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What a good boy! He is quiet with the toy in his mouth 😁🤣 so that is a simple strategy for those in-between moments 🙂 And then he starts saying “GAME ON! GAME ON!!” followed by working perfectly. There is no way I would recommend punishment of that passionate approach to training. What a great dog ❤️
Good morning!
This is a set point video, can you repost the sequence?
>>This has always been a big struggle for me because I don’t know what to do with myself.>>
Two things to do when you don’t want to move away at top speed:
– run closer to the lines on the technical sequences, so you can go fast but it might be easier to stay connected and not get too far ahead
– run connected but slower (this is not that easy to do LOL!!) Play around with jogging with connection, as this is a great middle step for young dogs as they learn to find lines while coping with all of the excitement that comes with fast motion.Tracy
It sounds like she did well with the toy in your hand! She will get used to ignoring it 😁 the more she sees it. And it will be great for FEO runs!!
Tracy
Hi!
>>I think I was getting worried and more annoyed thinking about what others think! >>
That is a *them* problem, not a *you* problem. Rev is being a very good boy and he is singing the song of his joy to be able to work with you. It is a dog sport, there might be barking LOL!! If they really want barking, they can come play flyball LOL!!!!
>>We went to a seminar last weekend and the instructor and my instructor thought maybe I should use an e-collar!””
OH H*LL NO!!! I can list all of the reasons why that is a terrible idea. He can bark on the start line (because he is holding the stay and you are maintaining criteria – things fall apart quickly if you don’t maintain criteria). And if he is barking a lot during the in-between moments, you can give him something else to do: carry something, play pattern games, chew something, lickmat, etc.
>> I said no, no, no, not happening.>>
Good! I stand with you!!!!
>> He is just so excited to play the game and I love the excitement! He an amazing dog. My first lab(I have always had GSDs and malinois) He has so much joy for everything we do and just as much drive as any malinois!>>
I agree, he sounds SO COOL and we want the excitement. The other thing is that sometimes with excitement barking, the dog doesn’t really know he is doing it so if we get mad about it… he will get confused and frustrated and bark *more*. So we either ignore it or re-direct it, and all will be good.
>> Or not exactly ignoring it but laughing with him and kind of sharing the excitement. Tug, drop, get it tug, repeat, sit walk away and release.>>
Perfect! He is singing your team’s fight song and that is great!
>> I feel that matching the excitement of my dogs instead of trying to suppress it keep us on a level together instead of far apart, more connected if that makes sense. The last thing I want to do is add stress to either of us.>>
I agree! Suppressing doesn’t work, and it will add stress/confusion/frustration and more barking. So we embrace his joy and direct his behavior to fit the games we want to play. It sounds like he is doing GREAT – I mean, he is only 15 months old and doing fabulous stuff already!
>>He comes from TK Hot Retrievers in Idaho. Jim Closson is the breeder. I can’t recommend him enough. He knew exactly the kind of dog I was getting. He knows his dogs. At 15 months old Rev already has his advanced scentwork titles.>>
Very cool! His name is familiar, I am going to check to see if any of my other Lab friends got a dog from him too.
Tracy
Hi! I am glad you tried it again, you are definitely getting it! I think the hardest part is the patience to keep moving towards the jump with connection and your arm not being far ahead, until she gives you permission to move to the next line by committing (liftoff, in this case for now).
You were looking at her at :21 and 1:03 and 3:13 and 4:29, but your pointy arm blocked her view of it 🙂 and you turned your line before she gave you permission (by lifting off) to do so.
The cheating comment cracked me up! Doing it on your own is not cheating. Moving the jumps is also not cheating, you didn’t move them enough to make a difference LOL! Putting bacon on the ground might have been cheating, but you did not do that hahaha
The runs at 2:35 and 3:49 was successful because you gave the BIG connection with less arm, and kept moving towards the jump til you saw her lifting off (she was giving you permission to move away :)) Your arm moved with her rather than ahead of her and the rest of your body was facing the jump for a lot longer.
Here are some pictures 🙂
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KdYHXL3ZpmHb-EluX8E8_rzTUouWsBjH1mIXEnvRJos/edit?usp=sharingIt will get easier as she gets more experienced, but young dogs do need us to maintain that cue until liftoff on these sends that turn them away from the course.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Hi!
>>This weekend there is a local trial so I can take these things on the road and see how she does.
Sounds good! Have someone follow you like paparazzi to get video. Or, set up a tripod to catch you in action, so we can see what is going on.
