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Good morning, sounds like you had a great vacation!
> If I understand it, we should be starting the blind as the dog is taking off from the previous jump so the blind is completed before take off of the next jump.>
Yes, that is the most ideal breakdown, with a couple of exceptions for the ‘fancy’ stuff 🙂
> It seems to me the timing might should vary based on the distance between obstacles and the speed/stride length of the dog. >
It can get problematic if we start to over-adjust things and we end up being late (especially with smaller dogs). And yes, there are some instances where we end up on 40 foot distances where being ‘on time’ is actually too early… but that is rare and also actually not legal distances per organization rules anywhere in the world (except maybe NADAC? But I am not sure).
Smaller dogs having to run the same distances is what makes it tricky. They make their takeoff decisions at roughly the same time as the larger dogs but can also be pulled off a line more easily because they need better commitment skills than large dogs. So if we wait longer to start cues, we are often late with the small dogs.
But also, handler line of motion plays a big role in this – line of motion is what helps commit the dog to the line for a blind, and can make or break the timing.
Looking at Nifty’s video:
Nice timing and connection on the blind to the tunnel: lovely turn!!! It is hard to get a good turn there and you nailed it on the first run. The last run at 2:59 was similar to this run, also really strong.
The middle reps on that blind were trickier:
The blind there at :43 actually disconnected too early by pointing forward – that pulled the rail plus you were moving towards the wrong end of the tunnel (side stepping) rather than towards the end of the tunnel you wanted
2:02 better line but started late (head turn started late) – you were quick to finish the blind but she had to adjust I the air (bar down)
For the blinds at 3-4, you can run more forward towards 4 rather than side stepped through the box at :29 & 1:49 (it makes the turn a bit wider). You can keep moving forward more like what you did at 1:27 but then keep moving forward and indicate the next jump (she followed you really well there)
The blinds 9-10 at :37 & 1:58 were also good – try not to get past the mouse line on those because it sends her a bit wide.
Looking at Canny’s video: this was good to see the timing and how it as impacted by the line of motion! More below.
Looking at the timing of the BC to the tunnel:
On the rep at :08, the BC was late and he had to hop around behind you and a bit at 2:49 too.
:36 was correct timing and a better BC because he did not have to adjust from behind you after landing.
You were saying ‘here’ (I think that is what you said) as he was catching up to you which brought a little too much focus to you so you can say it sooner then switch to the tunnel verbal I this scenario.At 3:51 (last rep) was definitely late but he knew the sequence 🙂 plus, clear connection can cover us when we are late starting the blind. And the connection was really clear here! Yay!
BC 3-4: he is reading the commitment to 3 thanks to a good line of motion, no problem with the timing there at all. You can use less arm pointing to make it even clearer: try not to have your hand up and pointing ahead at 1:05 & 1:37.
The rep at 3:30 was a little late but you had good connection so he still got it.The BC 8-9-10 is where we see some of the pulling off a line you mentioned. It was a line of motion question from Canny, not a timing question. You were cueing 8 then going directly to 10 (in terms of your running path) while actually starting the blind too early 🙂 I don’t think you were intending to start it too early, but the high arm pointing combined with pulling away to 10 caused the disconnection that cued the beginning of the blind.
At 1:13, for example, you were disconnected and pulling away too early so the BC was basically finished when he landed
You were later to start the blind at 1;45 but the cue to 9 was not clear (line of motion pulled to 10, not to 9).Much better line of motion towards 9 at 2:04 & 2:40! The BC was late there because you were trying to get commitment but I bet that line of motion and the good timing will get the blind beautifully there. This is what was happening at 3:41 – better timing and motion was good so he got it 🙂
> But if I begin a blind as Canny is taking off from the previous obstacle, the blind is completed while he is still 2-3 strides from the next obstacle and, more often than not, he pulls off that obstacle. >
So I think it is more about being sure your line of motion is strong so you can start the BC on time. If you have videos of him pulling off, you can check to see what the line of motion was – you might have been pulling to the next line without supporting the line you wanted while doing the blind. For the blinds, motion supports the line while the change of sides & connection is what cues the turn. Let me know what you think!
Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning!
It takes a lot of trust to start blinds before position is perfect! So it is understandable that it would be harder with a less experienced dog. You’ll find that part of the strategy is being able to get to good position so the timing feels very comfy 🙂 That is what we work on this weekend!
Tracy
I don’t think I ever answered about Dogs4Motion? They come highly recommended. I have never seen the ‘inside’ of their website but I have heard good things from veterinarians that I respect a lot.
T
Good morning!
The drive was long and boring but thankfully uneventful!
Lots of good work in this video!
– Nice job with the verbals here! There are a lot of verbals and you had them going for all of the reps!
