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He is paying really great attention to the hand cues on the tandem turns here! And your mechanics looked strong too 🙂 He read it well with both the dog-side arm at the beginning, and with the outside arm during the rest of the session. I think the outside arm got him a little closer to you and also got a tighter turn, but that could have also been because he was figuring out the game 🙂
He also read this really well in both directions – that is unusual in a good way! Usually pups have a strong side and a weak side on this game, but he was great on bth sides. Yay!
Like the lap turn, this game is ready for the advanced level where you add the prop.
Great job!!!
TracyHi!
He was so funny at the beginning when you put the cookie in the bowl, circling it – it was HARD to ignore but he did a great job!He didn’t want to line up at first, so what you can do in that moment is reward him with even better cookies for walking away with you (rather than circling the bowl or heading to the barrel without you). Then when he can walk with you, you can ask him to line up at your side (more cookies!) or even do the between-the-feet lineup (even MORE cookies LOL!!) That will help him ignore the distraction of the cookies in the bowl while also lining up, which will transfer really nicely to start lines on course!
He did really nicely wrapping the barrel, so the line up will make it easier for you to cue the start of it. It was cool to see him understanding that it is the ‘work’ that indicates the cookie in the bowl is available rather than just grabbing the cookie in the bowl. So adding the line up will also become fun work for him, which is what I saw when you were practicing the stays. When he lines up closer to you, you can also add in front crosses on the barrel as well as the wrap verbal.Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
He is also doing well with these! You were actually early on a couple of these 🙂 If you move your arm and leg back too early, he might not come in fast to your or might not turn away (like at :44). But if you keep your feet together and your hand extended to him until he is just a few inches away then move them back to cue the turn, he gets it really nicely 🙂 :38 was a good example of the timing with your hand cues.
He looks ready for the advance levels – adding the prop to the lap turns! I see you have started the tandem turns in video here too.
Nice work!
TracyGood morning!
The stays are coming along really nicely!!! He likes the line up between your feet for sure and that allows you to walk directly forward like a lead out. He had one little blooper when you went further but the rest were lovely. You can add a little bit of quiet praise before you release, and keep adding distance.
I was not quite sure what the marker word for the reward being thrown back was (you used a couple of different one), so that is really the only spot to clarify for him. The rest looked strong! You can also add in stays in front of something, like an empty food bowl or anything that is mildly enticing 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
I am sorry to hear about the hamstring/adductor! OUCH!!!
>I do not use “get out”, I use just “out” with Benni. But Brioche gets the concept.>
Using ‘out’ is perfect!
The session went really well! I was super proud of him for NOT grabbing the jump when you were indicating the straight line. That jump has value and he followed your line perfectly.And he also did great finding it when you indicated the out. Be sure you are using the outside arm more directly to the jump wing (like at :14 on the first side and 1:13 on the 2nd side). Yo can have that arm even lower and more direct to the jump wing (the exit wing) so that he sees it very clearly.
At 2:02 you did not point the arm at the jump at all, so he was confused: once said out but the body cue did not support it. The arm clarity will help him to get it as you add more distance.
He is ready for the advanced level where you add a cross!
Looking at the turn aways: this also went well. He did best when you stepped straight back (like at :48) and rather than step to the wing at all.
Delaying the cookie throw helps him finish the turn!The only bloopers were related to timing and visibility of the cues:
At 1:43 you were early 🙂 And when you moved your hand/leg it looked like a ‘throwback’ indication to the other side of the wing. Much better at 1:55 – you waited til he almost arrived at the hand, then arm and leg moved back to indicate the turn. Nice!!! You can also have your cookie hand extended directly to him rather than next you, as that will make it even easier to see.Using the toy went great! I think that made the cookie hand more obvious and he turned really well when you let him get almost to the cue hand before starting to move.
He is ready for the advanced level of this game (tandem turns).
About the eating – keep me posted on how he is doing. Avoiding the raw might indeed be a bit of GI upset or pain (mouth pain?) and the freeze dried food might be easier to eat especially in a training context.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>He isn’t driving ahead totally yet so makes the timing so tough when rears are harder for me anyways lol!!!>
At this stage of training, you can do a lot more reps of driving ahead and just a couple of RCs thrown in here and there.
>Took a break and rewatched the video and realized I had it set pretty advanced lol! >
Click/treat to you for watching the video!!! Most people don’t watch the video when it is the most helpful thing for figuring out why something isn’t working.
>Retried with wing further in to tunnel and he was 100 percent!!! >
Yes, that was really cool. He rocked it! You can also mix in a couple of tight wraps on the start wing and then cue the tunnel 🙂
>The last are my own lol
No worries! You still kept a high rate of reinforcement. But let’s talk about arms for a moment:
I think part of his question was arm position. It was high and slightly above your shoulder level, and in the spots where he did not get the jump (like at :49 and 1:09), I think the arm position blocked connection and turned your shoulders off the line. When you had a little more connection, peeking under your arm – he got it.
