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Brrr that is COLD for your neck of the woods!! EEK!!
Super nice reps on all of these! Good send to the start wing, and good connection through the line to commit her to the jumps: that allowed you to turn earlier which helped make the exit line connection easier. It was all SUPER clear!
>>Like I said previously, her barking really got to me today. >>
Yes – but from the other perspective, sometimes the barking is fine and you ignore it, and sometimes you get mad at her and yell or shush her. Soā¦ā¦ I am pretty sure she doesnāt know why you are suddenly mad. Rather than have both of you get stressed about it, I highly recommend either wearing ear buds, or cranking music in the background like you did indoors! That will give your brain something happy to focus on rather than the barking š
Nice job here!!
TracyHi!
Nice job with the blinds here! The exit line connection looked great! And so did the stays š
The first rep was lovely! Yes, as you mentioned, the 2nd rep was a stride too early – the BC was already starting before she landed from jump 1. Nice adjustment on the 3rd rep – really good timing!
THi!
The connection looked really good here! She was driving ahead without question, which means she was seeing the cues she needed to see. Yay!>>We tried putting the toy at the end. She was able to leave it and go down to work with me. But had trouble going to it, even back chaining. Perhaps a bigger toy or MM.>>
Yes, it looked like she did well leaving it – but it didnāt have enough value to go directly to it. So a bigger or more exciting toy is a good choice, as is the MM.
>>Even though tried cleaner starts, still had trouble with the 20ft send, so went with her for that.>>
Cookie line ups are good to help with the cleaner starts and she was definitely facing the right way more on these – and that helped a lot!!! And 20 feet is far – that is a lot of strides for a little dog! So you can bring the wing in closer to jump 1 so she can be more successful then gradually build up more distance.
>>And, Iām sorry to say, her barking Really got to me today.>>
Her barking seemed to be the same as usual, so if you are not handling it as easily – your options are to either put headphones in while you train, or have her got to a mat or cot to wait in between reps (then call her into the start area) or not train š Otherwise you add a layer of unpredictability of sometimes being fine with the barking and sometimes getting mad about it – and she will not really be able to figure out what you want. That can add stress for you both.
Nice work here!
Hi!
I really liked the reps here! It is definitely the ‘sweet spot’ for her: you were connected but not hovering š and moving without pushing too far ahead. She drove ahead and looked ahead really well! Definitely keep working this sweet spot whenever you use regular connection!!!!Yes, she had the one blooper on the send but it was a good adjustment to wait one heartbeat longer before you took off. She had no complaints LOL!!! She is driving away from you on sends so much better!!!!
Great job!
TracyHi!
I am sorry to hear about your momā¦ and I totally agree that the health care system sucks!!!On the first Regular connection video – nice job with the wing sends! Your connection looked good so he went to the wing really well!
On the line of jumps, you had a conflicting indicator: your motion said go but your opposite arm was up like a threadle as you were moving forwardā¦ that is what was pulling her off the line. You donāt need the opposite arm on regular connection – you can just keep the dog-side arm kind of out of the way and look towards her eyes
looks like you did at :50 and after that where she found the line nicely!On the 2nd to last rep she went wide on the wing but you were also facing that direction, so she ended up going around the jumps. Compare to the last rep where you sent her to the wing and left, so he got a good turn and easily found the jumps. Yay!
No worries about bad toy throws – the placed toy worked really well here!
On the other side, she did have some trouble running past the jumps. I am not sure if it was a connection issue or not (maybe that is why you were using your opposite arm, to bring her in?) When she was tight on the wing wrap, she found the line, no problem. When she was wide, she ran past it. So working on sending to the wing (is left/right the wrap cue? If not, try the wrap verbal too) and lot of reward for finding the first jump, even if you slow down your motion for now to help her out with that.
