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Hi there!
she did well here! She did watch you a bit on the first back and forth, then she was all about leaving you to drive forward.
If being a bit careful on this game is her usual, we can change things up to build that first blast of confidence, Here are some ideas:
– now that she is going back and forth, start her only on the end that is down on the table and does not move when she gets on the board (in this video it is the side on the left side of the screen). Having the board move under her when she gets on might be causing her to take a moment to balance before moving forward again. And that will allow you to move the game into the ‘downhill only’ stage 🙂
– you can do one-hit wonder sessions (there will be more specifics on that in the Week 2 games) – basically, you do one single rep for the highest value, most incredible reward… and that is the entire training session. What does she love the most? If it is food, use a mind-blowingly delicious handful of her favorite snacks, or have her go once across the board for her entire meal. If she loves toys: once across the board for her favorite toy, then she gets to run around like a crazy lady 🙂 If she likes activities, you can do once across the board for permission to swim or whatever she likes (when the weather improves :))
– you can get her wild with an activity before the teeter rep, like running through a tunnel or chasing a frisbee – then one time across the board for a high value reward.One hit wonders raise value really quickly and the dogs lose themselves in the excitement – then they start to really drive across the board.
Great job!
TracyHello and welcome! Great to see you here! Glad she is feeling better after the lepto reaction!
>> And I recognize that “I” am the common denominator in those equations.>>
Well, the teeter is the common denominator, we will just blame the teeter LOL!
>>In addition, whatever teeter performances I have gotten in the past…they tended to deteriorate over time (in part because I get antsy on course, and frequently release to early…so I need to work on managing myself in this process as well. Tips welcomed.) >>
I totally feel that! And to be honest, I think the best plan is to train many many layers of understanding, train in the ring, maintain criteria…. then in big runs we can ‘get away’ with releasing early when trying to win 🙂 without ruining things. Then we refresh the layers and teeter performance remains strong! We will definitely work on NOT releasing early in training or relatively meaningless runs 🙂
>>I’ve ordered a new teeter, metal and adjustable…so that I can do more things with it, but it won’t arrive until after this class is complete.>>
You should be able to do this entire class without needing to adjust your teeter (I didn’t adjust my teeter for any of the training :)) We can modify the games to make it work for your teeter.
The video is marked private, can you change to unlisted? I am looking forward to seeing Sundae in action! If she is stopping short of the end, definitely start the uphill and downhill tracks, as those really emphasize driving to the end of the board.
Tracy
Hi!
He looks great here – still confident, fast and happy to drive across the board. He wasn’t lacking in confidence when you sent him, he just wasn’t quite as speedy (perhaps because it was not as exciting as when you were running). So yes, keep working those – you can work it two ways:– put something amazingly delicious down there, then gently restrain him to create a little opposition reflex, then send him
or
– you can back chain it! Start him right at the reward and let him explode to it. Then start him a tiny bit further back on each rep, til he gets to the starting point.Because he is doing so well, we can add challenge. You can probably start by taking the blue mat out from the down side to add a bit more noise. And if he is fine with that, you can add more a tiny bit more tip so the downside drops more.
Great job!!! Fingers crossed for a wobble board tomorrow!
TracyHi!
>>I like the idea of clear criteria- chapter has shown me he needs to know the rules and they need to stay the same! I also don’t like the idea of a slow teeter!>>
Clear criteria is much less frustrating – and maintaining it leads to faster performance. Plus, 2o2o is a tried-and-true position so we are not in uncharted territory. We have lots of games and troubleshooting to go to as needed.
>>I was a hot mess express>>
HA! Too funny!
He did really well on the downhill track!! Fast, happy, not distracted by your motion when you added running and the cross. And also he did not look at all concerned about the noise – especially on the crate side of things. That is awesome!!! He liked the wait element, it built up anticipation so he was explosive on the release!
End position – I am excited about how well he is picking this up! Since this is new for him, so you can help him out with a quick warm up of being in front, holding the target in your hand which he targets it with the 2o2o – then go back to having him get on the side. He was figuring it out nicely here so the little warm up will help! Don’t let him try to go too fast 🙂 when he was rushing, his butt was falling off the side LOL! So, for the next session or two, keep things calm and boring. Then if he is doing well, you can add more excitement and motion and challenge him to get the 2o2o AND keep his butt on the plank 🙂
Bang Game –
>>As you’ll see we have some distraction here with a pant-less child, but it didn’t seem to phase Chapter!>>You can totally check “pantless child” off the distraction list now LOL!! Good boy, Chapter!
