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Good morning! Hope you are having fun at CSZ!
She did well here! I like how she moved away and was able to quickly respond to cues! Super!
For the RR game, you can put the treats in a bag or something, or up higher so that you can simply walk away and let her choose to go with you (or not haha) – there is no having to go back and cover with your hand to protect the treats š I think that will help simulate moving into the ring even better. And make sure your hand is not in your pocket as you walk away and there are no treats in your pocket either – dogs are brilliant and that could tip her off that the treats are with you in the āringā LOL!Nice job with the leashing up! And nice tugging at the end!!
>>Is it important that I give her the treat when we get back to it as opposed to her grabbing it?>>
I think you going back with her and handing it to her better simulates what will happen at a trial, rather than her running over and grabbing it. It is an extra layer of impulse control and also an extra layer of the patience the dogs need/delay in reinforcement when they are leaving the ring and we go to the cookies š
The warm up before the RR game was find my face – it is a hard game for the pups (lots of processing) so the regular pattern game is gong to be a better mental warm up (requires less bandwidth). Then when you separately play Find My Face, do a warm up of the regular pattern game where you stay engaged for a few repsā¦ the gradually add in the disconnection. That helps to embed the disconnection as the cue for the engagement you are already getting in the regular pattern game, and also has a more automatic happy conditioned response because the dogs love their pattern games š
>>Oooh ā I have to email Casey soon about seminar topics. I will be sure to ask for a young/novice dog handling session.>>
Perfect! I will see her tomorrow and give her a heads up š And I am sure you can fill a novice/young dog clinic in your area, lots of folks will come!
About the measuring – having the coat cleared under the top layer is perfect LOL!! And yes, having a more tired dog who is pottied and not filled up with water helps.
I have also used entire tubs of peanut butter and cream cheese to change the dogās head position while being measured (low head and high head are not as desirable as neutral head). Letting the dog stand there and show their face into the tub, I move the tug slightly to get the dog standing in the right spot with the head in a good position for lowest shoulders, and they donāt mind the judge bringing the wicket in because they are stuffing their faces LOL!
>>it finally caught up with her and she just stopped on course.>>
Yes – and even then, because she outwardly appeared perfectly healthy, a lot of vets would not be willing to do a full thyroid panel. I am grateful for vets who listen to our crazy ideas LOL!!!
Have fun this weekend!!
TracyHi!
>>Good idea on the video for the rehab vet!>>
My rehab vets have trained me well LOL!! They love video š
>> Reg vet did not do folate. Iām thinking our local lab does not run it, but Iāll ask. Maybe it can be added. >>
I believe that it is part of a cobalamin panel? But folic acid is like B12 in that it is water soluble, so he will pee out anything his body doesnāt need š
>I inquired about thyroid, but she was reluctant to order it given his lack of typical thyroid symptoms (stable weight, good quality skin & coat).>
That is the crazy thing about it in dog sports – we have seen thyroid issues over and over without any of the traditional symptoms. The coat looks great, skin looks great, weight is stable or they have lost a little weight, etc. But yet – thyroid panels come back with troublesome values and hypothyroidism. I can list probably 200 dogs at this point, some as young as 2 (those were Border Collies) that I know personally with this from over the years (I am old hahaha). I chalk it up to we dog sport people are SUPER vigilant and we see the very first changes, such as ārunning a little slowerā or ārandomly soreā. With my dog, it was that he was dropping the bars on the double and triple, and a little slower in afternoon runs.
>> Iām going to pick up the b12 & leave some poop. Iāll see if I can get the poop sent out for analysis as some things are not always caught on a float. >>
Keep me posted on the poop! LOL!! Did they do a urinalysis?
>Yeah ā the conversation was very much around possible IBD. I say let see what the poop tells us first, particularly since he does not have vomiting or diarrhea (not even slightly).>
Yep, sounds so familiar. Cosmo is an only 2.5 but still, I think you would have seen *something* if there was an IBD issue? Sounds like his poops are perfect š
Thanks for the update! As you are sorting out the potential for medical stuff, you can still play the foundations of the engagement games. We can gradually add them as he gets to feeling better too!
Tracy
Yay! Baby dog is growing up and doing a great job with the teeter! He is driving to the end really well!
You can start to add in things like slowly walking past the teeter without stopping, until a few steps after he has stopped (then reward of course š ) I suggest doing it at a walk so your speed doesnāt pull him off š
>>Do you want to see video of sequences that he ran that arenāt part of this course?>
You can post them if you like! Any sequence work is great for adding the games like showing him the NFC progressions (like empty hands and the other games coming up) as well as the find my face game in sequence, and eventually remote reinforcement too!
