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Hi! This went really well! Her stay looked great here!
That really helped set up a successful serp session. Great job adding motion oh-so-slowly 🙂 The first side looked really strong.On the new side, I think the change in position of the PT made it harder on the first rep! The motion might have actually helped her out there – it drew her focus to your line and helped get her to ignore the PT. I think the PT placement was good, but for whatever reason it was what she was looking at there.
On the very last rep, you had good clear motion and a connection shift to your hand: that was the winner! Really lovely serp!!
So keep adding the bit of motion and separately add in your threadle verbal for a threadle session or two, then we can put them together in the same session 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
The sending to the barrels is looking good!
Stays are looking super strong, and she is committing really well!When you are sending her back behind you to the barrel, you can use your full arm to point back as well s turning your head. That way you don’t need to use your shoulder or lean back – the pointing will help add in moving forward for countermotion more easily.
Since her stay is very strong, you can add in using a big step and send to get her to commit to the barrel that is not the one near you – you can send her to the other barrel by stepping and using a send arm so she commits to it at a distance.
Tunnel threadles are going well! She is committing really well to both the tunnel and the jumps, and her turns are looking good too!
Question about your tunnel verbals: does “tunnel” mean take the entry on your line, and “pow” mean to turn away into the other side/threadle entry? I think you had your verbals reversed on some of the reps: for the threadle handling where she started between you and the tunnel, you were saying tunnel and it looks like you were saying “pow” for the regular handling like at 2:20 but then switched to tunnel lat 2:45 sometimes and then sometimes used it when she was on the threadle side (3:12)
At 2:30 when she took the other side of the tunnel, she was actually correct for 2 reasons: if pow is the tunnel threadle cue (take the non-obvious side) then that was where she went. Also, her line up position was facing that end of the tunnel and the motion had not started before the release, so she was locked onto the line she saw in front of her.
So, to strengthen the verbals, use them as consistently as possible, as that will help her know where to be 🙂
As you get more speed going on these and add tunnel-jump-tunnel-jump sequences, you can add more connection to the tunnel exit to get a smoother line to the next jump. At 3:01 and 3:06, you were a little further behind and so it was harder for her to see the connection. Sending to jump more will also help you get ahead more on the tunnel exits to show the connection, so feel free to make the connection but send her ahead of you rather than running all the wy to the jump.
Great job here!!!
TracyHi! It is just so crazy that you have green grass to run on! But really great to be able to train outdoors!!
The shifting connection is going really well!
The FCs at the beginning when she was wrapping to her right – super nice, very very clear connection, nice transition into decel and clear connection shift: pretty perfect!!! Great turns!
On the other side the connection shift was not as clear (wrapping to her left) – you were looking at her a little more and not rotating as much to use countermotion with shifting connection, so she landed wider until the rep where she is wrapping at :59 – you nailed the connection shift there and her turn was great!
Looking at the circle wraps –
On most of these, you were using lateral motion to get the commitment, so it was more of a FC turn-and-burn style move (1:20, 1:35, 1:39 1:56 for example). On those, as she got to the wing, you moved to the side (not forward) so she is not really seeing the countermotion and a connection shift is not really needed on those: your position was supporting the commitment. But with position supporting commitment, you were in the picture as she was wrapping (so there is less independence) and also it puts you further behind when she exits the wrap.Ideally you use more of the line of motion you did at 1:26, where you were moving forward the whole time (and less to the side). She did not take the wrap there though, because you did not shift your connection to the landing spot. So keep that great line of motion and shift your connection behind you as you move forward.
She had a couple of accidental RC crosses (1:46 and 2:45) – those happened when she didn’t see a transition into decel or a connection shift to the wrap landing and instead there was too much pressure into the takeoff spot as you rotated – totally looked like a RC cue 🙂 You then made the adjustment on the next reps and it looked good!
One last detail:
Remember to show exit line connection to her after a cross or wrap, even when you are just rewarding her, to make it a habit. The exit line connection is what clearly shows the next line. At 1:57 she didn’t take the next jump because there was no connection as you ran forward – you were looking forward and had the toy out, so she ran straight and didn’t take the jump.
Using motion to get it ended up pushing her to the backside, then she got a little confused and offered a backside. Note the difference at 2:19 and 2:28 when you were more clearly connection on the circle wrap exit, and she got it! Yay!
