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Good morning!
>>I have a question looking ahead to the next game with the BC to the tunnel. Should I use her name during the BC to really get her to come in towards me? I see (heard) you were using Bandit’s name.>>
Yes, you can totally use a name there to support the physical cues.
>>Am I over the top with too much repetition on the verbals? I was a little excited about getting to go faster!
>> Not too much repetition… too much yelling LOL!!! I am not 100% convince that any dog knows what the words mean in isolation, regardless of delivery. I am TOTALLY convinced, though, that the dogs understand the words when embedded with specific volumes and rhythms. So loud, long, vowel-heavy words like GOOOO GOOOOO GOOOOO will get extension. And the more collection you want, the quieter and more consonants and choppier the word should be -so wraps are very quiet and choppy, like ch-ch-ch-check. The left and right are in the middle, so I use a conversational tone and stretch the words out a bit like a question: leeeft? Riiiight?
The other interesting thing is that our body will also match the cue delivery: it is easier to decel or turn when we are quieter.
What was happening here on the first video was that was your timing was great! Connection was strong too – try not to look ahead to the tunnel, remember to keep looking at her 🙂
The verbals all sounded the same in terms of volume and rhythm, so she was really going in big extension as if it was all GO cues (they were loud verbals LOL!!) so you can get the jump, left, and right verbals to be quieter and longer, which will be a great contrast to the GO TUNNEL cue where you do want the big srtaight line extension. Plus, quieter verbals will help you turn sooner!On the 2nd video – she is doing really well with her stays, so you can lead out more or be moving before the release so she doesn’t look at you on the release.
The wraps are going really well! One the first rep, and the reps at :33 and :44, you had a lovely deceleration into the wrap and she had a great turn! On the 2nd rep, you didn’t decel so she went wide. Definitely keep that decel and add in getting the wrap cues very quiet, almost whispered – it will help her turns and help you decel too!3rd video had the Fluffy blinds 🙂 This also went well! Looking at the timing of the blinds: the blind at :36 was definitely the best one! You started it after she landed from the previous jump, kept moving, and you were finished and re-connected before she took off for the pinwheel jump. Lovely!!!! :19 was good too, and the blind at :09 and :46 can start a little sooner.
The blind at :57 also had really great timing! You didn’t have exit line connection there, so she was not sure of where to be (good job rewarding her!) You also had great timing at 1:06 and you had the connection too, so she got it 🙂 Yay!
You can use more of a stay to get ahead at the start here too – when you were ahead of her at the start, she flew into the tunnel! When you were behind her like at :26, she was not as sure.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning! Lots of great stuff here!!! And because he is doing so well, we can dive into the tiny details that will help take everything to the next level.
Looking at the first video of more lazy handling 🙂 I think the lazy handling is paying off when you do real handling (like on video 2) because his commitment looks great! When I go to new places to train, I do a quick moment of lazy handling as a warm up with the youngsters to refresh the skill, then I start the handling – it really helps them with commitment.
>>I realized that the progression could not be to just add the next jump but to go back and work on 2-3 and then progress to 1-2-3.>>
Yes! You had some really smart back chaining happening and that was great 🙂 Click/treat for you!
>>He had a hard time finding the line for the third jump on both sides.>>
There are a couple of mechanics things we can do to help him out – I think he was reading the cues really well!
Bearing in mind it is a commitment game and not a distance game, you can move more (and point less :)). So when you are sending to the middle jump, yes you can send with a point but then you can be moving down the line parallel to the 3rd jump rather than point and send from a stationary position. That should clear up his questions, because the motion will support the line.
He found the line a lot better when you started to move more – as he is working on a parallel line, you can use motion/connection, no need to point up and down at each jump. The added arm motion actually draws his focus to you and off the line. You can see that at 1:11-1:12 and at 1:25 when you sent to 2, dropped your arm (the send and arm drop were a. collection cue) then tried to re-send to 3 but he was already coming towards you. Sending and motion up the line (lazily LOL) or keeping your arm up the whole time will support it more easily.
Speaking of pointing: a couple of mechanics ideas to help on the send pointing too:
When using your send cues (which involve some pointing LOL!!) be sure to point to the takeoff of a jump, while looking at him a bit more (and a low arm because he is low to the ground LOL!) . If you point to the jump out ahead of hm or the landing spot (like at :15), that turns your feet & shoulders away from the line and he starts to ask questions as you get further from the jump. And remember to use a big step with the dog-side leg for your sends (sometimes your dog side leg doesn’t want to help out LOL!!) And then you can move down the line – walking in the lazy game, running in the others – you don’t need to point at every obstacle, you can use connection and motion to commit him.
