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Hi! This went really well!!
>>. I try not to be holding a tug or food because she can get focused on it. Delivery of said tug, however, is often late. >>
You can try running with it in your hand sometimes on simpler sequences, to help her learn to ignore it (which will also be useful when you start running NFC/FEO at trials). And when you do want her to take it, be sure to use your marker word (I say “bite”). That will help keep things clear for her.
A couple of ideas for you:
She is ready for you to set her up further back from 1 so she can begin to stride in with more power š Try to 10 to 12 feet back from jump 1 for now.
The tunnel send was great!
After the tunnel, rather than wait for her to pass you for the RC (which caused a turn in the other direction), you can easily hop into a front cross or a blind cross. You were in a really good at 6 for that
To smooth out 7-8, you can handle more with your eyes and less with your hand š As she landed from 7, you looked forward and pointed forward, which turned your shoulders to the inside of 8 – she saw that and slowed down to look at you. You were able to get her back out, but the line will be smoother if you keep your hand back more (towards her nose) and eyes turned to her more too – that will turn your shoulders to the line you want more clearly.
And that will smooth out the 8-9-10 line too, because you won’t have to go as close to 8, so you can be a few steps ahead to show 9 and 10.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning! Thank you for the info, this is very useful!!!!!
>>It worth mentioning I am an LVT that worked with DACVSās for 5 years ā that does NOT make me AN EXPERT by any means though, lol. Dogs can certainly hide some things really well.>>
This is fantastic! And yes, they can hide things because endorphins are analgesics so the dogs might not be feeling the pain when running or at the vet when getting examined.
>>He has had his annual exam in August and a lux patella exam for OFA (no lux :)).
I am glad they didnāt find a lux! Did. They do the exam with him standing? If so, he might have hidden the lux because he is muscular. Next time you see a sports vet, see if they will do the exam with him on his side (where the lux cannot be muscled through LOL!) I have first hand experience with the exams being fine standing but definitely not fine on their side.
>>His most recent hwt, lyme, erlichia test was neg. >>
This is good! The snap test is not the most sensitive and doesnāt cover everything, but it is good for now and you can always revisit it later on.
>> when I looked back he was sideways on the ground on just past the landing side of the Aframe. It took him a minute and then he was back up. >>
Poor buddy! Ouch!!!!
>>No limping or obvious movement or mental deficiencies. >>
This is good! But it might be one of the root causes of his struggles. And definitely check shoulders/psoas soft tissue and spine, both of which could still be ouchy after a big a-frame crash. You wonāt see it in regular life or on regular exam, so a soft tissue sports vet will be good to look deeper for those.
>He was pretty understandably hesitant about the Aframe in a particular direction for a bit. >
That is good – we donāt want him repeating that ouchy landing!
>>That Sunday we did UKI Christmas event in the same place: more people, small space for a trial, musicā¦ It was a corner start ā he literally did not move. >>
It could have been a combination of things that got the freeze response: being an adolescent (adolescent brains do things like freeze up), plus the high level of pressure/distractions, plus the leftover stress/physical trauma from the a-frame crash.
>>Cosmo ended up having some loose stools that day ā my guess is it was stress related.
Yes, poor little guy.
>> His training at that place was bit slow for a while, but improved with time. He was fine at a second smaller place that we train ā super zippy, distance (nothing happened there ;)). His training at the first place improved for a bit (tanked a little in the heat of the summer) and has gotten much more consistent & better recently. >>
So the place where he had the crash followed by the UKI event likely had a negative conditioned response, leading to his tentativeness.
>>The issue with density/crowding had cropped in confirmation a couple of times, he wouldnāt implode, but definitely overwhelmed. >>
This is where the pattern games will be super useful! They will get him much more comfortable in the crowded areas in agility and conformation shows.
>>I should mention (as I am remembering) that pre December ā We had a couple of single FEOās and then trialled 3 weekends (not all three days in the 3 weekends though and not in a row). in two ring events (less dense). I had noticed a little slowing on the second runs in November.>>
The volume dial game will be useful! Adrenaline often gets the young dogs going in the first run, then as they get mentally tired, the volume dial game will help bring them into the higher state of arousal needed to run fast and ignore distractions.
>>In training I have been using a furry toy on a slip lead lately. >>
Perfect!
