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Hi!
>I wasn’t sure about my body position for the threadle. Thought maybe my feet and lower body not pointing forward enough.>
Adding movement made it more natural for your lower body to show the right info. He seemed to have no questions.
>Yes go is my release word. I think we talked about it on part one thread.>
I had a memory of that discussion but was thinking that maybe I had imagined it when I couldn’t find it 😂
> If I want extensions I will repeat it.go go go. Or at least that is what I have done with the other dogs.>
Sounds good! The different context and the different energies of the verbal (quieter go for the release, high energy louder GOGOGO for the lines) will also help him read the difference.
Tracy
Hi!
This went really well. For this session with a stationary reward, the 130 cm distance worked well. He is ready for the next step, where you are using the moving target reward – that might mean we expand the distance a little bit, maybe 1 or 2 more of your steps? But try it at this distance – lead out to where you were but have the toy on a line. Then release and drag it forward so he can power through then run to the moving toy. That adds the distraction of handler motion and challenges him to maintain control over his mechanics even when he is more excited and moving faster 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Hello!
>This was a terrible session. My mechanics were terrible and i didn’t always reward the baby for my nonsense. But this is why you’re here… to make me better.>
Based on your comment about your mechanics and wanting to reward more, it seems you don’t really need me 🙂 Your reflections will make yourself better! But I will bug you to note that in the moment and not after the session 🙂
After watching the video, though, this is definitely NOT a terrible session!! It was a ‘working things out’ session and he had a lot of rewards. Baby Barry will give you feedback if the rate of reward gets too low… he will probably leave the session or get sniffy. I didn’t see any of that here and I also saw you really working to make adjustments to help him out.
As you are working things out in the heat of the moment – sometimes things go wrong and I keep a mental list of what to change for the next rep:
– Pup ends up on the wrong side of me? That’s a handler connection error, so bigger clearer connection will fix the issue. He ended up on the wrong side side a couple of times, and you immediately gave BIG connection on the next reps. SUPER!
– Pup goes wide when I am wanting a tight turn? It is possible that I am late with my cues hahaha ok more than possible that I am late. That is why he went wide on the reps where he was wide… and you were actively working to make the timing earlier. The earlier timing definitely got the better turns, especially to the right. He was working out the coordination to the left and did a good job!
For this game you can also send to the start wing from further away, which will help you show the decel and turn cues from ahead of him which will make it easier for him to read. Ideally, the decel begins when he hs exited the start wing. When you did that, the turns were really good! If you took an extra step or two, he went a little wider because he read it as extension cues.
You did a lovely job adding a lot of connection and working the timing. In the next session, getting a couple of steps ahead of him should make that even easier.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning!
The thumbnail for the video here spotlights an absolutely gorgeous serp moment: position, connection, movement… and he is nailing it. Very cool to see YouTube capture that moment!
Super nice session on the video! Zillions of excellent things happening!!!!!
Excellent transition from the toy on the ground to the lineup position! He really likes that toy 🙂 but you made it clean and clear for him – no fighting about ignoring the toy. Click/treat to you!
He was an absolute star about holding the stay til released as you were moving and getting your arm in position. That is NOT easy especially with the toy on the ground. Super!
Serps and threadles both looked good – your position relative to the jump was very clear (and different for each one, plus your upper body (arm, connection, verbal) looked clear for both too. The serp cues and the threadle cues looked distinctly different so he really had no questions.
Question: is ‘go’ your regular release word that gives permission to leave the stay, or is it also your ‘run straight in extension’ cue. I scrolled back but couldn’t find it.
If it is your release word- perfect, keep on using it here 🙂 If it is your ‘go straight in extension’ word, the serp release can be a ‘break’ or ‘ok’ or even a left/right (depending on the setup) so he drives to you and we maintain the go straight element of the go verbal.
