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Good morning! Thanks for the update!!!
>Ven is 20 months old and 28 pounds now. How did that happen?
Baby dog is growing up!!
>Jumping – We are working on getting him up to full height of 16″ jumps. He’s been at 14″ for a couple weeks now and isn’t knocking bars too much so I’ll probably move him to 16″ in the next could weeks. >
Sounds good! You should enter him in NFC runs at trials at a lower height, so that is easier because the environment will be harder.
>He still needs to see doubles, triples, panels, and broad jumps. What height would you use for set point exercises now that he’s close to full height?>
For single bar jumps, you can revisit the set point at full height or close to full height (but with the reward 12 to 15 feet away, so he doesn’t land on his shoulders trying to get to it. For new obstacles in a set point – super low introductions, like at 8 inches 🙂
>Obstacles – Ven’s 2o2o teeter is a thing of beauty except for driving ahead of me. Need to figure out how to get him to go ahead and bang it when I’m behind. >
Awesome!!! I recommend a target for that. And driving ahead can be built in to simple games like the bang game, where you have him leap into position with you hanging back, or even with you moving backwards as he moves forward to the target position.
>Dog walk – Ven has started running full height dogwalk with 2o2o. He’s not driving ahead when I’m behind or holding his stay if I’m ahead so we have work to do there.>
A target can be helpful here too – it is a focal point for the dogs, and you can then reward when he hits and holds position regardless of where you are. And targets are easy to fade, either by making them smaller and smaller, or covering them with grass. In UKI, you can do NFC runs with a target on the ground! That really helps the dos transition the skill to trials.
>Frame – no work there yet. I need to get the flat work started again since I’m planning on a running frame contact.>
I think he will like that 🙂
>Weaves – Ven is close to 6 straight poles with entries all the way around the clock.
Sequencing – we’re able to run 12-15 obstacles in sequence.>Super on both of these!!!!!
>Competing – I’m trying to get my nerve up to enter a trial or two. Right now, with tracking class and tests coming up, I’m looking at a mid-March ASCA trial where we could enter jumpers, gamblers, and maybe use regular for teeter/dogwalk experience. >
ASCA is great for jumps and tunnel stuff. If there is any UKI available, that is better for starting the contacts because you have more training options (like using a target on the ground).
>He hasn’t “wandered off” to pee on anything in a while but I’m not sure I trust him yet.>
Good boy! What can you bring into the ring for the training runs to help ease the transition – that way the stress levels stay low and he is far less likely to pee anywhere 🙂
>Tracking – we’ve done a lot of tracking while he learns agility obstacles and we wait for a little more maturity. He passed his certification track last Saturday so we’ll be entering TD and TDU tests at the end of the month.>
I have been following his tracking adventures that you post on Facebook – really impressive! He is doing great!
>Rally – Venture is basically ready to enter novice rally except he gets confused between heeling around cones vs wrapping them for agility. Any bright ideas how to help him get the difference?>
I can see his point about the cone meaning wrap… What physical and verbal cues are allowed in rally? I think something that can get him focused on you will help – a hand cue, a watch-me cue, or something, as you walk around. When we want the cone to be wrapped, we want him looking at it. When you don’t want the wrap, you can cue him to look up at you. That might make it easier!
>I’m going to build some of the course work from this class over the next couple days so we’ll have some video by the weekend.>
Great! Have fun!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Also I’m not tossing toys or fodd bc we have a massive KC outbreak here and it’s making training suck but I don’t have space at home. Lotus ball with barrel was not ideal.>
Yes, the outbreak totally sucks. But isn’t KC airborne? So I am not sure if not throwing toys is helpful (plus the dogs can lick their feet, etc). I would definitely avoid sharing toys and bowls, and cleaning everything. Hopefully the outbreak clears up soon.
Tunnel threadles:
>I should have an arm out. It’s not really…>
I could see it, mostly, LOL!!!
