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Good morning! Lots of good work here and great info from him!
He is doing better at finding lines and you did a really great job of continuing and not trying to fix things if he went pat anything.
After watching the runs – he did best in the run when the toy was in your pocket (video 4 here). He was excited but also focusing better on the lines. When the toy was visible in your hand, he was not sure if he should look at the toy or look at you.
When the toy was not in the ring at all, he was less focused, and ran to see the other dog in the beginning and got sniffy at the end (video 2, tunnelers)
So for now – keep using the toy in your pocket, and then take it out to reward him at the end. And you can also take it out to reward at the end of contacts, to help him want to get on them (a-frame for now, and the DW when he is ready for that too). That will help transfer his skills to the trial environment.
He did best when you had a lot of connection and a lower arm (and ran past stuff when you were looking ahead) so definitely keep that strong connection. He thrives on it!
>The go around start was a good practice as I need to work on where I set that up at the startline.>
Yes – for the go around start , angle yourself a bit to the side of the first obstacle so you can send him around you then you are a step or two ahead to show the opening line. He seemed to really like those go around starts!!
>And for the record, there is nothing wrong with his foot. When he sits he naturally lifts his right foot (you will see that at the start line). >
Ha! Yes, he looked pumped up and not acting like it hurt š He was paying great attention!
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
> I have ben carrying Frankieās leash for so long, I forgot about the leash chair.>
And I forgot that you can carry the leash in AKC! You can work that in as well, and you might choose to do that with Bazinga too.
>From Frankieās feedback ā Yes! That noise you heard was Bazinga making monster noises waiting for her turn in the crate! Hahahah>
That was a pretty hilarious protest from her LOL!
> with human highs & lows on this transition. >
This is totally relatable!!
>I spun the 4 poles in a different direction in the yard and had the MM further away and she struggled finding the weaves. >
Yes, this is so normal but so hard for our human brains LOL!
>As I type that I am realizing maybe changing 2 variables is a problem, too, but I really didnāt have the MM that much further away.>
Young dogs struggle with generalizing and with variable changes for sure! One way to think about it is when one variable gets harder, we can make another one easier. So changing the location of the weaves was a variable change, so you can make something easier (like opening up the poles a bit). You wonāt always have to do this because the behavior does generalize, but it is a good way to get success when starting.
Now the other thing is that we donāt always realize we are changing variable (oops! LOL!) but if the dog fails twice, we can re-assess and make something easier. That 2 failure rule saves my bacon a lot š
>>And then you can put it behind a tunnel! >>āØReally!? Iām trying to picture that, like behind the tunnel & then do I send her to the tunnel?>
Yes – it would be weaves then tunnel then MM š It also adds in the challenge of staying in the weaves when there is a tunnel right there (and since that might be a big variable change, you can open the weaves a bit if you think it will be hard.
>So I can keep it as a visual, but not reward from it. >
Yes, like a target. And you can sometimes reward from it a a nice surprise (surprise rewards are very motivating).
>And I should move it around (further away, hidden behind a wing) so the picture is a little different very time? >
Yes, as long as there are not too many other big variables changing.
>And I can just keep going with the progressions up to 12 poles and keep progressing the fade as we go but gradually.>
Yes š
>I want to work up to bringing them out to our slightly bigger field to make it feel like they are in a different location before I introduce them to her at another away from home location.>
Since they are 2x2s, you might be able to fit them in the car and bring them with you to class or different places, if they donāt have 2x2s there.
Keep me posted!
Tracy
Hi! Really great stuff here, things are coming together SO NICELY!!!
First some thoughts on the runs, then some overall thoughts:
Run 1 – WOW!! Look at her driving lines but also turning when asked. Also WOW!! Look at you running brilliantly AND with connection. So exciting!!!!!
Run 3 – 2nd video here – also super nice!! Her line driving gets better each time and also you are handling assertively which really helps.
Run 4 – also super nice! She is not yet driving 3 full obstacles away on those huge distances, but it is coming along nicely and I am sure that will lock in soon
Run 5:
>run 5 had too long a wait before hand and lost her at the start should have stopped her and restarted>Was the wait at the start line before the run began? Yes, you can re-start or re-start at jump 2. And if you feel the wait beforehand is getting too long, you can see if she will do a trick or something to keep connected to her when you are waiting.
