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Hi!
On the ladder grid – I don’t think motion bothered him but it definitely affected him a bit 🙂 I can see him having a bit of a side preference here – yyou can see it on the first couple of reps when he is on your right. Note how on the first 2 jumps, he jumps to his right (not straight) and is on the far side of the bar away from you. He straightens out a little over jumps 3,4,5 but has that right side lean on each rep. Interestingly… he also leans to his right when he is on your left! When watching the reps with him on your right, I thought the lean was perhaps a bit of a BC stimulation issue (BCs push away from pressure when stimulated) but since he is still leaning that way on the other side (and not pushing away or jumping to his left) then it is more of a strength/balance thing and less of a BC pressure thing 🙂 Watch it in slow motion and it is easy to see where he is on the bar (he is too fast in real time LOL!)
So – I suggest no added motion yet – show him this same session one or two more times until he is straight. Also, if you can video tape from the side (even if it is further away) then we can get a look at his hind end better to see if he is pushing off one side more strongly than the other (that is my guess but Ican’t tell). That will help us decide on how to add balance and strength on the other side. BTW – this is totally normal with young dogs that like to go fast 🙂On the wrap to short ladder – I don’t see that lean at all! I think having the toy already on the ground REALLY helps him! So this i the grid you can add more motion, with the toy on the ground. Try adding more motion with the toy on the ground for 2 short sessions, then at some point (if it ever stops raining this week) do a session with less motion than the previous session, with NO toy on the ground.
And, going back to the 5 jump grid aboe – put the toy back on the ground and let’s see if we still get the lean 🙂
There was a little discussion on the video about how many times to say go – you can say it once or twice here because the distance is so short – but as the distances get bigger and there are 3 jumps in a row, 20 feet apart – feel free to yell Go about 10 zillion times LOL!!
FCs – the are wraps so this is probably why you mentioned using the opposite arm/’new’ arm to cue it – yes, I also handle wraps this way with the new arm presented pretty early. I figured we were generally talking about the same thing LOL! The drills where I mentioned committing the dog with dog-side arm & leg when landing from previous obstacle or exiting tunnel (then rotating) were what I call “fluffy” FCs, where you are going through a pinwheel or box, for example – and you are doing a FC between the middle jump of the pinwheel and the 3rd jump (not a wrap). When you play with those, you wil feel the difference. We wil be addressing wraps more specifically in this class too, soon 🙂 For him on this video – give him more of a transition into it: go fast, then decel then rotate to that new arm. It will add more speed into and maintain the collection. He was turning well but not driving in on the first 2 reps because you were in decel the whole time. The 3rd rep had more motion and the 4th (last) rep was my favorite – you did a fast-slow-turn transition and he was fast AND tight. Woohoo!!!!
One note about using the ‘new’ arm – keep it on takeoff side of the jump. You were leaning back and putting it more on landing side of the jump. Takeoff side will allow for an even earlier turn cue and prettier turn, plus you weight shift will be in a better spot for the new direction. More on that coming shortly 🙂Nice connection and reinforcement on all of these!!!
BC video – for these BCs, try to do fluffy ones, through the pinwheel, rather than wrap BCs. A wrap BC also needs the transition or it becomes what I call “backwards info” – on these, you were decelerated then accelerated into the blind, so the cue ended up late. Run deeper into the tunnel so as he exits, he sees you running hard for a step or two, then slow down then turn on the takeoff side of the jump… all before he makes a takeoff decision – that is no easy feat! And then with the reinforcement: yes, reward across the body for connection but more importantly: keep run run running so he drives out of it. But for now. play with the fluffy blinds thorugh the pinwheels so you can work the timing and connection with more speeeeeeeed 🙂
Nice work here!!! More on the wraps coming shortly 🙂
TracyHi Jill!
On the handling video:
Rep 1 – he came off the line before the cross because when he landed from 2 at :03, you were already disconnected, toy changing hands, so he came off the line(it looked like you were starting the cross so he was paying attention, good boy!) You were early 🙂Rep 2 – so much better connection on landing of 2! But then maintain the connection on landing of 3 after the FC so that he can see the line (he slipped there).