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>>OMG. After a week of crummy āpracticesā & holding up a leg going down a particular set of stairs, I made an appointment at the vet. >>
Get video of the leg-holding on the stairs! It will help the rehab vet. It could be something (one of my dogs had an issue when she would do that on the stairs), it could be absolutely nothing (my highest achieving agility dog held his left leg up on stairs for all 16 years of his life, and it was just a habit, nothing was wrong).
>>She could find nothing wrong with Cosmo on physical exam; patellas rock solid in the groove, no obvious pain, good rom in the hips, nice gait. >>
>>We took some blood and I requested b12 levels for kick & giggles. >>
Yay! Did they also get a folate level?
>>Well, we found out today heās on the low side of normal (suggestive of poss IBD). I am going to supplement Cosmo & recheck in 12 weeks. He has normal stools & no vomiting, so I am not sure an ultrasound or a diet trial is something I will follow up with at this time. >>
That is the exact journey my girl had – low side on B12 but not clinically low… but her folate was definitely low. Normal GI but they were all freaking out that she had IBD. She is 6, we would have seen it long before now š
I did do an ultrasound and chest X-ray for her because she is 6. I am pretty sure they were looking for cancer but they didn’t exactly say it that way (they didn’t need to). But I doubt cancer is an issue in a 2 year old dog!
Did they find any inflammation markers in the blood work? All negative to tick related stuff? I am guessing the T4 was normal but did they look at T3?
>>Fecal analysis is probably a good idea though.>>
Yes – my girl came back positive for Giardia which was a complete surprise too, because she was so normal in the poop department. The vet said it was probably that her immune system was weak due to the B12/folate issues.
We treated the Giardia, supplemented the B12 and the folate (I use something for humans that is folic acid OTC from a local pharmacy). Everything has returned to normal: all bloodwork (her T3 on the thyroid panel was really low before we supplemented), all muscle soreness has resolved, and she is back to full force and speed in training and trialing. I hope your journey is as simple as hers!
>> Will also see the rehab vet on Tuesā¦just in case.>>
Great! Bring videos, they love that LOL!!! And because there is that stairs hopping, ask them to dig around in the psoas area and other spots that often ‘hide’ from the rest of us š
And keep me posted!!!
Tracy
Omg! She was on fire!! What a fantastic debut!!! Fast, focused, and finding her jumps. You were connected and got lots of reward in. And she was happy to go get the leash at the end (happy waggy tail) and then play more. SO AWESOME!!
>I got greedy maybe on the double. I just wanted her to see one.>
Ha! That’s how I train my spreads too – at trials, in NFC runs. š
Have fun tomorrow and I am crossing all fingers and toes for a tunnel!!!!
Tracy
Looking at the FEO runs, here are some ideas for you!!
>>Toy is highly visible in hand.
Yes, but he is really only getting it at the end and sporadically at the weaves. So it is not as much of a true FEO and that doesnāt really help us shift the balance of value into the full ring (it is mainly at the end now :))
>>I have trouble rewarding mid-courseā¦. It seems once something interrupts our runs (reward or mistake) itās hard to get back on track.>>
What was happening was that after the reward, you didnāt quite re-establish connection so he didnāt know what line you wanted. So plan your rewards on course to be more in the early part and middle part, then you can send him to a jump he just did, wrap him over it, and be ahead to have very clear connection on the next line. The connection is key to getting back on track after a reward.
>We got the weaves first try in JWW!!! After that there was a lot of handler focus again. >
Good rewarding! The handler focus came from lack of connection after that.
Speaking of connection:
>A good startline but some pogo-ing and bouncing off the mama.>
The jumping up and down at the start line was a bit of arousal/frustration because there was not a lot of interaction/connection. You can play with him, talk to him, do a trick or 2 or 3 š, let him tug on the toy, then line him up.
And the bouncing off of you in the runs was when you were not connected. What I mean by that is your arm was forward and your were looking ahead of him, so he could not quite see the line you wanted. The jumping up is more likely to happen in the higher arousal of the trial setting – in the home training, he is not as aroused so he will not jump up as much when you arenāt connected (but he did early in the video posted above!)
>>He was super handler focused on the run (he tends to be like this anyway) and I think this was the cause of most of the āmistakesā.>>
If he jumps up at you, take it as a communication to give stronger connection (low arm, looking at him more). Jumping up or extra handler focus means he doesnāt know where to go next, so he is looking at you for more info. When you feel the extra handler focus, add more connection š
>>Some pattern games (back and forth and up and down)>>
He did well with these! Yay! Rather than hang out on the podium to do them, take them to the floor and also ad the moving back and forth. That will help him acclimate to the busy area a lot better, plus we donāt want to have an association of the podium being the fun place to be š. We want him to think the whole place is a place to be relaxed and engaged.
