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Hi! Great minds think alike! LOL!
This elevator game session went really well! You were really working the mechanics and that is the most critical element. She seemed happy to do it, which is not a surprise because she has been pretty darned fearless with all of this so far!!! On the first side, it looks like your mechanics were opposite arm holds the board and dogside arm feeds. When you switched side, the more successful reps mirrored this – and the reps where she curled in/fell off a bit had your dogside arm holding the board and opposite arm feeding. So I think the opposite arm holding the board and dogside hand feeding is the way to go.
She only had a little bit of patience for the countdown, so your hand on her back was helping (you can also gently hold her collar). She was doing a great job focusing on the task and going directly to target position when you cued it. YAY!!!So let’s strategixe/prioritize:
>The uphill is getting pretty close to parallel to the ground; do I lower it past parallel?
Nope – the uphill game can go into maintenance mode for the next while – just revisit it here and there for a bit, no changes in tip. We leave it alone for a bit and bring it back in the last couple of weeks (late April).
For now – play the elevator game at home and in the barn. Work on adding challenge to the bang game (but in different sessions than the elevator game) and separately… fading the target on a plank. Lots of end position emphasis! And you can work the downhills to the end position.
Great job here! Let me know if that makes sense!
TracyGood morning! What a good boy here!!! First off – triple gold star for such focus on the task while there was obvious activity AND someone with a dog entering the ring and sitting right behind him. GOOD BOY!!!!!
He did really well on the weave session – keep adding motion 🙂 He only had one question – the rear cross – where you clicked the MM and he curled back to you. If that happens, send him to the MM anyway to remind him of the line of the poles. For those rears, you can move the MM in closer so it is more obvious (I don’t think he needs it closer for the other challenges, though).
Thinking about rewards – he is VERY much like his sister and even more so he is like Contraband – the MM is nice and all, but a bit of a yawner. Hot Sauce will rip her live beating heart out of her chest to get to the MM so I get plenty of speed with it. Elektra, CB & Stark go to it, but not with as much passion as they do with the toy. In some of the MM videos, I swear that Elektra was on a casual stroll and updating her facebook status at a gentle trot lol!!
So – because he has been really successful thinking through the puzzle of how to do the 2x2s here, let’s move him to a toy reward (his sister and his pointy cousin are both on toys for the weaves now). Leaving the poles at these angles (because the toy will produce more speed excitement, so he has to make sure he can still do them properly when he is faster) and leaving the MM out ahead as a visual target for now: throw the reward when he has his right shoulder at pole 2. You can then have him bring it back, trade for a treat or another toy, reset, send again, throw toy. I think he will like this MUCHLY.
With the toy, you don’t get as many reps it because it takes longer – but I think the end result will be pretty awesome, especially in the next week as the poles start to tighten.Let me know if that makes sense! Great job here!!
TracyGood morning!
Really nice session here!!
Yay for the collar grabs! I think the routine of middle/collar grab/weave/reward was REALLY helpful because he had a really clear understanding of the what/when/how of the reinforcement – and I think he really thrives when that is clear. That was my favorite part of this video: how you set up the session to get a ton of success but also challenge him enough that he wasn’t perfect… He had a little trouble with a couple of the left side entries at the 9 o’clock area, but he didn’t lose his focus or anything – just came back and tried again. Very cool! No frustration with the error, just “ok. thanks for letting me know, let’s try it again.” YAY!!!The motion you added didn’t seem to bother him or distract him, so keep adding motion!
Planning for the next session(s):
>>Do I need to go more around the clock before I move the poles?>>
Yes, I would get the harder entries more solid (6-7-8-9 and 3-4-5-6) and add more motion before you change the variable of the angles of the poles. The other thing I suggest for him is while the poles are in this position, do a couple of frizzer sessions 🙂 Let’s look at how (or even if) more arousal changes the behavior, plus it will help him use his body when he is moving faster (because I think the frisbee will elicit more speed :))
Then, when he has a couple more sessions of various angles and motion, plus more arousal… then the next variable would be angling the 2nd base to 2&8.
