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Hi!
>I’m just really not good at all with my left hand but I will try that. >
It will feel weird at first for sure, but will definitely help with mechanics!
>So we aren’t really looking for distance on the backing up like we used to it seems?>
Correct – form is more important than distance. Backing up on a curve is going to end up with an imbalance in mechanics.
> I did pull the barrels out to try rocking horse outside. She had to deal with what turned out to be a young buck in the bushes about 100′ away (she heard something before we started and barked at the fence and then we saw it after doing the work).>
Wow! That is a big challenge!!! Good girl!!!
I agree, the session went well. She was very excited to work, so using a treat to help line her up after the tugging was a good way to clarify for her that you wanted a line up first and not offered wrapping 🙂
Also, if you pull her off a barrel- rather than hand her the toy right away, try to stay in flow: finish the FC then send her to the next barrel, get a commitment, then reward. That will help increase commitment so you won’t have to be as perfect.
Nice job with your verbals and connection!
And remember to maintain good tug transition mechanics- if she is tugging and you pull your hands and the toy up… she will come up to grab the toy. So keep the toy low, cue the out, then reward her and only then, lift the toy.
> I did lose her once, she did head right over to where she had peed before we started.>
That was about 2.5 minutes into the session, and she needed a break so she tried to take on. Working a high energy game outside is definitely more ‘expensive’ than doing it inside, so set a timer on these sessions. She might be able to do 5 minutes inside, but cut that in half for outside so you can build in breaks before she tries to take one and leaves.
>I am not sure why the extra/new verbal cue for getting the remote reinforcer?>
It is a trial prep game for extra clarity. We see a TON of trial stress manifesting as overarousal when the dogs don’t understand remote reinforcement in that context. So we start teaching it really young now, making it easy and fun.
>I am usually using a toy that is on the ground and tell them to ‘get it’ when they can go get the reward or if using a bowl just tell them bowl.>
That is great! And it is also an entirely different context. So while it is very useful for training, the remote reinforcement has an eye on the future for non-training situations where the rewards are far away and not visible.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning!
He is doing really well with this game!
Also, I think he is a lefty – the left turn side seemed a lot easier for him!
The first side (turning to his right) gave us good info. On the first and 3rd reps, you continued moving forward so he questioned whether he should wrap or not. On reps 2 and 4, you had an element of decel – no questions 🙂 Decel is part of the cue, so you can spread the barrels out even more which gives you more time to show that tiny bit of decel.
Interestingly, on the left turn side (last couple of reps), he was able to do the threadle wrap without needing the decel as much. Definitely an easier side for him! You can still use a bit of decel on that side, and exaggerate it more on the other side where he has to turn to his right.
Your verbal, connection, line of motion, and arm cues all looked great!!
Nice work here!
Tracy
Hi!
>will try to use a spoon or something. I have one of those treat huggers that I can attach to the end but it won’t stick over. Would that work?>
Because he is a Super Goat, I think something he can lick a reward from for several seconds (or longer) will be better than a treat hugger – we want to keep him up there so you can assist with turning around and so he doesn’t do anything like leap off.
>Should I try the BC again or switch to one of the other games and come back?>
Take a look at the “runs with drink in hand” game posted yesterday, and apply it to that blinds or any other sequence you want to play with 🙂
Keep me posted!
Tracy
Good morning!
The slam game looks great! You were wise to just leave the dispenser open 😆 he was slamming it so fast!
You can keep adding tiny bits more tip to this game, but separately you can also start the mountain climbers (posted yesterday). Before trying it, though, attach a target to the end of the board (it can be somethingNOT fancy like a strip of duct tape lol) and also test a deviation thing to lick: cream cheese? Do you remember what you did with Bazinga in this game? I can go back and look to see.
Looking at the handling game: he is fast and wrapping beautifully! The current situation is that you need to be perfect in your connection, and praising mid-course is actually a distraction for him (he is all business out there, wants the info not the love haha). If you looked forward a tiny bit, he pulled off the line.
But since being perfect is impossible, 2 ideas for you:
– throw the rewards on the line more, in random spots, not just at the end. Reward for lots more jumps so there is so much value that perfect connection won’t be needed
– you can also play a semi-disconnected version of the lazy game, but with you running! You’ll jog/run past the jumps (starting close for now) with only enough connection to see what he is doing. When he takes jumps – throw the reward. If he misses, keep going then throw the reward when he gets back on the line.
