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Hi!
He was having a little trouble with his stay here at the beginning, so you can use a platform to help him stay (if he knows how to sit on a platform) or you can start with a cookie toss so you can move forward while he is occupied doing something else 🙂He was 1000% happy to drive to your side and decel, and pivot. Easiest thing ever for him! So now you can add more of your running – you can run and when he is halfway too you, show him a big slowing down of your motion and put the magic cookie hand into position at your side. That way he can read a transition from you going fast to you going slooowwwww, and set up the collection. Since you will need to be running for this, you can either use a longer lead out from a stay then release then run, or you can use a cookie toss to start.
If you have anyone around who can hold him like a restrained recall, you can do that too! I use this game in flyball as well, mainly so that the dogs decelerate with me when they arrive at the end of the run back rather than smash into the wall or crank themselves on the tug 🙂
Great job!
TracyHi!
Driving ahead is looking great here! He seems very toy-driven and also he was bringing the toy right back. YAY! So since he was more than happy to drive to the toy, you can start to add more of your motion! It looks like you were adding your motion a bit at the end of this session and he wa svery happy with it, so now you can add running 🙂 When you let him go, you can rnu forward to try to get to the toy first (good luck haha) and you can also use a “go!”. For future flyballers, you can also use a “ready set GO!” to start the game here. And also, since flyball is in his future. you can also run forward a few feet and then turn and run the other way – this can help him begin to get super happy with continuing forward to do a thing (get the toy here, or a flyball box turn in the future) while you are already running the other way 🙂Nice work!
TracyHi! This session went really well!!! He is definitely getting the idea of backing up!
He started off backing up onto the mat, but then when it slid under him a bit, he changed that to backing up to just before the mat (clever! LOL!!)
So 2 ideas for you:
– you can make this mat more stable so it doesn’t slide, kind of what you did at the end of the session by putting it on top of something else.– you can move to backing up onto something that moves a little, like a very stable wobble board (lots of towels under it will keep it from moving too much) to get him happy with the movement. Start with a refresher of getting him lots of rewards for moving the wobble board without backing up, then you can start him with all 4 feet on the wobble board and get the backing up going (first letting him step off with his front feet, then back on. And if he is happy with that, you can have him come off with all 4 feet then step backwards onto it.
>. I didn’t realize I was creeping forward (!)
Ha! That is so funny – I thought it was intentional, to get the reward placement in nice and fast 🙂
Nice work here!!
TracyHi!
>> One was I went out to the dog yard with Vinny on leash. It was like being at a trial. He could not tug or pull his attention off the other dogs at all. Forget about holding his toy. So I moved into the backyard which is right next to the dog yard. It has hedges separating the sightline between yards except for the gate. Still nothing. So I kept going further away to just outside the back yard. Now we’re next to the sheep pen which was distracting but he was able to tug here and do some food games. Lots of work ahead of us.>>
It is great that you were able to re-create trial behavior at home, and that you were able to find the sweet spot of how far away you needed to be in order to get engagement. Distance is your friend here!
>>The more he runs the higher he usually gets so this helped me gage if he was able to recover between runs. I would say yes.>>
I thought he did really well! Remember to do some decompression after each run: reward with the tug, get back on leash… then take him for a short sniff walk or scatter treats in the grass. You were tending to go right back into tricks and patterns, so he didn’t really get a chance to rest between reps in terms of resetting his brain and body.
>.One thing that I would like to figure out is what to do at the start line once the leash comes off. He wants to circle around me as soon as the leash is off and I don’t like that.>>
Many many dogs regulate their own arousal in that moment by moving a bit, which is what it looked like he was doing too. He was engaged and not obsessively circling, just needed to move. So you might learn to like it because it helps so much LOL!! So you can let him circle once as you get rid of the leash, then line him up, and see how it goes.
>> I have to grab is collar which he won’t have on at trials to keep him beside me. >>
Collars are legal in UKI and AKC, but I don’t recommend you use one – you were pulling him by the neck when you were holding his collar, which is going to be uncomfortable for him and also possibly a correction/punisher. So…. no collar so you can’t pull him by the neck 🙂
>>So maybe I do something that allows him to move until I’m ready for him to line up? I don’t train my dogs to do figure 8s between my legs because I don’t want to fall if it happens unexpectedly. An honestly I’ve never trained that behavior even when I wasn’t afraid of breaking a hip :-). Do you have any suggestions?>>
You can teach him to line up between your feet, which is a cued behavior and not a figure 8 (I cue figure 8 and don’t want my dogs doign them obsessively). Or just let him mill about for that short time when you are tossing the leash away rather than controlling the moment as much. If he can then line up with low latency, and run the sequence well – it is a good thing for him to move before the stay 🙂
Looking at the video:
Overall with the handling, you were super connected so my suggestions are mainly about timing or position.He did well doing the pattern game here with food, then going to the tug toy. Remember to work on and add in the engaged chill game, so he learns to be calmly stationary.