– For the blinds, turning away from him sooner will help get the connection on the exit of the wing sooner. Both of these will help tighten up the turn. You can probably start the blind when he is still a meter or so away from the wing – your motion should support commitment. And remember to turn away from him on the blinds (a couple were spins where you did a FC to the BC)
– He did have a few commitment questions, when you were trying to draw the line with your hands. The rep at 3:24 is a good angle – you were pointing forward which changes the line of your shoulders by turning them away from the wing so he had questions.Compare to 3:42, which had a lot less pointing so he read the line a lot better same with 4:15 and 4:18. A fun challenge would be to try this without your hands at all 🙂 Try with just motion, verbals, and looking at him. That will help him find the line, especially to the middle jump of the diamond. He is also still learning it all, so all of the commitment will get a lot easier with practice.
He probably needed more run around moments after every run or two at the beginning – he did several reps in a row then was wandering a bit. You might have added more of that later in the session, it seems he maintained his engagement better?
The toy placement at the very end was great even though it might have been accidental 🙂 I love that you had a big laugh and enjoyed the moment – he was such a good boy!
Great job!
Tracy
>The very next rep he breaks the stay. An yes I’m making it lol
The same like he doesn’t know he’s getting paid for a stay. lol. Half the time he sat there until the frisbee almost hit him in the face lmao!>Those are good observations! There might be something that he notices that makes the releases predictable so he anticipates. And try throwing the reward behind him so he can get up and grab it – moving might make it a more valuable reinforcement.
Good morning!
>Today we tried to work on some parallel path. Also tried some throwback and other sequences. He was staying very well today! He was also quite excited about the fuzzy treat pouch with croissant inside. >
He did great! The magic croissant carrier was VERY EXCITING 🙂 and he was finding all of his lines! Super!
Subtle detail for the throwback – use countermotion to move ahead towards the correct tunnel entry before he arrives at the throwback jump, rather than stepping sideways to clear the path.
Moving forward will show the line and also get you out of the way 🙂 Stepping sideways shows a tiny bit of motion towards the ‘wrong’ end of the tunnel and widens the turn. You had good countermotion at 1:22 (when you didn’t want the tunnel) and he read it perfectly!His only real question here was the BC on landing of 3: at 1:15 it was a little late in terms of him seeing the connection fully (same at 1:33). The cue was clearer at 1:49 but the dog-side shoulder is still closed which blocks the connection – you stayed there which helped get the line for sure. If you open your shoulder more by pointing your dog-side back down to his nose, I think he will see it better and you can move away sooner.
>At the end I was trying to do a rear cross on the farthest jump but I think I was too far ahead already and not on the correct line.>
This is a hard RC line! I agree that you were a little too far ahead at 1:52. I liked how you set up the RC line at 2:03 with that little decel on jump 4 – then you pulled to the right turn line before getting onto the RC line, so he turned right. From the set position you had at jump 4, you can move directly to the center of the bar at 5 and I think he will read the left turn RC there.
Great job!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
She drove ahead really well here! You can add your motion even sooner: rather than wait for her to get past you then start moving, you can start moving as soon as she finishes the wrap. And your motion will take you towards the center of the bar for the RC, which will teach her to understand the pressure as part of the cue. You can move the toy out ahead to the direction of the RC turn so she doesn’t go straight. And on some reps… don’t have it out there! Have the toy in your hand and throw it as she is driving to the jump.
And you can mix in some reps where you go straight (no rear cross) and the toy can be placed or thrown straight.
>I do notice how quickly she started to slow down though. I stopped after the last rep but think I could have stopped sooner.>
It might be that she is acclimating to the heat? She is young enough to not truly have felt summer heat yet and had to work through it? Or maybe her brain was working extra hard and that tired her out. She did great though!
Nice job here!
Tracy
Good morning! These went well!
Sequence 1 (blind on the exit of the tunnel):
The blind was gorgeous! You can ask him for more speed by running in closer to the tunnel then exploding forward to the jumps. He saw you decelerating so he responded with collection, good boy!Sequence 2: On this blind (4-5) you can be heading more directly to 5. Heading to 4 sets a bit of a straight line past it, which makes the turn harder to set up.
You did a nice job adjusting the blind here:
The blind was late at :25 (you did it as he was jumping 4). It was earlier at :37! Then really fabulous timing at :53! And he responded with great commitment and a lovely turn. On that rep, you also showed bigger connection back to him at :54 so he saw the line to the 5 jump really well.Sequence 3: At 1:08 the blind was a little later but also you ran pretty far past 4 then back towards 5, so he was not as sure of the line and dropped the bar. Then there was a little break of connection at 1:14 pulled him off the jump. When the weather cools down, you can start with that sequence: heading towards 5 for the blind rather than towards 4, which should make the turn at 5 even easier.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning from somewhere in Indiana!
