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Hi!
Good job rewarding him a lot on the smiley face game! That will help develop the teamwork as you work on all the handling games!! And the new tunnel looks great!
Looking at when things went really smoothly, it was when you started him lined up at your side and you were really connected, and did a FC on the barrel. That looked great! My favorite moments were at 1:35-1:40, and then at 1:45 – 1:51. Those were so lovely!!!
When things were not as smooth, like closer to the beginning, it was mainly just that you were sorting out which side to send him from, where to look etc.
Ideally, you look at hm the whole time (easy to say, harder to do!) so try not to point forward – you can have your hand follow his nose. That will tell you where he is looking so you will start to see commitment. And that will let you know when to move to the next spot.
>out of the tunnel for the wrap vs. the R.>
On those reps, he was not seeing enough connection plus you stopped moving, so he was not sure where to be. AS he exits the tunnel, try to keep your left arm back to his nose, make eye contact, and keep moving to tohe barrel for another step or two so motion supports the connection.
Looking at Wind In Your Hair:
>I could have more wind in my hair (aka – run!). >
I disagree! You did really well! You were emphasizing connection and that is more important than going fast – he was plenty fast so you don’t need to be.
When you were connected and moving, he took the jump every time.His questions about taking the jump were when you were trying to throw earlier – that was causing a disconnection when you started looking forward to throw the toy. So for now as you build value, stay super connected and throw a little later, and I think you will see his commitment be super!
>I had planned to try rear crosses or mission transition, but with the missed jumps, didn’t try those.>
Yo can totally try those – both require strong connection so I think it is fun to mix them in and they will also strengthen commitment.
Great job here!
Tracy
Oops, I forgot the screenshot link! Here it is:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lHlvDxG6Fz-l48vaDxQWu15QB1O2hN7YqdfiXzSEu28/edit?usp=sharingGood morning!
Great news that xray and ortho say she looks great! Yay! We can keep an eye on why she is sore on that right side, maybe she just bangs herself around like a puppy 🙂
Looking at the video:
She had a question about the reward on the start of rep 2:
there was a clear ‘no thanks’ at first then she did get going. Looking at what was different about the toy mechanics, when you were leaning towards her and moving the toy around in front of her, probably too much pressure. But when she was moving around the wing – even though you were facing her, you were more upright and the toy was moving away fast: she got into it!I grabbed some screenshots of those moments (and some others):
> Overall I was thrilled with how she read the threadle cue especially because we haven’t done this since Max Pup 1,>
Yes!!! That was great – zero off course tunnels!!!!
Right at the beginning: first rep was great! Your support of her line to the tunnel was *spot on*!
>So I left in some of the sticky moments we had playing the tunnel threadle game this morning. not so thrilled with the stopping before the tunnel. Am I peeling off too soon? She looks committed, but then stops right before going in. Not sure what is going on with that.>
Yes – peeling off too soon is exactly it, especially since it is really dark & curved (:45 & 2:12 & 2:45 ). You were indicating the tunnel then before she was really committed, rear crossing behind her to step away. I got a couple of screen shots of those moments for you (along with a couple of other things, they are here:
Ideally, you would keep moving to the tunnel entry until she turns herself away into, then you can head the other way. You can also place a reward right in the tunnel entry so she keeps going to it so you don’t have to be perfect 🙂
>On the wrap cues I have a tendency to bring that DS arm forward which rotates my chest away from her. Could that be why she is stopping?>
Yes – that causes a disconnection. That, combined with you not quite get close enough to the wing without connection, is contributing. What I think is happening is she is avoiding/stressed about being told she is wrong (stopping and fixing is indeed a ‘you’re wrong’ marker) so she just freezes. Without connection and motion, she can’t see what is correct.
Since she gets concerned about any possibility of being wrong, if you repeat a spot that has just caused a question, you are almost guaranteed to get a freeze up.
So some ‘do’ and ‘don’t’ when doing these little sequence games to keep her moving 🙂
Do let go of trying to run the sequence correctly 🙂 Always keep moving, keep handling, then reward at the end even if she is frozen up! Reward as if was perfect and let her come get the reward. Basically, shadow handling followed by reward with big praise!
