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Good morning!
I hope the pattern games at Lowes went well! I am sure he was great š
The sequence went well too – the adjustments you made (as well as on the forward focus session) were all exactly what I would have suggested, so click/treat for you!
On the opening line – lining him up on a slice at 1 instead of straight was very helpful for him, and then showing the 1-2 line as a serpentine showed the correct side of 2. When you closed your shoulder forward and stepped to 2, you showed the push to the backside that he did. When you kept your shoulders in serp position and feet moving forward (at 1:12), he found the line to 2 really well. You used your second hand there too, but I don’t think you will need that as long as the serp arm stays back like you had it there.
The rest looked really good, he is finding his lines really well!!! My only suggestion is to start giving the turn cues for the tunnel exit before he enters. You got quiet and were accelerating into position for the FC, so he exited straight then adjusted. Ideally you would be using your verbal (a right verbal or his name) and starting the FC when he is still about 4 feet away from entering the tunnel. Sometimes we can’t show the physical cue for the FC at that point because of hustling to position, but you can start the verbal to let him know the turn is coming.
He is making really good progress with looking at the jump! Putting the toy out on the other side really helped, so keep revisiting this with the toy on the other side for a few reps as you put yourself in various lead out positions so he gets really comfy looking away from you. My only suggestion when you place the reward out past the jump is put it another 5 or 6 feet from from the jump, so he can land from the bar then take a big stride to the reward (rather than shorten up to avoid landing on the toy).
All of this forward-focus stuff was originally developed for breeds of dogs who loved to stare forward at ‘work’ that might not be moving (cough cough Border Collies cough cough hahahaha). So many other breeds prefer to stare at us, or stare at things that are going to move (again, that is us hahaha) so using the food or toy out there really helps them get convinced to not look at us š
Look how close the teeter is to the ground! YAY!! He is doing really well driving to the end! Are you able to get him on teeters in other locations, especially different types of teeters (MAX200 versus MAD agility versus ClipnGo versus Galican etc). That is really important for our small dogs, because the speed of the type and weight of the board makes a big difference as I am sure you have experienced.
>> is it ok that he came off it one time although he wasnāt released? Or should we be holding the end until released?
I think on that rep he drove to the end really well and didn’t shift his weight in time with you running and praising, so came off. No worries, it was a ‘good’ error š but ideally you don’t want him to do that – because that will muddy the end behavior and eventually lead to more errors and slowing down.
It looks like on the next reps you helped him by getting the reward in quicker and not being as far ahead. So you can build up to moving away more and seeing if he will hold position as you get past the board – you can try it without running as much to begin with, to help him out. You can also use a visual target at the end of the teeter board (I used duct tape, super fancy LOL!) to help him remember to stop as you run past.
Great job here!!!
Tracy
Hi!
>>I have already done this at 3 different locations and never an issue. In class I had people yelling, dogs right at the ring side, my instructor being a judge, etc.>>
Great! We will add that back in when we add the remote reinforcement games in. It is definitely a different picture for the dog when the food is outside the ring.
>>Gave Knight 2 down days since he was a busy boy this past week. >>
Smart! Rest and recovery is great!
>>Going to start to work on playing with toys. >>
Keep me posted about what he likes!
>>This is a video of Find my Face.>>
He was fantastic here!! Absolutely perfect about seeking out engagement. Yay! The only thing I suggest adding is a bigger reaction from you when he *does* seek out engagement after you disconnect: when he finds your face, give him a big GOOD BOY!!! with smiles and praise, then toss the treat as a reward and to reset the next rep. That GOOD BOY! moment will definitely be surprising and exciting in a good way š And being quiet like you were was perfect for the disconnection moments – he was fabulous. You can totally play this game outside the ring as part of his mental warm up.
Great job!!!!
TracyHi!
>>He was quick, taking away my margin for error.>>
Yes – he was really fast!!!!
>>Had some ring crew out on the floor, weāve been doing this for a while, so the class people now have limited distraction value, going to have to figure out how to up that.>>
You can totally crank up the distraction level and have them wear hats, or be eating snacks (you might have to bring bribery for them to eat :)), crinkling treat bags, and even playing agility videos on their phones (not all of these at the same time though hahaha)
He had two moments at the back of the ring where he was not with you (1:32 and 2:04) – was he finding a line because cues were late, or distracted by the other ring or ring crew? I kind of looked like he was finding a line and needed earlier cues, but I was not sure.