>>I tried seq 4 and 5 tonight. I am still struggling with her not being as obstacle focused as I would like.>>
I think 2 things are happening:
– you are probably seeing a bit of value shift away from lines because the rewards have been coming at the end lately. So be sure to surprise her with more thrown rewards on the lines to keep line value very high. This is normal with young dogs (value shifts) so more thrown rewards will sort that out easily.– “Go” is losing its meaning a bit, so when you cue ‘go’ for an extension line, she totally says “nah, that is not what she wants” LOL! So be sure to use specific directionals and save GO for big lines only.
– when connection is soft (meaning you are looking forward and pointing ahead of her) she is looking up at your for more info – this slows her down and makes the lines feet sticky. When connection was clear, she was flying! Yay!
I grabbed screenshots of 2 spots where connection was not strong enough, and one spot where connection was great:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HVkZoUdYkPAzCPbi-7YEK5aTUl12ihCa4LsmfE_rmH4/edit?usp=sharingSequence 4:
You can lead out a little more laterally, to show the line to 2 sooner. At :49 and 1:31 you were still behind 1, so she was asking if it was a turn on 1 or a line to 2.She had a question on the way to 3 at :52 – you looked forward and changed your line to the threadle wrap side, so that is what she did 🙂 It is one of the screenshots.
When you had clear connection on the next rep, she nailed it! Yay! There is a screenshot of that one too. That is a good place to throw a reward to refresh value on the line.
The ending looked good!!Seq 5 – This went well too. You can handle 1-2 like a serp before the release – arm back in serp position before the release (more like what you did on the 2nd run) and closer to the line to 2, so she jumps more directly towards 2. And adding the big connection to 3 will get her on the line for 3-4-5 without feeling as sticky – you were looking back and forth a bit, so she was slowing down to be sure about what the line was.
5-6-7-8 looked good! She was flying there! Be sure to call her before she enters the tunnel so you get a good turn on the exit. The calls are coming after she is well into the tunnel, so the straight exit has been cued – and that changes the line and causes you to have to wait for her to adjust it. So let her hear you calling and see you start to do the cross when she is still about 4 or 5 feet away from getting into the tunnel. That way she will exit turned, making the last line very smooth.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
>>I thought I’d just try the skins first and shape them into some toys>>
These look good! I am sure Reacher was wondering why he couldn’t just catch it in your yard for you LOL!
>> I didn’t know if I should put food it in it or not, if there was food in it how long do I tug it around before letting him open it. Ugh, it just felt weird!>>
It will get less weird feeling 🙂 And yes, put food in it to incentivize him to chase it. You can keep it moving til he stomps it with his feet 🙂 He seemed happy to chase it here even without food in it. It will be even more fun when you can run more! Remember to fully extend the line and don’t have the lotus ball in your hand, to get maximize chase for it 🙂
>>However, I did try to keep the tricks/tugging time a bit shorter before entering the ring, per your recommendation, but I am struggling to get the timing right…I’m not always sure how long it’s going to be before going in, so what do you do if it’s longer than expected? Is that where the engaged chill comes in? I worry about getting him too amped up and then there’s a delay, or starting to mellow because I think it will be longer before going in and then not having enough time to get the volume dial turned up. Advice on handling timing, please>>
In general, doing it as they change to your jump height is good, then definitely as you move into the ring/take his leash off. If there is a dog before you in the jump height, you can do it when that dog is maybe halfway through the run (depending on how long the turn is). If there is a short delay, you can do a bit of engaged chill and re-start the tricks right before you turn. If there is a long delay, you can even go back to pattern games then the tricks right before you run. The timing will be less important as he gets more experienced with the games and with the environment in general.
>>Still felt unsure how to play with the ball on a string:>>
Think of it as a lure for him to chase 🙂 You can use a very long string or furry tug to attach it too!
>>Almost a relief to have the rabbit fur fall out as an excuse to try it.>>
He seemed very into it!!! I think you can do an arts and crafts project – tie all the skins to a long toy, making it into one insanely awesome toy. He was really driving for it and chasing it, even after food was in the picture! I think his engagement and speed here was great! Food might be king, but so are things to kill (terriers…. LOL!)
