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Hi! She is definitely trying to find the balance of staying balanced and going fast! She came into the grids in the first intervals in balance but then on reps 1, 2, and 3, she lost her balance between 3 and 4 and then couldn’t get it back between 4 and 5. On rep 3, she tried a different approach of going bigger but it didn’t work out the way she thought it might – I am glad she changed her opinion back to do it differently on rep 4!
So we can help her out in 2 ways, you can play with both:
on the 5 jump grid – you were not presenting a lot of motion, but it was too much for now in such a hard grid. So, lead out as if you are going to stand still – release and then slooowly walk forward from out past where the toy is… snail walk LOL!!! And see what she does – try to watch the video immediately. If she is balanced – repeat it. If she jackknifes a bit on the last interval, slow down your motion even more (I play these in slow motion so I can see what is happening).Separately, we can show her motion where she *is* balanced – using 3 of these jumps, not all 5. So making it into a 3 jumps ladder grid, so everything exactly the same as you did here, and see how she does! If she can stay balanced for 2 sessions… you can add jump 4. Then eventually we marry together the motion and the 5 jumps again – it will take several sessions spread out over time, but we have time 🙂 The goal is to maintain her speed AND her form – she totally can do it.
Nice job here! Let me know if that makes sense!
TracyHi!
Super nice session here! Great job with the arm back and strong connection, it really helped. Plus, lots of rewarding for that jump after the tunnel also looked lovely, he was picking it up nicely – which then made the whole pinwheel easier (also, nice connection on the way back to the tunnel!). Great work! I suggest one more session just like this – and if it is super successful like this one, you can change a variable – either raise the bars a little, or spread the jumps out a little (not both, at least not yet 🙂 ) If that goes well for a session or two, then you can do whichever variable you didn’t choose – if you spread out the jumps, you can raise the bars (or vice versa).And Maddy can do whatever she likes as long as she doesn’t get run over 🙂 She wanted to show that young whippersnapper how it is done LOL!
Great job 🙂
TracyHi! Very nice job with the connection and rewards! On the one jump reps – yes, you were late 🙂 It is hard to be on time when she starts that close, so if you revisit the one jump reps, start her 10 feet from the jump. Your timing got easier when you added in more obstacles – on the FC on the 2 jumps, be sure to keep moving towards the next jump. You were moving forward then towards the jump, which drew a bit of an L shaped line for her rather than a direct path. The blind looked lovely, great path!
Good FC at :23 – your path and connection were really nice! Timing was better too – I think as this goes into the sequences, you will trust her commitment more and start one stride sooner, when she is halfway between the 2 jumps for now (that might change to be even earlier as she gets more experience and as the jump bars go up) At :34, you were a little later (she was over the bar) so she ended up a bit wide. Your connection was good but I think you can definitely play with starting it earlier. You did start the FC earlier at :39 (yay!) so now try to lead out more so you can stay ahead – timing was good but she caught up to you really quickly.
Same with the blind at :29 – start it when she is halfway between the 2 jumps, and then run directly forward. She caught up to you there because you looped out a little then had to wait for you to run back a bit. At :46, the last rep – it was later to start than :29, so almost didn’t pick up the new side (remember to reward across the body so she gets the connection).So overall – her commitment is really good, so you can push and give yourself more of a headstart/lead out, so you can try to start the cross when she is halfway between the jumps. I would stick to the 3 jump game for now (no need to revisist 1 and 2 jumps) . And to help her commit, your running line can be pretty close to the jumps now that you are starting sooner.
Nice work here! Let me know if it makes sense!Tracy
Hi!
>>Well, one thing I think is that Enzo is going to have to run fast NOT based on my scrambling off the start. That is not a feasible long-term solution for me. 😊 When I do the running DW, I come off a standard course already completely gassed; I can’t plan to start pushing hard.
I feel that pain! Enzo is on a similar path that my Voodoo was on at that age – Voodoo was just floating along, fast but not blazing or driving. So I did some course work where I really started to drive him, running like a wild lunatic to help him feel the rush of speed. Basically, I was trying to flip the switch to get him to go from steady and smooth (we helped win a lot of DAM team events when he was young) to blazing. Mission accomplished! And then when he would drive himself, I didn’t have to scramble and then I could run less. Enzo looks exactly like that – but with the massively notable difference that Enzo has a far better foundation than Voodoo did, so when Enzo goes to warp speed he will have better skills for you to utilize.