>>Also worked on handing off the leash ā Iām probably better off handing it to a leash runner or placing in on the ground next to the boy instead of throwing it.>>
I think jut tossing it away as fast as you can will be better – when you walked away to give it to the leash runner, he started looking around. So handing it to the leash runner is a little disconnecting. You can toss it on the ground and use that in the remote reinforcement games so he understands to leave it alone during the run. That way you can lead out, stay connected, and help support his engagement.
>>I liked the hand bops while walking to the line in round 2 ā going to work on building that.>>
Yes! That looked great! And the runs went really well too. I think the most important thing now is teaching him the levels of the remote reinforcement game, to fade the food from your hands/pockets and prepare him for trials.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Hi!
>>Am going to switch to a leash she can tug for exiting and a snuffle mat for once we get back to crate area to decompress her.
Perfect! Leash tugging is legal in most organizations and it is basically like having a toy in the ring š With that in mind, be sure to use the leash as part of the remote reinforcement games so she learns to ignore it while running a course.
>>I am practicing in class without toy in hand and taking it out when I reward.>>
Fantastic! You can mix in having the toy in your hand… and having the instructor hold the toy so it begins to get moved off your body.
>> do you have strategies for what to do after run is over. We always have so many people at ring exit. I usually just exit and go to my crate to reward. Roux however, isnāt a dog I can just let lead me to her crate (yet) for a reward and ignore all the other dogs. I can grab food and use that to treat her and then use that to get back to crate. Food keeps her focused on me and I will see if a leash she can tug on some helps also.>>
Can you set up a reward station not too far from the ring exit, something like a folding chair? And you can put a tote bag or something with some treats in it, so you can reward her after a run then comfortably navigate her back to her crate.
And feel free to tell people to move š I say stuff like “coming through! Watch out!” to get them moving out of the way.Looking at the video:
The view from the deck is spectacular! What a great time of year!Roux did great with Find My Face. You can add arousal too, by tugging first to get her more stimulated then try the game. We can add it to sequences soon too!
The cat also figured it out really well šThe exit line connection looked awesome!! Front crosses on the wings? Lovely! And you sorted out keeping your arms in closer, which made it easier.
Adding the jump to wing went really well with the FCs and spins too. Moving it to 2 jumps worked great too! Check out how tight her turns were, and she had no questions about the bars. Yay!!! I think there was one rep where she did a rear cross instead of a FC (because you stepped to the RC line) but you kept going and fixed it on the next FC. Nice!!
At the end, you did the blinds – this was the only time when the toy was moving to the dog side hand (rather than hand across the body) so the connection was not as clear. Keeping that toy in the dog side hand when you start and as you exit the blind will make it even clearer and tighter š
Great job here!! You can definitely apply the exit line connection to the sequences.
Tracy
Good morning!
Great seeing you in the chat last night!
After you mentioned that one of Liftās littermates copes with frustration by butt-biting š¤£ I was thinking that find my face is going to be GREAT for her! It basically uses disconnection/handler error as a cue for a trick – and I have found that it is fabulous for arousal regulation because, well, we humans mess up a lot LOL!!! So even those moments of disconnection where we hesitate (even when we donāt mean to hesitate) – it is a trick for a fun and hopefully incompatible behavior from the other coping mechanisms: jumping up, biting, spinning, sniffing, zoomingā¦ a wide range of behaviors are covered LOL!!!
She did really well in the video!!
>>She seemed more curious about why I was turning away than worried>>
This was perfect – we want a curious reaction, maybe a little judgmental š¤£ but no worry. And you can amp up the dopamine release (as best we can tell without electrodes) by having a BIG surprising response when she does find your face – big verbal praise, lots of excitement, and cookie delivery.
>> this was in the more training-neutral spot of our bedroom where weāve done tricks and stuff but not wing wraps or anything looking more like agility. >>
It was a good place to start it an introduce the concept – and then yes, you can totally move it to more stimulating places.
