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Good morning!
The walk through challenges are away harder with baby dogs because it is harder to predict what they ill do and how much support they need.
I think the walk through is looking good! He is a baby dog, so you might need to over-exaggerate the connection (especially on the line from the tunnel exit to the jump at 2-3 and after the BC) and rehearse that in the walk through more.
Nice stay reward! And he somehow found even MORE speed here, wow! Was it cooler weather so he was feeling double extra spicy? That extra speed also means the walk through will need to go faster too 🙂
On the run – his extra speed made you hustle more but that is great! I think the 2 spots where he needed big connection were indeed on the tunnel exit (1:18) and after the blind (1:27). But that will all smooth out with more experience on the lines for him – and he will recognize the blinds more and drive in sooner. For now, the exit line connection is the critical element of tightening the blind so showing it as early (and with as much exaggeration as possible :)) will help him drive directly to the new side rather than drift a little.
He was definitely stronger on the 2nd rep in both of those spots! You held the connection more and pushed in more as you mentioned on the jump after the tunnel! And he recognized the BC sooner – you can still give him more exit line connection with the opposite arm (right arm in this case) reaching across the body as you finish the blind to push the dog-side (left) shoulder back so he really sees the connection.
By comparison – I am confident that Lennan would not have had those questions because of the difference in his experience level.
I am SUPER happy with how well he is driving the lines with speed and forward focus! Wow! Baby dog doing grown up stuff! And your connection was lovely.
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
>NE item was an open bag of really stinky Mighty Wolf Duck treats. This was from Sunday mid-morning when it was already in the low 80s.>
Did you get a break in the heat today? I am not too far away in Wisconsin and this morning it is a glorious 67 degrees as compared to yesterday’s 95 🙁
The treats are a great challenge but also the heat is a pressure challenge: the treats are more of a cognitive challenge (the brain makes a decision) but the heat is a bandwidth challenge because the brain has to devote significant resources to keep the body cool even when asked to run hard. Brains are busy in the heat!
Lift: she did great! Sneaking a peak is normal but she did super well overall. You should probably do this with 12 poles sometimes too since she is a baby dog and needs more exposure on 12 poles.
>So the first rep was funny, I realized after she took off to the 2nd jump that I had released her with “jump” instead of break and Jump does mean take the jump and keep going on your line…which she did!>
Yes, and your body was pointing out to the jump so she was correct, good girlie!
Since she did so well (only questioning a really hard entry) – one approach to this is to change the challenge as often as possible. Since the treat bag was relatively easy for her, you can send her into the house for a moment (which might piss her off 😂) then change up the challenge: maybe a frisbee on the ground, or something different enough. You can still work through the hard entries but with a different challenge in the environment after every rep or two.
Kaladin was also super! You can also change up the challenge with something entirely different each time. While watching him, I was also thinking that a tunnel or jump would also be a good exciting challenge. The ‘novel’ element could be the position of the tunnel or jump being near the weaves (the obstacle itself is not novel). And that can also be introduced to Lift, but perhaps a little further away than what you can challenge Kal with 🙂
Great job here!!
Tracy
Good morning!
Great job on these!!! You were really connected and kept going even if there was a small error, making adjustments on the fly. That is hard to do but you were nailing it!Watson: lovely runs! Fast and connected! He is really paying attention to your motion and upper body cues, which is resulting in mostly perfection with the occasional blooper if he sees something you didn’t intend.
The opening looked great and I LOVED the front cross to threadle slice at :05! Lovely!
The FC in that same spot was really strong at :19 but then at :20 for a heartbeat you looked forward and he slipped right past you to the tunnel. These little dogs are slippery!! LOL! Great job finishing strong and nailing the ending on that run. At the very end, you had another lovely FC there and BIG connection (followed by reward) to bring him in on the line. Yay!
He took the back side of 9 at :14 and 1:11 because you are a little closer to the line than you needed to be for him, and then your shoulders opened up and pointed him to it – the little dude sees everything! You got it nicely at 1:19 by being a little further away and not showing as much shoulder rotation towards him – you might have also called him there but it was hard to hear on the video.
Wow, fantastic connection with Levy!!!! That makes all the difference with him – super nice first run! And you were connected really well and worked that last jump because I think he was considering running past it. Super!