You both recovered nicely and the run went well!
Run 6 – this video link was the same as the run 4 video, can you repost run 6?
>got a wait but argued over it and a second ribbon had a tyre at start which she managed.>
She might have been a bit brain-tired by then, but I am glad she was able to do it. And yay for the tyre!!
Overall thoughts for you:
There are a bunch of things I see that I am really excited about:
– your running and staying connected/ getting verbals out
– She is finding lines super well
– when she is not sure, she is looking for info but NOT getting frustrated or barking or jumping up – she is waiting for info and then getting right back on the line. Super!!!A couple of ideas:
– to help her stay on the big lines after tunnels, you can give your tunnel exit verbals sooner (they are happening as she exits) and repeat them, such as saying GO GO GO GO if it is a straight line exit. No time for taking a breath or anything LOL!!– that also applies to the very end – start your GO cues sooner and repeat them more.
– Train the tyre š for her to find independently on lines. I also have to do that this week, with the smaller/weird looking tire the dogs see in UKI events here.
>next show back to nc as stand with weaves and still training those so will work on waits in ring and getting smoother.>
This sounds great!! She is doing REALLY WELL! If you listen closely on some of your videos, you can hear people in the background commenting on how cool the runs are! Yay!
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
>We had our first class on Wednesday. I didnāt get any video but it was fun. >
Super! A class will be so valuable for her. And good job with reinforcing the stays, we definitely want those stays š
>We have a trial next weekend! It is an outdoor on grass 2 ring trial. Sheās been at the location often when she was little but it will be her first time in the ring there. Sheās entered in 1 run (novice JWW) Saturday & 1 on Sunday.
Since it has been a while since we have been at a trial, I think Iāll hide a toy & do empty hands. Iāll keep Saturday easy to get a feel for how she is feeling and then if she is all good, Iāll do more obstacles on Sunday. If you have any suggestions, Iām open! āŗ>I think this is a great plan – the goal is mainly to make it fun in a different environment. If she is relaxed and happy, you can do a bunch of short sequences (just shove the toy back in your pocket between reps so she doesnāt watch it too much :))
>We are progressing at fading the MM with weaves. Sheās looking for the lotus ball and ignoring the MM. I have it moved pretty far away. Our last session, she was very happy abut the lotus ball. Iām excited.>
YAY!!! The weaves are the only thing needed before she can start doing more in JWW!
āØ>Weāll keep going with the progression & move the MM behind a wing and then I think I can just not put it out at all. >
And then you can put it behind a tunnel!
>We are still on 4 weaves to keep it easy during the transition. Do you think I should get back to 6 poles while the MM is still out there in the distance?>
Yes, I would go all the way up to 12 poles with the MM being worked away into different spots and faded out entirely.
>Iāve been working on the TSA game with Bazinga too.>
Her tricks outside the ring look great too! And I love her middle position! I didnāt see a difference between being carried in and walking in except that when walking in, she could tug on her leash. And that might be a good outlet for her to direct her excitement (other than making you bleed oops LOL!). The bit of chill on the last video was good to add in but I am not sure if she was chill hahahaha. Leash tugging in that moment can be a coping skill, a way to balance arousal, so I would let her do it.
Stays looked good too!
Like with Frankie, add a chair for the leash so she is not focused on the exit gate and is instead focused on going with you to the leash before the cookie marker š
> I asked her to go back & fix some stuff when she ran past some jumps. I think that was a mistake, but I wanted to check in & see what your thoughts are. I guess I wasnāt prepared for run-bys and I didnāt have a plan. If she runs to the gate what should I do? Bring her out to reward her & try again?>
>It was not necessarily a mistake, but it is a fine line to balance on – we donāt want to frustrate the dogs but it is ok for them to tolerate a fix sometimes (because we might sometimes fix). Mainly, the decision should be made based on why it might have happened. What was happening here was that they were flying (yay!) and the crosses turned them back towards the reward gate which they are focused onā¦ and the execution of the crosses were a bit late and not connected enough. So it was a high arousal moment and not enough connection, so Bazinga was followed motion and didnāt really see the side change. When that happens take it as a cue to connect more with your arm back to her and BIG eye contact. That is a good one to work: a cross that asks for a side change away from the cookie gate!
