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Good morning! Both of the dogs looked great in class last night, even with the kitten distractions!!
>>Since I can guarantee I will not post anywhere near as much video as I should, I will post both on the pieces I get to unless it is something I am likely to work (and actually video and post more than once>>
Perfect! Since you always have leftover time for posting, feel free to post as much as you like, don’t worry about over-posting 🙂 We are flexible with the posting because we want everyone to get as much time on the video as possible!
Nice work with Arram here!! The opening went well! He was definitely looking at the environment a bit but found the line really well. I was happy with that you did on the start line: got a little bit of a stay then giddy up, off to the races 🙂 That continues to build up the stay but also doesn’t push it to a stress point, so he looked pretty happy on the release!
He needed a slightly earlier turn cue for 2 to land him looking at 3: partially because it is a natural backside line, partially because he was looking at the environment a bit. I think all he needs for now would be a name call when he is about halfway between 1 and 2. That will change (and become earlier :)) as he get more experienced.
>>Also I beat myself up plenty for stopping during his run.
Yes, I could see your thought bubble in that moment of “why did I stop?” But he came pretty quickly AND he worked the next sequence with even more speed and focus. It was as if the little break in engagement and stress moment gave him a chance to investigate the environment (and work out any concerns).
The backside to the blind with the tunnel right there looked awesome!!
That 2nd run looked terrific and I loved the LONG tug session followed by cookies, followed by being done. YAY!!!
Lanna’s turn also looked really good! She was smiling at her paparazzi on the start a little but she held her stay and found the line. You can play with getting her to look at the jump when you get to a less distracting environment – I am happy with her stay here and line finding, even with human and kitten distractions 🙂
Because she is an agility professional, she totally read the line to the backside on 3 on the first rep, good girl! (That is a hidden hot topic: Natural backside lines when we need the front side, stay tuned for more of those!)
The in in on the 2nd and 3rd runs got the correct side of 3 for sure – you can call her when she is halfway between 1 and 2 to get her turning over 2, which will make the line 2-3 even smoother. And, if she is already turning to the line, you won’t have to rotate your feet on the in in, which will get you further ahead on the backside #4 jump. That can also you to get a BC on the takeoff side of 4, which can prove useful if you have someplace crazy to get to after the exit of the 6 tunnel (going to takeoff side of 4 puts you further ahead on the 5-6 line).
The RC on 5 worked well – on the first run you ran a good RC line but don’t say Go because she was looking straight (use a left turn cue instead). On the 2nd run there, you almost pushed her off and you said tunnel, but then you caught yourself and kept gong and she got it right (continuing through little bobbles like that is GREAT because it is helpful for dealing with little bobbles at trials!)
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>Pop out 1 Mookie ran it nicely X2 Alonso also did well but tended to land out wider. The jumps were probably closer then shown but it worked well and was good training for Alonso to learn to stay in closer.>>
For the wide landings – it might be that he needs earlier cues, or that he might need a brake arm on some of those turns! We worked brake arms in the live class last night, I will be posted it as soon as it loads! I will send an email when it is all posted 🙂
>> Great practice for a slice start. I could stand between jump 2 & 3 for Mookie. I had to keep my arms low or he would have taken the backside of 5 >>
Good catch about the potential backside – we see lots of that nowadays: the dogs see the backside line so we have to pull them into. The front side.

>>For Alonso I could stand between 2 and 3 for the slice start but more behind the jumps and not in line with them as I could with my old boy. >>He will sort it out with more experience! He is doing really well!
>Alonso knocked the bar for a back side blind 6 to 7 but kept it up second run as I got it together with him. I then practiced backside blinds in both directions for both boys.>>
Great! Those are really hard jumping efforts so practicing will help Alonso sort out his mechanics while he is also watching the mechanics. Mookie used to have the same questions (years ago!) but I think he is all grown up now and knows everything! Yay!
