[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!

>>**That rear crossy move is a real winner in your toolbox – she just is beautiful. Do you have a verbal cue on it?

I do! I call that ME. She knows that one well. 🙂>>

Perfect! Handling plus verbal is making for a really great line there.

>>Agree! I felt the spin to be more natural and since flow and smoothness is so important for us both, felt the spin produced that more naturally for me.>>

Yes – one thing I am learning about Kindle is that getting behind and rushing to get to the next spot is NOT going to produce a good outcome. Staying in flow is super helpful for her.

>>Got it! I always think about how I will use my dog’s names like that when selecting my names…Kindle is Ki-Ki-Ki (like key)!>>

Ha! That cracks me up! I was just telling a friend the same thing last night – she is picking a name for her puppy and I told her to think about using the first syllable on course and how it will sound. I learned that the hard way: my dog Export was called “ExExEx” on course, which sounded like SexSexSexSex. I am a slow learner, though – my Voodoo is DooDooDooDoo on course, which sounds like Doodoo. Ha! My younger dogs all have better names for on course yelling LOL!

T

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!

>>I really worked on keeping more connection with Juno coming out of the previous obstacle and found it awkward. >>

You were 1000% connected on these and yes, it does feel weird at first 🙂

One thing to know is that we are looking at tiny details at his point because the big details look great 🙂 The overall shape of your teamwork with him looks FABULOUS here which is why I am looking at things in slow motion to see exactly what tiny details are affecting his lines and how we can get it all as smooth and fast as possible. This is not because I think there is anything wrong – more like there is so much that is RIGHT that we can isolate the tiny details 🙂

And also, as the courses get bigger, there are spots where you can be softer in the connection and run more (the stuff we do next week focuses on that more directly), which might be what you are describing here:

>>My natural instinct is to make initial contact after the previous obstacle, and then cue the next obstacle while supporting it with my eyes on take-off and landing. I have found this to work well with Juno, so I’m not sure what you’re seeing that I can do to make it better? >>

What I was seeing on previous videos was that either his turn was starting in the air or it was not as tight as it could be, or he was looking up to you ever so slightly for more info. I will add more context about that below, relating to these videos 🙂 It is a matter now of the smaller details to get things are beautiful as possible 🙂 He is really looking great which is why we can lock into the tiny details. I don’t see anything big going wrong at all – so now we look at sorting out his exact needs on course vecause he is doing so well.

>>When I try to look at his eyes longer than I normally would, it feels too long and I feel it causes me to cue later than earlier>>

Looking at the first sequence with the FCs here: your timing was actually spot on – perfect – on each rep. I could see from your expression that perhaps all that connection felt a bit weird LOL but timing was great and he was turning before takeoff and landing tight on each rep. On the actual turn cue, he was shaping the line a bit to set up the turn. So an idea for you, using this FC set up as an example:
Do 3 reps in a row and we can time the difference:
One rep is the way that feels more natural to you.
2nd rep is exactly what you did here
3rd rep splits the difference – a bit of a softer connection shift on the turn cues, maybe to your hands more than his eyes.

That way I can time them and we can compare to see what is fastest for him. I timed your FC reps here and they were all within 1/100th of each other – impressive that you were able to reproduce the turn each time!!!!

On the second video – lap turn:
First rep:
when I freeze it at :03 as he is exiting the tunnel, you are rotated and fully connected: he absolutely nailed his line into you for the cue.
He was a bit wide on the exit line after landing at :06 (note how he lands then turns), which was likely due to 1 of these 2 things:
– needing a bit more deceleration through the turn cue (a lower, slower hand cue with more looking at his eyes to cue the turn and jump) will tighten up his collection so he will then land on a better line. You were quick and looking at landing, so he went wide.
– needing a bit more exit line connection where you reamin connected (rather than looking forward) but this was probably not the source, I think it was more about how he took off for the jump.

You were lower & slower (in a good way LOL!) and looking at his eyes more at :19 and when I timed the difference: he was about 3/10ths faster in that one section on this second rep (welcome to my world of obsessing haha). The third rep was also super connected to his eyes and I could hear the verbal better: also faster than the swooshier first rep. You looked at landing as part of the cue on rep 1, you looked at it after he commited on rep 2, and I don’t think you looked at it at all on rep 3, you just ran forward. You looked at landing on the last rep at :52 after you got the great connection on the turn cue – also super fast. That connection before takeoff is key for him on this move, to getting the tightest lines. (and your timing was great on all of the reps :))

Nice connection to the tunnel exit of 6 to set up the timing for the spin at 7 at on all reps!

You mentioned feeling late on the timing but so far, you are rocking it. It might feel weird – and it might feel late when you have to run bigger lines more? But so far on these 2 videos it looks like you are super connected in all spots and spot on in your timing.

Sequence 3: also spot on in connection! Some of the timing was reall fabulous, some was a little late but you can disconnect in some of that and also not need to get to specific position as much (see more below fo specifics :))

Opening line:
great connection on the landing of 1 to set the line an he powered away perfectly, no questions at :02 and no questions at :23. He ticked the bar on run 3 at :43 – I watched it back a few times in comparison to the first and second runs and I don’t see anything really different other than perhaps you turned your head forward a microsecond earlier? I did not look disconnected to me and you didn’t do anything like fling your arms around or yell something – do you find that he has trouble with bars before tunnels? We can do proofing if needed but I think this was just a random moment of not quite jumping high enough. He had no questions and did not touch the bar on the last rep.

The FC 4-5 looked good on the first run! You had more decel at :27 into it and it was even tighter on rep 2 (it is a really hard turn and he is setting up so nicely!!) Be sure to power out of it, though, like you did on the first rep so you can get your timing in place too.

