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Hi!
Sorry about all the snow!!On the first 2 reps (FC and spin) – you can run in deeper to the tunnel so you can move through the transition sooner. You got a little ahead and ended up waiting for him, which actually made the rotations a tiny bit late (it is a long tunnel LOL!)
The circle wraps are going really well! His understanding looks really really strong, in terms of completing the wrap while you move through. He only had one question on wing 3 where he had a refusal, but I think that was more of a sudden decel moment so he pulled off at the last moment (it was a FC not a circle). I see a difference between the circles to his left versus to his right: left seems like he is running and right seems like he is trotting more. Interesting! I need to mull over some ideas on how we can strengthen turning that way – probably little things like mini pinny to the right, and also earlier rewards so he drives into this right turns with reckless abandon, thinking only about cookies and toys LOL! But with the understanding looking so strong, it is a nice luxury to now get to obsess on striding! Great job!!!
TracyHi! Hope you had a good holiday weekend!!!
>>I took a few days off because Chapter has zero sense of self preservation and tweaked his shoulder.>>
Oh no! I hope he is OK!!! Looks good in the videos!!
>>I did two sessions of the teeter super short like you suggested. No running off once I got his attention.>>>
I thought he did really well! Not over-stimulated at all. Thoughtful, thinking about his body, and banging the board nicely! Perfect!
>> So the teeter class I was in prior we initially did a back up while sitting on a chair and then the idea of that class was to work with !ow teeter and side load until you got to the beginning (if that makes sense). >>>
Sorta makes sense? Back chaining?
>> Anytime he made an effort to bang the board I rewarded it because I didn’t want him to get frustrated especially with our teeter arousal issues.>>
Correct! It was smart – he had a good session! So in his previous training, was he backing up into a position? Or turning around and getting on? I think you can clarify it to be getting into position, or backing up into position – then I can add a different way I do the bang game which is fun but also pretty clear in terms of criteria (hopefully LOL!). The game I posted yesterday will also help with clarifying criteria (The Lazy Game Contacts Position Edition :))
>>We also did the wing it counter motion.
I was a bit worried since we have never done anything similar to this before but he caught on really well.>>>Yes! He nailed it!!!!!! So fun to see, he had zero problems and even let you move away really well. He is definitely ready for the next levels of this game.
>> and you were right about the verbals- so hard! I also cant ever remember my left and right cue words or know which way we are turning- what’s the benefit for different verbals on left and right versus just a wrap tight cue?>>>
The benefit is clarity for the dogs when we humans cannot get to position to show them what we want 🙂 So when we are behind or out of position, the very specific verbals will help them execute properly (and we are often out of position :)). The directionals on the wrap are very useful for when we need to clarify turning towards us or away from us, or when the dog can’t tell where we are and has to use his ears rather than his eyes to sort out the cue.
>> Wouldn’t the handlers position, motion and connection provide the dogs with the cues as to where to go?
Yes… in theory and provided that we are always in range enough that the dog can see our position, motion and connection properly. And also provided that our position, motion, connection are correct 🙂
So, I layer in as many verbals as possible. And I use them even when my handling is very clear (when I am ahead, in position and connected) so that I don’t have to think about them when I am NOT in position 🙂It is hard at first to remember the verbals, but I spend quality time in training and walk throughs working them out and practicing, so they are at my fingertips during the run. That makes a pretty massive difference to my dog, and he is much less frustrated with the imperfections of my physical cues 🙂
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! Glad to hear things are calming down at home and getting back to normal 🙂 Sleep is good!
The Go and the wraps looked really good on this video! He was starting to smoke you on the GO lines, even when you had a head start coming out of the tunnel. That makes my heart happy: he wasn’t running to catch up to you, he was running to PASS you. Yesssssss 🙂 So many dogs catch up to the handler and slow down… he was accelerating past you on your go cue, which is PERFECT 🙂 yay! The toy throws were good – he knew to just keep looking forward and it would appear out there LOL!!!!