>>At this point is it okay to alternate weaves where I do channels one day and then 2x2s the next – or do you think I should have a day off in between? When he does weaves it’s usually only one session a day and he usually has one night off a week (maybe two) when we have nosework.>>
Yes, for now – because he is running more than he is weaving. He is bending into the entry a little but there is no other repetitive-action weaving or bending. But… the days of training weaves daily will come to an end soon as we tighten the angles 🙂 Stay tuned for me bugging everyone about that in the games I will post on Monday LOL!!! But for now, you are still OK to train channels and 2x2s on alternating days, with a night off here and there. My guess is that you probably have maybe a week before we have to slow down the training because he will actually be weaving 🙂
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
Wow, what a good boy in the class! There was a LOT going on and he was Mr. Professional. I am so excited by that! It is weird that he had another dog barking at him but I am also glad he ignored it and got cookies. The sequencing looked really lovely!!!! This is exciting!!!! I bet that bringing him to trials and stuff really helped, because he was so focused – that is pretty amazing for a dog who is 13 months old (I don’t think he is 14 months yet, or barely 14 months?) He might be one of those dogs that thrives on the chaos of the trial environment – so fun!!!!
>> I felt like he somehow matured a bit overnight, because he was unshakeable today.>>
Well, big boy classes plus latent learning… his brain is cementing the learning and he is probably feeling a bit of serotonin/dopamine happy brain juice too 🙂
The channels session looked great! He did look at you like you were NUTS on the first countermotion rep but then he had it. the rest looked good! I was literally about to type that you should add more poles and more running and then BOOM! There were 8 poles and running. Woohoo! Good clicking too, lots of left shoulder/pole 3 clicks. Perfect!
For the channels, go to 12 poles now if possible. Keep mixing the challenges around, he is doing great!And yes, 2x2s for the next session are perfect – it is all going to start to have legit weaving soon. If you are tightening the 2x2s and he starts to bounce rather than swim, open them back up a little so we can work towards the swim weaves 🙂
Great job here!!!
TracyGood morning!
I like this set up!!! Plenty of room for him to get the entry and for you to move around. And you had the correct side to start him on on both sides – your right side on the fireplace, your left side on the couch side 🙂 Click/treat for you!
>>So when I’m on the couch side now 9 o’clock I can easily judge left shoulder in.
Yes – I your left side sends (couch side) were all really good, and he is just about at 100% with those. You can totally add on motion (walking towards the window). He was lovely!!
>>The 3 o clock side is my down fall in perception. In trying not to do threadle entries I think I have rewarded right shoulder in which is wrong?>>
That is the hardest part about weave training – we humans have to do all sorts of different things… but the dog’s behavior should be exactly the same every time. My dogs are better at remembering that than I am LOL!!!! It scrambles my brain sometimes, that is why I drink so much coffee 🙂
You were perfect about starting him on your right side (for sends) when you were positioned on the fire place side of the poles.
When you were sending him from your right, you might notice that he was pretty insistent about going to the other side to make the entry (couch side of the poles) – he was correct, the couch side is always the entry side. So when he is on your left when you on the couch side, he goes through 1 and 2. And when he is on your right (fireplace side), he has to go around pole 1 to get to couch side, to go through 1 and 2. That is why he kept trying that at :45, 1:07, 3:31, 4:14, 5:04, etc.There are a couple of ways that I use to keep it straight in my head:
when the dog i on my right, he goes ’round pole 1. (Right Round :))
When he is on my left, he goes through (left through, which doesn’t roll off the tongue as well as right round LOL!!)The other way I remember it is shoulders: left shoulder next to pole 1, no matter when I am (and right shoulder next to pole 2). So when he is being sent from your right/fireplace side, he has to go to the other side to put his left shoulder next to pole 1 and right shoulder next to pole 2. When he is on your left/couch side, he goes through the base to get his left shoulder to pole 1 and right shoulder to pole 2.
Let me know if that makes sense, or if I need more coffee (I might get more coffee anyway haha!)
>>I don’t know what was going outside my window but it was clearly distracting so sorry for the few missed entries because of that. >>
I don’t think he was distracted by the window, he seemed really on task for finding the entries. Good boy!
