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Thank you for the update! A break is good, especially since you still had crappy weather. She had a busy few weeks so a break was well-earned š
> She got her first chiro adjustment this past Friday and then had her first massage on Saturday. I didnāt realize it but I asked my massage person if she did trigger point and she said thatās part of the massage. So I didnāt realize they were basically the same thing lol. >
I am glad she is all tuned up! Did they find any tight spots or spots that were out? Not every massage person does trigger point, so I am glad your massage person does it!
Keep me posted on how she does at CSZ – that is a great facility with nice people and lovely footing too!
Tracy
Hi!
>On a positive note, I was real happy with his general demeanor all day ā calm, ignored the other dogs, good volume dial games outside the ring >
Yay! That is super! I see good things happening in the ring here too and he is improving thanks to what you are working on!
>which unfortunately disappear when we go thru the gate.>
That is pretty normal, a lot of dogs go into ‘all business’ mode. So the trick is to get to the line then get him off the line as fast as possible, staying connected and talking to him (don’t disconnect as you walk away or take too long to release him).
> under 30 dogs ā and only 115 miles away LOL!>
Ha! 115 miles away, the crazy things we do for our dogs š
>Run #1 ā the scorer caught his attention while he was on the DW ā he did recover and did pass the corner ring crew ā a rewardable event but we were 120ā² away from the food box ā should I have thrown his ball in the direction of the box and just kept running to it?>
The scorer caught my eye too – I was like “wait, what is that over by the dog walk??” Honestly, it is a weird place to put people when inexperienced dogs are running. He definitely noticed (I can relate, Coal!!) but good for him for recovering and carrying on. I think throwing the ball when he passed the ring crew in the back corner might have been too far from the food box, so carrying on with a fast & fun run was the best option.
> hindsight when he headed to the off course teeter, I should have gone with it, calling him off it led to āyou donāt know what the heel youāre doing and Iām checking out. Did finish nicely here.>
Yes, he had trouble when you stopped and then I think there was some avoidance of the collar grab as you were moving towards him. So rather than stop – yes, you can try to go with it (he was on fire and the cue did look/sound like the cue to go to the teeter) or keep handling your invisible dog in the direction you want to go and he will catch up to you š
He also gave us good info about the ending line of courses – he is anticipating that running towards the front of the ring means it might be time to go to the reward, so randomize it more in training: sometimes yes, finish at the front of the ring and go to the reward. And sometimes head down a line to the front of hte ring but then keep going and turn back towards the course. That way heading to the front of the ring does not become a context cue for being finished and going to the reward.
>Run #3 ā lost him to the leash runner here ā a very cute little 9 year old >
Ah yes, that is a hard distraction! He probably doesn’t get to see kids a lot and different things are things he needs to investigate (so in training, keep putting out those random different things).
>ā hindsight I should have asked here to move down a bit so she wouldnāt be right in front of him. >
Next time that would probably be helpful. It is great to see kids in agility and they are great about not getting too close when asked.
>Did set him up for a nice ending ā 3 jumps to reward ā should have done that every run. My focus has to be building his confidence / impulse control or whatever his issue is. I know heās got the skills and drive to do this- just need to figure out how to make it appear.>
Yes! He had a really strong ending here! And sometimes working in heading past the entry gate to keep going will help a lot – he said that was hard when he had to do it in the earlier runs.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
Great info from Lift on this first run!>Had some issues with focus on the startline at first
It was definitely hard for her to go right in without the reinforcement right there. This is where you can ask for barking on cue to direct her focus to you or keep asking for tricks before the leash off/line up moment, if you feel she is not fully engaged yet. Or if you take the leash off, and she is not fully engaged, more tricks before the line up.
Also, if you remember, what did you do outside the ring before she came in? We can look at that as a pre-run ritual moment and see if there are things we can tweak to help her – it seemed pretty trial-like!
>and this was exacerbated by the fact that OTR doesnāt allow you to throw food on their new turf (it has to be in a dish or a lotus ball)>
>At Fusion I would have started tossing treats for pattern games but my brain didnāt have a good plan on how to do that without throwing food. >Aha! This is also good info. When at Fusion, you can fade out the tossing treats in that moment as a regular occurrence – partially because we donāt want her to rely on it as a context cue, and partially because it is a tool you canāt use in other places (like OTR) or in a trial – definitely not inside the ring, and not in the tight quarters outside the ring.
