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Good morning!
> I looked into the workshop with Dr. Canapp. All the slots for eval time with him have been filled. >
Darn it! But he now has a practice on the West Coast if you ever need him. I hope you never need him š I think he is super brilliant but it is always better if we never need to meet him haha!
She was such a good girl with the line up here and the stays are coming along very nicely!!
>Still jumpy with touching the collar although she has gotten pretty good at getting leashed up (kept this on the end of the video).
Right! She almost seemed surprised by the collar touch moments, so good job proceeding slowly there. āJumpyā is a good word for it where she was still surprised even though she has had previous positive experiences with that. She was a good girl with the leash at the end too!
>Youāll see she is pretty smooth coming around my left side, but got a bit sticky with coming around my right. Soreness has been on her right side (hip socket area); wondering if that could be a reason for her āstickinessā. Would it be hard to bend for that direction?>
She is a good communicator for sure.
I see what you mean about her getting a little uncomfortable turning to the right as you mentioned but wow, she was happy to immediately turn to her left and line up the other way. Interesting! Good for you for trying that.
It is entirely possible the stickiness is because something is ouchy and she felt it on the first couple of reps, so you got an abstention after it in that directionā¦ but a happy āyesā the other direction.
You got lovely reps on the other side. Then when you tried to get her lining up to her right, she was trying to get back to your left leg. Soreness or not, that might be a more comfy side for her in general. And if it is a bit of that right hip soreness causing trouble, you can as the vet to check her patellas when she is on her side getting the radiographs. A standing exam might not be as complete because strong dogs can hide a naughty patella š when standing. If it was a really slippery patella, I am sure you would have felt it already but a mild one can cause the hip to over-compensate on same or other side, leading to some soreness there.
Side note: one of my small dogs had a patella issue as a youngster, and she has had a fabulous career in both agility (national finalist!) and flyball, still running amazingly well at 7.5 years old. I saw freezing behavior with her as some of the early symptoms and her issue was not found on a standing exam, missed by really top notch orthopedic vets but easily found when she was on her side.
She did well with the stays. And you can also add some instant āget itā moments when she arrives in position then you immediately throw a cookie ahead so she doesnāt stop in position.
And you can teach her leg weaves as a trick! That is a fun addition to the sit work and collar work too.
āØAt one point on the video you said āI lied, we will do one moreā
That made me laugh so hard because I say that ALL the time and I know I shouldnāt but yetā¦ā¦.. one more hahahahaha.And great news about the toy play! It sounds like it was a fun game with 2 toys, not contingent on anything harder. Super fun way to spend a rainy day!!!
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
She did really well with the tunnel game! Without a lot of room to get her in extension, she still was able to go pat the wing to the jump: great job with the rewards that supported her!!!
And yes, as you mentioned in the video, she is really fast š Fun times ahead!
Since this went so well, a couple of ideas for the next session.
– you can add a ājumpā verbal instead of only saying āgoā because a ājumpā verbal will help with the discriminations. Go could mean either obstacle when you are further away so a jump verbal is more specific. And I think Kyla mentioned you had an extra Go verbal when turning to the tunnel so she went a little wide, but that is fine at this stage because the extra verbals support the layering.– since she was able to get the turn to the tunnel after the jump, you can add in the additional challenge of staying out the line with you running parallel and heading to the next wing (the white wing closer to the tunnel).
The rear crosses went really well! Her left turns on the first past to the video looked consistently strong. You mention they were right turns so either the video reversed it or I need more coffee haha!
Her only questions on that first half of the session were actually on the Go lines. In 2 spots, she thought you wanted the rear cross. I think that was because you ran close to the tunnel exit before straightening up on the line, and she read that as the beginning of RC pressure at :23 and :41.
Compare that to when you headed straight up the line after committing her to the tunnel entry (heading directly to the line past the jump) and she was perfect, no questions at :12 & :51
On the other side:
>Could it be that she is unsure of going towards the wall?>
That could definitely be a part (along with a possible turn side preference) – she got more careful driving to the wall, especially after the toy hit it (look at how carefully she āpluckedā the toy away from the wall there LOL). Also, I think the RC lines at 1:11 and 1:28 were a little later than what you did on the other side – it looks like you took a couple of steps on the straight line after she exited the tunnel so she thought it was a straight line and not a RC at 1:11 and 1:28. It will be interesting to see what she thinks when you try it without the wall and get right on the line.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Good morning!