>I see I’m rotated a lot to her, shouldn’t I be more feet forward? Also I’m almost to the entry she’s gonna take so not sure if I’m too far up.
Yes – you can be facing straight more and not be as far ahead. To get that, send her to the first tunnel entry from further away (closer to the exit). Then as she exits, meet her at the exit of the tunnel more and walk forward, facing straight, showing the arm cue and giving her the verbal. Then let her turn herself away – no arm swooshing and no foot turning 🙂 The motion supports the line and the cue indicates that she can turn away, so you can be facing forward to support that.
She did really well here and seemed like she was having a great time, so I think it will be easy for her!
>Also: she did her jump up thing and clipped me in the cheek!>
Yeah – ouch!
>Member how we tossed frisbee and it was HIgHLY rewarding? When I toss frisbees she had a hard time the next couple training sessions to know we aren’t doing that and she got a little over stim when I took the toy for the first “out” and thought she was either getting a frisbee throw or working….>
It is valid for her to think that the presence of the frisbee to possibly indicate it will be thrown, but it is ok to sometimes use it as a tug toy. If you are getting too much arousal on the frisbee, you can use it less 🙂 Regular tug toys are also easier to manage for tugging because they are bigger. But don’t ignore the face launching!
Something to consider: I give my dogs feedback on that, meaning that the game absolutely stops, always, if they leap at my face. (I also give them feedback if they launch at someone else’s face, which they really don’t do – probably because maybe they tried it once and I gave them feedback LOL!)
It might be as simple as I take their collar immediately and freeze there for 10 seconds or maybe they can go in a crate for a minute and we restart.
It is not a behavior that I think is at all acceptable (and can be dangerous!) so I don’t need to approach it with sunshine and rainbows LOL!! Sometimes it is OK to provide a consequence that says to the dog “this is not going to be a rewarding moment”. My youngest dog has jumped at my face once or twice and the game has ended immediately – no more face launching. Another example, I was recently taking care of someone’s year old dog and on a potty walk, he launched at my face high enough and fast enough to knock my glasses off. I took his collar and just quietly held him next to my leg for about 10 seconds… no more face launching. The collar hold is done quickly and unemotionally, and has no fallout in terms of collar holding because the other 99.9% of collar holds are associated with fun times.
Yes, it is an arousal regulation moment but the feedback of “it is unacceptable to leave the toy I am presenting and launch at my face” (which is what happened here) is valid feedback and part of arousal regulation too! Don’t just ignore it, I definitely suggest providing feedback – never harsh, just a quick, clear, stop in the action.
Now, to be better prepared, you will want to change your mechanics in the transitions to help her know what to do instead – the mechanics here made it really hard to deliver information about what to do, and hard to deliver info about the launch being unacceptable because your hands were full (hard but not impossible :)) So cleaning up the mechanics can be something like having your toys and treats ready to go in pockets or on a table before she enters the training so both hands are available. Or, she starts the session waiting on a platform or bed, so you can bring her in cleanly. The frisbee here was stimulating and the first 40 seconds were about getting the toy and treats and your position ready – that can all be done before she is there (then call her into the session). That can also help eliminate the face launching!
She did well turning away to the barrel! You can start fading out your hand cues a bit by showing the turn cue hands but doing less and less ‘swoosh’ to turn her away to the jump. That way she can turn herself away 🙂 And you can start adding motion, with you moving slowly forward up the line and giving her the cues.
>I don’t know if I want an arm ( you had asked this on the flat work too) I think I should? >
I think the dogs do best with arm cues – I use 2 hands, both pretty low with the opposite arm being super prominent. Lots of people do 1 hand – a super prominent outside arm. Some people do a low dog-side hand with a closed fist, but I think that one is the hardest one for the dogs to see.
Nice work here!!
TracyGood morning!
Great question! Backside jumps do have some grey areas because there are so many different exit lines, and I personally don’t want to add MORE verbals.