But what you can do instead is the up and down game, placing the treat on your shoes š You can easily do that in tight quarters outside the ring and also you can do it on the turf at OTR. It has basically the same effect as the tossed treats š
The sequence work ended up really nice and she was flying! Yes there was a late cue or two but you fixed that and she was happy to stay engaged and run hard.
2nd run – a little sniffy after the shake off at the start, so you can do a little more before asking for the sit in terms of volume dial stuff: maybe another spin when the leash comes off? Or barking or anything fast & fun š
She did well with the big long lines here too – taking an extra step to 2 made you a little late after the tunnel but she was happy to keep working and didnāt give you any feedback LOL!! And yes, she was great about ignoring Jacque moving around – super!!!!
On the 3rd run – she got boingy and excited going all the way to the back but did well with the run! Yes, she was a little spicy on the lead out but as you mentioned – probably a little too long of a delay before the release.
I am definitely impressed with her wrap on the jump after the straight tunnel – especially after having gotten rewarded for going straight over that jump several times already! NICE!!!
>I might be able to bring her along to Kaladinās Tuesday night class this week if there is space, but I am thinking about just giving her the week off from class and doing one 2Ć2 weave session instead. >
You can see how she feels about things on Tuesday. She seemed to have a grand time so might be recovered by Tuesday night, maybe to do one run? Or not, you can decide in the moment.
>She also got to go to a different class (run by Christina W!) last Thursday night.>
FUN!!!
> Had some really nice stuff there (including some great lateral leadouts) but we also had the opportunity to work through the āpushy leash runnerā when it was a bit too much the first time and she turned to follow her instead of lining up. >
That is another spot you can ask for more before the line up (barks, more spins, etc). If the leash runner is too close (as they will be at a trial LOL) you can wait til they move away before asking for the line up.
>So Iām feeling like that was also a brain drain.>
Possibly! So if you do take her to class, make it easy and fun and no high level challenges with ring crew, remote reinforcement etc. Just make it a party š
>Sheās entered in 2 classes each day for the OTR UKI Trial next weekend (Meagan J is the judge.)>
That sounds great!!! I am looking forward to hearing how she does!!
Great job here š
TracyGood morning! Lots of good work here and great info from him!
He is doing better at finding lines and you did a really great job of continuing and not trying to fix things if he went pat anything.
After watching the runs – he did best in the run when the toy was in your pocket (video 4 here). He was excited but also focusing better on the lines. When the toy was visible in your hand, he was not sure if he should look at the toy or look at you.
When the toy was not in the ring at all, he was less focused, and ran to see the other dog in the beginning and got sniffy at the end (video 2, tunnelers)
So for now – keep using the toy in your pocket, and then take it out to reward him at the end. And you can also take it out to reward at the end of contacts, to help him want to get on them (a-frame for now, and the DW when he is ready for that too). That will help transfer his skills to the trial environment.
He did best when you had a lot of connection and a lower arm (and ran past stuff when you were looking ahead) so definitely keep that strong connection. He thrives on it!
>The go around start was a good practice as I need to work on where I set that up at the startline.>
Yes – for the go around start , angle yourself a bit to the side of the first obstacle so you can send him around you then you are a step or two ahead to show the opening line. He seemed to really like those go around starts!!
>And for the record, there is nothing wrong with his foot. When he sits he naturally lifts his right foot (you will see that at the start line). >
Ha! Yes, he looked pumped up and not acting like it hurt š He was paying great attention!
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
> I have ben carrying Frankieās leash for so long, I forgot about the leash chair.>
And I forgot that you can carry the leash in AKC! You can work that in as well, and you might choose to do that with Bazinga too.
>From Frankieās feedback ā Yes! That noise you heard was Bazinga making monster noises waiting for her turn in the crate! Hahahah>
That was a pretty hilarious protest from her LOL!
> with human highs & lows on this transition. >
This is totally relatable!!