One other thing I am thinking you can add to your TSA practice at homeā¦ longer courses. Built up to 15 or more obstacles at home to sometimes run as TSA (you can add a tunnel and make a course out of it :))
Great job here!!
Tracy>She gets A LOT of treats at trials ā like an obscene amount ā so I donāt think she needs a meal. >
Maybe it is an opposite thing thoughā¦ by that time of day, her body has gone into rest & digest mode? It might be worth considering how to reduce treats to see if that helps?
>Maybe a high-energy treat like a little honey could help. I love the idea to switch to a really high value treat for the last run. Sheās been on a low fat diet, but I will see if I can bake her some treats that are low fat & different to get her attention.>
A little bit of honey might do the trick!
>I could increase her cardio too. Iāve been kind of āsavingā her and just doing small sequences so I donāt over work her, but maybe she needs more activity to keep her endurance up.>
Thatās a good point – and it doesnāt have to be agility, it can be regular cardio. When I work from home, I tend to take the dogs out for running during midday (provided it is not insanely hot LOL) to get their systems more used to running at that time of day too.
>Iāll add some massage time after her runs too and make sure she gets some walking as part of her cool down.>
Perfect! That can really help in case she gets stiff at all.
>We tried out the Back on Track blanket last trial and she snuggled under it. Iāve been putting it against the back of my work chair for my back & Bazinga has started cramming herself between me & the blanket to lay on it. Very interesting! I do feel like it helps take the edge off my stiffness.>
That is really interesting!!! I use it on myself too š
>us to see how she does with all we have been working on.>
That will be really interesting too, to see how he does at the location she doesnāt normally like as much.
>I think Iām going to stay with carrying her in right now. It seems like if I have my hands on her right up until I release her, she stays amped.>
Yes, I think that is a good plan, she seems happy and pumped up with that!
>Iām trying to get to where it is really easy for her to go through that gate. I noticed that both Frankie & Bazinga blew past the last jump to get to the gate to get their reinforcement!!!>
I think that was also partially disconnection with you looking forward.
> I think that is a good thing on one hand because it means that they know where the treats are! On the other hand, Iād like them to stay engaged until we finish the course! >
Yes and yes š You can add more connection and help guarantee that jump gets taken.
Looking at the TSA gate videos:
Love her little barks!! Her tricks outside the ring look good! At about :15 on the 2nd video, there was another noiseā¦. Bazinga complaining in the background?Yes, heading for the gate means they are aware of the reinforcement but also, maybe too aware š With AKC rules about not running out of the ring, you can have the leash on a chair off to the side and not right at the exit gateā¦ then add in praise and running to the leash before the letās go to the treats and see how they she feels about that. So it is more about going to the leash first then to the treats.
āØ>If they do miss a jump while we are playing this game, I should keep going, right? Leash them up & take them out for their reinforcement sand just keep working on it?>Mostly yes! Because mostly it is handler error. But also, you can sometimes mix in a āfixā and ave them come take it, to help get them used to the idea that sometimes you might want to fix things in the ring. You are always very upbeat when you do this, so I think at this point they wonāt be deflated and are more likely to think it is a find my face moment š
Great job here!
TracyGood morning! These runs are looking great!!!! They were smooth and connected, with very few questions. That is awesome especially considering her is a baby dog!
Run 1 was really nice!
>I gave him a tunnel cue but should have given him a tunnel Threadle.>
I think you also stepped into his line, so he was begin good! Try not to mark with an uh-oh because it was totally handler-induced š
> I also didnāt support the pinwheel well enough, I did better in later runs! >
Absolutely! You needed one more step here which you gave him the next time you came through that section. Yay!
>He did good weaves! Yeah! He didnāt hold his dogwalk contact so that needs work.>
Yes and yes! Weaves looked great! And he was a bit early to exit the DW here – and in run 2, he didnāt quite get to the full 2o2o so that is a good place to do FEO/NFC! You can even use a target on the ground in UKI (if that is how he was trained).