>I personally use separate cues for backside wrap and backside slice.>
Same here!
So I have 2 backside verbals, and they are based on the entry and exit wings:
– “Back” is my verbal for ‘push to the backside/stay on parallel line – enter on that wing, exit closer to the other wing. So it is pretty slicey.
– “Dig” is my verbal for when the dog pushes to the backside/stays on the parallel line, then enters on one wing and exits on the same wing – LOTS of collection.
>Backside Slice Verbal (Back Back) This means “go out to the backside of the jump away from me and slice the jump”, which could imply pushing away to go there or staying on the parallel path line. >
Yes – looks like you “back” and my “back” have the same meaning – enter on the push wing and exit on the other wing-ish. It is not always a perfect slice as there are many variations, but the dog jumps in extension.
>Backside Wrap Verbal (DigDigDig) This means “go out to the backside of the jump away from me and wrap the jump, creating a 360 degree turn”, which could imply pushing away to go there or staying on the parallel path line.>
That is similar to what my dig dig is as well –
>So you’d use your “backside wrap” verbal only for when it’s a 360 wrap? Or would it be the same verbal if it’s a backside with the entry and exit wing being the same but it’s more of a 180 back towards where they were coming from than a 360 turn continuing forward.>
Because there are so many variations, I also use it when it is not a full 360 but the dog is still entering and exiting on the same wing. For example, if I do a tight FC (like the turn and burn game) and head away on a 90 degree angle or back the direction they came from, or some similar really collected turn. It still fits my criteria of entering and exiting on the same wing (because there is a ton of collection when the dogs have to do that).
The dogs seem happy with that and are better prepared for the collection required on the dig versus back, because we are giving them the info so early. I used to use ‘back’ for everything except a full 360, but the dogs didn’t collect as well on the really tight wraps that were not full 360s. Using the same verbal has solved that problem (and my handling doesn’t matter as much LOL!!)
Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! I just saw this! You and Joplin were great in class – it was lovely to see things getting back to normal!
Tracy
Good morning!
>I’m finding that the hardest part of the process is getting the helpers to follow directions LOL. The more is better mindset is prevalent when it comes to distraction work.>
Yeah….. you might have to use velcro or duct tape to get people to stand still or do what you ask.
>Did some work on thursday with ring crew having the reward and tossing it after he passed them – >
Yay! Perfect!
>that went well until the RC decided to start waving the lotus ball in the tunnel mouth while he was approaching.>
Well….. I am sure Coal was like WHAT THE HECK! That is definitely a distraction that would make no sense to him. It was probably confusing for him and I think that the RC definitely needed to be velcro’d to a chair so they don’t freestyle any distractions.
> Also got in a good sequence with a person sitting on the floor in the middle of the ring>
Awesome!!! I am sure that was challenging – he feels the need to check weird things out so that was definitely a little weird and different!
>My Friday group was better at following direction, they got stand there and do nothing LOL. Got is some good reps with a leash runner behind him. No video>
Super!!!!
>Saturday, I volunteered as a demo team in one of the facilities. We did a bunch of chill and MYOB in a fairly busy environment – went well. Also did a couple of short demo runs which went well. Video attached for this.>
This was a great experience for him and he was a superstar! People, dogs, the person talking on the mic – so many big challenges. And being ‘center stage’ for the agility put him right into the pressure cooker of distractions… but he did GREAT! Yay!!!
>Tonights plan is to set up some short sequences and reward after passing the leash runner or ring crew.>
Let me know how it went! He might have been brain-tired from his busy weekend, so I am looking forward to hearing about the class!
Tracy
Hi!
Strong session here too! He needed to sort out his footwork – on the first 2 reps, he was a bit bouncy/hoppy. But after that, he lowered his head and really powered through brilliantly.One suggestion: when you say. the left/right verbals, you can hold him so he doesn’t start without you – then say the verbal 3 or 4 times before releasing him, so we can attach the verbal to the behavior more easily (by separating it from motion). And, as he is going around the setup, you can keep saying the verbal because he is turning on each bar – that also helps us strengthen the verbal.