You can also skip the practice jump š That can deplete him before a run, when we need to have him at full force. Replace the practice jump time with the volume dial game tricks. That will really help get him focused for his runs and will also help on the way to the start line.
How is he doing with his remote reinforcement game? That will be a critical element as we build up his trial skills.
>>I donāt know how to fill in the holes hereā¦. Iāve done more foundation with Brodie than any other dog and heās the one whoās struggled most with the trial environment.>>
The holes find us! The agility skills foundation and the trial environment skills foundation are different and as you mentioned, very dog-specific. You might have started trialing for real before he was ready (I am not sure how old he was when he started trialing, but many dogs struggle in the environment if they begin in early adolescence (15 months – 18months), especially if the donāt have a lot of NFC/FEO runs early on.
And it is possible that the rate of success in the weaves was affecting things too – he is at about 50% success here and that is too low in that environment. I prefer 90-95% success in the trial environment.
So what to do? Start over with the trial career š
Take the weaves and contacts out for now, and just do super connected runs, playing at the start line, with jumps and tunnels and toy reinforcement during the run, in all the different parts of the ring (not just at the end). Establish that smooth connection so you are both super comfy with each other in the ring. Donāt ask for weaves (you will be tempted! Resist!!) for now because he might fail and we are then faced with a conundrum:
– Stop him to fix, which add more stress?
– Keep going and reward even though they arenāt ācorrectā? (I am personally fine with that but most people are unable to do that).So rather than risk more failure, take them out for now.
When he can do Step 2 (empty hands) NFC runs successfully, and maybe some simple sets of 6 weaves with a toy in more distracting training classes (people around) and medically cleared, then you can go back to Step 1 just like home and ask for weaves. Then continuing to work through the NFC progression will help smooth everything out! This starts at home – so the first place he should see the āempty handsā (toy or treats in a pocket) is at home or class. Then as we add the other steps, he will see them in class or at home first too – and when he is successful with that, those steps can move into trials.
It doesnāt take that long, but it is very systematic because we want to set everyone up for success š
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hello and welcome! Great to see you here!!
>> quickly make it to excellent jumpers and open standard. Then the weave refusals started>>
Since it was a bit of a āsudden onsetā issue with an obstacle that requires so much of the dogās body, be sure to clear all medical issues if you have not done so already. The earliest manifestation of injury or illness is often weave refusals only at trials (physiological processing is different at trials than when the dog is at home base). On my list of things to check are: all orthopedic joints including x-rays for hips/spine/shoulders/neck (much easier with small dogs LOL!), a patella exam *with the dog laying down on his side* because a standing exam often does not uncover a patella issue with muscular dogs, a full soft tissue exam to be sure there are no restrictions/trigger points/painful areas/injuries, and bloodwork to look for inflammation markers, thyroid levels, folate/B12, and tick illness. It might seem like a lot but it has been CRAZY how many dogs have an underlying pain or illness that manifests as not weaving, or visiting, or stress, and only at trials. Working at home or with a toy in NFC often āhidesā issues because the food or toy is so motivating that dogs will work through pain or illness.
>> Reading the ārulesā again helped. Initially I thought I needed eye contact>>
Eye contact is a bonus but not required š
Onwards to the videos!!
The sequences are looking good! He had some good feedback about connection and timing for us š Some ideas for you:
One thing overall –
He runs really well looking at his lines when you run with your arms lower and lots of connection visible, like at :10 – :14, :36- :38 and other places. If you are not looking back at him or your arms are high, he has to look up at you to get more info and that slows him down. So – keep your arms low and look at his eyes as you run šOn the first sequence, to get the BC more easily from 4-5: You can send to 3 from further away and not run as close to 4 – just send to 3 and then run towards 5, beginning the blind as you go (when he lands from 3). Your motion should cue 4, and a jump verbal. You were trying to cue 4 so that made the blind late so he jumped up at your hand at :08 and :29 because he was not sure of connection and you were a bit in his way.
The turn at 5 worked best as a brake arm (2 hands) like at :32 – it can come sooner, as he lands from 4, but they will be easy when the blind is sooner too. You donāt need the spin there, which will also make it easier to accelerate up the next line.
Doing the BC between 3 and 4 also worked really well, just add in connecting sooner after the blind so the push to 5 (:51) is also sooner. That will get him turning to go to 5 before takeoff for 4.
