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Good morning!
Nice job in this session! She reads all of the small details of the handling and verbals. So fun!
Because you are a musician, this should make sense:
I think the difference in her turns at :19 and :25 when you wanted the left affirms my belief that dogs (especially inexperienced dogs) are not necessarily responding to the actual word, but are responding more to the pitch/rhythm/tone etc. The verbals sounded very different even though they were the same word.
I think your handling was slightly earlier at :19 too, which helps of course đ
The cues at :35 and :45 were more like :19 in terms of how they sounded plus you dug in there and used more handling (a bit more âin your faceâ with a decel/brake arm) and it was great!
The left at 1:00 was a little late but the cues were very clear so she got it (ticked the bar because of the timing).
Putting the full sequence together – nice job on the first 2 runs around the circle but then she ended up on the off course tunnel at 1:19. The cues were a little late starting there so you were facing the tunnel she took, and also a bit urgent sounding – so facing the tunnel and sounding urgent is very âgo tunnelâ like đ
You fixed that on the last rep and she got it! Yay! It is hard to NOT be urgent-sounding on the cues for the left into the tunnel threadle at the end, but you need to fake being calm LOL!!
And you can also aim for consistently earlier timing: start the left verbals and handling cues as she is in the air over the pinwheel jump so they are already in progress when she lands. At 1:36, you started when she landed and it worked well, but at 1:42 you started them one stride after landing so that starts to get a little late. Your shoulders were great there, though, so she got it! Yay!
Great job!
TracyGood morning! Nice work on these!!
Video 1: He definitely understands the go on for the last big line – love it! Yay! And your connection was lovely.
My only suggestion is that when you wanted the âaroundâ, you donât need to say âgoâ as well because go implies front side of jump.Video 2 – nice job on the wrap with him way out ahead! You can start your wrap verbal a little sooner but he was great about driving into the turn without you needing to be ahead of him
Video 3:
Very nice! The opening with the backside looked really good – nice connection and timing! The pole makes the straight line go a little harder but you were super connected and using your go verbals, so he found with line with questions. YAY!Video 4:
On the backside in the opening, your connection was not as strong as it was on video 3, so he ended up on the front side on the first rep. You fixed it in the next rep with much clearer connection and he got it really well! The go line at the end looked good too – you had just done the other go line, but your position on this one made it clear so he knew exactly where to go.Great job on these! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
>>Iâm not sure if it was the âyellingâ of the numbers or the âyellingâ of the barking dog that drew her attention more. But, she is entered next weekend in T2B. I didnât enter FAST as you get much less time even for FEO. It would be 32 sec versus I think at least 50 or more for T2B.>>
Could be either or both of the yellings LOL! She definitely perked up when she heard the judge yelling. Maybe at class, your instructor can yell some numbers while she is running? And for FAST, 32 seconds is still plenty of time to do a fast, fun course and reward đ
>>Also, I did walk her up and back towards the ring entrance while they were course building. I didnât take her leash off though or try a line up there. We did that by the practice jump the day before. T2B should be in that same ring next weekend. The caveat is whether or not I can run due to my knee.>>
Good news about the practice! Fingers crossed about your knee – knowing that you might have a movement restriction, plan for things that you can do without moving much so she doesn’t ask questions about why you are not running as you usually would.
>>LLW is a work in progress. It is hard in general. On walks Sprite likes to be in front and sheâs on a harness. Sheâs not pulling really, but sheâs not LLW either.>>
Truth! It is hard! My dogs like to be a little in front too – the leash is loose, they are not pulling, but not at my side necessarily. I am fine with it!
Tracy
Hi!
Fingers crossed for a 20″ measure! Who is the judge?And switching to a 2o2o on the frame should be really easy – it is not that hard on their bodies because it is all taught on a plank or on the bottom off the frame, so doesn’t take as many reps as the running contact does.
T
Good morning!
>>Tried it this morning and she stalled out some and also wanted to cut between me and the barrel when going left to right if I was sitting or standing. Then she got a walk and napped most of the afternoon. She needed something to do before dinner so I circled back and voila! >>
This sounds like a classic case of what the scientists tell us: learning is happening even if the dog doesnât actually present the behavior in the session. (That made my head explode when they first told me that LOL!) So you didnât really see the behavior in the morning session, but turns out she was still learning it because there is was in the afternoon. It brings us humans to a whole new level of âchillâ if we have a session that is not so great. LOL!
The barrel session on the video looked really good. Nice start with the bowls and gradually adding a little distance, slooowwwlllly standing up⌠she did really well. She seemed to notice the changes but she stayed in the pattern and keep offering. YAY!
She had a little oopsie after the tug break but I think it was a processing thing: there were some protest sounds from her sibling(s) which her brain will prioritize processing at this stage – so she kind of lost her train of thought. You helped her a little and then she was back in action.