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
The rocking horses looked great! He is really fast and I don’t think he will slow down at all when you add jump bars 🙂 So doing all of these rapid-pace handling cues will help you feel like you have a lot more time when you are actually running courses 🙂First run – the FC, spins, race tracks are all looking good. The best part was your connection: you were really watching him every moment, and he had no questions.
Second run – at :17 on the exit of the FC, you turned forward too soon and pointed to the next barrel (he was still 3 or 4 feet behind you). That broke connection and caused your other shoulder to come into play. So he correctly read it like a blind cross cue and went to the other side. If that happens, you can assume it was a disconnection and either keep going, or reward him 🙂
Note the difference in timing and connection at :22 – clear connection at the exit of the FC, and he came to the side you wanted. Yay!
The rest of that run was really locked in with connection and went great!!
>I’m still learning to react better hopefully when an hour in person class we get doing more it will help me.>
Something that will help is giving yourself a walk through without him, even on the barrel games 🙂 If you plan your ‘course’ and walk through the handling, you will feel more comfy when he is running. That way you won’t feel like you are reacting as much as it will feel like you are driving him.
Great job!
TracyGood morning! Bummer about the snow, hopefully the weather will warm up soon!
Looking at the serps and threadles: the main thing here is the motion! When you were stationary, he was able to get both the serps and threadles pretty easily. When you added motion (including releasing as you arrived in position), he failed each time.
So about the failure – remember that you get 2 total failures for the session. Only 2 🙂 That can be 2 in a row or 2 total – but dogs get frustrated when we get past 2 (because they don’t know what we want). Limiting things to 2 failures can keep the rate of success high, and ward off frustration. He was at about 50% rate of success for the serps, which is lower than the more ideal 90%.
When they get frustrated, we get changes in responses (they start guessing) and we get frustration behavior: he grabbed at your shirt early in the session, then at 1:50 he jumped up at your face. The reset cookies for the sit helped him not get too frustrated but the 2 failure rule will help both with frustration behavior and to teach him the behavior more easily.
So for the serps: the successes came when you got to serp position (visible between the uprights), paused for a moment in position, then released him (but did not move). When you moved through the position, he went past the jump. You can add motion in the next session by doing 2 things:
– Angle the jump so the bar is a bit more visible. The wing closer to the MM can be pushed about a foot towards Ringo to make that an easier line (your line is the same, as if the jump was not angled at all)
– Add the tiniest bit of motion 🙂 Walk through the serp position at the slowest position pace, almost shuffling/barely moving, so he can see the cue clearly but with the tiniest bit of motion. Find where he can be successful with motion – then you can build up from there.>He almost seemed to have a better grasp on the threadle.>
The threadle didn’t have motion, so it was definitely easier. We will start adding motion to that too, in the same way…. Tiny steps 🙂
For the threadle, only one suggestion: after he goes to the threadle side, keep your threadle arm open and frozen in position until he goes to the bar and the MM. That way he can turn himself away to the bar and doesn’t need any physical cue from you to do it.
Nice work here!
TracyGood morning!
Bummer about getting more snow 🙁 Doesn’t Mother Nature know we have puppies to train!?!?!?! Ha!
The minny pinny looked really good here! Nice job getting the reward placement at the end!
It was interesting watching him work out how to bend his body. The right turns when better than the left – he was bending more to his right and straighter over the bumps to his left. When it is safe to do this outside again, you can shorten the distance between the bumps to see if he can bounce them – the distance might have been a bit awkward for him especially if the ground was slippery.My only other suggestion is to hold him and say the left or right verbal 3 or 4 times before letting him go, to reply pump up the predictive value of the verbal (so we can make it really independent in the future 🙂 )
Nice work! Stay warm!