And no worries about clicking the wrong entry on the fireplace side, he was happy to get the cookies and it will be easy to convince him to go right round when you try it again.
And great job on the left side poles! My fingers are crossed for good weather soon too, I am ready for consistently warm, dry, sunny days 🙂
TracyGood morning! Looks at both of these sessions in a row gives us good ideas for the next steps!
On both of these sessions, she is doing really well in terms of finding the angles of entry, even on the really hard sends you did on the 1&7 angles from the first session. Nice!!!!!
And on the 2nd session with the first base at 12&6 and the 2nd based at 2&8, she also did really well finding the entries.
So since accuracy of entries is not an issue at all (yay!) here is what I think the next steps will be two-fold:1 – The harder angles are accurate but not fast yet, she is tending to think deeply about it and trot to the poles, then pick up steam when she is in and when the reward is moving -so start closer and start to move sooner, also mark sooner to throw the reward and mix in a lot of easy peasy reps from easy angles. I think using the squirrel toy more and doing fewer reps will really help too – end the session before she wants another one 🙂
You can leave the poles at the 12&6 for base 1 and 2&8 for base 2 and see if a couple of sessions increases speed – if not, open up the first base to 2&8 til she is flying 🙂 It might be a residual soreness from the Lyme too, so we can watch for that as well.The combination of high value rewards, super short sessions and more motion will help build up the speed. And we don’t want to add more angle to the poles yet because that is when striding comes into play… and she needs to be going full bore in order to sort the striding. Let me know if that makes sense 🙂
2 – On the sends, you can be moving the whole time or stationary the whole time – as long as you don’t wait til she gets the entry and then start to move 🙂 That can cause her to rely on lack of motion to find the entry, so send and move as she is on the way to the entry. Of course, that is harder 🙂 so move slowly as motion might be a distraction.
>> More of this and gradually angling the second set of poles?>>
She will give us permission to add more angle when she is cantering/running to the poles rather than trotting. The change in speed will indicate that she doesn’t have to think as hard about it anymore 🙂
>>Skip a day inbetween pole sessions?>>
Yes, at least a day 🙂 With the new games coming on Monday, I have a lot of disclaimers about now how we have to slooooow down the progressions because the dogs are actually weaving – so we can’t do multiple sessions a day, or even do a session every day. The games for Monday’s package took me 3 weeks to film for the videos. I am sure my disclaimers/reminders will be annoying LOL!!! But yes, go to 3 times a week for weave training now that we are getting the poles tighter and she is doing more bending.
Let me know what you think! Having to slow down the training is a good thing, it means that she is actually weaving 🙂
Have fun!
TracyHi!
>>Thank you! We had a good time in Tulsa. The one bobble that made was at the weaves! Good thing we are in this class! I think had we been three clean, we had a high chance of making finals, so it gives us something to work harder for next year.>>
Darn it! So close! Onwards to next year 🙂
>>I was really happy with the spacing between the sets of 2x2s and him collecting even though it’s hard for him
Yes, he was working REALLY hard to find that bend! Good boy!
>> I think it will help in several ways in keep our engagement high.>>
I like the reset cookies or toys for the engagement value too… it allows us to make sure we have the engagement before we send, and we can also control the level of arousal: a quiet deep breath to calm the dog, or a crouched READY READY READY to make him wild 🙂
Have fun!
TracyHi! Good boy here! This was a definitely glimpse into his future weaving, yay! He was able to get it when you were not moving til he was in the poles (when you moved sooner on the angled entries, he had more trouble). When you add in the movement, open the poles up a bit more so the poles are easy (because the movement variable might not be easy :)) He is doing a GREAT job on his various angles, and you asked for some difficult ones! Yay!
So when he is happy letting you jog or run while he is heading to the poles, you can start to tighten them up – and that is also when we will look at striding. He looks big enough to ‘swim’ the poles and he was trying to sort it out here a bit but wasn’t 100% sure how to manage that. We will be focusing on striding more in the next games package on Monday, so that will be perfect timing for him!
Great job 🙂
TracyHi!