>>For our NFC runs this weekend should I plan to use the food box even though we have not had much time at all to practice that concept?>>
I think you can enlist an assistant at the trial (friend or family, someone can help you out in UKI NFC runs). Have that person put your food in the food box for the end of the run. The reasoning behind that is so he doesn’t get distracted by the food (he is not fully prepared for remote reinforcement, so I don’t want to ask for it – we can save it as a surprise at the end). And try to go into the NFC run with the All-The-Dead-Things-Tied-Together-Toy. And ask him a series of questions: can you chase the toy as I run it away from you? Can you tug on it? Can you do a tunnel and then chase the toy I am draggining? Can you do a jump and tunnel or tunnel then jump and chase the toy I am dragging?
If he answers yes to each question, you can proceed to the next question. If he answers no, you can try one more question but if it is still a “no, I can’t” answer – run to the food box and give him food. All you get is 45 seconds, which goes really fast!
And at the end, run to the food box and give him a jackpot 🙂
See how that goes for the first run and let me know 🙂 either here or on Messenger. Then we can plan for run 2!
The overall goal is to keep things VERY HAPPY and just have a grand time in the ring with no pressure and no real criteria (don’t ask for a stay LOL!)
Both of the whippets had their NFC debuts last Sunday. I am going to play these videos to discuss in next Monday’s Zoom, but since your NFC is before then, you can watch if you like. My goals were to get them playing, have a grand time, and do some jumps & tunnels.
Larry The Rental Whippet really only trains for food, but I was using a new fur toy here and he loved it:
And here is my Ramen:
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>Question: After I complete the run and reward and praise him, would it be okay then to go back where I had an issue and just work on that section since I still have time?>
Absolutely! I am sure he will be happy to do it! I think of it as giving big rewards to the dog for sticking with me, then going back to let the dog help me figure out what I was doing wrong 🙂
T
Hi!
Good session here!>>First couple of reps I was going to try to do the brake arm but completely forgot. >
Yes, I think the brake arms will work really well. Post turns to create a tight turn are not a thing with this particular dog 🙂 . And that is ok, post turns are not a particularly good cue for tight turns for *most* dogs. They don’t change the line and then we end up pulling away to a strange position with a lot of motion (and still don’t get the turn). Post turns are more of a “stay on the line I am turning towards” cue so the brake arms are more effective.
>> When I did try to use it I think I ended up spinning instead>>
For the brake arm, think of it as a 2-handed post turn: you are still turning towards the line 3-4, but the outside arm is involved and prominently directed towards her (very little turning at the waist, as much as needed to show the outside arm but as little as possible). And decel! You were rotating a lot at the waist and turning your feet, which is why the spin made sense to your body.
>> I really don’t want to use a spin on these kind of turns>>
Spins are an effective tool here too! In this case, they turn you quite nicely to the next line so there is nothing lost by using them in this context. And as she gets more experienced, I bet you won’t need them nearly as much.
The other thing to consider is running less fast 🙂 On tighter sequences with youngsters, one of you gets to go fast and one of you gets to keep things very clear. She has elected herself to be in charge of the “GO FAST” so you get to slow yourself down and make things clear in terms of BIG connection and not going as fast. A lot of motion can make the rest of the info harder to process, especially when you are further ahead.
One thing to do is to keep moving out of the turn at 3, but not as fast – there is no place to accelerate to here for the rear cross, so you end up hitting the brakes and then accelerating into the RC, which is why she went so wide there (reading the acceleration cue).
Another place to consider running more connected and not as fast was the line after the tunnel, where she had a big run past the 2 jumps after the tunnel at 4:28. It might have been lack of connection with so much speed and you being that far ahead, so she was following motion and going a little wide to find the connection.
The connection was a little clear at 4:53 so she took the jump after the tunnel but you were still getting the run past a next jump. You can do speed circles on this setup, running simple lines, with massive connection and not trying to get way ahead, just to be sure that she is locking on the lines. Then you can gradually increase your speed while maintaining connection. It might be a little uncomfortable to NOT run fast (I’d say medium jog speed for now) but it will really help her process the cues on the lines and turns!
>> I was also really focusing on staying connected with her startline which I think I did a good job with but I still think I’m releasing on motion>>
Yes, good connection! Add in more praise and arm up before you release, so she is not moving based on your rhythm of release.
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>Can you provide me with a presentation every time? LOL.
Ha! Sometimes visuals work better than words. And it took me a full decade that I could put screenshots into a slide and draw arrows on them. Better late than never LOL!
