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Hi!
I am so excited that you both had a great time at Westminster! She looked fabulous on the videos!!! Happy and fast š in that super noisy busy environment.
Standard was beautiful! JWW was also lovely!
>I panicked & did a sloppy BC to try & save it but my bad arms confused her and she came to the wrong side. >
It looked smoother than it might have felt. What happened was that you got the BC done at :31 but then looked forward, which cued her to stay on your left side. But she was happy and confident when you fixed it!
I am so thrilled with how she did in front of the big crowd. YAY!!!! You totally should stay floating on that cloud and enjoy the high!!
>Side note: She has 2 barks now. A soft, almost a lip-synch bark but with full facial expression ā is this her trial-polite bark? Haha. She is also giving me a louder more insistent bark, if the treats are slow in coming.>
Ha!!!!! You can give the silent bark a different cue, like āSilent Movieā or āInside Your Head Voiceā or something š¤£š
>I found a Back on Track blanket and got it for her crate at trials! She loves blankets! Itās pretty cool ā like a comforter but small-dog crate sized. It was a pretty good price on Amazon.>
Perfect! And you can use it on yourself – I have used the Back On Track stuff to heal strained quads and a knee injury on me š
>Do you think I should drop some of the FEO runs hat I have been doing and do 2 real runs so she has less runs per day? Iām conflicted because I want to keep it fun for her but maybe as the remote reinforcement games make it easier for her to leave her treats & have fun in the ring, Iāll need them less?>
It probably depends on what type of runs they are. The T2B and regular runs donāt seem to take up too much bandwidth, but the Premier classes have a lot more weird turns, so maybe fewer FEOs if you have Premier classes? Or if 2 Premiers are offered, maybe enter 1 so you can still do a fast and fun T2B a the FEO?
>Our next trial is a local trial, outdoors on grass. I was not going to enter because I donāt like the surface, one of the rings has uneven areas. But I thought I could use it as an opportunity to do āIn & Outā runs or ask for a start line stay and release them to a toy quickly. Do you think that is a good idea for both pups?
For Frankie – when is the trial? The NYC trip was probably exhausting so if it is this weekend then yes, skip it š so she can rest up and recover. If Frankie likes the quick release to a toy, then yes you can do a quick in and out in a few weeks. And Bazinga can totally do it!
Tracy
Hi!
Registration opens on Friday (2/14) at 11am, so you can sign up here when it is open:
Have fun!
Tracy
Hi!
This session went really well! He got all of the rear crosses except 1 (that one was just a little disconnected).One thing that will help make it feel even smoother if is you start moving before he gets to you or passes you. You can be a bit further from the jump and toss the treat as far away as you had it here – then a he finishes eating it, you can start moving forward to the center of the bar for the RC.
The other option is to start with a barrel wrap before the jump (about 10 feet away or more) – that might feel even smoother! And you can mix in some āgo straightā reps so he can read the difference between those cues and the RC cues.
Great job here!!!
TracyHi!
Fingers crossed the cold weather goes away – this winter is already too long LOL!!The Serps are looking good from position 1 and 2! He had a little trouble with position 3 – the angle looked like a threadle angle, so you can make position 3 a little easier and also you can be more visible been the uprights of the jump.
The other thing that will help is if you are closer to the jump, so he collects to turn before he takes off. You were a bit too far from jump on the first side (he could fit his whole body over it before turning) so try to be close enough to touch the wing with a relaxed, bent arm. You were definitely closer on the 2nd side!
>Mostly just working on getting him to move faster. I need to remember to do more tugging at new/distracting places and when heās fresh>
Looking at the parallel path commitment games on the jump and the tunnel – he was doing this really well and moving faster for sure! I think you can change the reinforcement to get even more speed – the back and forth with the cookie has probably maxed out on speed here because there is not a lot of running needed to get the cookie and also it is not that exciting š So you can use a thrown toy for the reward: what does he love? Fur tugs? Ball? Or you can use a lotus ball or something with food – you can throw it further and he will really be able to chase it and run run run š
Nice work here!!!
TracyHi!
>Well Sunday did not go! The class was cancelled due to snow.>
Darned snow! I am ready for spring.