The same will hold true for tunnel sends: point low at tunnel entry (as if it was a takeoff spot), as if it was a takeoff spot, and keep your arm traveling with his nose (not ahead of him) and not out ahead to the tunnel. That way you can send from increasing distances. At 1:43, he had a question about the tunnel send (curled into you) – your arm was high and pointing ahead, which turned your shoulders and feet past the tunnel.
He got it at 2:05 but you were right next to the tunnel and standing still. So to be able to move away, the lower arm/more connection sending to the ‘take off’ spot will make a massive difference 🙂 And because he is already crazy fast and getting faster, we need you to be able to move away as early as possible.
You can work on a lower arm in general, so he can see connection. Later in this class we do have handlers run with drinks in their dog-side hand (helps keep the arms from flying up overhead LOL!) So feel free to start that with the beverage of your choice.
I think another thing he had questions about at least early in the video was whether he should keep going, or look for a thrown cookie. An easy solution for that is to use a marker for the cookie throw so he knows if it is cookie time. Marker? Find the treat. No marker? Keep going 🙂 You started using your ‘get it’ marker towards the end of the video here and it worked brilliantly!
Looking at Video 2:
>>Pesto is having to learn a whole new type of timing plus having to trust that he will find his line which is still not always predictable.>>
100000% true!!! It will get easier – things are going really well, and he is still really young.
The speed circles are going well. You can sse less pointing at each obstacle and more just running (with connection). Look at his form when he has no questions: head down, driving the line, big open striding, just gorgeous 🙂
He turns really really well – you can decelerate into the wrap :25 – as soon as he lands from the previous jump you can decelerate while you move forward. As he is collecting at the jump, you can do the FC. You might not get all the way to the wrap wing, but you don’t need to get there. The decel is the more important element.
The wrap to the outside of the wing then back down the line to the tunnel looked great in both directions. Super tight turn the big extension. LOVE IT!!! One thought:
Try not to yell your check/wraps cues 🙂 try to decel and same them quietly – you will get a better turn because of the decel and the quiet delivery of the verbal will help him collect better.
Blinds:
Loved the timing at :59!! And connection! This is set at a tight distance and you got it done really well – started at landing of jump before the BC so he had plenty of time to adjust and turn. Another click/treat for you. Also note the low arms helped him see the connection. Super!At 1:18 – you rushed away and never quite committed him to the jump after the tunnel. That is great feedback from him, because we need to know what he needs to see in terms of cues.
You had better commitment cue at 1:30 and 1:47 and 2:03, but he had questions. When he has a question, he slows down and gets hoppy in his jumping style as compared to when he has no questions and he is a head-down speed noodle 🙂 The physical cue at 2:03 actually did not cue that jump, I think he had learned the sequence 🙂 So be sure to cue to really clearly and to switch sides a lot so he doesn’t pattern – we want the feedback from him about what he sees about the handling.
Be parallel to his line but more lateral. You can be lined up to approximately the center of the tunnel, so when he is exiting the tunnel, you can make a big connection (arm down, eye contact) as you move forward. That will commit him and your lateral position will make it easy to get to the BC.
The NextLevel Pup games work specifically on this skill because we need to be able to get big commitment and not have to be close to the jump (otherwise the next line is really hard to get). That is what happened at 1:30 when you were not quite lateral enough – you had really good BC timing but you were totally on his line and got the backside (good reward there!)
After you finish the BC, you can add decel into the wrap exit (no need to try to get to the wrap wing, you can send him to it).
The FCs went well! Good timing! It might be easier for you to do a ‘throw back’ exit on those instead of a post turn – instead of competing the FC fully then rotating into the post turn, you can keep your feet facing him and indicate him to pass you for the wrap (countermotion and shift your connection and arm cue to the landing spot behind you). Just remember to keep your arms down – partially so you can turn more quickly, and partially so he can see connection better. We have a good angle at 2:21 – you can see how high your arm is and how you were moving away from the line – he takes the jump but gets hoppy.
So overall: things are going really really well and his commitment to the lines is really blossoming!!! Happy dance! That is why I can bug you about the tiny details like arm position LOL!!!
I think the best next step for him is the NextLevel Pup games – these are all big commitment games as you are further away laterally, and also behind him (which will set up rear crosses nicely when we need those).
Great job here!! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! The fluffy blinds gave us a lot of good info about timing and line!
There are 3 elements to this sequence, so we can look at each in all 3 videos:
The first element is the timing of the blind. On the first video, going from your right arm to your left arm, your timing was really good! The blinds were starting when she was a little past halfway between the 3 and 4 jump, so she was able to start adjusting before takeoff (:05, :26). That helped her turn well. On the2nd video (:04, :29 ), it was a stride later but still before takeoff. I bet her commitment is strong enough that you can start it even sooner: when she lands from #3 (jump after the tunnel) you can probably use your jump verbal and start moving through the blind.