Arm position is handler’s choice on these! You will still want to be connected and also want to be able to run fast, so with that in mind:
– you can keep your hand/arm lower so there is more connection and so you can run faster– You can keep your arm even higher, so you can connect from below your arm and still have your shoulders pointing to the line. It would be a ‘feeding giraffes’ position 🙂 but that is relatively common in Europe, where arms are high and handlers are connected below the arm.
– You can also sometimes use the opposite arm to send him out!So I think the only arm position you do not want is the one perpendicular to your shoulders, as it turns your shoulders away and blocks connection.
Let me know what you think about the arm options!
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
I hope you enjoyed your snow day 🙂 And I also hope it melts fast!!
> I would love to train Carmen from the start with a running/moving contact. Do you think that’s reasonable given her size and stride? Are there any methods you recommend for that?>
I think that a running a-frame is very reasonable! The running dog walk… that is harder to decide about. The plank is smaller than her width and she is massively fast, so a true running dog walk might be less comfy/safe than a running DW. Smaller breeds like Border Collies can ‘fit’ on the plank and even then, there are problems with the RDW.
As far as methods: because of how sighthounds are built and move, I think there needs to be more flexibility in terms of what you use as criteria. Almost every method uses the split-rear-feet criteria for running contacts but that doesn’t fit natural sighthound movement when running. I used front foot targeting for my lurcher and whippet, which made so much more sense to them 🙂 Also, there is a lot of repetition in most running contact training, which sighthounds really don’t enjoy doing.
There are a lot of online options out there, so I can help find someone who also has breeds that are not herding breeds 🙂 That way you can have a great progression built for her needs and not a general method that doesn’t fit her body. I will look around!
Tracy
Hi! This went well too!
>I’m sure the baby will get it when his human is a little more coordinated>
And you will have a much easier time when obstacles are involved, because you will have more time. It is harder on the flat because he is just running fast without having to jump or do a tunnel.
And if you feel like this game needs 6 arms, you are correct LOL!!
It was mostly perfect and he got rewarded for everything, which is ideal.
Only one suggestion: during the pivot, decelerate a lot more before he gets to you and stay decelerated as you turn. That will help you show connection on the side you want. The only real bloopers were you turning too fast, so connection broke and he wasn’t sure where to be. Decel will solve that and we actually use decel with these cues on course, so it helps with everything.
When you had the decel and connection at 3:30 – gorgeous! More of that will make it all easier.
And like i mentioned above, you are getting the toy back while keeping it all joyful… click/treat to you!!
Well done!
TracyHi!
This went great! He did really well with very few questions. Nice job with your timing of letting him get to the line before you did the FC and run!
His two questions were both involved with getting started, so two ideas for you:
– You can be more centered on the barrel so he sees it more directly for a smoother start (you were a little angled)
– You can use a treat to line him up since he is so good at going from cookies to toys!He seemed to be asking to do left turns – was it because he is more of a lefty? Or because he has value on the little bump and wanted to go over it? Either way, start the next session with him on your right (turning left) so we see if he indeed has a preference.
>I’m hoping with consistency and I’m separately working on retrieve to hand … I might be able to trust him with a toy at club (one day).>
The toy play and retrieve is coming along! You are doing a good job of balancing getting the toy back AND keeping his joy during the play. The joy is the most important!!
Nice work!
Tracy
Good morning!
He totally liked turn and burn! He remembered the barrel even in a new place and did a great job!
Remember to use a line on the ground as a way for you to know when to do the FC and run. You were leaving at different times without it, so some reps were too early and he came off the barrel. At the beginning, you can have the line on his exit line for the first couple of reps then move it a couple of inches towards the entry point, so you leave a little sooner for the FC but not a lot sooner 🙂
He loved to chase the toy and leaving it to wrap the barrel was hard – I think that might have been because it was to the left. You can see towards the end (1:19 ish) he was actually trying to do it to his right! Good boy! So for the next session with the toy, start him on your left side so he turns to his right and we will see if it is easier to leave the toy 🙂
>He had some good hits and good drive to the prop. He faked me out a few times! I feel like it was still hard for me to leave before he turned around.>
The countermotion was great! He had a TON of good hits and you were moving away pretty quickly. NO worries about the fake outs – it was probably a combination of him knowing you were going the other way, and a little bit of fatigue because it was later in the session. But overall, he was fabulous driving away from you to get to it! This will be easy to transfer to barrel/wings/jumps as we keep building up the skill.
>We tried the parallel path game outside but I must not have pressed record. He did ok. I wasn’t very far from him.>
For taking it outside, I wonder if a lotus ball or something will be better than a thrown treat? It will be easier for him to see the reward out on the line that way. You will get fewer reps because you’ll have to get the lotus ball, reload, etc – but the reps might be higher in quality so you can add more distance more easily. And you can also throw a toy or ball!
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Here’s backing up with me squatting- I couldn’t find a chair or stool in the garage that would work.>
The squatting worked well! And he is beginning to get the idea – super! The only suggestion to get more steps backwards is to keep your hands down by your knees to keep his head low. If he can keep his head low, in a natural/straight position, it will be easier to move backwards. Low hands will provide that focal point. When your hands were high, he was looking up at them which makes it harder to to keep moving backwards.