Tracy
Good morning! This was a really good session to tell us where she is, in terms of impulse control!
When she is a certain distance away from the distraction (person in this case), the games/behaviors go pretty well! The pattern games and cookie recalls and frisbee play went went.
When you were closer and the leash was on the ground… it was harder for her to ignore the person. Proximity/location is part of the challenge!
The pattern game is going to be the best bet near a person for now, on leash with really high value food, to help her process the challenge.
When you got closer to the person and tried to do something else (tugging or lineups, etc) she had a harder time ignoring the person.
>Also learned the game of toss the frisbee over rides it all. Faith was dead to her when I was just throwing rollers lol.>
This is good! Use this as a reward for the other skills after she is able to do the pattern game nearer – rollers are great but they are really really hard to use in a lot of places where there is less room. So the highest priority can be working on getting closer to the ‘slice’ with pattern games as the behavior (they work on the brain a little differently than the other games). And at a distance, you can do other games with frisbee rewards – when she is off leash doing that, have the person distraction behind a gate or something, so Julee can’t jump up at her nose if there is an error.
Nice job here!!!
TracyGood morning!
>I think the part of it that’s she struggling with is the cookie toss to dead toy with no motion from me. >
I agree! You can build it up separately, with less pressure to do a ‘thing’ 🙂 Since she went to the toy really well with even just a little movement of your outside arm. So you can do a couch game at home: cookie toss one direction, get the toy the other direction. You can start by pointing and then fade out the pointing… and you can sit and relax on the couch the whole time, no other movement 🙂 A good winter game LOL!!
And for the threadle behavior:
>I think I like the idea of changing the picture and doing it with the manners minder and just taking the toy out of this exercise until she figures it out and then bringing it back when she’s fluent. >
Yes – you can get the threadle skill with the MM or cookie bowl that you toss the treat into (she will like that little bit of opposite arm movement). And if you play the couch game separately, we will be able to add the two together. Dead toys as placed rewards can be useful so it is worth it to build up the fun of that 🙂 But also there are a zillion ways to train things so we don’t need to rely on the dead toy placement – we can get passionate performance of the behavior with different approaches to reward placement and timing.
Keep me posted!
Tracy
Hi!
>Cheese is one of julee highest and Gouda ( that’s how I know about the cubes) and that’s what I used big chucks too. >
Cheese is yummy! And Costco often has giant bags of the pre-cubed cheese 🙂 But also cheese is the ‘normal’ reinforcement for many dogs so in a much harder environment, you will want to rock her world by whipping out something totally different.
>I tried the frisbee. Really never thought she would say not to it. I mean you have seen her with the frisbee!>
Yes, that indicates that the environment must have been hard for her!
>she was either on Leash or left to her own. >
She is too young to be left on her own – it is like giving a 12 year old kid the keys to the car and hoping for the best LOL!!! So leashing her is good (but doesn’t really provide mental breaks). A portable crate is a good one to bring along, so you can just pop it up and she can chill for a minute between reps.
>Undecided if I’ll go back. It was an ackward situation but I wanted to get julee out bc she needs it>
Working in different environments at this age and sorting out reinforcement needs in those new places totally outweighs the awkwardness of the situation, so definitely go back! Sort all that out now, so you don’t have to worry about it at all in the future 🙂
T
Good morning!
I am glad you are recovered from the plague!!! Lots of good stuff in his NFC runs here 🙂
On the first video, you might have felt rushed but you didn’t look rushed – super nice jump of going in and playing, doing tricks, getting a lineup, etc. It looked very much like what you do at class and that is really good to help him get comfortable in the trial environment.
At :35 – I was not sure if you wanted the line to the tunnel? Set yourself up to be further ahead to show the line even if you use a wrap start instead of a short lead out, so he sees the connection and motion to the tunnel.Video 2:
Great engagement when the leash comes off ! Then keep playing with him 🙂 Your videographer asked where your ring ritual was and she was correct – keep the engagement and play going at the line rather than just walking out to the jump.