>at Merryfield Farms
OMG! Merryfield Farms! I went to one of my first seminars there EVER – I was running my Dalmatian, Pierce. I think Brenda Buja was teaching? Those were super fun days!
>YES! I never recognized that a lead change was needed here….. I recognized that the distance and the angle and all that was going to make it one of those that wasn’t a gimme but I didn’t grasp how hard it was going to be at all. Now I’m going to have to watch the videos (maybe see if I can do a screen capture and find the lead change). >
The lead changes are the source of many bloopers on course – they are subtle and if we don’t cue them many dogs stay on their line and pass the jump. And if we cue them late, a bar might come down. But if we cue them properly, it almost looks like a straight line. And some dogs are better at them than others. My terrier mix? Lead changes are very easy. The Whippets? Lead changes are sooooo hard, I really have to be convincing to get them to do it LOL
>Is it one of those lines that if he knows it early enough that he can actually make the lead change on exit of tunnel? >
Yes! Or he might do it inside the tunnel if he knows what the line it. That is why a cue on how to exit the tunnel (Go!) then maybe a jump verbal or even a ‘get out’ can all help.
> this does need that level of connection, doesn’t it? >
I think the big connection really saves us 🙂 when the line is hard or there is a big discrimination. It is more important than timing in many ways.
>Haven’t decided which setup from Week 4 I’m going to play with first…they both look wicked fun! >
Have fun! I am looking forward to seeing you and Sly run them!
Tracy
Good morning!
I am glad she is doing really well with her pattern games! You can do this at the start of the session, even if she seems undistracted. The patterns set up her brain to ignore the distractions even better! There were some big distractions in the environment on the video: sounds like a lawn mower, sirens, wind, jealous family members, etc etc. That is a LOT of a baby dog and she did great!
The rocking horses on the wings were fantastic. She is committing really well and rounding the wings perfectly (not touching them at all) on the crosses and the race tracks. SUPER!!!! I am doing a happy dance! How is she doing with her toy play outside? You can include a toy too, that will be even more fun. And you can spread the wings out more so you are both running more too.
Great job :)
TracyGood morning!
That is great news about having the Tollers and a BC who can do walk with you and Macklynn!!!!
And the up and down game resets the dog’s nervous system – it is REALLY cool to see it happen and I am glad she did well!
She seemed to like Find My Face a whole lot – easiest game ever! The only delay was when she couldn’t find the treat in the dirt 🙂 You can also mix in sometimes rewarding with the toy, I think she will like that too.
Rocking horses also looked great! She gets a double gold star for ignoring the toy that was dangling there until you presented it to her!
Her commitment is looking good and your connection is going well too – so now you can spread things out so both of you are running 🙂 She was ready to get faster but was waiting for ‘permission’ with you all going faster 🙂
>I’ve just become increasingly aware of how uncoordinated I can be >
You are doing great! Just stay connected and trust her commitment, no worries about anything else 🙂
The stays are going well! She is definitely figuring out that staying is fun even with all sorts of things out there (tunnel, toy, etc). One thing to add is maintaining eye contact as you lead out, then release. And mix that in with *not* maintaining eye contact but when you look back at her, praise but don’t release (then throw a reward back). Playing around with eye contact like that will help her understand that it is *not* eye contact that is the release (especially when you lead out with out eye contact then look at her).
If the release comes at the same time as you make eye contact again, she will think the release is the eye contact (or hand movement, if you move your hand at the same time).
You can also add in a stay in front of a jump or in front of a barrel if you haven’t already done it.
>Do you have any suggestions/modifications for the Flyball/Restrained Recall? I’m on my own and don’t live near many people who could assist.>
Good question! Plus she might not love a stranger holding on to her as you run away. You can out a small soft treat in a bowl and send her to it (small and soft so she doesn’t choke on it). You will be walking away as she arrives at the bowl and as she eats the treat: run away as if someone was holding her for the restrained recall. That will be fun and you can also take the bowl to other locations!
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>We did the Shipile game & Lew thought it was awesome! I really thought he would be afraid of heights but I am learning that the saying that Chin are catlike is pretty literal and he really seems to like to climb up high.>
This was so true! He was very happy to climb all around it LOL! The next thing to add to this is getting him a little wild before you let him get on the pile: you can throw a toy for him to chase, or do cookie recalls on the flat. Then break it off after every 2 or 3 treats on the pile to get him wild again 🙂
That can increase arousal and will challenge him more: can he still be cat-like even when he is wilder? That will help him learn to coordinate mechanics even when he is ‘higher’.
