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Hi!
He is doing well on all of these!Bang Game is definitely going well and he seems to have the idea that he should remain on the board as you are moving. He is getting good at hopping on and balancing! He is not always moving quickly into the down, I think he is trying to nose target or foot target first? So to speed up the down as you continue to move, a few ideas:
– motion override with a down on the flat – and then maybe use your target on the flat for the down, to solidify the concept with you moving
– you can also add in quick releases – as soon as he gets into the down, release and play! That helps speed it up. You can do it on the flat first and then move it onto the teeter! You can mix in rewarding in position like you did but you did do one rep where you released as soon as he hit the down position, and he really seemed to like it!
Both of those should emphasize the immediateness of the down and not that it is a nose or foot touch then down – and should also emphasize that he can do it while you keep moving 🙂Lead outs – wow that is a great start line stay! Love it! Great job with all of the rewards! The blinds are really good, he is committing beautifully and reading the side change with no questions – one tweak involves the running line: try to run more towards 3 and not converge in towards 2. Converging in on the blind will push him off and potentially end up with him hitting your leg. So you can basically be running towards 3 the whole time, and your connection, verbal and motion support 2.
When you changed the camera angle, the red jump was 2: as you move up the line to the blind, stay outside the edge of the red wing and head towards the exit wing of the pink jump.
At 2:08 and 2:16 you are skimming across the center of the bar of 2 more than needed, making a bit of an L shape to your running line.>> I did notice in the video a couple times he bent his head a bit to sniff while I was walking…but didn’t leave position.>>
I don’t think this is an issue, some dogs do that to clear their heads as the game is starting 🙂
Serpentines:
He did well here too – definitely sorting out his footwork with the added speed. What seems to be happening with a lot of the baby dogs here is that when they can’t sort out the sideways jumping with speed, they are pushing themselves to the backside (which is actually an easier jumping effort). You were moving fast but not really putting on toooo much pressure (maybe a tiny bit but nothing that looked really obvious) so the pinging to the backside was likely a pressure-footwork combo 🙂 So two ideas for you on that:
with adding your speed (which is the handling pressure) – definitely angle all 3 jumps so he can sort it out. It mirror the angles of the 2 jump mini grid of the Zig Zags in the backside class – because these jumps are separated, he is going faster and that is where he is trying to figure out the line.
Separately, on the flat jumps – move through it at a walk (you can send him away to start or use that fabulous stay) and then he can sort out his feets without having to also process your speed 🙂Great job!! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>> I’ve never seen anyone do the discriminations quite this early and in this manner.
I felt that we all waited way too long to introduce the concept to the dogs, then they failed more than I wanted. So if nothing else, this generation will know that there are other things that happen nears tunnels and contacts LOL!
She was such a good girl here!!!! She was getting it on mostly verbal with very little physical help. I think the only physical help was you took a step to the tunnel but kept your feet together for the mat. She was definitely thinking hard but did so nicely! Yay! You can play with this and see if you can get it either on a pure verbal (no movement at all) or on a verbal where you walk forward but don’t actually indicate on or the other.
Great job!
TracyHi!
She did well here! Your motion overrides the value of the Manners Minder (she loves you more than cookies LOL!) so feel free to decelerate at the table to help her not dock dive off the end of it 🙂 Since we are not working on an independent end position here, it is fine to use decel to her help stop on the table.
The angles of entry did not bother her at all, so we can add another level. I asked about how you originally trained it so that we could add a little challenge. Since you used the table, did she ever run up the teeter to a table? If so, you can add the angled entries to that set up. Start without much speed because the movement makes it much harder and we don’t want her to fall off. And on this video, the dog had already worked up to a lot of tip – so start with very little tip (lowered teeter if needed) and then build up:
Let me know if that makes sense!
TracyHi!
I feel that about the Zoom meetings! My brain gets tired after a couple of hours on zoom too!This was a great session, in terms of what we need to teach Enzo! On the session you posted on Jan 12, I was like – hmmm, I think we can now mark the head turn to really seal the deal. Watching the video from yesterday (Jan 13): holy monkeys, it is all about where he is looking! This was an insightful session! I would agree that he did some really nice collection before the jump on the right turns (your left side) on most of the reps… but the quality of the turns were different and we are looking at overall turn quality. Why were they different? Because he was not turning his head on the wider turns. Aha!