His paint can plank game looked great! The paint cans were a clever way to elevate the board!!!
I don’t think he slipped or stumbled getting on the board- i think he was sticking the landing like a gymnast (or a muppet haha)
He was able to do all sorts of turning around, position changes, hopping off, etc – no problems, he said. Yay! And yes, a back foot slipped off once when he was super focused on the food hand (starving!) But that didn’t concern him at all and he kept right on working. Super!!!Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning! This session went really well!!
The stays are looking strong 😀 and she did great with finding the line and not running past jumps!
She is responding really well, so 2 things to add:
– more change in motion for the wrap cue. What i mean by that is let her see you decelerate because that is a pretty critical piece of the cue. This means you probably want to go closer to the tunnel so as she exits it, she sees you running, which makes the decel easier to see.
– she is ready for earlier cues now! As she is at the middle jump, you can begin the big decel and start the wrap cue. That will allow her to collect before takeoff for the wrap (she was turning after landing here). The rotation of the FC can happen when you see the collection!
Your connection looked great so definitely keep that up.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning!
I am glad you had fun with Loretta!!Based on the teeter session here, Dublin is clearly a Golden-Goat hybrid 🙂 i am not surprised that he was perfectly happy to go all the way up the board. But I admit that I am happily astonished at how well he could turn himself around at the top. Wowza!!! Pretty impressive for a big dude! You can move an agility table next to the teeter for him to hop down onto, or just support him as he does ballerina moves to turn around LOL
Good job making sure that the wing was really supporting the teeter! 2 next steps for this:
– it was hard to see on the video, but i don’t think there was a target at the end of the board. To build more independence, the next step would be to have a target there for you to pre-loaf with a food reward (like a bit of cream cheese). For example, in the past I have duct taped a spoon to stick up at the end of the board as a target to use for this game.The other thing to do is take this game to as many different teeters as you can get to. There is a huge variation in teeters out there! Just be sure the teeter is securely propped up.
The blinds are going well!
About which hand to put the toy in: neither! Since we don’t need a precision reward at all, you can shove it in a pocket 🙂To make the timing and connection easier, you don’t need to use your hands as much. Pointing for everything slows you down and he doesn’t need it for most of the lines here.
And using less arm will open up more connection: the bloopers were connection bloopers.For example, at 4:43 you lost connection as you pointed forward so he ended up on the toy side (he was guessing and read it like a blind)
At 5:08-5:17, his questions were all from losing connection as you pointed ahead of him.
When he missed the middle jump there and on the next rep, or missed the jump after the blind, the pointing was the culprit 😀 What was happening was that pointing ahead breaks his view of your connection, and turns your shoulders away from the jump – he was turning with your shoulders, good boy!
Compare to the last rep where you really emphasized connection and he found the line really well!!! He was a little tired on that last one, but the clear connection/low arms worked well on the other sections where he found the line really well too 🙂
And I think when the connection is clearer, the timing will be very easy 🙂 So make low arms and big connection the priority t and you’ll have an easy time with the sequences 🙂
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
I agree: Rusty LOVED this! Fast and fun! His commitment looks great no matter where the jump was. You can wait even longer to throw the reward – let him get almost to takeoff so we are sure that he is locked onto the jump and not looking for the toy 🙂 I am pretty sure he was looking for the jump!
You can also move yourself away to add more distance: after sending him around the wing to start, you can then run on a line near the wing and far from the jump (rather than moving towards the jump at all. And you can also move the start wing to be very close to the tunnel, so Rusty can drive ahead of you!
>He was also clearing the jump by more than usual.>
Yes! Super confident! So you can raise the bar on that jump a little. If it was at 10”, try it at 12” And if it was at 12”, try it at 14”.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>(The election was indecisive… we have to wait til the special votes are counted… I’m not holding my breath that it makes enough of a difference to stop the asshats getting back in.)>
Ugh. So stressful! Well, there have been other recent elections in the world that initially looked indecisive but I think will turn out with big changes!! Fingers crossed that the asshats are GONE!
He did great with the teeter! When you added tip, it took him a moment to get his hind end on – I think he had the idea that you wanted his hind end on and he was sorting out how to stay balanced. Reducing the tip a tiny bit was smart and being a little further away gave him just the right amount of room to get his hind end on comfortably. He finished strong! Super!