Don’t fix anything in the moment – she reads that as punishment and it gets more freezing up. Just keep going, it doesn’t matter if she gets the wing or tunnel – the priority now it getting her to want to keep moving.
Do move to something else if she gets it right once, or if she had a question – keep mixing things up so she is not presented with the same questions in a row,
Don’t repeat anything that she has been successful with, or anything that there has been a frozen moment with – that just causes more questions. You can do something else, or let Jack have a turn while she watches, then she can have another rep. Don’t fix, don’t repeat: the goal is keep going!
Do use the absolute highest value rewards (I see that flying squirrel in the picture, but you were using food rewards). Don’t be afraid of her running off with it – for now, it is more important to make this type of game into the most fun thing ever, which means if you get one rep with amazing rewards – that is hugely valuable 🙂 If she is running around with the toy, you can cheer her on then maybe Jack can be nearby in a crate and you can have him come out and do some wing wraps (no tunnels, in case she joins in, because I don’t want a tunnel collision). She can join with Jack on the wings too, fun for all!
Let me know what you think! She has a ton of skills so now we are looking at eliminating the stuck moments 🙂
Nice work here!Tracy
Hi!
>Question about clickers. I have not used the clicker with him yet. I was reading the stay game. We have already done some stays but I would like to try this. Should I do something else with the clicker 1st?>
Great question! You can prep the clicker by first clicking then throwing a treat – mainly to make sure the clicker doesn’t scare him!
Then if he is fine, you can shape something simple like touching something or getting in a box, with clicks and treats. When he has done a session or two, and if he likes it – onwards to the stays!
Let me know how he does 🙂
Tracy
Hi! This went well!
I think the main thing in these session was getting your line of motion turned early enough. When you did not turn to the threadle line before she exited the wing, she read the cue as parallel path to th tunnel in front of her. And she was cracking me up: she exited the tunnel and came to your hand to get a reward as if she was saying “nailed it!!” Ha! You can give her a reset cookie because she was not wrong 🙂On the reps where you turned to face the new line to the other side of the tunnel, she got it right every time. You also decelerated to set that line and I think that helped a lot! So when you add more speed and more obstacles before the threadle wing, be sure to decel and be facing the correct tunnel entry before she exits the wing wrap.
>I love the screenshots so much! >
That is great, because I have more LOL 2 screenshots of the timing being late so she thought you wanted her to go straight to the tunnel, and 2 shots of you having beautiful timing and position on the line. Yay!!
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fb4M0tnvR9gQbmRziKe2JacxcAaNt6DlCxYGNi4reAA/edit?usp=sharing
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
Happy birthday, Brioche!!!!
>The conundrum with trying to set up the video so you can see what you want to see is the space restraint. >
I can tell by his head position where the toy is, so you don’t need to get yourself in the frame for this setup.
Because of his age, you can revisit the set point that we did at the beginning of class, and move the 2nd bar up 2 inches from where you left off 🙂 The ladder grid always stays low but we can introduce a little height in the set point and in upcoming grids.
>Even when the snow melts, it will be extremely muddy in my practice yard. Ugh.>
This is my least favorite time of year – February and March. We need some good weather!!!!
T
Good morning!
> One reason is he/I has a hard time collecting.>
Yes, AKC requires a lot of collection from the 24″ big dogs!
> So, you’d think I’d have tried to figure out the break arm earlier.>
There is not a lot of support for it out there LOL which is why I jokingly call it the ‘evil’ arm. Somehow, we North Americans became convinced to NEVER use it which turns to be silly 🙂
> Sometimes to collect my dogs I use a small reverse flow pivot, which seems like a similar idea.>
Yes, there are similarities, but we don’t want to have to turn our feet – not enough time with big fast dogs and then when end up in catch-up mode after that, trying to rotate back to the next line.
> I don’t know the real name of it, but I’ve also used the move where you turn your butt toward the jump and send them over and they wrap back, if that makes sense.