Seq 5: You can get in closer to 2 so you can show acceleration to 3-4-5 and big loud GO TUNNEL verbals- you were decelerated and quiet so he stayed in collection on that line.
Adding acceleration might put you on the takeoff side of 6 but that is great because you can then decel and show the FC before the enters the tunnel. He saw you accelerating to get to the landing side of 6 before he went into the tunnel, which cued a wider turn on the exit there.
That can also keep you off his line on the landing of 6 – at 1:50 you were in the way as he takes off for 6 so he had to wait for you to clear the line, good boy not hitting the momma! Your position was definitely better at 2:21 where you were not on his line š
Good job rewarding him when you did the extra blind LOL
A comparison to the lines where you were connected and he was looking forward at the line: You were looking ahead on the last line at 2:28 so he was looking at you and not driving the line as well.
Sequence 1 (last one on the video :))
You can set up the start so you are not as close to 1 and you need donāt run the curve of the tunnel with him. Doing that made the FC at 2:42 late – he was in the air over 3 as you started it so could not adjust til after he landed. Ideally, you are a couple of strides ahead as he exits the tunnel so you can decelerate and begin the FC no later than halfway between the tunnel exit and jump 3.
You were more accelerated on the last line to the tunnel and he was much faster there and committed sooner! Very nice!!!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! She did well here!!! I really like all the distance work she is doing!!
The RC on jump 1 works but you had to take extra steps away from 3 and 4 to get itā¦ I think sending her to it on your right side as a send can make the whole opening even easier š
The very first send to 4 at :06 was a little disconnected where you were looking forward and pointing forward as she was taking 3, so she almost didnāt take 4. All of the other reps there had a lot more connection (arm back to her, eyes on her eyes) which supported the line a lot better.
Nice send to the tunnel to get the blind without having to hustle!!! That is hard at a walk – you donāt have to rotate your feet back to her to get the exit line connection after the blind, only your shoulders and eyes.
For the rear crosses:
I think you accidentally ended up too far up the line for the first RC (you were probably still in Blind Cross mode :)) But you still got it done! Yay! She got that RC at :51 based on your feet – you were on the left wrap wing til she was almost taking off (she is turning left at :51 before. Takeoff but you then stepped across the RC line so she made the right turn
The run at 1:15 was much better RC – you didnāt get as far ahead so you didnāt end up in wrap position and she read it as RC the whole time. Very nice!!
Handling from the landing side of 7 was harder without running to it!
āØStrategically, even when you are back to full blast running, you can set up the line differently so you can get further ahead sooner and not block her line. You can do this if you go closer to the 4 jump then hang out there so you can send ahead to 5 and the 6 tunnel (she has these skills!) and be miles ahead on the landing side of 7. Ideally you wonāt go past the takeoff spot of the 5 jump so you can easily slide across the landing side of 7.That way you can slide across the landing of 7 with your shoulders in her position (right arm back). By going a little too close to the 6 tunnel, you were ending up on the takeoff side of 7 which made you a little late getting through the serp line at 1:35 and disconnected a little to point forward. She made a good choice to NOT hit you and to go to your other side instead. When you were a bit further ahead, she was getting to the correct side but not seeing the turn to the last jump til after she landed from 7, so more open serp shoulders will help her turn before takeoff.
I give you a massive click/treat for watching the video!!!! Your lines at 2:52, 3:21 and the last rep were MUCH better, definitely further across 7!! And the line at 3:10 was almost as good but your shoulders are not serpy enough so she was jumping straight then dropped the bar trying to adjust. And not going past the 5 jump as you send to 6 will make all that even easier š
Great job here!!
TracyGood morning! He is doing really well with both of these games!!!
>>This will be critical to us since food is him number one reward.>
Totally agree – this is a critical element for our foodie dogs š He definitely seemed to be able to move away from the magic cooler š¤£. It seemed like he was less sure about when to go back to it, so you can add a very clear marker for when he is done with the game and can head back to the cooler with you. I use āletās go!ā. You might have bee saying something? But I couldnāt really hear it and he was a little unsure, so make it loud and obvious š And you can add in not having a cookie in your hand or pocket as you move away from the cooler, to make it similar to going into the ring without cookies.
Find My Face went great too! You can start with the regular pattern without disconnection so he gets into the rhythm, then gradually add the disconnection – this will be really helpful at trials where the situation is more distracting.
>>I appears that he is looking at my hands which have the treats in them.>>
That is fine! He was also getting rewarded from your hands, so instead of that, you can toss the treat with your search marker as the reward – that way he can move away and start the next rep.