Try not to use the outside arm to bring her in, because that will end up changing how she reads threadle arms. So for now, send to the start wing and just walk up the line with connection to help her see the line without as much excitement from the motion š
>>>Ginger is one and I have the jumps at 10ā. Do you think that is okay or should we do the puppy version?
I think this was a good set up for her! When you were ahead and moving fast, she had trouble finding the jumps but we can teach her that by splitting the behavior: putting you ahead but but not moving that fast for now. When she get used to that, we can add more and more of your speed.
Great job here!!
TracyHi!
>>she already knows what sheās doing.
Mostly! She know how to follow the handling but she doesnāt know quite enough yet to save you if you are not very clear.
>>Spent years and years being told to ālook at where the dog is going- dont stare at the dogā>>
Yeahā¦. Turns out that didnāt work so well LOL!! Yes, donāt stare at the dog, because that implies that you are hovering or not moving. But you should look at the dog pretty directly and keep moving – that works really well!
On the video:
Very nice attention to mechanics on your exit line connection! SUPER!!!! The only questions were about the connection 1-2:
Remember to connect to her (regular connection) over jump 1. And if you mess up, no worriesā¦ reward her anyway because her response is likely to be exactly what the handling told her to do (like at :31 and :48) and we donāt want to frustrate her by withholding reward. Remember – the reward to the dog happens regardless of if you get it right or not LOL!
You can connect more to her at :45 as well. This is where we use arm differently: you were trying to look over the top of your arm at her, but your left arm was forward and blocking connectionā¦ so she did not see the connection. And the arm being forward turned your shoulders and feet a bit away from the jump. So, a a baby dog: she went exactly to where your shoulders pointed.
Note the subtle different at 1:01 where you arm was back until after she passed you: that time she saw the connection because all of your parts (shoulder, feet, etc) were pointing to the line and the connection was more visible. Then the ELC at 1:03 was great!!!
When you switched sides, your connection all the way through the rep at 1:30 was GREAT. Your arm was back so she saw the connection 1-2 and the ELC was very clear on the exit of the FC too! NICE!!
And the last rep was perfection ā¤ļø Look how tight she turned!!!! High five!
Great job here. Onwards to the spins!
TracyHi!
>>At the trial this weekend, I forced myself to do blindsā¦some worked well but we also had a jumpers run that was a serious crash and burn.>>
Good for you! And some crash and burn runs are normal with young, fast dogs š
>> Iām struggling with when to look at my dog for connection and when Iām just looking at my dog because I donāt trust her (or am admiring her beauty! >>
We actually talk about that specifically in the games posted tomorrow!!
ļæ¼
>>Since I didnāt do a toy in the ring for the trial, I made myself grab the opposite pocket in my vest to get the arm across the body.>>I love it! Clever!!!!!!!
Looking at the video:
On this set up, the ELC overall was looking good! The key is to use more of the regular connection as she is taking jump 1, looking at her more as you drive the line, for a couple of reasons:
– looking at her more helps support her line 1-2
– looking at her more (while you keep running of course :)) will really help timing because you can start transitioning into the turns when she lands from 1, rather than when she arrives at 2.Looking at the FC reps:
At the beginning of the video, at
:03 you had good connection but it can be stronger because she is looking at you and curling to you, which generally means she canāt see the connection. At :20 – she didnāt see connection at all, so she came off the line, maybe thinking it was a blind? But compare to the next rep:
Big difference at :32, great adjustment! Nice ELC there too on the spin!!! The next few reps were nicely locked into the connection šWhen you revisited the FCs later – more connection over jump 1 will allow you to see her landing and start to decel so the FC starts before she takes off for 2. The reps at 1:07 and 1:34 were late when the FC started when she landed from 2. The FC at 1:57 had much better timing! And he has good commitment, so you can do it even sooner š
Your spins seemed more comfy here in general (you commented on that too in the video LOL!!!) You were earlier with the timing and also had good exit line connection! Yay! Remember to keep moving after the spin rather than wait for her.