I think the wraps are going well! Nice line to the wrap wing, no extra pressure, and he gorgeous turns. I think the last wrap rep was my favorite (2nd to last rep on the video, the last rep was a go which was a great balance). On the last rep, you were decelerating and rotating so he basically was approaching the jump with you backwards to it, fully rotated, and not only partially rotated. The fully rotated is a nice clear collection, plus it doesn’t look like a rear cross. Plus it gets you way ahead on the next line, which is faster 🙂 The other reps were really good – I really also liked the first one, partially because the mechanics were good and partially because you and he nailed it, after all of the go reps. Happy dance!
You mentioned not feeling 100% on the wraps, but I think they were really strong! Your timing was a little varied on each rep, from a little early to on time – and he did well! Great job!
TracyHi! I totally feel that about the holiday time… it is flying by!!!
He was fabulous here! The best part? The speed that he drove in to you with. It is pretty hard to convince a lot of BCs to drive in that hard when the handler is stationary and in this position, and he was all like BOOM I AM HERE! But he also decelerated into his hind end like a rockstar. That is going to end up being amazing turns AND a lot of speed in and out of them, very cool to see it this young.
Great job with your mechanics and reward placement! About the To Target Or Not To Target question: we do fade the target out pretty quickly, so you can totally do it without the target and just the hand. The key, I think, is making it more salient on the first rep of each side, that is where he had questions (then he got it really well). You can add salience by exaggerating looking at it (you were generally looking at it and he did well – on the reps when the shift to looking at the hand target was softer and not as obvious, he came to you or the other hand more than to the target). You can also add a little shake shake of the hand – a little up and down movement or ‘jazz hand’ to draw his focus to it on that first rep. That will work with the empty hand as well as the target. But you can definitely do it without the target because he was driving in beautifully to that!
His stay was great on the first rep, so I think you can use the stay and give a bigger shift of connection to the hand and a little bit of jazz hands 🙂 And he gets a gold star for ignoring the audience in the 2nd part! Great joB!!!!Tracy
Hi! An outline might make it seem too progressive when it is kind of a zig zag approach, with every dog being very different with teeter training 🙂 I think of it as a pyramid:
On the bottom level, we do the games like mountain climber to get confidence with height, love the slam for noise, lots of wobble board stuff, hind end awareness, and teaching the end position (4on or 2o2o). Then the next level up are the games that combine them, such as the bang game and the teeter tables game and adding some tip to the mountain climber game. Then at the top of the pyramid are the elevator games. We will be looking at the bang game, more of the mountain climbers, and the elevator game in coming weeks here 🙂For motion override – yes, if your sit cue does not automatically mean to stay also, you can use a stay cue as long as you keep moving 🙂
Keep me posted!
TracyHi! Good session! Yes, generalizing is difficult but I think he did well. It is amazing how quickly dogs can generalize *some* things but not others. Change of location is really hard! I like to start with tugging and tricks (or tricks for treats) in each new environment (or one that that the pup hasn’t been to a lot) to kind of get a barometer for the focus level. Sometimes, the pup can focus and we can train whatever was on my plan… sometimes the pup can’t focus and my plan goes in the trash so we just work on focus and play 🙂 And, you can ‘warm up’ a skill in a new place with a fast-forward review of the earlier stages (like you did later with the orange cones)
I can see his argument for wanting to put his front feet up on the bucket LOL! He does have a ton of value for goating things lately. I liked the cones-on-top-of-bucket set up – that was a nice tall thing where going around was easy and he couldn’t quite have the same access to your hand. After your quick review, he definitely seemed to remember and things went very well from there. He was really good about finishing his job, with you leaving a little earlier and earlier – try to keep running til he catches you and then play tug, that gives real incentive tp drive fast to you out of a turn (which helps create amazing natural collection too!).
The only other thing I would suggest is to make a noise or something silly… but don’t say ‘go’ 🙂 That ‘go’ verbal will be for the big extension lines – and this skill will eventually be wrap verbals (but not yet, too soon to slap them on). So I like to make a swooshing noise or something silly because I find it impossible to be quiet LOL!