>>I plan to try this again but in the training room (maybe with a wing sitting out) and outside to see if I get different results. >>
Ideally you get this same exact response every.single.time. So there is no need to ramp it up really fast because what she did here is exactly what we want every time. It would be great if she never tips over into the overarousal, so take it slowly and let her body ālearnā the arousal regulation. After I introduced this game to Voodoo, for example, he never tried to bite me on course again – he was adult when I taught him this, so I didnāt have adolescence to deal with, so with my younger dogs I proceeded more slowly because, well, adolescent brains are unpredictable š
>>If when I get to that point, I get the leaping lizard instead of curious Lift looking for my face, is the best plan to just keep moving as if it was planned or to stop and do a treat scatter to decompress her?>>
If it does happen when we eventually put it in a sequence, you just keep playing the game – when she stops leaping (regulation) and finds your face, have that big exciting reaction and yes, you can reward with a treat scatter as that might help with decompression. Then before the next run, set it up so you are avoiding any of the triggers (disconnection with countermotion is her main one) so her body can continue to regulate.
She did her volume dial tricks but also yes, she didnāt get that aroused. That is mainly because volume dial will get the dogs into the optimal state of arousal for the task at handā¦ and hanging out in that bedroom does not require a lot of arousal so it was actually really good that she did that! Yay!
>>I often get the sense that sheās sort of ramping up but not much when we play it with food.>>
It depends on what the next rep(s) looks like. If she is fast and focused, then all is good! You can also move the food more in the volume dial game (have her chase you a few steps, then do a spin before you deliver the cookie). And you can use a toy, or a food-delivery toy. And experiment to see what works best in different environments.
>>Tapping her on the chest and having her chase me can amp her up but she can also have big feelings about that so I havenāt wanted to do that much.>>
Yes, I think she doesnāt like that, so the arousal is not the happy, focused arousal we want and more of a frustrated overarousal.
>>I think Iām going to need to stash a container of treats in my garage so that Iām ready with a treat scatter (or snuffle mat) as I come into the house from the garage. >>
Very clever! You can bring in the snuffle mat, give it to her, and walk away without interaction. Make coming home into a non-event and the snuffle mat will help with arousal for sure.
>>What was the arousal regulation issue with low cortisol levels?>>
This was back when vets didnāt really know to look for Addisons, plus he was atypical Addisons so the low cortisol wasnāt clear until he almost died (2006 or something?).
But behaviorally, he was unable to process the stress/changes in arousal level of being in non-home environments. He would go to a trial and was very slow and sniffy and worried. So of course people thought it was a motivation or training issue. And then he had some random soreness, so for a while people thought it was a shoulder injury.
Then his atypical addisons tipped over into typical, and the emergency vet took one look at his history and diagnosed him. We never even did the ACTH test because he had been given a long-acting steroid as treatment for what my vet thought was bone cancer.
So, they treated for Addisons and the dog went on to have a great life, winning a national championship and being on several podiums. He lived to be 16ish.
Early symptoms included changes in blood sugar, weight loss, strange behavior of being āflatā, and GI issues. The āflatā behavior was relevant to him specifically, other dogs struggle to process stress in different ways.
>> Asking because we just did a GI panel on Lift due to intermittent GI upset (often stress related if itās not bunny poop ingestion) and the only thing that came back was slightly low cortisol levels. Vet thinks itās unlikely she has Addisonās but weāre doing the test in 2 weeks just to rule that out.>>
It is good to do the stim test anyway – and then hopefully be able to root out the source of the GI issues and supplement to improve cortisol levels.
You might consider a baseline thyroid panel too (Michigan State is the gold standard).My dog Hot Sauce had weird performance issues over the summer and after bloodwork out the wazoo, soft tissue evaluation, GI ultrasound and a chest x-rayā¦ she came back with a very low T3 (a thyroid value is that is *not* correlated to bing hypothyroid), some inflammation markers, and a low folate/B12 level. So we supplemented her folate and B12ā¦ everything now is within normal ranges and she is back to competing like a beast (and playing with the puppies at home).
So it is worth it to explore medical stuff. Worst case scenario is you end up with a fantastic baseline as she ages. We see weird little medical things causing behavior changes over and over and over, so it is always a good place to go to as a first resort š I could go on and on with all of the cases over the decades (because I am old now hahaha) we have seen of dog sport behavior related to underlying medical stuff.
Nice work here! Keep me posted!
Tracy
Good morning!
>>I was late coming into the meeting this evening because I wanted to run Indy on sequence 4 when I got home from work. >>
I saw you pop in! It is good to get the sequence in before you lost the daylight – shorter days make scheduling harder for sure!