The timing of the blinds on the other side (going from your left to your right) was later (:29 on video 2, and :53, 1:09, and 1:29 on the 3rd video) – the blind was starting as she was taking off for the pinwheel jump, so she couldn’t adjust til after landing. That created a wider turn. As with the other side, you can see her land from the previous jump, use your verbal and start the blind. It takes a lot of trust of her commitment for sure! But I bet she can do it as long as you keep moving.
One thing that went really well on all of these was she was very quick to change sides when she saw the new connection. What you can add to that is a more exaggerated exit line connection (dog side arm back as you look for her eyes, and opposite arm across your stomach to really open up the connection. As she gets more experienced, she won’t need as much of an exaggeration.
The 2nd element here was the line from the exit of the blind to the #5 jump. It is a fine balance, kind of like Goldilocks: too far, too close, just right 🙂 Dogs are very literal and they drive to the line we run on: The key to the best line is to start it on the exact line you want her to take (she is still behind you so you will not be blocking her) then keep moving so you get off the line.
On the first video, you were a little too far from the line you want her to take when you started the blind on the first rep, so she was a bit wide on the way to 5. You were on a better line at :26 so she was automatically tighter: super!!!
On the other side, your line was a little too close to the #4 jump so you ended up on her line a couple of times (standing on her takeoff spot, which pushes her line to the other side of the jump) on the 2nd video – and she correctly read it as a backside cue both times it happened. Totally rewardable!
When there are handling bloopers like that, just assume she was reading you correctly and either keep going or reward as if she was totally correct, if you stop. Otherwise it can get confusing for her: reading the cue correctly but then stopping/no reward as if it was incorrect.
The 3rd element is the wrap exit of 5 – after you finish the blind, when she lands from 4, you can start to decelerate into the wrap at 5, no need to drive all the way to the wing at 5 because that cues a bit more extension. When she was turning to her right (like on the first video), she was a little wide and the decel will take care of that by cuing collection before takeoff.
On the other side, when she was turning towards the peach tree – the post turn does turn your shoulders to it and without decel, there is an extension element as well. So she totally read the tree as an obstacle LOL!!! And that is fine because it gives us insight into ways to help her.
You can try starting the decel as she lands after the blind and doing the post turn before she takes off (you might not get all the way to the wrap wing but that is fine because it is more about her position than your position).
>> I think I finally did a reverse spin to tighten her up. >>
Yes, and it helped! You can decel into the start of that too: she lands from 4, you decelerate and send into the FC element of the spin, then when she commits you can start the blind. Commitment with a young dog might look like her front feet lifting off for the 5 jump.
>> We really need to work on tight wraps.
The decel will be the magic part of the cue: Try playing with the timing of the decel on the post turn sends and see if that adds collection because the info is earlier. You can also add in spins where it makes sense to turn to the new line sooner, because that can tighten lines too. Spins turn your feet & shoulders away from the off course (post turns can often turn our feet & shoulders towards an off course).
>Totally forgot to put in the front crosses. Will have to do that next time.>
It will be interesting to see how the FCs go! They will need to start really early (maybe earlier than the blinds) because the foot rotation on a FC takes a lot longer to finish than the rotation of a blind, but the connection is easier because you don’t have to break connection then re-connect.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Youtube has eaten the video. Sigh. I am going to set it up again and re-record it, if it ever stops raining 🙂 Stay tuned!!T
Hi!
Since the teeter is not alway available, you can do the target fading using a travel plank, and add in all the crazy crosses too 🙂 I do a ton of stopped contact work on a plank and not on the actual contact equipment 🙂
>>I need to separate teeter work out from other obstacles that are there or make sure that she can go straight onto other things. I should not have had to decel, but I also do not see J being as solid on her contacts yet to race past her consistently ( dog walk earlier that day proved that). We will definitely work on that.>>
For training purposes, you can stay in motion until a few steps after she has stopped… then go back and reward, then lead out again and handle the next part of the sequence 🙂 And as she is learning to let you move past, do crosses, etc, you can do it as a steady pace but not a full run – a slow job or fast walk, as long as you are not showing a change of pace. That will easily build up to a run.
>>Oh and we found out last night that J does not like storms. She kept me up through the thunder and lightning activities and also through the hail storm. Ugh>>
Oh no! You had some crazy storms move through!!! Hopefully you caught up on your rest.
Tracy
Good morning!
>>Seeing yours and other classmates videos make me wonder why in the heck I live where I do!>>
I moved to Virginia specifically for the weather LOL!!!! I was tired of 8 months a year of the frozen tundra of upstate New York. The folks in Michigan and Minnesota who are training outside? That is just crazy! They should have snow on the ground at this time of year!
