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Good morning!
Poor dude! Sorry to hear about his toe!! I am sure he thinks he should just be allowed to run around and tug LOL!!
The hand targeting is a good game for him with the broken toy – it has a little action but not too much š
Be sure that you look a the target – when you were looking at him, that overrode the target so he was offering sits in front of you. You can also shape this with more successive approximations – you can reward going towards it even if the touch it not totally perfect. And tossing the cookies away helps reset the game so he can move forward to it again.
The prop game is looking good! With the sending, you can get your arm involved – this will really help him power into the sideways and backwards sending. Your leg step was good, so extend your arm out to the prop at the same time as you step to it (and shift your connection to look at the prop and not at his cute face :))
As you work the sideways sends, you can move yourself laterally away from the prop, so he hits it and turns towards you. When you were too close (like on the last rep), he would read it as a rear cross and turn away š So a little more distance off to the side for your position will help him know to turn towards you on this game.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
She was super with her decel & turn game at the big field! Very engaged, eating treats, playing with toys – very exciting!! YAY! She does like to do the flop down while she is tugging (lots of puppies do this, it is super cute :)) so I cam glad you kept playing when she did that š And of course chasing the toy like it is a flirt pole is pure whippety fun LOL!!
Only one suggestion for this game: when working in the big space, she gets up to BIG SPEED so you need to decel sooner LOL!! She has very fast feet! So I think for her, as soon as you see her take one big stride towards you, you can start your decel. That will get really lovely collection into the cookie hand (nice hand placement here!)
Prop sending also looks great!! She is so much better about looking at and moving to the prop and ignoring your hand š So yes, you can move to the sideways and backwards sending. Stick close to the prop for now, and feel free to reward right on the prop because that was really helpful for her.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
The recalls into decel are looking really good! The earlier you decelerated and got the cookie hand in place, the easier it was for her to make the super tight turn – especially that last rep, such lovely collection!!
As you are running away, eb sure to give her a little more connection by looking back at her. If you are not looking back clearly on one side, she runs towards you but isnāt always sure which side to be on (like at :49, she was not sure where to be and almost ended up on the other side because the toy was more obvious there :))
>>but it took a couple of minutes to get her comfortable with the concept of him restraining her. >>
Yes, she was definitely sorting out getting comfy with it! One thing you can do it mix in quick releases from the restraint, using simple straight recalls because you will still be close to her. So something you hand her to the restrainer and do what you did here (bigger distance, fancier dance moves). And sometimes you hand her to him and call her immediately. That way she will gradually get more comfy with it and it wonāt always require being restrained for a long time.
The two toy wrap game is going well!! She was able to figure out to let go of the toy AND go around the upright – that is really hard, because she literally has to take her mouth off of reinforcement and leave it there to offer a behavior. Brilliant! That is some high level impulse control stuff for a baby pup!!
Standing up with the food bowls and upright looked great. Easy peasy! You can keep gradually inching the upright way from you. And you can very gradually slide the bowls back by your heels, so they are further away creating more of an arc for her to travel along as she wraps.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Nice job with the blind cross here! Being able to do it on the flat with the pup right there is hard and you nailed it!
>>Paul holding didnāt work great,>>
What went sideways – was she not happy with being held, or was it hard to show her the blind?
The goat game – this went well! She was more than happy to touch the new thing. Super!!! Her early foundations with the cardboard box are probably what helped make it easy for her š
Only one suggestion about mechanics: You can get the treats ready in your hand before the object gets presented (rather than after), for speed of rewarding her.
You can shift the placement of reinforcement so instead of feeding her for standing still on it, you can reward and simultaneously releaseā her by tossing a treat off to the side, then reward again when she gets back on it. That way she is moving and offering more and more feet on the thing each time šKeep changing up things that she can get on or in -you donāt need to get it perfect on any single object, it is better to work this game on as many different things as possible.
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Yes, this is definitely ready to go outside! And indoors, you will probably need to get a carpet or something for him to run on, so he really digs in š
His drive forward was excellent, and he didnāt mind that you were also running. Yay! And yes a longer toy will be good to be able to engage after he gets to it š
I think the hardest part for him was letting go of the toy. So when you are wanting it back, you can quiet your voice and your hands til he lets goā¦ then you can go wild with your ready ready chatter and start the next rep š
Great job here! Let me know how he does outside!
Tracy
Having Shane restrain him worked out great! Thanks Shane!!
