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Hi! Happy Thanksgiving!
This is a great update – lots of success to celebrate and good info to incorporate in class or next time.
In UKI, if you think the ring crew or judge are too much in his line of sight at the first jump – you can start at a different jump and just ask them to manually start your time. That can help set him up for success in ignoring the people.
And yes – bring the treats for the waiting for measuring or outside the ring. Then for measuring, you can put the treats away to help him be still – then back to treats to cope with the crazy environment.
Try all this in class first (adding people in as ring crew distraction, getting measured, etc) then get him ready for his next trial! What does he have coming up?
Great job š
Tracy
Hi!
Yes, I have added privates to the schedule! The link is here:
https://forms.gle/3kiEzMcyj5rfmSq9AWe can do it as live zoom sessions, or you can submit video and we discuss it in a zoom, or you can submit video to get written feedback. Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
>You ruined my illusion I was doing blinds to the tunnel by pointing out I was doing late fronts, lol.>
Ha! Sorry š The video told the truth LOL!!
Hi!
Countermotion serp exits:
Aha! You used treats here and not the toy as the reward and it went great! Plus I think latent learning kicked in: he was driving around the cone so nicely!Since this went really well, you can start adding the next steps of slowly moving forward before he passes you (keep looking at the landing spot as you did here). Then you can go to the advanced level where you move all the way through the serp line on the landing side, then release while in motion.
The tunnel rocking horses actually went well in this indoor space! Yes – as you mentioned, connecting on the way to the tunnel really helped him find the tunnel. And you can connect more to him when he exits the tunnel: rather than have your hand at your side and looking ahead to the wing, have your hand back to his nose and look at him – that will help with commitment especially when you are not that far ahead of him.
>Iām getting a 3 foot tunnel shortly so maybe I can set this up outside on a nice day for more room to run, connect and send to tunnel.>
Yes! The 3 foot tunnel will totally make it easier to haul the tunnel around š And it will make it fast & fun to take it outside and to bigger spaces.
The āstacksā with your husband went really well! Brioche was 100% aware that he was there but was also able to ignore him. Since this went so well: what are the scenarios where Brioche might go nutty when your husband is around? Do I remember correctly that it might happen when your husband enters the room? You can totally now use these games in those scenarios, I think Brioche is ready.
>I would put Benni on a cot for distraction but he barks like a wild man so I think that would be a bit much.>
About it being too muchā¦Maybe, maybe not! You can try Barking Benni š as long as you can ignore Benni too. If the barking annoys you and you interrupt Briocheās training to tell Benni to shut up, then donāt use Benni. We donāt want Brioche to think you are mad at him! So you can use a Benni distraction as long as you completely ignore him.
Great job on these!
Tracy
Hi! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving!
He did really well with the stays and with finding the line to the cone! I think the next step here is to incorporate having your hand and foot indicating the jump before the release -when you were releasing then stepping to the cone, he was stepping towards you then back out. So we can update that to be you getting into position, then slowly moving your arm and leg to pointing at the line, then releasing him. That will also build nicely into getting him to look at the line (and eventually the jump) before the release too, just be sure that your arm and leg movement to point to the line before the release is calm and slow so he doesnāt think it is the release š
Great job incorporating the leash here – just remember to keep the leash loose as you line so he doesnāt feel like you are pulling him into position or pulling up on his neck to get him to sit.
Looking at the countermotion serp exits:
Great job rewarding all the stays! He seemed to understand to go to the bar/cone when you indicated it, but was not as sure about finishing the wrap. Your reward placement at 2:01 and on the last rep really helped (you dropped the reward all the way around the wing. That will help build up the commitment we want so you can start moving forward. He liked the toy but I bet he will dive on a cookie if you drop a cookie there instead of a toy!Great job here!
Tracy
Hi! Hope you had a great time with the guests and a fun Thanksgiving!
Great job getting her engaged with the toy here – she looked very focused for the whole video! Stays are looking great and she is driving to the wing really well!
>I had a few broken stays (edited out) but just laughed at her and told her that was funny. >
To help her hold the stay, you can move away with a more relaxed movement, and a slightly faster pace. If you move away with a bit of a crouch or slowly, it might make her more tempted to break the stay š because it almost looks like your body is saying readdyyyyyy settttttt GO! LOL!! So walking away a little faster can actually help her hold the stay better.
The next step on this game is to lead out further so you are parallel to the wing (on the same plane as it) so you are not sending her past you to it. Then we can get you further and further away, laterally.