He was in a stand stay here but he was moving his feet a lot. Since you don’t want to butt heads with him on the start line and you also don’t want to muddy the stay criteria, maybe a sit is a better position for now.
On the first sequence – really nice! Just one suggestion: put your FC on the backside of 3 at 1:26 right on the line you want him to take (closer to the entry wing) then get outta there before he takes off. You were too far across the bar there, so he jumped on a slice andthen had to adjust after landing.
Nice go line there!2nd sequence – you can smooth out the turn from 3-4 with a spin on 3 at 2:04 – the post turn sent him a little wide so he had to sotr it out after landing.
Good job setting the line from the tunnel exit there – it is a hard line and he had a good turn because you were patient! Super!!!
Sequence 3 – To get the collection before takeoff for the wrap jump, try starting the decel and verbal when he is in the air over 4 so he sees it before he lands, then rotate as he is passing you. You were a little late starting the decel into the wrap – the cues started after he landed from 4 at 3:09 so he didn’t quite have enough time to organize himself for a collection before takeoff.
Really nice go line back to the tunnel!Seq 4: nice blind at 4:50!! Then you can immediately start he turn cues of decel and brake arm when he is in the air over 3, then when he lands, beginning to turn to face 5 so he jumps 4 in collection towards 5. At
4:51 you started after he landed from 4, so he really had to come back to find jump 5.If you keep him on your right, do a spin on 6 (4:55) so he doesn’t slice wide. Or you can do a BC 6-7 to get him on your left, that can produce a tighter line there too.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyWell, the arousal game before the teeter was certainly arousing LOL! He couldn’t really line up next to you then had to fix himself on the first rep. Then he slowed himself down to get it (especially with the toy out front) but he definitely was regulating his arousal there! Yay!!
This is the kind of thing that will continue to percolate over time, as his body gets better and better at regulating arousal. He did really well!Now since had 3 really high arousal sessions here, super challenging for his brain and body: give him at leas 3 or 4 days off from the arousal regulation work and just do really simple fun stuff without arousal regulation challenges. That way his body has time to reset itself and re-balance in terms of physiology. This stuff is hard work for the body 🙂
Great job on these!
TracyHi!
To avoid getting dizzy, throw in more front crosses so you are not looping the same way more than once or twice in a row 🙂He was definitely very stimulated by this game! He ws breathing hard and had more tension in his muscles! But he was still perfect with the stay – SUPER!! You can do this with a toy in your hand (doesn’t need to be remote reinforcement) to also sometimes add in throwing the reward back to him for holding the stay.
Nice work!
THi!
Playing with him at the beginning and between each lead out looked really good, and he seemed happy to be moving away from the reward station. You can also mix in some engaged chill so that he builds that skill up as well.The cartoon silly lead out looked great on the first rep, he was more stimulated but did not break his stay or move a muscle 🙂
Something at 3:01 tipped him off that you were releasing, he moved right before the release. It might be a mouth movement or inhalation that caused him to predict the release was coming. So mix in less start-then-stop-then-start on the lead out, because it might cause him to start asking questions, thinking the release is coming.
The bar down there was because you turned to head back to the reward station while he was in the air, without a lot of info about where to go next before takeoff.
The last rep with the all-business approach is probably what the best choice will be at a trial – he was great with it! But practicing the crazy lead outs will help him rehearse stays while he is in that more stimulated state that he will find himself in at a trial.
Great job here!
Hi!
>>when we go jogging (our new thing so I can freaking get in better shape and run in trials)>>
I need to get my own butt back in gear for this… I used to run and have slacked off severely. If I want to run 4 dogs in UKI, then I need to get back to running LOL!!! EEK!!
It sounds like you have really high quality seminars and trials planned! Fun! And high quality presenters, along with nice big rings and good equipment. Fun times ahead!!!!!
And yes, the ISC trials look fantastic and I am jealous that my mixes are not testicularly-legal for them.
Have fun!
TracyHi!
Maybe a group of local folks can get together to create your own fun match? Or if there is a local-ish trial, you can go spectate and hang out 🙂
And yes, try to use your leash a lot so that he is used to the leash being part of the process.
Have fun!
TracyHi!
The sequences looked really strong- you two are working together beautifully!First sequence:
The openng looked really good! Small detail: You can finish the spin earlier at :10 by giving her the collection cues for 3 as she is passing you then try to complete the spin so you are looking over your left shoulder again before she takes off.>>The rear cross was a bit hairy but we got there.>>
It was designed to be hairy LOL!! To get the RC more smoothly there, the key is setting the line from the exit of the tunnel #4 to jump by staying there so she sees your position… then getting directly on the RC line. It is a bit of a wicked rear cross because the tunnel exit line is so hard.