>>All I can say is LATE, LATE, LATE! I think I am incorporating all your great advice, and thenā¦wellā¦not so much. >>
That is why I donāt tell the puppies that they were wrong or wide on theseā¦ it is all about human timing š
For timing, you will want to decel or start the blind no later than when he is halfway to you. You can put a visual marker off to the side, like a cone. And you will start running, call him when you are past the cone (keep running) and then when he is getting past the cone – you decel or start the blind (you would be way ahead at that point).
That will allow him to organize for the collection or side change.
>>I think I am mostly struggling with the space. In my head I feel like there is not enough room to execute properly, but I am certain that is wrong, lol!>>āØ
I think this is a good amount of space, so if you start sooner, it will feel more comfy in that space.On the decels:
>>So on the Decel exercise, you want me to run forward, let him catch up to me, and continue to run forward with him right by my side BEFORE I decel, correct? >>
Actually, the decel should start when he is on his way to you, before he reaches halfway to you. So you would run forward til he hits that halfway point, then decelerate and as he is arriving at your side, start the turn.
Looking at the video, the rep at :25 had earlier decel than the others, and he collected really well! Yay! The other reps had deceleration starting as he got to you, so he would blast past by a stride then make the turn (because that is when he saw the info). So starting even earlier than the rep at :25 will make it even easier š
I am not sure if he knows when to grab the toy on this game, so you can scrunch it up a little more so it is not as dangly, then as you pivot you can tell him to take it (we will be adding markers soon that will tell him he can have it).
Looking at the blinds – great job with the connection on the new side! He was able to changes sides easily, thanks to that. As with the decals, you can scrunch the toy up a bit and keep your arm touching your stomach as you show the new connection so the toy is a little visible but not flapping around as much til he is almost near you.
>>And on the BC I am still waiting too long before I switch sides, so he is doing a bit of the ādrunken sailor.ā>
On this flatwork game, you will see the change of line on the flat as he changes sides so that looked good! But yes, you can be a lot sooner š You can anticipate the halfway point and start the blind: Shane releases him and when you see Yuzu take one stride, you can start the blind.
Definitely keep up the great connection, though, as that is the most important part.
And the toy play looked good – I didnāt see any tooth hugs or clothing grabs, unless you edited them out LOL!
Great job š
TracyHi Annalise and Team Prytania! These were great rainy day sessions š
Very nice high energy session with the toy here! The Sheltie howling in the background was HILARIOUS!!!
She had a little trouble dropping the toy, so you can trade for a low value treat. Not being about to drop the toy means she is in a high arousal state, so the cookie trade can help balance that.
She has some really useful tricks for this too! The spin and twist are good ones! And she was super with her sit and her touch! The smacking her gets her super stimulated which is good to know but you donāt always need her to be that stimulated š
The next step here is to take it on the road and see how she does is different places.
She also did well with the food version of the volume dial. The backing up is a great trick too! And the line up trick is good too – that might be her way of saying she is ready to work!
Try to feed her from your hand on this one, so she is sticking closer to you – picture this happening right outside the trial ring where you donāt have a ton of room to move around. So you can cue a trick then deliver the cookie from your hand – she can follow your hand to eat it so there is still some action, but you might not have enough room to catch it.
Remote reinforcement is also looking good! Great job with the letās go marker! She found the version of the game with food to be pretty easy š Remember to mix in short distances with the longer ones too, so it is not just getting harder all the time.
The ball was harder for sure! I love how she picked up the toy – that was her way of saying āthis is hard, I need to put SOMETHING in my mouth!ā
She got better and better in this session – you did a great job of just doing short fun reps, so she was getting the tennis ball pretty quickly. That made a big difference and helped her a lot.
We have added the next steps to this game – I think she is ready!
Great job!
TracyHi!
>A question right off the top on engaged chill. This will be a big one for us as chilling is not his favorite activity and I havenāt found something he likes yet. >>
Most dogs struggle with engaged chill, which is why we just teach it now š
>>Iāve already noticed he doesnāt really like being petted when work might be possible.
That is pretty common in BCs, so no need to pet him.
>>He does relax on a mat, but as you stated thatās not really him doing the chilling.>>
Engaged chill and actual relaxation are two different things š So if he can stand on a mat without intervention from you in the form of cookie parades or repeated cues, then it is a potential first step to engaged chill.
>>I started at home, with the food up and down game, and tried slowing it down just a bit. He started whining quickly and then ran down the hall and back. I tried it again with similar results..
Two suggestions: slow it down more gradually, and put him on a leash. He wants to move and we are asking him to self-regulate and NOT moveā¦ so hard! So the leash helps and slowing down more gradually helps.