On the first rep You started the spin at :07 (for 5) really nicely! I think you can drive out of it sooner to get him to your left side – as soon as he passes you, do the BC to your left. At :08 you were looking over your right side, which made finishing the spin late. This might be one of the places with him that you don’t need to look at landing: his commitment looks strong so you can cue the turn then just leave for the next line.

On the 2nd run – you stayed at the FC at 4 for too long then drove to the spin at 5, so he didn’t see the spin starting til one stride later at :28.
And, because it was slightly later and you were looking at landing as he was jumping at :29 – he almost came to your right side as he landed at :30

3rd run – you got out of the FC at 4 really nicely like you did on the 1st run – and started the spin cues at the same good timing! Yay! He was wider here at :48 than he was at :07 because of how you did the transition – on that first run, you decelerated then turned so your turn cue was not really moving. On this rep, you turned as you were decelerating so you ended up moving backwards. Backwards motion reads as forward motion to him, so he jumped a bit longer as compared to when you were not moving backwards.

4th run – this was the same timing as the 2nd run, a little later starting so the turn at 5 was not as strong. I think you were trying to get to position near 5, but his position will help dictate the timing – so when he lands and turns to 5 like he did at :07 and :47 you can start the transition into the spin even if you are not right near the wing.
You can also be a little further away from the 4 jump to cue the FC and see if you can get the same nice turn and be in a more comfortable position for 5.

Your turns at 6 and 7 were good on all the reps but I REALLY liked them on the last rep at 1:12-1:14! Connected and you were fully rotated before takeoff on both. NICE!!!!! Freeze the camera as he is jumping 7 at 1:13 – he is already turning his head to the new line and you are gone heading for 8. So nice!

Tiny detail at :12 and :32 and :52 and 1:14 – this is where you can be more on his line to drive forward to 8 and maintain your exit line connection for one more step before relaxing it. When I freeze the video with him over jump 7 at :12 and :32, :52, 1:13, you have perfect exit line connection but your running line is not quite directly towards 8, your path was more on a parallel line to the bar at 8: this causes him to land a little wider following your motion, then goes back out to find 8. You were starting the timing early on each rep for that spin (1:16 was really nice!) but setting a running path from the exit wing of 7 directly to the exit wing of 8 will help him pick up the direct path to 8 without any zig zags.

Let me know what you think! Overall – this really looks terrific which is why I am digging into the tiny details to see how perfect we can get it 🙂

Great job!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!
This is going well! You effectively used your tunnel send to be able to get up to the jump to shift conneciton. You can also practice is with more motion for the transition, to prepare for courses where you won’t be able to use a tunnel send as much to get there that early.
On the 2 spin reps – being rotated that early is all she needs as a turn cue. Her commitment looks really good, most small dogs cannot commit with strong rotation!
I liked your FC rep at :20, you had a bit more connection to her eyes and also great exit line connection and motion back to the tunnel – really nice turn!

>>When I did the blind into a spin it looked like Skipper didn’t know about the turn until she was in mid-air over the jump >

I agree – she thought the info was a little late. Not super late, but a little late: It was a bit of a chain reaction – the BC on the tunnel to change sides was late (it started after she got in at :30) – so on her end, she had to find the new side a stride after she exited. And from your side of things – being late to do the blind meant you were late starting the spin – at :32, she is in the air and you are just starting it.

Same thing happened on the next rep: blind started after she got into the tunnel at :38, so she made the side change one stride after exiting, and then you were late starting the spin at :40 so she made the turn on landing. The close up slow motion is cool to see it all!

The key is the timing of the blind on the tunnel entry 🙂 That will give her all the info sooner and you can set up the spin sooner. It all comes down to one stride: Lead out more, both ahead and laterally. Release and cue the tunnel but start your blind before she enters (she will still be a solid 4 or 5 feet from the entry) so you are fully done and making eye contact before she exits – then decel into the spin so as she is passing you, you are already rotating.

Your ‘here here here’ (or is it ‘hear hear hear’? LOL!) as a verbal tunnel brake is working beautifully! Great timing plus you are showing her your magic cookie hand really helps. Doing the lap turn on the backside was MUCH harder because the front of the jump is so much more obvious but she was getting it! Part of it was the exit of the tunnel: she was coming to you and not locked onto the jump. Great job working the tunnel brake verbal!

Well done here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning! She is doing well here – I can totally see the wing on her left to start as the more ‘fluid’ side. She did well with the wing on her right but especially on that first rep, I can see that she had to really think about it.
She seems to have figured out the concept now, so let’s get more bouncing sideways and less trotting. Start at wing 2 so she can just bounce over 1 bar, then fling the reward out to the side rather than near your for a session or two – let’s see how she reacts to that 🙂 This might also be a way to work her through her heat – a more bite-sized chunk to get her going with. Then we can move you back to wing 3.
And for the spacey days, you can see if she wants to play by doing some really easy stuff that involves chasing the momma, which I think is her favorite 🙂 She should be feeling back to normal really soon 🙂

Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi! Thanks for the trial videos!! Lots of good stuff here for sure 🙂

On the standard run:
Your opening looked good, smooth and connected. About the dog walk: He slipped and lost his hind a little at :17 as he was turning towards the DW and couldn’t recover his balance in time. He aborted mission rather than twist or fall – smart boy!! So that was more of a turf-slipping thing – does he get to do classes or lessons on that turf? Practice on that footing at high speed will help him be able to control the lines and not slip.
The rest looked good!!! You are getting really connected and that is so nice! Two turns that you can tighten up – turn and call sooner on the jump before the frame at :53. When he lands from the previous jump, you can start that gentle shoulder turn.
Also, on the 3rd to last jump, you can do a decel or a soft brake arm so that he gives a little collection. You did a normal fast-moving post turn and so he thought he was supposed to jump wider.