>This Saturday I have Knight scheduled for Speedstakes 1 and 2 and Jumpers on Saturday. Then on Sunday I have him scheduled for Agility 1 and Agility 2 and Jumpers. I can also do mulligans after each of these runs if I want to.>
That is a lot of runs, especially at this time of year when the pups might not be outside running around as much as normal. So feel free to scratch runs if the course is weird or if he is at all tired, or even if he does great and you want to end early on a high note.
> Figure in Speedstakes I will start him at a tunnel. Jumpers at the weaves or tunnel. Sunday start at dog walk, Aframe, teeter, weave poles. Also thinking about starting at a jumper before the contact. Your thoughts.>
Excellent idea, especially because of how much he loves contacts! Fingers crossed the course design has lots of contacts and tunnels near the ring entry!
>You might have done this, but you can mix in a run or two in class where the rewards are outside the ring (then run to them at the end). The other runs can have rewards in the ring with you, but mixing in rewards outside the ring can keep those remote reinforcement skills sharp!>
Yes, you can totally do this. It is totally up to the handler so you can decide in the moment what you want to do, based on what you think will be most successful.
Have fun! Keep me posted!
Tracy
Hi!
How was Westminster? It looked wild!You couldn’t find it because I forgot to post the recording. SORRY!! It is here now:
Hi! Thanks for the update!
>then he watched as I gave it away with his leash for the others and he received it at the end of the run.>
This is a super valuable experience for him – very smart to show it to him at the match!
>I need to use a brake arm more, it is something I donāt do enough.>
The brake arm has been a great addition to the toolbox – we can keep moving forward while also getting great collection (without having to do nearly as many spins or other rotations).
The fun match video was fun to watch! I love that they had music playing and people cheering for you and Callan!
The barrels run was great fun – a really nice way to establish connection. There was a threadle wrap at the end of it (:23) – remember to use deceleration on those to tighten his line coming into it. Decel is actually a critical element of the cue but it is also not discussed or used enough there š
>The one time I lost connection with him he didnāt take the jump as I was rushing and thinking ahead, connection, connection, connection!!>
Yes, I think this was at :31 – he gave a great reminder to make big connection back to him on the tunnel exit. You can keep going when that happens to maintain the flow. The rest of the run looked great! And you made a big adjustment on the 2nd run at 1:18 and later at 1:53, fantastic connection and he had no questions. YAY!
The standard run also looked really good!
>He missed his down contact in his running A frame in the last clip so that is something to work on. I also need to practice a soft turn cue from the Aframe or other pieces of equipment, other than jumps. Do you have one and if so what is it?>
I use the same soft turn cue as I do for jump (left/right) and the timing of the verbal & physical cues is pretty early – before the apex of the a-frame, for example. So you can work the frame by giving really early cues but rewarding him for hitting the contact zone correctly š
>I was very pleased with his behaviour and Startlines all day! š Interesting that he barks as running the fun barrel racing but not during agility courses.>
Yay for his good behavior and start lines! I think he looked great! About the barkingā¦ it looks like he has to think a lot harder for now in the jumping and standard runs than he does in the barrel racing runs. When he is more experienced, he wonāt have to concentrate as much in the jumping/agility runs (it will be automatic) and you might get some barking there too š
>I have the UKI Cup this weekend. Only doing Speedstakes. We do have a fun run on Friday. It will be busy with two rings going! Wish us luck!>
FUN!!!! Have a blast, I know he will be terrific! Send updates!!
Tracy
Hi!
>With the line-ups where she was still standing.>
Yes – you can ask for a stay in that moment, 50/50 are decent odds. It is her current version of ‘all business’, perhaps? She is lining herself up facing the jump, so maybe see if she can sit in that spot. It might work great! Or not at all š¤£ she will let us know.
>I saw the rabbit fur lotus balls at Clean run but wasnāt sure how to attach a bungee to it. >
I took a thin long bungee from another toy and tied it around and the center. Not the best looking toy out there but definitely functional LOL!
T
And Lift has been meh on any kind of lotus toy that doesnāt have fur ā there are a lot of fabric/canvas ones out there that I found.
Hi!
He did great with the countermotion serp exits! You can start moving forward even before he is passing you to challenge him to continue to the barrel (be sure to look behind you and indicate the landing spot as you did here).
You can definitely move to the advanced level where you are in motion across the jump and passing the barrel before you release, so you are on the takeoff side as he gets to the takeoff side too.