>>Yes! Cowboy was self sending a lot (unfortunately). He is starting to understand the game of agility (I think) so waiting is becoming more challenging!>>
Yes, he was like “I got this, let’s go” LOL!!! That is why I use the reset cookies – to reset the dog, yes, but also to buy myself time to be ready to send before they send themselves 🙂
>>I have started using a Cato board for my BC for use as a station (and hopefully improve the starline stays). I think I will try using one with Cowboy as well (he already knows how to use a mat but that is more for outside the ring)>>
You can incorporate the Cato board for when you are shifting the angles of the poles, or when you are changing sides – send him to his board, then call him to you when you are ready.
>>I will also begin adding more motion. I think I got into the habit of waiting because I wanted to make sure my motion wasn’t prompting him to enter the poles. I also like the idea of isolating the harder entries by getting in closer. I will give it a try.>>
The motion shouldn’t be towards the poles (unless you are doing a crazy rear cross :)) so I don’t think he will rely on it as the cue to enter. You can send and stay lateral and head down the line towards the reward, parallel to his line.
Have fun!
TracyHi! She was a very good girl here!!!! Nice job with quick reinforcement!
Now… let’s get the toy lure out of there for the wraps 🙂 And we will build the send (the verbals are easy to add to those when there is value on the send). We can shape it, which will give you a ton more freedom to move up the line and send and all that fun stuff 🙂 You can have 2 toys (one in each hand) and have the wing in front of you – let her offer going around it and then you reward her at your side from your hand. She moves before the reward moves, though, so she offers some movement towards the wing – then the reward can move to build the rest of the drive around, at the beginning. And then you can reset her at the side you just rewarded her on, let her offer movement towards/around the wing, then you reward from the other side.
Start off very close to the wing to get the value rolling without you needing to help her jumpstart the behavior. Gradually wait longer and longer to present the reward til she is driving all the way around – it might happen instantly, or take a couple of sessions, either way is fine 🙂 And when she is driving all the way around, we will add the verbals and also start moving you further away and adding in sending, which will build into this game (adding the jump) really nicely!
You can also separate finding the jump (then throwing the toy) if she has not had experience with that yet. Then we will merge the two back together.
Nice work!
Tracy
Hi!
OMG Sport at the door was SO funny!
This is going really well. I agree, she caught on really fast and is totally earning her nickname of Fast Forward Ruby (or maybe I will call her Red Rocket Ruby, sounds better LOL!)Yes, in handling, my hand has a magnet to the pup’s nose – that helps me remember to keep my hand down and back when she is behind me, so I am not flailing/flinging and so she can see the connection and find the line more easily.
A couple of ideas to smooth out the parts she had questions:
Try not to switch Santa from hand to hand – I think you have reached the stage where she is going so fast that either you need to leave it in one hand, or stick it in a pocket or down your shirt or something. Switching it is delaying the info, like at :19 where the switching made you late on the connection and cue and that is when she will sometimes jump up.
Good job getting all the verbals out! You can use a left or right cue on the race tracks, those are perfect for that type of turn (HOLY COW she is fast on those!!!! A blur!!!!)The other thing that will help with keeping her on the ground and not jumping up is clarity on the transitions to get the toy back and to deliver it as the reward: you can trade for a treat for a cleaner transition, or you can relax your hands til she releases it (and then reward by giving it back :)) In the heat of the moment it is harder to remember the clean transitions, but she always does better when you do that 🙂
Very nice 2nd full run, such nice connection! And the wrap versus race track versus spin all looked great – wow! This is really exciting! Note that you use a Get it cue at 1:05 – that was great then food transition back from the toy to line up again – very smooooooth! Keep making it super clear for her like that, it really looks great and she is fast and also focused and accurate. Love it!
The last run also looked great!!! You were REALLY emphasizing connection and she responded beautifully. You were a tiny bit soft with the connection (looking a little forward and not at her as much) and stopped moving a little at 1:35 so she lost the line, but the rest looked very clear and she nailed it.Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Every day is Christmas with the Santa toy! Ha! This went well. She is really listening AND going fast. NICE! I think the little jumping up for the hand had to do with the cues a little late and not being sure when she had permission to get the toy. When she exited the tunnel at :40, you can already be giving her the next cue so she knows to keep going. You didn’t really say anything until after she got to you so she thought maybe it was toy time. And when you want her to take the toy, use a specific cue – you used get it in the next video and that is perfect!