For example, on the stronger side:
I think my favorite was at :20 – he turned his head before takeoff. Now compare to other turns where he also collected before takeoff but did not end up with as nice of a turn (:28, :35, for example): he collected but did not turn his head – he was looking either totally forward or sideways at the distraction. On a real course, this translates to scoping and turns that are not high quality. This would be especially true in those rare moments when, perhaps, you might deliver the cue late 🙂 Do this with deceleration that is about 3 hours early really shows us! Cool!The difference is that when he turns his head, he lands already turned and powers out directly. When he does not turn his head, even with the collection, he needs to take an extra step on landing to turn his head THEN turn his body: wider turn. Subtle indeed, but he is ready for subtle.
So…. I suggest a reward hierarchy:
watch his head. If he turns his head to the new direction *before takeoff* in a pretty obvious way, go big with a jackpot! If he collects but does not turn his head til after landing – praise, small reward. No collection, no head turn = no reward 🙂 You can click the head turn too, if you have enough hands available 🙂Definitely try this on a low bar and on the first session: with out the MM out ahead. I think we need a session to show him the change in criteria. Then you can go back to the MM out ahead, and then eventually we will turn it around for him to do it facing the tunnel (or another jump out ahead).
On his left, he is not quite as strong with his turning skills so he could not pull off the collection AND looking a little forward – which is why the turns were wider (:46 was wider because he was thinking about the Go cue :)) And no worries about the head checks on the Go – he was in turn mode, and assuming that the distraction of the MM was a turn proofing moment so he was asking if you were sure it was a go (because you were not sprinting :)) Eventually we will have them both strong and balanced with you moving or not (including you moving too much and still getting a good turn on the verbal) but I think we want to play with the head turning now 🙂
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyAh, that makes sense! I think you can add in the collection training, because it leads to a lot of engagement (because the dogs can chase us and play tug). Using the decel proofing game, put the bar pretty low – and sometimes it is GO to the MM and sometimes it is take the jump and wrap for the tug party with you. That should improve commitment. I think the refusal is not necessarily a timing issue at the core – it is more likely a young dog commitment learning thing, where he can be strengthened with these games because they are simple enough to get commitment with the turns and don’t rely on handling. Whenever we need to be perfect in handling, then we can totally strengthen the commitment training 🙂 Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! Thank you for the update!
>>Good news… with the serpentine exercises when I move both dogs back a bit and got them excited by doing the tunnels first we got both the serp. and the tunnels with body position for the serp and verbal for the tunnel. Much better than our first session. I was please with the results. I am bad and don’t count how many we did and how many were successful but my thoughts we were at least 85% maybe higher.>>
Perfect!! This sounds like great progress.
>>Finally when I got manners minder out and put it around the corner from the end of tunnel where I usually would toss a toy or cookie… I worked him with the tunnel and manners minder and he was able to do about 50% right to the tunnel and 95% to the crate. I think I might try the next session using a mat or a dog bed instead of crate.>>
It was smart to use the MM! You can also do a session of just the tunnel, with the presence of the crate: going to the tunnel only. And move the crate a little further away – it is very high value 🙂
>>Ebbie the 4 year old was not as focused on the crate and after knowing the manners minder was there he did ok… but I cannot hold him to rev. him up in any way.. he shuts down… so I just have him on my side slightly put hand in front of him and give him the verbal and if he is on the side where the tunnel is he will do the tunnel… if he is on the side of me where the crate is he will do the crate.>>
You can also add in tossing a cookie behind you so he can go grab a cookie – and then when he gets it and starts coming back, you can give the verbal cue for the crate or tunnel.
>> If he is not sure he will just slow down and go to crate or just stop. This is a work in progress for him as he gets stressed if he thinks he is not right or if I repeat anything too many times. >>
He will definitely tell you if the rate of success gets too low! Try to work at a 90% rate or higher – and that will mean you can break it down and make it easier so that he is highly unlikely to fail. You can gradually make it easier. If you get on error, make the rest of the session easier so you can maintain that high rate. That will keep him happy and also build resilience because we very gradually make it harder 🙂
Keep me posted!