Great job 🙂
TracyOMG! I think he is getting it! Yay! Great job with the mechanics! And I think the 2nd object (big round non-wobbling wobble board) was better for keeping him a bit straighter. It was definitely hard on the slight incline (he was lifting his head, wanting to use his front) but he will get better at keeping his head down with more practice. Is he even 5 months old yet? This behavior takes a lot of coordination and he is showing tremendous progress (and add in a new location too, yay!) After a couple of more sessions, if he still needs help going straight, we can add in the channel – but he is doing great!
TracyYes! Tugging breaks it up before the pups have time to over-think things, plus it keeps arousal level high: perfect for teaching teeter stuff!!!!
Hi!
>>Question 1: Does it make more sense to move on to the next game at the baby level or to try the advanced work (moving with her). Or should I play it by ear based on the game? I have a sense she would continue to do great with the drive ahead advanced work.>>
Excellent question!
It will depend on the game – but a lot of the games track into a similar game in the next package.
For example, you can do the Advanced level of the driving ahead to the toy game (adding movement) and start the Baby level of something unrelated, like the prop sends or body awareness. So the prop has it’s own track so you will want to work through each level on that, and the drive to handler/driving ahead has a separate track, and the wing wrapping is separate… so you can work on the baby level of all of these concurrently rather than wait for one game to be ‘finished’. Let me know if that makes sense.>>Question 2: Should I be able to post a picture in the body of the thread?
There is a way to post a photo using a link with either the “IMG” or “LINK” above, but those are going to take you to a request for a URL for a photo, rather than being able to load one from your computer. You can put a photo into your profile through Gravatar:
You can create an account at Gravatar.com using the same email address that you use on agility-u.com. Then follow these instructions to upload your profile photo over on Gravatar: https://en.gravatar.com/support/activating-your-account/Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend!!>>Also, no video yet as we practiced while waiting for my other dog in her vet appointment, but we had fun practicing the counter motion game of moving while cueing a sit. He gets it but can be a bit slow with the sit sometimes. I will get video soon.>>
That is awesome! The slower sit is probably a Border Collie moment – thinking hard and sits are hard for Border Collies! You can use a toy and lots of quick throw back rewards or releases forward to get even snappier responses to the sit cue,
>>Lennan had an appointment with our rehab vet this week for an overall assessment. Basically she said he’s perfect.>>
Well, we already knew he was perfect but it is always good to hear it from a medical professional 🙂
>>recommended grippy toe exercises to make going faster even easier.
I think wing wraps in dirt help that (or grass too, but I am not sure when you are going to see grass again) – he will be able to get low and drive around a wing, gripping the dirt or grass.
Also, I think you have those paw pod things? Let me know if “paw pod things” are not descriptive enough, I am sure there is another name for them hahaha One thing you can do is is slow-moving obstacle course with small, slightly under-inflated balance discs and paw pods, having him walk from one to the other, trying to keep his feet on one at all times. That gets toes involved if he is walking (they can compensate with thighs if they go fast on those).
>> I’m not sure if your vets are doing the same but our vets here are operating on curbside pickup and we can’t go in with the dog (the vet calls to discuss during the appointment). Lennan was perfectly happy to go in and apparently was a very good boy for everything and showed off his body awareness skills. I was very pleased.>>
Yes, same here – I am glad Lennan felt so good going in by himself!!!!! It is a bit of a pandemic silver lining: my 2 pups are both very happy to trot off into the vet without me. As much as I would prefer to always be in the room with them at all vet visits, the fact remains that it is impossible to always be in the room with them and sometimes the vet needs to have them without me – and I want the dogs to be happy with that (my 2 year old dog had to have patella surgery, all consults/surgery/follow ups were curbside, and I hear she was having a great time getting treats and being wild LOL!)
The other silver lining is that, because sometimes I am in the car for a long time waiting for the dogs, I have figured out how to use the Door Dash app to et any type of food delivered to my car in the parking lot as I wait for the dog to be finished LOL! 2020 has produced some crazy new skills 🙂
The Lazy Game on the lower bars looks fabulous: I love how he was finding the line without question, but also not blasting like a wild man: when da momma is moving in decel, be prepared to turn. Perfect!