Nice short lead out with forward focus to the first jump at :25! YAY!
You can add more BIG connection on the opening line but don’t stop and fix things – stopping can be frustrating for him, so if he runs past a jump that is a cue to you to ramp up your connection or stay closer to the line (or both :)) The first 2 jumps looked great then he struggled a bit to stay on the line and drive ahead, so staying a bit closer to the jump in these early stages of trialing will really help.
Your videographer asked why you were whispering LOL so you can totally use big loud verbals 🙂 But overall a really good run!
3rd video –
He is reading some motion cues as the release from the stay so one thing you can do is line him up on a bit of an angle on the first jump rather than totally straight to it – mainly so you can just walk forward on the lead out to get around the first jump, rather than lateral then forward. The break happened when you walked forward and moved your shoulder/arm. And remember you can bring a cato plank or board or mat into the ring for UKI NFC runs to help with the stays!And try to un-pair motion with the release – on the 2nd stay here, you turned forward as you released, which might be what he thinks the release is (turning forward).
What you did on the previous run was great: small lead out, stop moving, cue forward focus to the jump, then release. That really was smooth and clean!
On the first part of this run, you were connected but also you can run a little harder 🙂 When you were connected, with low arms, and running a little more? He found his line brilliantly! (:54 – 1:01 is a great example of that) He also drove ahead n the last 2 jumps really well! Super!!!
>I’ve also noticed he’s backing out of his middle sometimes, not sure what that is.>
I think he was just trying to get a better view of you and the toy? He was excited and that was part of what was happening there, so you can exaggerate the connection a little more during the line up at a trial.
Overall, I think he (and you) did GREAT!! Very exciting that he is now trialing!!! In classes coming up, you can work on driving him even more while staying connected, and building up the transition into the stay with short lead outs, forward focus cue, then the release.
Great job here!
TracyGood morning! Lots of good stuff this weekend with Lu!!! And you have a terrific support crew 🙂 I love that they helped you feel good about the first run (they are correct!) and also I love all the cheering!!
In both runs:
– she was locked onto her jumps and did not run past any that you were cuing
– you had a good plan on run 1 and an excellent plan on run 2
– she maintained a really level arousal state, never went into overarousal from what I could see
– fantastic focus on the line at the opening of the 2nd run when you had someone hold her
– fantastic start line stay in the first run!!!
– layering skills, side change skills, and super super fast
– starting from the wrap in the 2nd run mid-course rather than the stay, because the stay mid-course in the first run was a little too much (less lead out on that mid-course stay/earlier release would have helped her be successful)
– you were connected and really smooth in your motion which is a big part of why she found her lines so wellSo definitely there is so much to celebrate!!!
Looking at run 1:
>But then we kind of fell apart after that.>
Definitely didn’t fall apart! Yes, unexpected things happened 🙂 But your support crew was correct in helping you see what happened because it is SO HARD for us to see it in the moment or right after the run!
>I didn’t cue the turn to the tunnel appropriately for her and more seasoned dogs than her were overshooting it as well.>
Exactly! At :22 on that run, you did a forward facing decel… but she was already taking off and looking straight to the jump past the tunnel, so she was correct to get on that line. And I love how she stayed on the line! On the first go-round there you were stationary (probably having a “what just happened” moment LOL) but then you went with it when it happened the 2nd time and finished strong.
So to cue the turn: as she is lifting off for jump 3 at :21 (I think it has blue or purple wings) you would start to decelerate and for her, add a brake arm and a left verbal. She might even need a spin in this early stage of her career, because it will help break through the excitement of the forward motion on jumps 1-2-3 (then we fade the spin out)
>Instead of going around all the jumps, she did take all of the ones on her line back to me. That’s a pretty big win since that’s something she struggles with.>
YES~ Huge win! And I also love how it looks like you got all t he side changes like FCs in both runs, especially on the jump after the tunnel.