The Blind at the end had really good exit line connection! Yay!!! You can start it sooner (2:09) – it is similar to the FCs in that you can see her land from 1 and then keep moving forward while you start the blind.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>So, when the manners minder was behind her, it was really difficult for her to release towards me.>>
Yes, it was definitely hard! But she did a great job lining up and worked beautifully!!
On the front and spins, your regular connection to get her committed to the lines looked great!
>>I seem to see things backwards sometimes
I think you had the hands/toy reversed, so that made it harder to show the exit line connection.
On the fronts, you can have toy in the dog-side hand (and resist temptation to switch it to the other hand :)) that way when you exit the FC, the toy is now in the opposite hand and you can show it to her across your body to get the best connection. You had it in the opposite hand to start so ended up connecting with the dog-side arm at your side, which makes it harder for her to see connection (which is why she was a little wider there)
On the spins, the toy does start in the opposite hand so you can keep it in that hand – which will end up being the one to put across your body when you exit the spin.
That will help your dog-side shoulder drop back to show more connection, so you’ll get better turns too!
One other small detail on the spin video: at :35, you were connected and then when you looked ahead, she cut in front of you to take the jump. That was her reading the turn of your shoulders (good girl!) so maintaining connection until she reaches the MM will keep her on the line.
Video 3:
Blinds are looking good! You had your dog-side arm down and back as you exited the Blind so she saw the connection really easily. Super!!You can move to the combos if you like!
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
She totally has the threadle idea here! And no issues balancing it with the serp. YAY!! That moment where she fixed her line at the last minute was GREAT (and also hilarious LOL!!)
Only 2 mine adjustments to make: you can move the RT a little further away from the bar (on the same line it is on, but maybe 3 or 4 feet further away). She wants to go fast so having it further away will allow her to really accelerate through these (while still turning nice and tight :))
And on the threadles, you can be a little closer to the jump. The goal is you can reach out and touch it with a relaxed, bent am: really close! As we build up the threadles, you will not be standing there for as long so she will have plenty of room to noodle into that space š
I will make inquiries about the local teams and keep you posted!!
>>We revisited the SCARY FIELD today and she did just fine! Did back and forth with some bits of leftover pizza, played with snowballs, did a couple blind crosses on the flat and a couple hand touches. No concern from her at all!>>
Fantastic! I am very glad to hear it. The weird experience last time might have been an adolescent day, or something she noticed in the environment that you did not. My dogs have noticed things like coyotes or other dangers and have asked to leave the environment. So when they ask to leave, I trust them and we leave š
Great job here!
TracySorry for the confusion! On the threadle reps here, he was on the takeoff side of the jump to start (which is a good way to introduce the concept). Now you will want to dig more into the threadle concept but putting him more on the landing side of the jump, so he has to ignore the obvious side and come around the wing to find the takeoff side. Start him on an easy angle where he is on the landing side but facing the entry wing of the threadle jump, so he goes past it and squeezes himself in between you can the jump before taking off. It is what I call position 1 on the demo video and the pup has a pretty straightforward angle there.
Let me know if that makes sense or if more coffee is required š
TracyGood morning!
>>Again I might blame it on the space, but in reality I just could not get the info out to JJ the way I wanted to>>
Yes, the skills are more challenging but you did really well!! Overall, your connections were GREAT! More on that below.
The main thing that was happening was that your transition into decel for a wrap was a little rusty š If you think back to mission:transition from MaxPup, there are 2 parts: fast forward (that looked good), slow forward (decel – that was the part that was rusty), then the rotation for the FC (or a spin). So what was happening was she was not getting quite enough collection info so she ended up jumping a little wide over 2. So adding in slooooow forward as she is landing from 1 then rotating when you see collection will smooth all of that out. The decel is actually what commits her: decelerating as you move forward tells her to take the jump and take it in collection.
