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Hi!
>>However I’m not really sure why my arm was floating in the air after the send before it came back and down in most of the reps. I think I’m going to blame lack of caffeine.>>Generally I blame centrifugal force but I also like to blame lack of caffeine 🙂
He did really well here. When you were connected immediately after the barrel wrap (like at :03,:23, where you were pretty immediate and also at 1:42 where you were not as immediate but still nice and early). But when you looked forward and didn’t connect til you were between the uprights up the jump, he went past the jump (:28) or was wider coming in to the jump (:48, :52, 1:09, 1:37). This is good to know: connection is helping clarify the serps for him! So, as you move away from the barrel, add more connection and look back at him more (no peeking forward as you run LOL!) I think that will make for very tight serp lines coming into the jump. The exit lines all looked great, and also the FC wrap looked great too.
Nice work! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! He is doing really well – he has added speed and is shifting his lead legs, which is exactly what we want. I see what you mean about him sometimes not being able to catch one of the intervals – I think part of that is the learning curve of the set up and not relying on waiting for your handling, and part of it is developing the coordination to keep repeating the lead changes. So, I was mulling it over… and I have an idea LOL! Start with the first 3 wings at this same distance… but have the 4th wing further away (6 or 7 feet?) and the 5th wing even further (8 feet or so?). That should give him time to get the balance and rhythm back and get into the next gap (he is consistently getting the 1st and 2nd gap, it is the 3rd gap where he might lose the lead change, right?)
We will be progressing on this in a couple of weeks, so it will be fun to see how we can help him find his rhythm as you add more wings.
Let me know if that makes sense!
TracyHi Lori and Paco!
Wow, I am impressed with his left/right turns on the first video: powerful and fast but also turning really well!! He got the right turn at the end when he had to turn away – it seems to have caused his brain to hurt for a moment, it looks like he went for a zoomer? That can happen when we add something new and difficult.His left turn away from you on th 2nd video was awesome, maybe he is a lefty? He did start to get distracted towards the end – you were creating a ton of success but it is possible that there is so much thinking in this game that he can only do 2 or 3 reps before he needs a brain break 🙂 My dogs all go through that on the hard stuff too! So maybe set up the sessions where you do 2 reps then a break or do something else, then come back.
He is muscling up so nicely now that it looks like you can add more jumping challenge – have the noodle/pail as one of the outside wings of the minny pinny, and a jump bar as the middle wing. That will give him practice turning over a bar.
Sends’n’serps
he did a great job finding the serp jump even with the tempting reward out ahead – brilliant! He also nailed it when you were way ahead AND moving faster. And no trouble at all with the wraps to balance it. Check out how he is leading with his head around the wing on the lalalala wraps at the end! SO nice, such lovely turns.
You can add more speed to this now – send to the wing and run through the serp. Wheee!>> I don’t think I had my hand up enough on the serp.
This is my only suggestion for you – have your hand held out a little more back towards him, extended away from your body, so your shoulders are turned to face the jump. That will make it more serpentine-looking and will help when we make it harder 🙂
>>He had no problems doing it though
Correct! He nailed it! He was reading your connection and your position perfectly.
You can also add in the new game from today, where we proof the serpentine right next to a tunnel – I think he is ready!
Great job! Have fun 🙂
TracyWow, this looked great! Your left turn exit on the first rep was fabulous! Nice timing of the verbal and physical cue. And his wraps looked really good too (nice verbals!) And by doing the turn exit on the tunnel first, you made it a little harder for yourself on the go (because he might have been expecting a turn). But you really emphasized the connection (arm back, big eye contact) – BOOM! Nailed it. Not only did he read it nicely, but he found a new gear of speed AND turned so nicely on the wing. You are beginning to rotate and leave earlier on the wings, and he is doing a great job of committing AND turning. Happy dance!!!! Great job!!!!! He is really looking terrific!!!
T
Hi!
>>Keiko was really focused today, and seemed really happy to work.
I think she is really enjoying the cooler fall weather!! She looked fast and happy on these videos 🙂
She had lovely speed and found the jump perfectly when you were driving ahead on the first 3 reps here. On the go on at :21 where you were stationary – she committed but she wanted to know why you were not moving haha!! You can throw a little earlier on those (where you are stationary) so she drives forward without looking back at all. When you had a similar go on at :50, you threw it earlier and she drove out with no questions (you were also a little further up the line). At 1:34 you were in the same position and also tossed sooner – we can see Keiko’s confidence growing because she didn’t look back at all on that one!! Good throw there too!