>>So for startlines, I think I need to focus how to line MYSELF up each time so I’m not moving and I”m very directly showing her where I want her to go with shoulders/feet. And if I’m pointing, shoulders and feet need to be the same way as I’m pointing.>>
Yes – those lateral lead outs require a decent amount of precision with baby dogs. Plus you can add in praise so she doesn’t predict your rhythm. Get to your spot, indicate with a hand, praise…. then release.
>>I also knew from your last feedback that I really needed to be facing that jump with my entire body. I think this will be a bit of learning curve for my handling with her because she’s so fast/responsive that I want to make sure I’m giving her cues early enough but she’s very literal. I think I can get away with this with Emmie but need to build up the teamwork still with Lu.>>
Think of it as a 3 step process (literally LOL): your motion can be fast forward on the previous line, then as she exits the previous obstacle, change to slow forward (decel). As she locks onto the turn jump, you can rotate. The magic is in the decel, and keeping the decel separate from the rotation.
T
Hi! This went really well!!
>>. I try not to be holding a tug or food because she can get focused on it. Delivery of said tug, however, is often late. >>
You can try running with it in your hand sometimes on simpler sequences, to help her learn to ignore it (which will also be useful when you start running NFC/FEO at trials). And when you do want her to take it, be sure to use your marker word (I say “bite”). That will help keep things clear for her.
A couple of ideas for you:
She is ready for you to set her up further back from 1 so she can begin to stride in with more power 🙂 Try to 10 to 12 feet back from jump 1 for now.
The tunnel send was great!
After the tunnel, rather than wait for her to pass you for the RC (which caused a turn in the other direction), you can easily hop into a front cross or a blind cross. You were in a really good at 6 for that
To smooth out 7-8, you can handle more with your eyes and less with your hand 🙂 As she landed from 7, you looked forward and pointed forward, which turned your shoulders to the inside of 8 – she saw that and slowed down to look at you. You were able to get her back out, but the line will be smoother if you keep your hand back more (towards her nose) and eyes turned to her more too – that will turn your shoulders to the line you want more clearly.
And that will smooth out the 8-9-10 line too, because you won’t have to go as close to 8, so you can be a few steps ahead to show 9 and 10.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning! Thank you for the info, this is very useful!!!!!
>>It worth mentioning I am an LVT that worked with DACVS’s for 5 years – that does NOT make me AN EXPERT by any means though, lol. Dogs can certainly hide some things really well.>>
This is fantastic! And yes, they can hide things because endorphins are analgesics so the dogs might not be feeling the pain when running or at the vet when getting examined.
>>He has had his annual exam in August and a lux patella exam for OFA (no lux :)).
I am glad they didn’t find a lux! Did. They do the exam with him standing? If so, he might have hidden the lux because he is muscular. Next time you see a sports vet, see if they will do the exam with him on his side (where the lux cannot be muscled through LOL!) I have first hand experience with the exams being fine standing but definitely not fine on their side.
>>His most recent hwt, lyme, erlichia test was neg. >>
This is good! The snap test is not the most sensitive and doesn’t cover everything, but it is good for now and you can always revisit it later on.
>> when I looked back he was sideways on the ground on just past the landing side of the Aframe. It took him a minute and then he was back up. >>
Poor buddy! Ouch!!!!
>>No limping or obvious movement or mental deficiencies. >>
This is good! But it might be one of the root causes of his struggles. And definitely check shoulders/psoas soft tissue and spine, both of which could still be ouchy after a big a-frame crash. You won’t see it in regular life or on regular exam, so a soft tissue sports vet will be good to look deeper for those.
>He was pretty understandably hesitant about the Aframe in a particular direction for a bit. >
That is good – we don’t want him repeating that ouchy landing!
>>That Sunday we did UKI Christmas event in the same place: more people, small space for a trial, music… It was a corner start – he literally did not move. >>
It could have been a combination of things that got the freeze response: being an adolescent (adolescent brains do things like freeze up), plus the high level of pressure/distractions, plus the leftover stress/physical trauma from the a-frame crash.
>>Cosmo ended up having some loose stools that day – my guess is it was stress related.
Yes, poor little guy.
>> His training at that place was bit slow for a while, but improved with time. He was fine at a second smaller place that we train – super zippy, distance (nothing happened there ;)). His training at the first place improved for a bit (tanked a little in the heat of the summer) and has gotten much more consistent & better recently. >>
So the place where he had the crash followed by the UKI event likely had a negative conditioned response, leading to his tentativeness.