>The session was a little longer since I was trying to do both sides and we had the play in it.>
Yes, a little longer than usual but because of how you set it up, he seemed to maintain his engagement all the way through – no distractions, no getting tired. That is because of how you used a lot of toy play (his favorite, I think!) and also those smooooooth transitions from the toy back to the start of the next rep (cookies!). And your cues were super clear so he was super successful. Basically, it was an ideal session which is why he went the whole time, both sides, no problem at all. YAY!!!!!
Great job 🙂
Tracy
Good morning!
Super nice session here. Straight line reps at the beginning looked good! And I really like how you did a LOT of straight line reps – this actually really helps the rear crosses because it keeps him looking ahead. You said “jump” on most of the straight line reps but you can totally use your GO verbal as well.
The first RC to the right was spot on – great job getting on the rear cross line to make it clear!
When you did the RC to the left – you did say Go Jump and threw the toy straight so he went straight (I think that was an accidental RC there). On the 2nd & 3rd RCs, you had a good RC line on both but the verbals said ‘jump’ and ‘go jump’ so he went straight – I think using your swing verbal there (like at :27) will make it perfect.
And I agree that his focus was terrific! He is really growing up and you’ve done a lovely job helping him find working with you more exciting than all the access to the environment there! Yay!
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
Dog on left at the beginning – super nice! You said it was dog on right, so maybe the video is mirrored? Either way, on the first part of the video: You were clearly turned to the new line as she rounded the barrel so she knew exactly where to go. And had no trouble turning away.On the other side – first rep you were running backwards which is harder but also very impressive because I would have fallen on my butt haha!
You were running forward nicely on the other reps and turning really well too – she knew where to go in terms of which end of the tunnel, but I think her question at the tunnel was about turning turning away from you to her right. I recall that we thought she was a lefty? So that might be why it was easy to get her to turn away to her left on the first side but harder on the second side. (Or vice versa if the video is mirrored LOL!)
So on her harder turn away side, you can put the reward(the toy) right inside the entry of the tunnel, so she turns away and gets the immediate reward. Then as she gets more comfy, you can move the reward to the end of the tunnel so she turns away and then complete the tunnel.
That will also get the toy ut of your hand for now – I think part of the challenge was the toy in your hand was VERY exciting. She turned away nicely when you had food as the reward , so putting the toy right inside the tunnel entry will help her turn away from it and then it will be a great reward too 🙂
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi! I agree that this went really well, in both directions! Very high success rate and very few bloopers.
I think he was 100% accurate (and fast :)) when you asked him to go straight and not take the jump. Super!
He was almost perfect with the outs and you did a great job keeping yourself accountable for moving straight and not towards the jump.
When it went well, your connection was very clear and you used your arm to point towards the exit wing of the jump – and you kept it up until he locked onto the jump.
In the blooper moments like at 1:03, 3:18, 3:40 – the arm cue was a little hidden so I don’t think he really saw it.
My favorite rep was at 3:54 – great use of arm & connection & verbal, and your line of motion was perfect 🙂 Super!!!!
The only other thing to remember: when sending to the start wing, he did much better when you also stepped towards it with your dog-side leg. He had questions/refusals when you did not step to it, so definitely remember to use your leg.
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Let’s start with me signing up for Max 2 as a working spot.>
Sounds good! I will send something when I am back in the office so you can have the reduced price.
She is doing well with her jump grid! Because she is being held to start, she is pulling a little which sets her a little forward on her shoulders but still maintaining her balance through it and driving with strong forward focus. Super!!
She is ready for the more advanced grids, but we really want a stay for that – now that is hot out, you can add in stay training inside to sty cool 🙂 If it helps her hold position, you can use a low cato board or something similar (anything stable that won’t slip out from under her when she releases).
On the RC video:
She is driving ahead really well to allow you to change sides behind her. The next step is to change the placement of the reward on the ground to help her turn the new direction after the RC. She was going straight when you changed sides so moving the reward target over to where the turn should be will help show her the turn.If that is easy for her, the next step is to take out the reward target and use a thrown reward instead, so she gives you feedback on if the RC info is on time or not. If she turns the ‘wrong’ way, reward anyway because it means you were late with the RC info 🙂
>Rou and I are really struggling to work with toys out. Instead of improving, the issue seems to be getting worse, so I think I need to take a step back and address it properly. >
She is definitely very driven for her toys, which I love!! So we will definitely clarify this for her – my bet is that she is will have a lightbulb moment with minimal adjustments then it will be easy peasy to use toys in your hands.