On jump 1 of the 2nd run, before you release him, be sure to open your shoulders back to him like a serp so he sees the cue to take jump 1. He will also do better on the line if he is lined up on a slice – he was a bit straight to the jump here. At :01 on that first run he was lined up on a slice and your had your shoulders & arm back to him, and he had no questions about taking jump 1 🙂
A big click/treat for you for making an excellent adjustment with the serpy lines. At :28 on jump 8 and :36 on 12, you didn’t show an open serp arm so he layered the jump. But terrific adjustment to show definite serp cues at :53 for 8 and at 1:01 for 12!!! Very nice!
After the serp on 8, you had a little too much stepping towards 9 so he read it as a turn away cue. Great job continuing there though and not stopping for the small blooper.
One thing to try with Levy is, instead of the FC on the 4-5 line, you can try a blind cross there 🙂 Because he has less time between jumps to see the cues, the FC would have to be even earlier to get a tight turn. The BC can start at the same time as the FC but the key difference is that the blind will finish sooner (no foot rotation) so you can show him the new line a ew steps sooner which will get the tighter line.
Overall, though – fantastic work with both dog!!! Fingers crossed for better weather ahead!
Tracy
Good morning!
Overall these went super well! Just a few small details to look at:Pop out 1 – you decelerated into 3 but he still looked at 5 before seeing the weaves (slightly wide turn) so you can add brake arms: as he is exiting 2 and heading to 3, keeping moving & decelerate but show him both of your hands on the way to the 3 jump. It naturally cues him to add a stride and he will land looking at the weaves.
>At the end of the weaves, I gave him the cue Out to take jump 5, but not sure that cue is correct. Probably better to have a directional (on the flat) cue?>
He totally got it based on the body language! What other contexts would you use ‘out’ in? You can use a turn away verbal instead of out if this is not quite the right spot for out. You can use something like ‘switch’. But he did really well with the physical cue.
And the rest looked great: I really liked the spin you did at 8 to get he best possible line to 9-10.
Looking at pop out 2 – a context where I might use the ‘out’ (meaning to move away from me) would be 2-3, to get a smooth line there (and handle it like a serpentine with the dog side arm back and moving a bit towards 3.
Small detail: when you did the front cross on 8, you stepped away a bit back towards the weaves and away from the line to 9 (:50) so the turn was wide there. Yo can stay really close to the 8 jump for the FC to get a really tight turn to 9.
Pop out 3:
The opening looked good – note that 5 is on the threadle side of the jump, so you can do a FC on 4 then a threadle slice on 5. The rest looked lovely! He is doing the layering into the weave entry really well on these!!!One thing you did really well on all of the sequences was maintain connection and keep your arms low – yay! Well done!
Tracy
Hello!
Nice job introducing the set point here with the soft jump bumps 🙂
Forward focus to the MM looks good! He seemed pretty organized and fluid.
So since that went so well… onwards to replacing the MM with the moving target. The moving target will begin with the MM is now, but you will release and drag it forward. If that goes nicely, you can quickly switch to dragging it forward before the release (mixed in with 27 zillion stay rewards haha)
It will add so many important elements in these early stages: proprioception in arousal (building on the good ol’ shpile game haha), jumping organization with handler motion, more speed, etc. You will just be walking for now but it will build up pretty quickly 🙂
My only suggestion is to, for now, always be parallel to the MM so there is no conflict between deceleration and a turn cue on the jump, versus driving past you. But we will be switching to the moving target anyway, so it should not be an issue.
>He’s doing a baby dog “Fun with Jumps and Tunnels” session with Taner Dogan>
FUN! That will be a blast.
>(I used Rip’s old version to get a headstart during the MaxPup 1 break >
Smart! Ha!
>Want me to parcel those out or give you a few at a time for feedback?>
Lay ‘em on me! Post everything you have – I have about 36 hours of full on computer time so now is the perfect time to check them out (probably starting tomorrow, because we have some live stuff for lessons and Maxpup 4 tonight. It might be easiest if they each get their own post in your thread? I am looking forward to seeing them!
Tracy
Hello and welcome back!!! Lew is definitely wanting to be an agility dog 🙂 And yes, we can do quieter stuff while he heals up after the surgery.