So if something like that happens (where she goes past a jump while you are running), you can
reward that and reset for the next rep because calling her back without a reward assumes that is what canine error which it was not 🙂Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Bummer about the video ending up being a photo! I wish there was an alarm on the device that asks if we should be videoing instead when it is on LOO!!The tandems at the beginning are going well – the next step to try is to use less foot movement on the RC line, keeping you on the same wing as you would be on for the regular straight line over the bar and just using the upper body to turn her away (hands, shifting connection). One thing that will help this is if you make a clearer transition into the shift: if your hands are already low and then you look at them, the dogs don’t read that as a connection shift that well (like at :26). But if you look at her and show her your hands a little higher, then drop them down as you shift connection, it is very obvious and you’ll get a better turn with less foot movement on the RC line being needed.
Looking at the threadle wrap:
>>It’s hard to get her to look at me and not the obvious obstacle as she rounds the wing.>>
You did a good job of turning your shoulders to the correct line on almost all of the reps here, so she ended up coming towards the backside. I only saw one time where she took the front of the jump and it was because you were looking at her and not making the shift, which caused your line of motion to show the front (1:40)
What helps a lot is making the connection shift more obvious by lifting your threadle wrap cue hand(s), looking at her, then dropping your hands down and shifting your connection to them. That just makes it more obvious so the dogs are able to pick out a small things (hands and eyes) even with all the motion happening and the jump right there. It is especially helpful for a one-handed flick.
And, while doing that, you will get the best turns while keeping your feet moving forward as much as possible. On the first rep where she was on your left, you were turning her with your hands and using your motion towards the jump to commit her, somewhat simultaneously, so she jumped on more of a slice line (and wrapped after landing when she heard the marker). You can see that at :46, 1:02, 1:26).
On the other side, you were stepping to the jump a lot less and moving forward a lot more, and those turns were much tighter – my favorite one being at 2:33! NICE!!! The line of motion seemed to really help her know it was a wrap and not a slice
When she was going straight to the other wing, I think it was just a bit of a timing and decel issue – you were moving forward and fast to pull her in, so she was not really locked onto your hands and without that plus a little decel, she thought you wanted the straight line. Exaggerating the shift from her eyes (higher hands) to your hands (lower hands) will help that too, because we never do that when we just want straight lines 🙂
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
It has been a cold, wet couple of weeks! I am glad things are drying out for you 🙂>>what is the last day that we can submit video for review for the course?>>
February 21st is the last day. Fingers crossed for more good weather ahead!
Tracy
That is great! A short tunnel is definitely easier at this point, she doesn’t need the long tunnel quite yet 🙂
Have fun!
TracyOh wow, I love your new training area!!! Lovely! It is great to see her back in action 🙂
>>I’m pretty sure I was using the wrong hand at first on the rocking horse. My handling sucks.>>
Your handling does NOT suck! You are soaking it up like a sponge and doing really well 🙂 Yay! For the rocking horses, your hands were correct (using dog side hand to send her. She did great!
One thing to add: you can step forward with your left leg when sending from you left side, and with your right leg when sending from your right. That will help propel her around the barrels, and then as we add more distance, it will be easier to move.
The next videos were the decel videos and they went well too! She did well with the toy and the cookies. You were tending to over-help a little by putting your hand on the landing side to draw her over the jump. I don’t think she needs that, you can stay on the takeoff side of the jump and let her go past you and over it. That way we will be able to start moving your position away from the jump so she won’t need you on the landing side.
You can see that on the 3rd rep of the 3rd video – you stayed on takeoff side, no hands on the landing side, and she went past you with a really tight turn!
Great job here!!
TracyHi! He did really well here!!! I think his only question was the difference between the serp and threadle when you transitioned between the two – part of that was because you were releasing into the serp from a threadle position, so when you changed to the a threadle it looked just like a serp.
What I mean by threadle position is near the entry wing on the jump – and ideally serp position is across the bar between the 2 wing nearer to the exit wing.
So for the next session, mix things up a bit and leave the PT in the same post each time (parallel to the exit wing). For the serps, release him when you are further across the bar (with a release word). For the threadle, release him when you are at the entry wing, with the threadle word (and you can swing your arm back a little bit more on a threadle too). That should help him discriminate and you can also then do alternate threadle and serp cues more easily.
His stay is starting to look strong so you can do this from a stay!
Great job here!!!!
TracyHi!
No apologies needed!To make the turn aways more of a turn away, we can put you on the other side of the wing so she has to come between you and the wing, then turn away. On these, you were putting her on the outside with you closer to the wing, so she was turning forward you.
So to set up the turn away: you can start her on your left and send around the wing – don’t do a FC though, see her on your left side and you stay on the same side of the wing. So then you will pull her in closer to your left (the next wing is also on your left) then flip her away for a turn away (also to her left LOL!)
Let me know if that makes sense!
Tracy
Good morning!
She did have to squeeze herself in for the wrap but she sorted it out LOL!
