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OMG Jazz – she was absolutely adorable as she was absolutely not bringing that ball back to you LOL!!! I love her spicy spirit so much (although I am sure you were not loving that moment LOL)
Ok then, Operation Keep The Joy But Bring Back The Ball Is Underway.
I love her speed and joy when running the sequence at the beginning. You cued a right turn and it was such a gorgeous turn that it took her off the next jump! She would need more extension there, but she looked fast and happy.
So we need to figure out how to get the darned ball back or at least get her to come back to you without it – you get a click/treat for looking for patient here trying to get it LOL!!
She seems to be avoiding giving up the ball, like when you tossed a treat and she grabbed the ball again as quickly as possible when she thought you were going to reach for it.
So we can take reaching for the ball out of the game and can do back and forth ball games: throw one ball, then run the other direction, throw ball 2.If/when she chases ball 2, throw ball 3. If/when she chases ball 3, go grab ball 1, lather rinse repeat. She doesn’t need to bring the ball back for you to throw the next ball. Or you can use a disc! That way she is not going to think you are trying to get the ball back – you are just throwing things around.No need to try to do this when trying to train something else, you can actually sit on the ground and do it for now (she does like it when you are on the ground, do I remember that right from the Loretta seminar?). Or bring out your morning coffee or something and just throw things around.
Since this approach may not work :)we can try a social learning approach! This is how my lazy self has taught retrieves to several of my dogs (especially Contraband who used to take his toy a stand by a tree and refuse to even come in the house LOL). Jack is a willing participant!
Bring out a bucketful of balls and discs. Have both poodles around. Throw one for Jazz – she can do whatever she likes with it. As she is parading around, you can then play with Jack however he likes to play: ball or toy throw, the trade for another ball or toy, or even a cookie – then throw a toy again. You will see Jazz start to get interested and you can ask her if she would like a turn (I literally say to my dogs: ‘do you want a turn?’)
If she comes towards you – throw a ball for her, then resume your game with Jack. She will watch and figure it out and get involved. Might take a couple of sessions but she will turn on to the idea of coming back to you (with or without the toy – what matters is that she returns herself to you :))
On the 2nd video – this was fun to work out the timing with her! Jack is more experienced of course and recognized the setup, so he did beautifully.
Jazz did GREAT with all of her stay releases! You can also tweak the opening to send from the other side of the jump so you don’t need to always start with a stay.
On the first run, you did the cross on the middle jump then got a little fancy with another cross 🙂 – but you kept going and that was great!
One of the things that Jazz was doing here was turning really well on the middle jump. And because she is inexperienced, when you were sending to the middle jump so responded with a tight turn so you had to push her back to the next jump before the blind.
So rather than send to the middle jump, you can be further away laterally and accelerate into the line to get more extension on the middle jump – that can make it easier to get up the next line for the cross!
>I automatically defaulted to a front cross for 2 of these.>
No worries! You were working to commit her to the line AND stay connected… this is not easy with an inexperienced dog! But most importantly you stayed connected and kept going, and she had a grand time 🙂
She was so funny on the last rep – when you sent to the middle jump, there was a lot of decel and she was like “are you *sure* you want this much turn?
>Note – I left Jack in so you could see that I do know how to do this (if you had any doubts haha).>
I had no doubts! And I also have green baby dogs so I know how hard it is to run sequences with them 🙂
Great job here!
Tracy
Hello and welome! I am happy that Elektra and I have started making your head explode a little 🙂
>I thought that the “correct” blind cross involved the handler moving across the dog’s line so that the dog’s path didn’t adjust. >
There are definitely a small percentage of blinds where this is the case and it is basically a simple side change with no turn or line adjustment for the dog (“A” in the video). We have to be careful about it, though, as it puts us handlers into the ‘death zone’ which can cause a collision.
But the vast majority of blinds now are used to adjust the dog’s path (“B” on the video) – and the handler path (mouse line🐭) is the key to doing it, along with mechanics of the connection. Timing is relatively important but not as important as line of motion and connection clarity.
I start talking about the mouse line in Wing Work 2, but we go really in depth with it in week 2 and beyond. I didn’t emphasize it much in week 1 because without the connection mechanics, the line of motion is not relevant on blinds – the connection clarity will make or break the blind.
