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Well done with the spins here! You were able to get them done in a small space with enough time that she was able to read the info on most of the reps!
Starting on your right, you were able to show her the exit line connection on all the reps except at :22 – now it might sound crazy, but that is HUGE because in a small space you have be super quick to pull off… and you did! Yay! Getting the connection with exit line connection made it happen – like at :30. Super!The other side was a little harder – you were just a little late starting the blind cross element of it on the first 3 rep. It was a little hard to see, but what was happening was you were holding onto your connection on the FC part of the spin for a step too long, so she committed to coming to your right like a FC exit before you could how her the blind. Compare to your timing at :58, where you showed the connection after the blind basically immediately and she got it. That set you up to get it on the last rep on your left too – super quick!
And if you can get all of that handling and connecting done in a 6 or 7 foot gap like here? Well I think you will find a real agility distance gives you LOTS more time – we will get you happy with the timing of starting it then it will be very easy.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
This also looked really strong!
>>they tend to blend into each other as I am doing them and my orange jacket doesn’t help:)>>
You did them really well so it was easy to see the difference 🙂
You did the blind on the wing here and the exit line connection looked great! You can start it earlier – ideally you would start the blind early enough that it was finished before she arrived at the wing so the exit line was even clearer. That is hard to do on a wing, so you can send to the wing and do the blind on the jump! That way you have more time to start it because you can begin it when she is maybe halfway to the jump. That gives her plenty of time to see the exit line connection and set up the turn.
Great job here 🙂 Have fun at UKI this weekend!!!!!
TracyHi! Gorgeous reps here! Excellent job with your exit line connection on the spins and check out how she digs in to drive the new line and chase you. The info was super clear! I am looking forward to seeing how see does with bars – that will give us ideas about timing the cues as well.
Great job!!
TracyHi! Thanks for posting this! It was really insightful!!!
>>I’ll admit, I’ve not done much wrapping. His shoulder and front end limping episodes have caused me to be very cautious in what I ask of him physically.>>
His wrapping looked lovely!! He is figuring out the mechanics of that beautifully. And I agree, he doesn’t need many reps of that at all.
So what was going wrong here? Not enough of the ‘regular’ connection over 1 and into 2, and then not enough decel with connection to transition into the turn. Here is what I mean:
I think the most important part of this is going to be regular connection when he lands from 1 to commit him to 2. If you are not connected, he will not actually be getting a lot of info to commit to 2 (which is why sometimes he had big questions).
If you freeze the video when he is over jump 1, you were looking forward on all reps. He was able to commit to 2 on wraps by reading other cues such as motion or proximity to 2, but you will have more success getting commitment if you look at him the whole time with your dog side arm back and out of the way (do not point the to #2 jump to cue it, especially if he is behind you, because that is blocking the connection and also causing you to disconnect. Now, you might have seen him peripherally, but the actual connection is pretty direct so he was not seeing it which is why he had questions.
Crosses
The first rep had the most connection! It was a post turn but he committed beautifully and you had great exit line connection.The connection was weaker on rep 2 and at 5, you are looking forward/pointing forward so he is looking at you for more info. He did take the jump but you switched the toy around so he dropped the bar.
Rep 3 was FC – your motion got him commitment but you can definitely connect a lot more over 1 and to 2 =. For the exit line, the toy should start in the dog-side hand and stay there to open up your shoulder back to him.
:12 and :15 were blinds and this is where the ‘regular’ connection became super important: when he was jumping 1, you were already looking ahead so he did not take 2 (he was correct to ask that question).
At :18 you used more forward motion by running past 2 to commit him, but that also cues extension which is why the blind is so scary there 🙂 Nice exit line connection!!
On the other side at :21 – this is a great angle to see the connection. When he lands from 1, you are looking forward at the 2 jump (and starting to rotate) so he is looking at you and had a question.
You were connected for a little longer at 1 at :28, but still pointing forward/looking forward (disconnected) and rocking back before he committed
:33 had the best connection so far but then you slammed the brakes and rotated at the same time (:34) so he didn’t take the jump
:37 – you were looking forward when he was behind you, with the dog-side shoulder closed forward – he didn’t see connection and looked at you.