You can definitely keep noodling around with this game and you can also add the new game added yesterday (mountain climbers). It is an entirely different game on the teeter, so he won’t be confused.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Just to clarify the freeze is when I ask for a sit or down in front of an obstacle he freezes and is “unable” to sit or down. It’s not failing to release once he actually does sit or when not asking for a position first. >
Got it! It is a similar question from the punster, but an easier one 🙂
Thanks for the video, he really has some amazeballs skills already!!!
The main thing to remember is his age versus the level of challenge. We can see the behavioral expression that appears pretty adult, in terms of how well he is able to handle all of these different environments and agility challenges! Wow! But the ‘under the hood’ reality is that his young adolescent brain is being bombarded with ALL the things (including internal phsyiology & endocrine changes including but not limited to arousal shifts) and he is actually processing them quite brilliantly. The only real behavioral expression that reflects his age is that sometimes he can’t sit 🙂
Ok then, not a problem! Since we know that resilience (HPA axis returning to baseline) is the key to handling stressors in the moment and in the long term), and we also know that it takes at least twice as long for adolescent dog bodies to bounce back, and we also know that agency is a key component of resilience: let him choose his start position. The only rule is that, once chosen, he holds the stay.
It is a great way to get the resilience, help his body handle arousal shifts (it is not cognitive, so cue response is not something he can necessarily do in that moment), and it gives you tremendous insight into what is happening inside him in the moment.
The other cool thing about this is it *does* get the cognitive side of things going and actually produces MORE sits.
And it eliminates any additional stress of being asked for something he can’t do in the moment. And if we add more pressure in the moment, we get more stress – which produces more issues of course.
I call it Staygency and it is fully explained and demo’d in the Agility Launch Sequence webinar 🙂
>I’ve done some start lines in a stand but they feel unstable/unsettled.>
Probably because they are new and different, and shifts the decision point to him 🙂 Definitely something to break out and practice separately with short lead outs and not big sequence ahead… because the results are awesome! I do this will all of my dogs on every start line and recommend it for dogs that have any start line stress or arousal struggles. The hard part is getting the humans to practice it first at home, so the dog is not surprised by it happening in training or trialing.
>(other than I’ve started to worry the send behind is a crutch and I’m worried it could become an overarousal habit and lead to spinning, which I REALLY don’t want in this pup).>
Do you mean circling you? Or spinning in front? I do behind-the-back starts with 2 of mine sometimes, and they are absolutely not allowed to ‘offer’ it and circle me (I really don’t like that behavior). And they don’t spin in front of me.
>It’s the actual start line type behavior that’s an issue.>
Staygency for the win! He is not much past a year old, we have a way to go before the brain development catches up to outward appearances. Can’t speed up biology but we can certainly create some neural pathways we like!
Another way to look at it – I don’t know why, in agility, we got locked into a certain position must be cued as the start behavior. It can be any position! There certainly is no rule about it LOL!! The start line is the hardest part of the course for most dogs. And is has also become the place where there is a TON of stressed out dogs. So giving the dogs a ‘say’ in the matter makes a massive difference: we have arrived at the start, you choose your position, then I will lead out, then we will go on cue. A truer partnership with far less pressure and fantastic results. Takes a little practice so the pup understands agency but takes all of the pressure off of the start scenario.
> I did avoid asking for start lines after his first turn (where he did do some sits before his arousal built). >
This indicates how ‘expensive’ the environment is for him – brain gets depleted of glucose and oxygen, so can’t power all of the needed tools in that environment. It is not as much of an arousal issue as it is a depletion issue. “Brain tired” is my non-scientific name for it LOL! Pretty normal for dogs in general (there is a cool study about depletion in service dogs where they saw an increase in reactivity!) and VERY normal for adolescent dogs.
So when the dogs are depleted, the brain will devote resources to what it deems ‘important’ and ‘unimportant’ behaviors might not exist – and also, impulse control often reduces. Now put that in context of a young brain that does not have a ton of impulse control ability yet (PFC is still developing). So, you will see certain behaviors remain (like don’t chase other dogs, that is a good behavior and we like it so much) and because the brain is working soooooo hard – the sit at the start might disappear.
I am fine with that because I prefer the brain devotes any remaining resources to things like “don’t chase other dogs” or “don’t bite me when I screw up” hahaha so that is why stuff like agency and also not asking for start lines all the time is great too at this stage.
And because depletion is definitely a real thing, be sure to build in decompression both in the moment and during the day:
big decompressions can be whatever he likes such as sniffy walks, snuffle mats, lickistuff, chews, etc.