OMG he was so funny on the first mountain climber, ‘secretly’ breaking the stay LOL!! Very stealthy LOL! I am glad he loves the teeter so much! And I am glad you recognized that and got lots of rewards in for the stay. He was terrific running across the board! And he was perfectly happy with the slam and motion. You can definitely add in your motion – walking with him with a little lead out, then adding the wing before it so both of you are moving a little more into it. Remind me: are you working towards 4 on with this, or a 2o2o?
Wing tunnel sequences – he had no trouble at all with increasing the distances!
And when you slow down the video as he is turning tight around the wing, he is using his toes 🙂 Yay!
He did better on his tunnel exits when you gave the verbal 2 meters before entry. I think just about all of your tunnel exit verbals came before he entered, but some were maybe half a meter and he was a little wider on those. At :59, you gave his left verbal about 2 meters of 1.5 meters before he entered and his left turn there was FABULOUS.
On the wraps – on the individual wraps around the wing after the tunnel, you can totally turn sooner and be basically bckwards to the wing and leaving before he arrives at it.
On the FCs on the middle wing – yo uwere fully rotated on those and he was perfect! Yay!You can add even more distance on these, and you can also add in the games from the live seminar, he is definitely ready for the higher level challenges – they also involve more running and that will keep you warmer too 🙂
Great job!
TracyHi! Hope you are enjoying the holidays!
We talked about the break release but not a whole lot – it is easy to add in: when the pup is in a sit or down, replace your ‘catch’ cue with your ‘break’ cue (whichever word you want to use to mean “come forward to me, let’s get started”. And then right after you say your break cue, you can tap the group or wiggle your toy, or tap your leg – I am pretty darned sure the pup will come to you, then reward with toys or treat. It is an easy one to teach and the pups LOVE it because it is usually followed by rewards and fun games – so I don’t emphasize it tooooooo much at this point because we don’t want the, to love the break release more than they love to stay LOL! Let me know if that makes sense 🙂
Here is the link to the Toy Transitions class:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1074089192764113
Have fun!
TracyWow, she is offering immediately here! Such a smartie! I think the mat as a destination helps her, she seemed to be truly targeting to it. At the very beginning, you can give her a little warm up – You can start her with all 4 feet on it as a reminder about it, then get further and further away as she offers backing up. And I agree after :48 or so, it looked great! And that very last rep was fabulous. She really is a super cool balanced little puppy, who seems like she has a very natural understanding of how to use her body (and lots of brains too) – that is unusual at her age (not even 6 months, right?) but it is GREAT!
So on your next session – warm up on the mat and get a couple nice and close…. then get one step further away for one or two reps. Then get close… then get two steps further away! This way you can gradually extend the level of difficulty but it will ‘ping pong’ hard ones with easy ones, using the mat as a destination.
Great job! Stay warm!
TracyHI! This was a really good first session – independent backing up is one of the harder skills!
>> I am trying so click when SHE backs up herself. Is that okay?
Yes, that is perfect, I think you did a really good job with that
>> Or should I throw the treat to get her to back up
Nope, do what you were doing: click for her backing herself up.
You got lots of good ones here – the trick is to keep your cookie hand very motionless. On the first couple of reps, I think she was trying to follow your cookie hand. But then when you stopped moving it, she offered some really lovely backing up! You can leave your hand where it was, and just use your wrist/fingers to kind of ‘flick’ the cookie back to her rather than move your hand/arm towards her. Then the cookie hand can drop in a treat between your feet again.
>>if you place the treat too…..far back. she came out and went around>>
Ha! Yes, they are clever LOL! You can do this with your back against a wall, so they really can’t go all the way through and around LOL!
T
Hi Joni!
This was an excellent choice of ‘thing’ to have her get on – it was just enough movement and noise to get her started! On her first approach to it, she seemed to think it was very weird 🙂 But then the tug breaks really really helped: she was pumped up enough on the 2nd time to get her front feet on it, and after the 2nd tug break – she got her back feet on it! Yes! Those wild tug breaks really helped her to think less about the noise or movement 🙂 This lid thing is definitely something to keep using – you can teach her to jump on with all 4 feet, or slide it around LOL! And you can put something under it like a plastic bag or bubble wrap or keys so there are other little noises added to it. And keep using your tug breaks and fast transitions – they create super high rates of success and keep her pumped up!!
Great job 🙂
Tracy