>She’s driving nicely to tunnels, but if I have a toy out, I can’t get a wrap. >
There are a couple of reasons why this could be happening:
– she might need clarification on toy markers, so she knows when the toy is available for grabbing and when it is not (this also includes human mechanics of delivery)
– She might need to have more connection from you (pretty direct eye contact at this stage) to cue the wrap, rather than arm pointing. The cue is the connection (because of how it uses your shoulders to show the line) and pointing might actually turn her towards you and away from the line.
– She might need to learn to offer the wing even in the presence of fabulous toys 🙂 so a bit of shaping is something we can do 🙂
– We might need to adjust the placement of reward on wing wraps – if it all comes from your hands, it might be building too much focus on your hands and not enough focus on the wing. No worries, that is an easy adjustment!
– Or it could be something completely different 😂
If you have time, take out a favorite toy and try a session of tunnel to the wing – let’s get it on video so we can see what she is doing and why. That will direct us to make the adjustments she needs, then it will be clear sailing 🙂
>The overarousal has been slowly building for a while, and I realize I’ve been managing it with band-aid solutions rather than addressing the root cause.>
Lots of reasons that it could be building up in this context too (adolescence, frustration because things are not clear, toys being very stimulating, all of the above, none of the above haha).So grab the video when you have a moment or send one where it all goes wrong 😂 😆 and we will see what’s happening. It is a great skill to focus on at this stage!
Great job on the videos and I am looking forward to the toy plus wrap video!
Tracy
Thanks!
That is really funny about the favorite toys 🙂 We can make it a game that will also help build the value of the less favorite toys. I love any game where I can sit on the couch haha
Some ideas:
– you can build Manners Minder love by sending him to eat a cookie from it, then coming back to you for the favorite toy tugging.
– you can do this with a treat too: toss a treat for him to go eat, then come back for the favorite toy to tug or chaseI suggest these because it will do 2 things: help build value for the MM and food in the face of his favorite toys, and show him the concept of ignoring the favorite toy to go interact with other reinforcement.
Then you can add more toys: throw a medium-love toy to start – and the reward for bringing it back is the high value toy. And if he will release that one for a different high value toy, throw a 2nd high value toy. Then you can trade & throw the medium value toy. Using a cookie to get the high value toy back is also appropriate. We would basically use mostly high value toys at first and when he is in the groove, slip in a medium value. Then eventually slip in a lower value toy – and he will be in the groove of just bringing back all the things, to get the next one. And if there are any toys that are so high in value that everything else disappears, those don’t need to be part of the game yet 🙂
Let me know if that makes sense or if I need more coffee! Have fun!
Tracy
Good morning!
>well hmm, maybe she is just overtired. We had a surprise visit from her breeder who flew from GA to CA so we also went out Sunday to the river. >
It is entirely possible! She had a busy weekend and when all of that gets stacked up, we often see a lack of impulse control because the dog is physically and mentally depleted. Add in that she is an adolescent…. 🙂 Yes, probably overtired 🙂
>It’s finally hot. I need to set a timer. I thought our whole time outside was 5 minutes but it was 10.>
I don’t think 10 minutes is a super long time to be out with the puppy at this point because yes, a good portion is play and resetting. But as you saw – things like heat can add to how quickly we lose their brains. She hasn’t been alive for a real summer yet so when it is getting hotter out, there is a LOT for her brain to process. All of that pulls away from her ability to remain completely engaged the whole time. But the good news is that with a bit of experience, it will get much easier for her and won’t be an issue.
>That said, today she did great working the finding a jump game. >
I agree! She did great here!!! Your connection on the tunnel sends was almost perfect – you pulled away a little too early on the second rep at :13 but all of the others were spot on and she read them perfectly.