>I spun the 4 poles in a different direction in the yard and had the MM further away and she struggled finding the weaves. >
Yes, this is so normal but so hard for our human brains LOL!
>As I type that I am realizing maybe changing 2 variables is a problem, too, but I really didnāt have the MM that much further away.>
Young dogs struggle with generalizing and with variable changes for sure! One way to think about it is when one variable gets harder, we can make another one easier. So changing the location of the weaves was a variable change, so you can make something easier (like opening up the poles a bit). You wonāt always have to do this because the behavior does generalize, but it is a good way to get success when starting.
Now the other thing is that we donāt always realize we are changing variable (oops! LOL!) but if the dog fails twice, we can re-assess and make something easier. That 2 failure rule saves my bacon a lot š
>>And then you can put it behind a tunnel! >>āØReally!? Iām trying to picture that, like behind the tunnel & then do I send her to the tunnel?>
Yes – it would be weaves then tunnel then MM š It also adds in the challenge of staying in the weaves when there is a tunnel right there (and since that might be a big variable change, you can open the weaves a bit if you think it will be hard.
>So I can keep it as a visual, but not reward from it. >
Yes, like a target. And you can sometimes reward from it a a nice surprise (surprise rewards are very motivating).
>And I should move it around (further away, hidden behind a wing) so the picture is a little different very time? >
Yes, as long as there are not too many other big variables changing.
>And I can just keep going with the progressions up to 12 poles and keep progressing the fade as we go but gradually.>
Yes š
>I want to work up to bringing them out to our slightly bigger field to make it feel like they are in a different location before I introduce them to her at another away from home location.>
Since they are 2x2s, you might be able to fit them in the car and bring them with you to class or different places, if they donāt have 2x2s there.
Keep me posted!
Tracy
Hi! Really great stuff here, things are coming together SO NICELY!!!
First some thoughts on the runs, then some overall thoughts:
Run 1 – WOW!! Look at her driving lines but also turning when asked. Also WOW!! Look at you running brilliantly AND with connection. So exciting!!!!!
Run 3 – 2nd video here – also super nice!! Her line driving gets better each time and also you are handling assertively which really helps.
Run 4 – also super nice! She is not yet driving 3 full obstacles away on those huge distances, but it is coming along nicely and I am sure that will lock in soon
Run 5:
>run 5 had too long a wait before hand and lost her at the start should have stopped her and restarted>Was the wait at the start line before the run began? Yes, you can re-start or re-start at jump 2. And if you feel the wait beforehand is getting too long, you can see if she will do a trick or something to keep connected to her when you are waiting.
You both recovered nicely and the run went well!
Run 6 – this video link was the same as the run 4 video, can you repost run 6?
>got a wait but argued over it and a second ribbon had a tyre at start which she managed.>
She might have been a bit brain-tired by then, but I am glad she was able to do it. And yay for the tyre!!
Overall thoughts for you:
There are a bunch of things I see that I am really excited about:
– your running and staying connected/ getting verbals out
– She is finding lines super well
– when she is not sure, she is looking for info but NOT getting frustrated or barking or jumping up – she is waiting for info and then getting right back on the line. Super!!!A couple of ideas:
– to help her stay on the big lines after tunnels, you can give your tunnel exit verbals sooner (they are happening as she exits) and repeat them, such as saying GO GO GO GO if it is a straight line exit. No time for taking a breath or anything LOL!!– that also applies to the very end – start your GO cues sooner and repeat them more.
– Train the tyre š for her to find independently on lines. I also have to do that this week, with the smaller/weird looking tire the dogs see in UKI events here.
>next show back to nc as stand with weaves and still training those so will work on waits in ring and getting smoother.>
This sounds great!! She is doing REALLY WELL! If you listen closely on some of your videos, you can hear people in the background commenting on how cool the runs are! Yay!
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
>We had our first class on Wednesday. I didnāt get any video but it was fun. >
Super! A class will be so valuable for her. And good job with reinforcing the stays, we definitely want those stays š
>We have a trial next weekend! It is an outdoor on grass 2 ring trial. Sheās been at the location often when she was little but it will be her first time in the ring there. Sheās entered in 1 run (novice JWW) Saturday & 1 on Sunday.