And the 2nd run had a course that was friendlier for baby dogs – great plan, she looked great, and you were both wildly successful.
So for planning purposes at trials and classes – you will want to look for big off course lines and plan the timing of turn cues (takeoff of the jump before the turn jump) and how ‘big’ of a cue to give her. Decel alone will probably not be strong enough, and decel plus shoulder turn might also not be strong enough depending on the type of turn. So work those brake arms in and throw in some spins too and see how she reads them.
Great job here!
TracyGood morning! I am so glad the surgery went well and he is on the road to recovery!!
I think there is some research about how the hormones are helpful, I will see if I can find it! Or I will ask the people who know how to find it a lot better than I can LOL!!
>Is there anything mechanically you think I could do differently? >
Overall, super strong – but you can be a little less chill as you move into the ring and to the line. The patterns get him engaged to a certain level, but then changing the energy (volume dial tricks or even just a ‘ready ready ready’ moment) will get him into that higher state for really running. In class, he did well – but at a trial, that higher state will be very helpful!
For example, outside the ring he was relaxed. Then as you moved to the line and took off the leash, he kind of wandered away. He came back and set up when you called him, but adding that touch of spice 😁 in the form of a something that ramps him up will keep him engaged when the leash comes off. How much spice to add? That will depend on the environment. For example, in class, you don’t need a lot. But it is good to practice adding a LOT so he can work through the higher arousal levels he is likely to feel at a trial.
>And like I wasn’t sure exactly what I should have him do when I found myself in the situation where I forgot to tie my hair back and had to pause our pattern games to get that done.>
I read this before watching the video and thought something happened when you tied up your hair, maybe he lost focus or something went wrong… nope! He just basically kicked into engaged chill, watched the ring a little, standing on your, stayed engaged enough for the moment and then got more engaged when you were ready. So I thought you handled it well and so did he – it was no big deal, according to Reacher 🙂
> The obvious answer is for the handler to plan better but did I handle it okay?>
It was perfectly ok, sometimes we can’t plan for everything. And teaching engaged chill is perfect for unexpected moments like when we have to tie up hair, tie shoelaces, pull up our pants, talk to someone, etc 🙂 He didn’t seem to have any concerns about it at all.
> I know stepping on the leash is risky but wasn’t sure what my best other options were for ensuring he didn’t take off (the chase instinct is pretty darned strong).>
The 3 options would be to place the leash on the ground, or step on it, or ask someone to hold his leash. Since no one was around and you didn’t want to risk placing it on the ground, stepping on it was fine because it was short term and you needed your hands free. You can give him a little more leash so it is not as tight, I think he felt that and was a little uncomfortable with the leash tension.
>I thought he handled the distractions well for the most part, except on the one rep where I unleashed him and he disengaged to take a look at what interesting dog was coming. So, leash off, engagement on games back on the agenda!>
Yes! I think something as simple as a bit of volume dial or ready-ready-ready before the leash comes off will be all he needs there. Add that spice as you move to the line 🙂
Also note how well he ignored the big dog coming in at a bout 2:56 – that was a big hairy doggo and he was great!
>I’m interested to hear what activities from class (or other) you might recommend once he’s cleared for a bit more action. Like, no jumps but cleared for doing sprints on the flat level of activity. I’m thinking I can bring power bowls to class, leash off/on things, etc.
Let me know what you think.>Can he run sequences without bars, meaning he can rn through uprights? If he is cleared to sprint, you can do stuff like have him drive ahead through uprights to a placed target or thrown reward. That is fun!
And yes, he can do power bowls outside the ring when the MOST EXCITING dog is running.
And you can also add spicy tricks and games at the start line when the leash comes off, then practice leading out (jump with no bar).
Mix in the cerebral games like patterns, leash off, etc with fun silly games where he gets to move.
When is his next NFC opportunity?
Great job here!
Tracy