The wrapv erbals session went well and I see what you mean by the harness opinions 🙂 We don’t need to do much that involves being held, but it is useful so you can do a bit of a lineup ritual that he will like: line him up with a cookie lure, feed the lure to him as you take hold of the harness, then give him another treat. It is a 2-for-1 deal – 2 cookies for one collar hold LOL! I think he will find that acceptable because when you did something similar (like at 1:33) he was fine with it – but adding the cookie lure into the line up position will make him extra fine with it LOL!
I think part of his big harness opinion was also that it was preventing him from cutting behind you to get to the cookie in the other hand faster – gotta give him bonus points for creativity and efficiency! LOL!!
The wraps looked great and the verbals sounded great, he is ready for the next games 🙂
He was really great about holding his stay for the moving target intro – almost perfect! I think he was starting to pair the release with the toy being put on the ground, so be sure to vary the release timing: sometimes the release is quick and sometimes the release is after a few seconds and sometimes after praise.
And the more you moved the toy, the more he grabbed it so definitely keep it moving. When food was in the picture, he wants the food so for a toy-only session you can keep food out of the picture. And with the treat hugger toy, you can totally have the cookie already in it – whatever helps him look at the toy will work really well. I have also used a cookie bowl attached to a line (duct tape!) and the manners minder attached to wheels for the foodie dogs 🙂
Great job here!
Tracy
Hello and welcome back! It will be fun to see him work through these more advanced games 🙂
Really nice moving target session here! He seemed to have no questions about it on the flat or on the jump. And great job mixing in tons of stay rewards.
It looked like he was focusing on the toy as it was moving? If he was looking at you, you can wait to release him until he looks at the toy, to keep solidifying the forward focus.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hello and welcome back! One year old already – she is growing up so nicely! I am excited to see her in action 🙂
Have fun!
Tracy
Hello! I have missed getting my Sunnie updates!!
>but I still needed to process and grieve…..>
Absolutely. That is important! Julie is wonderful 🙂
>Today she picked up the lotus ball & ran away, caught a bird in her site & took off running after it! >
She might have caught onto the rhythm of the game where she ended up back in the houses – dogs are brilliant at figuring out our patterns! That is probably why she grabbed the lotus ball and took off.
I thinking keeping that game in the rotation will be helpful but also adolescent dogs are really attracted to novelty – which is why the bird being so novel and so exciting caught her attention even with the fabulous lotus ball and rewards coming her way.
In other words, it was too predictable and we need to be unpredictable (in a good way, of course). We will put our heads together and outsmart her LOL
>I am very nervous to try any “agility’ skills in the yard >
TOTALLY understandable! Do you have a really long line, 30 feet perhaps, that you can keep one end looped over your wrist or on the ground, and also be able to play some games where she feels ‘off leash’? And if she begins to take off, you have the line and 30 feet to brace yourself and hold her so she doesn’t yank you.
And I am thinking in the interest of novelty, the best bet will be to set up different training stations when working outside: and do one rep on each before moving to the next. Novelty! That will keep her interested in the game more than the birds, because she can’t predict a pattern and shift her engagement. We will turn the tables and keep her on her toes LOL! And she is a smart cookie, so it won’t slow down the skills training at all.
> but I figured Moving Target I would be close to her & kept her leash on her! >
The moving target game went really well! He was very engaged 🙂 and almost perfect with her stays. This was a great choice of game because it allows her to channel her natural drive into looking at and chasing something. Side question: have you ever tried a toy with feathers to catch her interest in potentially birds situations?
When she gets to the toy, you can surprise her more (novelty!) with crazy running and zig zagging and getting her to think you are unpredictably fun 🙂
>Sunnie is now jumping 8” do you still want me to use a rolled up towel instead of a bar? >
When adding the moving target to the jump, use a towel for the first few reps so she can organize herself. Then if it goes well, you can use the bar. And is she is dragging a line, you can ‘lock’ the bar into the jump cups by putting the jump cup into the hole in the end of the bar. That way she can drag a line without pulling the bars down.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hello and welcome back! Dublin has definitely grown a little since that first puppy video back in January LOL! He is a handsome dude 🙂
>Yes I am wearing a boot. I tripped in a pothole and fell on Saturday. My ankle is sprained and there is bruising on the side of my foot. Nothing is broken though. We will see what I can do this week.>
Oh no!!!! I am glad nothing is broken. I think you will see that there are plenty of games that do not involve running so we can take it easy on your ankle until you are happy to run again 🙂
>I think my fear is I won’t remember them on the course.>
Having seen you train him… I have complete confidence that you will remember them. And we get them ingrained at this stage so you won’t actively have to think about them 🙂 You can keep dig dig for one side, and maybe use something like check check check for the other side? You will get a lot of benefit from having the distinct verbals because course designs are adding sooooo much distance lately.
