!!! I would probably keep her on my left for 6 and the do the slice side of the 7 backside (faster line there and to 8) but she read the wrap really well.
On landing of 10 – connection more at 1:20 so she can see the line to the poles – look her right in the eyes 🙂 more like what you did at 1:30 and 1:54, that worked well!About her weave questions after that:
She was going really fast and couldn’t hold on to the weaves there on the first rep – good job starting her again with speed but it was still hard for her. You made it simpler, and she missed again.
I don’t think the time out at 2:10 was a fair one – she was trying hard, just slipping on the skill of driving ahead of you. The time out is a negative punisher and also you had a cranky word or two for her there, which is also punishing to the dog.
So, what to do instead?
Ask a different question, if she can’t answer the original question correctly.
You can make the entry simpler, or switched to the other side or even other end of the poles – or tried it again later.Also, if you think she was over aroused, you can do the pattern game from the transition to trials games to get her into a less aroused zone. But I don’t think she was overly aroused there – she was trying really hard – so it looked more like a matter of trying to sort out her hind end at that speed. So you can break it down into opening up the poles a little or going to 6 poles so she can get experience with speed on that angle. Over-arousal tends to manifest as popping out and barking at you, or spinning, or blowing past the weaves entirely.
By changing the question or simplifying it or playing the pattern game, you can get reinforcement in and have a really positive end to the difficulties and also get her closer to being able to hit and hold the weaves at speed and in arousal. The time out is a punishment (especially if you are cranky before it, and you were cranky :)) – punishment will just suppress the speed. I mean, she doesn’t make you lie down when you mess it up a couple of times, right? LOL!! She got the weaves after the punishment because punishment suppresses behavior – in this case, the behavior was speed. I don’t think it helps in the long term, so if she has misses – you can look for a different way to help her out but try not to punish her. Let me know if that makes sense 🙂
Nice work here!
TracyHi there! Lots of good training here!
1st video, laps and tandems:
Hooray for getting out on grass, it really helps her!
Good work on the lap and tandem turns, and yes – it was a smart training choice to break it down to get the mechanics.
The lap turns are going well, just be careful to be patient and hold your position facing her until she arrives to just a couple of inches away from your hand, then start to move then turn her away. For example, look at the last 2 reps on the video – you moved too soon on the 2nd to last rep so she went to the other side of the wing, but waited longer on the last rep and she got to the correct side. Yay! Then, because it is a new and difficult skill for her, move your hand slowly as you turn her away so she gets the turn away idea. Most dogs find it a bit weird to turn away from us at first, then they get used to seeing it.
For the tandem turns, you can show her the hand cues sooner, just before the release from the stay, or when she exits the tunnel if you are using the tunnel first. That will focus her on your hands and then you can get her to come in better. And as with the lap turns, move the hand cues slowly so she can turn her head away.The zig zag grid is going well!! That is a good distance for her. Being in grass was perfect because she did a great job of bouncing without slipping.
You can now start to add your motion as a challenge by releasing sooner so you are moving while she is jumping 🙂 it is hard for the dogs!Serps: this is a hard set up and you did a great job working it out while maintaining a high rate of reinforcement. A couple of ideas for you to smooth it out even more:
When she wasn’t taking #1, you can move her over (further from the tunnel and pole, closer to the other jump on that parallel line) So she can see that jump better. Changing your position at 3:47 helped too, she could see you more through the uprights.
About the tunnel commitments: when you are starting with the tunnel or moving to it from a jump, be sure to make eye contact with her and resist temptation to look at the tunnel. When she was missing at the beginning, you were looking ahead but when you looked at her at :45, she got it really well.
Coming from a jump, When she is supposed to go into the tunnel but you are not connected (like at 3:53) then she looks up at you and follows your shoulder turn so misses the tunnel.
At 4:26 and 5:03 and 5:38 she read your motion to the tunnel but you looked ahead so she got into the tunnel, from the other side of you. Compare it to 6:18 when your connection was perfect and she knew to stay on your right side and take the tunnel. Yay!
When you were looking at her more after the single jump like at 5:14 she got the tunnel perfectly too. Compare that to 5:50 when you were looking at the tunnel and she was behind you, so she was not sure which side to be on and was heading to the other side of the tunnel. The connection gives great side information, meaning she knows which side to be on, so she can go directly to the tunnel and not have to look up at you.I think the poles contributed to some of her confusion when looking for the jump after the tunnel – she couldn’t really see the jump when you were (correctly) on the landing side like a few times in the beginning then later on at 5:04. She did figure it out towards the end like at 5:57, but you can also angle the jump so the pole doesn’t hide it as much to make it easier for her to see after the tunnel.
But when you went to takeoff side of the jump after the tunnel, she found it every time because she could see the jump based on your line of motion – it worked better when you were continuing straight up the line to the next jump, she got that at 5:20 beautifully and every time you went through that line. Nice! It was harder to push her to the single jump on the other side, though, so the handling from the landing side there was the correct choice (but the pole was in the way a bit like at 4:32)Great job here! Let me know if the ideas make sense 🙂
TracyHi! He looked great with his SL work in the yard. If food is the big reward at trials, then you can do the bulk of the work with food to simulate what will happen at trials. He definitely seems to be understanding the “let’s o get your cookie” cue!
>>Until he had explored the area for awhile, he was not going to play with me.>>
He did really well with the sequences in the agility area! Was this after he had explored the area and certified it critter-free? If so, then it is a great opportunity to use that area for pattern games, instant focus on volume dial – because the area has a history of distractions, you can bring him to it on leash and work those games to help bring him to focus and engagement without exploring the environment first. Let me know if that makes sense.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
It was great seeing you on Saturday!! You and Enzo looked great and I am so glad you came!! The Covid uptick has put a hold on a lot of plans, so there is a spot open in Minneapolis in a few weeks, then I think the next seminar is in Salt Lake City (unless it gets canceled for covid) in mid October then in Virginia in mid December (also pending covid, but by then I think we will all have our boosters on board? I might add a couple of indoor things in North Carolina in november or december before the weather gets too gross for travel.The videos/class materials are available permanently, no ending date so you should be able to access them whenever you want 🙂
Have fun with the Pack 5 courses!
TracyHi!
<
> I think the lead out is appropriate, but the run starts at the release. You can hold still but then work the rhythm of sending to 2 and leaving, at the speed you’d need to do it at during the actual run. That will inform the muscle memory of the plan 🙂
>>At trial, people treat their dogs not the nicest and it’s on display for everyone one? Do you stay aware and reinforce engagement more?
For example, there’s one person here locally that I can’t even watch run because she screams at her dog so much her entire run. It makes me so upset every time. What would be the best way to handle that situation, if say you had to run right after or a few dogs after?>>If that person is a “known quantity ” or there are multiple people like that, you can hang back away from the ring and use classical conditioning. Let the gate steward know where you are (tell them why you are hanging back if needed) and promise to be on the start line on time, but protect the welfare of your dog in that situation. It might be less of an issue in a really busy trial environment because it gets buried in all the other noise (or not, so adding distance and classical conditioning will be needed either way).
>>
I like you’re CER analogy. My nurse and I talk about how sometimes you end up in the forest (forest being an analogy for several things) but it’s really hard to see that you’re in the forest until you’re in the middle of the fucking forest. I can see him have a moment of disengage and then I can’t get him out and it keeps getting worse with start and stop because I’m trying to fix it.>>I like the forest analogy!!!!!
T