>The second run, standard, he had trouble with his weaves.>
Yes – maybe he thought 6 poles weaving into nowhere was weird? It was good to move on (or you a try from the tunnel again if AAC allows fix and go?). Twelve poles definitely made more sense to him!
The frustration carried over fro the weaves into the next section where you tried to re-do a jump (he jumped up there). Since jump misses are usually because he needed one more step of support, you can keep going. Fixing it not worth it if he has a big mad about it š
Once the run got moving, he looked great!!!
>Third video was Jumpers and fourth was the Speedstakes. Very happy with both!!>
Totally agree, these were really wonderful runs!! He had a little trouble on the MASSIVE lines – he gave a little bark heading to the weaves at 2:56 (you might have called him there too?) and on the way across the ring after the frame he kind of looked back at you. He probably just needs to see big long straight-ish lines in practice to balance the more challenge lines with turns.
Great job here! Let me know how he does this weekend!
Tracy
Hi!
This is an excellent plan! And of course you can change the plan depending on how he does in the first run – add more, do less, etc. He will let you know, he is very good with that šIf I am reading things correctly, there are 5 runs planned. That might be a lot and ‘expensive’ for his brain… so you can look at the maps and decide which ones look like a blast to run and which ones look gross. And skip the gross ones LOL!!
>Weāll play back/forth and up/down food games while waiting for our turn in the ring.>
Great! You can also do some volume dial/tricks/or action games, to pump him up a bit and see how he feels. You might see him getting more and more relaxed as the days progress!
Keep me posted!!!!
Tracy
Hi!
>I was working on remote reward here. Brought him out to the floor when the bar setters were out, should have probably had rewards for that, bit I had nothing on me ā a bit of lumping on my part.>
That must have been before the video started? If so, yes, bringing him a little later will work best so he doesnāt percolate on the start line for too long.
That very first run looked strong – he did the sequence with focus and speed, ignored the instructor at the front of the ring. Yay! The second sequence looked good too!
> He was a bit sniffy again, may have been the bar setters, snacks in the sand or the continuing ear infection.>
Could have been any/all of those – and also could be when info is not that clear? He got sniffy when you turned to head away from the exit on the first run, then after the late re-connection on the blind at 1:29 (he was not sure where to be) you got some sniffing. Then he found you (yay!) and took the jump – you can totally keep going there and reward, especially since he stuck with you!
Ā
The music was a good distraction on the 2nd video! Good choices of tunes! He did well here too.>Also did not have his slip leash with me, not sure how much that changed the picture for him?>
Yes, bringing him in without a leash might have caused him to check out the distractions before starting. So he was able to ignore them really well during the run – it might be different if he had the leash on coming and so he could not check it out. You can have novel distractions strewn around and bring him in on leash so he has to ignore them from the very beginning.
Having to pass the chair and ring exit to weave was GREAT. Something caught his attention on the 2nd rep through the weaves but he recovered well and didnāt have any issues on the rest: nice contacts, nice hand touches at the start, etc. That is something to work on at trials: hand touches back and forth on the start line before you ask him to sit and take the leash off.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>Lift got to drop in on a new class on Monday night. For the first session I had treats in my pockets but didnāt take them out and did and In & Out.>
She did really well here! It sounds like you have your Thursday plan ready to mix in an occasional empty pocket in and out sequence, so she develops that skill too – I am convinced their noses tell them if we have any food on us, anywhere LOL!
She is committing nicely to the tunnel under the dog walk! You can give her forward cues like go go go, before she gets into the tunnel – you are quiet so she curls in a bit, which requires you to out run her at the exit.
Interesting that she was barking at the person standing near the DW at 1:20ish – maybe she was surprised? It is an unusual place for a person LOL!!
She did really well finding the jump after the tunnel at 1:37!!! Your connection on the blind was better at 2:07 but you were on her line then stepped to the dog walkā¦ so she headed to it. Good girl!! I think a bit of countermotion so the blind is more like a German turn to get off her line will work nicely there.