>>The issue with density/crowding had cropped in confirmation a couple of times, he wouldn’t implode, but definitely overwhelmed. >>
This is where the pattern games will be super useful! They will get him much more comfortable in the crowded areas in agility and conformation shows.
>>I should mention (as I am remembering) that pre December – We had a couple of single FEO’s and then trialled 3 weekends (not all three days in the 3 weekends though and not in a row). in two ring events (less dense). I had noticed a little slowing on the second runs in November.>>
The volume dial game will be useful! Adrenaline often gets the young dogs going in the first run, then as they get mentally tired, the volume dial game will help bring them into the higher state of arousal needed to run fast and ignore distractions.
>>In training I have been using a furry toy on a slip lead lately. >>
Perfect!
>>It does get him going when on the run. Remote rewards: Julie Daniels had a cookie jar game self study class on Fenzi that we worked parts of. It was going ok. I think I was missing the engagement part.>>
We will be adding the engagement into the remote reinforcement games, so that will definitely help!
>> He is not always gung-ho out of his mind about food as a reward, even high value stuff (pickiness is a thing for this dog and the dogs from his breeder). >>
That is something I have seen from a bunch of super cool Havanese that have come through classes and seminars – the prefer toys over food, and are picky about food. Their preferences for reinforcement lean more towards what a herding dog or sighthound would like! And that is fine 🙂
>> He makes no mistakes in class except to maybe repeat the weaves – by that I mean even if I’m not correct, he only knows that he was a good boy. >>
Perfect! Click/treat to you 🙂
Thinking about the food rewards:
When training at home or class, you can use the lower value treats and save the mind-blowing treats for harder environments. And, use more toys if he likes those – fur tugs are often a big winner. Does he like balls?
>>sometimes he’ll reject the rotisserie chicken if things are just too much.>>
That’s more of a stress response, so in those moments it will be best to move further from the challenge or stressor, and go to the pattern games (practice those away from stress first).
So I think the first training priority will be the pattern games getting really fluent at home, then in class, then taking them on the road (with the type of food value increasing based on the challenge in the environment). And getting him doing his tricks in the volume dial game too! And if he doesn’t have some good moving tricks, we can train some 🙂
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning! Welcome back!
>> I think I am having an issue with the volume! Everytime we start working he barks and screams at me to start.>>
>>maybe you know exactly what I’m talking about!>>
I do indeed know exactly what you are talking about 🙂
It is something that I have seen a large number of field Labs do… bark at the start line or bark as they are getting ready to run, then work perfectly with speed, engagement, and accuracy. These dogs are spectacular agility partners.
I have seen barking like this in certain breeds of dogs (Shelties, for example, among others). And I have also seen it in certain lines – they are related so it is genetic. And that is fine! Where is your Reveille from? I am curious to see if he is related to the other Super Labs that I know (who bark the way you describe him barking :))
> I believe it’s demand barking. >>
Possibly, or a more general excitement barking. The dogs are so excited to play with you!
>>As for now he can still work pretty clear headed but I think that may change as we progress more and more and he gets more excited for the game(if that’s possible!) >>
If you generally ignore it or direct it during those in between moments, he will remain clear-headed 🙂 If you try to punish or suppress it or get mad if it goes on too long? You will add anxiety/stress to the game and in these dogs I have seen it cause *more* barking, but in a stressed way (you can hear it in the tone of the bark).
Staying away from punishment and avoiding getting mad at him is especially important because of his age – he is a full-on adolescent, and this is the age where they are more susceptible to stress from unexpected things and to punishment/lack of clarity.
>> What suggestion do you have. It gets kind of annoying when I’m trying to think! And it’s probably annoying neighbors, people in our class etc.>>
Whenever possible, take it a a sign of him being very happy to play with you, and smile 🙂 and ignore the barking. In fact, the barking might be his way of regulating his own arousal level and that is GREAT!! (This is what it looks like to me when I see other field Labs who bark this way – arousal regulation, then they work like rockstars)
As long as he can process the cues, and as long as he maintains criteria (such as the start line stay), it is fine. Many of the very best agility dogs I know will bark in the situations you describe, including many of the super amazing Labs 🙂
For the in-between moments, if you can’t ignore the barking or you can’t hear the instructor, you can give him something else to do. Ideally it is something incompatible with barking 🙂 He can be on a station or table and wait til you call him back into the game. Now, he might still bark LOL and if so, you can give him something to do with his mouth: hold a toy, snuffle on a snuffle mat, chew a bully stick, lick a lickimat. All of those are quiet activities and you can have them ready during the in-between moments.
