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Good 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!
TracyGood morning!
This game is a great way to build value for jumps. Good job having the jumps very close for now, so you can get the rewards in easily. Leave them this close together for a few more sessions until he is zipping around them, and not looking at you or passing by any of them.
The choice of treat was great – big and very visible! Something to add that will make a big difference is a marker, like ‘get it’. When he is approaching a jump, have the treats already in your hand and use a ‘get it’ marker, then throw the treat. That way he is getting the info of ‘that is correct’ and the info of where to look for the reward (out ahead and not at you). You were quiet here, so he was not entirely sure of where to look – a ‘get it’ marker will help get him looking at the line/jumps.
At the end, he might not be able to switch to a toy in your hand that close to where all the food smells are, so you can move entirely away or throw the toy far away. Sure, he might run around with the toy but that is still a good way to break up the session and keep the excitement level high.
Nice work!
TracyGood morning!
He was definitely confident on the plank here and having it higher kept him thinking about foot placement too! I think we need to have some sort of visual target for him to run to, like a Manners Minder (if you have one) or an empty food bowl. That can help keep his head down and keep him from leaping upwards at the end of the plank.
The lazy game with the tunnel is looking great! Your connection looked good and he was terrific about finding the lines. Great job mixing up the reward throws too!
You can start adding the other games now – the timing game, and the crosses too!
>>I did notice his turn to the left over the middle jump is wider than his turn to the right.>>
Yes, I totally see what you mean (at 1:03 and 1:40 for example). It could be that the left turn was into open space and the right turn was towards a fence? Or your timing was a little earlier on the right turns? Or he is a righty? 🙂 Either way – when you add the timing game, you can turn your shoulders soon on the left turns and see if that helps him.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
Another really strong session here!I love the timing of your check cue at :11, :26, :42, :56, and dig cue at 1:12 and 1:32. They all were happening as she was over 4 so they were in progress before she landed and made setting up the wrap on 5 easier.
The hardest part for her was not the wrap collection – it was the ’soft’ turn on jump 6, the pinwheel jump after the wrap. What was happening was that on the wraps (:13 :28, :43, :57, 1:14 and 1:34)
she is turning really well! You are pretty far away from the line/wrap wing, so you end up holding still to be able to push her back into the gap for the middle jump – that worked well overall but then it made the turn cue for the 6 jump late so she was going wide on those (I don’t think she was anticipating the toy throw).To help get the great wrap collection and the nice turn on the pinwheel jump, you can drive in harder to the wrap jump. Rather than be decelerated and end up positionally a bit far from the line, you can trust her more and cue jump 3 and 4 (the 2 jumps after tunnel) and drive hard to the wrap wing… but as she approaches. The 4 jump, start your wrap verbal like you did and start to decelerate. That should put you in a great spot for the wrap – and are importantly, it will be easier to send her to the 5 jump and as soon as she looks towards it, you can turn and run to the 6 jump and 7 tunnel (which will get a good turn on 5 :))
So basically, being closer to the wrap wing will get you a great turn on 5 and also help set a nice line 6-7-8. Just remember to maintain the timing that you used here to cue the wrap 🙂
One really cool thing here was that even after the wide turn, she is driving back to the jump before the tunnel (#7) like mad, really looking for it! I think a few weeks ago she might have run past it, so it is great to see her looking for the lines so well!
She did have a bar down at :26 – as you started the wrap verbal, you did a movement with your hands that distracted her. She was better with it at :42 (ticked the bar) so that is good info – you can do random hand movements when doing the lazy game so she learns to jump nice and clean even when your hands do something 🙂
Great job!
TracyHi!
Yep, it is wild to see Minnesotans and Michiganders training outside in light jackets… in FEBRUARY!!! But it is great to get the youngsters more time on these sequences 🙂Her fast lazy game is looking good! She is really looking for the jumps even when you started running: hooray for a weirdly warm winter so you could work this at big distances 🙂 I am doing a big happy dance for how well she is looking at the line and your motion is not an issue. Yay! You can work up to running as fast as you can – you are a fast runner so we can start showing her your speed 🙂
The timing of your verbals was good here! Based on what we are seeing of her speed already (and knowing the bars will end up at 20” or higher) – you can start playing with timing the cues to be earlier now. I believe she will need them as she is over the bar or even taking off for the jump. That way she will have more time to process the cues (bearing in mind that at full height she will land further from the jump and will probably take one less stride). Plus, she will get used to hearing verbals over the bar and she can sort out how to keep clean jumping happening (or we can help her if she has questions :))
Great job! Fingers crossed that your weather doesn’t get icky!
Tracy
Behold the power of chicken!!! Good boy!!! He is looking great! Time to add more distance – spread those jumps out to get them as far apart as possible (might take a couple of sessions :))
As the distance increases, throw the chicken more randomly on the line (rather than just after jump 3), especially when he is heading to the middle jump.
Since he has decided he LOVES the chicken (yum!) you can try a lotus ball or treat hugger so it easier to throw a big distance.
Great job!!!! Thank you for the update!!
TracyHi! Training outdoors in February – crazy that you have no snow and aren’t wearing 300 layers of clothing! But fun to be able to train!!