>>It does get him going when on the run. Remote rewards: Julie Daniels had a cookie jar game self study class on Fenzi that we worked parts of. It was going ok. I think I was missing the engagement part.>>
We will be adding the engagement into the remote reinforcement games, so that will definitely help!
>> He is not always gung-ho out of his mind about food as a reward, even high value stuff (pickiness is a thing for this dog and the dogs from his breeder). >>
That is something I have seen from a bunch of super cool Havanese that have come through classes and seminars – the prefer toys over food, and are picky about food. Their preferences for reinforcement lean more towards what a herding dog or sighthound would like! And that is fine š
>> He makes no mistakes in class except to maybe repeat the weaves ā by that I mean even if Iām not correct, he only knows that he was a good boy. >>
Perfect! Click/treat to you š
Thinking about the food rewards:
When training at home or class, you can use the lower value treats and save the mind-blowing treats for harder environments. And, use more toys if he likes those – fur tugs are often a big winner. Does he like balls?
>>sometimes heāll reject the rotisserie chicken if things are just too much.>>
Thatās more of a stress response, so in those moments it will be best to move further from the challenge or stressor, and go to the pattern games (practice those away from stress first).
So I think the first training priority will be the pattern games getting really fluent at home, then in class, then taking them on the road (with the type of food value increasing based on the challenge in the environment). And getting him doing his tricks in the volume dial game too! And if he doesnāt have some good moving tricks, we can train some š
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning! Welcome back!
>> I think I am having an issue with the volume! Everytime we start working he barks and screams at me to start.>>
>>maybe you know exactly what Iām talking about!>>
I do indeed know exactly what you are talking about š
It is something that I have seen a large number of field Labs doā¦ bark at the start line or bark as they are getting ready to run, then work perfectly with speed, engagement, and accuracy. These dogs are spectacular agility partners.
I have seen barking like this in certain breeds of dogs (Shelties, for example, among others). And I have also seen it in certain lines – they are related so it is genetic. And that is fine! Where is your Reveille from? I am curious to see if he is related to the other Super Labs that I know (who bark the way you describe him barking :))
> I believe itās demand barking. >>
Possibly, or a more general excitement barking. The dogs are so excited to play with you!
>>As for now he can still work pretty clear headed but I think that may change as we progress more and more and he gets more excited for the game(if thatās possible!) >>
If you generally ignore it or direct it during those in between moments, he will remain clear-headed š If you try to punish or suppress it or get mad if it goes on too long? You will add anxiety/stress to the game and in these dogs I have seen it cause *more* barking, but in a stressed way (you can hear it in the tone of the bark).
Staying away from punishment and avoiding getting mad at him is especially important because of his age – he is a full-on adolescent, and this is the age where they are more susceptible to stress from unexpected things and to punishment/lack of clarity.
>> What suggestion do you have. It gets kind of annoying when Iām trying to think! And itās probably annoying neighbors, people in our class etc.>>
Whenever possible, take it a a sign of him being very happy to play with you, and smile š and ignore the barking. In fact, the barking might be his way of regulating his own arousal level and that is GREAT!! (This is what it looks like to me when I see other field Labs who bark this way – arousal regulation, then they work like rockstars)
As long as he can process the cues, and as long as he maintains criteria (such as the start line stay), it is fine. Many of the very best agility dogs I know will bark in the situations you describe, including many of the super amazing Labs š
For the in-between moments, if you canāt ignore the barking or you canāt hear the instructor, you can give him something else to do. Ideally it is something incompatible with barking š He can be on a station or table and wait til you call him back into the game. Now, he might still bark LOL and if so, you can give him something to do with his mouth: hold a toy, snuffle on a snuffle mat, chew a bully stick, lick a lickimat. All of those are quiet activities and you can have them ready during the in-between moments.
And about being annoying to others? Yeah, there might be people who think agility should be a quiet sport only done in libraries LOL! But 99% of the people donāt really hear his barking – they are too busy admiring his brains and athleticism. So donāt worry about them š
Let me know what you think and how he does!
TracyHi!
Nice work here – it is very cool to see your movement getting better and better with each video!!! You will be back to running full blast soon!She had a couple of moments of giving you feedback on the handling but overall this went really well.