So basically I am suggesting this to help “flip the switch” and not as a lifestyle of outrunning the dog 🙂
>>I am really happy that the FC reps went well. I generally prefer FC’s but with Lollie I had to do mostly blinds (facing her slowed her down). Glad Enzo doesn’t feel that way.
I was super happy with the FCs – those are hard angles and he was lovely!
>>I might be able to improve the BC by “snapping” my head around instead of floating around. Something I will play with if the sun every reappears.
Yes! And also, as much as I love blinds, there are places that FCs are better and this is likely one of those LOL!
Fingers crossed for more sunshine 🙂
THi!
>>Regarding my FC question, Gunnar is injured so I can’t demo with him. I will play with that tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe Scarlett will make an appearance!>>
Oh NOOOOOO! Poor G. I hope he is OK! You can ask Scarlett to help, or try Robie doing what you described so we can discuss! But he will be happy to try it 🙂
He is doing well on his grids here! My only suggestion is to stand way out with the toy, parallel to it – not between the last jump and the toy – that might be why he was not driving as much on the last interval. Did he one-stride 19 feet last time? I believe so, right? So start your session next time at 17 feet, then 18 feet and if he is one-striding… throw in a 19 footer and then quit 🙂 No worries about a 2 stride at 21 feet – that is fine, he is a youngster and the 2 stride there is appropriate. I am not concerned at all – I think he was just in zen mode today and that is perfectly fine with a young, high drive dog 🙂 Separately from this grid, though, you can start the week 2 grids with motion. That can make the grid work more exciting, which will bleed over into this grid, which will help him open up the stride even more.
The pinwheels are looking good, and yes, you got some good distance there! Yay! Little tweaks for you: as he exits the tunnel on your right side, make a little more connection so he doesn’t come into you then back out. On the first 2 reps, you were not that connected so he wasn’t as sure about going forward. The next reps were more connected so he went forward more 🙂 You can also start to move more on these: when you send to the pinwheel, you can then take off running to the tunnel then reward when he finds jump 3! He was a little wide turning to his right towards the end, so big rewards for him finding jump 3 as you are moving will help with even more line independence. You can work these again, but you can also go into the week 2 games (which have some pinwheel elements but also have crosses).
Nice work here!!
TracyHi there!
Good stuff here, it gave me plenty of opportunity to obsess. Ha!
A general note – you can get more speed if you lead out less and scramble like mad from the first tunnel to the jump after it. A little panic goes a long way there 🙂 He was running but I think we can get him to burn rubber and drive harder in that section.
I timed the difference between the FC and the 2 different BC placements (starting on landing of the jump after the tunnel) and the good news is…. they were all very very close in timing, which gives you a ton of flexibility to choose based on course requirements (where you have to get to for the next part of the course).
On the FCs – nice timing, nice line, nice commitment! I liked both of your front cross reps. I can’t think of anything to improve, other than driving him harder and seeing if you can still get that nice timing and line.On the BCs in that same spot – why were they both a little wider? I froze the video in the moment as he was taking off for the cross jump to see what he saw. On the FCs, he saw you fully rotated AND fully connected before takeoff. Perfect! On the BCs, even though you started those BCs at the same time as the FCs, you were not connected before he took off – the real connection started when he landed, and that is when he responded (and that is why he landed wider). You can play with starting the BC sooner so you are connected sooner (before takeoff, like with the FCs) – when I do that, I also run closer to the cross jump so motion supports it more as the head turn is starting sooner. The more laterally away you are, the more likely you are to pull him off if you start sooner.
Now – in that spot – the FC might turn out to be the better tool because it turns the info (and your feet) to the new line sooner than the BC. But worth it to play with both!
The BC on the landing side of the jump before the tunnel is likely to be a more ideal spot for a blind on this sequence. On the second rep of it, you really called him with a bit more urgency, so he came towards you a lot faster. That can allow you to do the blind even sooner too.Interestingly, there was not a huge difference of time on any of the reps except for the 2nd to last rep where you didn’t call him in for the landing side blind on the jump before the tunnel – that one was the slowest. The others were quite close! So you can try pushing harder to see what happens. You can also change the distances – work the timing on a medium distance and then a smaller distance (15-18 feet) and see if you can still nail the timing and connection.
Nice work! Let me know what you think!
THi!
I agree, she was a little happy to be back at the barn 🙂 She was smoking you a bit on the one jump games on the first video LOL!!! Start her further back in a stay so you stand a change of finishing the blind before she takes off LOL!!! However, your exit line connection was *fabulous* so after the first rep, you were able to get the turn each time. YESSSS!!