>>He will be at a trial with my other Toller Dazz this weekend and I will work on some of the games away from the ring.>>
Fantastic! The pattern games and the volume dial game are the top 2 to try in a trial environment. You can also try a bit of remote reinforcement with the cooler, on leash outside the ring and also at the practice jump š
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
Doing these in a new place is a great practice for trials! She ran great!!! He ran just like she does at home, which is really the Holy Grail of dog sports that we are all trying to find š
And since she had some questions, I made pictures:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JEKf4Nbap2fKAWxBGJk13D__3HaASI1DOIIdS4gxwac/edit?usp=sharingThere was one common denominator in all the questions moments, especially when she came off lines: if you had your dog side arm high and parallel to your shoulder, as if showing the line (or I think of it as serving snacks at a cocktail party LOL!), you were also looking ahead. Those two things combined to block connection and change the line of your shoulders and feetā¦ so she looked up at you then (correctly) changed her line every time.
Because she is so small, she is relying on connection to keep your feet and shoulders on the line – if that changes, she has to look at you for more info and that doesnāt aways work out. Here are specifics:
Sequence 1 – nice connection in the opening on both runs here! She had a bar down at :19 – the turn cue was a little late and she was going really fast so could not adjust in time. The 2nd run had earlier timing and better connection there, so I think the bar would have been no problem (it was still down from run 1)
Speaking of connection – it was connection that pulled her off the tunnel on the first run and it was connection that got her on the line to the tunnel on the 2nd run. And I got screenshots of it too š
At :21, you accelerated and started looking forward, so she looked at you – the looking forward turns your shoulders away from the line so she had to look up for more info. Then you decelerated and turned away from the tunnel before she was committed.
Compare to 1:01 where you connected sooner and she never had to look at you. The screenshot there happens a little later only because it was easier to see her head looking forward (but she was looking forward over the jump too!)
That allowed you to decel and turn away when you knew she was committed. Super nice!
Bazinga looked surprised by the new drop-and-roll move at the end but she was happy toy get her toy as long as you were OK!!
Seq 2:
One thought – you donāt need to call her out of the tunnel on the straight line because you donāt need her to turn towards you or look at you. You can use a go or a jump verbal before she goes into the tunnel to help her propel forward to the next line.
You had the high arm at your shoulder and looking ahead at 4 at :12 good job continuing. Nailed it on the 2nd run! Much clearer connection and line! Screenshots of both of these are in your pictures š
The exit of the blind after the tunnel was great! To get the last jump, be sure to keep your arm back and make a bit of eye contact like you did on the BC exit of the tunnel. When you had your arm up high and looking forward again, she looked at you for more info and did not take the last jump.
To get the RC at the end, run in closer to the tunnel so you donāt get caught too far up the line on the left turn wing (1:05) and donāt say GO because that will keep her on the left lead. Compare to when you started further back, just past the tunnel exit at 1:36 and 1:55 so you could move up the line to the center of the bar – got it! Then you had the high arm and looking forward so she did not take the last jump. The out jump made connection clearer so she did end up taking it but she had to check it out by looking at you first š
So the main goal is to convince your dog side arm to stay low and point to her nose, and to keep eye contact. No cocktail party high arms š¤£ because that turns your line and blocks connection. It gets easier as she gets more experienced, but for now she needs the big connection and low arms.
>>We are at a trial this weekend so we can work the pattern games.>>
Super! Keep me posted!! Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>When Venture wonāt eat treats, it doesnāt seem to matter what I offer. Salmon chunks, chicken breast, cheeseā¦ he spits it all out. I worry about trying to use too high of a value of food treat and overwhelming an environment that he needs to process. I did learn that a firm slow stroking massage can help him come down just a bit to the point he can take a treat, look around, visibly relax a little.>>
Yes, it sounds like the environment was too overwhelming at first, so eating was out of the question in that moment. I am glad the massage and time to process the environment helped!!
Did you try using distance? Meaning, moving him further from the environment (other room, outside, etc) to see where he could accept food? That can give you a starting point for getting him acclimated and happy to be in the harder environments.
Another thing to try is a āhappy placeā like a familiar mat or station he can hang out on to process the environment. It looks like you have a klimb in your yard that he really likes!