On the cue to take jump 1: on the first run and the lat few runs, you had your arm back and eyes on her eyes as you released her, and stepped to the jump. This combined to turn your shoulders and feet to the jump so she committed perfectly even with you miles away from her. Super!
At :53 – you had your shoulders and feet turned away, and you released with just an arm pointā¦ that cued her to not take the jump.
I put some screenshots here so you can see the difference:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tfL6fY2RtTq0Z812kZxaUp1KQiFX-Stzn8pu1WMmF_o/edit?usp=sharingSo definitely keep doing that lovely connection on th release!
You had good timing on the FC at :19! The BC worked well too at 1:43 and 2:23 (1:43 was the best timing though). And the good timing of those crosses allowed you to set up the line and get the turn to the tunnel. When you were late at 1:15, that set a very different line as you moved forward, so you ended up with the off course jump. You asked her if it was you that caused it and he said yes and thank you for the toy LOL!! I put screenshots of what she saw there too.
Her only other question was on the last line where she was looking at you as you were wrestling with the toy a bit š You can run with a small toy in your hand so she doesnāt look at you as it moves around, and then you can throw it to keep her looking ahead at the line.
āØGreat job here!!
TracyHi!
>Iām thinking it was a bit of both, I have to be perfect when the environmental pressure is on ā going to be a while until we enter any multi ring trials>>
Yes, it could be both – the distraction of the other ring affects processing, plus perhaps the cue was not perfect š I donāt think you need to be perfect as long as you keep going and he thinks he nailed it š
I agree that he did well in the seminar!! That was complicated course work!!
>>I did get a why are you rewarding your dog for making errors lecture with a warning that it would give me problems with maintaining criteria. My response was itās not him making the mistakes>>
EXCELLENT response LOL!! And you are correct – if it is human error, the dog is reading the cue correctly (or as best as he can). I mean, he doesnāt have a crystal ball or a course map LOL!!! Rewarding him or continuing after a handler error most definitely will NOT create problems in the future š That is old school thinking from when we used to blame the dogs for all the things LOL!! Sure, some dogs put up with that thinking and lack of reinforcement (cough cough Border Collies cough cough) and maybe only slow down a little or get a bit frantic. But most dogs are not going to put up with being blamed for my bad handling LOL!!! So, I pay them well and they are happy, fast, engaged teammates.
(All of this is well-supported by the science of learning and arousal, so you can add āI can show you the studiesā to your answer next time š¤£š)
For example, at :57, he went straight and you wanted the backside. You were moving directly forward as he exited the tunnel (and Lee was moving that direction too, so there were 2 visual sources of motion). He definitely got a ātake that jump cueā. You said the backside cue as he was preparing to take off, about 10 feet from the jump. So by the time he heard and processed it, he applied it to the next jump. Good dog! And good for you for rewarding, because Coal was correct.
The other option there was to keep going as if there was no extra jump š
>>2nd rep, there was a barking shit show going on right next to us while we were getting ready to enter ā he handled that well. >
He did great!!!
He got up fro the stay at 1:25 because there was a cookie on the floor behind him and he was starving.
But he got right back to the game!1:52 as he was trying to figure out if it was the jump or tunnel – you had a moment of looking ahead which looked like the beginning of a blindā¦ and that is the moment he locked onto the jump (the physical cue overrode. the verbal cue)
>>hird rep, he was a bit flat ā I donāt train enough send away starts and heās done a lot the last couple of days ā time for a bit of R&R>>
Yes, it could have been a combination of being tired out and also that the send to the first jump was weird and hard: jumping towards the fence/people and towards his leash was hard.
You can use more energetic crazy tricks and the highest value food at the end of the day (CHEETOS! LOL!) and also you can run him at 16ā so it is easier on his brain and body – and he will go faster more easily.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
>>They did so good!!! You stayed so calm! >>
Thanks! It helps the dogs if I appear calm. In the words of the one and only Taylor Swift, āyou gotta fake it til ya make it and I did.ā Hahahaha
>>Iāll work on showing her the toy as Iām running so she can grab & tug and I donāt let go. >>
Super long toys help that with the smaller dogs. UKI and USDAA donāt care if you let go of the toy š
>>I think weāll get to go to a league practice next week.>>
Perfect! Treat it as FEO practice, bringing the toy but not treats into the ring, and see what she says!