>I do have a question about running NFC at the local UKI trials. You mentioned having someone throw or place a reward or target to help Tarot drive ahead in trials! It never occurred to me to have a second person in the ring as a helper. Is that allowed in NFC? If so that would be fantastic since there are a lot of UKI trials in the area!>
Yes – it is allowed in UKI. You can have a ‘helper’ come in and hold the dog on the start line, throw or place a reward, or even use a target. Food rewards are not allowed, and the target must not touch any of the obstacles. But a target on the ground is allowed and also toys can be thrown! UKI is great about that.
Tracy
Hi! The session went really well! The GO reps look pretty perfect š
>Hes pretty good on his rights. I think he has a lot more questions on left. >
Yes – partially it is a side preference, and also it was a cue timing question! I made a slide show for you š
Because of his size, stride length, and speed, his brain is (correctly) making a takeoff decision no later than one stride past the tunnel exit. That gives him time to set up the jumping mechanics.
On the first couple of left turn RCs: when he was making the takeoff decision, you were still showing straight line cues. The RC cues started after he made the takeoff decision, which is why he turned the ‘wrong’ way but immediately fixed it after landing – he could not make the change once the takeoff was underway.
Compare to the right turn RCs – you were getting directly on the RC info line basically as soon as he was out of the tunnel. He saw it, processed it, and turned the way you wanted. Lovely timing!
And on the last left turn RC, you got the cues in at about the same time as you did on the right turn RCs, and he got it! Yay! You were also using your arms/hands there, but I don’t think you needed that – it was the timing of the RC pressure to the center of the bar that got it done.
Here is the photo evidence LOL!
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G5W1KOm2vKdWJ2MFKwDv9lqz3PFZNXNlG7QSjDgJ6iM/edit?usp=sharingSo to boil it down: the right turn RCs had timely info, and the left turn RCs started off with late info then you were timely on the last one š Nice work!
Tracy
Hi!
I did not watch any of it – I know the source all too well to give it even the benefit of the doubt or any financial support š
>It was super interesting how some actual science was presented, but with interesting bias added in that if youāve never actually examined the original science could be convincing>
That is a huge problem in seminars and lately in AI-generated posts on social media. So convincing! But also… not what the science and data are telling us. I find it all to be an ego-centered, human-focused approach to training dogs without any true study, understanding, or application of the science. The newest insights coming from research are also changing our view of reward prediction errors – just fascinating stuff! And it is all pretty accessible so I have limited patience for people who try to Teach The Science but aren’t actively studying, understanding, trying to apply what the research is giving us.
> appearing to bite his tongue when others were actually trying to use the techniques the lecturer (a different guy) was advocating for.>
Yeah…. that is a problem. He should have said something if he disagreed!
T
Good morning!
>I will try that with him. For the backing up to something do I want something flat or would a Cato board work?>
Cato board is probably a little too high for now. A folded towel might be just right!
>For the RC I am afraid the hallway is directly above this space so it would be the same length. Should I move the target more one direction>
Yes, you can move the target as far as possible in the direction that is easier to set it up. We will take it outside as soon as mother nature cooperates!!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Yes, you can limit reps of break the CBs in half.āØMine crumble into a million pieces! Maybe I have an extra dry batch LOL!>
Oh no!!! Mine crack in half, I wonder if it is because I forget and leave them in the car so they are really cold LOL!
The collection sandwich looked brilliant! I loved your connection with your arm back to her while she was getting the cookie. And you have QUICK FEET! You were able to accelerate, blind, then decel into the pivot all in a matter of seconds. Wow! That allowed her to drive to you, change sides, and also collect for the turn. Click/treat for you both! My dogs are wondering if they can trade me for you because my feet are not nearly as quick as yours LOL!!
You can add more room if you have an area where she can really run without slipping, as well as the Go Go Go with the thrown toy after the pivot.
>When I was doing the wing wrap in the very beginning and sometimes it still comes out. Here is your comment: She had a bit of a chain going for a couple of reps: going around the cone to her right (from your left hand to your right hand) then sliding between you can the cone to her left. That likely means she is a righty, so we can adjust things a little to help get the left turns (moving from your right hand to your left hand).>
Aha! Thanks for finding it!
On the dog-on-left (right turn) video: she started by mushing the barrel LOL and this I exactly why we start on barrels and not wings š She needed a moment to sort it out but then she had a lightbulb moment followed by a big energetic reward from you. She did really well after that! It is a new puzzle and she was definitely putting the pieces together on the right turns. Super!!! You can add a tug to to the right turns here!
>This video is about 3 min, I didnāt want to edit anything out. I understand if you canāt review because of the length.>
I am very flexible with length of video, especially when we are looking at the whole session to troubleshoot/problem solve. Thank you for NOT editing it!