Since it has been a while since we have been at a trial, I think Iāll hide a toy & do empty hands. Iāll keep Saturday easy to get a feel for how she is feeling and then if she is all good, Iāll do more obstacles on Sunday. If you have any suggestions, Iām open! āŗ>I think this is a great plan – the goal is mainly to make it fun in a different environment. If she is relaxed and happy, you can do a bunch of short sequences (just shove the toy back in your pocket between reps so she doesnāt watch it too much :))
>We are progressing at fading the MM with weaves. Sheās looking for the lotus ball and ignoring the MM. I have it moved pretty far away. Our last session, she was very happy abut the lotus ball. Iām excited.>
YAY!!! The weaves are the only thing needed before she can start doing more in JWW!
āØ>Weāll keep going with the progression & move the MM behind a wing and then I think I can just not put it out at all. >
And then you can put it behind a tunnel!
>We are still on 4 weaves to keep it easy during the transition. Do you think I should get back to 6 poles while the MM is still out there in the distance?>
Yes, I would go all the way up to 12 poles with the MM being worked away into different spots and faded out entirely.
>Iāve been working on the TSA game with Bazinga too.>
Her tricks outside the ring look great too! And I love her middle position! I didnāt see a difference between being carried in and walking in except that when walking in, she could tug on her leash. And that might be a good outlet for her to direct her excitement (other than making you bleed oops LOL!). The bit of chill on the last video was good to add in but I am not sure if she was chill hahahaha. Leash tugging in that moment can be a coping skill, a way to balance arousal, so I would let her do it.
Stays looked good too!
Like with Frankie, add a chair for the leash so she is not focused on the exit gate and is instead focused on going with you to the leash before the cookie marker š
> I asked her to go back & fix some stuff when she ran past some jumps. I think that was a mistake, but I wanted to check in & see what your thoughts are. I guess I wasnāt prepared for run-bys and I didnāt have a plan. If she runs to the gate what should I do? Bring her out to reward her & try again?>
>It was not necessarily a mistake, but it is a fine line to balance on – we donāt want to frustrate the dogs but it is ok for them to tolerate a fix sometimes (because we might sometimes fix). Mainly, the decision should be made based on why it might have happened. What was happening here was that they were flying (yay!) and the crosses turned them back towards the reward gate which they are focused onā¦ and the execution of the crosses were a bit late and not connected enough. So it was a high arousal moment and not enough connection, so Bazinga was followed motion and didnāt really see the side change. When that happens take it as a cue to connect more with your arm back to her and BIG eye contact. That is a good one to work: a cross that asks for a side change away from the cookie gate!
One other thing I am thinking you can add to your TSA practice at homeā¦ longer courses. Built up to 15 or more obstacles at home to sometimes run as TSA (you can add a tunnel and make a course out of it :))
Great job here!!
Tracy>She gets A LOT of treats at trials ā like an obscene amount ā so I donāt think she needs a meal. >
Maybe it is an opposite thing thoughā¦ by that time of day, her body has gone into rest & digest mode? It might be worth considering how to reduce treats to see if that helps?
>Maybe a high-energy treat like a little honey could help. I love the idea to switch to a really high value treat for the last run. Sheās been on a low fat diet, but I will see if I can bake her some treats that are low fat & different to get her attention.>
A little bit of honey might do the trick!
>I could increase her cardio too. Iāve been kind of āsavingā her and just doing small sequences so I donāt over work her, but maybe she needs more activity to keep her endurance up.>
Thatās a good point – and it doesnāt have to be agility, it can be regular cardio. When I work from home, I tend to take the dogs out for running during midday (provided it is not insanely hot LOL) to get their systems more used to running at that time of day too.
>Iāll add some massage time after her runs too and make sure she gets some walking as part of her cool down.>
Perfect! That can really help in case she gets stiff at all.
>We tried out the Back on Track blanket last trial and she snuggled under it. Iāve been putting it against the back of my work chair for my back & Bazinga has started cramming herself between me & the blanket to lay on it. Very interesting! I do feel like it helps take the edge off my stiffness.>
That is really interesting!!! I use it on myself too š
>us to see how she does with all we have been working on.>
That will be really interesting too, to see how he does at the location she doesnāt normally like as much.