>>Iāmsure it is me, Iām just not sure what I am doing wrong. Iām not going fast and I feel like I am staying connected. I am guessing that my position is pushing her off the jump?>>
What is happening here is that you are making connection on the exit of the blind (yay!!!) but then before she is committing, you are disconnecting and turning to face forward/point forward to the jump. When you look forward and point forward ahead of her, that changes the cue by changing the line your shoulders and feet are presentingā¦ cuing her to *not* take the jump (so she didnāt LOL!)
I was in a picture mood today (LOTS of coffee on board wheeee!) so you can see the screenshots of those moments here:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tIG0KnzrbnMvEv5gbdQIIaC6PNu8AZrydyaDDdUMw64/edit?usp=sharing
It can open as a slide show for really big photos! Or I can send it as a PDF if it doesnāt open.
Since she is young and inexperienced, she wonāt save you LOL and she will do exactly what you show. So to get her to take it, look at the connection and arm position you have as you exit the blind at :20 and 1:40 – arm back, eyes on her eyes, which gets your feet and shoulders pointing to 3. Maintain that position of arm and eyes as you move to 3 (saying the verbals to her very directly) until you see her feet lifting off at the jumpā¦ then you can relax the cue and move to 4.
>>I think Iām going to just move on to the other sequences & see how they go so I donāt keep drilling this one move.
Try it one more time! As long as you keep it fun and reward reward reward, I think she will be happy to do it again. And it will be good to lock in the handling!
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi and welcome! Great to see you here!!!! Congrats on Cosmoās CH!!!
>>Our agility journey started off absolutely fantastic (on the flats easy puppy stuff @ 8 months, breezed though AKC novice & open). We had a lead out, speed, & distance. Heād be fast and borderline reckless in class. It crashed & burned last Dec after a tough day in a lesson and then a trial later that week on āhome turfā (melt down)>>
First thing to ask is if he has had a full medical workup? Normally when things are going really well then suddenly go very sideways, we look for pain or illness as the underlying issue. After 25 years of dog sports, I have seen it happen over and over. Most recently, one of my own dogs had a meltdown and got really slowā¦ bloodwork showed low folic acid that was affecting other things like thyroid. Fixed that and now she is back to normal. Crazy! So I definitely recommend bloodwork (looking for tick disease or any inflammation markers) as well as an orthopedic exam/xrays to check out his joints as well as with a soft tissue expert to make sure there is no pain that he is hiding (they canāt hide it from the experts LOL!). He is young and probably healthy-lookingā¦ but trust me when I say that when we look closely, we find stuff that the vets are surprised by.
And tell me more about the tough day in the lesson and the trial meltdown. What happened exactly? That can give me an idea of how to help. Give me the play by play!!
>>Hard lessons for me, but I guess I needed it. >>
You didnāt need it š no one needs to have things go wrong!
>>It has gotten better since (not 100%) with steps backwards here & there. Often at trials his first run he may start slow at first & then he picks it up quite nice. His subsequent runs are not so hot to slow stuck puppy. >>
This is definitely where looking for underlying illness or pain will help. Adrenaline and endorphins can cover that in the first run, but canāt keep covering it.
And the games we play where will help too! Fill me in on what you have been doing in training too.
>>When I try FEO (its been a little bit) ā he kinda seems annoyed, that Iām breaking things (flow?) up or it doesnāt āhelpā at all (distracted & stuck). >>
Yes – sometimes it is annoying when they are in flow LOL! So having a toy that he can chase while he runs will be great! The distracted/stuck moments are usually due to arousal struggles, which we can help with games.
>>Iām thinking that I need to figure out decompression strategies for him and keep working engagement in new places.>>
Definitely check out the pattern games and volume dial game! Those are the bedrock of engagement.
>>In an attempt to solve the issue, we worked on remote reinforcement over the late summer. >>
That is all a critical piece! Tell me what youāve done, and how it is going š
>>The food games & action games helped nicely yesterday for the first class run, but then the downhill slide happened.>>
What type of food rewards are you using? We can look at reward value too. And is he getting rewarded in the ring a LOT, like a WHOLE LOT š And in class and trials, set him up to have easy fast lines with no errors (and if you mess up because you are a normal human š¤£š just keep going).