>Should I have used his wrap cue there?>
If you are doing this as a regular serp then yes, you can use a wrap verbal (but it is not really needed because the physical cue is powerful). You will also be able to apply this to backside serps with wrap exits, and it will eb the backside verbal for those (wrap verbals not needed).
For the advanced level, you can probably pivot the setup 90 degrees so it runs lengthwise in the room, giving you more room to move.
The lateral lead out also looked good here – you will get a smoother line to the barrel if you can get him to focus ahead (and not look at you :)) before the release. You can try it by slowly putting your hand & foot into position, pointing towards the barrel, and wait to release until he looks towards it (I donāt think he has a verbal cue on this but maybe I am remembering incorrectly? We can also work on adding a verbal if you like).
If he struggles to look at it with the hand/leg cue, we can put a target out kind of like the beginning forward focus game on the cone: a toy or bowl placed on the entry line. Then that toy/bowl moves around the barrel so he is looking at the barrel and not at the toy/bowl.
Great job here!!
TracyGood morning!
>I think he liked having more space to practice this!!!>
I agree, he definitely likes having more room to move here! Fun!
He did well with the serp versus the threadle here – you can add a bit more movement, progressively working up to being able to run through it over a bunch of sessions. As you do that, remember to stay close to the jump – one casual armās length away. You were a little far away on these. He got it, but as you add movement the position relative to the jump becomes even more important.
And when adding movementā¦ if something goes wrong, assume it was handler error and either keep going or reward. On the rep where you had a blooper (at 1:11 where you did a serp physical cue and a threadle verbal), so he served), you indicated error (note the change in body language and the drop of your right hand) and he jumped up at your face.
Even giving him cookies on the way back to try again wonāt override the frustration/arousal shift when you indicate an error, so the one of the ways we build resilience is being sure to not indicate errors.Note the difference when he didnāt take the 2nd tunnel at 1:40 and you praised and rewarded (that was also handler error and probably above his current pay grade coming off a threadle š )
Nice work here! Have fun adding motion!!
TracyHi!
>I realize we really need a stay. Itās a work in progressā¦baby level at this point. And sometimes itās decent, and then at other times the whole concept is gone. Which is ok at this age. When thereās no stay, I change to games that donāt need a stay, or just end the session for a while.>
Stays are definitely hard! And I think they are mentally expensive – so you can start a session with a stay or two, then switch to cookie toss starts.
On his stays here, you were walking back to hand-deliver a treat. That can work, but definitely mark to let him know you are coming back so he doesnāt move. Also, when doing lead outs, youāll be able to build up distance and duration really quickly by marking and throwing the reward back to him. So when you are working the threadle slices, for example, you can go to position (have a cookie ready in your hand), stand still, say your āI am throwing it backā marker then toss is just behind him. That builds a lot of value for you being progressively further and further away š
The threadle slice session went well! He really loves to target the hand š Popping up to target it will go away as soon as we add motion but it is wonderful how much he loves driving to you on these. You can add a barrel to the jump as a āwingā because he will always see this with a wing. Since this is going so well, you can look at the serp and threadle next-steps where we do add a bit of handler motion.
He did a great job on the minny pinny too! He was very careful to look at the bars and get the striding correct in both directions – good boy! And nice job with your placement of the reward to get the last barrel to have the soft turn too. Yay!
>I didnāt remember to hold his collar, and heās still not a fan of this (and I need to spend some time improving his emotional response to holding the collar)>
This game is a good way to build up some collar holding love – You can line him up at your side with a cookie, then put one hand on his collar (or one finger) then immediately let go so he can move. The line up with the cookie before the collar touch makes a big difference (most dogs donāt want to be moved around by the collar). And since he is small, you can do this sitting in a chair so that you are not bending over as much (bending over can add pressure that he might not love). As he gets happier with the collar holding, you can add in saying the verbal before letting go, but you donāt need to do that until he is very comfy with your hand on the collar.