You had decel happening at :59 and also a bit at 2:10 and 2:58, so those were her best turns. The rep at 2:38 had the fast forward then the rotation, but the rotation happened a she was landing from 1, so she didnāt take 2 (and you rewarded her, which was great!)
>>No connection at position 1 with dog on right. Figured that out and fixed it.>>
Yes – I think you are referring to the reps when you changed sides, and you were sending to the wing without connection so she (correctly) went to where your shoulders were pointing (to the jump). Great job making the adjustment and nailing it on all of the following reps!
And your exit line connection was really good on almost all of the reps – you can see the clear connection. I think the only one that could have been clearer was at 2:11, where you had the arm across the body but you were not really showing it directly to her, so your left shoulder was a little forward and blocking connection. The other ELC reps have more connection directly back to her and looked strong!
>>Keep using her name for the wrap which is not correct. Reviewing yours again you used your verbal for that. >>
Yes, I use a wrap verbal for that so I can practice it and also so I donāt have to remember the name of the dog I am running hahahaha! 4 active agility dogs and 2 youngsters? Yep, much easier to remember the wrap verbal which is the same for all of them than it is to remember their names LOL!
>>Do we want to add the verbals or just use the body on these.
You can totally put verbals on! And it will help the connection too, because you will be working on saying the verbals to her (connection!) and not to the jumps (disconnection).
>>I was not super thrilled with the session in reviewing it, and look forward to your input.
Overall I am happy with the session! The only thing to really add is decel in the transition into the wrap š
Nice work!
TracyHi!
Good morning! Mother Nature is being a beast today so I had to resort to going to a Starbucks to get internet LOL!!!SUPER good work on these sessions! The āregularā connection to get her to commit to the jumps looked really strong throughout. Yay!
>>Although I was not always holding the toy across my body, I think I managed to have the toy at least in the correct hand and maintained decent connection.>>
Yes! I could see the ELC. It looked really good!! I have only one suggestion: hold it longer. What I mean by that it maintain that exit line connection (your eyes to her eyes, dog-side arm back and out of the way, and opposite arm helping with that by being across the body a bit). You were doing that but then relaxing it and āclosingā the dog-side shoulder forward before she could really lock onto the new line. So holding that connection as you run forward for a few more steps until you see her look at the next line (and you can be saying the next verbal to her while you are doing it) will really help as you execute tight turn cues and side changes.
Looking at the handling moves on the videos:
I think the camera angle on the FCs at :12 on the first video and :11 on the 2nd video showed the ELC clearly! You did it but then let go of it, so as she was rounding the wing she didnāt really see it as well. You can see on the first video she was looking at you and not so much at the next line. A few more steps of the exit line connection will tighten up the turn and she will look ahead and not up at you as much.
The BCs looked good on both videos š You seemed to hold onto the big ELC for a few steps there and she read the BCs really well!
The spins are similar to the FCs – you were doing the ELC but then letting go of it a little too early. At :42 and :49 on first video and :47 on 2nd video, you definitely showed it on the FC exit but you can emphasize the ELC on the exit of the BC element of the spin, running for a few steps more to really give her a few steps to see it too.
On the 2nd video, the rep at 1:01 was my favorite – clear ELC and you held it pretty long (a few steps) so it was SUPER obvious to her. Yay! That is spot on!!
Let me know if that makes sense! It is a subtle detail but can make a big difference as things get more complex.
Great job!
TracyHi!
>>To stay sane, I look at my 3 year old and remind myself she was just as much of a punk as Obi is>>
She is only 3 and already mature? That is impressive! Also, girls tend to mature a bit more quickly than the boys LOL!
The parallel path look terrific! He had no trouble finding the jump and was laying on the speed – which caused you to have to start running. PERFECT! You can add 2 things:
– more distance away from him laterally, bit by bit – be maybe 6 inches further away but still on the parallel line, then a foot further away, then 2 feet further away – still rewarding exactly how you did it here with the throws on the straight line.– you can start with him furhter from the jump and show him 2 more positions: you can be waaaay ahead, and you can also start right next to him (or go all the way to the start cookie when you throw it) so he drives way ahead of you š
Strike a pose is looking great too. Only one suggestion: You can be closer to the jump so he turns before he arrives at the bar and not after he crosses it.