Great job working through the lateral lead outs! On the first part of the video, he had trouble with the combination of you being lateral and a little behind him. You can show him that by placing a toy on the other side of the jump to get him to look forward when you indicate it. He was Abel t find the jump on the last couple of reps – it was a little hard to see if he was turning his head or just flicking his eyes to the jump, but either way he was taking it nicely! I think if you can get him to turn his head and look at it for a few seconds, it will be easier to know if he is going to commit or not when you are further and further away from the jump. He probably just needed a reminder session and will be fine with it in the next session š
The rest of the sequence looks really good! And it looks like he is jumping full height with no problem – even with all that crazy wind!
Great job š
āØTracyGood morning!
>>Venture finally got to return to agility class today.
Yay!!! I bet you were both so happy!
>>We played the up/down treat game on my shoes before each turn and I saw improvement in his focus despite having several new people and dogs in class today.>>
Awesome!!! You might also carve out some space to do the back and forth game with cookie tosses, because the movement to chase the cookies is great for arousal levels and also helps process the environment too!
>>2 indoor agility training locations closing ā thatās 3 total training locations weāve lost this year)>>
Whoa, that’s crazy! Why are they closing?
>>Looking at the week one sequences for openings, how would you suggest I alter the layout for my backyard?>>
Yes to both of your ideas of the short tunnel and only using wings where they will fit. You can also use weave poles as jump bars, because they are 3 feet instead of 4 feet (to save space)
>> adjust the spacing?) Try taking 3-4ā² off each distance maybe?>>
I think at this stage, it will be better to keep the distances bigger and let him open up and fly. So you can take out a jump. You can pull out a jump from each sequence: jump 4 and 5 in sequence 1, for example, can be merged into one jump and on a line from 3 that is smooth and a front side. Let me know if that makes sense or if you want me to send photos š
Tracy
Good morning!!
>>I have KĆ³taulo in at 20 inches for the upcoming trial>>
That sounds good to me! Anything lower at this point might not register as jumps LOL
>> plan to use Fast / T2B as NFC runs to determine if we try jumpers as NFC or a run. Is that a good plan?>>
Before trying for a real run, you’ll want to try NFC without a visible toy (Empty Hands) a couple of times. Ideally, we don’t do real runs until we hit stages 3 and 4 of the NFC progression and the dog is very comfy with remote reinforcement. Skipping ahead to real runs can cause confusion which we don’t want.
>> having some fun on contacts in Fast/T2B to get trial rewards ā depending.>>
Yes! Hard to reward those in AKC because you cannot let go of the toy. Any UKI in your area coming up where you can throw a toy back?
>>My main question is how much do you plan before the trial and how much do you decide in the moment with NFC choices?>>
That’s a great question! Before the trial, I plan what level NFC that I want to do (Empty Hands, for example). And I make sure that the dog sees that successfully in practice. That’s pretty easy in the first levels but the 3rd and 4th steps are harder and definitely need to be practiced.
I plan what I want to do with entry and exit of the ring (also making sure the dog has seen that in practice).And there’s lots of self-talk to remind myself to look at the long term career and not try to move things ahead too fast, even if the dog is doing well or the course seems do-able. Patience with baby dogs is key!
Then yes, I decide what to do next in the moment or after each run. If the dog has questions about anything, I will answer them during the run, even if it means changing my plan in order to help the dog out. For example, Ramen had no questions and was super happy and successful, so I could maintain my plan and move to the Empty Hands step. Larry had some questions so I stayed at the Just Like Home level and didn’t ask for more, which meant abandoning the plan of doing more Empty Hands work. But that’s fine – he ended up super confident and that goes a long way for his future.
So I am always listening to the dog to see if they have any questions. And making sure I keep the dog as successful as I can.
>>It should be a good trial to work our toolbox as itās a smaller trial.>>
Perfect!!!!
>>PS: I noticed your youtube feed with Taylor and Sabrina Carpenter. It would have been fun to catch their acoustic duet in person. š>>
Omg yes! I would have loved to get tickets!!!! And youtube loves to show me links to concert clips LOL
Keep me posted on how the trial goes!
Tracy
>> I can see him saying you want it you go get it.>>
HA! Noted. No tennis balls LOL!
Thanks for the video – he finished strong! He seemed to have trouble ignoring the ring crew/leash running – that is HARD!! Can you get your classmates to sit in chairs in the ring? He would appreciate the exposure to ring crew during training when you can reward him for ignoring them š
Tracy
Hi!
>>I imagine with the holidays coming up, there might not be quite as much going on, but I hope thereās something. It would be great to get her in a totally new environment, too! Sheās been to LUDS and our local club since she was a baby.>>
I will keep you posted if I hear of anything!