The whole conversation was hysterical LOL!Chapter was a good boy about finding the board – I think he was not sure if the game was “back up into position” or simply “assume the position”. He did his best when you were a little closer to the board and it was easier to step back – yo ucan even start him in this 2o2o, ask him to stretch forward (but not off the board) then let him step his front feet back into position. Then you can have him come off the board by just a tiny bit, so it is easier to back up onto it than it is to turn around. Then when he has the idea, you can add more distance.
When the dog turns around to get on the board, I reward a little but I do it by drawing them forward to reset for the next attempt. And when the dog backs up onto the board, I have a big party in position. I think that is basically what you were doing, so keep doing that 🙂 He seemed to be figuring it out!
I do think he is finding the 2o2o very natural – in this session and also in your first video he was figuring it out in less than a minute and that is AWESOME!!!!Great job here!
TracyHi!
>>this time without a wobbly board. Unfortunately I didn’t read your second post until just now, and so I didn’t do a very good job of getting her off the side of the board when she was exiting, especially when she was leaping off. But we did do the send, and all of the crosses you suggested, and I thought she did OK – hope you think so too.>>
Awesome! No worries about getting off the board, one more session is not going to make or break it 🙂
This video is marked unavailable, probably marked private? When you get a moment, can you re-set it to unlisted?>>We did repeat these a little later with a board that moved about 4″ up and down – her performance was about the same, but unfortunately I forgot to turn the camera on>>
Ah! I feel that pain! But if her performance was about the same, that is EXCELLENT news! Some dogs are just super confident and they don’t mind the tip changes! It makes teeter training much easier – fingers crossed that she finds this all very easy! So far, she looks great 🙂
Tracy
The downhill event looked fabulous: he was running to the end and shifted his weight to stop very close to the end (not looking for the pivot). Thanks to the glory of squeeze cheese, he did not get distracted by your motion or position. Super! So….. next step: add a tiny bit more tip! Just a little, to maintain this performance because it is exactly what we want.
Question – do you have any access to other teeters? I know covid has made things so much harder, but these games can definitely move to other teeters if you have safe access to different locations. If not, moving the teeter to a new spot in the yard can make it feel really different too.Great job!
TracyHi!
>Don’t know how you edit all our videos and run classes and seminars, too!
Coffee, lots of coffee 🙂 Coffee helps get it all done haha!
He was really good with the backing up here! It looks like you were wanting him to get his front feet on too, and that is fine – for the next session, you can wait for him to get his front feet on then click the MM. The only other thing I would suggest is that now you can move the MM another foot further from the teeter, so when he comes off he has room to keep his butt straight, which will both make it easier to back up straight and more challenging because there is more distance. He was totally thinking about his hind end here!!!
I totally panic too when the dog starts running up the teeter LOL! And my dogs give me the same “no big deal” look that Nuptse gave you haha!
Great job!
Tracy
Hello there! Happy Monday!
>>Oh he’s going to be MUCH happier the more he gets to run!!! I’ve got a short, 6′ tunnel, could I do tunnel to the teeter with him? >>
Yes! As long as he doesn’t lose his head and go dock diving, you can definitely get him wild with a tunnel to teeter combo 🙂
He did really nicely on the back and forth here! He was doing it without you when you were moving the tunnel bag LOL!!!! And turning around to both direction with zero issues, from what I could see. He had his head straight and low (looking for cookies :))
When you ran out of food, he got mad! LOL!! The tapping on the board was also a little startling for him, so I am glad you got the cookies. When you added a bit more of your speed, he immediately bought up his speed AND his tail came up higher – both of which are great! Yes, he is still very much in it for the cookie (I can totally relate, I love to eat too :)) but that is definitely not a problem because when we put it in a course, he will be happy to drive through it. Yay!
When the teach it arrives, play with this same set up to introduce it – the different visual might be distracting? Or not 🙂 And then you can move the table slightly further out, so only the last 6 inches or so of the teeter are resting on it – that gives him a longer board to run, and more speed.Great job here! If he is happy with the teach it tomorrow, you can start adding more tip!
Have fun!
TracyHi!
I am so excited about his achievements at the trial! That is huge, because we simply have not been able to give the youngsters the same exposure as we would in ‘normal’ times. Good boy, Presto!!!!! And great job with the girls too!