The lateral distance at :34 – not a problem at all. Your sequence of the wrap then a turn on the tunnel exit then a wrap the the go on worked nicely to help her pay attention! You had some figure 8s in the middle with front crosses, and she read those really well: note that she is leading with her head to make the turns, 1:41 was a good example of that! It creates nice, bendy turns.
One small detail: when sending her on a go or get out, try not to say her name right before it. On the sequence that started at 1:39, you gave her the around cue then the get that tunnel cue 🙂 then you said “Keiko get out”. The name call added in there caused her to think about coming to you for a heartbeat, so she slowed down. You can also see it at 1:57 – you said her name, she shifted towards you, then you told her to go on so she had to shift back. She drove the line better when you said “get out” or go on without her name, like at 1:35.
My only other suggestion is to move more and send less – she is doing well on the sending but she checks in or slows down, especially as she starts to get tired. So be sure to do lots of reps where you are moving along the lines too.
Because she is finding the jump so nicely, you can now move to the rear cross game that go added this week! Have fun!!! Great job here 🙂
TracyHi! This is looking terrific! It looks like she was able to find the serp jump perfectly each time (including when it was a backside) and she also easily read the front crosses! Nice!!!! The reward line up was really good and she had a great serp line. My only suggestion is to, when she is serping on your left side, keep your upper body more open back to her (arm back, chest facing the bar) as you run through the serp line. You were closing your upper body forward and so that looks more like post turn handling, as if you were going to head to where your a-frame is. When you switched sides and she was serping on your right side: your upper body was much more open and your arm was nicely back for the serp cue (:42 is a great example of it!)
This is perfect timing now to move to today’s proofing game of a serp in front of a tunnel 🙂 You can also continue to move the wing further away so she has more of a backside send on this set up. Great job!!
TracyHi! Sorry for the confusion! If you show her a FC just before she enters the tunnel, you will get her to turn on the tunnel exit and NOT take the jump at all 🙂 She was sooooo good at finding the jump that sometimes we can remind her that turns can happen on tunnel exits 🙂 Let me know if that makes sense 🙂
TracyHi! You are off to a lovely start here!
You and Juno looked really good on the pinwheels in both directions – you were working the connection and Juno picked up the commitment to the line beautifully 🙂 On the first couple of reps, you looked ahead while Juno was in the tunnel – it didn’t caused any trouble here (you were quick to reconnect :)) but try to convince yourself to look at the tunnel exit rather than peek ahead and then look back: those habits of looking ahead while the dogs are in tunnels are where we sometimes get commitment questions on the exit. You were perfect on the other side, looking right at the tunnel exit (no peeking ahead :))
The timing game is really hard, especially because Juno is fast!! You really raised your game in the connections to get it going and settled into really good timing on the jumps!! To make that feel more comfy, you can kind of anticipate the timing: when Juno is lifting off, you can start the next cue because you know that landing will happen right after liftoff 🙂 The element that looked less comfortable for you was the tunnel exit moment: it makes sense that it would feel weirder because we can’t see the dogs so we can’t anticipate at all! But it helped your stay more connected on the tunnel exitsm yay!! On the first couple of reps on your right side, you wanted to peek forward a bit during the tunnel which made your verbal a little late at :38 and :45. You nailed it on th next rep at :50 – perfect! You were really looking at the tunnel exit (which will end up helping with future commitment for sure!) The same thing happened on the other side: a little late on the tunnel exit cue at :59, but then perfect at 1:06. Great job!!!!Tracy
Hi!
Eek, 3 nights at camp! I am glad she is feeling better. She certainly laid down a lot of lovely runs in this video (so did you!)On the regular connection pinwheels, I am excited by how well she was working at a distance on these reps, committing to lines AND jumping nicely! You did a super job emphasizing the connection and not using your hands too much. You can probably pump your arms more to run but otherwise I think it looked great!!
Exit line connection: nice job on the FCs at :54 and 1:28 and 1:43 – your rotation set up REALLY nice exit line connections! She did a great job reading the tight turn!About your spins: at 1:05, I think the cue was pretty timely and she saw just enough connection as you ran off that she had no questions.
The next one at 1:16 was a little late (you didn’t start turning til she was in the air). She had a tiny question when she landed (she slowed down).