>> poor Katniss ran her paw pads off at LUDS at a workshop. >>
Ugh! Ouch!! You can wrap her feet/pads flyball-style to protect them (I always wrap my dogsā feet on turf). Even experienced dogs can rip their feet up on that type of turf. I am glad she is feeling better!
>>Is it ok if I post 5 minutes of sequences and 5 of the other games later this week, or do these videos Iāve posted above count for āthis weekā since itās technically Monday? >>
Yes, it is perfectly ok, donāt worry to much about which day of the week it is š I just donāt want people over-working their dogs š
ļæ¼
>>We took the Volume Dial Game and Pattern Games on the road.>>She did awesome! She was engaged right from the start. The spins are looking good. It took her a moment to get into the backing up, but then she did well too. Nice tugging!
She did well with the pattern game, especially with a super cute Corgi walking by. Yay!My only suggestion is to flip the script: do the pattern games before the volume dial. They regulate arousal and shift attentional states differently, so ideally the pattern games come first (to shift her to a more selective attentional state where she can tune out distractions and begin to regulate arousal) and then the volume dial will take her to a more sustained attentional state (where she doesnāt even see distractions) and the optimal arousal state. Usually volume dial happens just before a run š
>>She was mentally tired from hanging out at the dog club earlier in the day, so I think that affected her performance a bit.>>
Yes, that is a lot of brain work for teenage pups! This is especially true when doing arousal regulation games.
On the video:
She had a harder time doing her spins near the jumps! That is good info. You can work that separately with just 1 jump and insanely high value food (to help draw focus to your hand and not the jump).
Nice job getting forward focus on jump 1!Going around 5 to the backside happened for 2 reasons:
You were late on the FC at 3 (1:13) because you started it after takeoff.
That set a wide line to 4, which set her directly to the backside of 5ā¦ and you didnāt give her a turn cue so she was correct. Same rules apply with baby dogs as with adults: keep going if there is an error, no stopping! They are almost always correct so stopping her is confusing and frustrating and we definitely donāt want teenage dog brains to have to deal with that :))At 1:58 you were still late on t he FC, but you gave her a turn cue (after landing of 4, so she almost pulled off 5). Ideally, the earlier FC will help a lot (finished before takeoff, so starting no later than halfway between 2 and 3). And a turn cue of verbal and brake arms between 3 and 4 will help smooth that out.
The ending line looked great, both times!!
Sequence 2: Sheās got a great stay!!! NICE!!!
You were almost perfect on 1-2-3 on the first run: once position on 2 to release her, and nice connection there too! She didnāt take 3 at 2:33 because as she was passing you, you broke connection by bringing your left arm forward to the jump. That turned your shoulders away, and you started to step back. The scientific term for that is ātwitchyā haha and that pulled her off the jump.You were NOT twitchy at 2:58, held your connection longer and let her pass you and commit to the jump before turning away to 4. Excellent!
This ending on this one was great too!
She read the 1-2 line really well on sequence 3. As she landed from 2 at 3:16, you pointed ahead of her to 3 which broke connection and turned your shoulders to 4 – then you stepped to 4. So she was correct to *not* take 3. As with the previous sequence: donāt fix! Keep going! We donāt want her to get into the habit of coming in front of you and barking in frustration – we want her to keep looking for lines.
Your connection and send was better at 3:21, where you looked at her, used less pointing: and your shoulders and feet were facing 3 until she locked onto it. Super!!!!
She needed a turn cue on 3 to find 4: the big send and motion did indeed support the line she took š You are in good company – so far everyone has needed a turn cue there LOL!!! So I donāt think she was mentally done, I think she was still in the game and reading you correctly š
>>We did our first AKC FEO debut run this weekend. Super exciting!!! I took about 8 minutes of video to show what we did outside of the ring as well as the run itself. Iām not quite sure how to edit that. >>
Very fun! Just slap it all in here and I can scroll through as needed.
>Next weekend we will be running in NADAC in several classes in Intro. The courses are super short, and training in the ring is highly encouraged. It will be harder to get video inside and outside of the ring since thereās no balcony like at LUDS, but I will do my best.>>
Get someone to follow you like paparazzi š And NADAC has interesting rules about food near the ring (but I think it can be in a ziplock in your pocket?). Have fun and keep me posted!
Tracy
Hi!