>Iām really challenged by how willful she is. Iāve never had a pup like this ā and with the bitey behavior she can get pretty unmanageable. My approach has been to always have treats so that she is willing to do what Iām asking, but there are times, like when Iām putting on a rain or fleece jacket that she is a real monster. Any suggestions for how to handle that would be appreciated. >
It sounds like she is not willful, necessarily, but communicating that she is uncomfortable with certain things (like getting coats on, for example). A lot of dogs have the same sensitivities about collars going over their heads, for example.
The best thing to do is shape her to do the things you want her to do, rather than argue with her about it. For example, the rain jacket: shape her to put her head into it and then reward her for standing still while you put the rest of it on. It is kind of like holding the head hole open so she shoves her head into it š You can totally start with a lure for this, then let her start offering. That will feel a lot more sane and you wonāt feel like you are wrestling with a beast trying to get it on. And for when you donāt have the time to shape her to put it on? She can be naked on the street LOL šš and not wear a coat.
And with anything where you and she are fighting with each other, we a tackle it with a shaping approach. You will both be happier! Let me know what she else she struggles with so we can break it down.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Hi!
Nice play at the beginning, leading to lots of engagement and a lovely stay!The ‘Find it’ with the treat in the grass was hard – he didnāt exactly find it LOL! So that was distracting. You can show him the treat right before you toss it – that might help him find it so he doesn’t spend extra time looking for the treat in the grass š
For the lateral lead out release to the barrel: He drove to the barrel better when you let him see you do the big step to it. So you can connect before the release then release the stay – then step to the barrel. The step to the barrel was generally coming before the release here, so you can try flipping it and releasing then stepping to the barrel. That is what you did at 4:51, for example (release then step) then he did it. As you do that, keep your hand nice and low so he can still see the connection – that will help him drive to the barrel too!
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving!
>Got back from FL early this morning and Beat insisted on having some fun this afternoon.>
I donāt blame her, it was a boring week for the dogs that didnāt compete š
She did really well with remote reinforcement! I think āworkā (playing and doing stuff with you without food/toys) has a lot of value on its own that she was happy to mov away from the reward station.
Yes, the toy being involved definitely made it even more fun for her. She might have been wondering why it was a food-only game (which is why she was potentially looking for it), and using the toy was both more fun and more like what she will see at a trial.
The game is a little mentally hard, so you can cue her to take the toy on victory lap before she starts taking them on her own like at 3:00.
>she wouldnāt kill herself grabbing the toy off the chair so put it on the ground. Didnāt see any issues with that with her and honestly with UKI allowing the toy to be placed with the leash this is probably more realistic. >
Totally agree – I donāt think I have ever put my stuff on a chair in the ring for UKI.
>I used her āyou can grab the toyā cue since it was accessible to her. I did practice step 1 with this with it up on the dog walk and used the āprizeā cue. Since she clearly has a preference, should I use separate toy and food cues for this if the toy is up out of reach?>
You can use a separate cue for food versus toysā¦ but I think that the end of the run, the marker should indicate more of a āyouāre done, letās go get your rewardā because it is more context-specific and wonāt muddy any of the other markers. It is entirely possible that you might use some food leading up to her run, then the toy heading into the ring and as the reward at the end. She will let you know which she prefers as she starts to trial, of course, but it looks like that might end up being what works best for you both.
Since this went well, you can add more:
– have her come into the session on leash and build up to moving away from the reward station on leash, doing some tricks, taking the leash off, lining up, etc.
– if that goes well, add an obstacle or two!Tunnel threadles –
>And then we worked the tunnel threadle sequence and added in doing it āempty handedā. >
She seemed perfectly happy to do this with empty hands! Super!
>I had to move forwards more than I thought I would to get her to take the tunnel once it was in sequence, but we got it eventually.>
Yes – ideally, you can turn and face the new tunnel entry and drive to it directly more instead of rotating towards her and then trying to flip her back out. When you were rotating towards her and pulling her towards you, she thought you were cueing a throwback/countermotion on the jump. Good girl!
At 1:06 and 1:33 you moved more directly to the correct tunnel entry and she found it really well!!
You can also work on sending her miles away to the pinwheel jump and doing the blind cross between the jump and tunnel š
>In case you didnāt guess, Pick did go to his new home in Savannah GA on Saturday afternoon. >
I had no idea! What a crazy emotional roller coaster. I wish him all the best doing nosework and living his best life. You always worked to do what was best for him!
>Thereās all of ONE Speedstakes course, which is all Beat is eligible for. >
Hmmmm she isnāt even 18 months yet, right? Maybe the club will allow mulligans on the Speedstakes course so you can play twice?