She did really well here! Her tunnel love is blossoming 🙂 and she was a tugging fiend! Love it! She gave you a connection workout too because she was hustling 🙂
One thing that will help her commitment in the early stages is more exaggeration on the connection – you can make BIG eye contact with her more obvious (as you keep moving like you did here) by having your arm more back to her nose and less forward to the obstacle. The arm forward was blocking connection (like at 1:26 when she didn’t take the tunnel) and because she is so inexperienced, she needs the over-emphasized connection 🙂
When she did see the connection, she was picking up the commitments really well!! So think of your fingertips as being magnetically drawn to her eyeballs 🙂 so when she exits the tunnel or finishes the wing wrap, you are pointing back to her which will make the connection super visible.
Great job here!!!
TracyGood morning!
The skills on both of these games here looked really good!!!! Super!! She had no trouble with the stationary countermotion on the serp exits – so you can add slowly moving forward as you are sending her behind you (still throwing the reward back to the barrel exit like you did here). Basically your feet will be moving forward but your arm will be pointing back and your eyes will shift to looking at the landing spot.
The sends to the barrel from the lead out also looked really good – she had zero questions 🙂 You can add more and more distance to send her to the barrel to help prepare for the bigger lead outs she will eventually see 🙂
About the stays – yes, this is the stage where the pups learn to manage their arousal about the various games and learn to hold the stay even when there is a beloved barrel or jump or eventually tunnel in front of them. You edited out the rewards, but keep doing a lot of throwing back of toys and treats to help maintain the value for the stay. You were also really good about separating the lead out/connection from the release, so she was definitely releasing on the word and not the motion.
The other thing to add to the stays is bringing her in on leash: that way she can learn how to do a line up and stay with the leash coming off. Adding it now will make it so much easier to get the line ups and focus at the start line when you start taking her to trials and stuff!!
Great job here 🙂
TracyGood morning!
Practicing at home is smart 🙂 Warm is GOOD lol!!>>Do you ever associate a verbal cue with a turn away or is it all just in the hands? >>
Yes – there are 3 different possibilities. I use “in in in” for the threadle wrap cue, which is when the dog goes to the other side of the jump then wrap. For the tandem turn, I use either the directional for which way I want the dog to turn (left, right, wrap, etc) depending on the course and how tight the turn is.
However, sometimes the tandem turns are followed by big layering moments when we want the dog to drive away from us in extension and find a line – so on those I say “switch” which basically says: turn away and get on a line (I usually say the obstacle name too, like ‘switch tunnel’ so the dog looks for a tunnel when he turns away.
>>I watched your competition track video again and I’m just amazed at how that hand motion automatically tells the dog to turn away from you. That feels like an impossible skill for us at this stage! >
Watch the MaxPup video and you will see that it is more awkward at the start LOL!!! The competition level dogs have been doing it for a few years so it is much smoother.
The video had a lot of a really strong moments! I think the skill is newer to her so you had to help a lot, but that is normal.
Your line if motion was really good here and that was why she came to the correct side of the wing pretty consistently!!! You were going straight past it on a line parallel to, so she was clear about which side to be on. If you edited out bloopers where she went to the other side (the FC) side then you were probably moving towards the wing and not past the wing.To help her turn away more fluently, you can make the hand cue more obvious (use both hands and close your hands like you are holding something as that will help automatically draw her to your hands). Then I think the only other detail is to keep your hands lower as you turn her away so she can follow your hands (you can do it without the wing just to get her more comfy to turn away)
I think you will see this skill get stronger and easier with a couple of short sessions – even if you don’t use the wings, you can do the hand movement and connection shift as you are walking around so she gets used to being turned away while in motion – then it will be really easy to get it while you are adding the wing too!
Nice work here!
TracyHi!
I think what was happening here was that when you started moving, the direction of your feet was overriding your hand cues and connection – feet were saying to take the jump, even when there was no bar there.For example at :20 & :29 as she came around the wing, your were moving and your feet were pointing at the jump, so that is where she went.
Ideally you would have your feet facing totally straight (towards the back wall here) and you are moving forward and not towards the jump at all. At :33, when you dropped the toy, you were facing straight and that was great! Facing straight and putting the hand cues and connection on top of that should really help – you might feel like you are pulling your shoulders away from the jump a bit and that would be correct 🙂
You can drop a toy, but be sure you are dropping it when she is on her way to you (rather than to get her to come to you) because if she is on her way to you, then you know the cue was clear 🙂
When she got it at the end, the cue was more of a lap turn (you were stationary and facing her) which totally works here too! The threadle wrap is for when you aren’t as far ahead, with the different line of motion/foot position to set it up.
Nice work here! Let me know if the line of motion idea makes sense!
Tracy