So definitely keep the connection very clear back to him. And, think back to the Mission:Transition game in MaxPup. That is the one where we did wrap skills with running fast forward, then decelerating as you continued to move forward… then rotate through the cross. The connected decel here will help commit him to 2 really well, and that is part of what was missing here. You were doing fast forward- rotate! The decel element is what commits him in collection, so think of it as fast forward – slow forward – rotate. All while being connected 🙂
I think that regular connection will make a massive difference, so you can totally prioritize it over the exit line connection for now (because it will make the exit line connection a lot easier too 🙂 )
Nice work! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Nice work on the video here!!Tunnel threadles: I think she was waiting for an arm cue for this, but we can get her to do it without needing you to turn her away: Try to stay closer to the tunnel that you are cuing the threadle onand resist the temptation to use the threadle arm to turn her into the tunnel. We want her to turn herself into it 🙂
Because the arm cue has been cuing it, she is waiting for the arm and if it is not perfect, she turns to you. So, staying really close to the tunnel so it is easy for her to turn herself away will help, and moving slowly so she can process the verbal cue to turn away without having to ‘find’ it through the motion.Backsides – she looked good in the first positions! To get her to find it as you move across the bar, be in motion before you start the verbal to release her to move, so your motion supports the line there without you having to step to the barrel to get her to go around it.
At :29 and :39, you were stationary, released, then she got ahead of you so she ended up on the front side of the jump. For now, she needs to see you ahead and moving so starting to walk up the line (with the great connection you had here) before you release her will really help you be able to add more independence.Also, as you move across the bump, drop the toy in behind you on the landing side so she looks at the bump more as she comes around the barrel, and at you less 🙂
Threadles and serps are going well! Since she is holding the stay on the plank really well, you can use that as a starting point – trying to find the cookie in the grass was kind of muddying the waters of the starts there
Circle wraps looked awesome! She is maintaining her commitment all the way around even when you were moving fast – super! You can keep adding speed and also can get her moving with just the wrap verbal, no need to say “go” (because go will mean something entirely different when we add it to a jump :))
She really liked the Minny Pinny and zipped around it really well. Adding the bumps was really easy too, so now add the verbals. Gently hold her collar, say the verbal a few times, then let her go. The collar holding is important so she can process the verbal as the cue and not just go off of your motion.
Speaking of verbals… use them with the barrels too (wrap verbals). Otherwise you end up saying “go” on the tight turns, so it is better to practice using the wrap verbals there too (front side wrap verbals).
Her commitment is awesome on these! The spin was easy and the race tracks looked awesome (those race tracks are a lot harder than they look!). And nice turn and burn at the end 🙂
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi there!
Good start on the Minny Pinny here!! She had no trouble going around all 3 barrels/wing. You can totally use 3 wings if you have access to them! She was also quite perfect about going over the bars/bumps, no problem at all. Super!
Only one suggestion for the next Minny Pinny session: hold her by the collar so you can say the left or right several times… then let her go (and stand still while she moves and keep saying the verbal). That will help “attach” the verbal even more, because she is hearing it as the cue and separately from your movement. If you move and say it all at once, it is harder to attach the verbal because the pups generally just process the motion.
Stays:
I love the line up you have and her stays looked really good! She is actually able to catch the cookie without moving – very impressive and you have good aim! LOL! She had no trouble staying even in higher arousal (tugging) and with the prop on the ground. Excellent! She looked very serious about it all 🙂 You can see she was pumped up (which is good) but did not move. SUPER!>>I think I messed up the barrels some. >>
I think the barrel games were overall super!
You were definitely working out your connections in the beginning of it:At 2:59 you looked forward before she got to you (a bit of broken connection), so she slowed down to process the cue and looked at you. Compare to 3:08 where you held your connection for longer by looking at her more and pointing ahead less – it was much clearer for her and she went fast the whole time 🙂
For the rotations and turns: at 3:13 you turned away and did a blind but then after that, you were doing great spins!
The spins starting on your left side seemed very comfy for you. It took a few reps for you to get comfy doing. the spin starting on your right but you nailed it at 3:50 and 4:06 and after that.