>Try running the course with empty hands? Can always pull out the toy and run with it if her brain is exploding. >
Yes – since empty hands at home was soooo easy for her, definitely try the first part with empty hands.
I personally have found that the sighthounds and sighthound mixes actually did better with the empty hands – they were better able to focus on the line. This was only for dogs who were already confident in the environment (they didnāt need the support of the context cue of the toy) and she seems super confident, so I think empty hands will be easy š
>Sheās doing 14ā at home mostly now, but Iāll stay at 12ā for this trial again. >
Perfect!
>There was NO WAY I was running her in the practice ring at the Open as her eyeballs flew out of her head seeing and hearing dogs in tunnels. >
Ha! Yes! I was parked right in front of the practice rings. My young dogs who knew what agility was were VERY interested in running over there. My puppy, who doesnāt know a tunnel yet, had no idea what they were so intrigued by hahaha
>We tried to work on some things ringside, but my brain was a bit distracted with the Pick scenario and was way too tired to lug the tripod along to the ring to video any of it. It didnāt really seem to go all that well, but again, I was tired and distracted.>
100% understandable. The US Open is an exhausting event even without the emotional load of the Pick scenario. And there was a LOT of chaos in those practice rings anyway: people doing 100 reps, yelling at their dogs, fun times! So it is perfectly fine to have skipped working her in their or near the other rings.
Great job here! Keep me posted and happy Thanksgiving!
Tracy
Hi!
This went really well!! She had no trouble finding the backside when you cued it and took the front side when you cued it.After the backside, the RC to the tunnel worked really well. The FC after the backside put you a little in her way because she is so fast (bar down at :46 & :57). The FC will be easier to finish on time if you start it sooner – you were starting it just as she arrived at the entry wing, but you can do it one stride sooner: when she is definitely heading to the backside wing but still a stride away from it, you can do the FC so you are finished and off her line.
Or, you can do a blind cross there š Before she arrives at the entry wing, yo can turn your back on her and do the blind to the tunnel. That will be easier and faster for you to clear her line – just be sure to make a big connection back to her when you finish the blind so she knows where to be.
One other suggestion: You can look at her more directly on the tunnel exit to cue the wing – she curls in a bit then goes back out (:04, :14) when you are not really look at her. Her line was a lot better when you looked at her more (like at :54) so the big connection does help set the line.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Well, a 20 year old vehicle can whatever she wants. And yes, travel can throw a pup off their food, plus all of the other ups-and-downs of early adolescence. I am sure he will bounce back with a bit of rest š
T
Good morning!
>Would it also be appropriate to have him chase the treat ball when he catches up to me? He is really liking the treat ball now.>
Absolutely! The treat ball attached to a long toy is indeed a toy! One other thought (as the coffee starts to kick in): you can introduce toy-reward games away from the arena as much as possible while the weather is still good. Then when he doesnāt have to think as much about the skill, you can move his favorite games into the arena and ee how he feels about the toy in a context here he doesnāt have to concentrate hard on the skill itself. Then, do a one-and-done: one rep with the highest value toy, then move on to something else so he doesnāt give up on the toy.
>When I throw toys for him when working outside, his preference is definitely to keep and run away with the toy for a bit. Normally he takes it while I praise and clap, he runs around and chews it for a few seconds, then will lie down with it somewhere and is totally fine at that point with me taking hold of the toy, but he definitely does not offer to bring it and if I call him he just leaves the toy where it is for me to collect. >
It is good that he has made this preference clear and we can definitely use that!
>Iām totally OK with this system for right now but would eventually like him to bring the toy back with him as he does sometimes run quite far off the working area. >
Two thoughts for you:
– in a training scenario, you can attach the toy to a long line and when you throw it, he can have some of the freedom for his victory laps, and you can then stay directly engaged by reeling in the toy a bit and wiggling it around.>When we do the retrieve separately from other work, he consistently understands to bring the toy when I present a second toy, just does not always choose to actually switch toys, he might keep tugging on the first. >
Since the retrieve as a standalone game is going well, you can insert a behavior into the game so the retrieve gets added more to training. For example: using a short-ish straight tunnel, maybe the auntie can hold him on one end, facing you. You then set up a reverse retrieve but he goes through the tunnel on the way to you and the toy. Or you can use a wing wrap, etc – anything added as you cue the retrieve that he does before he gets to the toy.