>>Only because Kashia got startled when a horse came in the barn
and from there on I completely lost her drive and excitement. >>Ah, the joys of teenage dogs LOL!!! The neuroscientist behavior genius that we work with tells us that a startle like that will stimulate all sorts of stress hormones… that is normal. And it takes adolescent dogs 3 times the length of time to bounce back to baseline (resilience) than an adult dog or even a puppy. So a 4 year old dog with good resilience? Might have a startle then be fine a moment later. An 18-month old dog? Might have a startle and be fine in 3 hours… or 3 days. It sounds like this is what you were experiencing – the delay of her body chemistry returning to that baseline because she is a teenager.
If my adolescent dogs have a startle moment (I have 2 teenage boys at the moment LOL!) I take them on a sniffy walk or do something super easy to help their body chemistry recover. I do admit that it can be a royal pain in the butt if I have training that I want to do… but there is not a whole lot we can do in that moment besides letting them sniff (which helps a LOT) or doing easy stuff. And if they bounce back quickly! Cool! If not, no worries, they will grow out of adolescence 🙂
Looking at the first video – super nice!! She was really driving her lines here. Good rewards for the tunnel! Lovely connection especially on the exits of the FC wraps.
>>I should have used my verbals sooner. I felt that in the moment too but honestly, left and right directionals are so tough for me in split second moments that I get all screwed up when I try to remember which is which (my husband constantly makes fun of me but it’s legit something my brain can’t compute automatically).>>
Yes, remembering all of the words is probably the hardest part of agility!!! You can have your husband run all the dogs and remember all the words, then he will feel how hard it is LOL!!!
One thing we do to help get the verbals really easy for us humans is to run the sequence without the dogs, saying the verbals. Do it walking at first, then do it jogging, then running… getting all of the correct verbals out. Then it is MUCH easier when we run the dogs!
>>Even still, I think I could have warned her about “tight tight” sooner than I did.>>
A little sooner can help but also, using deceleration is very effective to help her know the big collection is coming. It is a subtle detail but you can see it here on the video:
As she was approaching the wrap jump at :11 and :51, you slowed down a little (your strides go from big to smaller) and she reads it really well… great turns at :12 and :52!!! She collected before takeoff and turned super tight.
Compare that to :31 and 1:12, where you didn’t decelerate as clearly, so she didn’t collect before takeoff and turned on landing, setting up a wider turn at :32 and 1:13.
So you can run hard until she is maybe halfway between the pinwheel jump and the wrap jump, then slow down a bit (as you are saying the wrap verbal). I am guessing as she matures, you will need to do that sooner but I think that is a good spot for it for now.
On the second video: I can see how she was a bit stickier on this video than she was on the first video.
>>I’m not used to turning to the outside with her. Assuming that was right?>>
Yes, that was good! Turning her to the outside is the faster line and also it helps with those weird ‘turn away from the course’ starts we see in UKI and sometimes in AKC.
And, turning to the outside on these might be part of why she was a bit sticky, along with being startled – it might feel weird to the dogs when they are learning it (“why are we turning away from the rest of the course?!?!”)
That first full run with the blind cross (:25 – :44) looked great! Nice blind! Especially the connection after it! And she did read turning to the outside really well. The only thing to add is a bit of decelerating sooner: when you finish the blind, make the connection like you did and slow down a bit as you keep moving forward. That will get her to collect before takeoff so she can be turned before landing. You had a bit of decel at 1:44 and that looked great!
The BC at :52 and 1:17 can start sooner – you started it as she was in the air over the middle jump, so she landed then turned. Compare that to the BC at :32 and 1:40, where you were finished with it before she took off for the middle jump, so she turned before takeoff and had a really smooth line.
>>I got my crosses screwed up a few times. I kept wanting to do like a double cross or something funky.>>
I think what was happening there (:55) was as you were decelerating, your brain was telling your feet to do a front cross by turning towards her. Then you realized you were picking her up on the wrong side so tried to adjust but it kind of ended up being Iike a reverse spin (a FC-BC combo).
The reps :35 and 1:18 and 1:43 were correct, turning away from her rather than towards her.
The last 2 runs here were front crosses – it is always good to try the FCs but in this sequence, the BCs seemed so much better! The FC did get her to turn on the middle jump, but having to do the foot rotation made it a lot harder for you to then cue the next jump on time. It just seemed like the BCs were able to start and finish sooner because you did not have to rotate your feet 🙂
>>One of my cats did too. He snuck in the tunnel a few times in between the dog’s reps>>
Ha! Cats always want to be in on the action LOL!!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>is it ok if she is leaving the plank or putting a foot down on the ground as she runs the plank? I noticed she did some of that in this session. Is that all a part of them getting a feel for the board & their bodies on the board?>>
Yes, it is fine – my guess is the behavior is a little too easy with the plank so low, so she is thinking about going fast and getting the treats 🙂 Because it is easy, she doesn’t really have to think about her feet…so we can make it a little harder by elevating the plank a few inches off the ground. Even if the board is just 2 or 3 inches off the ground, she will notice things more if her feet come off the board and she will have to think about her feet even more. And that is a good thing 🙂 So using anything relatively stable, you can put something under each end of the plank and see how she does.