>>As for Alonso’s start line stays at a real trial this past weekend, he did well the first time in the ring. However, the second time in the ring he glazed over and it was really hard to get him to do his set up which is to go between my legs and lie down.>>
You probably need to play around with different ‘tools’ on the way to the start line: first run of the day might be easiest for him, mentally. Then you might need to add more play and tricks to get him more ready before later runs. Or a different toy or treat. It is all about managing arousal and bandwidth, so try to experiment with different things.
For example, play pattern games outside the ring when he is waiting. Then when the dog before him is running, try some tricks to get him moving and engaged! Then run to the line and see if he can get right into his setup. Keep track of what works or doesn’t work, based on how he responds and how the run goes. It is a definite learning curve with young dogs!
>> What do you suggest if he is so glazed that he is frozen in a stand stay. Should I take him out of the ring or accept the stand stay and try to lead out.>>
Honestly, if my dog was unable to sit but was able to hold a stand stay, I would lead out and start the run and see how it goes. Taking him out of the ring might create frustration (it is a punishment!) so I am happy to get feedback from the dog (“Mom this is HARD, I can’t sit!”) and then try the run, then try other things at the line or outside the ring to see how he does.
Have fun! Keep me posted!
Tracy
Hi! This is very cool to see!!!
I’m not surprised – the faster line has fewer turns, so once he finishes 2 it is basically a speed circle for him.He did well with the German turn (another benefit is that we handlers can run full tilt through them if the dog understands the commitment and countermotion). But you can also lead out to threadle position – he knows that move too and I’m sure it would be super fast too!
Tracy
We can definitely build up more theeadle skills this summer, they’ll come in handy on course for sure!
>>In sequence 3, is jump 3 a backside wrap, or is a backside wrap when you completely circle the wing?>>
They enter and exit on the same wing there, so the wrap cue (to get lots of collection) is likely better than the slice cue with big, fast dogs.
Tracy
Hi!
I see what you mean, she definitely has a harder time on that side!
Try two things:– lead out further so the toy is further past the jump when she is jumping them. Trying starting 10 feet past the 2nd jump and see how it goes!
– overlap the middle wings by about 6 inches and see if that helps! It is possible that the distance is awkward so shortening it can really help.
Let me know how it goes!
TracyHi!
He might have thought it was a little odd 🙂 but he did well! And yes, it seems like the hardest part was eating the treat fast and not sniffing for more.It is entirely possible that the treat was actually too high in value and was getting “lost” in the yummy scent! What is visible for throwing but less exciting than Fresh Pet… String cheese maybe? Or you can throw a lotus ball and re-load it between reps too.
I think after a night’s sleep, you can try it and if he is happy with it, you can do it again with a little more distance and rewarding after every 2 or 3 jumps.
Nice work!!!
TracyHello and welcome back!!!
She did great here, finding her jumps! Yay!!! She seemed a little more comfy doing it on your left side (turning to her right) so it is possible that the right turns will progress more quickly than left turns. This is normal 🙂
My only suggestion is to rotate the middle jump 90 degrees, so the bar is perpendicular to the other 2 bars (not parallel to them). This will set up. A classic pinwheel. And you can start to do 2 jumps in a row before rewarding – keep moving and see if she can find them.
Great job!
TracyTotally agree, she takes her time savoring the treats LOL!!!! But this was a good session: she kept finding the jumps until you tossed the treat, then found them again after eating it 🙂 Just remember to keep moving when you throw it between jumps 2 and 3, even if you are moving slowly 🙂
Great job!
TracyHi! Lots of lovely work here, she is SO FUN!!
She did well looking at jump 1 and I think the forward focus here was very helpful! It took her a moment to “find” 1 on the first rep and also at 1:45, then she locked on nicely and produced a great jumping effort and lovely lines! Sending her from your side on the other angle at :39 was actually a harder turn (she feel on her head then dropped 2). Tighter is not better, in this case.
she had some questions on the layering line at first at :21 – and did much better with adding motion on the 2nd rep! The more you can move up the line, the easier it is to get the threadle.
>>That threadle at 7 was kicking our butt.>>
It was built a little harder, but that is fine because it opens up two things that I think are important!