But alsoā¦ that good first run then progressively worse and worse runs could indicate pain or illness. And yes, you might only see it in agility because it is in the very early stages.
>>Videos would be helpful, but it is one of my worst training/trialing qualities. I have all sorts of excuses. Who will video, Iāve never posted to YouTube or edited, blah blah blah.āØMostly I donāt like seeing myself (my butt, my lack of grace & flow, the not so great moments). Oddly when I do buck up to video and watch, itās not usually that bad. I donāt think we are a hot mess, but then I am a fist time agility trial secretary next week, soooo;D>>
Oh, I can totally relate to this!!!! But like you said, it is totally worth it and very insightful. So now I force myself to video by leaving a tripod in my car at all times (so I canāt magically āforgetā it at home) and leaving an iPad it in at the trial or training site. Then I ask one of my friends to make sure I have turned it on (and turn it on if it is not recording my run).
As for YouTube and editing? No real need to edit – keep sessions short and put the whole thing online as unlisted. And at this stage , all of our devices will have a one-click upload to YouTube š That way you can watch the videos for the dog training elements and get a lot out of them.
I am looking forward to learning more!
TracyGood morning!
She does love the tug toy! Ask her if she will tug with it in a trial environment too, because it is perfect for FEO/NFC runs (as long as you donāt tell anyone it squeaks LOL!)
The tricks look good to me! Fast and fun and they get her a little cray cray which we want. She seemed very aroused but could also respond VERY quickly. Super! And her wait at the end was solid: completely engaged but also she did not move a muscle til the release. Love it!!
>>She is still a slower eater so food works well for some things.>>
Ideally we sort out being able to use food for this too – food might be more valuable in harder environments and also might be best for optimizing arousalā¦ but also tugging might not be as interesting with food right there. It is something to experiment with for sure! I have found that my young dogs will prefer food right outside the ring, then go in and happily play with toys in NFC/FEO runs. Will she eat pieces of cheese or chicken? She theoretically should slurp those down without chewing them, plus they are high in value which can help in harder environments.
Great job here!!
TracyOMG Mary Ann, he looks great! And I know that location – I am scheduled to teach a seminar there in July!!
Your handling in general looks lovely: really clear connection, low hands, excellent driving of lines. And he did great!!!
A suggestion to maintain his drive and engagement while reducing stress: get the reward in by either continuing after a handling blooper, or reward immediately and enthusiastically (donāt stop him and donāt ignore him).
For example, if you mess up the handlingā¦ continue like it didnāt happen (because those are all human error moments LOL!) At :44 you had a small blooper which he fixed after landing from the jump, then you stopped, disconnected, did not reward and nothing happened til 1:02. That is a LONG time in Sheltie years LOL!!! Plus, it was handler error not his error (I think your instructor was saying the same thing :)) And while he was very resilient there, I donāt want him to have to be resilient š You can continue and fix it on the next run. Plus continuing is great to get us humans to think on our feet, which is great prep for trials!
On the re-start, he came out of the weaves when you changed your pace from walking to running. You didnāt change your pace on the next rep til he was done with the weaves, so that is definitely something to train on (changes of pace while he is weaving).
You gave clearer handling info after that then he got a reward. Yay!
2nd run looked great too! When you stop, make it your first order of business to reward him enthusiastically. Tell him how brilliant he was (this is the actual dopamine-release reward moment) then deliver the reinforcement. That will also strengthen the praise, which we can bring into the ring even when we cannot bring the cookies in, He did a great job but the at 2:04 you disconnected from him to talk to the instructor (hi Deb!) and took a long while to give him the treats, which were delivered without engagement. We want the big immediate praise followed by the big immediate treats to make the most impact š on his engagement in the ring.
Great job here!
TracyHi! There is a lot of good reps here to compare and contrast what the clear cues are versus what is unclear.
I made notes on screen shots so we have visuals to match the discussion. Here they are:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1iGkzNxM4ZzKfQaS8FjxnYPOZNzMnoXCnpS1-Fd2AdFM/edit?usp=sharing
You can play them as a slideshow. I was feeling fancy and caffeinated this morning LOL!!
The 2 spots where she had questions were:
The opening 1-2.