TracyHi! This went really well too! She moved into the sit really nicely when you used the verbal and the hand cue. You can also use a hand touch line up to help her get into the sit, have you ever tried that? She is getting the idea of which position you want. The duration when she is in the position is looking REALLY good, she is staying while you are getting further and further away! You were releasing and using a food reward, which is fine – but you can also release and use a toy reward! She will like that 🙂 When you move away, add in turning a bit so you want walk forward while she is in the stay rather than backing up (as long as you stay connected so you can see what she is doing). She only had one error and she fixed herself right away (that was cool too see, she put herself right back in the sit, good girl!!)
Next time you are in a new place, definitely try these stay games! And you can also do short stays in front of a jump so that she learns that stays in front of jumps are the BEST THING EVER before she learns how much fun jumps are 🙂
Great job!
TracyHi! You were really great on your transitions here – super quick releases, exciting play, and then you were calm and quiet waiting for her to offer. It was interesting that the down was the thing that she offered the most, and you were good to reward it with the release and play. For whatever reason (I don’t know why LOL!) she just doesn’t seem to have a sit at the top of the list. Ha! You were helping her with a bit of a hand signal and a verbal cue – and that is perfectly fine. She is not being naughty, she is just thinking of all sorts of things except the sit LOL!! So, helping is good and that will get you even further to the stay. And yes, I think she liked it!!!
Great job here 🙂
TracyHi! He is just so clever 🙂 Doing the out? No problem at all, good boy! You can definitely add your motion on this, meaning you are walking on a parallel line to it and his parallel path is to you – and sometimes cue the out and sometimes have him come to you.
Now to answer the question about what to do if he doesn’t hit it… ideally he hits it and if he strides over it without hitting, we still pay in the case of this behavior. But after about :50 he was stopping short and turning back – and it was a placement of reinforcement thing that caused it. And he picked up the chain very very quickly (CLEVER!). The out behavior is a lead change away and then continue along the line, so the placement should reflect that chain: he moves away to hit the prop and then you throw the reward past the prop in the direction he was moving. That will get the behavior and he will continue to hit the prop, no problem. What was happening here is that you were ‘looping’ this behavior, meaning he went towards the prop but then the reinforcement was placed back at the starting point, creating a turn away from the line you wanted – and then losing the value of the prop hit. So he was moving towards the prop and then setting up to turn back to where the reinforcement would be. Smart, efficient pup! I love it!
So with this game and all of the handling games – don’t loop the reps. Isolate each rep, reinforce on the line you want – then play a bit, then reset for the next one by bringing him back to the starting point, set up (sit or cookie toss) then cue the next rep. The looping the reinforcement back to the reset spot doesn’t help with the handling cues because it creates too much turn and also doesn’t give us time to engage and deliver the cue as the permission to start the behavior (all handling cues are permission cues). Let me know if that makes sense! In a nutshell – throw the reward past the prop on the next line of travel, then bring him back around to reset – that will allow you to maintain the good commitment and also to set up where you want to be next before he comes into the area 🙂
This is looking great so far, he really reads it nicely! Have fun!
TracyHelloooooo! And welcome 🙂 Great to see you here! I think the decel proofing game will be a really good one for him so you don’t have to be perfect in timing! And the wrap versus tunnel versus GO will be good too 🙂 Keep me posted!!
TracyHi! I am glad you started this, I think it is a PERFECT game for him!! He was not all that collectiony when you were decelerated, he did end up turning but did not necessarily collect before the jump to do it. And that is why we play this! So, set yourself up to drive to the wing and be fully standing still just as he exits the tunnel. At first, reward any collection and then we will up the ante to ask for more and more – building up to the head turns. Based on this: My guess is that when you are handling a sequence, you have to handle a lot to get a tight turn with little leeway for being maybe a little late or not perfect. I think this decel game will help him read decel as an important element so you don’t have to be as perfect! So for now we will start with you completely stationary, then we will build up to you shifting into deceleration – I am excited about adding this because I think it will make your life MUCH easier on course! Yay!
Great job on all of these!!
TracyHi!
You can set this one up a little differently so he knows what the game is about – put him in a stay about 10 feet back from the jump, you lead out to the jump – then stand still and release. I think that way he will know to offer behavior on the jump and not weave your legs LOL!For now, reward any semblance of collection on the takeoff side of the jump. Give that a session or two, then we up the ante to reinforcing when his head turns. The head turn means the body will follow, so if he approaches the jump turning his head, then he intends to turn tight.