She especially loved it when you were running more like 4:18- 4:25 and after that as well! She really likes to open up and run run run, even with the tight turns thrown in there too.And WELL DONE with the race tracks at the end! Most of us either lose connection when starting them or end up getting dizzy LOL! But you nailed it right off the bat. And she had excellent commitments on the turn and burn exits you used too. Looking great!!!!
Great job here!!
TracyHi!
This is going well! Good job working both sides and he seemed to be pumped up to hold a stay and wait for cookies to be thrown at him!
You might notice that he was moving a little early on some reps (especially on your right side later in the video). He was moving when you hand started to move, predicting the cookie throw. So, to help him understand that it is NOT the hand and that it is the word:
Be sure to say ‘catch’ then move your hand. You were moving your hand before saying it, so he was starting to move when the hand was starting to move (because hand movement meant cookie throw). So remain perfectly stationary, say catch, wait a heartbeat…. Then throw the cookie. That will help solidify the word and the stay.
Nice work here! Stay warm!
Tracy
Hi!
>>I know Kashia can’t be the only dog like this so I’m sure your experience can help us turn things around!>>
Absolutely! We can find the key to motivation then it is all easier and fun 🙂
>>An Egg McMuffin!? Who would have thought!? I’ll try the cheeses or Egg McMuffin or chicken. >>
Yep! And my Papillon runs for a different handler – he has been more of a challenge to motivate especially when he runs for someone else, so she goes to Cracker Barrel and gets him chicken nuggets and fries. He is the most motivated dog in the house, at the moment LOL!!!
>>Side note, do you worry about your dog getting fat or overfed on not healthy things? I know I probably sound crazy when I ask that. >>
Definitely not a crazy question – I obsess on my dogs’ weight and fitness all the time 🙂 The insanely high quality treats are a small enough part of their intake that they don’t get fat. And if they are going to get great training treats, then I balance that by dialing back their meals to smaller portions. Two of the dogs are running in an agility league tonight, so they will get some cheese as rewards, and a smaller dinner 🙂 They are constantly monitored and definitely don’t get fat 🙂
>>I just worry about high-caloric treats or lots of preservatives. >>
That is why I lean towards things like grilled chicken or salmon or cheese or human-grade stuff. Even the Egg McMuffin isn’t too terrible, as compared to other stuff LOL!! And most of those foods are less processed than hot dogs to dog treats. The freeze dried dog treats are less processed too, but might not have the same value as a juicy piece of chicken.
>>I was taught my praise should be the number 1 reward, treats or toys second. That doesn’t work for agility so I’ve had to adapt.>>
It would be really nice if they all work for praise as the number 1 reinforcement or motivator… but that is simply not the case for 99.99% of dogs. The dogs work for whatever intrinsically and naturally motivates them – this can be food or toys or the work itself (like my whippet needs no food or toys to be motivated to chase the lure in whippet racing LOL!). So most breeds are not intrinsically motivated by sports like agility or obedience or flyball, the most effective learning and training comes when we effectively use motivators and reinforcement. Yes, praise can be involved but it is lower on the list for most dogs.
>> I’m really not a big training treat person because of these reasons. I get so worried about them getting fat and only working for food. Hopefully, I can get Kashia locked into the lotus ball so I can phase out treats as the number 1 reward.>>
Keep in mind: you might not be able to phase out treats as the number 1 reward. After all, I am sure most employers would love to phase out paychecks as the number 1 reward for humans but most humans would not tolerate that 😁🤣. There is no need to phased out treats as the #1… but it is part of the training progression for trialing to teach the dogs how to work in the ring with full motivation and speed and focus without treats, and then get the treats at the end of the run after they exit the ring with you. That way they still get their #1 paycheck and everyone is happy.
If you like to google things, you can see the science of it all by googling “reward prediction error” and “dopamine as motivator” and you can see some of the neuroscience behind why it all works so well. VERY cool stuff!!
Have fun!
TracyGood morning!
>>one of my Canadian winter Texan students said his trainer passed on to him for me to ask you if you’ve tried ketchup on bacon yet. (???) He said you’d know who that was from.>>
HA!!! NEVER!!! NEVER KETCHUP ON BACON!!!! (It goes back to an old joke from a USDAA regional probably almost 10 years ago LOL!! I mean, ketchup on bacon is simply un-American (they are Canadian, so….. LOL!)