>On one side she went by the jump twice. I am not sure if I didn’t line her up right, it was too high or she was eager to get to her toy.>
It was the toy 🙂 On the first side, you have perfect connection and motion as she exited the tunnel – no question from Roy at all.
When you switched sides: at :29 & :37 you were moving faster but also less connected (your arm was forward more which closes your shoulders) so she was looking at you – then you threw the toy so she continued past the jump.
But on the last reps on that side, you went back to the lovely connection (note how your do-side arm was back towards her at :44 & :54) so she had no questions about the line. Super! You can add back going faster as long as you keep that lovely connection happening.
>I think when this session ends we should sign up for AU098 and repeat the session. She’s doing great with what I have had time to train her but I don’t feel we are solid enough to move on yet.>
You totally can – there is a big discount if you want to repeat with a working spot (no fee to repeat as an auditor). But also – I am going to run MaxPup 3 in September instead of over the summer. Part of it is weather-related: Most of the participants (working and auditing) are in parts of the country where it will end up being way too hot to do a lotto training in July & August. And the other folks are in New Zealand where it will be the dead of winter 🙂 And part of it is a couple of months more will put the cohort all over a year old, which is a perfect time for MaxPup 3!
Another option is to join the MaxPup 2 that starts in July to keep training going then if you want, we transfer you over to the MaxPup 3 in September when the weather and time schedules might be easier 🙂
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
Awwww what a good boy here, with his focus forward, his gentle pick up of the ball and return to your hands! Hmmmm maybe he should try flyball too 😀 The retrieves look great and yes, you can add more distance.Since he was so brilliant here, a fun thing to do is to have a pile of toys or a basket full of toys. You can sit on the Klimb like you did here, or relax on the couch – and throw one toy or ball from the pile. Then he retrieves it to your hand, you can throw the next ball or toy. A great way to practice retrieves and also tire him out a bit 😂 without breaking a sweat. It will also help him let go of the toy he retrieved, because the reward involves getting the next toy 🙂
He did really well with the serps here! I think you can rotate at the waist a bit more, to make it even clearer when we add running.
You had lovely rotation on the first threadle! The 2nd one did not have as much of that upper body rotation so he did not come in – but all of the others had lovely rotation (including when you switched sides) and he did great!
You can take this game outside if the weather is decent! That will give you more room to move faster 🙂
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
>Curious what you use in it? >
I have used Zukes, freee dried treats, tiny cat treats (mixed in with dog kibble) and stuff like that. I have also rested a frisbee on top of it for the dogs that love frisbee more than food 🙂
> Could we try this with a toy on the ground or dish with treat?>
Absolutely!
>Side note. I had seen your post about one of your dogs being allergic to Myos? Could you share the symptoms and how you found out?>
I put her on Myos at the recommendation of the rehab vets/surgeon. Around that time, I noticed a couple of rust-colored areas on the front of her elbows (from licking) and the skin on her belly looked red and inflamed. She had never had allergies in the past, but I thought maybe she was allergic to something in her food? I was getting ready to change her food when someone else posted about their dog being allergic to Myos. So I stopped the Myos and boom! No more licking/rust-colored areas, and no more inflamed skin. I also had not be able to really put a lot of muscle on her, which makes sense if she was fighting inflammation from the Myos. It will be interesting to see how that changes now that she is not on the Myos anymore.
T
Hi!
>On the sends…do you say “go” so they keep going to look ahead or do you cue the wrap with the wrap verbal?>
In this case, I use the wrap verbal because it is the behavior I want. The wrap verbal means to keep going and wrap the jump, as opposed to the go verbal which should indicate jumping in extension and straight.
>I haven’t registered for Max Pup 4 yet. Will you be sending out a reminder for that? I know you sent one but I’m sure it’s buried in my e-mail somewhere. Can’t remember if there was a discount code or not.>
Yes and yes! I will send the MaxPup 4 info and also yes, there is a discount code 🙂
Have fun at the seminar!
Tracy