In-the-moment can be stuff like a quick snuffle mat in the ring, or a victory lap with the toy (this is one that a LOT of dogs love in training and it is time well spent), shredding toys (an expensive but worthwhile habit), or just holding onto the toy (as long as they remember to breathe).So part of the sit question might be figuring out the decompression for him, then directing him to it because he might not take it himself. If it is a victory lap? Or tossed treats for sniffing around? I will cue whatever it is while I am talking to the instructor. I just tell the instructor it is a breed-specific decompression (one of the many joys of having ‘off’ breeds and mixes LOL)
So in the Tl;Dr department: Staygency (practiced first then brought into the training scenarios, so the little bit of freezing of not being able to sit. doesn’t turn into bigger freezing of not being able to sit or release from the start line) and decompression! And letting him grow up more so his brain has all of the abilities to work in the harder scenarios.
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Here’s a longer video mostly to show that he’s normally engaged, enjoying the stuff, getting reinforced etc. lots of voluntary movement and happy to do the things when this happens.
First part is a little fun match at Ashley Deacon’s Golden Gate Dog Sports Halloween weekend. It’s literally in an industrial warehouse area of San Francisco and Vibe’s never been there before. Second part is the seminar this past Saturday. Again, new location, never been there. We don’t do contacts or weaves yet so just game him some fun jump tunnel sequences and toy play. He’s focused, having fun, getting reinforced, etc.
Importantly he struggles with sitting when aroused, especially around or anticipating doing the equipment, and freezes instead of sitting just as much at home as these new locations. We had the same issue or worse yesterday at home working on compressed weaves and just a single jump tunnel.
Good morning!
The parallel path is off to a strong start!! He was absolutely perfect and confident when he was on your right, moving away from the wall.
He was not as sure when he was on your left – i wonder if it was because it was too close to running towards the wall? It was also happening when you switched sides: pretty perfect going away from the wall, and not as comfy going towards the wall (so I don’t think it is a side preference).You can try it more in the center of the room and try it with more space away from the wall?
My only other suggestion is to use a “get it” marker instead of “yes” when you toss the treat. That will getting him looking at the prop line even more and up at you less 🙂
(You can use the get it marker whenever you toss the treat put away from him.)He was super happy getting on the wobble board, cato plank, and fit bone! You can take all 3 to the next level:
– Get him tugging on the wobble board 🙂
– you can lure him to turn in a slow, tight circle while keeping all 4 feet on the plank– deflate the fitting a bit to let him offer getting all 4 feet on the fit bone. With it a bit overinflated, he can’t quite get on it but having it a bit under inflated should help.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hello!
Backside slices: He did really well here! Super! He was committing brilliantly and really zipping around the barrel to the backside. I think you can use toys as the reward on the landing side of the bump (dropping the toy in) rather than the food bowl.
Only one suggestion: Start moving up the line before the release, so your motion sets the line to the backside before he starts to move. This will be especially useful as you get further and further away from the barrel, which is the next step (and he is ready for it :))
Moving for a few steps before the release also helps keep the release separate from you starting to move, so the movement doesn’t get built into the release.For the rear crosses: he is reading these well too! Since he is readying the this well, one detail on the handler running line to go to the next level: You can start closer to him on the rear cross reps to make the info even sooner. You can see he is hitting the prop then seeing it is a rear cross on most of the reps, meaning it is one step late. If you start next to him instead of being lateral at all, then you will show the cues even sooner without having to cut across as severely. Cutting across severely actually keeps you behind him more, and being right next to him can actually get you ahead of him again after the RC. A lot of AKC-style rear crosses involve powering out to the next line and not turning severely, so you can see how lateral distance before the RC gets you too far behind on the rep starting at 4:04, for example – you started several steps away so then when you did the RC, you were pretty far behind him. If you are right next to him and driving forward through the RC line, he will read it and you will be not too far behind either, to show the next line.
>Mistake – left prop out…..so he went to go do that instead. >
That was so funny! Good boy! The big send did point it out to him LOL Good rewarding 🙂
The rocking horses are also going well – great job adding the verbal and using a toy reward!
>Any big holes, or just sloppy handling?>
Do you mean the rep where he jumped up at 5:58? That was just a bit of sloppy handling 🙂 You were getting him excited which is great but he was facing you. So when you sent him, he was like “wait, what?” And you were disconnected on the send, looking at the jump, then the hand got high with the toy. I don’t think he was leaping at you in arousal, he was just bopping around to figure out the cue. The cleaner starts where he is at your side, facing the way you will want him to go will eliminate that question.