Try to get in and out of the spins with the same early timing you used at 1:28 and 1:43 – I really liked how you got outtta there and maintained connection. The spin would just have connection on the other side. You were trying to be early and conencted at 1:53, but she was slowing down (tired from too many days at camp?) and then you lost the exit line connection a little. The last rep probably felt the least connected (you kinda of said “whoa” while yo uwere doing it LOL!) because it was a little late and also you were using the dog-side arm to try to connect, which blocked her view of your eyes/shoulders. You were both probably tired at that point 🙂 But you had a TON of great reps!!! Lovely work!!!Tracy
Hi!
>>Yes! It is actually vet school, but my course of study is Clinical Animal Behavior, not Vet Medicine.
SO COOOOL!!!!!!! We need more people like you!!!! I am excited for you, what a great field, so much good work being done!!
>>I took the course as an elective because I thought it sounded interesting (nerd) and would be useful in my day job…I work at Rutgers University on the research farm managing the small ruminants (sheep and goats) and poultry. I also teach there. Anyway…>>
Very fun! I lived in that area for 7 years or so and have half a Masters from Rutgers… I never finished it because, well, dog training LOL!
>>Definitely playing with the bubble…the hardest place to get ahead is a situation like 2-3…exiting a tunnel. I keep telling myself, Rome wasn’t built in a day!>>
The bubble is hard because she is young – you’ll get it sorted out!
>>I wish you could’ve seen my face when I read to try the blinds! It was excited! I love blinds…used them all the time with my older dog…but have been hesitant to utilize them more with Kindle because I find it harder to keep connected, and my being able to get waaay ahead is limited by her bubble at the moment.
Blinds rule! The thing with Kindle and blinds is that because she is so responsive, you might not have to be miles ahead- you can set the bubble and still get the blinds. It will be fun to try!!
Tracy
Hi there! Yes, she is reacting and paying a lot of attention to all the cues! Yay!
Yes, I see what you mean about her wanting to come in too tight on the tunnel exit – you can mix in lots of rewards for going straight on this angle. The serp connection looked really good, both in terms of making sure she got to the correct side of the jump AND in the exit line of the serp. On the last one, it looks like you had more of a high arm which broke the connection and turned your shoulders forward – then you went to the exit line arm but she wasn’t committed, so she threadled.Good commitment to the #3 jump but work the exit line more before you say tunnel, she collected but was wide coming back to the tunnel at :15. You were more rotated at :25 but yes, running to the wrong end of the tunnel. On these tight turns, stay as tight ot the lines as possible in and out of the turns – and if it is at a distance, stay parallel or try to converge in towards the line to get to better position.
At :31, when you went to the far end of the tunnel as a threadle, she had big questions – your line was moving away and the connection was not as strong, so she looked up at you a couple of times. A spin would work better there because you could reconnect then drive the line rather than pull her to the line.
On the bigger speed-cirlce sequence, the circle line looked really nice and connectioned! At :42 she was jumping out towards the a-frame because you did not start your turn towards the tunnel until after she was in the air. You were much earlier at :57 and 1:07 on that same jump and the turn was really nice!
Then after the tunnel, at :45, you had a very high arm which blocked connection and turned your shoulders, so she threadled that jump. Remember to keep yoru arm down & back (magnet fingers :)) You had much clearer connection at :59 to get her to the correct side of the jump – it looks like she was starting to come in and take the jump but you were on her line, so she aborted mission (better that hitting you!) So try that from further ahead, so you are off her line when she needs it. At 1:10 you got the commitment (yay!) and she did come in and take the jump (also yay!) I think on that one you got her to come in because you pulled away from the jump a little (as opposed to the previous rep when she didn’t take it, you were moving on a pure serp line) so keep working on those tight serp lines and rewarding her for coming in (I think being ahead of her will really help).Moving to the sequence with crosses: I thought your timing on the FC ar 1:12 was great and exit line connection was also great! She went a little wide, and I think it had to do with your exact position – you got a little bit too deep, near the center of the bar, so she was jumping out to your position. If you stay closer to the entry wing there, it will be perfect. The timing at 1:22 on this cross was actually a little early 🙂 The wideness was about your position begin too deep on the bar, so you can stick closer to the entry wing there too.