JWW:
I don’t think you looked lost! You did look really connected 🙂 I agree about the FCs here – this is NOT a FC course. I think you could have gotten to some of them… but all that rotation on this course was not optimal. It is 100% a blind cross course – it would have been much easier to blind and go (which is why the RCs felt better but the RCs put you behind him when it is easier to handle from ahead on this type of course). I did hear last week that Derrett handlers are starting to use blinds? Is that something you have heard? This is in the midwest so maybe it is in different parts of the country.
About the weave entry – this is something to work on the turf for sure – he was pattering his feet trying to grip and shift his weight to get in, he was really looking at them: and with you being parallel, he kinda gave up. You didn’t really rush him – but you were not standing still waiting. So like the DW entry, this is something to work on with just 4 poles – you moving while he is entering. You were not sprinting or disconnecting, but he is figuring out how to use his hind while you are moving so working it on a short set of poles will help him. And, that will keep you ahead in the weaves to be able to get your planned FC after it. I think you could have gotten to your next FCs with some major running but the RCs were smooth! I liked that choice better than FCs. There was one bobble – on your send at :25, I loved your timing (he got a nice collection) – he barked because it looks like your arm came forward and connection broke so try to keep you arm back and look at his eyes as you send. Then trust his commitment – you came back towards him to help out which is what changed his line after it and caused the bar at :31. Bummer! So trust the boy and keep moving 🙂 Your video person said it looked like you were lost – I don’t think you were lost, I think you were helping and thinking on the fly LOL!!!

Overall, really lovely runs!!! You are soooo close to just being a perfect team 🙂
Let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!

>>Video 1 at about 29 and 40 sec for the BC to the spin….am I positioning myself correctly…seems like he is taking the middle of the bar or is that okay?

You were in more of a reverse v-set position where he was shaping the line around you – which is fine. He will be more on the exit side of the bar with less swoosh to landing and more connection to his eyes. The collection stride will help get it even tighter.

>>Sequence 2: yes, he was kind of setting up sideways…but then he sort of does that at trials which you said was okay for some dogs so I let it be. Might as well see what happens at home when he does it…less than optimal for sure and I prefer him setting up straighter. So next time I will correct that.

Ah! Yes, makes sense – you don’t want to fight with him on the start line about exact position. You can totally practice lining up at your side so he can be in the best place possible on the start line.

>>As for the BC….I thought we were supposed to get the BC completed PRIOR to entry to the tunnel or does that “depend” on what happens next?

Depends on what happens next (agility is pretty complicated, there is a “depends” attached to almost everything!) Two general rules for that:
– if there is a turn on the exit of the tunnel, then it is ideal for it to be finished before he enters (this does not apply to this sequence, because it was a straight line)
– if there is not turn BUT you can easily be in position to show the next line without any questions (like fully on the landing side of the jump), then we can usually do the BC before he is out of the tunnel – this is more of what happened on your first early moment.

>>In video 1 (find the 4) with the last game where I did the BC before he entered the tunnel, it was better early because the spin was coming up next.

And that was excellent, because there is a turn on the tunnel exit and you had to be there to get that AND set up the next one.

>>Different here in seq 2 because it was essentially a straight line over the jump after the tunnel.

Yes, the line of exit dictates when you can do the cross.

>> So I was doing it very early on purpose because I thought that was the correct way. I need clarification on that particular handling scenario apparently…when to complete BC prior to tunnel entry vs when to do it as he exits the tunnel.>>

See above about my two rules and let me know if it makes sense.

>>Sequence 3: Hmmm…I am not all that comfortable on how RC are supposed to be done. I thought you wanted decel to get a tighter turn?

Yes – but only as part of the transition into the turn, rather than decelerating the whole time because the it ends up being slower. I like to run like mad (and I think you do too, and you train with Jess who is great at running like mad hahaha!) – so if I have to wait and decel before starting the RC, it is not something that I will choose over a FC or a BC. If I can run like mad into the RC… then yes, it is a good option 🙂

>> Not sure I will be setting that up again right now. I need to get better at seeing options rather than getting one idea in my head.

You can play with this on the next set of sequences too! Whenever you see a RC option, ask yourself if you can get in for a FC or BC. And if you see a BC or FC option, as yourself if you can get there in time or if a RC is better (you will almost always be able to get there in time – you run fast and he has tremendous skills to commit to a line so you can move to your next spot).

>>I think my habit has become shift connection to the landing side…perhaps from past training OMD style.

Probably true. I had to de-swoosh myself by running with an open bottle of water in my hand, and transfer it to the next hand as I did the rotations.

>> It is NOT natural for me to look him in the eyes.

It will feel easier with a bit of rehearsal – then it will feel really smooth 🙂

>> Well at least I am remembering the exit line connection better than I used to so there must be hope that I can do better on the eye connection.

I am confident that you will make the change to shift connection to his eyes because you have really mastered the exit line connection!

>> I know we are going for optimal performance but I think even with my mistakes he is doing so well and showing progress and understanding. Always room for improvement.<>>

Holy cow YES! Things are really close to optimal and that is awesome! That is why I call it ‘obsessing’, which also means “that was really great so now let us look at each tiny detail and see where we can get it even greater”. You are not making many mistakes at all – the shifting connection to his eyes is not a mistake, it is a learning process – in the moment, it is hard to tell what works best in terms of the shifting connection, but watching the video a few times in slow motion gives me ideas on how we can get it even tighter for him 🙂

Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi there!