On the 2nd sequence – Super nice drive to the tunnel, giving you a good position for 4-5!
>>I was too much of a chicken to cut across her line for a serp on the next one so I stayed lateral and did a threadle slice with 2 hands to cue some collection instead.>>
That fear is understandable, with all of that power coming at you! You can be one or two steps further across the bar for the serp at :39 so she can turn before takeoff – it will still be pretty far from the jump, but further across the line.
You had more pressure on the serp line at :53 (further across the bar but safely way ahead), so she turned really well and you were not in jeopardy of being run over :))The FC on 6 had a question from her: at :42, you were too far across the bar so it set a slice line, then she dropped the bar trying to adjust when you took off down the next line. As you drive those big lines and she is behind you, you can keep your left shoulder open to her, fingers pointing to her nose, so she has no questions about where to be. Having your shoulders closed might have contributed to the bar becasue her ears came up and she was looking directly at you (seeking more information) instead of looking at the line.
The bar stayed up at :56 but she still jumped long looking at you. Now, we don’t need a super tight turn on jump 6 because that wold mess up the straight line coming next, but you can be more on the line from 6-7 to set the turn (closer to the center of the bar), decel into it, and when you finish the FC, stayed more connected back to her so she has side information and is not looking at you as much.
Lovely drive down the line to the tunnel!
Last sequence – look at her collecting brilliantly at 1:15 after the huge extension line! You gave her a massive collection cue with a lot of eye contact, so it ended up being too much collection. That cue was in progress as she was taking off for jump 4 at 1:14 – perfect timing.
She was not as tight on the next rep – you started the cue for the wrap when she landed from 4, plus the cue was more to the jump and less to her. So she committed, but her collection was not as strong as it was on the previous run.
So to get the best possible turn, start the collection cues like you did at 1:14 (so she seems them before she lands from 4). And look her in the eye for a heartbeat then as she starts to collect and as you start to move forward to 6, shift your connection to the landing side of 5 (wrap jump). That will support her passing you into the wrap commitment while you are moving the other way 🙂 It is like shifting where you look: from her eyes to the landing spot.
And I agree – it is pretty fantastic that her turn was so good, that we can discuss really fine tuning it! Yay!
Great job here!
TracyHi!
You can do a homemade version: taking a small square or round piece of wood, attach a yoga mat to the top of it (staples or glue will work :)) And on the bottom to make it wobbly: put a tennis ball in a sock, and attach the sock to the bottom of it too! That can work really well 🙂
TracyHi!
Looking at both tunnel videos:
She offered really well on the first video as you moved to the tunnel right at the beginning. Then I see what you mean about staring at you. When you started her on an easier angle on the 2nd video with the toy (she as facing the tunnel entry more) she had an easier time. When she was perpendicular to the tunnel and not directly facing the tunnel entry, she took longer to offer.You can also lure this behavior for a few reps: line her up facing the tunnel and gently hold her (she might need to wear a collar or harness for that), throw the toy or treat to the other side of it, then let her go. You might get some good lightbulb moments there and also then you can start to add very simple angles.
That can also help add the verbal. Gently hold her, throw the toy, start saying the verbal, then let her go.
I don’t mind a couple of lures for this behavior, because it is easy to fade the lure because the tunnel becomes so fun 🙂 I totally taught my youngest dog (the BC mix) the tunnel with a few quick lures because he needed to understand to NOT look at me. Right now she might need the lure as a visual target to help direct her gaze to the tunnel and away from you and your cookies/toy 🙂
Great job here! Let me know what you think! 

TracyHi!
She did well getting herself back on the raised mat! She did better when you were not moving your hand back to her and she just offered it. When you hand was moving, she seemed to just be thinking about your hand 🙂 But when you out down the start cookie then let her step back on her own, she got some really good reps in!The distance you had in the middle was the best, so she could have a short distance to step back right onto the mat. When you moved further away at the end, I think it was too far so she was more likely to turn around to get on the mat than she was to step back to it.
Nice job!
TracyGood morning!
The link you posted took me to your YouTube page, but I think this is the link to the video:If it is the wrong link, let me know : )
The pattern is looking good! When saying ‘Get it’ – try saying it then moving the hand to toss it. You were moving the hand then tossing it which makes it harder to attach the verbal ‘get it’.
She was responding brilliantly the back and forth as well as the up and down at your feet, and offering engagement really quickly. Yay!
You can add in walking back and forth with this game, so you can take it on the road when you will be moving. And since she is doing really well, you don’t need to do a zillion reps so she doesn’t eat too many treats 🙂
Take this game to new places to help transfer it to different environments.
Great job!
Tracy