This session was not too long as you figured out how to help her. Your goal here seemed to be figuring out how to get reward to her and that is GREAT. You did not frustrate her or tell her she was wrong, you were looking for ways to tell her she was correct. Love it!
She is definitely not a lefty on this game so she was really thinking about it. Steam coming out of the ears as she worked on figuring it out!
You got her moving with a thrown cookie and a go, then rewarded for finishing one around when she was on the way back to you. Clever!
Brilliant training moment to go back to the original game with you sitting in front of the barrel.
She was so funny when she offered right turns – definitely rewardable for now! And it helped her get the left turn at 2:29. And you had a strong finish shortly after that.
The only suggestion I have for you is when you do the turn and burn with her on your right (left turns) you can bridge the gap by putting a bowl out about halfway around the barrel – she might have an āa-ha!ā moment as the visual helps her turn to her left. Then you can gradually move the bowl further and further around the barrel until it is gone and she will send to her left.
>Didnāt want to go that long ( I didnāt realize at the time) to avoid in the future, at what point should I have stopped?>
If you were unable to get reward to her, or you were stumped on how to help her, you can stop earlier. We donāt want her to get frustrated. I think you had excellent ideas here and she was still getting rewarded, so stopping when you did was good!
One thing she is doing is sniffing her way through the question sometimes and I wanted to mention it because it is perfectly fine š She is clearing her head and problem solving! My 2 year old dog did the same thing at the same age as Sunnie – when it happened, I noted it as super interesting but didnāt worry about it. He sorted things out quickly without me bugging him š and most definitely did not end up being sniffy at all in his agility or flyball.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
Super nice session on the prop here! So much good work!!!
>-Watch in real time as I realize the mistakes Iām making in this one.>
Ha!! That is exactly why we spend time on the prop: so we can sort out all the handler mechanics, markers, dog mechanics, etc – all before we add it to the real stuff like jumps and tunnels. And if we make mistakes on the prop or accidentally add frustration (you did NOT have frustration here) – no worries! We can always change the prop if needed š And we get it all done to have a really easy, happy transition to the jump.
The adjustments and engagement are what really makes it a lovely session: she got a high rate of reinforcement as you adjusted what you were doing. Love it!
For the sending: She sent really well. My only suggestion is to center the prop in the area on the sends so she can turn towards you and not away. The couch was blocking her from turning towards you on the sends, so if she has more room you will get turns in each direction more easily.
The parallel path went really well too. Switching to the thrown reward really helps get more independence. So when it stops raining, take this outside! That will give you more room to add more distance š
Great job with the reward placement on the backing up! The warm up on the flat went great and she is really thinking about moving back.
>For a few sessions she was working her back legs even harder by strategically backing up to avoid the mat ā but we made some baby steps in the right direction this time.>
I was very happy to see her get totally on the mat as soon as you put it down! She didnāt seem to be avoiding it here – maybe she just didnāt know how to lift her back feet to get up on it so she was backing up a bit sideways. So you can help her out – since puppies are very front-end oriented, you can lure her to get all 4 feet on it – then lure just her front feet off of it. Then wait for her to step her front feet back onto it. That might be the lightbulb moment: āoh, I need to LIFT my feet!ā So do a few reps of that and when she is easily stepping back with her front feet – you can lure all 4 feet off and see if she gets her back feet bck on directly.
Great job here! She looks great!
Tracy
Good morning!
>I wonder if I should try āspinning the roomā and make my left side be on the blue & green yoga mat side too?
Great idea!!! Definitely try it! For science. š
>I introduced the beginner Pattern Game. I think we has giving me good attention between treats.>
The pattern game went great! He is so little that he really has to lift his head up – but that is actually really good for arousal regulation (changing the plane of the head helps the parasympathetic system regulate arousal).
You can keep moving this game around – first try with different locations in the house or yard. Add in having him on leash because when you play this in the real world he is likely to be wearing a leash – and the leash is a pain to hold š When he has some more experience in new places at homeā¦ try it in a new place entirely! Road trip!
The collection sandwich game went really well!
>My turn is wide, I need to pivot more instead of taking steps to turn. >
That is the only suggestion: decelerate immediately when you do the blind, so he sees it and collects. That will help you pivot more plus give the info to him sooner. You were in fast motion the whole time so he was surprised by the turn and that is wide he was a tiny bit wide.
When you decelerated a :45 and :52 for example, he turned really well!
>We started with the cookie toss, blind cross & collection turn. Then I showed him the pivot & the thrown toy. >
He did a brilliant job and I agree – I was super excited to see him go to the toy after all the cookies! YAY!! So terrific!