Thanks for the update (sorry about the snow!!).

It sounds like Kasoom has tremendous value for the jump, which is great! One thing to do, then, is to add distance away from the jump. That can help him differentiate when you want him with you for the regular connection and when you want to push him away for the out. You might end up needing 20 feet LOL! Use as much distance as needed to set him up for success.

The other idea is to start him in a sit in a spot where he is almost past the jump, so it is easy for him to make the connection and come with you and not push out to the jump. And when he is successful, you can gradually move him back to the starting position so the off course jump is more visible.

And one other idea 🙂 Play with different types of connection to see what works best, kind of like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears – too hot, too cold, just right 🙂 It sounds like regular connection is making him want to take the jump, so try using even less connection on the ‘regular connection’: Turn your head very slightly so you kinda see him and so he knows which side of you to be on. Dialing down the regular connection, softening it, can actually make the dogs want to drive to the handler more. If that doesn’t help him, try the opposite and use exit line connection with your toy hand showing across your body (you can have the toy or cookie in it and visible to reward him when he is correct).

Let me know if that makes sense! And of course, send updates 🙂
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!

This is a good question:

>>Question first:
I have tried quite hard to not teach a “get out”. Well, that’s not exactly correct — better to say I have taught it only a little bit and try like crazy never to use it. It has always seemed to me that “get out” does not fit into either of the motion based handling systems I have used (now mostly Mecklenburg melting into One Mind).
So anyway, this is making me nervous, I guess is all I can say. So maybe you can send me some more reassurance…?>>

There are a few verbals that I teach but try to never use 🙂 Threade-wrap is top of that list for me LOL!
I did not teach a get out verbal for about 20 years but then the bigger courses forced my hand – there was simply no way to get where I needed to be on some of the bigger courses with my BC mix Voodoo without being able to send him off me while I ran straight or even the other direction. Based on course maps that I have seen, you will use this here and there in AKC and a whole lot in UKI 🙂 I have not looked at USDAA recently but I imagine there is opportunity there too (and TONS of opportunity in NADAC but I have not played in Nadac in a couple of decades).

The thing I have noticed about the motion based systems is…. they are all adding in extensive verbals 🙂 I went through a phase of “why are we the only ones training all these words” (all the verbals are heavily influenced by the German/Russian/Swedish handlers) but then all of the motion-based systems went to teaching verbals. The OMD folks that I enjoy most are giving seminars on the verbals they are adding/using (I don’t know if the European OMD folks are doing that, my guess is yes, but many of the top OMD Americans have added a nice list of verbals). I got to spend time chatting with Linda M as students at a Shape Up seminar (I think all of my questions to the Shape Up instructors had to do with how they were using their verbals :))

And last week I was told that Derrett system handlers now have permission to do blind crosses. The world is truly upside down haha!!

I think we are all evolving and updating our ideas, which of course makes me a lot more comfortable with the crazy list of verbals I have been training in the past few years. With that in mind, though – prioritize and do what is most comfortable, which brings us back to the get out:
I have been adding it to classes because I see places where the dogs need the skill for three reasons:
– it would make the handler’s job soooo much easier in places where it can be used
– it teaches the lead change away skill that many dogs are not good at, and that skill is also super useful as they exit serp jumps and threadles and pick up zig zag lines on course
– it helps make super independent backside sends!

I am sure it makes gambles and FAST sends easier, but I really don’t train those (I am a bit lazy and gamble training doesn’t interest me all that much, for some reason)

So, I suggest training the lead change element of it. Then tweak it to suit your comfort zone and where you might use it! You can make it more comfortable and more in keeping with motion by using a tiny bit of motion support as you do it (rather than pure upper body-only) – the goal is to use as little motion as possible to get the behavior so you can continue moving up your line on course. A step or two would support it if he understands the skill (you would need more steps if he doesn’t understand it, and those extra steps are where we handlers get out of position).
And bear in mind that it is a “by permission only” cue of verbal and physical cue… there is no getting out allowed without the cue which is why I balance so much in the training stages.

I have been fortunate enough to ‘beta test’ this get out cue to make sure we are not royally screwing something else up – the style of connection and arm use, plus the verbal, make it look pretty different from everything else so there has been no confusion (folks worry that it looks like a threadle but it does not – the shoulder and eye use is very different).

>>AND the CRCD code for these setups…?

The code for the longer sequences is in the PDF. Here is the code for the shorter sequences:

Begin Course Designer
Version 4
For a free viewer, go to http://www.coursedesigner.com/viewer
AAAAAACVeNpjkZNjYWBhkGeAAasbKlpy8lpM8n+YGQvEC8Rh4h8YHjCyMoIBMzMD
FwMjEwOIwaTLwCAfwsiw8n8d13eWAo4PDMxKDHOYVBg2MAkxiDMzsTZ95fz9kbGc
wYtRn3EjwwZGHwZBJnkWRqCJdtzL+SKYTjCAeFEMZczV3GDeX2Z5AFZyGZc=
End Course Designer

On the video, I think the best moments for *not* getting the weaves were when you did a moving FC then a BC at the 5 jump. You did start with a ‘normal’ spin which put him in the weaves, then experimented with the timing of the FC-BC there. I think that the best one was at 4:10 where you had the smoothest line. Watching his head is the trick – holding the FC as you move away until the moment you see his head turn around the wing then you do the BC. You did a couple of mostly-FCs then opened back up o get him back on your left, kind of like a reverse flow pivot or threadle with foot rotation – those got him on the line but I think they created too much in-and-out on the line and delayed you from moving away to the next line.