That one has a lot of names depending on which part of the world you are in: reverse spin, flind (front blind), or ass pass 🙂
>Gromit can get very excited at trials and run fast, but sometimes when we’re practicing he can be slow so it makes it hard to train. >
Does he come out fast and spicy on the first run consistently? If so, do exactly one run with him, then let one of the other dogs have a turn. Sighthound speed is ‘expensive’ on their bodies so they actually need a lot of rest. My terrier and herding dogs? Yes, they can run a bunch of sequences in a row. The race bred whippet? Nope! His first run or first 2 runs are crazy fast then his muscles can’t fire as fast… so in training, he gets breaks so each run is crazy fast. Thankfully we both have other dogs who would like to take a turn LOL!
He might also slow down if the food reward are coming when you are stopped. So rather than stop and hand him the treat, you can let him chase you or then throw the treats. You can try a lotus ball to get him chasing moving food 🙂 If he likes toys or balls, you can use those too of course.
On the one-jump exercises, he did well letting us know that he needs a smaller brake arm and not a big chop or early rotation.
You can reward if the cue is too big and he doesn’t commit – what was happening on those reps was that you were using the brake hand AND rotating in a bigfast movement – that is more than he needsThe sequences made more sense to him than the one-jump game did, and you were able to decelerate and show the just right amount of brake arm. His turns looked really lovely!
On the 2nd video, he did really well with the wraps! They were almost perfect, lovely collection. You were starting the decel when he was a about a stride and a half out of the tunnel. I wuold be interested in seeing what happens when you start the decel as soon as he is fully out of the tunnel: decel, add brake arm, then rotate when he is getting ready for liftoff. That might be the sweet spot! Or it is too early and we stick with what you did here 🙂
>He also sometimes does this goofy thing in training where he won’t release, you’ll see it. I actually think it’s a little stress or uncertainty.>
A lot of dogs don’t like the repetition of the stays and the sequences, and prefer if we do something different each time. This is where giving him more rest in between can help!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning and welcome to you and the Goldens 🙂 They are both very responsive to the brake arm here and they gave great feedback!
On the front side wraps:
> A couple times both Ringo and Artie thought I wanted the back side or a rear cross….which are two of our common mistakes.>
These are pretty common handler errors across all types of dogs, based on how we (accidentally) pressure lines so they read it based on what they see (not necessarily what they hear).
With that in mind: I want you to reward everything when this happens and don’t mark it as wrong…. because they are correct and also if *both* dogs do a version of it, it is a sign of handler error and not a dog error LOL!
For the accidental backside sends, that usually happens when we step strongly to the backside with a dog that has an understanding of backside sends:
At :07 – you turned and took a step to the backside, so that is where he went. Watch in slow motion to see your left arm/leg/shoulder push forward to the backside. Same thing happened at :18, with your right arm & leg. Just reward and reset – don’t mark as wrong with a verbal or by disconnected and turning away (which is a clear ‘you are wrong’ marker).
Compare to :10, :21, :25, :29 etc where you did not step to the backside so both dogs took the front side 🙂
On thing that will help is if you decelerate into the cues: go fast, then slow down and then show the brake arm. Lack of decel can create this sudden step to the backside.
Lack of decel is where we see the accidental RCs too – at :49 and :57, you were moving at a steady speed then as she was approaching takeoff, you turned and leaned in with the arm cues – that is what pinged her away to the RC because the sudden rotation turned everything (feet/shoulders/arm cue) to the RC line,
Whether you get the backside or rear cross on the pressure into the line/lack of decel actually depends on how early you accidentally push in: if the dog is further from the jump, you get the backside. If the dog is closer to the takeoff spot, we get the rear cross.
Compare to 1:05, for example, which had decel and a great turn!
On the circle wraps – I think both dogs responded really well to the brake arm and your timing was good! In fact because they responded really well… when they are passing you, keep moving forward so you are not standing in the landing spot 🙂 They were jumping really tight and had no place to go when you were still there.
Compare to the rep at 1:45 – you got outta there and it was much easier on his body, really lovely turn!!!Looking at the sequences:
These went really well – the shorter spaces don’t give you a lot of time for the cues but you did get a lot of lovely turns!!
>I was thinking Ringo would need more of a strong hand to the face and Artie would be a quieter hand to bar…do you agree?>
Yes about Artie – a quieter brake arm would be perfect! At 2:42 and 2:51 the brake arm was big so she collected a LOT. Maybe a softer, less insistent hand is ideal.