The video looks great! Good job waiting for engagement with the pattern game. At first he might have thought it was just moving back and forth, but then he figured out that engaging with you was the key to getting you to throw the reward.
Doing it on leash went super well – the leash adds more arousal and makes it more realistic š He did really well.
The up and down pattern looked great! And so did the tricks!! You have a really nice toolbox of tricks š The rest trick got a little harder as he got more excited, so that is good to know because you can ask for it to find out where he might be, in terms of arousal.
So now take these on the road and do them before runs at home, or in class, and keep track of how he does!
>>I get uncomfortable amping Chip up. When he gets barky the wheels fall off in our in-person agility class. I really think Iāll need to focus on tricks to bring him ādownā before we go into the ring ā lol.>>
Arousal is indeed uncomfortable for us humans!! But actually, getting the dogs amped up (into higher arousal) is actually important for a bunch of reasons:
– they learn how regulate their arousal
– they learn behaviors in the arousal state they will be in, when on course
– a higher arousal state is shown to actually improve performance!We talk more about this in the zoom tonight š Arousal is our friend and is necessary (especially because he is going to get more aroused when doing agility, with or without us :))
When he gets barky in class – what happened right before it? Get some video if you can! It might be frustration. Or it might be arousal that he is learning to regulate. You can use your pattern games in that moment to help him regulate then start again! Definitely grab some video if you can so we can figure out why he is getting barky in those moments.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
Scrolling through the video, I have some ideas for you to help get the engagement you were getting in spots more consistently, and at the very start of each session. When he is engaged, he looks great!One of the things that is super important is that we need to be using higher value reinforcement – he liked the ball (or is that the turnip?) and he liked cheese. Tugging on the fuzzy toy was sporadic, and I am not sure about the other food in the first video but that was also sporadic.
So the ball is a winner (but donāt use to too much because we donāt want it to lose value – does he like squeaky balls or fur toys or squeaky toys?) and the cheese too (but donāt overuse it either). Add in insanely high value stuff that he only gets in the training environment: rotisserie chicken, cheddar cheese, smoked salmon, meatballsā¦ human stuff that is moist and stinky and delicious! Sorting out reinforcement that is irresistible is one of the big keys to this. For example, when my Elektra was young and learning the teeter, she would do exactly one rep for her entire breakfast of raw meat. That made an impact and it definitely was like Christmas for her (more on Christmas below :))
That will really help the pattern games too – he is telling us that while he is experienced in pattern games, the reinforcement available is not significant enough to motivate him to ignore an environment he has been in before, such as GetRevd.
Another big key is going to be making each entry into the ring as exciting as Christmas morning for a little kid. What I mean by that is *amazing things happen* but he doesnāt really need to work much for them. And, like with Christmas, it comes and goes VERY quickly!
To goal of this is to get more immediate motivation and engagement, where he comes out of the crate or into the building or into the ring saying āheck yeah, we are doing a thing!ā Rather than the extended sniffing before getting going – that can cause some conflict and delays the engagement/motivation build up (see below).
This means that your sessions need to be short short short short short. As inā¦ one rep and be done. There is a definite tendency to get a good rep or runā¦ then ask for it again and then another one. And about 50% of the time or more, you lose him. So to help build up the Christmas feeling – one rep, massive reward, all done! Merry Christmas!
In a seminar or class, ask the instructor to split your turn in half so if it is a 4 minute turn, for example, you do 2 minutes then be done (ideally, it would be 30 seconds and be done!)
Using the Christmas analogy: there are 5 gifts under the tree, but you run in, open one gift, then run out and he takes a break. He is most definitely going to be like āhmmmm, I am interested in opening another gift!ā But that will happen on the next turn.
For example: he liked the fast moving 1-2-3 game in the first video. You can do that as the first gift: 1-2-3-treat, 1-2-3 treatā¦. Then he is done and can go chill out in the car (or in a big crate, that one seemed a little small for proper chilling LOL!)
Or for the pattern game with the target: Have 3 or 4 targets on the ground, so there is movement (which helps him a lot) a la the Super Bowls game. It will be A Christmas gift moment of out of the crate, move quickly to the first target, you put the treat down to start the game (he doesnāt have to engage before starting the game – we have had huge success with the human starting the game as it turns the pressure off the dog). Then he engages, you go to the next target, then so on til you have done the targetsā¦. Then done! Christmas gift unwrapped, time to let Raven have a turn š while he chills out in the car.