The other thing I noticed was that you were giving earlier cues on the tunnel so his exits were a lot better (straighter). You started with some ‘out’ cues but the tunnel exit is pretty straight to the jump, so the high energy Go cues worked better. He still wants to turn and look for you on the exits even with well-timed (before he enters) verbals to go – so you can isolate that skill and reward it specifically with thrown rewards when he is facing a line of jumps.

>>One thing I notice, he is very confident of where he is going from 9 to the weaves and goes very, very fast. I’d like that speed in other places.>>

Two things were happening when you did that: your energy of the Go Go Go cues changed and that powered him up the line, plus weaves are like gold to him, I think 🙂 And I am pretty sure between the high energy go and the weave cue, and he can probably see the weaves before exiting the tunnel, plus your acceleration: more speed 🙂 That is something to do on tunnel exits to jumps – jumps are not as exciting as weaves, plus on this sequence the courses did not require as much handler acceleration to the jump after the tunnel – a thrown reward will help bridge that gap.

>>At one point, I address the camera about wanting more drive out to #4. The first time I tried by shouting louder (really, Barb?) but the next time I added motion and got a better result (but not back to 5 nicely enough).>>

Louder is always a valid option hahahaha!! Louder will only override decel if there is some training on louder=toy out ahead (I have actually done this with Voodoo because he can outrun me so easily). And as you were changing your plan to add more motion, I was writing in my notes that more motion in and out of 4 will get you better drive to 5. 2:46 was good an 3:55 was REALLY good! How much tighter can it be without slowing it down too much? I don’t think we want more collection there – but having him chase you out of it certainly added speed and also you can add an urgent name call (louder does help there :)) That changes your transition for the turn at 5 in terms of where you will be relative to the jump, but the cue for 5 can be done a little further away as long as you decelerate into it.

>>You can also see my use of “if I want THIS I’ll do THAT but if I want this other thing, I’ll do a different thing”. As an x-obedience trainer, this is a very appealing way to think about a problem. In no case did he go off course, although some turns were a bit wide.>>

I love this, I think it is so important to do! We don’t want the dogs just going on auto-pilot when we do the same thing over and over 🙂 The wide turns were a timing thing, so doing sequences different ways (without a walk through :)) will sharpen up timing too so you can start to transition into the turns earlier as habit rather than having to think about it.

All of the verbals are turning into super useful cues for him – I think that it all comes together really nicely! It is easy to forget how young he is because he has soooo many skills!!!

Here is the proofing game – I am pretty convinced that my older dogs can’t do this LOL!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt83u-BzCXE

Let me know what you think!

Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Howdy! I agree that you are figuring this out, I think this is going well!!!!

Your faces into the camera crack me up!
I am REALLY liking your handling on that first sequence (sequence 2): basically you are saying to Kindle, “here is the info on what is next, go as fast as you want and set up your own turns, sister!” and… she does. She is so fast AND tight here without rushing, and you are super connected and not rushing.
That rear crossy move is a real winner in your toolbox – she just is beautiful. Do you have a verbal cue on it? I think you were quietly saying something at :20 and :59. All I could hear on the 2nd rep was the rooster hahaha

I feel like the soft brake and the spin were about equal in terms of her line but the spin might have kept you moving better? The soft brake on the 3rd rep had more motion but I still think the spin got out outta there sooner without popping the bubble.

Sequence 3:
>>not sure I really accomplished anything significant other than becoming more comfortable with the timing. >

Being more comfy with timing is actually very significant 🙂

Your timing on the FC at 1:20 was good! Your FC at 2:21 was even better – earlier and closer to the 4 jump. I suggest adding a verbal to get her to drive back sooner along with a really exaggerated exit line connection (frisbee across the body while you make eye contact). The verbal can be something like “KIN KIN KIN!”

The FCs at 1:39 and 2:02 were a bit late so she ticked the bar at 1:39 and went a bit wider on landing on both.

I think you were rocking your connection on the turns at 5-6-7-8. 5 and 6 were consistently tight with lovely jumping. Your timing on the 7 turn was good but I think it had too much ‘swoosh’ in the form of the right arm across your body – you can let the right arm be very subtle as the left arm acts as a bit of a brake on the takeoff side of the jump. She was a tiny bit wide on 7 due to extra swooshing. So it is not really leaving earlier on 7 or 8, it is more about using the other hand as a brake as you connect. Let me know if that makes sense! She was pretty darned close to perfect so I am just looking at tiny details now.

Great job! Let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning! Lots of good stuff here to work on!
On the FC sequence:
Rep 1 – I liked all the verbals! You were a little too pointy with your dog-side arm on the speed circle, then too much swoosh into the FC (arm across the body, looking at landing) – it was a good line and turn but not as good as your second run, which looked REALLY nice! You had better “regular” connection (not as much pointing your arm) and more shifting to her eyes on the FC, a better turn for sure!! The close up shows you looking down and not at the landing spot, so that is good to know as it set up a really nice turn. You can put your right arm there where you are looking rather than cross the other arm across your body – that will allow you to finish the rotation and leave sooner. Also – you had a nice transition into it and nice connection on the exit line.
Sequence 2:
Let’s talk about the tunnel brake for a moment 🙂 You will need a verbal tunnel brake because she is too fast for you to have to handle it and then go to your next handling spot. Her name doesn’t seem to be a strong tunnel brake. And when you are at full speed on course, you won’t have time to make the big physical rotation you did at :51 and still get up the line plus you don’t want a strong tunnel verbal on that cue because it will propel her forward out of it. You did try to do it at :58 but it made the next turn late.
So… I suggest giving ehr a verbal directional when she is 5 or 6 feet before the tunnel. You can use a left or right verbal, or a special brake word. For example, with Voodoo, I say “hey hey hey” and he gives me a tunnel brake without a physical cue.