Ideally, you handle this opening like you did at 1:05. You had a lead out, did a clear forward focus cue with clear connection. That turned your feet & shoulders to the correct line. Plus it separated your motion from the verbal release, and you can see where she was looking before the release. She nailed it!! It was great info (see screenshot).And you can move your position lateral too so you are closer to the tunnel or wherever you want to be. But do it the same way: connect to her eyes, point to the jump, making sure feet and shoulders are facing it and when she looks at itā¦ release.
The other reps where she went to the tunnel all had clear handling to the tunnel (see screenshots). You were leading out facing it, which is fineā¦ but then without a forward focus indication, you were releasing on the pointing hand without connection – but your shoulders/feet were facing the tunnel so she came to the tunnel.
>>need that extra step with the left foot>>
I donāt think you need that if you work the forward focus and have the cues facing the jump.
And you donāt need the forward focus cue if you release by stepping to the jump *without pointing ahead to it*. It is the pointing ahead that turns your shoulders/feet to the tunnel and pulls her off the jump.
>>Am I still pairing with motion?>>
Yes, on all the reps except 1:05. You either released with motion or didnāt cue a stay and sent with motion (but that also turned your shoulders to the tunnel on some of the reps.
And if it goes wrong? Keep going! Freezing with a quiet demeanor reads as āyou are wrongā even though she got the toy. The toy is not really the rewardā¦ the reward is continuing plus your excited happy response. So she was beginning to get and get frustrated, making it harder to line up at the start line and hold the stay (because what was going to happen was unpredictable and stressful).
The other hard part was the commitment cue to 3, where you were early on the first couple of reps so she correctly did not take 3. You told her she was wrong there but that is exactly what the cue would look like if you did want the turn on the tunnel exitā¦ so she was not wrong. Definitely keep going, reward for real, then go watch the video if you are convinced she was wrong (see screenshot š¤£š¤£). You were already rotated as she as exiting the tunnel.
You worked out the timing though, and made sure you were presenting the jump as you decelerated into the FC and she committed really well! She did not collect a lot on those but it was likely more due to having been told she was wrong a few times there so she was not really trusting the info (waiting to see more before she committed to a turn). That is another argument for continuing after she read a turn cue really well – we want her to turn really well, so when she does we are going to reward it magnificently and donāt let her doubt it was correct (because it generally was the correct answer :))
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
>>Earlier we went out for a tool around the yard with some cheese and did some just walk and, āget itā, focus walking. She was into that, and had no incentive to even run.>>
Awesome!!! It would be great to be able to have the whippets run off steam before competing, but lately it is pretty impossible with all of the indoor trials and definitely impossible in flyball. Plus I want to keep all the explosive running for the ring š So the pattern games and other engagement games have been very helpful.
>>Paul said, āshe laminated overnightā
ļæ¼
HA!!! That is so true! I love it!Seq 4 – the opening looked very smooth!!!! Nice! You can tell her about the tunnel sooner after 4, as you turn her away. You can start the verbal tunnel cue even if you get behind, so she can start to sort out turning herself away š The ending line looked great! The more you can use her tunnel commitment and send her on big lines, the easier it will be to get to the various handling spots on course š
Sequence 5: Wow, look at that lead out! Fantastic! This is the most complex sequence of the week and it went really well!
A few suggestions: You can line her up on more of a slice at 1 so she is facing 2 more directly and not straight to 1. That will set a better line and will be easier to handle the opening because you wonāt have to cue a turn 1-2.For the turn on 6, you can try for a blind between the tunnel exit and the jump there (you had time to do it because her tunnel commitment is good!) Or you can keep moving up the line towards 7 to rear cross her on the flat, which is I think what your plan was. You stopped by 6, so she thought it was a right turn toward you based on position and deceleration. The blind between the tunnel and jump will be the easiest – and I bet you can layer the 6 jump on the way to it, making it much easier!
You added a front cross 8-9 then a rear cross on 9, so she had a spin on landing of 9. You can keep her on your right 8-9-10 for a simple line there!
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
The Waits are definitely improving!!!! You can add in turning to face the jump separately from the cue to take the jump (right now you are turning to face the jump and releasing at the same time, so she is likely to think that turning towards the jump is the release).When you were getting close to the jump at about 2:23, she kept moving towards the jump because the release was not totally clear.