Super excellent job on the connection here! You nailed it from all the different positions. It was also easy for you to get out timely verbals because you could see where he was.
>>Ignore the girl toss on one of the reps. LOL!>>
Wonky toy throws are usually symptoms of great connection 😁 because we don’t throw well when we are not looking at where we are throwing. And you were looking at him! If your throws are perfect… chances are you are not connected enough. You can also use a placed toy here, so you don’t have to worry about the throw and so he doesn’t look at you when he is arriving at the last jump 🙂
Great job here! Onwards to the exit line connection and combos!
Tracy
Hi!
The ELC on the front crosses looked AWESOME! Look how nice and tight her turns are! Lovely!>>I had trouble with where to place the reward with the spin. I should have brought my dog to the other side of my body.>>
I think you were starting to work the spins at 1:15 or so (when the toy was in the other hand) The first part of each rep was great, then yes – remember to do the blind and show the exit line connection. Try it without her a few times to make sure you are starting and ending on the same arm (as opposed to the FC, which is tarting and ending on different arms 🙂
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
Super nice session here!The FC sets a different line but you were connected and she got it!
Great job keeping your arm down and back – on straight lines like this, it might be even easier to pump your arms as you run (like a sprinter). The arms will still be out of the way but you can move even faster up the line.She did really well with all the different handling positions here, because your connection was so clear. Yay! It is easier when you are ahead, but she was just as strong on the line when you were behind her. Super! To keep working that, you can stretch out the distance between the 2 jumps and start with a post turn on the wing… that will put her WAY ahead and will be a good connection challenge for you.
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
>>Here’s the good (not sure about that), bad, and the ugly.>>
Nothing bad or ugly here! Both of you ran really well!!! I would say there exit line connection was strong throughout here. The best ones were at :05, :27, :49, :55, and the last rep. That is a lot of successful reps! Yes, there was one that was not as good (:19, where you turned your back on her after the FC rather than connected back to her) but then you adjusted and the rest were great.
>>My favourite is when I sent her to wrap the wing the wrong way which lined her up perfectly for jump two.
Yes! That was at :35 when sending her to her left on the start wing set a gorgeous line to the backside. Good girl!! And good reward from you.
>>I tried to vary our distance to the wing, but I wasn’t very successful.>>.
You totally did, especially at :53 and after that.
>>I’m not keeping my arm and face turned back towards her enough.>>
This is my only suggestion for you: as you are moving up the line, use more ‘regular’ connection (looking at her after the wing and over 1 and towards 2. I think you were trying to get all the way up to the wrap wing, but you don’t need too – you can use your connection to work the timing so as she lands from 1, you can be moving forward but slowing down so when she is approaching 2, you can decelerate and rotate before she takes off. The regular connection will help with that.
At :55, she is ahead of you and you are looking forward (arm up) probably trying to get to the wrap jump – because you were looking forward, note how she looked at you when she landed from 1. More connection to her there will help her drive ahead so you can then do the FC. You had really nice exit line connection there at :57!
Her only other question was at 1:05 – as you passed jump 1, you had pressure towards the center of the bar of 2 for just a step or two and she read it as a rear cross (great job rewarding her, she was reading you correctly)
You adjusted perfectly on the next rep by running straight and also had very clear ELC there too! Nice!Great job here! Let me know what you think! I think she is ready for you to do the combos 🙂 And I am glad you liked the MYOB webinar 🙂
Tracy
Hi!
>>Video- was in my head in the beginning that I forgot to look at her most the time. Was late a few times, then got it! Throwing the toy with the arm across my body was strange.>>
This looks like the same video as the 9th – let me know if I am missing something?
>>Anyway you can tell me where I would use this on a course? So we do jump 1, jump 2, spin- then where does the course go after that?>>
Spins are used whenever we need a relatively collected turn (or a collected turn) and when the spin move will turn your feet to the next line sooner then a post turn would. Sometimes post turns show the wrong line for just long enough for the dog to lock onto it, and sometimes a spins gets us moving up the line sooner/faster than a post turn or send without a spin would.
Here is a visual: I do a spin on the tunnel at 2:55 and a spin on the jump at 2:58, both of which turn the dog and get my slow self way up the next line 🙂
Tracy