>>OMG, Presto is my curse for telling my husband that I didn’t want a Min American Shepherd (because he loves Aussies) because they are “too barky at their handlers.” God and all my mini Aussie friends are laughing. But, on a serious note, I also have a chin rest on hand behavior that would work nice here because it will better position him for the next rep!>>
HA! I mean, he is definitely not a curse but it is funny that he is loudly opinionated LOL!!! And yes, the chin rest will be very useful 🙂
On the video:
He was great with driving forward with you hanging back! Yay! The motion of you moving a was a little distracting, so yes:>>– Should I keep doing the same kinds of things in the next session until he keeps his focus forward even WITH my motion?>>
Keep working this set up, but two things to help him with the motion:
1 – move more slowly 🙂 You were pretty brisk, which is exciting. Be sluggish LOL!!
2- And also, you can try leaving him in a stay, leading out past the end of the plank, then releasing him while you are standing still out ahead. That can introduce the element of moving ahead by standing still first then very slowly adding in moving when you release him.>>– I’m wondering if I should remove the target for his feet? I think he’s pretty confident in knowing what “spot” means – but I’m wondering if he’ll drop into position a little quicker since. Or I could go back to taping the blue strip of yoga mat so at least it’s lower? But if you think that target is still helpful at this stage – totally open to keeping it!>>
I think he is dropping into position pretty fast! You can play with reducing the size of the target so it starts being faded and see what it does – but don’t work on fading it and adding motion at the same time. Leave the big juicy target in for the motion challenges, and fade the target with you standing still behind him. Let me know how it goes!
Great job!
TracyHi! We are just gearing up for in-person seminars, fingers crossed for big improvements in the Covid situations! In May, I will be in Quad Cities (Iowa) and then in the Chicagoland area. In June, Muncie (Indiana) and Minneapolis are on the calendar. In July, fingers crossed for the Seattle area (although the thought of flying right now is NOT happy-making for me!)
If any of those are near you, let me know and I will send you contact info 🙂
Nothing else is planned yet – but when it is, you will see it on the Facebook group.
Hope to see you soon!
TracyHello! Happy Monday!
This is going well!
The FCs are looking super nice: she is committing beautifully and your connection was great on all of them. In fact, I thought her commitment and your connection were great throughout the whole session. Yay!!
I see what you are saying about spin versus a regular blind: At :16, 1:04, and 133 – yes those were regular blinds where you turned away from her and picked her up on your other side. At :34, :52 and 1:16, you did the spin (which is the front cross/blind cross combo move). The good news is that she read both of them just fine LOL!! So as you get going faster and faster, remind yourself which way to turn on the spins (towards her) before each rep and then it will be perfect.
She was REALLY liking the race tracks! Wheeee! She was getting to add speed and seemed to think it was really fun. So…. let her go faster on those, by you running more 🙂 It is a challenge for you to go faster but still maintain your connection.
She did really well with the food rewards, there seemed to be no thoughts of barking or tooth hugs 🙂 You can add in a little toy play before and after, then cookies in the actual training, to start getting her to be more excited while still keeping her calm enough to not deliver any tooth hugs.Great job!!!
TracyThat is great info! Feel free to leave that in the video or make a note as you post – it will change the next steps. Since he was uncomfortable enough to go lay down far away, I suggest that game (teeter-table) goes into the One Hit Wonders mode for at least 5 sessions. What I mean by that is: you do one single rep for a MASSIVE reinforcement value. Then done! Then entire session on that setup is one rep. (I know, it is SO HARD to do only one rep LOL!!). And the reinforcement value should be sky high – what is his favorite thing? It can be one rep for an entire meal. Or one rep for his most favorite ball or toy or…. swimming? Whatever he adores is perfect 🙂 The point is to make it more about pairing in super high value and then stopping before he gets a chance to think about it too much or show any avoidance. It is kinda of like if I wanted you to be happy with a spider, I would should you the spider one time, give you a million dollars, then end the session and go do something else for a while.
After 5 sessions of that, we can re-assess and see if he needs more one hit wonders or if we can change the session structure again.
let me know what you think and how it goes!
TracyGood morning!
I think it is Monday there: wobble board day! Fun!!!>> You convinced me about the weaves, I will sign up with Hero. I should have done the combo package. DOH!