She did jump up in the transition from the barrel/treats to the toy – my guess there is that you were too quick to start the exciting toy play chatter and too slow in tiny sheltie puppy years to actually get the toy out. So you can be quieter in the transition (quiet praise) then get more verbally exciting when you have presented the toy.
I think she is ready for some Turn And Burn on the Fox barrel!!
Backing up:
>>Pretty good when 1 or 2 hind feet stay on the mat but does think itâs easier to turn around to get on the mat if 1 or all feet come off.>>
Totally agree – this is HARD mechanics for the pupster! The singing in the background was lovely, thanks Dean!
She did really well and when she was doing it, her form was good. So there is no need to get more steps for now, because we want to maintain this form. You will see this continue to percolate over the coming weeks – and when that initial step or two gets easy, you will see her beginning to offer more and more steps. So you can stick with just 2 or 3 feet off the mat for a session or two, and when you see her quickly backing up – that is your cue to ask for all for feet off the mat.
Great job here!!
TracyGood morning!
Really nice sessions here – both of these games require a lot of mechanics for the human and the pup, and you did a great job working to sort those out while also keeping his rate of reinforcement really high. Yay!!On the plank video:
He does like the personal play! With the opportunity to offer behavior on the plank right there, you can keep the play shorter so you can move into the training before he steps away to sniff (dog-speak for âthatâs a little extraâ) or offer getting on the plank. He liked it when you were moving away a little and he was moving towards you.Nice rewards on the plank and transitions to the release off it! The mechanics of throwing the release cookie were spot on – he had no trouble getting it and then coming right back. Super!!!
To get all 4 feet on it in a stand more easily as well as the turning around without stepping off, try a wider plank for now and feeding him lower (so he doesnât need to lift his chin to get it). He was putting himself into a sit to balance and to be able to reach up to get the cookies (SMART!) and had trouble following the hand to turn around. So a wider plank (or two planks side-by-side) can make it easier and the lower cookie hand (especially on the turning around) will make it easier too. He is at the age where processing mechanics is HARD so we can make it easier as he develops the mechanics.
Backing up is also really hard and he was so cute coming through and turning around (âthatâs what you want, right mom?â LOL!) He was convinced!
You can make it easier by sitting in a chair (easier for your back, because there is a lot of bending over with small dogs. Plus, with a chair, he is less likely to go all the way through then turn around. That way you can place the cookie right between your feet like you did at 1:40 and the chair will help him not want to go all the way through. (And you can do this with your back to a wall either standing or in a chair, so the wall helps him consider options other than coming all the way through).
The other option is to use a destination like a dog bed with low sides or a mat (anything big enough to stand on). Start him with all 4 feet on the destination, then lure just his front feet off⌠then reward him for stepping his front feet back onto the destination. Do that a couple of times and then if he is doing well with stepping his front feet back on, you can try luring his off even further so his back feet come off⌠and see if he steps back onto the destination.
There are a couple of other ways to get the behavior going, so try these and if he stills things it is a turn-around game, then we can try a different approach đ
Great job here!! Let me know what you think.
TracyGood morning! Hope you had a good weekend!
>>We hosted my sisterâs family (with 3 little kids) and it was pure chaos lol. I tried to do some training but always got interrupted, >>â¨
That is actually a lot of training for the dogs – handling the excitement family and kids! Fun! And looks like there was some kid “stuff” in the training area, which provides a perfect low-level distraction.Parallel path is looking good, I love how she went out of her way on the first rep to go get it. If she misses – no need for a marker or turning around to go back to where you started⌠just keep moving forward (no marker/no cookie) then turn and go back the other way. The lack of âget itâ and lack of cookie will speak volumes, so we donât need a marker or to go back to the start point. She will likely make an adjustment and hit it on the next rep.
Rear crosses – these are harder so you can ‘warm up’ the session with a few reps of the parallel path game. And, give yourself more room for the rear crosses. You will want at least 10 to 12 feet, so you are both moving forward up the line (rather than sending) so she can see you changing sides before she needed to make a decision on how to hit the prop. She figured you out when you went to the left turns đ but more room will make the right turns easier too.
Turn and burn is looking really good! I am glad you went to the toy, it is perfect for this game and she did really well. And she is going back and forth for food to toys really well too!
She is ready for the toy on the other side (right turns) too – just wait longer for her to go all the way around before you take off and run. That way you can fade the bowls out completely.
Time to start thinking about your wrap verbals! Which wrap verbals do you have for Laszlo?
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
I think this will be much easier after a session or two of the ideas above for the sideways sends. His first rep her was really strong (right side) but yes, it is too hard for him on your left side. My guess is you have built extra value on that side and/or he does not turn as well to his left as he does to his right.So the change of reward placement to being tossed to the prop (and looking at the prop) will totally help this, so try it first with sideways sending with your right side, then go to left side. When you come back to the backwards sending, start with a bunch of reps on your right side before switching to you left, to build up a reinforcement history.
Nice work!