On the lap turn itself – when you had connection to her and not the jump, she got it much better except for when you hand swooshed back at 1:17. You can shift connection directly to you hand for this and let your hand and connection turn her on the flat to set up the turn before indicating the jump (keeping your hand nice and low) to draw her through the turn.

Seq 3
The physical tunnel brake cue delayed your throwback, she slowed down to wait for the info. I think a verbal tunnel brake will make your life much easier 🙂 She reads the throw back REALLY nicely and it gets you to the next line really well! So adding the verbal-only tunnel brake will get you running forward away from the tunnel and to the next position sooner, so you won’t have to run backwards into it. You mentioned your arm up high: I think the arm up high could be lower, but it was not blocking connection – it was more like centrifugal force driving it up as you were running, mainly because your were driving to get there after the tunnel brake cue. Another reason for a verbal tunnel brake 🙂

I think your connection and her turns are looking really good!! The hardest part here for you both was the tunnel brake 🙂 Let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!

>>I was not aware I wasn’t rewarding her enough and I realized that again, during class and the few seminars she is getting rewarded for everything because I’m working harder to keep her with me (miss social butterfly).
When we train alone, I’m trying to get her away from me – LOL!!!!
I had more of a class mentality today which translated to lots more rewards and a much calmer Josie.>>

I like to literally count the number of rewards versus the number of offered/cued behaviors (I am a dork, yes LOL!) and that rate of success is almost always the cause of any issues, from sniffing to tooth hugs 🙂 And those issues go away with higher rates. It is fascinating to see!!

Good job on the course work here!

FCs –
Nice transition into the first rep! A slightly stronger exit line connection will help but you also had a nice line directly back to the tunnel.
2nd rep had all of the elements – nice transition, connection, great running line back to the tunnel AND exit line connection. Really nice turn!

Spin – nice transition into the collection! Nice turn! Small detail: You don’t need to wait as long to go to the blind – when you see her getting close to the jump, you can execute the blind – you did it after she took off so the reconnection was a little late.

Going to the other side of 3 – you were super connected to her eyes so got a nice turn on 3! I am not sure if you were trying for a spin but couldn’t get the rotation going, or if you wanted the brake hands? One way to make it easier is to lead out more laterally so you can be closer to 3 and start the blind before she gets into the tunnel – then it will be finished just as she is entering so you will feel like you have more time to set up the connection and transition. You started the BC right after she entered at 1:41 which made the transition a bit later to get done.

Next sequence: You were too early on the FC cues for 4 at 2:15 🙂 You were decelerating as she approached 3 then slammed on the brakes as she landed – she cursed you out but then went at took 4 (good girl). You were a little late at 2:21 so the bar came down. The transition should started when she is out of the tunnel – you kept moving forward so she thought it was extension til the last minute.

The next rep was a little later on the first transition so she was much happier with the timing 🙂 And your transition started much sooner on the next wrap at 2:46, much nicer turn and the bar stayed up!

Lap turn – getting to 4 and rotating sooner REALLY showed her the lap turn at 3:40! On the first rep, you were late rotating so she didn’t know to come in towards you. When you broke it down, you could see how holding the connection to her eyes and your hand helps – the first one. you let go of the connection too soon so she read it as a throw back (good girl) and on the next one you held the connection long enough to get her turned on the flat, and she read that too!

She had a question about the spin at 4:19 – she turned tight but it was because you got right in her face then it delayed the BC info on the exit (she was not sure which side of you to be on) – start your transition as she exits the tunnel so the BC part of the spin is done before she comes around the wing.

The decel/soft brake worked nicely at 4:33!

Last sequence – very nice connection on the 1-2-3 opening on both reps!!
I like the choice of a BC 4-5! You were in a nice transition so she collected at 4:48 and 5:17 but the side change was late (she was landed and took another stride before it was finished). Being closer to the wing on a tight blind will help, plus starting it sooner and showing an exaggerated exit line connection will really help tighten it up.
The exit line connection can also help her more on 5-6-7 – you were looking forward so she was not sure where to be after each turn there on both reps – as you move through this complicated section with a zillion turns, exaggerate the arm across your body on the exit of each cross (maybe have 2 toys, one in each hand) – that will help her commitment because she can see the line, plus it will make timing feel easier because you can see her better 🙂

Great job! Let me know what you think 🙂
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!
Lots of good stuff here to obsess over 🙂 I see a theme emerging that will help with the turns! Overall everything looks strong – your exit line connection in particular! You can fade out the obviousness of the toy across the body (unless you are going to reward) as long as you keep the dog-side arm back and seek out his eyes like you were doing so nicely here.

Some specifics for you:

First video:
On the Spin – It was strong but you were decelerated a bit too soon, so it was harder to power out of it. You can drive in deeper to the tunnel to show the transition so you can get out of there faster and stay in motion. The reconnection on the left side should be moving and you stood still so he slowed down and looked at you for a heartbeat.
On the next rep – the connection too swooshy to landing side at :17, a little more decel in the transition and more looking at his eyes will get a nicer collection. Good exit line connection!!

Getting the BC sooner totally helps – he had a good line from the tunnel exit on the first rep with the BC after the tunnel but doing it sooner on the next rep allowed you to give the spin info sooner. On both spins, more connection to his eyes and less to landing will tighten it up a bit more. Nice exit line connection here too!