It is completely stolen from the Europeans who have mastered the fine art of blind crossing 🙂 On the flat, you can really see the dog adjust (plus without an obstacle, she is a little hoppity so you see it even more). When we add jumps, you will see it as turn strides before takeoff, depending on the specific line.
Have fun!
Tracy
Good morning and welcome!
>My name is Kathy Povey and I live in the southern Adirondacks.>
I need more caffeine because I read this as Alaska not Adirondacks and I was confused for a moment hahahahaha
> I will be working with Nifty (5 yo BC) and Canny (3 yr old sport mix from Julie Tune, Camper x Munchkin 2.0).>
Super fun! And Canny is a half sibling to my Elektra who will be sharing demo dog duties here.
>For many years, I was from the “no blind crosses” school of handling. Although my brain has let that go, my body sometimes has other ideas.>
SAME!!! And for a long time I was telling people not to do blinds… but then I realized that they were in fact only helpful and NOT ruinous hahaha
> Many times, when running a course, I plan a blind, but when we get to that spot, my body does a front instead. Sonofab*tch!!! Looking forward to the fun.>
You will see a heavy emphasis on mechanics for the first couple of weeks as we build up the sequencing – and your brain will get used to producing blinds.
Have fun!
Tracy
Welcome back! I think you and the girls will have a lot of fun with the blinds 🙂 I am looking forward to seeing you in action!
Tracy
Hi!
The wind in your hair review went well! All of the Go lines looked super! You can slow down & elongate the soft turn verbals so they don’t sound the same as the more rapidfire go go go verbals.
>We’d both benefit if I used the intended directional word for the blinds, and if I said it earlier, >
When he is running around with his reward, walk the next sequence and say the verbals – while the camera is running. That way you can compare to the walk through to the run to see if that moment of practice helps.
Looking at the rear crosses:
> if I moved more clearly to the middle of the jump from the wing (or some of this). The L-run definitely didn’t work, like you said it wouldn’t >Yes, the magic of the RCs is running directly to the center of the bar without getting too far ahead. The best reps where when you waited at the wing then ran forward to the center of the bar. The right turn RCs were definitely harder here –
If you were going strasight for a step or two he was prepared to turn to his left (1:10 for example) then you drove to the center of the bar as he was passing you which pushed him off the bar (1:11).
Pushing into him at 1:14 and 1:19 correctly pushed him to the backside line even though you wanted the RC. Reward his effort and his feedback there!
The rep at 1:27 was better about running forward to the center of jump at 1:56 was great because you were running to the center of the bar the whole time, no straight line steps forward at all and he got the RC beautifully. Super!!!< For the backsides, I need a better plan for myself than to stop moving, as I can see his questions about that. < He actually had very few questions about the backside - only one, but that was a disconnection question. As you were cueing the backside, he saw you shift your connection from him to look forward to the wing at 1:38 so he correctly blind crossed to the front of the jump. ) The next rep was much clearer with connection. > I think you said to keep running around the jump – not sure why I didn’t try it (next time).>
You don’t need to turn to the bar after he gets to the backside – you can keep your feet facing forward and throw the reward behind you to the landing side of the jump as he gets to the backside takeoff spot.
He had one mountain climber rep at the beginning here and it went well! You can keep placing the reward on the target at the top so he practices driving up the board without you. You can also rotate the teeter slightly so he is driving to the top of the board and into basically nothingness 🙂
Backing up into the 4on position was really good! You can give him one cookie in position to keep him standing, then release forward for another cookie in the bowl (he will be happy to get double cookies LOL)
I am not concerned about the sitting – when we add a target at the end and the board is moving, it is highly unlikely that he will sit.
>. I could also remain silent and wait for him to move…instead of “beep beep” for each one; I think him rhythm was better without the words.>
Yes – cueing it then being quiet to let him offer helped get all 4 feet on more consistently.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
The countermotion game went really well! Her commitment is looking strong especially when you are moving. There were a couple of reps where she had questins (middle line up at :42, and turn away at :55, similar question at 1:17) but those were all when you were starting and you were both standing still… she was perfect when you were moving so I am not going to worry about the starts 🙂 You can start with a ‘normal’ forward wing wrap then you can move into the countermotion. She did well with the race tracks too! You can add more running to all of these 🙂
She was very happy to run across the slightly bouncy plank! Remember that having her jump on it from the side and more importantly jump off it are very useful for balance. You cna elevate it a little more to work on the hop on/hop off.