You can take the same approach with a couple of tricks, or throwing the ball once or twice, or a movement game: One Christmas gift, big fun for mind-blowingly high value reinforcement, then outta there. Lots of movement, lots of short sessions, lots of the āsurprise!ā element which brings about a dopamine releaseā¦ which brings about a craving to do moreā¦ which bring about motivation to be engaged in the ring.
If you do a sequence? Do it once! You donāt even need a stay. Big jackpot surprise rewardā¦ then done! And if something goes wrong with the handling (because it sometimes does š) keep going as if it didnāt happen and carry on to a jump or tunnel, then big surprise rewardā¦ then done.
The hardest part is that you are going to see a shift in his engagement and you will be tempted to do moreā¦ resist! LOL!! Remember that we are creating the crave and doing more does not create that.
All of the games or training that you do can have this Christmas present approach, as long as you have super high value rewards. You can ask him before you start each turn what he thinks of the reward: āHow are you feeling about cheese right now, Sieger? No? How bout rotisserie chicken? Yes? OK, letās party!!ā I ask my dogs to choose their reinforcement/motivator all the time.
And if you go in to open a specific Christmas gift (like you wanted to do a rep of weaves) but he is like āno thanks, but this tunnel looks awesomeā then you can switch gears and do a tunnel as the Christmas present š
What we are looking for is that every time into the ring (or outside it) is surprising in a good way, short and sweet so he is left wanting more, and building up motivation. He will let you know when he is ready for more.
About the sniffing:
Letting him freely sniff in the ring at this point is going to muddy the water a bit and shift the conditioned response to being in the ring to āI sniff hereā rather than āMerry Christmas letās party!ā. And once we get a conditioned response, it will take a lot to shift it to where we want it.
By muddy the waterā¦ it will be unclear as to when sniffing is fine and when it is going to be interrupted (I was a little unclear on that in the seminar video, where sometimes it was fine, sometimes it was interrupted). And that will lead to conflict when you donāt want the sniffing and try to interrupt it. That will be especially challenging when you go to new places where you donāt have the available time for the free sniffing, or you will want to ask for engagement right away.
For young dogs, I think of free sniffing to be similar to free peeing š¤£š If they wander around and pee on thing while I set a course, I am probably setting myself and the dog up for conflict later on when I am like DUDE STOP PEEING ON THINGS or THIS IS NOT THE PLACE WHERE YOU PEE ON THINGS (and peeing on things can be as decompressing as sniffing šš¤£). And I definitely don’t want him to spend time in the ring peeing on things, or to have his conditioned response to entering the ring to be “this is where we pee”. Now, replace the word “pee” with “sniff” and it will correlate more directly to him š
So how do we accomplish this without adding pressure or stress?
Since sniffing can be decompressing and useful and even a reinforcement/motivator for some dogs, you can use it as directed decompression – a snuffle mat can be perfect for this! You can have it nearby and add it in after he opens a Christmas present. Or, sometimes just go in, let him snuffle the mat, then get out. That is a nice balance without the conflict, plus you can use it in your hierarchy of reinforcement if he really likes it (a lickimat or a bully stick to chew are also terrific for this). We talk more about decompression tonight in the zoom!
Nice work here!
Let me know what you think!Tracy
Hi!
Hi!>> happens indoors as well as outdoors.>>
For now, let’s hold off on trialing, even NFC, til we’ve hashed out what he will play with in the ring and worked the first few remote reinforcement games. Check them out and let me know what you think!
You can also ask people in your class to come into the ring to act as leash runners, judge, ring crew, all the things he will need to get used to seeing. š
Tracy
Hi!
Yes, I feel the pain of the “Don’t Ruin The Baby Dog” pressure LOL!! You did great!
I think he had a great time. And yes, sometimes the course designs are not great for NFC but you still made it fun šFor the tugging, keep reminding yourself to give him the full length of the toy – that will let you be more upright and also let him pull back more. I remind myself to slow down too, I think the time pressure of NFC makes me want to go really fast, but that’s not good for mechanics š
>>They play often, but there was a much higher level of zoomies involved. I think it may have been a bit of decompression from the event! >>
Totally agree! Sounds like a big decompression zoom š and that is great!!
>>BTW ā Reacher almost caught another rabbit tonight before it managed to squeeze under the fence gate at the last second. It was quite a chase >>
Ha! He was trying to add to your toy pile LOL!!!
Great job!
Tracy