On the 2nd video – the mechanics of the FC looked really good! She was smoking you here too 🙂 At :50 you had a BC that was earlier and it helped! The one after that was earlier, she was nice and tight too. SHe was wide on the last one because you were later in terms of finishing it and reconnecting. She seemed to completely ignore the person walking back and forth, and that is incredibly valuable!!!
It is possible that she would struggle to hold a stay when she is this excited, so you can move forward to the 2 and 3 jump games to give you more of a head start, as well as the sequences (and with a little height on the bars when you have more time to start the crosses sooner). Nice job here!!!!>>I may be watching not running Thurs due to the torrential downpours predicted (or if it stays north, in a friend’s yard).
Mother Nature is hating us this year! Keep me posted – we can always switch you to the Saturday 11:30 class is you are available!
T
Hi!
>>So, do the ladder grid and after you are doing that with movement then go on to the wrap to the grid? One follows the completion of the other?>>Yes. The first ladder grid builds in more motion from the handler, so we want to see how the pups do with that. The wing-to-short-ladder has more motion from handler AND dog, so that comes afterwards if the handler motion is going well 🙂
T
Hi! She has just been lulling you into a false sense of quiet (she is still thoughtful here!) And yes, you will need some significant giddy up as you build up her sequence work -she goes FAST FAST FAST lol!!!!!
On this set up with the one jump games: your mechanics of turning and rewarding were good, and your lines were good (that is why you got the show off moment, because your line of motion was presenting the line she took, good girlie!) My only real suggestion is to start her a lot further back, so you can walk into it, release then turn earlier. She was so close to the jump that you were automatically late (that was her verbal feedback too LOL!) So try to start her 10 feet back – start moving, release, and when she starts to move – do the cross. Wheee!
On the oopsies: Look at her line up at :50 – she was facing past the jump so she would have had to lead change away to get the jump… same on the next rep then you fixed it at 1:02 by having her facing the jump. Then she needed a party with the toy LOL! and the rest of the reps were good. So, since she is so young and literal, make sure she is facing the jump and not past it.
Really nice job here! Onwards to the 2 & 3 jumps and the sequences!Tracy
Hi Christine! These are looking really strong! And her stay looks great (nice job with the rewards too). My only tweak is very minor: be less sideways on your release, and a little more forward-facing so she can extend even more.
Since these are both strong AND consistent (she is repeating the strong behavior on each rep, I don’t see her making adjustments) – we now move along 🙂 One rep with the 15 foot distance to the last jump… then move it out! She is pretty small, so move it out a foot to 16 feet. Then if she one strides… move it out to 17 feet. Look for the 2 hits of the front feet. If you see 3 hits of the front feet, move the jump back maybe 6 inches and see if she will one stride – if not, move it back to where she last one-strided then give her a break. You can also work on the ladder/balance grid with motion!
Nice work here!!
THi there! Great to see you here! And yes, a BC is a little different than your littles 🙂 In some ways, harder, but in some ways much easier (easier to see, for starters LOL!)
You had really good rewards spread out in different places on these videos, it really helps to balance the value throughout! He is still learning commitment and some things were easier than others – he did REALLY well finding the middle jump on most of the reps! And he was really starting to get in the groove of understanding the pinwheels as you worked through the sessions. And the hummingbird moment was hilarious LOL!!!
He had some trouble finding the first jump after the tunnel, especially when he was on your left side. So, let’s isolate that skill! If he can find that first jump, the rest will be super easy. On the 2nd video, on the first 2 reps – your connection from the tunnel to the jump was TERRIFIC! So just focusing on the one jump after the tunnel: send him into the tunnel, and start moving forward with that strong connection (not pointing to the jump, jump walking forward past the jump). Throw the reward when he commits to the jump. I think for now those bars should be even lower, so the commitment is so easy and inviting 🙂 When he can those jumps, the rest of the pinwheel will be so easy and you can spread it out more.
The other place to be more connected is from the jump back to the tunnel: when you give your tunnel cue, look right at his eyes, with your dog side arm back (not pointing forward). That will help too!
You can move into the send and go pinwheels too , that can help with convincing him to commit more easily.Great job!
TracyHi!
Super nice sessions here!