The Lazy video looked great! Her commitment is really strong and that is what we want 🙂 Great job with your verbals. The added distance seemed to be no problem at all. Super!
On the sends – she found the middle jump nicely! As things get more complicated, you can think of the send as sending to the line and takeoff spot while looking at her, rather than sending to the jump itself. That can get her committing even sooner (because it keeps your shoulders facing the line you want her to take) and it earlier commitment can help you leave for the next position even sooner!
Speed circles had really nice commitment too – she was watching you but I think it was because she now thinks that the lotus ball is LIFE!!! And since you were decelerated (being lazy LOL!) she was able to do both: watch you AND find the line. As soon as you start running again, she will stop watching you 🙂
Driving to the tunnel on your left side at :58 was the hardest part of the session for her. I think maybe it was because you were a little further behind her than the other reps of driving to the tunnel? She sorted it out and had no questions on the other reps, so I am sure she will be fine with her tunnel sending on the other sequences.
She is totally ready for you to add the wraps and the various crosses! Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
Excellent work on both of these videos!>>These are my first real attempts at critiquing my own videos>>
I LOVE that you did this!!!! It will really help us sort out what he needs!
>>I really am here for you to critique but this time I am doing a critique and will see if I am close to what you see.>>
Training is a collaborative process! And part of that is training ourselves to see what our dog are doing. And it is fun to see if our critiques match LOL!! We are basically on the same page – great minds thinking alike, right? LOL!!
You definitely do not have helicopter arms LOL!!!! And great job with the verbals, that is really helpful for him!
On the first video: this went really well! One subtle detail is letting your arm/hand point to his nose the whole time, rather than pointing ahead of him.
>>at .07 I see my arm up as I send him to the #2 jump….he takes it with no trouble as I think my verbal was ok. >>
Yes – looking at how you used your arm here, it was really good: as he exited the tunnel at :05, you arm was low, pointing to his nose, and you were looking at him. Fabulous connection! And as he was over the jump after the tunnel t :06, your arm was still low, fingers pointing to his nose, clear connection, clear motion. That locked him onto the middle jump at :07. And yes, your arm came up higher on the way to the middle jump but you never pointed forward ahead of him: even up higher, your finger was still “attached” to his nose 🙂 So he had zero questions there. Yay!
Compare to the 2nd rep here, where he did have a question at :22 on the way to the middle jump, in the form of slowing down and curling in a bit then moving back out to get the middle jump.
>>at .21 my arm is in air but my verbal was earlier and one step send helped.
What happened there to cause the question was that your arm was pointing ahead of him as he landed from the jump after the tunnel at :22, which turns your shoulders away from the line (and blocks connection a little too). So if you freeze the video at :22 when you say left, you can see your arm ahead of him and your shoulders pointing almost to the purple jump (jump 3) and not to the middle jump.
The extra step and verbal totally do help! And keeping the arm down to his nose and not ahead will help too, especially when you are working at a bigger distance.
>> My arm is better for jump #3 and the tunnel.
Yes- the lower arm helped him see the connection/shoulders better and he had a great line! Yay!
On the 2nd video:
>> at .15 he looked at me as I was saying right but corrected himself at .16 and took the jump>>
Yes – I think the timing was good so his question was about the motion: you were cuing him to go ahead but decelerating, so he was double checking that he should keep going.
>>at .18 my verbal was late so his wrap was a bit loose/wide>>
Yes, you can start that tight verbal as soon as he lands from the middle jump.
The other thing that happened to make the wrap a bit wider was that you had what I call a ‘reverse transition’. You decelerated to support the middle jump, then accelerated into the wrap jump – so he totally thought you wanted extension there. Good boy! He heard the wrap verbal and saw the rotation starting when he was already in the air, so turned as soon as he landed.
>>at .20 arm was up.. good boy >
Yes but he was happy with it, because your hand was moving with him, and not pointing ahead of him. That appears to be an important thing for Seren! As he was coming around the wing at :18, you were connected and pointing back to him. As you sent at :19, your hand/arm was moving with his nose and also you had a great step with your leg. No questions there from Seven!
>>my verbal was late (I have trouble with left and right verbals..LOL) >>
You can run the sequence a few times without him to get the verbals going 🙂 I have to practice a lot without the dogs LOL!