>I had the instructor surprise her with tossing the toy and then discovered later that I donāt often leave the toy on the ground. LOL.>
Ha! That was great! Yes, that toy on the ground was hard but she didnāt get a cookie for it and then returned to work nicely š
> (Also discovered while watching the video that Caitlin and I color-coordinated our outfits!)>
Yay! Fashion is important LOL!
>The beginning clip is a sample of the very enthusiastic BC that ran before us (I actually missed videoing the part where the dog was squealing & screaming a lot more as she did the teeter in front of us.) I was doing pattern games with my little mop mat thingees on the other side of the ring barrier. I was impressed that Lift kept it together through that and then went in and did a fairly complicated mini sequence.>
Great to have a spicy dog run before her! Terrific exposure to something she will see at trials! And she did really well.
All of the backside/wrap/line challenges looked really easy for her. You can start to push her a little more by driving harder and seeing if you can maintain connection š You can also see if you can be closer to the 2 jump at the beginning and see if she can find that line independently even if you are not helping by being between the uprights.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
> Knightās right illopsoas was very tight possible reason is his left hind leg muscle (donāt ask me the name!!!!) was also very tight. >
Poor little dude! I am glad Harmony found this. Were his back and shoulders feeling ok?
>Icing and putting heat on areas per Harmony. >
The iliopsoas is a pretty common ouchy spot for agility dogs, so there are some things that I’ve seen over the years that really help: laser, therapeutic ultrasound, Assisi loops, back on track coats, and light massage. Also, meds! The vet can prescribe an anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxer, to jump start recovery, along with rest.
>Next stop Vet Chiro for adjustment. >
Super! The vet can prescribe stuff, and also maybe check patellas with him lying on his side. A common source of iliopsoas ouch in smaller dogs? Patella! I know this firsthand with one of my dogs and also with a bunch of student dogs. It is good to rule it out and if he is standing, he might be strong enough to clench everything tight LOL!! So checking that when he is lying on his side will give a true picture š
Keep me posted!
TracyHi!
Even though he is not running at NAC, it is great experience to be there and soak up the atmosphere!! Yay! And I am sure he will love FastCAT!! Have fun!
TracyHi!
>We had a really great Speedy Jumpers mini-seminar on Friday,>
So fun! I hear fantastic things about her Speedy Jumpers seminars and this looked both fun and useful for course work skills!
>I tried out that vibrating toy that I was mentioning in the live chat that my dogs go absolutely crazy for. I had my husband disable the sound to see how it would work in the ring and if it would be too loud for NFC. Well it had a kind of funny result at first because I didnāt realize it would go off while I was running with it (thought it would only do that when thrown!) and then just how distracting that would be to ME while I was running.>
OMG that is HILARIOUS!!!! And yes, I bet it was distracting. LOL!!!!! But it looks like he liked it a lot š
Empty hands went great, and his weaves looked fabulous!!! Yes, a little distracted by Jacque having the toy š But he did beautifully including the weaves. And I think he was surprised when she tossed the toy! For the next empty hands practice, try not to even have kibble in your pocket – he nose knows LOL So you can have emergency treats up on the wall or something.
>The run where we missed a jump (at 1:27) and I just go on Iām not totally sure why the miss other than a) I didnāt say anything at that jump. I made sure to have better connection on the next try.>
It was connection! As you exited the cross, you were looking more to your side and your hand was at your side, which is not enough connection for a baby dog after the blind. BIG eye contact required š But you carried on beautifully and he was not worried. On the next rep at 1:51, you looked back at him directly and pointed your hand to him – very clear and he took the jump!
And smart to switch to meatballs before the toy loses value and before he gets brain-tired. One thing with the big yardage courses is that the small dogs literally the twice as many strides as the big dogs (and as tall fast humans LOL!). That is exhausting! So sorting with the hard stuff (empty hands, Jacque holding the toy) then moving to easier stuff (meatballs!) is perfect.