First, cues and timing:
At :45 and 1:52, she needs a turn cue on 6 to set up the threadle. She wasn’t really turning on 6 and threadle is more of a line cue than a turn cue – so a turn cue like a left or her name to get her turning on 6 will make a world of difference. And that turn cue starts no later than landing of 5: you would be running towards 7 and cuing the turn. Then when she approaches 6 and is turning, you would be giving the threadle in in cue (without having to stop moving).
At 2;33 you started the in in as she was landing from 5 which is correct timing, but I think in in is not the desired cue in this case… because in theory with that timing, the in in should apply to 6 not 7. And that might be why it was so hard to get teh threadle on 7 initially, because she has learned to apply threadle info a jump later than it is given or intended for. So a turn cue for the jump before the threadle, and the threadle cue for the actual threadle jump should make a huge difference in her being able to get the threadles consistently.
The other thing I see here as I am getting to know her a bit:
Her focus is split in trainng and I think she has part of her mind on the toy on the ground somwhere outside the ring, plus she doesn’t get rewarded near you – so her thoughts are all about staying out somewhere on the big line. Yes, you had her do hand touches but that is not really a reward then she drives to get the toy outside the ring somewhere. You can still leave a toy outside the ring, but have one in your pocket as well so you can reward up close on tighter lines as well, to help build more quick responsiveness to turn cues. The split focus in training might also be part of why she is different in trials (she is never sent from the course to go get her toy at high speed in trials, so arousal and processing states are different).
She did well finding 8 after you supported it from 7 and added a little more movement to help support the bar (it is a hard angle!)
The 9-10-11-12 is looking good! Keep facing straight to the weave entry until she is in it -it is a hard entry especially with the off course jump right there, so many dogs come off that line if we turn too soon.
At 1:14, you handled 13 as a threadle and I love that plan! Stay in the threadle position until she turns her head to the jump. You don’t need to move across the line parallel to the bar, you just want to stay where you were til she turns her head to the bar. You left a as she rounded the wing but she had not yet turned to look at the jump, so she came off the line. As she gets more experienced with threadles, you won’t have to wait for the head turn – but even with letting her turn her head to it before you go, you will have plenty of time to get to the next line.
Rear crossing 15 would likely require a lot of decel then RC 16, and that is fine. you’ll still get the ending line nicely! She got the off course there when you were accelerating through the RC on 15 (1:21)
Nice work here! I am glad Puddin’ also did well!!! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
Lots of good stuff here to chew on!!>>The first attempt is broken into several parts because I kept having to stop because she was just so wound up. >>
Stopping to fix errors or resend her are something she can tolerate a little… but when it happens more than once or twice, then the frustration builds and builds when the cues are not clear. I thought her discussion points were valid here 😁 and we can definitely consider it feedback from her in the moment. I *highly* recommend that you don’t stop and fix or resend. Just keep going on the course! That will keep you both in the flow and also really reduce frustration. If she misses a jump? Keep going. If she hits a bar? Keep going. And in both keep going moments, add more connection and support on the lines.
And if you are getting a lot of feedback in terms of barking or errors, or the same error more than once: stop and watch the video before the next run.
>>my goal was not necessarily to mark the bar coming down but rather to try to bring her back down mentally.
I have not found it effective to balance arousal by stopping the dog… usually it increases arousal because they are frustrated.
For example, at :55 there was a miscommunication, she didn’t take off well and really hit the bar. You reacted and put her into a down stay – that is likely to be perceived as a punishment to the dog and no one relaxes into a happy state after being told they were wrong LOL
>>If she starts taking off miles before she should, it often leads to more of that if we keep running when she’s in this arousal state.>>
One early takeoff is a cue to us handlers to connect more and stay closer to the line 🙂 It is not a mental state issue, it is a clarity of info and processing issue. The info has to be really clear at top speed, so there is time to process it.
>>She seemed extra barky and unfocused. When she screams at me constantly, it makes it difficult for me to focus on good mechanics and all the pieces of what I’m supposed to do (throw the reward far away, keep my arm back, decel, don’t decel, etc.).>>
You can translate her barking as “More info needed please!” or as “Stop and watch the video, human! Her barking here was happening when things were not clear or she was frustrated (which is linked to lack of clarity). I think the barking is important feedback, so if you hear her barking, you can ramp up your connection, get closer to the lines, etc, to give her better info.