For Ringo – based on how he responded here: the strong hand to the face might be too much! You did that at 2:31 – that caused the rotation to be too early and you had your hand right in his face so he stopped, good boy! On the other reps, the hand was a little softer and he was lovely!
Onwards to the rest of the sequences! Try to add in more decel before you do the brake (the brake arm begins while you are decelerating and before you fully rotate). Do you think scrunching up the tunnel would give you more room? Or feel free to use a jump instead of the tunnel.
Great job!!
Tracy
Good morning!
I am so glad you are having fun – I am really enjoying your videos!!!
>We worked on using the toy for the barrels. Ingy didn’t understand at first that the toy wasn’t for her all the time; however, once I had someone help me hold and release her (so she couldn’t get the toy), she understood she had to do the wraps for the rewards! She built up some good speed.>
That was smart, having someone else hold & release! There is definitely an element of self-control that is being built in when we have the toy present and visible… but we have put some stimulus control by indicating when she can have it. It is a good puzzle for her and it sounds like she figured it out! Super!
>Thanks for the break week – perfect timing between the craziness at work and missing one game last week.>
Great! Hopefully the weather also cooperates LOL!!
Keep me posted!
TracyGood morning!
He caught onto this game very quickly! Brilliant! He was able to wrap the barrel without trying to run back to the loaded lotus ball – no problem at all! There seems to be an understanding developing that the ‘work’ is what gets the reward, not just grabbing for the cookie. SUPER!
I don’t think you need to hold his collar anymore as you move away from the ball to the barrel – note how he was NOT trying to dive on the lotus ball when you put it down. So in the next session, you can put the lotus ball down then give him treats for walking with you back to the barrel, no collar holding. It can be a bit of heeling practice as long as you do it on both sides 🙂 Hopefully he won’t prove me wrong and dive on the lotus ball hahaha!!!
Also in the next session, you can add a front cross on the barrel, to challenge him to pay attention handling and change sides rather than go straight to the reward. And if that goes well – do a front cross then that decelerated pivot that we did in the very first decel/drive to handler game…. Then run to the lotus ball. We are putting the pieces all together now and he is doing great!
Nice job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>I didn’t want to use lineup cookies & take away from the excitement of the toy (which would give us a better approach) but I think this went pretty well.>
He is actually really good at going back and forth between food & toys, so it is worth it to see if he will do that here (even if it is not every rep).
Turn and burn went really well! When he had questions about starting, you were getting pointy with your hand and not looking at him/connected enough (like at :34 and :46) After that, you started each rep with connection and he got it really well!
You can start adding your verbal wrap cues!
>the new game because I felt like we didn’t really have a good “send” to the barrel.>
I think you are ready! The game starts with really deliberate sends and lots of connection, so I think he will do well. You can start it with food to work th mechanics & connection, then switch to toy again.
>I introduced him to the Manners Minder to get him ready for the tunnel game. He is starting to be interested in it. He doesn’t love the only treats that he likes that work in the machine, so I’ve been following him to it & tossing in some cheese bits to sweeten the deal.>
You can also start the tunnel with a toy! And for the MM – I have mixed in tiny stinky treats even if they don’t get dispensed by the MM, because the other treats will pick up the smells and make them more interesting (hopefully) to him.
>I took your advice one the 1 rep + a huge hamburger treat on the wobble board and I let him watch Frankie & Bazinga do it first. He was so amped up. After his rep, he ran back on it & slammed it & looked at me like “bring me my treat, woman!” hahaha>
PERFECT LOL!!!!!! And I can see him demanding his treat. LOL!!!!!! I am a big fan of the one rep sessions – the build value VERY quickly!
>Side question, can I do some private lessons with Bazinga for weaves? She is pulling out at weave 10 and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong or can do better to support her through it.>
Absolutely! The info is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDxgW08hhu0HXCSIVVkiQsNxW1VY0kzXUMYZ1cuscDePr1kQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=104182089305835532312Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Today was more field retrieving practice. I need to bring a tripod out to record some. He did great. Very long retrieve of ball and multiple short retrieves of a quail. >
Wow, what a good boy!!!