Also great timing on the first part of the spin at 1:14 and 1:25 Nice connection too!! Doing it nice and early like that buys you time to make the next connection and she easily committed because your line was so clear. We can get a slightly tighter turn on that: stay tuned for the shifting connection work tomorrow and I think that will make the difference 🙂On the last sequence:
The jump tunnel opening looked great! On the softer turn at 3, you can turn your shoulders sooner, starting when she is maybe on stride out of the tunnel, to get a tighter turn. And that will allow you to start the FC sooner on the #4 jump! The other thing to consider on this sequence is turning her to her right on jump 4: do a FC or BC between 3-4 and then turn her to the right – which sets up a really fast line back to the tunnel.
You did a spin to get the last tunnel entry, that totally works! You can complete the spin to be reconnected with your exit line connection sooner, which will smooth out the line to the tunnel. You can also support the previous line to be able to get a FC or BC into the tunnel entry there: the blind is risky but SO nice when you get it!
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! This is going really well, you are emphasizing your exit line connection and Mouse is reading it really nicely!! The camera angle is perfect for seeing your connection! I think we can now start to look at the timing to help get the best possible turns: on the first rep, you were a tiny bit too early and he almost didn’t take the jump. The other FC reps were a tiny bit too late (I know, it is like Goldilocks and the 3 bears – too much, too little, etc haha!) If they are a little late, then connection is harder – so you can think of it as a 3 part transition: when he exits the tunnel, you are moving forward but then start decelerating. Before he passes you, start to rotate into the FC then make exit line connection. That should help it be smooth and tight! You can use the same timing for the spins: decelerate then begin your rotation before he passes you – the goal is to be done with the rotations and reconnected with exit line connection just before he takes off. On the spins, you were facing forward until he took off and that delayed the exit line connection. The deceleration is the magic of the commitment cue, so try not to slam on the brakes 🙂 And this is what the next games (posted tomorrow) will look at more: what does he need for connection and commitment, so you can get the great turn AND great commitment? Great job here!
TracyHi there!
The warm up on 2 wings looked really good as an introduction to the concept! Going to 3 wings was a god move – Her stay is also looking really good, so try to lead all the way out to wing 3 so you can handle it more easily (things happen quickly with her lol!!) I think you were not trusting her stay enough so you were moving into the handling more – which made it harder for her to read the lead changes and the motion. She did not appear to be having a hard time with the stay (but that could also be the magic of movie editing hahaha) so you can go all the way out to wing 3 and throw back tons of rewrds. The last rep was the beginning of what we are going for, she made clear changes from her right to her left! Yay!!! Good girl! You might spend more time on rewarding the stay than on the lead changes in the next couple of sessions, but it is totally worth it! She seems to be developing a really nice understanding of how to use her body when she runs, and that is making this game already look good! We will want to work it up to 5 wings eventually, but the stay will be an important element of that.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
This is looking really strong! I am impressed with your toy placement – getting it out ahead of her but still holding onto it for those early reps! Nice! It helped keep her head straight and that is what we want. I think she really liked this game – it is all about go fast 🙂 Her favorite thing! But she was also being thoughtful and finding the line to the jump – without skipping the wing or tunnel (she was tempted to skip the wing at :08 but then caught herself and did the wing – that was a BIG moment!! Good girl!!!)
She seemed to have zero questions when you changed your positions – she was great when you were ahead or behind/sending or parallel. And she also appeared to have no questions when you added distance. Perfect! So add more lateral distance, working up to you being closer to the wing as you move up the line when she exits the tunnel. And, keep moving that jump further out to add more distance. Feel free to throw in a a couple of front crosses right before she goes into the tunnel – so if she enters the tunnel on your left, do a FC so she exits on your right with the goal being that she is still watching the handling. And you can probably replace the wing with a low jump, so you can work the mirror image so she finds the jump on your right as well as she does on your left.Great job!
TracyHi!
Whoa, she is totally nailing that left turn! Very nice! She does better on the transitions into the turn when you hold her for a moment then cue the behavior – when you cued a right at :28 and she went left, there was not a clear transition so she went fast before she processed what you were saying 🙂 All the other reps had the clear transition before the cue and she looked great!!!
She wants to go really fast on these (surprised? haha! Nope!) so you can give her a little more room so she doesn’t tick the bars – start just a little bit further away, 2 or 3 feet from the jump, and see how she does with getting organized. You can also add in more of that neutral position now, but still lining her up facing the correct turn line for now.
Great job!
Tracy