You are correct, her eyes almost bugged out of her head when she saw the big jump at the end of the first grid LOL!!!!! Ha! And she made a good decision: I always prefer for dogs to abort mission rather than to risk killing themselves if they aren’t sure. It is ultimately safer and smarter. She figured it out on the 2nd rep and then did fine on the next 2 reps on the next clip (although I think the 2nd clip’s first rep was an artfully broken stay? LOL!) She is still working out the form, and the surface might be part of it – it has been a while since she has been on turf, maybe? So I think she will get it sorted out in terms of keeping her head a little lower to push from the rear more. She might have been lifting her head a tiny bit to read the grid (which is fine, because that is what we wanted her to do :)). Revisit this at some point in the next week or so, and you can also mix in adding motion to the balance ladder grids from the week 2 package. She is doing well in terms of sorting out the puzzle, just needs more experience reading all the distances 🙂The pinwheel is looking good too, she is REALLY excellent with her commitment skills. I think you said Go on one of them, but switched to left later on – I prefer the left because go has more extension (or you can use a generic “jump” cue). The only suggestion is to give her connection on your sends. On the reps where the sends were easy (like the first one) your connection was good! She had a question on the 3rd rep (didn’t send) and that was when you were looking forward/pointing forward (broken connection). So, add in more eye contact to her on the sends and she should be able to nail it. Also balance it with the lazy game so that she will proceed to the jump even in the moments where you connection isn’t perfect – she is so fast already, so we don’t want you to rely on perfect connection 🙂
You can definitely add in the tunnel before this, and move to the crosses games from this week! Great job here!
TracyHi!
I think I got rid of the Fix and Go listing, let me know 🙂All of the sessions here look terrific! I watched the jump grid in slow motion to see if they was anything he was struggling with… nope! I was dropping the toy on the video when I filmed it (when HS was a lot younger) because her stay with a toy on the ground was crappy LOL! So Benni is really good with his stays – placing the toy in the ground is more ideal. So two ways to move forward on his jump education here: on the 5 jump grid, lead out less and release and move a little faster. Release at jump 5 then job after the release, then jump 4, then jump 3. Over the course of a few sessions, I bet you will be able to run. The goal is that his jumping form is unchanged as you add more motion, so do it very gradually so we can obsess on the video 🙂
Also, add in the wing wrap to ladder grid – that automatically adds more motion with fewer jumps to stay balanced on because there is more speed.The FCs and BCs are looking really terrific. Your timing looked good (and that is hard on one or two jumps) and you running line looked really strong – it presented the next jump perfectly, even when you were trying to reward him LOL! You are really mastered the fine art of the exit line connection/cross body reward! Yay! So two ways to progress:
Go to the 3 jumps and the sequences. Fun!
When you are doing the 3 jumps and sequences, when you are not going to reinforce after a cross but instead you are going to keep going: see if you can start to fade the presentation of the arm across the body on the cross exits while maintaining the excellent dog-side shoulder back and super connection. So basically – the cross arm reward produces great connection and pushes your dog-side shoulder back -see if you can do that with less (or no!) cross arm. But you can still present the toy with the cross arm when you are rewarding him.Great job!!! I am excited by his progress and looking forward to more!
Tracy
Hello! He is doing well here! I agree he was a little hesitant on the pinwheel jump – could have been the looser-than-expected footing and also could have been that you were not moving as much. You can move a little more in that center square 🙂 He did a great job driving out of the tunnel to the jump! Poor little guy, hitting his leg – that STINGS and I am glad he is not hurt (just wary). On your next session, you can move a little more and also mix in the send-and-go pinwheels (you can add the tunnel to those too :)) Nice work!
TracyHi there!
The grids do give the dogs the chance to open up and feel the power of jumping 🙂 The back chaining really helped her! Try not to over-help with motion or leaning or anything – we need to teach her to find that line on a grid without you over-helping. So, on the next session…. stand still 🙂 Standing still is hard, I feel that pain because I am particularly twitchy hahahahaha
2 other things on this striding grid:
Start her a little closer to the first jump, so the fist time she puts her front feet down after the release will be between 1 and 2, not before jump 1. And, move the last jump in closer (15 feet, leaving the bar low) so that she can one stride it. Right now she is 2 striding it, but it is pretty far away. Moving it in closer will give us a chance to open up her one stride by moving the jump out gradually: 15 feet, 16 feet, 17 feet 🙂On the pinwheel: your last rep was exactly what we are looking for, YAY! You were smoothest on your send and then you supported the line to jump 3. Very nice! On the others, you were holding the send a bit too long so that created too much decel – which pulled her into the gap and off of 3. So, send and leave, heading towards 3 a little more like you did here. You can add a tunnel before it, you might have more momentum which can help too. You can move the jumps in a tiny bit closer as you get the smoothness of it to repeat the excellent of that last rep. Well done!
Tracy