He looks ready for the reward target to be on the ground – you can put his toy on the ground or a food bowl or manners minder, so it is on the line he turns too after he goes over the bar.If that goes well (and I think it will!) you can totally tart the threadle games too!
He is doing great with his rocking horses too! He had a couple of little questions:
At :26 when you drew your send hand back and shifted your weight back before he was fully past you, he was not sure if he should go to the barrel. He was better with his commitment when you held the send arm & leg in position for one more heartbeat, until he could get to the barrel like you did at :35.
His other question was at :38, when he jumped up at you a bit and looked back and forth between you and the barrel. That was because at :37, when he was behind you, you pointed forward to the blue barrel. That broke connection so he didnāt know where to go as clearly – the jumping up is a common frustration behavior when connection gets broken. So remember to make eye contact as he comes around the other barrel until you see he is coming to the next side, them you can send him to the next barrel.
You can add more distance between the 2 barrels here – that will add more motion for you both you š
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
His retrieving is going well Yay! You can definitely try the reverse retrieve games posted last week, to keep the retrieve strong as he approaches adolescence. I think he will like chasing you with the toy!>>We also had a chance to do some power patterns in the chaos of class set up last week. I thought it went pretty well!>>āØ
Holy wow, he did GREAT and I am gad you did them. There was a LOT happening in the environment. Close your eyes and listen to all of the noises and banging on the videoā¦ so much for him to process! He did super well – and if class is normally like that, you can go to crazy high value treats like chicken or cheese to get him even more comfy with the visuals and the noises.Turn and burn is going well, his commitment is looking strong!
Two suggestions:
have your dog-side leg closer to the barrel or stepping forward when you let go of his collar. He had a legit question about whether he should go to the barrel or not when the leg was that far back (because the leg said ādonāt goā but everything else said āgo to the barrelā It is was a conflicting indicator so he had to really figure it out.The other suggestion is to have a line on the ground so you can see the exact moment to do the FC and away on a the L shaped line (parallel to where a jump bar would be if there was a jump bar). Your exit lines were not s predictable as they can be – and if they are predictable, we can get you leaving earlier and earlier, and also start to show him more countermotion š
The sends to the props are looking good! The first rear was really good because you were moving up the line. Then you started sending to the RC and not moving, so it didnāt read as a rear cross and he was guessing š So remember that the RC is built off of parallel line motion to start so you are both moving, then your line of motion takes you behind his to create the rear cross. The rep that started at :17 was the one that had the most motion and looked the best.
>>Backing up continues to be vexing, even with a destination. I ended up luring it with kind of a chute today, just so I could capture him backing up and not moving into a sit. Iāll keep playing with it in the next few days.>>
It is an incredibly hard skill and he is really young! You can use a chute (like 2 x-pens) to help him out but also, you can put it away until he is a little older and knows his hind end a little better. Try the perch work to see if that helps him use his back feet š
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>>I think you are right, I need to place the toy first. He tugs so hard he is shredding my shoulder. >>
Yes! We want to protect your shoulder! And for the FCs here, you can let him grab the toy and keep running through it like you did on the 2nd rep. On the first rep, you presented the toy but didn’t really let him grab it, so he was jumping up at you. Running through it like on the 2nd rep was much better for you both. You can also use food or a lotus ball to help protect your shoulder.
For the FCs here, you will get better connection if the toy starts in your dog side hand and then you use that same hand to show it to him (across your stomach) as you exit the turn. Yo had it in the dog side arm which can be less visible to the dog in terms of connection when we add the bigger sequences.
Nice work!
Tracy