>I did see his enthusiasm diminish as we went along. It could have been that he was tired & it was a lot for him by then.>
I donāt think it was lack of enthusiasm – his engagement was still really great! He really wanted to keep going! But I do think he was hot – it is a lot of running for a little brachy dude and it is starting to get hot in Florida! You can see his mouth open and his tongue getting curled.
It will take him a little time to acclimate after a cold winter. And you can also do one minute session then an a/c break to cool down, then back out for one more minute, tops, in the sun. As the games add more running, you can change up the length of sessions and stick to super short with lots of breaks to keep him cool.
Does he like water? A dip in a cool baby pool can help keep him cool too!
>Do you think we are ready to try the Novel/Exciting Stealth Self Control games or should I do a few more sessions with some novel/neutrals?>
I think you are ready! You can start with boring exciting things LOL and have it far enough away that it is easy! But I think he is ready for it š
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
What a fun and informative session!
>I left the beginning in the video so you could see his immediate interest in the area where the toys were piled on the workbench. Interaction! >
So cute! And definitely interested!!! He looked like a kid on Christmas morning š
That first toy was a definite winner and you were great about keeping it low and moving it away. Super! What was the dark fabric at the top of it? That seemed to be a texture he really liked.
He got a little tired by about a minute into the tugging, so you can aim for 10 to 15 seconds of tugging, then put the toy away even if he still wants to tug. Leave him wanting more š
He gave GREAT feedback on the 2nd toy (braided flannel): a big instant NOPE. Good to know! But he was still interested in playing, and that is great. You can use the braided toy as a handle for the other better toys, making them all longer so you can swing them for him to chase even more with you needing to also move.
3rd toy, sheepy fleece toy was also a big winner, he was definitely into it! I agree that this might be his favorite/ And it is a nice texture for baby puppy mouths who are teething. He got tired after about a minute here too – good to know! Keeping the sessions short and sweet will be key to the toy play.
4th toy: rabbit pouch was also super fun! Many dogs love fur toys. And I like the bungee handle because it is easier for me shoulders and back to tug as they get bigger and stronger. I am sure he smelled the lamb lung but was definitely pulling on the toy like a tug toy.
>I think it is best to let the lotus ball be the only toy/food combo.>
I completely agree! And the lotus ball provides a ton of flexibility in how you reward: you can throw it to get a food reward placed on a line, or you can tie it to a line to swing it for him to chase and grab š
And for now, keep the food training sessions separate from the tugging with toys – his food value is very high and it is overpowering his toy love. So the lotus ball and food can be used for much of the training, and you can separately keep playing in short bursts, and use the toy for some of the faster moving games that donāt need food (like short bursts of toy racing).
It is totally normal to have toy play and food rewards stay separate with pups (all of my dogs need this at some point too) and as he grows up, we slowly bring them back together (no rush on doing it though, he is doing great with his training!)
Great job here!!
Tracy
Good morning!
Backing up is going really well!!!
That 2nd rep was GREAT – the lower hands made an instant difference! You can toss the treat to him instead of walking it to him. When you got a little further away, he still used his body really well but didnāt find the mat as well. No worries, you stay closer for now and we will also be adding to this game soon šLooking at the prop games and rear crosses:
>Can I get him to drive ahead of me on this one so that it is easier to get behind him?>
Yes, we can get more driving ahead which will definitely make the RCs easier. It has to do with how you place the reward based on which skill you want.
Looking at the sideways/countermotion sending – you were sending really well so he had a nice snappy hit of the prop, followed by the reward from your hand. That is ideal for this behavior: we want a turn, so having the reward come from your hand works great!
Going back to the parallel path and RCs: this is where you can throw the reward out ahed, past the prop, so he doesnāt focus on you as much. On the parallel path game at the beginning of the prop session, you were rewarding from your hand so he stayed next to you.
We can flip that: as you move along the line and he hits the prop, fling the cookie reward out ahead so he leaves you to get it š You will see that he will drive away to the prop (as if it was a jump) very independently. Then when you start moving forward, he will drive ahead of you – which is where the RCs get much easier. If he drives ahead, you can cut behind him easily to get the RC (and continue to throw the rewards out on the line so he doesnāt want to stay near you).
When you did the RCs, he was understanding to turn away. Super! So I think getting him to move to the prop more independently with the thrown rewards will make it even smoother š
Nice work here!!
TracyGood morning!
His stay is off to a good start!A few ideas for you:
We can get more stay behavior if we change the placement of reward:
Donāt go back to him to reward from your hand – that makes him want to be near your hand, so adding distance is harder š
Instead, as you move away and he holds the position, throw a reward back to him. I use a ācatchā marker (even though the dogs donāt need to actually catch it LOL!) and when I throw it back towards them, they can move to get it. Then I reset and start over. The reward can be a cookie or a toy!