Nice drive into the reverse retrieve at the end – when did he let it go? You had a big praise so maybe that is what caused him t drop it (not visible on the video) so you can delay the praise til he has it and he is on the way to you.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Fortunately the super-glue seemed to do the trick, so we only missed one day of practice.>
Great news! I am so glad to hear it!
>Chip’s brain was focused on gopher smells (the flooding drove a lot of gophers out of their holes, and the foxes had some messy meals) and just ran around sniffing for 10 minutes. >
Ah yes, I can understand why that would be really hard for a young terrier brain!
>After a slow start, I ran our other two agility Cairns on the course while my wife held Chip so he could watch. It seemed to help and he was much more focused.>
I am sure that got his arousal more directed towards you 🙂 And you can go outside regularly, even if it on leash just to walk around and do tricks for amazing treats!
>I’m still having problems with connection and getting him in the correct end of the tunnel. >
Check out the Drink-In-Hand game posted this week 🙂 It is a fun way to get more connection!
Looking at the video:
He did great when your arms stayed low and you said the verbals to him, like at the beginning of the run on the video then at the end, when your arm was back and he could see the connection.
When you said the verbal to the obstacle (like on the first rep when you said go to the middle jump and pointed ahead while he was behind you, he was not sure where to be. The connection definitely helps him a lot.
For the wrap (especially turning to his right, more on that below) – you can move forward for longer. If you are rotated and facing him when he lands from the middle jump, the cue is actually a bit too early. You can move forward until he lands from the middle jump, then decelerate to begin cueing the wrap, then the rotation can start when he is closer to the wrap jump.
Terriering section, outdoors:
Wow, that is a GORGEOUS FIELD!!! When you did get him running, your connection and motion was terrific so he did REALLY well! Wow! Fast, focused, and accurate. This will be a fun field for the drink-in-hand game 🙂Your connection carried over nicely to the indoor session at the end here on the first rep – almost perfect til the end, when you looked forward so he went to the other end of the tunnel.
He seems to have a slight left-turn preference so if he connection is unclear, he will offer a left turn (which is why he would take the other end of the tunnel if the connection was not strong). For example, at 1:57 when you started the send to the tunnel, you looked forward which turned your shoulders to the other side of the tunnel so that is where he went. So be extra strongly connected on anything that involves a right turn – it all balances out when the youngsters are all grown up and experienced.
That also helps to explain why he had a lot of trouble on the right turn wraps when you were too early (he would go back to the left turn on the other jump) but could find the left turn on the other side when the timing was the same.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning! This session went well too!
For the blinds – the best connection as you finished the blind was when you got your hand back towards him (like at :15). That worked great to get the side change visible.
It will be harder for him to see in flow if your hand is at your side or pointing forward to the next obstacle, so definitely keep getting your arm back so he can see the connection on the new side.
For the middle jump: he is committing well! You can send and leave, rather than send and hold position til he takes the jump. Trust his commitment, stay connected, and see what happens 🙂
>I know that I need to clean up my cues – am trying to use directionals with Rusty but use ‘out’ with Folger.>
You can give yourself walk through to practice your cues before you run Rusty 🙂 When I was adding all the verbals, I would do walk throughs even on simple sequences and video them, to check to be sure I was using the correct words before I ran the dog 🙂
In the full sequences, you were moving away from the middle jump sooner, which is great. That also means that you can start the blind sooner 🙂 For now, start it when he lands from the middle jump.
You were starting it when he was taking off for the blind cross jump (blue jump) which worked to get the blind here because the bar was low and he could adjust even on a late cue (like at 1:43).
On a taller bar, though, he won’t be able to do that so definitely keep moving as you send him to the middle jump and start the blind when he lands (it will be earlier when we are sure of his commitment). The goal is to be finished with the blind before he takes off for the blue jump 🙂 and that will require you sending to the middle jump and moving away.
Nice work here!
TracyHi!
>I thought we’d run at 10 and we ran the older girl at 1 and then tunnelers at 6:35 in the dark.>
OMG! That seems like an unexpectedly long day!
> I had 90 seconds to walk her course and get back to run.>
Because she is so young – that seems like too short of a time for the course planning AND getting her ready. You can totally advocate for her and be like “no, I need my full walk and a proper length of time to warm her up physically and mentally” Most trials are small so they can accommodate that. No need to rush a baby dog that was waiting literally all day!