The runs are going well and he gave valuable feedback too! I grabbed some screenshots of what he was seeing in the spots where he had questions (or didnāt have questions). You can find them here:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_7mwGLplmNYTPJXnADIlfTl74gyYIA6tTyahCMlDHE8/edit?usp=sharing
Video 1:
The Pattern games definitely helped him focus! Then as you bring him to the first jump, you can go into the tricks and volume dial game, to get more arousal before starting the sequence.He had a legit question on jump 3 of run 1 here – there wasnāt clear connection as he exited the tunnel (plus a big decel as you approach the tunnel, so he was turning to look for you at the exit) so he didnāt take 3. I have a screenshot of that moment.
If he passes by a jump, assume it was a handling blooper and do not stop – connect more and put him back on the line, then reward. Even if you have to make up a line – keep going to get success on a jump.
He got it at 1:52, partially because you had a clearer line of motion (more speed and facing forward more) and partially because he saw there was a jump there on the first rep š So a bigger connection back to him with your dog-side arm back to his nose will really help him see the line.
He had some bars down at 1:58 and 2:00 and 2:46 – I think the contributing factors were that he was jumping 12 for the first time on grass, plus you transitioned into a big acceleration a bit suddenly as he was taking off. So he needed to sort out the mechanics. The motion was later on 5 at 4:05 and the connection was bigger, and that really helped!
He kept hopping on the klimb at the end because it has value and you were saying go – the jump you intended was not on an obvious line but the klimb was right here!
3rd run and 4th run went well – better motion and connection supported the lines nicely!
Seq 2:
Run 1:
1-2-3 went well as the lead out push! Small detail – since he has a good stay, you can lead out a little further across the bar at 2 to set the line more clearly. You were on the right turn side of 2, so he jumped turning slightly right towards you. You started moving to 3, so he turned left when he landed. Leading out to where you want his line to be (closer to the center of the bar of jump 2) will get that turn before takeoff.Nice connection on the send to 3!
You looked forward on the way to 4 so he hesitated until you showed better connection then he really drove the line (screenshots of those moments too :))
On run 2, remember to lead out with connection to support the stay – he got a bit concerned at 1:30 and started following you. It was more of a āwhat is happeningā broken stay and not a āletās start the courseā moment because he didnāt take the jumps.When working the wrap on 3, remember to step to the jump. On the first rep of that, your upper body cued the the 3 jump but ower body did not so he had questions (bar down). Compare to 2:50 where you stepped towards jump 3 with your dog side leg: perfect! Screenshots of the as well.
And the ending line looked good! He is sorting out the 12ā bars in extension!
>>And we will see you in GA for Brain Camp. I ended up choosing the agility track even though scent was tempting.>>
Yay! I am excited to see you and meet him!!!!!!!
Great job here :)āØTracy
Hi! I hope the snow goes away! Ick!!! Too soon!
Looking at the video:
Like with class: when she was on leash and you put the toy down in front of her, she had no interest in it right away. That doesnāt mean she was not into the toy – I think it is more about the context and presentation. You can try presenting it differently: try with the leash already off, then do a silly trick or bark. Then either run away with the toy dragging away for her, or throw ahead of her to chase. That might be more engaging for the toy in that context and it is a good question to ask her š She might still say āno thanks!ā but it is a worth a try.You did some find my face in the beginningā¦ she was great! You can actually disconnect less so you can see her peripherally. She found you pretty immediately but I donāt think you saw it š She didnāt curl in front of you (which is fine) but was patiently engaged so you can keep an eye on her peripherally to reward it faster.
Run 1 – Jumping away from the sequence at 1 was hard, so you can throw a reward for that. I am not sure if it was because it is a send away from the course with countermotion, or you did a āyayā as you moved to the jump (so maybe she thought you were going to reward?) but either way, you can totally toss a reward to the landing side.
Yes, you pulled her off 4 by getting way up the line and turning without connection – pinwheels are harder than they look!! She was not sure if it was a blind cross or not. Great job continuing! You can play with a send from when she lands at 3 – big connected 1 step send to 4 and throw a reward.
The BC at the end was late (you were on her line a bit, it is hard to get to!) but it was clear so she was happy with it š
Nice decompression between runs š
The second sequence went well too! The support to 4 was better so she was able to read the blind. She was a little unsure of the send to 5 (those sends away from the course with you decelerating are hard!) but she did it – that is a great place to throw a reward to the landing side of 5 as you peel away to 6, to keep pumping up the value for those sends.
>>I think we had chatted about this before, but Min was slighly hypo-thyroid and had low B12 levels that was diagnosed when she was 7>>
Yes, I remember that! Meds are magic!
>>In retrospect she was showing lower energy levels over the summer but it was subtle because she was always pretty lazy in class and super mellow at home. >>
And she probably showed no other traditional signs of hypothyroidism, like being fat with a greasy coat LOL!!! With my Hot Sauce, her T3 was affected by the low folate and B12. Now that the folate is supplemented, her T3 is perfect again.