Rep 3 and 4 – he went shooting out of the tunnel past #2 – he almost did this on the first rep, so he probably needs you to be a little closer to the middle jump as he exits so youcan show him the jump more clearly. You had better position on the last rep, a bit further over, but you had also just rewarded him so he was looking for it. You can definitely work on speed lines from tunnel to jump, with rewarding for finding the jump, that will make it even easier.
I loved the timing on the BC on this last rep! Woot! Nice turn! And he found the line after it 🙂 You can give him a little more connection here, keep reminding yourself to look him right in the eyes after each cross.Jump grid – he thought the progressive was really hard! First rep was easy for him, nice big one stride to the last jump. Did he do more than one rep on that? I am curious to see if he liked what he did there and repeated it on the same distance, or if he changed it on the next rep.
2nd rep was harder, he had trouble sizing up the distance to the last jump and shortened up. On the last rep at :26, he wasn’t sure of where the take off point was in extension so he added a collection stride in. That means it was too hard (distance plus a relatively tall bar for a youngster plus the distance between bars on the oxers. So – try this progressive with a single jump, no oxer, and a really low bar. And since he is small, you can move the jump out by a foot on each rep or two and see how he does!
The only other tweak is to start him a little closer ot the first jump, so after the release the fitst touch of the front feet is between 1 and 2 and not in front of 1 (I don’t think this had anything to do with his question on the last jump though, it just makes it easier to power into the line).Nice job on these! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Jump grids:
video 1: he had better use of his rear – he was pushing from the rear rather than carrying the rear, so this was good to show him again. When you were behind him, though, he was lifting his head (on that 2nd rep in particular) and not driving ahead as much – so you can back chain this a bit, starting him right in front of jump 4 an you are parallel, release and move forward (not too fast) so he can figure out driving ahead on these grids. We want him to be happy with that before we add more that might require driving ahead.video 2: You had more motion, so he didn’t have to drive ahead – he maintained his good form on the first rep and then the 2nd rep was even better. Yay!!!
>>I have not been able to do more work on the progressive striding grid based on your guidelines on maximum jumps. So maybe next time instead of the ladder grid, do you want to see something on the progressive striding or continue the ladder grid work this coming week?>>
The grids all pinpoint different things, so you can work them in a rotation: on one day, do the ladder with him driving ahead. On a different day, you can revisit the striding grid. I always like to see the dogs practice this as the jump height at the end goes up and as the distance increases.
sequence 2B –
On the first rep – you can call sooner out of tunnel (say his name just before he goes in, that is probably all he needs :)) and you can also blind sooner on the jump after the tunnel. You were starting it as he was taking off, so it was a bit late. Also, you can send to the tunnel and leave sooner to get further up the line so you are more out of the way. On the tunnel sends, you were post turning and then leaving, but you can send and get outta there, either with an immediate step away or by doing a spin on the tunnel entry (which will also turn him really well on the tunnel exit). On the 2nd blind – good timing! Be sure to make more connection on the exit line – but one thing I think will also help if is you are closer to the wing of that jump. This is a relatively tight turn, so the tighter the turn, the closer you can do it to the wing to help tighten it up. And that will also make connection easier on the exit.2nd rep – better position on the first blind, you can can still be earlier 🙂
2nd blind – still good timing and much better connection!!3rd rep – First blind – you can get away from the tunnel sooner to be earlier on the blind as well as being further up the line – which makes it easier to make better connection on the exit
Good timing on the FC!! He needs more connection on the exit here too – he was turning nice and tight but then slipped on landing, looking for connection.4th rep – Other side – you can see the tunnel line you ran better here – you sent and your line of travel traced his line in the tunnel, which made you late for the blind and position. The send and leave (or a spin to get out of the there) will really help! Your timing was better here for sure, yay!!!! But getting away from the tunnel sooner will make it easier. to be earlier and off his line so he sees the next jump clearly.
On the 5th rep – at 1:06 you had the best timing on this blind so far, nice and early! But you were still a bit in his way, so definitely focus on leaving the tunnel sooner so you are off his line when he lands from the BC jump.
The FC definitely works better on the turn there than the blind (turns your feet to the next jump sooner :)) so playing with it closer to the jump will make it even prettier.