Start with just a step or two, then mark and throw back to him. That will get the stay and the release!
I bet he can also do it without the Klimb – you can cue a sit on the flat and play. That way you donāt have to fade out the Klimb and transfer it to the floor.
Nice work here!
TracyGood morning!
>In the layering game, I was wondering at the time if I should have been saying jump but I wasnāt quite sure as the only cue I could hear on the demo video was go. We tried it again using the jump cue which he seemed to respond nicely to.>
He did great here! I didnāt want to start with the jump cue in case it all went sideways and he didnāt find the jump š He said it was easy, so you were easily able to add the jump verbal.
You can also add in a parallel line to the wing on the other side! And sometimes wrap the first wing tight and cue the tunnel instead of the layering.
>Aelfraed says that working on stay is much easier with the help of a station. Even with the slightly squeaky brother behind him. This was an unintentional hard distraction.>
Hard yes! But if I recall correctly, there were a LOT of good sessions at home when his big brother was on a station in the area, and Aelfraed was great about ignoring him. So it was a little hard but not unfair and he was GREAT! And he will experience dogs whining behind him when he is o the start line at a trial or even a class/seminar, so it was actually a rally good, real life exposure š He was super successful! And since he was able to release with speed and not slipping (the mat was not sipping either) you can mix in having the mat there to help with stays during other training sessions.
Great job!
Tracy
Hi!
>I did the wing close because he wouldnāt send from farther >
Work the connected send, and reward it with a thrown reward. If he is not going to the wing, the connection is likely the issue.
>As far as wrapping- itās not likely to happen. I train in five minute bursts. Itās just not feasible.>
That’s relatable – it gets faster in terms of wrapping (take me 30 seconds with Hot Sauce now) but it needs to be practiced consistently.
> Maybe spray is warranted. He only slips IN the tunnel when he has to change leads.>
You have to do something. My guess is you only see the BIG slips and they are in the tunnel, which is of course affected by footing/appraoch to the tunnel. But he slips on the turf too, and has to adjust his movement which is less obvious.
>And it canāt be just me having to do it. Meaning, Am I the only one with dip sh*t dogs? I canāt believe in that concept. >
>Iām not trying to be confrontational Iām just not understanding why it only happens with my border collies. What am I doing wrong?>Your dogs are not dipshits – maybe you are the only one getting your dogs worked on and you see these issues. I see poor movement all over the place in agility, but the handlers don’t have their dogs worked on or checked out. You might be the only one who has body work or ultrasounds or sports vet checks done, so you will be the only one who finds issues. That doesn’t mean issues don’t exist – it just means others are not looking for them.
Many dogs will have underlying issues (such as trashed shoulders) and it shows up as things as changes in movement, slower times… but also these dogs might get more frantic and overaroused. Many dogs will continue to work
> but it does not mean they are sound. If I had lots of extra money, I would take the dogs that get frantic/overaroused or stress ‘low’ in agility, then dog MSK ultrasounds and physical evals. I don’t think these dogs have had that but it doesn’t mean the problems don’t exist.
>With the find the jump- I should not need a go to exit him out of the tunnel?>
You can work on being anywhere including the exit of the tunnel – but for now a little more onion closer to the line will help a lot.
T
Hi!
>I still struggle with encouraging Tarot to drive out ahead of me (she want s to turn and flank) and she will still occasionally run past an obstacleĀ but this 4th time around was much improved over previous runs.Ā >
You can play lots of toy races (using food or a lotus ball is fine :)) with Tarot, but add in doing it with a jump! And when you are behind her, make sure you are keeping your arms down and connected to the back of her head (or her butt). That can help a lot!
Also, if there is UKI in your area, you can enter NFC and have someone throw or place a reward or target to help her drive ahead in trials!
>The video I am sharing is not of oneĀ of our runs but the warm-up. A while back, I attendedĀ a workshop with Bobbie BambhreeĀ at Y2K9s and she talked about these dots. Tarot trends towards high arousal and this dot game really helps her to settle.Ā >
Yes, the pattern games with targets are known to help reduce arousal/anxiety by giving the dogs a focal point to reduce scanning the environment. She is doing really well! Just be sure you are standing still to let her offer rather than to move to help her š
One other suggestion is to hold the leash rather than step on it, in case she scoots off. If you are holding it, it is easy to gather her up. If you are stepping on it, she will get accidentally yanked on the neck which we donāt want of course.
You can bring 2 of these dots ringside and play right before you go into the ring!
Have fun, keep me posted!
Tracy