>>especially on the subtleties,>>
There are so many subtleties in handling, especially young dogs! This was a really good session to see what she needed to get the commitment on the wrap and the collection – it comes down to connection!
Looking at the most successful reps first: the last two reps on video 3 (:22 and :39) had the most connection, which allowed you to decelerate and get the commitment too.
Looking at video 1 to compare: at :13 and :28 you disconnected by looking at the wrap jump ahead as she was coming over the middle jump, so she looks at you – that drew her off the line of jumps, so when you did the FC she wasn’t committed and just came to you.
On Video 2, you added more motion and that really helped!
At :07 there was a disconnection like on video 1, and she looks at you and comes off the line. At :20 she can see more of your face so commits a lot better! On the last 2 reps (:41 and :54) you used better motion to get commitment. Adding more connection will help allow you to decelerate and tighten those turns (she was landing then turning there).The 3rd video had more connection especially on those last 2 reps!
So to get the best collection – keep using the decel, but ramp up the connection as you do it. So when she is landing from the middle jump, your eyes can be on her eyes and your hand pointed back to her nose. As you start to decelerate, keep moving forward and looking at her – don’t rotate until you are sure she is taking the jump 🙂 For youngsters, you can stay in decel mode until you see her front feet lift off for the jump. Watching for that will help you be very connected and will support commitment too! As she gets more experienced, you will be Abel to rotate even earlier.
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy>> I think it always throws me off what verbal I should be using when it’s just the wing but imagining the jump there instead is super helpful.>>
Perfect! And that way you can decide if it is a frontside wrap, soft turn, or backside cue. Soooooo many words LOL!
Good morning! The 2 games here are looking good!!!
>>We still struggle with not seeing the treats in the grass.>>
Reward markers will help with this – a ‘get it’ instead of a yes or praise will help keep her looking forward so you can toss the reward to her line. That way she will see it landing ahead of her, rather than missing it when she is looking at you.
The sending on the first video is looking really good, her commitment is excellent! This is where you can see her locking onto the jump and say ‘get it’ and throw the reward to the line. That will help her not have to look back at you at all 🙂
The 2nd video also looked really strong!! I think you can trust her commitment even more:
On the ‘get out’ to the middle jump – send like you did but then turn directly to the next jump and tunnel (like you did at :23 and :35) rather than rotate towards her (:04 and a little at :53).The timing of the verbals was getting earlier and earlier, which is great: you can use your left/right verbal at the same time you do the physical send cues – your timing at :36 was spot on! You were a little late at :22 and :53, where you sent and then said the verbal. The verbal can start even before the physical cues but not later than simultaneously with the physical cues.
Great job here! You can add in more running 🙂 and also the wraps and crosses in the next sequences!
Tracy
Hi!
>>I didn’t realize that we would be working through some contact stuff in Maxpup.>>
We do some games here (but not the full progression like in the teeter class).
This session went well! She seems confident driving up the board (there is a tiny bit of movement and that does not seem to concern her at all).
For the next steps – you can put the reward at the end of the board rather than hand deliver it to her. That way, you can start to vary your position: send her while you hang back or move away laterally, etc. I use a big spoon duct-taped to the underside of the board so it is sticking out and easy for the dog to reach. And something soft and squishy (like cream cheese) is perfect to help ‘glue’ the reward to the spoon 🙂
Great job!!
Tracy
Hi!
These are looking really good!>>On the last exercise I initially was using a soft turn cue (swing) with wrap cue (check) at the beginning of the session. But I think dropping the wrap cue is better in this type of situation.>>
Do you mean for the middle wing? The send and FC on the 2 outer wings are definitely wrap cues (those are looking really good, especially when you were doing the full sequences). Those left turn wraps (from your right side) were fantastic!
For the middle wing: I think the FC to the tunnel is better suited for the soft turn cue. If you were doing a FC back to the other wing there, a wrap cue would be the better fit. I like to envision a jump bar there: what would the turn look like? Going to the tunnel, it is a moderate collection. Going back to the other wing, it is a big collection and she would have to come back around the wing on a very tight turn back to you.
It was hard to hear all of your verbals so let me know if that makes sense.
>>Also I don’t know how much motion and turning to use vs. not use yet either. By the last rep definitely had a perfect mix.>>
Yes – lots of good practice to play with timing! Your connection was very strong overall.Sending to the outer wings to wrap back to the tunnel looked great!
Looking at the FC on the middle wing:At :29, the FC was a little late but I think she was also surprised that a FC would happen with a tunnel right there! She figured it out quickly though – the next rep at :38 had great timing of the FC and she responded really well! Good reward there!
At :44, your timing was a later and position was not as good (motion was moving past that middle wing) so she was wider there. Compare to the rep at :57 where your timing was earlier and you were not as far past the middle wing – that set a better line and got a really nice turn!
One more suggestion:
Try not to do spins on the tunnel entry when you want a straight exit (:47, :54, :59 for example) – we will want her to turn on the exit if she sees a spin on the entry, so keep these straight exits as post turns so she doesn’t learn to ignore the spins.
Great job here!!
TracyHi!
Plank confidence is going well! You can elevate it with a block under each end, to add a bit more height. And be sure to teach her how to turn around and ‘jump’ off from the middle of the plank at each level, so she can understand how to use her body in case she loses her balance.
Nice work!
Tracy