So the next steps in the wait training would be to ask for the wait without obstacles and then turn to face forward to where a jump would be. Then stand perfectly stillā¦ and release her before you move. You can slowly raise a hand, as long as you do not raise the hand AND release at the same time.
When she can do that on the flat, then you can add in a jump š
With the handling, keep moving forward to show the line rather than indicate each jump (and especially resist temptation to stop moving or point ahead to a jump). That tends to change the info and pull her off lines, but she does great on the lines when you keep moving with lower arms.
And if something happens? Donāt fix it, just keep going. When you tried to fix a handling error, she would get frustrated and jump at you, or she would not be sure of the line and something would go wrong again. When you kept going and did not fix, you then were able to cue a really smooth line with great results!!
So staying in motion and running forward to the next line, especially after a cross, is very helpful for her.
If you donāt move, you end up facing the wrong direction (even if you are facing it backwards like at 1:33) and she will stay on a line. That happens partially because that is what you are showing, and partially because there is no other motion to show what you want so she is guessing. If she does follow the line after you stand still, maintain connection after it so that she can see the next line. Pointing forward (like at 1:45) does not show the jump which is why she would go to the tunnel when you did that.
Compare to the moments at 1:02 – 1:07 and 1:47 – 1:51 and 2:57 – 3:02 which had you moving forward with connection and she was very smooth on the lines. eally lovely!!!
Try the silent running – the verbals are all Go or here but that is not helpful for info to her and keeping you moving. Without the verbals, the only cues are motion and connection which are the most powerful ones for her.Question: Why did you give her a sit cue before the tugging reward on the last few reps? If she might grab your hand, use a longer toy so you can drag it for her to grab. Or throw it, then trade for another one to get her to bring it back. The sit doesnāt reward the great line she just ran and cues her to curl in front of you which we donāt want – we want her to keep going on the line š
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning! Sounds like the Toller specialty was a blast!
>>When he is barking at me on the dock he is ready to go.>
Most dogs are really engaged while barking š I highly recommend putting it on cue as a trick and then we can use it in agility too!
>>A real win as I was worried about this being a completely new environment.
It is indeed a huge win!!!!
>>We have used pattern games to decompress and engage and it really helps.
Looking at the videos:
He is engaging really fast with the pattern games and that is great!
Only one suggestion: For the up and down game, place/drop the treat on the ground rather than deliver it by hand, so we can get the benefits of him breathing more as he picks it up off the ground (olfaction is great for arousal regulation!)His action tricks look good! I think the hand touches and spins will be the most useful (and barking on cue š). The sits and downs were good too, but I think touches/spins will be more exciting.
To help these tricks get him really pumped up to work, two ideas about the reward:
– reward after each trick so it is a 1:1 ratio of trick to reward.
– since he is food-driven, you can keep the food moving as the reward. This can happen by you running away from him (chase da momma!) for a few steps before delivering it, or having him spin again to get it, or chase it with a short toss.At the very end you said something to him about a toy: if he will play tug, this is a GREAT game for a tug toy! You can use tugging in combination with food to help really optimize arousal and engagement.
>> When he goes into the agility ring and I cannot take in food he then disengages and wants to run.>>
No worries – we have a plan for that! We will be teaching him how to stay engaged even with the reward outside the ring. That will begin in the set of games coming on Monday.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>Did a bit of chill after coming out of the crate -then some pattern games ā into the ring and then turned up the volume a bit. Got good focus from him,
I agree – he had great focus and speed! This order of events might be the one you do at trials too – you can amp up the volume dial even more (unless you were doing it outside the ring and it is not on the video). He did well with the high hand touches and then held his stay really well. I am not sure how chill he is on his cot (he is working a bit, offering behavior) but that is not a bad thing š The pattern game helped get him ready to work before entering the ring.
>>but it was a challenging opening sequence for us, a couple of redoās and yes he got rewarded well.
Yes, those were huge lines! When he didn’t take the #4 jump, was he just running past it (handling) or was he thinking about the other ring? It was hard to tell but I think it was handling perhaps, and you got it really well on the 2nd rep. And the rest looked great!!!
>>And yes, distance work may be next on our agenda LOL>>
He was finding his lines really well here and the weaves looked great – similar entry (kind of the mirror image) to what you were working on in the seminar!
Great job! Let me know how the seminar goes today.
Tracy