>>You can still do the combo! I can hook it up for you via email if you like. There should be enough savings with the discount to pay for lots of dog treats LOL!!!!
He did really well on all 3 games here – I am SUPER happy with how he is approaching them: no worries about the movement, no worries about the noise – all happies to play the games. YAY!!
On the downhill game – I am doing a little happy dance here about how he is driving with a huge stride across the board then doing a fast weight shift right at the very end of the board. That is EXACTLY what we want him to do and he is offering it naturally. YAY!!!!
I agree – he was happy and getting faster on each rep. You started to add in moving with him towards the end of the session, so definitely add that in for your next session – moving with him from a stay, starting with him and moving all the way across the board, starting with him and sending him ahead without you (the cookie will already be there).
If he is as happy with that as he was here… the session after that can have a little more tip! He is making really nice progress 🙂The wobble session was great – he is TOTALLY efficient and found the best way to balance hahahaha! Smart dog. He is really liking it, looks like he was trying to get back on at the end – so you can reward by tossing the treat off to the side and letting him leap back on into a balanced position. It will be easier with the wobble board but this setup works too, because it is entirely unpredictable and he has to be prepared for any possibility of movement.
The targeting is going well, Good job challenging him to Ask for more feet and less focus on the food 🙂 Part of the food focus is because you are in front of him. And since he is doing well, 2 ideas –
You can change your position to the side, to see if he can get into the position parallel to you (and not facing you).And, add the tape strip target to a plank – do you have a short plank that he can use for end position? The tape would go right at the end – you would introduce the setup like you introduced the tape but now he is going to be 4on the board and targeting it (which might actually be even easier).
Some dogs do better when we slightly elevate the target for this – meaning, put the strip of tape over a strip of cardboard (same width and length) or something similar, so it is a more salient target to put feet on. That can be helpful to transfer the behavior as he moves to the plank. Let me know if that makes sense!Great job here!!
TracyHi! Peanut butter is magic! “Mom, do what you want, I’ll be running to peanut butter position.” Good boy! He was super strong on all the things except going without you – he shifted his weight earlier on that one at the end. No problem, I don’t think it was anything other than your motion is stimulating and going without you is less stimulating. So, you can mix more sending ahead in, because the magical peanut butter properties will help build it up to being as strong as the others.
Interestingly, he also had to run PAST a stash of peanut butter (I think it was on your hot water heater?) in order to get to the smaller reward of peanut butter. No problem! That is so cool – shows the value of the task.
The setup looked and sounded good – a little movement but not a lot of noise. So, since this went well… add a little more tip! Just a little, see how it goes, and if he gives you the thumbs up… add a little more.If you are able to bring him to a new place or different teeters, or when this teeter can live outside for the summer – definitely bring the peanut butter! It is a high value reward, but also the smell will be strongly associated with these confident performances which should help him generalize that to all the new places 🙂
Great job!!!!
TracyGood morning!
These games are looking good – he seems to have no issues with the movement or the noise at any point! Yay!!!
On the bang game: he definitely was fine moving the board, hearing the bang, etc. That is great! You can add in a little more tip, I think he is ready for it. For now, though, don’t wait for him to offer target position (because he doesn’t have the focal point of the actual target) – so stay close to the end and get the reward in fast 🙂 When you were behind him, he was curling because he needs the focal point of the target for now (which we will add soon enough, when there is more tip to the bang game).
When he was on your right side, he was pretty straight. When he was on your left side, he definitely wanted to curl in – so when he is on your left, reward with your left hand and see if that helps. He might be curling in because he is tracking the cookie move from your right hand, and turning to face it. The left hand reward will be quicker and he won’t have time to track it 🙂
But next session, add in a little more tip with you right up near the end and see how he does 🙂His backing up looks good!!!! It was smart of you to try it again after the bang game, looks like he needed the warm up to think about the place where the rewards come. And you can use that in this game too: have him start in the 2o2o position (he can move forward into it with you facing him) and then draw him off (cookie lure or release to a hand touch) then cue the backing up (or wait for the offer). The only questions he seemed to have in this session were about when to start – so beginning with the 2o2o will help put him in the rhythm of position, forward, back to position, forward, back to position, etc. Let me know if that makes sense 🙂
As with the bang game… add a little more tip to this and see how he does! Not a lot of tip, maybe half an inch – but overall I think he is doing super!!!!Great job! See ya later!
Tracy