>I think Iām going to stay with carrying her in right now. It seems like if I have my hands on her right up until I release her, she stays amped.>
Yes, I think that is a good plan, she seems happy and pumped up with that!
>Iām trying to get to where it is really easy for her to go through that gate. I noticed that both Frankie & Bazinga blew past the last jump to get to the gate to get their reinforcement!!!>
I think that was also partially disconnection with you looking forward.
> I think that is a good thing on one hand because it means that they know where the treats are! On the other hand, Iād like them to stay engaged until we finish the course! >
Yes and yes š You can add more connection and help guarantee that jump gets taken.
Looking at the TSA gate videos:
Love her little barks!! Her tricks outside the ring look good! At about :15 on the 2nd video, there was another noiseā¦. Bazinga complaining in the background?Yes, heading for the gate means they are aware of the reinforcement but also, maybe too aware š With AKC rules about not running out of the ring, you can have the leash on a chair off to the side and not right at the exit gateā¦ then add in praise and running to the leash before the letās go to the treats and see how they she feels about that. So it is more about going to the leash first then to the treats.
āØ>If they do miss a jump while we are playing this game, I should keep going, right? Leash them up & take them out for their reinforcement sand just keep working on it?>Mostly yes! Because mostly it is handler error. But also, you can sometimes mix in a āfixā and ave them come take it, to help get them used to the idea that sometimes you might want to fix things in the ring. You are always very upbeat when you do this, so I think at this point they wonāt be deflated and are more likely to think it is a find my face moment š
Great job here!
TracyGood morning! These runs are looking great!!!! They were smooth and connected, with very few questions. That is awesome especially considering her is a baby dog!
Run 1 was really nice!
>I gave him a tunnel cue but should have given him a tunnel Threadle.>
I think you also stepped into his line, so he was begin good! Try not to mark with an uh-oh because it was totally handler-induced š
> I also didnāt support the pinwheel well enough, I did better in later runs! >
Absolutely! You needed one more step here which you gave him the next time you came through that section. Yay!
>He did good weaves! Yeah! He didnāt hold his dogwalk contact so that needs work.>
Yes and yes! Weaves looked great! And he was a bit early to exit the DW here – and in run 2, he didnāt quite get to the full 2o2o so that is a good place to do FEO/NFC! You can even use a target on the ground in UKI (if that is how he was trained).
>The second run, standard, he had trouble with his weaves.>
Yes – maybe he thought 6 poles weaving into nowhere was weird? It was good to move on (or you a try from the tunnel again if AAC allows fix and go?). Twelve poles definitely made more sense to him!
The frustration carried over fro the weaves into the next section where you tried to re-do a jump (he jumped up there). Since jump misses are usually because he needed one more step of support, you can keep going. Fixing it not worth it if he has a big mad about it š
Once the run got moving, he looked great!!!
>Third video was Jumpers and fourth was the Speedstakes. Very happy with both!!>
Totally agree, these were really wonderful runs!! He had a little trouble on the MASSIVE lines – he gave a little bark heading to the weaves at 2:56 (you might have called him there too?) and on the way across the ring after the frame he kind of looked back at you. He probably just needs to see big long straight-ish lines in practice to balance the more challenge lines with turns.
Great job here! Let me know how he does this weekend!
Tracy
Hi!
This is an excellent plan! And of course you can change the plan depending on how he does in the first run – add more, do less, etc. He will let you know, he is very good with that šIf I am reading things correctly, there are 5 runs planned. That might be a lot and ‘expensive’ for his brain… so you can look at the maps and decide which ones look like a blast to run and which ones look gross. And skip the gross ones LOL!!
>Weāll play back/forth and up/down food games while waiting for our turn in the ring.>
Great! You can also do some volume dial/tricks/or action games, to pump him up a bit and see how he feels. You might see him getting more and more relaxed as the days progress!
Keep me posted!!!!
Tracy
Hi!
>I was working on remote reward here. Brought him out to the floor when the bar setters were out, should have probably had rewards for that, bit I had nothing on me ā a bit of lumping on my part.>
That must have been before the video started? If so, yes, bringing him a little later will work best so he doesnāt percolate on the start line for too long.