And about being annoying to others? Yeah, there might be people who think agility should be a quiet sport only done in libraries LOL! But 99% of the people don’t really hear his barking – they are too busy admiring his brains and athleticism. So don’t worry about them 🙂
Let me know what you think and how he does!
TracyHi!
Nice work here – it is very cool to see your movement getting better and better with each video!!! You will be back to running full blast soon!She had a couple of moments of giving you feedback on the handling but overall this went really well.
On the cue to take jump 1: on the first run and the lat few runs, you had your arm back and eyes on her eyes as you released her, and stepped to the jump. This combined to turn your shoulders and feet to the jump so she committed perfectly even with you miles away from her. Super!
At :53 – you had your shoulders and feet turned away, and you released with just an arm point… that cued her to not take the jump.
I put some screenshots here so you can see the difference:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tfL6fY2RtTq0Z812kZxaUp1KQiFX-Stzn8pu1WMmF_o/edit?usp=sharingSo definitely keep doing that lovely connection on th release!
You had good timing on the FC at :19! The BC worked well too at 1:43 and 2:23 (1:43 was the best timing though). And the good timing of those crosses allowed you to set up the line and get the turn to the tunnel. When you were late at 1:15, that set a very different line as you moved forward, so you ended up with the off course jump. You asked her if it was you that caused it and he said yes and thank you for the toy LOL!! I put screenshots of what she saw there too.
Her only other question was on the last line where she was looking at you as you were wrestling with the toy a bit 🙂 You can run with a small toy in your hand so she doesn’t look at you as it moves around, and then you can throw it to keep her looking ahead at the line.
Great job here!!
TracyHi!
>I’m thinking it was a bit of both, I have to be perfect when the environmental pressure is on – going to be a while until we enter any multi ring trials>>
Yes, it could be both – the distraction of the other ring affects processing, plus perhaps the cue was not perfect 🙂 I don’t think you need to be perfect as long as you keep going and he thinks he nailed it 🙂
I agree that he did well in the seminar!! That was complicated course work!!
>>I did get a why are you rewarding your dog for making errors lecture with a warning that it would give me problems with maintaining criteria. My response was it’s not him making the mistakes>>
EXCELLENT response LOL!! And you are correct – if it is human error, the dog is reading the cue correctly (or as best as he can). I mean, he doesn’t have a crystal ball or a course map LOL!!! Rewarding him or continuing after a handler error most definitely will NOT create problems in the future 🙂 That is old school thinking from when we used to blame the dogs for all the things LOL!! Sure, some dogs put up with that thinking and lack of reinforcement (cough cough Border Collies cough cough) and maybe only slow down a little or get a bit frantic. But most dogs are not going to put up with being blamed for my bad handling LOL!!! So, I pay them well and they are happy, fast, engaged teammates.
(All of this is well-supported by the science of learning and arousal, so you can add “I can show you the studies” to your answer next time 🤣😁)
For example, at :57, he went straight and you wanted the backside. You were moving directly forward as he exited the tunnel (and Lee was moving that direction too, so there were 2 visual sources of motion). He definitely got a “take that jump cue”. You said the backside cue as he was preparing to take off, about 10 feet from the jump. So by the time he heard and processed it, he applied it to the next jump. Good dog! And good for you for rewarding, because Coal was correct.
The other option there was to keep going as if there was no extra jump 🙂
>>2nd rep, there was a barking shit show going on right next to us while we were getting ready to enter – he handled that well. >
He did great!!!
He got up fro the stay at 1:25 because there was a cookie on the floor behind him and he was starving.
But he got right back to the game!1:52 as he was trying to figure out if it was the jump or tunnel – you had a moment of looking ahead which looked like the beginning of a blind… and that is the moment he locked onto the jump (the physical cue overrode. the verbal cue)
>>hird rep, he was a bit flat – I don’t train enough send away starts and he’s done a lot the last couple of days – time for a bit of R&R>>
Yes, it could have been a combination of being tired out and also that the send to the first jump was weird and hard: jumping towards the fence/people and towards his leash was hard.
You can use more energetic crazy tricks and the highest value food at the end of the day (CHEETOS! LOL!) and also you can run him at 16” so it is easier on his brain and body – and he will go faster more easily.
Great job here!!
Tracy