>Feel like Iāve fallen off the training wagon a bit, but looking forward to working towards the skills we need for these latest games.>
No worries, you had work and life stuff, and he had a little break. He looked strong here so you are totally on the right track.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
>Iāve been looking for another fur covered lotus toy on a bungee off and on for weeks and finally realized I bought the one I have from Fusion! (Ordered from Paws Made in the UK) Good news a special order going in tomorrow. Bad news they wonāt get here for a few weeks.>
Clean Run sells them and they are usually quick with shipping:
https://www.cleanrun.com/product/lotus_ball_with_rabbit_fur/index.cfm
(I attach my own bungee :))I also did a search on Amazon and found a bunch of them and similar toys. I am sure delivery to your area would be quick too!
>but I only have 1 lotus toy and I would like to use it for part of the seminar with Casey on Friday. So should I make sure I really clean out any crumbs after the seminar and still use it as my bridge to the food box?>
Yes, cleaning it is fine š Do you have a different normal lotus ball for the seminar? Or maybe someone has one you can borrow?
Firt video:
>but lots of feelings about lining up (not sure if it was the lack of treats or just because).>
Sitting after lining up between your feet was definitely hard here. She was lining herself of facing the jump – when she does that, can she respond to a sit cue? That is an option to get her into a stay. Or you can cue a spin then ask for a sit. The other option is to not ask for a stay at the beginning of the first run – a spin start (a spin cue then take off running) worked great!
>I am pretty sure we wonāt have time (or enough brain cells) to do more than 2 mini sequences.>
Hopefully there is a tunnel close to the ring entry, that would be fun in the short sequence!
The tunnel exits went really well! The Go on and RC on the jumps looked good! Her only question was on the left turn cue for the tunnel under the a-frame: she came out looking straight each time. Looking at the timing, I think the physical cue was a little late. It happened just before she entered, so I think the last thing she saw was you facing forward. If you can turn away while she is still 4 or 5 feet before the tunnel entry, she can see it better. A brake arm can also help that, it would be interesting to see which one is clearer for her.
Nice work here :)āØTracy
Hi!
Congratulations on her first ribbon!!! It is very exciting the hear that she is figuring out the trial environment!!Her runs are looking really strong – I am very happy to see how well she is driving her lines. At the openings of the course, since you donāt have a big long lead out yet, you can use a break arm for tight turn in the opening. She is looking for lines which is good, so using a 2 handed turn cue can keep you moving while also get the turn you want. On the first video, a break arm can help get the turn to the first tunnel.
I think that as she gets more experienced, she will find the lines even better. Plus, adding contacts and weaves will make it easier because you will have time to catch up to her š Now that there is a little break from trials, you can prioritize the weaves – let me know how she is doing and we can troubleshoot if she has questions. And also, getting the contacts finished up can be a priority too!
>She is now offering a sit at the start do still get a stand when remove lead so may experiment with carrying in no lead on. >
This is great – the stays are really dramatically improved. Yes, carrying in might be good or take the leash off as you approach the line then let her offer the sit after the leash is off. Or, cue the sit after the leash is off if she stands.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Iām thinking that the difference between the 1st and 2nd setups was that Judith was already sitting in the chair before I brought him out to the floor vs being out and watching her walk to the chair in the tunnel mouth setup. >
Aha! What a great observation! And since he is highly successful with the ring crew already in place, you can add in asking them to move to position as he is coming to the line. This is very realistic and would totally happen at a trial!
>Iām thinking about taking my time in bringing him out to the floor in our trial runs ā wait until the barsetters are done and seated and the judge is in position before bringing him to the line. >
Yes, you have plenty of time if you are first dog after a height change. He is inexperienced so he basically needs things to happen fast at a trial – delays might cause him to notice things in the environment more. Plus it is unpredictable – how long will a height change take? It wonāt matter when he is very experienced but for now as his career is launching, you can wait til the height change is finishing before moving to the line.
>I can still bring him out early is classes and reward for for pattern games and volume dial work, maybe helping him acclimate to the movement in the ring.>
Yes – and build to bringing him in without treats and having him experience a delayā¦ those are inevitable! And then he can get rewarded early in the course after that delay.
> ā a work in progress, some chasing, no tugging, not his thing yet. Happiest chasing it after I tossed it.>
Chasing is great! It is stimulating and fun, so it can accomplish the same goal as tugging in terms of building excitement and engagement.
>Judith will also be attending this coming Saturdays UKI trial ā any thoughts on how to best use her as a helper if sheās willing?>
Good questionā¦ maybe she can be ring crew or help ring crew get into position before Coal enters the ring?
Keep me posted!
Tracy