Think of it not as working your mechanics… think of it as working the dog! If you are thinking about what you are supposed to do, you risk not handling the dog by looking at her or getting her feedback in the moment.
Looking at the sections of the course:
She is focusing ahead on jump 1 really nicely!! Super!!!
After the cross 2-3, this is an example of handle the dog and not the course or mechanics. She had a bar at :09 (jump 2) and 1:39 (jump 3) and tick it at 3:44 because you are exiting the cross with your shoulders forward, indicating the line ahead. But she is behind you – so the closed shoulders break connection especially with the other obstacles out there. Remember to exit all crosses with your dog-side arm back to her nose and eye on her eyes: handle the dog behind you, not the line ahead of you 🙂 That will also help set the layering line up around the tunnel!
She didn’t drop bars on the 3rd run, you stayed a little closer and also she had seen the line a couple of times already so she knew what to expect without needing as much handling support.
Good job continuing at 3:50 when she came off of the layering line – your shoulders and line turned so she had a question about the line there.
>>I watched the video multiple times and then later that night it dawned on me that it wasn’t a backside for her, and that’s the verbal I kept giving her.>>
I think it was a backside on her line, and the motion was more of the question not the verbal:
At :17 and 1:49 and 2:56 for jump 8 you stopped moving and turned as she was exiting 7, so she came off the line to the 8. After the first error, you can watch the video to see why she is doing that and adjust to keep moving forward til she commits. Video watching between runs is so helpful, so you don’t have the same error multiple times which frustrates her (and you too, probably!)
In that moment though, where she came off of 8 (and moments like it): keep going! Onwards. To 9 and 10! Stopping and resending as it creates more errors and frustration (and barking 😂🤣) At 1:52 she was having a BIG MAD because you were stopped and resending from an odd angle. I believe she was saying “TRACY SAID NO FIXING, JUST KEEP GOING!”
The fix there turned 1 error into 5 errors and then she didn’t get rewarded for going to it… All of that builds up her frustration a lot. And the fix at 2:56 caused a dropped bar.
>>I finally realized that “jump” or “out” would suffice and she took it without a problem. >>
You kept moving at 3:52 and she stayed on the line 😁 Motion to support the line is really helpful!
The 9 tunnel to the 10 jump went well!
There was some confusion on jump 11 – it is a front side, I think you were trying to get the other side at :30 an 2:03 and 3:08? Hard to tell but something was pulling her off there (although 3:08 was clearly a threadle cue – the threadle slice to the right would be an easier line if it was a backside there)
Yes, she needed help staying in the weaves with the other jump as the layer (probably lack of practice like you mentioned), so moving in on the next rep was very helpful. Yay! You can practice the layering by moving the jump in closer so your motion can support the weaves more (and throw a reward at the end of the poles)
The cross on takeoff side of 13 after the weaves is great, but remember to connect to help with commitment: at :47 you pointed an arm but never connected. Don’t leave that jump til she cues you to leave by looking at the jump. (Don’t fix there either, just keep going if she misses the jump :))
Compare to 2:14 and 3:17 where you let her see the jump before you moved away and it worked really nicely!
You did the blind at 4:29 and didn’t connect after it… she got the jump but that was because she knew the sequence 🙂 So remember to get that connection on the exit, handle the dog not the line 🙂She had a lot of trouble with the jump on 15. I think more decel and a brake arm will get the collection – you were saying right but powering forward and not turning until after she made a takeoff decision, so she did not really know how to sort out the jumping at :15 and 1:05.
At 1:20 you added decel but also put a lot of pressure into the jump so she stopped in front of it before taking off.
You moved forward better at 2:20 and 3:23 with decel and that helped too. She was looking up at you because you were moving away as you were decelerating, so it was a little unclear if she should proceed forward or not there.
4:33 was the most forward to the jump in terms of cues, and it was also her best commitment there! Nice!!!!