That very first run looked strong – he did the sequence with focus and speed, ignored the instructor at the front of the ring. Yay! The second sequence looked good too!
> He was a bit sniffy again, may have been the bar setters, snacks in the sand or the continuing ear infection.>
Could have been any/all of those – and also could be when info is not that clear? He got sniffy when you turned to head away from the exit on the first run, then after the late re-connection on the blind at 1:29 (he was not sure where to be) you got some sniffing. Then he found you (yay!) and took the jump – you can totally keep going there and reward, especially since he stuck with you!
Ā
The music was a good distraction on the 2nd video! Good choices of tunes! He did well here too.>Also did not have his slip leash with me, not sure how much that changed the picture for him?>
Yes, bringing him in without a leash might have caused him to check out the distractions before starting. So he was able to ignore them really well during the run – it might be different if he had the leash on coming and so he could not check it out. You can have novel distractions strewn around and bring him in on leash so he has to ignore them from the very beginning.
Having to pass the chair and ring exit to weave was GREAT. Something caught his attention on the 2nd rep through the weaves but he recovered well and didnāt have any issues on the rest: nice contacts, nice hand touches at the start, etc. That is something to work on at trials: hand touches back and forth on the start line before you ask him to sit and take the leash off.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>Lift got to drop in on a new class on Monday night. For the first session I had treats in my pockets but didnāt take them out and did and In & Out.>
She did really well here! It sounds like you have your Thursday plan ready to mix in an occasional empty pocket in and out sequence, so she develops that skill too – I am convinced their noses tell them if we have any food on us, anywhere LOL!
She is committing nicely to the tunnel under the dog walk! You can give her forward cues like go go go, before she gets into the tunnel – you are quiet so she curls in a bit, which requires you to out run her at the exit.
Interesting that she was barking at the person standing near the DW at 1:20ish – maybe she was surprised? It is an unusual place for a person LOL!!
She did really well finding the jump after the tunnel at 1:37!!! Your connection on the blind was better at 2:07 but you were on her line then stepped to the dog walkā¦ so she headed to it. Good girl!! I think a bit of countermotion so the blind is more like a German turn to get off her line will work nicely there.
>I had the instructor surprise her with tossing the toy and then discovered later that I donāt often leave the toy on the ground. LOL.>
Ha! That was great! Yes, that toy on the ground was hard but she didnāt get a cookie for it and then returned to work nicely š
> (Also discovered while watching the video that Caitlin and I color-coordinated our outfits!)>
Yay! Fashion is important LOL!
>The beginning clip is a sample of the very enthusiastic BC that ran before us (I actually missed videoing the part where the dog was squealing & screaming a lot more as she did the teeter in front of us.) I was doing pattern games with my little mop mat thingees on the other side of the ring barrier. I was impressed that Lift kept it together through that and then went in and did a fairly complicated mini sequence.>
Great to have a spicy dog run before her! Terrific exposure to something she will see at trials! And she did really well.
All of the backside/wrap/line challenges looked really easy for her. You can start to push her a little more by driving harder and seeing if you can maintain connection š You can also see if you can be closer to the 2 jump at the beginning and see if she can find that line independently even if you are not helping by being between the uprights.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
> Knightās right illopsoas was very tight possible reason is his left hind leg muscle (donāt ask me the name!!!!) was also very tight. >
Poor little dude! I am glad Harmony found this. Were his back and shoulders feeling ok?
>Icing and putting heat on areas per Harmony. >
The iliopsoas is a pretty common ouchy spot for agility dogs, so there are some things that I’ve seen over the years that really help: laser, therapeutic ultrasound, Assisi loops, back on track coats, and light massage. Also, meds! The vet can prescribe an anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxer, to jump start recovery, along with rest.
>Next stop Vet Chiro for adjustment. >
Super! The vet can prescribe stuff, and also maybe check patellas with him lying on his side. A common source of iliopsoas ouch in smaller dogs? Patella! I know this firsthand with one of my dogs and also with a bunch of student dogs. It is good to rule it out and if he is standing, he might be strong enough to clench everything tight LOL!! So checking that when he is lying on his side will give a true picture š
Keep me posted!
Tracy