>Is this fine to keep practicing with the second toy even though heās not actually switching to it? I>
Absolutely! It is possible that the second toy is part of a context cue for the retrieve, so you can use it both in the standalone retrieve games and when using a thrown toy in training. So for example, using the tunnel as part of the reverse retrieve: he goes through the tunnel, you drop the toy and are running the other way, and presenting the second toy to help him retrieve. This sounds like it will work better than the cookie trade. And him coming to you and wanting to continue play with the first toy is great – we will be able to fade the context cue of the 2nd toy when he has more experience retrieving during training games.
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
>He struggles with change more related to his training space like all my dogs have so now I have a train with chase class where I invite 2 students I really like and feel zero pressure and they get to train and give Chase the distraction he needs and Bella has been able to come too! Itās been amazing!!>
This is wonderful!!! This will all make everything easier as he learns to do agility in different places.
>Sometimes he needs a few sessions simply to catch on so I could send out first one and by the next time heās got it!>
Latent learning is magic! The first session is an intro, then he sleeps on it and knows all the steps š
>Our biggest challenge is food. He likes it but doesnāt like it when training. Me learning to use a toy for some set ups has been a learning curve!!>
Yes, using a toy is a good thing to have in your toolbox for him! But also you can build value for food as a reward in work. I do it by making āeatingā the behavior we are training, sandwiched between something fun that he loves and tugging. For example: does he love tunnels? If so, play tug, give him a cookie to eat (make sure he swallows it LOL) then when he eats it: tunnel tunnel tunnel! Then tug, then cookie, then tunnel. So it is a fun sandwiched with eating being the behavior we are building. It works GREAT! Start with high value food and as far from the tunnel as needed to get him to eat it.
Tunnel video: This game is great for inserting eating into. He definitely seemed to enjoy the tunnel!
The first rep started on an awkward angle so he was looking at the other end of it, but then things clicked into place nicely! He did a great job finding the threadle entry – he was a bit wide on the exit of the 1st tunnel as part of the double whammy, but I think that was a product of you throwing the toy as the reward on the first couple of reps. No worries, though – you can call him sooner (when he is still 6 feet before the entry) but I prefer pups come out a little straight from the tunnel so it gets easier to put them on a big line after it.Minny Pinny: To really attach the verbals, hold him by the collar, say the verbal 3 or 4 timesā¦ then let him go so he moves independently and you donāt use physical cues to get the behavior. That is the general mode for attaching all the verbals (new cue of the verbal before the old cue of letting him go) so be sure he is wearing a collar LOL
After adding the verbal without also moving, you can add in the bumps for him to go over as he zips around the minny pinny.
He was interested in the toy so was barking a bit and jumping up a little – keep the toy a bit lower in a more natural hand position. When it is up high near your shoulder, he is going to be more drawn up to it than he would be if you had it in your hand down at your side (also great impulse control practice to be able to hold it naturally).
Serps and threadles:
He is doing well with the toy on the ground, the stay, and with coming to the serp or threadle cue. Very nice!!
Be sure you keep the threadle position different than the serp position: at 2:41, your body was entirely between the uprights and your hand had maybe 2 fingers in threadle position š so he serped. It was a little better at 2:53 but your threadle position should have most of your body outside the line of the wing so it is very different from the serp position (where you are between the uprights).
You can move to the game where you are slowly adding motion to the serps.
He did well when George came in! Keep the toy moving because they is most engaging. When you put the toy down in front of him and it was stationary, it was not as engaging as it was when you doing it away from him.
>This last one was real life using pattens to help when George came in. Heās still pretty shy of people!!>
He did really well with the patterns – George was venting š and dogs read that – he was a very good boy and ignored him. He doesnāt have to be a love bug and snuggle with all the different people, but the patterns and other fun games will help him ignore them and be comfy working around them.
Great job here! Have a happy Thanksgiving!!!
Tracy
Hi! Sorry for the delay! I replied in my mind but clearly never put it in writing – I blame US Open brain fry š
This went really well:
Jump to tunnel looked great! The line up was important when starting on the jump – when she was facing the jump, it was no problem at all. On the 2nd & 3rd reps at the beginning, it looked like she was on t he line to the threadle so she read it as a threadle. I think putting it into context with the sequences is what will make that question go away.
Tunnel to jump took a moment to solidify when you were working it fro the tunnel exit: letting her see and hear the cue before entering the tunnel was key, along with your motion to the tunnel so she could commit to the tunnel. When you were working it from the tunnel entry (like at 2:06), the switch away was a little more like a RC on the entry but it still worked beautifully! Being able to get the switch away from either end of the tunnel is a great skill so you donāt always have to be miles ahead of her.
Great job here! Onwards to the mini sequences!
Tracy