He did well on the Go – not entirely convinced LOL! but he did it! And that darned MM was being NAUGHTY LOL!Good job here! I see you added the tunnel, which is what I was going to suggest. Yay!
T
Hi! He did well here! And yes, you had a couple of human proofing moments with the wrong verbal LOL! But I think he should read the physical cue (turning) and not just the verbal – he did a GO on those even though you turned. So, you can take out all wrap verbals for a session and then just use his name or go. Or just proof the physical cue, no verbals at all. I know, I am a bit evil 🙂
The next thing to do with the *correct* verbals LOL is to take out all motion 🙂 Start him in a sit, maybe even between your feet – and see if he can discriminate the wrap verbals and the Go verbal. It will be hard but fun!
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>>I think my mechanics are getting more of a workout than Tess 😊
Ha! That is so true – these games are all about handler mechanics and also about being careful to not give too many hints with our mechanics LOL! Your videos look terrific, though, I think things are going well.
Wrap video: Great session here!!
I love that you were able to fade your motion a lot and she was still correct. She was incredibly successful on this game – On her one error, you can give a little quiet oopsie so she hears that it was not entirely correct then carry on like you did. She was barking and tugging and excited, but still accurate: PERFECT. Notice how she is picking up speed!You can move the wing in closer to the tunnel to make it a little harder 🙂 And also you can add MORE motion into the wrap, meaning send her into the tunnel, meet her at the end then drive forward into the wrap (giving the wrap verbal) – and see if she can still get it even with the flurry of motion 🙂 And vice versa – you can stand still after she exits the tunnel and without motion, send her back into the tunnel.
>> I’m making an effort to use my verbal and not lure with the toy.
You were great!
>>I want to improve the retraint. I don’t like her up on her hind legs like that. eek
She was excited so pulling herself up. You can start her in a sit stay or hand on her chest so she doesn’t stand up 🙂
Serpentine:
This is also going well, and this one in particular emphasizes handler mechanics at first.
On the first rep – your shoulders closed forward and you were moving, so she did read it as tunnel on the release. On the 2nd rep, you have great upper body serp position and she nailed it, good girlie! And wow, she did well with the sirens distraction! When you went back to the tunnel cue – you can exaggerate closing your shoulders forward so she really sees the difference.
I think you can add motion to this, showing her the difference in the cues as you start to move.>>. I also noticed how I hover over her for a sit. That’s a lot of pressure!>>
She didn’t seem too worried about it, but she was distracted by the sirens LOL! You can try a hand touch line up?
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! I am glad you are feeling better!
>>because Enzo is brilliant and I might be known to occasionally skip steps, I put out the manners minder (MM). I didn’t like the way I was throwing the toy.>>
This is my rule about skipping steps. If it works, then clearly it was brilliant fast tracking. If it fails, then I am lumping. LOL! So I do sometimes try to skip steps to see how it goes 🙂
On the wing reps – he did really well, it looks like he was about 100%, yes? You won’t see a ton of speed on these because there is no real motion or momentum, so that session was pretty perfect. Repeat the session… but with absolutely zero motion. Either be crouched or be upright – but don’t move til he makes a decision to either wrap or go. You had some movement on the first part – after about :25 you moved a lot less and that was good on the wraps – sho the same lack of motion on the go.
You can even pull up a chair and do it while sitting!When you added the MM – I think it was actually a great training session for him. He was not entirely ignoring the wrap cues, he was collecting… but the Siren Song Of The Manners Minder drew him in to his doom on the rocks LOL! He was going to it but he was entirely unconvinced that he was correct, based on his striding LOL! Too funny! On the 4th rep, I think you had started to figure it out and then gave him a tiny step to the side, so he got it – then it was easy after that. It was a good brain scrambler! So we will chalk it up to brilliant fast tracking 🙂
For this set up, I think we can make one tweak: don’t just mark collection in front of the jump: wait until he turns his head for the wrap. That is something that will really help with the turns, so that he makes the decision even sooner because the head turn is getting rewarded – which will create better turns as well. So be totally stationary and silent until he turns his head, then throw a party 🙂
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Trac