Seqeunce 1:
Yes, a little oopsie where you were too early but the next rep looked really good! Your connection 3-4 was spot on! It looked like your connection shifted to his eyes at 4 at :14 and the turn was good! Compare that to :18 where you shifted to landing and he was wider.
He is WHIPPING back around the jump after the turns back to great exit line connection and verbals!
What you did at :19 with that was great: arm back, eyes reaching back to his – without needing a big arm across your body, fading that out. Really nice!

Sequence 2:
On the 1-2 line on these, make sure he is lined up facing directly to the tunnel so you don’t create any additional turns – by the last rep, he was a bit sideways to he line and had to turn over #1.

You were maybe the tiniest bit early at :05 on the BC but your position was good so he got it. Nice! The connection on the spin at 4 was a swoosh to the landing spot and he was a little wide. I am sensing a theme here 🙂
The soft brake at :13 looked good!
You were definitely too early on the BC at :20 – it started when he was about 4 feet from the tunnel entry, so it should cue a turn and then when he exited you were looking over your right which should technically bring him to the backside of 3. So… don’t be so early, let him be in the tunnel or just exiting it before start it because it changes the line 3-4, not 2-3.
The connection spin at 4 was a swoosh to landing spot at :23 and he was a little wide…
You did a post turn at :29 and I think the soft brake arm was produced a nicer turn.
The lap turn on the last rep can be done from your position there – it had too much swoosh to landing LOL! If you look at his eyes or longer or down at your hand, he will collect more then get a tighter turn as you send him out to the jump.

Sequence 3:
1-2-3 looked good, nice connection on landing of 1 to set up the good line!
The post turn at 4 to the RC at 5 works… but it is very decelerated so he slowed down. You can drive into it more by running in closer ot the tunnel, then driving to 4, decel, drive to the RC line of 5. You had a bit more decel on the 2nd rep at 5 so the turn to 6 was really nice!
Or… get in for a blind cross there – then you can BC to a spin or a decel/soft brake and get tight turns plus a ton of speed through there.
He was a little bit wide on the wrap turns on both reps… I think they were all using a connection shift to the landing spot. Totally sensing a theme on that 🙂

>>: In retrospect, maybe I should have tried a different ending like rearing that last turn even though more yardage probably but maybe better on speed?>>

Possibly! You can walk his line and see how different the yardage is, from the previous jump all the way through the tunnel entry. The line is definitely better to the outside – but you can FC the previous jump then send him to it, rather than rear cross it (RCs where you have to decelerate to set up are generally slower than if you can power through a FC.

OK, going back to the theme – he is slightly wide when you shift your connection to the landing spot on the turns. As he is coming into the turns, keep doing the good transitions but look at his eyes and keep looking at his eyes, even as he passes you – and when he is past you and committing, you can immediately go to your exit line connection (rather than look at landing). He has a lot of speed, and looking at landing tends to propel the dogs – so fast dogs go wider when we look at landing. Try shifting to his eyes, which will also keep your hands softer/lower and on takeoff side of the jump.

Great job! Let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning! Lots of good things to look at here – you tried different options so we can really see what works best for her.
The opening line was the same on the first 2 sequences so I have lumped some ideas all together by section 🙂
On the 1-2 line up, you can have her facing the tunnel more and release while you are moving to help her have a better line 1-2. The first run was zigzaggy as she jumped towards you and then back out – each run got better and better there.

On the 2-3-4 line – she was jumping to her right over 3 because she could only see your back and not enough of your eyes (at :04, :18, :34, 1:07, 1:24 and 1:38) Your position was great, so add in more regular connection back to her as she exits the tunnel and lands from 3 so she looks to 4 without the zigzag. That connection will also help with the timing of the turn cues on 4.
I loved the connection you gave her on the tunnel exit at :50!! You changed your position to do it, putting yourself closer to the tunnel exit, which made getting the FC at 4 a little harder – I think the best combo would be your position you had in the previous reps (on the landing side of 3) but clearly connected like you had here at :50.

On the FC at 4:
The cue and connection was a bit too early and too forward- looking at :20 and :36 on the FC so she slowed down & had questions – I think maybe you were trying to show the turn with your outside arm rather than use a transition into it. Compare that to when you had more of a transition into it at :52 and she was very nice in and out of the turn! Plus nice exit line connection there – that makes a massive difference for her, that is something I noticed a lot on this video and the previous videos too. At 1:24 you had a nice transition and more connection shifted to her eyes – also a nice turn AND really nice exit line connection! Yay!

More about exit line connection – You can give her more exit line connection after the FC at :09 to go back to the last tunnel – you were looking forward so she drifted wide waiting for more info. Compare it to your nice connection shift to her eyes and nice exit line connection at :25!! Really nice turn!
And since we are looking at exit line connection 🙂
Good job starting the BC before the tunnel for the ending line at :40 – a verbal and a bit more arm across the body for the exit line connection (or dipping your shoulder downwards) will get an even nicer tunnel exit there. At :56, she was wider on the tunnel exit: you had a VERY clear connection and dipped shoulder but your left arm was pointing out – so I think that blocks her view of the connection (she is really small :)). Based on what we have seen on these courses – the exit line connection (when your dog-side arm is all the way back and you are looking across your body with the other arm across your belly) sets the best, clearest lines for her. So having an more exaggerated exit line connection there on the tunnel exit will help get even smoother spins on the jump after it at :41 and :57.