On the closing line at 1:26 and 2:27 – you turned away from 18 so she was not sure if you wanted her to take it or not (keep going there too – no more stopping, she was reading you correctly 🙂 )
That 18 jump is a good place to keep facing the jump and the line until she cues you that you can leave, but lifting her feet for takeoff. You were much clearer at 3:29 and the last rep, and she got it really well!
On the ending line – stay connected and don’t reach for the toy – the disconnect and toy reach drew her attention off the line . The toy in your hand as you run will help you have it ready for the long throws at the end.
Let me know what you think! The parts where you were handling her and very connected were really great! And I think we can get the frustration levels (and barking!) to diminish by staying in the flow of the course rather than starting and fixing.
Nice work!
Tracy
Hi!
>>We went away for a day’s seminar on distance and layering and she did great! >>
That is awesome! I bet it was really fun!
Looking at the video:
Seq 3 : The opening line went smoother (bar stayed up at 2) when you moved a little more and a little sooner, tarting as he was taking 1, That set the line better!
Overall it looked really good and she only had a question on the bar at 5 (it dropped both times you were going to the tunnel). I am not sure why that happened. The siren call of the tunnel causing her to rush the jumping? Jumping from the sunlight into the shadows? I thought your connection looked strong through and you were not doing anything crazy with motion or verbals, so it was probably jumping from light into shadow.She kept that bar up when you added the blind cross on the 3rd rep! The collection cue on 3 worked really well on that run, and the blind looked really good at :33!!! You can start it even sooner, even if you are not in perfect position – when she land from 4, you can start the side change as you continue to move to the takeoff side of 6. That way, the re-connection on the new side can be sooner (that will allow her to see the next bar sooner and not tick it).
Seq 4: nice stay at jump 1! She doesn’t really turn her head to stare at the jump but she does seem to acknowledge it and jumps it cleanly!
I think she needs more info for 2: the first time, she had the correct side but the bar was down. That slice jumping is hard for her! Turning sooner (as she exits 1 so she can take off for 2 already turned) and maintaining connection will help. Connection was great but you didn’t really turn til she was taking off for 2.
On the 2nd run, she took the backside and had the bar down. You peeled away and disconnected so she ended up on your other side.In both cases, more verbals can help: you can release with a collection verbal for jump 1, and then a front side verbal (like a left or soft turn verbal) for jump 2. That can help support the line a lot.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
>>We will try to take it easy on you.
Ha! I am up for the challenge LOL!!!
He is doing well with the lazy game – Yay! He had a really high success rate, so I don’t think you were being greedy to go for 3! The learning can get dull quickly if the dog has figured out the ‘puzzle’ and yet we keep asking for the same old thing LOL!
To get rid of the middle-offering, just keep moving. It can be slow moving, shuffling along, and earlier cookie throws.
When you were moving, he looked for the jumps. The middles only started when you were stationary and kinda facing the jump, which is exactly the context he might expect a middle cue.Since this went so well, you can add in more distance between the jumps! And mix up how many before you reward: sometimes 1, sometimes 3, sometimes 2, etc. The variability will keep things spicy!
Great job 🙂
Tracy
Welcome back! Happy birthday to Lift!!!!
The training is going well here, although I think maybe I should come to Scotland to further discuss this LOL!!!!!
I think the biggest first step here is the dogs learning to find the treat, eat it fast, and keep going. The chewy treats delayed that a little then she kinda forgot what she was doing for a moment at first. That caused her to sometimes go past the middle jump but that will go away when you add a little more room, and when you reward for the 2nd jump (instead of the first jump)
She figured it out really quickly – note how she started going faster and faster, both in terms of treat finding/eating and going to the jumps. Yay Lift!
So for the next session if it is before Scotland, you can add a little more distance and mix in rewarding after 2 sometimes instead of after 1. If the next session doesn’t happen til after the trip (life might be a little busy between now and tomorrow morning!) then start as you were here for a couple of reps to refresh the skill, then add the distance and add in rewarding for 2.
Great job!! Have a blast in Scotland if you don’t have a chance to do more before you leave!
Tracy