At 1:20 – I think this is a harder side for you – this rep was later than the previous reps nd also, remember to make exit line connection with the dog-side arm back. You were looking forward with your arm forward, so he almost ended up on the wrong side and had to make a quick adjustment when he caught up to you.
On the timing of the BC on the last rep here – you don’t have to hold onto the serp of it for that long (1:25). You can call him and keep moving, doing the BC as soon as he turned towards you.
Last video – yes, so much better with the sending and timing of the blind! Nice!!!! After the blind, run more directly forward, almost to the center of the tunnel. You ran a bit of a wider line so he went wide. Because it is hard to see the line and also connect to him, you can work on staying closer to the jump and sliding right past it which will keep you on the line.
Nice job here! We are basically just tweaking handling, which is really cool because it means the training elements are all coming together.
Tracy
Hi Cindi!
He looked really happy to be out on the grass even if it was hot and windy! The pinwheels are looking terrific. His turn over jump 2 is *super awesome*, it is pretty perfect for this type of pinwheel, doesn’t need to be tighter at all!!! And his commitment looked really lovely. AS the middle jump got further and further away, he was slowing down a little bit (probably asking “why are you hanging back there??”) so you can throw rewards for him to the landing spot of jump 2. On a ‘real’ courses (rather than this set up where we were working commitment specifically), you could do in past the first jump for another step or two, which will get more speed out to 2 (something to add when you put a tunnel in front of it for this set up, or when you move to the week 2 games 🙂 )>>On rep 2 here I think I said Go as a cue to jump 3. But I cued after he had landed and was turning toward it already so looked like a Go at that point. I think ideally I’d be saying Come as he’s taking off for or landing from Jump 2.
I think that is a great place for the go – he had landed and was facing the go line! You used a jump verbal on the way to 2 – it appeared to mean “go to the jump and turn back to me” so you can repeat the cue (“jump! jump!” on the longer distances. You can use a ‘come’ cue but he was already turning so brilliantly that I don’t think you need it – and it might even pull him too tight to you on the bigger distances. You can try it and see how he does!
>> Since this is kind of a wide-spaced pinwheel for him I could theoretically see saying Come before he takes off for Jump 2 as signaling a tighter turn in the air but worry that could pull him off the path to Jump 3.
Totally agree – he looks amazing on the turn, I wouldn’t want to ask for more.
>>It’s kind of hard since his strides are so short and turning is so easy. I’m used to a bigger, long strided dog where I would really need to cue collection for this type of turn from 2 to 3 so end up overthinking it a bit.
It is what I call a Champagne Problem haha!!!! I think you’ve done a lovely job of teaching him send-and-go commitment so he understands how to commit while setting himself up to turn, Looked great!!!!! I think you can move on to the week 2 games that add in crosses to get even more of an idea on how to handle your little speedster. Well done!!!
Tracy
Hi Nelci!! Hope you weekend is relaxing after a busy week!
Your 1 jump reps looked terrific! I particularly liked the reps at :07 (BC) and :11 (FC): great timing and connection, and you kept running with the reward so he really powered out of them. NICE!
2 jump drills: also looked great. The FCs and BCs on both sides looked terrific in terms of timing, connection, and running line. Note how nicely he turned AND how nicely he powered out of them. Yay!
On the 3 jumps – on the first rep, you did a ketchsker/spin (FC to BC) – it was nice LOL!!!
2nd rep – BC on the landing of 3 – very nice send and great timing of the blind, it also looked great!
At :40 you did a BC between 2 and 3 – perfect! This is what the exercise is supposed to be LOL!
4th rep – FC on landing of 3 was also really nice!
5th rep at :49 – he had a question (dropped the bar) and it was a really good question LOL! – you completed the blind before he took off for 2, so he should have NOT taken 3, not sure if you wanted it or not? If you want to do a blind on 2 and not take 3, try it closer to 2 so he can see the line better.