>I emailed the vet today to ask if we should check Liftās thyroid too when we do the Addisonās test. >
It canāt hurt – it is unlikely because of her age but not impossible, and the other values will tell you if there is something else going on (like the T3 and the antibodies and the TSH). Worst case scenario is that you now have a thyroid panel baseline for later years. Definitely get them to send it to Michigan State, because they look at ALL the values including the antibodies and other indicators of thyroid issues. Local labs donāt test all of the values.
>Her potasssium came back as normal in her recent CBC but on the low end of the scale.>
If my memory is correct, the Potassium as a standalone value is not indicative of Addisons. It is the ratio of sodium to potassium (Na:K). If it is 27:1 or less, Addisons can be indicated but also there are other factors like dehydration involved.
>So I think if sheās busy processing, sheās more likely to stay put when I use ājumpā instead of break.>>
An easy fun game is to take a jump and strengthen the jump verbal – you are both standing still near a jump, nothing formal. You say jump and if she moves to it? Throw a ginormous treat š That can help the jump verbal get really valuable without handling. Perfect for indoors when there is snow on the ground!
>But thereās a mid-Feb Fusion trial that Iāve booked Casey Keller to judge and then thereās another one at Fusion mid-April, plus On the Run USDAA & UKI trials in March.>>
Those will be good! Ad if you can book Casey to teach a young dog handling seminar, I think everyone will have a great time. Her young dog seminars are one of the only ones I recommend to handlers of young dogs because they are age-appropriate, set the dogs up for success, super fast & fun courses. And I am super duper picky (as you might have guessed LOL!) so I have really enjoyed working with her.
>> Iām also toying with the idea of NFC Speedstakes at MACās Classic on Memorial Day weekend (itās at On the Run and there will not be a food reward box since itās a classic so that will depend on how sheās doing with toys in public) >>
Fun! Are NFC runs with toys allowed at a Classic? I canāt remember these things š But you can definitely plan on it!
>Claudette graciously did a practice measurement with Lift last weekend in the middle of the day after she had settled in and got her at exactly 12.75in. Lift was pretty relaxed about the whole thing but I do need to train the stand better so that she stays relaxed when I back away a step and donāt crowd her. I am sure no one will get her at 12.6in for WAO, but I am going to try really hard to get the 12.75in to jump 8in regular.>>
Did Claudette get the wicket under her coat and right down to the skin? This is an unpopular opinion but since both of my girls are right at the cutoffā¦ I shaved their coats on the measuring area for their measurements. We are measuring the dog, not the coat LOL!! Did they look strange for a couple of weeks? Yes. Did they get the correct measurement for life? Also yes š
>And yes ā a traditional spay. At least itās a one-time nuisance as opposed to the recurring heat cycles.>
Totally yes! I have 6 intact males in the house: no problem! And I am soooooo happy that the girls are spayed LOL!
>She has her front feet near the end, but sheās not that into scratching her scratch band. (she is stronger scratching at things held at an angle in front of her than on the ground too even though weāve worked a fair amount had presenting it flat). How much should I try to get her scratching at the band sooner vs just rewarding her faster for landing close to the end (sometimes front feet on the band and other times just behind it)?>
You can reward for the instant hop onto the end of the board, then you can wait – see if she will scratch for another reward. It makes it fun to be in that position if she knows there are more treats coming for other fun things! But we definitely want to reward the very first drive to the end, because that is the main goal.
Great job here! Have fun at CSZ, they are fun people š Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
>>In Synch has a new collar and a slipcollar lead combo. So yesterday started with putting it over her head and her putting her head thru it and also taking off- after the first time she had got it. Then did lead on off game this went well except video moved>>
Perfect! The leash on and off is a big part of the picture.
>>I do plan heaps but then she starts to move and it disappears from my brainā¦>>
When you plan, do you also move? As in, jog the course as you plan? We know that state dependent memory applies to humans too š so if you are standing still or walking to plan, you are unlikely to have as much success if you are jogging or running as you plan.
Looking at the videos:
Overall, the handling went well here! A couple of times the cues were late but overall great connection!!
>>okay some confusion on starting and not getting the dig for a couple of goes- but no biting and she was engaged. >
I will continue to bug you about make clean transitions and smooth lines up – she ight not have been biting, but there was a lot of jumping up (because she didnāt know what else to do) and also you were releasing her on your motion and not a verbal, which will make getting a stay a lot harder. More on that below.
Here are some specifics!