>He brought it back and also dropped it multiple times for treats without trying to destroy it.>
Perfect – I have never done field work but I imagine that we really don’t want them destroying the quail LOL! 😂
> We ended the session with nice long exploring walk in the prairie.>
These types of walks are amazing for his puppy brain and body. I bet he loved it!
> I am not sure if you need to see retrieval homework for this week from him. He does well with the toys and the baby steps in the this weeks homework.>
You are welcome to post it even if we are just like “wow, he looks great!” You should definitely video it (at least some sessions) for two reasons:
– having baseline videos of success will help us if anything goes sideways in the future: we can look back at what worked to get it back if needed
– having videos of him doing this as a baby puppy are beyond valuable as keepsakes to look back at, when he is adult. Nothing better than watching baby puppy videos!!Keep me posted 🙂
Tracy
Keep me posted! It was fun to see him working with complete engagement in a big field with all those people around.
T
Good morning! Lovely session here! You sorted out the line she needs to see on the tandem turns because that is the strongest part of the cue.
When you stepped to the wrap side of the wing (very first rep and first tinme you did both wings at :40) your feet & shoulders were facing the wrap side so that is where she wanted to go. But when you turned more and were facing parallel to the line to the turn away side of the wing: perfection!! She got it every time on both sides. And it was easy for me to see where should would go, based on you turning to move parallel to the turn away line. Yay!
I grabbed screenshots so you can see what I mean:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1v6JQEktSFTBhIw_94evzZJt3Za2pn-lTAgB29WeKnHk/edit?usp=sharing
That line you set will be key for the tandem turns and also for the threadle wraps when we add them.
Great job!!
TracyGood morning!
>She was so cute and I loved her jump to try and catch it.
It was really adorable!!
>I have used the word switch for rears with all my other dogs. Sometimes I have combined it with left/right, but not often because I screw it up, and thankfully they’ve learned switch is only for rears and sometimes changing lead leg.>
If switch is only a turn away/rear cross, then you don’t need left or right because she will already know that based on your location. One less thing to have to remember LOL!
>I see what you mean about using Go. I don’t think I’m that great with verbals in general. What word do you use to indicate take a Jump? I’ve used Jump and Go.>
I have a lot of words 😂 mainly because there is no way I can outrun my dogs, and I like UKI which has bigger distances. So the directionals all imply commitment to the jump:
* Go means go straight, full extension, looking ahead
* Jump means take the jump straight-ish on a gentle curve towards me, no real collection. Relative extension. It is for that middle ground between full extension and turns with collection, probably what you think of when you ay ‘regular jumping’
* Wrap cues for tight wraps, coming back around the wing (I have one for each direction – noises, not words – and many folks use ‘wrap towards me’ and ‘wrap away from me/rear cross’)
* Soft turn cues for collected turns to create 90 degree lines that are collections but not wraps. I use left and right for that.I have more verbals than these, but I don’t want to scare you off hahahaha and you might not need all of them unless you decide you want to do UKI or international stuff.
>Do you think it’s necessary to use a cue word for regular jumping? >
I don’t think you need one for every single jump (I mean, you will have to breathe at some point too haha) but it is good to name the obstacle. I added the ‘jump’ cue because it helps when the dog is working at a distance and it REALLY helps when faced with the popular jump versus tunnel discriminations. Currently popular course design challenges in every organization is to have a jump and a tunnel next to each other so the verbal cues REALLY help.
>I’m actually thinking of changing my release word from OK to maybe Break. I say Ok all the time in regular life and have realized that might be confusing for the dogs.>
Dogs are brilliant at context so they might have it figured out, but also being ultra-clear is always better!
>Once I think I said it as I was getting Gromit’s leash at the end of a run and he was right in front of the gate and thought I was telling him to jump. So he jumped it, and then jumped right back into the ring. Luckily we hadn’t Qd.>
OMG Gromit!!!! You must have had a small heart attack in that moment LOL!!! These dogs are SO athletic and honestly, incredibly verbal. I think my hounds/lurchers are better are learning verbals than my herding dogs.
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