Same thing on the last rep at :56 – you were totally finished with the blind before he took off, and you were i the spot for a Forced Front Cross… so he should have come to the backside of 3 (freeze the video as he takes off for 2 and you will see what I mean :))
So on these 2 reps… you are too early, Send to 2 and run away, but do the blind after he lands from 2 like the 2nd rep here.Overall – looking really great!!!! We can start to fade out the exaggerated exit line connection with the toy across the body, bit by bit – make the first connection at the exit of the cross with it, but then relax the arm so it slides away(don’t hold it up the whole time) as you move to the next jump while maintaining your connection.
He looked really good at 12″! You might want to play with these a bit at 14″?
And he is definitely ready for the sequences. Great job!
Tracy
Hi!
Yay! He is totally finding those lines with a lot more independence and you can now be nice and lazy 🙂 He was finding the jumps after the tunnel particularly well! You can raise the bars on this, but you can also move to the week 2 games which will have similar challenges 🙂The send and go pinwheels are looking great! Your work on the commitment in the lazy game is showing here – he looked great! You can start him further back (both of you further back) so you can drive him in and try not to go past the first jump 🙂 You can also add a curved tunnel before it – so send him through the tunnel and into the pinwheel, then take off and head back towards the tunnel. The excitement of the tunnel will definitely add challenge! And as the pinwheel starts to get more and more spread out, you can also start to raise the bars.
Well done on both of this!!
TracyHi!
On the first 2 reps, you started the FC and BC as she was taking off for #3. So on these, send her away to 3 and when she is landed from 2 and looking at 3, start the cross 🙂On the 3rd and 4th reps (BC on the landing side of 4) – send more to 3 as a one-step send when she lands from 2, so you are more easily able to get ot the BC. Going deeper into the tunnel will help you be able to propel her forward to 2 and then send to 3. That will show her a line of motion that draws her in, plus call her over 3 so she drives right in. Timing was good of startng the blind but she needs more of a positional cue as you drive away to 4.
On the other side, first rep – at :51 I think this is the slip you mentioned – that was a late shoulder turn. As she was approaching #2, you were facing straight so she went straight over the jump, then you turned and she scrambled trying to make the turn. She didn’t take 2 on the next rep – probably due to you watching her too much, not really running at the jump, perhaps thinking about the slip.
>>Watched it again, on the last sequence am I pushing her out on that line and making her switch to her left lead?>>
Yes, I think you had a bit of over-helping so she pushed away then she knocked the bar on that last one.
So – play with this in terms of really trusting her commitment (use verbals to support that) and try to see her landing from the #2 jump, tell her to jump 3, then start the blind. If you are too early, you will pull her off, no worries 🙂 You will likely also need to get a step or two further ahead which means committing her to #2 from a little ahead as well.
Let me know if that makes sense! I think she has the commitment skill to let you turn nice and early 🙂T
Hi! Thank you for the reminder, I was trying to remember how he did and I couldn’t find the link! It might have just been the long line, it might have just been the day LOL! Definitely worth revisiting and see how he does 🙂
>>Also, on the sequences for the send out to the second jump after the tunnel and blind cross between the last jump to the tunnel. Is the goal NOT to pass the plane of the third jump at all? And should I adjust the position of the yellow/purple wing jump…?>>
Yes, you won’t want to go past the wing then have to run back to the line – try to strategically drive closer to the tunnel and jump after it so that you can send to jump 2 and you will be easily at jump 3. And you don’t need to adjust the position, it is a good challenge and you are more than ready for it 🙂
Tracy
Hi! I agree, I think these went really nicely! He is able to produce consistent powerful jumping, even as you varied your motion – that is great! I notice that he had a little trouble on the first interval – it took him a moment to organize and he had a slightly heavier landing and push off in that gap. He didn’t have that trouble in the other gaps, so we can help him out a bit on the first jump by just lowering the first bar to 6 or 8 inches. For now, that will help him get organized as you add motion. I think you can also add in the wing-to-ladder on the 3 jumps, but try that with all 3 jumps at 8 inches for the first few reps – then the 2nd and 3rd jumps can go higher but leave the first jump at 8. If believe he will sort out how to get into the grid then the bars can go back up after a few sessions 🙂 Let me know if that makes sense!
Tracy
Hi!
I agree that she is a little inconsistent in her approach to the reward on that last interval, but I think it is partially about the reward and partially about her figuring out how to use all of her power. I LOVE her power! And I am happy with her form on the first couple of intervals.