Video 1 – this is a video of the previous lesson, let me know if there is supposed to be a tunnel discrimination video.
Video 2 – she found the line on the 3 jumps really well. Spread them out so they are closer to true competition distance – this will help build up her commitment and allow you to practice the timing you will need. And more distance should make the timing easier š
The FC at :15 was a bit late – you started calling and rotating as she took off. She responding but was wide because of the timing. She almost took the off course jump because you were on her line there. Ideally, the FC starts no later than landing from the previous jump here.
Video 3:
Can you bring her into the sequence with food and pattern games, and then line her up to face the jump? She is building a habit of jumping up at you, because she doesnāt know what else to do š And that causes her to sit sideways to the jump because she is facing you on the stay – then you release as you turn forward, so the release is paired with motion which we need to make sure is not the case. She dropped the bar on jump 1 here because of all of that going on. So even on sequences that are sends to start, try to have a smooth clean ritual of lining her up facing the jump, you lead out even if it is only one step, you face the jump, you praise her, then you release her with the verbal followed by motion.Once you got her going – this was great connection and much better timing on the FC at :12! It was completed before she took off for the jump so she had a great turn. That is ideal!
Video 4:
She came into the ring here tugging which also helps with the set up and not getting the jumping up. But she was facing away from the jump and left the stay based on movement. That caused her to guess about the line (she ran the previous line, very clever!) But a clear set up and even a small lead out will make the handling so much clearer on the opening.
Once you got moving, things went well! You can show her the rotation for the FC exit of the tunnel at :42 before she enters it – she has great tunnel commitment so you can know a turn is coming, then use exit line connection on the exit so she knows exactly where to go.
Nice timing on the spin at :47! The FC was good but a stride late, so she was a little wide there.
Because she is so fast, the FC is hard to finish on time without getting in her way. Soā¦try a blind instead! You can totally get a blind finished faster than a front! The other option is to do threadle handling where you donāt do a cross, but instead you use a threadle arm and verbal to pull her to the other side of the tunnel.
After the reward, go into pattern games with food so she doesnāt jump up. Adding these alternate behaviors like pattern games will give her something fun and decompressing to do rather than jump up for the toy. That will then allow you to line her up smoothly.
Then for the second run – take a moment to reset and line her up in a stay so you can praise then release. At 1:34 she was sitting then barked at youā¦ and that was the moment you released her with motion.
Really nice line over the jumps to the tunnel – low arms, great connection, no verbals needed. Super!!
At 1:41 – remember to let her see the FC starting before she enters the tunnel – it happened right after she entered here so she turned after she exited, making the line a bit wide.
You can also start the spin at 1:46 and the FC at 1:50 sooner – they were happening as she was taking off for the turn jump. Ideally they start no later than landing of the previous jump like at :12 in video 3.
The run went well here too! You can then go to the pattern game, put the leash on and move out of the ring, rather than pick her up – We want to make moving out of the sequence really fun, so picking her up might end up being something she avoids. Jumping into your arms is fun, but she jumps up a whole lot so I am not sure we want to add more jumping up š So getting her to move with you is ideal then you can add the leash as you like.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>>your comments in seminar re smells has my mind going down rabbit holes. Is it about the scent creating a link to the training ie in training calmer and less pressure so putting the dog back in that state. >>Thanks for joining me in the rabbit holes LOL!
We know that scent has a powerful link to memory and good memories can also be linked to mood. So I am playing with the idea of using a specific scent and pairing it really good things from training. Those can include optimal arousal, highly reinforced obstacle performance, engagement, etc. We would first need to know we can definitely get those behaviors and then we would pair it with the scent. Then after enough pairings, we would use that in a trial environment by applying the scent before asking for those behaviors in the ring.
I donāt know exactly how it would work but it certainly wouldnāt hurt!
Tracy
Hi!
This was terrific too! He was feeling spicy š and found you immediately with a little bit of barking LOL! I loved your bog reaction when he found you – perfect!I think at 1:30 he saw you reach for your pocket, maybe hewas thinking food was coming so he didn’t take the toy as easily. But he ended strong and did great!
Another step for the find my face game: sometimes when he finds you, send to the next obstacle then reward him. This builds up being able to ‘fix’ errors on course. And sometimes just reward him for finding you š
>> Figure if he likes tugging on the leash it might help me keep him excited going into the ring no matter if it a NFC run or live run.>>
That is great! He certainly liked it here!!!
And we can use his leash in the Remote Reinforcement games. So that is the next thing to tackle – let’s get those games looking fabulous! Let me know how they are going.
Great job!
Tracy