He figured out the moving target pre-game brilliantly! Yes, he was excited 🙂 but then he locked in and did great 🙂 Be sure to look at him as you lead out and before the release. He was focusing forward on the toy REALLY well and that will be very helpful in the games!
As you lead out, mix up the number of steps you take before you release him. -I think he can count LOL and he was anticipating the release 2 steps after the toy went to the ground. And if he releases before you release him, you can scoop up the toy before he gets to it.
Great job here! I am excited to see him in action!
Tracy
Hello and welcome!!! Great to see you and Tribute here 🙂
The wrap pre-game is going really well 🙂
When you were up close to the barrel, he was happy to offer – when you moved further away, he was not sure if he should offer or not. So you can help him out: start him at your side, hold his collar, say the wrap verbal 3 or 4 times while still holding his collar… then let him go. That helps solidify the wrap verbal as a cue to wrap the obstacle.>He is not an over-the-top sort of guy, so I thought I would be safe if I personally was over adrenalized and got shouty>
You don’t need to be shouty for the wrap verbals 🙂 You can repeat them quietly but definitely say the, a few times.
Nice job building up the moving target! Good stay rewards then adding the toy worked really well. Since he also likes food you can use a moving target of something like a lotus ball attached to a leash to drag 🙂
>Tribute is still “meh” about driving to a toy (especially one that isn’t moving)>
He seemed happy to chase this toy! And it will continue to grow as he realizes the toy will be moving 🙂
Great job!
TracyOh no! Poor Judge!! Did the massage person find anything? Has he had X-rays? I hope it was just some silly adolescent powerful dog ouchie. Fingers crossed for no more issues. And yes, there are new games that can be done indoors 🙂
Tracy
Good morning!
For the back and forth game, we are looking for the fine balance of when to reward: in the previous session she was looking past you to where the treat might be thrown. In this session, she was snapping into engagement by looking towards you very quickly and that is great! That also means you can reward more immediately. You can reward her for looking at your hands or in your general direction – it doesn’t have to be eye contact. When you wait too long, she started getting confused about what you wanted and was offering a lot of other behaviors (sits, downs, freezing, etc). So the instant she turns her head towards you is the reward moment, no need to wait longer than that 🙂
She is doing well with the 1-2-3 touch game. Because he is a food motivated dog, you can deliver the food in a more exciting manner: have her chase you for a few steps then hand it to her. I thin you will also get a more dynamic hand touch if you hold the hand out further from you: keeping it nice and low like it was here, but extend your arm away from your body so she can move to it, and look at your hand: that helps direct her to the hand as well.
>And the video also has her “hop it up” and spin movement tricks. I need to teach her more because sit, down, stand, bow are probably not very interesting.>
The spin is her favorite, I think! You can use this in the 1-2-3-trick game (1-2-3-spin!) And she liked hop it up too.
For the tricks, you can add more movement to the treat delivery as well: After she does the trick, run a few steps then deliver the cookie. That makes it very exciting!
I agree that more action tricks will be helpful and fun: she might like high fives or similar tricks with her paws, or maybe backing up too!
Nice work here :)
TracyGood morning!
Nice transition from the play and tricks into the start line! He was really pumped up to play here 🙂
He had a small question on jump 1 at the beginning: your shoulders didn’t quite show him jump 1. Think of it as the same as the strike a pose game from earlier classes where you can lead out into position with your arm back and feet pointed to 2 (more like what you did at :50 & 1:10).
I think the FC from the barrel (#3) to the jump on there last sequence was the best handling option here. He didn’t take the barrel but that was caused by you looking ahead to sort it out and pulling away a bit. The blind cross is also a good option – it went a little sideways here because you were decelerated then accelerated, so he followed the acceleration line and didn’t see the turn. But both of those will work nicely with you sending to the barrel then starting the cross before he arrives at it.
Nice work here!Tracy