>We tried the Tight Turns & Leading with the Head 360 game and it was very hard…for ME!>
The human mechanics are definitely the hardest part of this one! Two tricks to it:
– send him to the pole and and turn him away for the 2nd wrap with the same hand. Switching hands is where things can get weird 😂
– keep the magic cookie hand for the turn away right in front of his nose as he finishes the first wrap, drawing him past your feet then slowly turning him away. Doing it too fast will make it hard for him to follow in the early stages.This is what you did 1:10 – 1:13. That was my favorite rep!! On that one, you started him at your left side, sent to the pole, then used a low & slow left hand to get his focus on it and turn him away. He read it perfectly! So be sure to always start each rep with him at your side, and use the same hand to send & turn away.
When he recognizes the game more, it will be easier in terms of mechanics.
He did well with the threadles!! He was really locking onto your threadle hand. Super!!!
On the wingless jump, he can see most of you between the uprights which makes it harder, so you can use a wing jump or put more of yourself outside the edge of the upright on the wingless. This will be super helpful as you add movement too. The only bloopers here were when he went to your body position (after getting the cookie toss)
>He needed more help moving towards the manners minder than he did moving towards my hand. >
That was interesting! He doesn’t love it yet… but I figure he will be obsessed with it pretty soon LOL! And he will realize that the grinding gears are the marker to go get the treat.
>When we start alternating Threadles & Serps, if I am doing a cookie toos to start, do I just say nothing for the Serp since I’m not asking him to “break” from a stay?>
For the serp, you can say his name or a left/right directional based on which way you want him to turn 🙂
>Also, you know that I’m going to be one of those people that asks about the alternate off-hand position. When would you need that vs the other hand?>
For the threadles? That will depend on the course design. For the style of threadle on the ISC courses or international courses, you will probably only ever need the dog-side hand like you did here.
But for the American-style threadle and AKC premier threadles, the off-hand is used more (the lines are very different and a lot less intuitive to the dog). And for those classic Premier threadles (where the jumps are set up like a serpentine and the dogs come through the gap), the off hand is very helpful and I also use foot rotation on those!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Thanks for checking in! I am glad you got to spend a nice relaxing weekend with friends!
And setting aside the training to focus on hanging it, strengthening, exploring… that is perfect 🙂 And definitely better than navigating around holes in the yard! We will have a MaxPup 3 in the fall when you are back to feeling 100%. I will keep you posted and keep checking in 🙂
Tracy
Good morning!
>Instead of having him hop into the end of the board like I had been doing with food on the piece of duct tape, she had him wrap a cone, to get on and then move down to the end to put his feet on the target. >
So we do need to have him hit the target without the food there, but it starts in smaller steps – I start it with just the target (can be the fancy one or a big slab of duct tape) and the bang game (hop on the very end and hit it, then I put the cookie on the target) and also the end position game (target on the end of a plank):
>So should I be using something besides duct tape with a bit of elevation to it? >Adding more elevation just means we have more to fade out. So if he catches on to touch it (or paws at it) with his feet? Duct tape is all you need. If he doesn’t figure it out, we can help by adding elevation.
Tracy
Good morning!
>I’m going to focus on helping his sit. He doesn’t have a good down honestly and since it’s arousal based I would potentially muddy that cue too. He just needs more focus practice on it and I’ve been lazy!!>
Be sure to not create stress with the sit by adjusting it a lot. And now is a good time to train a down and a stand stay, as those can both help the sit.
And you have to do a butt check before every release. On the lead out video – he stood up and started moving at 1:30 then got released. He did the same exact thing at 2:30 and you stopped him. That will be confusing/stress-inducing to sometimes run, sometimes stop so you need to double down the consistency. I think he is anticipating the release based on your proximity to jump 2, so you can change the timing/location of the release and throw the reward back a lot more.
On the lateral lead outs – just one suggestion is to be closer to 3 as you move up the line, further from 1 and 2. 3 was not visible in this video but based on his turn over 2, you are showing a straight line. Being laterally away on a line towards 3 will cue the turn even before you start the blind.
>You mentioned he doesn’t know when to get it. I would say yes I’m not always clear but I am about 90 percent. He has certain contexts of when it’s happening. He does very clearly know the bite verbal when it is isolated.>
Yes, he knows the bite verbal when it is isolated but you can also try doing the exact same thing and use a different verbal like a down cue or big yes or something – does he understand the verbal, or the context?
And you were definitely more clear with the bite marker on this video, I think there is only 1 time that I didn’t really hear it or it got lost in praise (which diminishes the understanding of the marker). Keep being insanely clear with it – it is super important because he might accidentally grab your hand, ouch.
You can also be careful of how you hold the frisbee as he is learning not to jump for it – when it is up by your shoulder, it is very visible and tempting to leap for, so having it lower and holding it more causally will make it less tempting
The tandem turns are going well! As you add more speed into them be sure you are turning to move along a line parallel to the line you want him to take, kind of pulling away from the wing here. When you did that, he got it every time. At 2:29 you were moving towards the wing and showed a parallel path to the line he stayed on, so he went to the other side of the wing.
Nice work here!
Tracy