So, for the next session, try this on just 3 jumps and we will see if she can maintain her form (if she leaps on 3, then we know it is the reward that is stimulating it LOL!!! My 20 month old dog did the same thing at the same age) So if she can maintain her form on 3 jumps, you can add 4. the nwe can go back to 5.
I think we can also try to change the reinforcement to discourage the leaping for it – rather than the toy out there, you can put your tunnel out at the end, or a jump wing, or a plastic lid as a target, or a dog bed or cot if she likes going up on one of those. That way she has a visual target to help promote form, but it won’t as exciting as the treat or toy. When I was working through the leaping with my girl, I used a low flyball jump LOL! And sometimes also a jump wing to go around then get the reward. It worked like a charm!
Let me know if that makes sense, she is doing really well!!!1st video:
the 1 and 2 jump games looked really good – you were really emphasizing your mechanics and connection and he read them beautifully 🙂
On the 3 jump games, you also had lovely connection and reward mechanics, so now I can bug you about timing 🙂 On the FCs at :22 and :28, you started them as he was over the bar of the FC jump so he couldn’t read it til after landing. That is why he was relatively wide on those. Compare it to the timing of your BC at :32 – you started much earlier and so you were reconnected before he took off – lovely line! And compare that to the BC at :37 – you started it as he was over the bar, so I think he either ticked or knocked the bar (hard to see, I think it was just a tick). So, on these 3 jump games – when he has landed from jump 1, tell him to take 2, keep moving… but start the cross so you are finished and reconnected before takeoff like you were at :32 (and keep up the excellent connection and rewarding!!!!)
If you have crappy weather ahead, you can probably play with timing on just wing wraps in a smaller area, just using 2 wings as the inside wing of the jumps!Jump grid – he was super keen on these!! I think you can add the motion more slowly, starting further up the grid. Because he was so keen (yay!) he had more power coming into it and then he lost a little bit of control in the last interval (a bit of a Texas rodeo moment :)) So do a session or two where you do walking from way out ahead on a couple of reps, each side – try to watch the video between reps to see if he jackknifes at all at the end. I watch in slow motion :)) If he is balanced for 2 sessions, add a little more motion. It is hard to see ‘in real time’ so watching it back in slow motion will help. When you were jogging, he was definitely still sorting it out, so we will revisit it soon! I love how keen he was to do these, but also how great his stay looked and how he was focusing ahead. Yay!!
Well done!! Hope the rains aren’t too bad!!!Good morning!
Jump grid:
How did he do when you lead out past 5 and added motion? He is changing his form here with you at 3 then at 1-2 – each rep was different, so he is still sorting it out. He was carrying his hind end more on the first one (where you were at 3) but had more power when you were at 1-2. So I think he needs to see this more without changin variables, until he sorts it out and it looks like what he was doing without motion. If he still has questions, go back to releasing when you are past 5 for a few sessions. I think you can also start the next session with that as a way to help him get back into the groove of it all.Sequence rep 1:
Nice timing on your both of your FCs! Yep, you need more connection on the exit- but you fixed it for the 2nd rep!
Great timing on the BC at :40 too! Such great commitment from him as well. You also worked the connection on the exit line there – I think the FC produces a better turn on this particular type of sequence, but I think you and he were terrific on both.
If you have trouble getting the exit line connection without a toy, show him a small invisible toy across the body 🙂 That can help you fade it out!
On the blind on the landing side of the last jump (last rep) – you went a little past the jump t hen had to hurry back and that made you late and a little in the way. So, strategically – run in closer to the tunnel and closer to his line to the next jump – so he sends away to the jump before the blind with you needing to really go past your ideal position – then call him and hustle away, doing the blind as soon as you see him turn towards you after landing from the previous jump.Afternoon session:
>>The angles are different going this way…is that intentional in the course design or did I set it up wrong?
They are slightly different but I think you might have the yellow jump a little too far in? No worries though – it was a great session on harder angles, he did well!