>For the very last round we had a boo-boo when testing his commitment to the jump before turning back to the tunnel. >
This was connection too š as he was exiting the tunnel, you were looking ahead and doing the handling, but he was looking at you. Remember to make eye contact as he exits, then decel into the cueā¦ and donāt do the FC until you see him definitely committing to the jump – for a young (tired) dog, you might hold the cue facing forward until he lifts his front feet š
>All in all I was pretty happy with his overall motivation and improved speed ā still not what I know he can do, but I think it was confidence-boosting and good for him to āfeelā what itās like to really GO on the agility field. It was pretty fun!>
Heck yeah!!! I thought you really powered up and down all the lines, and he responded by running hard. And he seemed to like the turf! He really didnāt look tired – I think your choices were all good and ended up being protective measures because he could have tired out in that last run, or of the toy was used too much. Keep working the connection – right now he needs it to be almost perfect, but that will get easier as he gets more experienced.
>If heās at all sore I didnāt want him to have any bad feelings about agility ever.>
SMART! Better to leave him wanting more than to ask him to run if he hurts.
Great job here!!
TracyHi!
>Also got to practice layering jump to tunnel vs coming into the jump. (and gave her a better run into it by starting with the straight tunnel). >
She did great here, both with the layering skills (and the non-layering rep) and also with the empty hands approach to reinforcement. Were your pockets empty too? If so – yay!!! It not – that is next on the agenda š
You did a great job setting up the layering, she really had no questions.
Super!!! On the last rep, the layering put you way ahead for the jump after the tunnelā¦ which cause too much decel and pulled her off of it. So you can layer but strategically meet her closer to the tunnel exit so there is more motion on the line to the jump.> Thought this one was interesting to see how she started reacting more as I was coordinating with Khamsin on where to throw next,>
Loose translation:
āHey. HEY! HEEYYYY! IT IS ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEE!ā Hahaha!! She just seemed to be a little mad that she did not have your full attention. So you can hold her while you plan next time. But also, it was a good moment where she went high arousalā¦ but then optimized herself to run beautifully on the next rep. Yay!Sounds like she has a lot of fun stuff coming up! You can mix in some empty hands/empty pockets to some of her runs, but bring rewards in for anything that is hard or might require reinforcement in the moment š
>Happy to report that the next 3 evening chats are on free nights for me!>
Yay!!!! Looking forward to it!
Tracy
Good morning! Nice session here!!
The lines in general looked really strong! We can look at the two spots where she had questions:
Looking at the threadle:
>I think I was just overhandling it?? >
Over-helping a little maybe š You had a good start to the cue with your arm back and verbal, and the questions were when you closed your shoulder forward to point to the jump to help her take it. That turns your shoulders away from the bar which is why she offered a backside on the other side at :22 and a RC on the front side at :33. She was creative!
For the threadle slice, you can keep your arm back til she looks at the bar, and converge towards it a bit more. The open arm cues the come in and the go back out to the bar (points your shoulders to the bar). Moving towards it a bit will help support her line to it as she learns the skill.
At :57 you didnāt close your shoulder til she was taking off for the jump so he got it nicely!! Then after that she had learned the sequence on the last few reps so arm position didnāt matter as much š Smart dog LOL! To prevent that so you can work the cues, you can do balance reps by sending her to the backside, so she has to watch to see what you wanted.
>And I wasnāt connected on the tunnel when I tried layering. I threw that in by itself at the end of our session.>
Great job sorting out the tunnel layering and getting the jump after it! Yes, keeping connection helps a ton – looking forward to the next obstacle turns your shoulders away and presents the wrong line. When you were connected and moving on a line parallel to her line, she got it both the tunnel and the jump! Super!
For the jump after the tunnel, a jump cue is not necessarily incorrect but there are a lot of jumps aroundā¦ she might need you to give a big GO cue before she enters the tunnel then again when she exits – the directional might be more useful to show the line.
The last rep had great connection and a parallel path to her path and she nailed it! Part of layering is the that she will learn the skill the more she sees it, so it will be easier to cue – the biggest trend in most course design lately is that the dogs need to stay on a the big parallel line until we change the line (which is why there is so much layering LOL!)
>What is the last day for posting for this class?
May 15th!
>And are there other Zoom meetings?>
Yes, I will be sending an email today – they are March 17, April 3, April 16 then more will be added.
āØGreat job here!Tracy