Her understanding of the different cues looks great and she didn’t struggle when you did 2 tunnels in a row. Perfect!!!Great job 🙂
TracyHi!
This went well!
He cheated on the first rep when you did the blind by self-releasing and I cracked up when he realized the error of his ways and tried to get back on! But it was a good cheat, considering your goal of getting him to drive through the pivot! Also, you said “ok” (the release) but not the ‘paw’ cue when you started that rep, so definitely use your target cue to maintain clarity). The 2nd rep went much better and so did the rest. Yay! I think you had an empty target on almost all of the reps, and that is great – now that the board is going to the ground, we can be rewarding end position decisions without pre-placing the cheese on the target 🙂
Keep adding challenges here, and be super quick to toss the treat back as you did here. When the target is faded from the regular plank, we will eventually fade it here too 🙂
Great job!
TracyHi! He was really nice here! It took him a moment to realize we wanted him to just hop on and not go to the target, so definitely keep rewarding him. Good job with your mechanics and your countdown! The only little tweak is to give him his target cue and *then* drop the board, try not to do it at the same time – the slight separation helps strengthen the stimulus control of the verbal because he will predict that the verbal is followed by the movement and driving into position.
He did really well here, so on the next session: no cheese pre-planted on the target 🙂 Give him a cookie for hopping onto the board – then after the countdown and target cue, let him make a decision about going to the position. And when he does… place the reward in then release to the toy.
>>Think that we are going to work on fading the target via your instructions on another board somewhere else.>>
Perfect! I think he is ready for that!
Tracy
Hi!
>>Because he is a pandemic puppy to his core, his party can is an old disinfecting wipes container. >>
That is hysterical! LOL!!!!! I will be chuckling about that all day!
Thinking about this session along the same lines of clarifying reinforcement strategies – have a more sterile environment in that each thing can only elicit one behavior. So just use a wing (which only elicits the wrap and will help with this game) rather than a ‘full’ jump – there are a lot more behaviors associated with the full jump, so that can muddy the water when he is trying to sort out how to earn reinforcement.
And for the reinforcement strategies – when you were helping with the collar push to the wing or wiggling the toy as a lure (like at :17, 1:26, 1:37), he was successful in the wing wraps. But when you were not moving or showing the toy, he was frozen, waiting (1:07). And when you were trying to cue a wrap but you were moving backwards even while rotated but not showing the toy… he took the tunnel (or stuck his head into it or gazed at it for a while LOL!) one all of those: :02, :32, :40, :49, 1:20.
So that is actually an incredibly helpful session for planning!
From the handling perspective, don’t back up:) I think Linda Mecklenburg said it best: backwards motion is still forward motion 🙂 But the handling is secondary to the reinforcement strategies, so let’s focus on those first:
After you develop and name the strategies mentioned in the post above, isolate the wing or upright (no tunnel in the picture) and apply the reinforcement strategy to the wing as a looped behavior:
he is on your side, you send to the wing without a collar grab, he goes to it, you cue the reinforcement action next to you, then cue going back around the wing. You can start with a wingless upright to apply it. You can use cookies or a toy – but don’t lure with physical cues or the reinforcement – let him offer and work out how to earn the available reinforcement. If he has already done it on a different object, it will transfer very quickly.
Try all of the wraps standing totally still and without the collar sending (he had a bit of a body language droop on those) and adding in your verbal for the reinforcement in your hand (not luring with the reward to get the wrap, although you can have him follow the reward to reset his position for the next rep 🙂 ).It will be really important to not use the toys or treats as a lure to get him to come around the wing, because following that movement followed by delivery of the reinforcement only strengthens the focus on/watching the toy or treats… then he is confused when it doesn’t move and when we don’t want him to watch it, so he doesn’t offer behavior in facing of watching it.
And then when he can offer that wrap without the distraction of the tunnel, you can add the tunnel back in and work on the cues for each 🙂
Let me know if that makes sense! I truly believe the clarity of how to earn the reinforcement when it is available in your hands will be a big breakthrough moment for him 🙂
Tracy