Tracy
Good morning!
He is doing well sorting this out.
Before each send, remember to use a bit of a âready danceâ to get him lined up on front of you and expecting the send. You started adding this at about the 1 minute mark in the session and he did really well!I think you were too far away from the prop so he wasnât entirely sure what to do (which is why he offered the sit then the down). So a couple of ideas to help:
– start really close at the beginning of each session to âwake upâ the behavior then gradually add distance. If he fails twice during the session – you are too far and need to get closer.– two things to get him looking at you/your hands less and at the prop more:
Try looking at the prop when you send him sideways. And, letâs change the placement of reinforcement to build value for the prop and lower the vale of your hands đ The hand that sends him should be empty (because it is really hard to ignore cookies!) and the other hand can have a cookie in it. When he hits the prop (or gets near it), the other hand can toss the reward out to the prop (on it or near it or past it are all good, because it might feel like you need 3 hands LOL!!)Nice work here! Let me know how it goes with the tweaks!
TracyGood morning! These are looking REALLY strong!! No worries about not having a lot of space to video, it was still really easy to see most of what was going on. She was a lovely combination of drivey and thoughtful đ
I think the parallel path is looking good! She had a couple of misses but quickly corrected it on the next rep. If she misses, do what you did at approx :31 which was to keep going, no marker/no cookie, then just turn and go the other direction.
One thing that helps this is to look at her while you are doing walking back and forth (that connection opens up your shoulder to the line you want her to be on). It was hard to see where you were looking on this video, so if you were looking at her: click/treat! If you were looking at the prop, add in looking at her more and see how it goes.
Countermotion is going well too. The only thing I would add is a heartbeat of a delay after she gets her cookie and before you send her again. As she gets back to you, you both stop moving, connect, take a breath⌠then send. That delay makes sure you are both ready and gets even more snappy behavior!
Oh wow, you got the rear cross really nicely!!! YAY!!! You gave her more room to get ahead of you and so you were able to get to the other side early enough for her to do it. Nice! If she doesnât turn the correct direction when you practice this, it likely means you are late showing the info and need to use more room and cross behind her sooner.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Great job on the FEO runs!!! I am especially excited about how good his weaves looked!!! And on the first run when he found the entry from way ahead of you and stayed in… SUPER!!!Some general suggestions:
– be sure to give a clear teeter release. The behavior was different on each teeter and we don’t want to lose criteria.– on the Rear crosses, plan to run directly to the center of the bar on the RC jump so he can see the turn cues.
– He is jumping a bit with his head up (at the beginning of run 2 in particular) because he is not used to the bigger distances and you are not as in the picture as much – so if you get tentative, he is asking questions by lifting his head. But when you started really driving lines, he was also driving lines. So – run hard, stay connected, really drive him đ
I think he is ready to do a “real” run. This can be either T2B or JWW. Looks like these bars are at 16″ – is he measured into 20″ or 16P”? That would be GREAT!
Of course, the goal of a real run would be to get around smoothly with connection and supporting him. We aren’t worried about a Q at this point đ And now that I am thinking about it, I think JWW is a better place to start because you won’t have the a-frame! And you can enter T2B and do it for real if it has a teeter, or do it FEO if it has an a-frame.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
This one went well! I still think the FC was late so he has to check up and make the turn on landing – if you see him checking up, you can try a blind instead and see how it goes. You will be surprised at how many places a blind will be really effective đGood job staying on the line to the tunnel (and remember to use multiple go cues rather than being quiet or saying it once).
Great job on these!!!
Tracy
Hi!
The FC was better timed on these reps but still took a longer time to start and finish, which made handling the next line late. It is a fun place for a blind đ The straight line on with him on your left was hard (might be how the tunnel was placed here) so when you changed sides, the connection has to get really ramped up or even use a âget outâ cue to ge the correct end of the tunnel (based on exactly how it is set)
When keeping him on your right side, be sure to maintain connection so he stays on his line, donât pull away or disconnect. That seems to be the easier line for him here!
T
Hi!
The cross to the other side of the tunnel works well here but then the FC takes too long to start & finish – you would need that to be a blind so you can start it sooner and get it finished before he has to choose a takeoff for the jump. You can see him checking up on the FC and turning after landing. I think the BC can start earlier and finish earlier (because it is quicker than rotation) so might work best here!The rear cross can work there too, as long as you set the line to the center of the bar of the RC jump. You pulled a little too much to the right turn wing, so he thought it was a right turn there.
Tracy
Hi!
It was a little hard to see the handling from this perspective on the first run, but the decel into the wrap can start sooner, then he needs more connection to the last tunnel on the line (looks like he was correct, so definitely reward him even if it was off course)
The 2nd wrap was earlier and he had a nice turn there! The wrap at 2:13 needed more decel so the rotation would be a little later (you were early there). But the last one was great – nice job with the decel starting on time and the rotation too! He turned really well!!!T