Looking at the 2nd rep:
One thing I notice is that you ‘right’ and ’tight’ verbals sound a lot alike (:43 – :46). The timing was really good on both of them! To help him differentiate, you can take small style changes in the delivery: you can stretch out the ‘right’ so it is ‘riiiiight’ (I personally say my left and right cues as a question, which stretches them out: riiiight?) Then for the tight wrap verbal, repeat it faster and emphasize the Ti part of it, so it sounds like TiTiTiTight 🙂 That way they will sound completely different, which really helps the dogs.The wrap at :46 was much tighter! He collected before takeoff, which means he had the info a lot sooner. Super! Your verbals were very timely (yay!) and also, you decel was good there too! You went from taking big steps for jumps 1 & 2, into small steps before he took off for 3. He read that transition into decel really well and collected nicely!
>>next try at .47 arm was up >>
But he had no questions about it, because like in the previous rep: as he came around the wrap wing, your arm was down and you had great connection. Then even with your arm high on the send, your send step was super clear, your hand still followed his nose and he could see you looking under your arm for connection – no questions from Seren! That looking under a high arm to get connection is very European!
>>and used wrong verbal (hup instead of left but the super star took the jump>>
He was a good boy! “Hup” also means jump, so I think it was fine to use it there.
>>I like that I gave tunnel verbal before jump before the tunnel and he knew where he was going>>
Yes! And he took off like a rocket to get the tunnel. LOVE IT!!!
Great job here!!!! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Nice work on both of these videos – you were making excellent adjustments as you went and that got really lovely results!The first video went really well! Your connection was overall really strong 🙂 Now that things are getting more complex, you can carry the toy in your hand or put it in your pocket, so you can use your arms freely. That will be especially important with the crosses (more below on that).
>>I think I didn’t have good enough connection going to the right the first time so he missed the middle jump but when I made sure I did the second time he was dead on.>>
The connection was good but you can see at :34 – you were turned when he landed from the jump after the tunnel so he was actually correct to not go to the middle jump, according to the physical cue. Good boy! When that happens… don’t mark him as being wrong or stop or anything, just keep going and reward the next line. Sometimes we stop or say nice try, but it can be confusing to the dogs because they responding correctly to the cues they saw 🙂
Note the difference at :40 and 1:19, for example, when he landed from the jump and you were facing and moving to the next jump – nailed it! Nice!!
>>I found using the verbal “go” to the middle jump helps him keep moving and not look at me.>>
I think adding the verbal also added connection, both of which totally help!!! You might not want to use ‘go’ because it should ideally mean “go straight in big extension” and he is turning here (and we don’t want to lose the meaning of ‘go’ for when you need it on a big line 🙂 So you can use a ‘jump’ verbal to help commit him.
2nd video also went well! Good job rewarding or staying in motion in any blooper moments: he was reading you correctly!
The middle jump commitment is looking strong here and he is paying close attention not the handling cues:
At :17, you were not that connected and turning too early (as he as over the previous jump) so he didn’t take it. Compare that to :22 and the following reps: you indicated that middle jump much better with connection and a step towards it, so his commitment as strong.
You can add more transition for the wraps, so he gets earlier info and can collect before takeoff: run the opening line with more acceleration, so that when he is landing from the middle jump, you can decelerate as you cue the wrap. If you are far ahead, stay close to the wrap wing on the takeoff side, until his front feet lift up… then you can finish the FC and go the other way. That will tighten up the wraps and he will be able to turn before takeoff.
If you have the toy stuffed into a pocket, you will be able to move your arms more when you run (and won’t switch the toy from hand-to-hand) so it will be much easier to show the transition from acceleration to deceleration as well as the FC.
Good job sorting out the cues needed for the tunnel send! He didn’t take it at :30 – you were decelerating, puling away, moving the toy so he correctly went to the other side of the tunnel. Good boy! You were more connected and moved along the line towards the tunnel, so he committed much better at 1:17 and on the reps after that.
You can use even more verbals: the jump verbal for the middle jump, the wrap verbals as you decel into the FC wrap, and you can say tunnel multiple times 🙂 That will help him learn the verbals and also, the words are a good way to increase the connection (saying the verbals directly to him) because the connection and motion are the primary cues for now.
And nice job with the cookie trades for the toy – he was giving it back better and leaping for it less 🙂 Yay!
Great job here!
TracyGreat question!
>>Do you have verbals for which way to turn on rear crosses or is it defined by the handling and the direction to the jump?>>
Because rear crosses have gotten more complex (and I have gotten slower LOL!), I use my directional verbals to help the dog know what type of turn it is on the rear cross. For example, the ‘left’ can differentiate a soft turn from a wrap on a rear cross (different exit) versus an extension on a rear cross (where I would use a jump verbal or possibly a go verbal – totally depends on the course design.