>>ām going to try the snuffle mats next. (Amazonās delivering a 2nd one tomorrow :),
Yay! I was using two cut up cleaner mats from the grocery store LOL!
>>but I wanted to ask you how I should handle the vocalization/running off. Do I try to time the cookies to prevent it or do I let him work through it? >
Both are feedback that he is frustrated. So alternate the pace so it is fast, slow, fast and gradually oh-so-gradually sloooooow down the pace a heartbeat at a time. And a leash keeps him with you so you can the chance to do it.
>>Heās responded well to the snuffle mat, so I think it may really help him.
The snuffle mats will also let you use several cookies, which helps slow down the pace. So you can use several cookies when you are doing it without the snuffle mats and see if that helps.
Keep me posted!
Tracy
Yay! Yes, rear crosses are about setting the line then driving it so the dog sees it pretty early – not about letting them get ahead of us.
T
Hi!
2 dogs in one class is a lot for you to split your focus! Are you able to spread. them out in the running order, so you have plenty of time to focus on each for their runs? That way Tipsy can get a good mental and physical warm u before her run, without you and her feeling rushed.
If there is no way to work them both in the same class without feeling rushing or having enough time to give them both what they need, I like your idea of giving Probie a session off (sorry Probie!) and that way you can devote all of your focus to Tipsy š
Tracy
Thanks for the info!
>>What works best is tugging at the line and then taking the tug and dropping it and running. But that gets her energy up. Then she runs beautifully. >>
Yes – classic Yerkes Dodson arousal states: higher arousal optimizes her state and that is when you get the best performance!
>> I think now a nose touch back start or a collar grab start would fire her up too. Her arousal is going up in general. >>
You can add in moving tricks to this, and some ‘demand for the jump’ with a higher arousal state behavior such a barking at you! Sounds crazy, I know, totally counterintuitive… but completely in line with the science and works like a charm!
Tracy
Hi! I love that he puts himself in the kennel š That kind of agency bodes well for when we add in stuff like carrying the toy and other arousal regulation stuff!!!
Safe travels to Florida!
Tracy
Hi!
Good session here with the leash on then off! The Cato board helps too, plus all the cookies.
>>It went very well while she is not over the top aroused.>>
You can add in a tunnel then the board then the leash on then leash off then the tunnel. And we can gradually extend the time on leash and moving away, before leash off and back to play – or leash on and exiting for bigger rewards.
Question about al the cookiesā¦ do you bring cookies on the hikes? That can help, of course!
>>Next, plan to take your hiking suggestion to a highly charged fenced in area to see whether I shall be able to put on her leash treat and then remove leash toāhikeā some more.>>
I think this is a good plan eventually, but not now. That sounds more like testing the behavior, but I want to build up the behavior more first. You can put the off leash hikes on hiatus until you are able to get more reinforcement and rehearsal into this behavior (practice makes pathways!). For now, do hikes on a long line so you can rehearse only desirable behaviors and re-wire the existing pathways of undesirable behaviors.
Let me know how the next rehearsals go!
Tracy
Hi!
First video – very nice with the get its on the line and getting the blind! Have you noticed that you are able to move faster now and she is finding the jumps? HOORAY! You were really hustling to get the blind and she got the jumps!
On the threadle section:
>>realize that either she doesnāt know the Left verbal very well or the excitement of running overrides it.>>
Neither! You had āconflicting indicatorsā going on (my new favorite phrase!). Your voice said turn but your body said go straight. So she chose to go with the motion. To get the left on the jump, you can be using a more obvious brake arm and turning your shoulders away from the obvious tunnel entry. And donāt do the threadle verbal until you see her turn left on the jump.
>>On the reminder to be careful about my reward markers I had a couple of questions. On the threadle sequence, if I would say Get It (which is her marker for food or toy on the ground she should run to) that helped her turn from going into the tunnel straight on. Is that okay and what you meant about using the correct marker? >>
Yes – and you can add in calling her name then saying get it, because then her name can become part of the turn cue on softer turns like that.
>>Is it confusing to the dog to have so many verbals given in succession, Left, Whoop, Get It?>>
It is not confusing to use all the verbalsā¦ as long as the physical cues support them at this stage. Conflicting indicators will confuse her and she will have to choose: verbal or physical cue.
With that in mind though – donāt use your get it as a lure for the behavior š For the threadle reps at the end, you were not really showing the motion consistently so she was staying on the line til you said get it and dropped the toy. You will want to get the behavior then say get it.
She did well with the remote reinforcement! Very engaged š You can definitely try this with a toy! And we build on it with the new games added today š
Great job!
Tracy