And yes, stay connected after the wrap so she knows which obstacle to choose with a tunnel nearby. 🙂
>. She seems focused on me coming across the plank, is this something we want to change or is it ok for now?>
No worries about where to look for now – when you start adding the end position, she will be able to continue looking forward. You can add more tugging in this stage, so she is managing her mechanics and balance even in a higher arousal state.
Great job!
Tracy
He is definitely happy to bang around on the teeter! And backing up went well. Remind me – is he going to d oa 4on or a 2o2o? I remember 4on but maybe I am making that up in my head 🙂 We will want to add a target to the bang game pretty soon, so the chosen behavior will tell us where to put the target.
On the straight line sequences:
Nice job with the wrap, backsides, and rear crosses! He is doing the Go lines well too, but we want to convince him to stop looking at you on the jumpafter the tunnel (he was looking at you on that jump for just about all the reps). He was driving back to the tunnel without looking at you at all, which is great!Looking at this session and skipping ahead to the last video of finding the jump after the tunnel: His commitment and line finding is really good, so we can smooth out the head checks.
He is not looking at you when he exits the tunnel, he is looking forward to the jump both in the straight line videos and the find the jump session. The looking at you is happening right before or over the jump – it looks like he is tracking the reward throw rather than continuing to look ahead. If your throw is early enough, he doesn’t give a big head check (but he does have an eyeball on you :)) If the throw is a step later – he looks at you pretty consistently.
So that is probably where the head checks are coming from when you add in the 2nd jump – tracking the reward throw, paired with wanting you to open it for him. This gives us a good starting point for reinforcement strategies: either someone else has to be hanging out off to the side and throw it (ideally something he can reward himself with), or someone else is at the end of the line for each rep and only starts running and dragging the reward when you say Go. No more reward throws from da momma 🙂
>Should I reward the first jump out of the tunnel? Or is he maybe looking to see if I’m going to toss? He seems better on the other side with the one jump at the end.>
When we add back jumps after the tunnel, he will know how to look ahead more so it will be easy to get. He is better on the other side because there is only one jump and your throws are earlier.
For now, take this off of jump lines to play with what he will drive to in terms of reinforcement (plus he has done a lot of jumping this week, so a few days off of anything jumping will be good). You can do some tunnel then run forward, with the thrown reward from someone else and the dragging reward, to see which is more exciting and effective when paired with Go cues. Then when he goes back onto jumps, it will be easy to get him looking ahead.
The countermotion game went well! Well done to your for gettng the rotations done early so he got the full backwards sending. The race tracks went really well too – the tunnel as a discrimination was hard! It might have been far away but that is still close enough to be a possibility, so turning your shoulders early definitely helped him resist it. You can add more speed and see how it goes when you are running 🙂
There was only one blooper (:52) and that actually did look like a lap turn with a bit of leaning forward amd how you stepped the dog-side (right) leg! He was clever to read it like that. On all of the other reps looked like backwards sends so he had no questions on those.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
A couple of reward ideas for you!
>He generally does enjoy the treat ball and can open it and doesn’t seem bothered by the velcro. He does wait for me to open the majority of the time though.>
For the treat ball, we need to figure out how to get him to just grab the food without you needing to open it – waiting for you makes it harder to use that reinforcement effectively, so here are 2 options:
– you can weaken the velcro so when it lands, it pops open and he can just grab the food. I weaken it by putting dog hair on it so it doesn’t hold as well 🙂
– separately from the other games, just play with it – put something amazing in it (does he like pancakes? Or maybe I just in the modd ofr a pancaske 🤣😂) and gently close it so it doesn’t pop open. Then don’t open it for him, let him work the puzzle (he does like puzzles!) Don’t use it as a reward for actual training until he opens it himself, otherwise we are accidentally building in him looking at you or waiting for you.
For more immediate food rewards without you there, you can also use a stopped kong or toppl – cream cheese, peanut butter, or even butter can be the rewards lining it. It is a little tricky to keep it from getting too gross in the dirt, but stuffing it way inside will help that and he can still access it.