For the rear crosses: I think you need more room to be able to show him the side change sooner. He was hitting his prop really well and you were hustling to get to the new side – but he has quick feet so by the time he arrived at the prop, you were still very visible on the original side. That is why he didn’t turn the new direction right away. So if you have a long hallway you can give him another 10 feet or so to drive ahead, which gives you more time to get to the new side 🙂 And you can also play with the alternate version which gives you more time to be fully visible on the new side before he decides on the turn.
>We tried exciting novel- but he treated it like a prop then I got confused on how to do it.. so left that out>
Ha! Clever pup 🙂 He probably thought something new and prominent in the space was something to interact with. You can add something up on a table in the smaller space. Or in a wider space, you can put it off to the side more so it is less visible as something to try to offer behavior on.
Also, gold star to your other pups being such good supervisors in the xpen! Watchful but quiet! Yay!
Great job here!
Tracy
Yes, I agree about props – but every time I use one, I am also planning to NOT use it and fade it out 🙂 So if I don’t need it, I won’t use it 🙂 I have trained all of my dogs to stay without using props because I am too lazy to have to fade it out hahaha!!!
Keep me posted!
Tracy
Good morning!
He did so great here!!! It was a challenging setup and he was super successful. Happy dance! His brain was totally aware of the distraction at the beginning but was able to tune it out in favor of playing the prop game. You chose a good game to play – lots of value for the target so he was better able to tune out the distractions.
He also did great as you increased the challenge. A bad cookie bounce at :52 (you threw it straight and it bounced to the side) brought him right toward the distraction cookies but he was still able to resist it and come back to the game. Good boy!
He actually got MORE excited about ignoring it when he saw you open the bag – maybe he thought you were going to use the cookies as the rewards (maybe you did use the same cookies?) but either way, he still did great. He did a little investigated but never actually grabbed for anything. I am proud of him!
Let him sleep on this learning for a couple of days, then you can do a novel-exciting session maybe with a toy on the ground off to the side.
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
Yes, I hear that you are having some terrible rain! I hope it lets up soon without causing damage. The indoor space worked really well here – having a carpeted floor allowed her to move really well without slipping.
Your pile of stuff for the shpile game was GREAT! Excellent combination of things that move, crinkle, bang, different textures, etc. Super! The wood platform was a little slippery so you can put a yoga mat over it.
She did really well here with the treats so the next step is to get her WILD 🙂 Proprioception in high arousal is the key to success in high arousal sports like agility, because her brain is learning to work clean mechanics and movement even when her mood is very excited! And the science says if we teach it in the state she will need to do it in (high arousal), it will be much easier for her to do it when she is in that state.
So start the game with wild tugging – then do 3 or 4 cookie rewards for climbing about on the pile – then back to tugging. No worries if the mechanics are not super clean at first, keep rewarding because she will sort them out as she gets more experienced in the higher arousal state.
Side note: this game is stolen from flyball training where the dogs are in very high arousal states, and we need them to hit 25-30 miles per hour at the start line then be able to decelerate into the box turn (tightest turn in dog sports). They start 45 feet or more from the start line so I think they are going pretty darned fast when they get to the start line 🙂 The results of teaching puppies this high arousal shpile game get that gorgeous proprioception in flyball and also in agility. The turns, contacts, weaves, etc have all been sooooo much easier to get in trials with the dogs that are shpile trained LOL!
The wing wrap session went awesome! I know that being indoors is not ideal for this but working in the smaller space allowed you to focus on your connection: PERFECT!!!! And Rou had no questions. Lovely! If you do another indoor session, you can add in your wrap verbals. And when you take it outside, start adding more distance between the wings.
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
Was the bunny toy making the farting grunting noises? That was pretty funny LOL! I think sitting on the floor and playing here was lovely 🙂 You got lots of nice, relaxed interaction with the toy and between the toy of you. The toy noise was cracking me up 🙂
She definitely likes it when you throw the toy! This is where you get the best interactions and she comes in to you for petting and hugs (probably because there are no rules, no contingencies, etc.). You can try this with any type of thrown toys, just hanging out in the kitchen: a wubba, a hollee roller, a small jolly ball, a tennis ball – small enclosed space like this so she doesn’t slam herself chasing them, and you don’t care if she brings them back or not. You can sit with her with a pile of them in your lap and just toss them around.
>Ok, she’s crazed when she does that and could knock over lamps etc. i will try not to police it so much. Its rain for days so oent up energy now.>
Living Room Zoomies! You can cheer her on for a few seconds and then you can toss a loaded snuffle mat on the floor while you just sit on the couch or hang out safely to avoid zoomies (stand in front of anything that might get broken) – she can go to the snuffle mat (or not!) but it is a good way to direct the zoomies. You can keep it pre-loaded in a plastic container or something so it is easy to whip out – break glass in case of emergency hahaha! And with terrible weather for a few days, you might have a puppy emergency where her energy needs re-directing.
Great job here!
Tracy