And more recently I added one more rear cross verbal: switch! That means the dog should turn away from me and extend on a line because we are layering. I only ever use it in layering situations and it is basically permission for the dog to turn away and ignore my position LOL!! I will often add an obstacle name too, like “switch tunnel” to help support the layering.
I used to use a generic rear cross verbal (meaning “turn away”) but it turned out to be not clear enough for my dogs. They appreciate the additional info, since I am not getting faster any time soon 🙂 It took some practice to get the verbals in place but it is totally worth it!
Tracy
>>this probably would have been a really hard exercise for her a few weeks ago!>>
Yes – it was really fun to see her digging in to get the jumps here, at high speed and with good distances between the jumps!!!
T
Good morning!
>>My goodness it’s been a week already! Dang work getting in the way of my agility practice, how dare it!>>
Totally relatable! And the pouring rain is not helping with all of the work I need to do outdoors either LOL!!!
>>I tried implanting some of the skills we’ve learned running a sequence of like 6 or so jumps. Kashia did so great! Specifically backsides. I’ve been really practicing those and she reads it perfectly every time. She’s doing so wonderful with just the basics we learned in MaxPup Winter Camp!>>
That’s fantastic! It is so fun to see things coming together!!!
Lazy 2 went well! She is driving past you to the jump with speed without you needing to run to it, and that used to be hard for her! What might have felt awkward about it was that you were facing the send jump a little too long so getting the 3rd jump might have felt strange? You can send to jump 2 and when you see her moving past you, stay connected and start moving to jump 3.
>> I was conflicted on verbals and hands because the Lazy Game started out with neither so I wasn’t really sure how to accomplish the third jump the way you did. >>
The send hand can be a magnet to her nose: have it pointing back to her as you start the send, and let your hand swoosh forward with her to send to the middle jump. So there is hand movement, but the hand will be low (so she can see the connection) and try not to point ahead of her (that breaks connection too :))
For the verbals: as you start the send, you can use your left or right verbals, being sure to say them to her directly and not to the jump. And you can use a ‘jump’ or ‘go’ cue for jump 3.
Looking at lazy game 3: the warm up went well and I agree – Kashia loved when you added the speed! Fun!!!
She has really high jump value right now, so you can add more tunnel value by throwing rewards at the exit of the tunnel when she goes through it. She needed you to really be connected and move towards the tunnel a lot, so it would be great if she would go do it by herself the moment you said “tunnel” 🙂 Cookies will help accomplish that 🙂
>>She had a few bloopers but otherwise seemed to pick up on it good. Was I running too close to the wings?>>
She was finding her lines really well. The blooper like at 1:11 was a small break of connection – she was behind you and you were looking forward a little, which turned your shoulders a tiny bit away from the line to that middle jump. But this is why we play the lazy game: Kashia, please take the jump anyway LOL! No rewards for missing the jump, as compared to when you were more connected on that middle jump at 1:27 and she does get rewarded – you can reward that jump a lot (and be less connected for this game) so you won’t need to be perfect 🙂
The rep at 1:36 was a little less connected (which is GOOD for this game) and you were a little closer to the wing, so keep rewarding when she takes that middle jump so you don’t need to be perfect.
And when you are handling sequences and courses, yes, try to be connected 🙂 You are doing really well with that and when you are connected, she is finding that jump brilliantly and you are getting good distance there too! You can see it really well on the last couple of reps when she was on your right. Super!!!!!
I think she is totally ready for the next games, with the crosses and also the NextLevel Pup games 🙂
Great job here!!!
TracyGood morning!
I hope you are feeling better today!!!
>>Not thrilled with these videos but at least I am trying.>>
Well, I am pretty thrilled with them! Great sessions here! He is doing a GREAT job of finding his lines (and letting us know when he needs a little more info). And you broke it down really well, added your verbals, and did a great job with throwing the reinforcement to different parts of the little sequence.
>>And I feel I am thinking about it too much at the beginning and delaying. Seren does ok with it but it looks like I am just standing there too long before I release him.>>
He did fine with it! You can make more connection before the release, but he didn’t seem to think it was too long of a pause between the stay cue and the release 🙂
Looking at the videos:
Super nice job on the first video – he is doing a great job finding his lines and you were adding the verbals. His turns look really good and so does his commitment. You had nice low arms and he could see the connection, so he had no commitment questions.
On the second video, you were adding more verbals and sending, that is great!! And he gave us helpful feedback about what he needs to see on the sends.
Looking at :47 – when he landed from jump 1 and you sent to jump 2, you looked forward and pointed forward. That turns your shoulders away from the line and blocks connection a little, so he had a question and came in towards you.