You were not quite as early on the FC and definitely not connected, so he didn’t know which side to be on. I think an invisible toy will totally help. You emphasized the connection on the next 2 go-rounds and he found it much better! Timing also got earlier, which allows you connect sooner. Your blinds were earlier too in a good way til it was too early haha!! But you fixed it and had really great commitment on the last one!
On the very last rep, blind on the landing side of the serp jump – nice!! This was more of what I mentioned above about staying closer to the line so you didn’t get too far past it. The send set a great line and that allowed you to be further ahead and turn sooner too. Nice! The only tweak on that one is to run more of a straight line to the tunnel, almost to the center of the tunnel so you end up on the proper diagonal – you were a tiny bit too far across so he had a slightly wider line.Nice job!!
TracyHi! She is definitely trying to find the balance of staying balanced and going fast! She came into the grids in the first intervals in balance but then on reps 1, 2, and 3, she lost her balance between 3 and 4 and then couldn’t get it back between 4 and 5. On rep 3, she tried a different approach of going bigger but it didn’t work out the way she thought it might – I am glad she changed her opinion back to do it differently on rep 4!
So we can help her out in 2 ways, you can play with both:
on the 5 jump grid – you were not presenting a lot of motion, but it was too much for now in such a hard grid. So, lead out as if you are going to stand still – release and then slooowly walk forward from out past where the toy is… snail walk LOL!!! And see what she does – try to watch the video immediately. If she is balanced – repeat it. If she jackknifes a bit on the last interval, slow down your motion even more (I play these in slow motion so I can see what is happening).Separately, we can show her motion where she *is* balanced – using 3 of these jumps, not all 5. So making it into a 3 jumps ladder grid, so everything exactly the same as you did here, and see how she does! If she can stay balanced for 2 sessions… you can add jump 4. Then eventually we marry together the motion and the 5 jumps again – it will take several sessions spread out over time, but we have time 🙂 The goal is to maintain her speed AND her form – she totally can do it.
Nice job here! Let me know if that makes sense!
TracyHi!
Super nice session here! Great job with the arm back and strong connection, it really helped. Plus, lots of rewarding for that jump after the tunnel also looked lovely, he was picking it up nicely – which then made the whole pinwheel easier (also, nice connection on the way back to the tunnel!). Great work! I suggest one more session just like this – and if it is super successful like this one, you can change a variable – either raise the bars a little, or spread the jumps out a little (not both, at least not yet 🙂 ) If that goes well for a session or two, then you can do whichever variable you didn’t choose – if you spread out the jumps, you can raise the bars (or vice versa).And Maddy can do whatever she likes as long as she doesn’t get run over 🙂 She wanted to show that young whippersnapper how it is done LOL!
Great job 🙂
TracyHi! Very nice job with the connection and rewards! On the one jump reps – yes, you were late 🙂 It is hard to be on time when she starts that close, so if you revisit the one jump reps, start her 10 feet from the jump. Your timing got easier when you added in more obstacles – on the FC on the 2 jumps, be sure to keep moving towards the next jump. You were moving forward then towards the jump, which drew a bit of an L shaped line for her rather than a direct path. The blind looked lovely, great path!
Good FC at :23 – your path and connection were really nice! Timing was better too – I think as this goes into the sequences, you will trust her commitment more and start one stride sooner, when she is halfway between the 2 jumps for now (that might change to be even earlier as she gets more experience and as the jump bars go up) At :34, you were a little later (she was over the bar) so she ended up a bit wide. Your connection was good but I think you can definitely play with starting it earlier. You did start the FC earlier at :39 (yay!) so now try to lead out more so you can stay ahead – timing was good but she caught up to you really quickly.
Same with the blind at :29 – start it when she is halfway between the 2 jumps, and then run directly forward. She caught up to you there because you looped out a little then had to wait for you to run back a bit. At :46, the last rep – it was later to start than :29, so almost didn’t pick up the new side (remember to reward across the body so she gets the connection).So overall – her commitment is really good, so you can push and give yourself more of a headstart/lead out, so you can try to start the cross when she is halfway between the jumps. I would stick to the 3 jump game for now (no need to revisist 1 and 2 jumps) . And to help her commit, your running line can be pretty close to the jumps now that you are starting sooner.
Nice work here! Let me know if it makes sense!Tracy