I am a big fan of the Treat Hugger because they are very easy for the dog to access the treat, and I bet a nice piece of crusty baguette would stick up nicely in it 🙂 This is what I mean:
https://www.cleanrun.com/product/treat_hugger_treat_holding_fleece_dog_toy/index.cfm
But there are a zillion variations on it and I am sure you can get one in Canada so you don’t pay any of the ridiculous US taxes.And since the MM is not his favorite due to limited types of treats, I bet he will like this one: tiny but very easy to put any kind of reward in it! And actually more reliable than the MM.
https://www.cleanrun.com/product/ready_treat_v2_0_radio_controlled_remote_treat_dispenser/index.cfm
I am sure you can find it in Canada too,For possibly using a toy:
On straight line work, I like to either use a toy that predicts running ahead (like a frisbee or ball), or have someone running and dragging a reward on a line (sorry, Shaelyn, I think I have just enlisted you for more running LOL!!) It can be a toy or a food item, but he gets to chase it. He is a pup that seems to love to move, so that might be a super fun reward to add to the straight line stuff. The runner stays out there for all the reps, but only starts moving when she hears you start saying your go go go cues. That will get him looking ahead and not as you.>He does enjoy a treat dish that he can run to. He doesn’t really understand not to run to it when it is present though, so maybe can work on that a bit more.>
You can totally teach this, but then there is a lot of impulse control needed and I want him to just run forward without any other considerations 🙂 Maybe tie a paper bowl with butter in it to a line to be dragging as he drives forward?
Let me know which you try and how it goes!
Tracy
Yay! Show it to him without any movement in a short, high value session. If that goes well, the next session can have a centimeter of tip so we can see how he feels about the movement.
And if possible, play the game (without board movement for now) on as many different teeters as you can get to.
T
Hi! Welcome back, great to see you here with both dogs! I am looking forward to seeing them in action 🙂
Tracy
Good morning and welcome!
it sounds like Jackpot is at the right age to increase his exposure and experience in competition environments – exactly what you’ve been doing. FUN!!!And the class is designed to NOT take up too much time 🙂 but still get excellent results. The entire first week can be done at home without much equipment because it is all about handler mechanics. This is indeed a busy time of year so you will hopefully be able to fly through this first week. Same with all the weeks, even with the increasing level of challenge: the goal is to fit it nicely into everyone’s schedules so we get it done 🙂
I am looking forward to seeing you and JP! Have fun!
Tracy
Hello and welcome! Baby boy is growing up and it sounds like he is doing many amazing things 🙂 I am excited to see him work!!!!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
It is definitely a fine line of getting the toy back and the recall, and keeping it fun to play with the toys!One thing to put into this game is that the puppy should always somehow win the toy, and the end of the game (like coming to you or going back into the house) should never be associated with giving the toy back. The keep away happens when they think bringing it back or giving it up will end the fun.
A couple of ideas:
Would you consider the hollee roller to be one of her highest value toys? If so, you can have a 2nd holler roller or a higher value toy to throw the other direction. It is a back-and-forth game, where you can throw the 2nd reward when she looks at you or moves towards you. Do that a few times to get her moving instead of hanging out in the grass: call, start to move the other direction, then whip out the toy.You can also use food – throw the fun toy, call her and toss food when she looks at you or moves towards you. Then, throw the toy again! And again 🙂 And maybe more food. If you throw food to get her back then grab her and the game is over… she will stop coming back 🙂
You can also ask the other dogs to help! Each dog is given a toy and told they can go for a run. Call your older/reliable dogs back, give a HUGE reward, then give them the toy again. Don’t call Sunnie at first, she can watch or do whatever.
Sunnie will learn by social learning – then when she chooses to come back to you, big party! Then send her on her way again while you keep doing recalls with other dogs. Then you can add her to the game: call each dog, reward, call her – reward. Then back to freedom. This is actually one of the top 2 ways I have taught recalls with all of my young dogs because it works really well as long as all the dogs get along 🙂 The other way is restrained recalls or running recalls where I take off and run the other way calling them and dragging an amazing toy.
When you do eventually go back into the house – more rewards! It can be her entire breakfast or dinner (if she likes meals, I am guessing she does) or a stuffed Toppl or something really fun.
She can be on a long line to start all of this, and also I really recommend teaching her the concepts in the training room indoors (including the group recalls). It won’t match the excitement and distractions of the great outdoors 🙂 but it will give her the idea of how to earn rewards and can help when you are outside.
Keep me posted!
Tracy