On the slightly different elements of the next sequence –
The spin on 7 at 1:13 and 1:43 can start a little sooner – the rotation can start as she is passing you so that you can be finished before she lands – you started it over the bar (with good connection, she was nicely collecting!) but she had to wait for you to finish it before powering out to 8.
Now, the opposite happened there at 1:29 – you were too early LOL! You ended up way ahead and decelerating into the rotation at 7 too early, so she came off. This might be a spot where you gauge the line and drive into the tunnel to then drive out, in order to set up the transition into 7 and 8. She reads deceleration as a clear ‘heads up!’ that the turn is coming, so moving into it works really well for her.

Sequence 3:
The 1-2-3 serp opening works best with clear exit line connection – Nice connection on the release at 1:50! Then you looked forward to cue the tunnel and broke connection so she launched a bit on jump 2 at 1:51, landing on it and dropping the bar. I think that threw off your rhythm for the next turns (there are a lot of turns on this one :)) so you ended up with a bonus tunnel.

On the 2nd rep – you had more connection on the landing of 1, for maybe 2 extra steps, and it set the line to the tunnel really nicely 🙂 And then this might be where you forgot your plan for a moment LOL! You had a nice FC that turned into a spin then a RC – she looked at you like you were nuts LOL! But she did it (the rear was hard for her on 5 because you were ahead and decelerating, but she still went past you into it, yay!)
But then the FC to the spin to the FC all looked really good – tight turns with no bonus tunnels LOL!

The 3rd rep is my favorite – you did a FC 4-5 then a little soft brake with the outside arm – that set up a nice line 4-5 and then the other turns (5-6-7-8) were all really connected & timely so the turns were tight and fast! You also showed good exit line connection, which helps her a lot.
On the last rep – you were not as connected 1-2-3 so she almost turned left on 2 rather than drive to the tunnel. That extra step or two from 1-2 of connection really helps her. The rest looked good except the spin on 5 was a little late because you had to rush into it – I liked the outside arm being used for the soft brake there – easier to di so you can do it sooner and she reads it really nicely!
Your connection before the tight turns here and your exit line connections on these turns all looked good!

So the main thing for her is that exit line connection!! It makes a big difference. Shifting connection to her eyes with a low hand in front of the bar plus the transition into it is what produced the best turns on all of the tight turns here.
Really lovely work! Let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!
The serping looked great! In the first part, when he was on your right, remember to give him his left cue (you might have been but it was hard to hear on the video). When you switched sides and he was on your left, he almost threadled at :18 then he did threadle at :24… so yes to opening up the angle 🙂 I think the threadling is more about chasing da momma when you get ahead, so teaching him that he can chase your line AND take jumps with the opened up angle will really help him. You had a bunch of successful reps then when you flattened it back out again at :58 – perfect! The angle was actually a little harder at 1:14 and he did a GREAT job on staying on th serp side AND popping in to take the jump as you ran forward (rather than running parallel). He was great about that on both sides and it looks like you were doing actual legit running too 🙂 Yay! He was better coming in when he was turning to hus left, it took him an extra moment to get it when he had to turn to his right- but he did! Good boy 🙂 You can add even more running now (he is a whippet, you will need to be running as fast as possible) but keep him successful by doing short sessions with the serp jump angled into an open position.

The stays on the grid looked great – well done for rewarding so much! He is looking really fabulous on the first 2 bars – we are having moments of puppy hopping on bar 3 but it looks like you moved the rewar dfurther away so he settled in and produced nice form on bar 3 as well. Yay! I am super happy with how well he is able to control his speed & power and harness himself into really nice form! So now you can add motion to this one – lead out to where you were on the last couple of reps – release and walk forward to the reward. If that is easy for him, you can lead out less and less, walking forward more. A couple of sessions of walking forward will give him time to sort things out – and then he will let us know if he is ready for you to jog. If it all goes to poo when you walk, you can add in walking forward sooooo slowly that it is almost not walking 🙂

Rear cross video – yes, I agree that he is still figuring out the drive ahead so the rear crosses are harder. He got it at :46 and then at :53 you were just a little too early and pushed him off the RC line. I think it is fine to reward him for effort (because, after all, he was working to figure it out and also he was in the great outdoors and could have left at any moment LOL!) but you can use the placement of the reward to your advantage – throw it out past the jump, a nice long throw, whether he has gone over the jump or not 🙂 So as you are starting the rear cross pressure, you can throw the reward nice and early out to where you want him to be – that will help him figure out that the RC cues means “go over the jump and turn” even if your timing is not perfect 🙂
And, like you did in the beginning – keep doing a ton of driving ahead. The go is starting to look really really good! You can up the value of the reward – will be bring a toy bck in that environment if you throw a toy? For example, with his cousin Contraband, my GO cue didn’t get strong til I went to throwing toys – I would throw a fun toy and then trade him for a treat or another toy to encourage him to bring it back rather than take it on a victory lap haha!

He is *thisclose* to getting the rear crosses – I think the reward placement even on the oopsie moments plus more excitement on the go lines will solidify it.

Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!
Yes, he was definitely finding this a bit more challenging! There was a lot happening – movement, extra jump (even when you started between 1 and 2), snowing, etc. But if this was his first time on 4 jumps, then I think he did well!! (If it was his 10th time on a 4 jump grid, then we would sort out how to answer his little questions). Since he is learning the 4 jump grid – keep them straight for now and stay pretty close to the jumps – you were lateral enough that I think he was tilting his head towards you a bit. You can ‘show’ it to him with you standing still out by the reward on the ground then you can add back motion and the moving toy. I am sure he will sort it out in the next session or two – there were no form ‘errors’ to worry about, just a bit of steam coming out of his ears due to additional challenges 🙂 This is going well, so we sit here for a few sessions then he will let us know when to add more to it.

Great job, let me know what you think!
Tracy

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