>Apparently I hold my dog’s collar as I take the leash off. I instinctively put my hand on her neck which is a big no no at NADAC. >
It is a good reminder to practice taking the leash off and rewarding for engagement without holding her 🙂
Looks like she had a blast in the run! Great tunnel commitment but also great engagement with you. And super fast! YAY!!!
We will want to add in more at the start line before you do too many more runs. We don’t want her to think that in a trial environment, we just run immediately – that can make getting the stay a lot more challenging. So in any upcoming runs, do FEO so you can get some tricks and a sit and a little tiny stay for a reward.
Looking at the training video: Looking great!!
>I still get some running by the jump vs over but the side jump but overall she’s doing great. >
When you were a little late turning at :29 & :47and she went wide over the middle jump, she missed the next jump. On those reps, the turn cues started when she was halfway between the 2 jumps after the tunnel.
But when the timing was earlier, she had a great turn on the middle jump and found the next jump with no question. An example is at :34, when she was over the jump after the tunnel and you had already started the turn cues. Note how tight she turned on the middle jump! Same at :53 and 1:07 on the other side – good timing, no questions! !
>I also see I was lazy and letting her shoot into the tunnel on her own.>
Do you mean at the end of the sequence? I thought you cued all of those: moving forward and clear tunnel verbals. I don’t think you were lazy 🙂 You can definitely add more of your running though to all of it, so she can still find these lines with you moving fast! In a small space, that can mean going in closer to the tunnel at the beginning so you have have more running room as she exits the tunnel.
Speaking of the tunnel: You will need more & heavier tunnel bags 🙂 She is slipping a fair amount because the tunnel is moving, so more bags will help.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Hi!
>So basically I need to be more exciting? >
I think it depends on the situation:
Using a toy as the reward with a behavior where you are both moving? I don’t think you need to change anything. Even in the threadle wrap video here, you were using food but you were using and she was very engaged! When you are more comfy with your arm cues, you can use a toy here too.
When using precision cookies as the reward for a behavior where you are not moving? Yes, you can be a bit wilder with the in-between moments to increase the energy of moving into the behavior. She doesn’t need to run into the pivot (she might end up smashing into you if we asked for that LOL) but she can return quicker and more crisply with more exciting rewards mixed in.
Looking at the threadle wraps:
She has the concept of being drawn to the threadle then turning herself away. Yay!
>She’s walking through this.>
Because you are walking through this, in a small space. Nowhere to run to! So take this game outside and it will be easier with more running for you both 🙂 And it will allow you to show the transition into decel, which is super helpful as the first part of the cue.
So now we can lock onto the hand cues you want to use, more below.
>It’s hard in a small cramped space with entertainment center as well as coffee table pressure.>
In the early stage, when she exited the start cone on the line to the threadle at :14 & :26, it was easy to show the cues
At :20, though, when she exited the start cone to the other side of the barrel, there was not enough room to set up the threadle line. You would have to basically walk through the television before she exits the cone. You did more of a strong cue to pull away from the line at :33 and she got it. Super!
1:26 and 1:38 were great examples of setting the line even with the TV in the way!> I’m very confused about my arms >
Yes, you need to choose what you want to do with your hands – it kept changing especially early in the session.
I think you were mainly using both hands, which is great! You can make the 2nd hand more visible to her by moving the dog-side arm back towards her a bit and extending the opposite arm across you to be more visible.
I am not sure she sees the 2nd hand – the view at 1:04 was great because you can see the outside arm is hidden in front of you by the closed-shoulder of the dog-side arm. She looks at you and your motion then goes to the other side of the barrel based on arm & motion. You pulled more at 1:14 which helped but the hands can be more visible as you begin the slight pull. You won’t need to pull away as much when you have more room.
And sometimes you were using an arm to help her around the barrel, especially towards the beginning. I don’t think she needs that – she was quite brilliant at doing it herself, like at 1:20 (and numerous other times 🙂 ) So focusing on the hands being visible to start the cue is all you need, she will do the rest 🙂
>I’m bending over to get her attention which isn’t functional while running. >
That is not a problem, no worries, because of the decel as part of the cue. You won’t need to be running fast as you cue it, so a slight bend will be just fine and actually helpful to differentiate it from other cues.
Nice work here!
Tracy