Compare that to the sends you did at :11 and :26 (and the sends to the middle jump on the first video) – you had a lower arm and more connection to him… no questions 🙂 So the key for him on the sends will be to look at him and keep your arm following his nose. It is completely counterintuitive, I know LOL!!! But it keeps your shoulders facing the line so the dogs read it really well. I always remind myself to say all the verbals downwards to the dog’s cute face 🙂 and not to the jump out ahead.
He had a similar question on the way to the tunnel at :31 and :50 on the 2nd video – you looked forward and it turned your shoulders away from the line so he had a question about going to the tunnel. Looking at him as you deliver the tunnel cues will totally smooth that out. Plus, he might need the tunnel verbal instead of a ‘go’ verbal there for now?
>>Looking forward to working outside so we can add some distance.>>
Yes! That is a good next step for him. Spread it out as much as you can indoors and outdoors will be perfect too. And you can start adding in the next levels with more motion and the crosses.
Great job!!!
TracyGood morning!!
>>This is the first time ever, Skeeter has worked with equipment in his yard. We have worked in our coach’s yard, but never his own.>>
I think he did great here! It is *hard* for pups to work in their own yard! Yes, a little distracted in spots but overall really good! I think the distraction was happening for 2 reasons:
– the scents that caught his nose were on the line where the food reward toy was tossed on, so as he gets started working in the yard you can go to hand-delivery for now (rather than a thrown reward) of super high value rewards. Cheese or chicken can help override the distraction of being outdoors. And, hand-delivery can keep the cookie scents off the ground and get more focus directed towards you. When he is more experienced working outside in the yard, you can go back to throwing the rewards.
– as a teenager, he is going to get mentally tired very quickly. Dealing with responding to cues, doing agility, AND ignoring the great outdoors is really mentally exhausting! At the end the 2nd video, I think his brain was tired LOL! So you can do a rep or two then let him have a break… then come back in a few minutes for another rep or two. As he gets more experienced, his mental stamina will improve too 🙂
The sending games are going well! I think the most important thing we see here is the timing of starting the send:
When you start it as he exits the tunnel so he can see your leg move forward, your connection and arm too, he sends beautifully! You can see that at :06 and :32 on the first video, and also :36 and :54 on the 2nd video. Really nice! And the lower you kept your arm, the better he could see the connection and the better he was able to send.If you were too early and your arm was too high (blocking his view of your connection), he would look up at you and not send as well. You can see this at :17 on the first video (you did the send before he exited the tunnel so he didn’t see it, plus your arm was high and blocking his view of your connection).
On the 2nd video, the handling was good and his commitment to the soft turns was really good!! He was having a little more trouble with the distractions on this clip, so adding more mental breaks as well as super high value food will help him stay focused for longer and longer periods of time.
He was great with the teeter!!! It is so clever to have the MM on the other side to make the resets easy – I love it!! He was a little distracted by that at first but worked through it well. Something that will help him ignore the MM to run up the board: Higher value food at the top! When he was turning around to go back to the MM, I don’t think he was concerned about the height of the board. It looked more like the MM is easier to get to so if it is a choice between doing the hard work of running up the board or the easy work of hanging out near his beloved MM for the same value cookie… he is a smartie LOL! So you can use kibble or lower value stuff I the MM and have the cheese or something better for the top of the board.
Since he seemed very confident, you can add in smearing a bit of cream cheese at the top of the board and letting him run up ahead of you. Then go get him so he doesn’t jump off 🙂
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
>>When I got home at 8:30 pm it was still 64 degrees out. >>
Wow! I am glad you were able to get out and enjoy it before teaching indoors.
Thanks for the teeter clips! I am really liking her drive through the pivot and to the end of the board. Yay!!!!
I think she is still sorting out the specifics of the end position. On the first clip, she did a 4on (I think a target was on the board?). On the 2nd clip, the target was on the ground but further away so she shifted her weight forward and the board bounced a bit under her. On the 3rd clip, the target was closer to the board so she slowed down earlier.
So two things come to mind: we need to find the ‘sweet spot’ where the target needs to be (probably always between where it was in clip 2 and clip 3). And then we need to fade the target while preserving the behavior.
One thing you can do for the target fading is use pieces of duct tape as the target (white tape is useful!). And then you can use progressively smaller and smaller pieces of tape until there is no more tape 🙂 That is easy to use on turf because you can stick it down before your run and pick it up easily, with no residue on the turf.
The other thing to do is make sure that you are not decelerating and stopping at the same time she is decelerating and stopping – that is what was happening here. We don’t want her to cue off your decel or stop, so add in lots of running past the board until she is fully stopped… then run 3 or 4 more steps 🙂 And add in crosses, etc. All of that can be done with the games we play – like the mountain climber game lets you add in moving past, crosses at the teeter exit, rear crosses, etc. And we play the bang game later in the class which is great for adding independence and fading the target out.
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
