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Good morning!
>>Again I might blame it on the space, but in reality I just could not get the info out to JJ the way I wanted to>>
Yes, the skills are more challenging but you did really well!! Overall, your connections were GREAT! More on that below.
The main thing that was happening was that your transition into decel for a wrap was a little rusty 🙂 If you think back to mission:transition from MaxPup, there are 2 parts: fast forward (that looked good), slow forward (decel – that was the part that was rusty), then the rotation for the FC (or a spin). So what was happening was she was not getting quite enough collection info so she ended up jumping a little wide over 2. So adding in slooooow forward as she is landing from 1 then rotating when you see collection will smooth all of that out. The decel is actually what commits her: decelerating as you move forward tells her to take the jump and take it in collection.
You had decel happening at :59 and also a bit at 2:10 and 2:58, so those were her best turns. The rep at 2:38 had the fast forward then the rotation, but the rotation happened a she was landing from 1, so she didn’t take 2 (and you rewarded her, which was great!)
>>No connection at position 1 with dog on right. Figured that out and fixed it.>>
Yes – I think you are referring to the reps when you changed sides, and you were sending to the wing without connection so she (correctly) went to where your shoulders were pointing (to the jump). Great job making the adjustment and nailing it on all of the following reps!
And your exit line connection was really good on almost all of the reps – you can see the clear connection. I think the only one that could have been clearer was at 2:11, where you had the arm across the body but you were not really showing it directly to her, so your left shoulder was a little forward and blocking connection. The other ELC reps have more connection directly back to her and looked strong!
>>Keep using her name for the wrap which is not correct. Reviewing yours again you used your verbal for that. >>
Yes, I use a wrap verbal for that so I can practice it and also so I don’t have to remember the name of the dog I am running hahahaha! 4 active agility dogs and 2 youngsters? Yep, much easier to remember the wrap verbal which is the same for all of them than it is to remember their names LOL!
>>Do we want to add the verbals or just use the body on these.
You can totally put verbals on! And it will help the connection too, because you will be working on saying the verbals to her (connection!) and not to the jumps (disconnection).
>>I was not super thrilled with the session in reviewing it, and look forward to your input.
Overall I am happy with the session! The only thing to really add is decel in the transition into the wrap 🙂
Nice work!
TracyHi!
Good morning! Mother Nature is being a beast today so I had to resort to going to a Starbucks to get internet LOL!!!SUPER good work on these sessions! The ‘regular’ connection to get her to commit to the jumps looked really strong throughout. Yay!
>>Although I was not always holding the toy across my body, I think I managed to have the toy at least in the correct hand and maintained decent connection.>>
Yes! I could see the ELC. It looked really good!! I have only one suggestion: hold it longer. What I mean by that it maintain that exit line connection (your eyes to her eyes, dog-side arm back and out of the way, and opposite arm helping with that by being across the body a bit). You were doing that but then relaxing it and ‘closing’ the dog-side shoulder forward before she could really lock onto the new line. So holding that connection as you run forward for a few more steps until you see her look at the next line (and you can be saying the next verbal to her while you are doing it) will really help as you execute tight turn cues and side changes.
Looking at the handling moves on the videos:
I think the camera angle on the FCs at :12 on the first video and :11 on the 2nd video showed the ELC clearly! You did it but then let go of it, so as she was rounding the wing she didn’t really see it as well. You can see on the first video she was looking at you and not so much at the next line. A few more steps of the exit line connection will tighten up the turn and she will look ahead and not up at you as much.
The BCs looked good on both videos 🙂 You seemed to hold onto the big ELC for a few steps there and she read the BCs really well!
The spins are similar to the FCs – you were doing the ELC but then letting go of it a little too early. At :42 and :49 on first video and :47 on 2nd video, you definitely showed it on the FC exit but you can emphasize the ELC on the exit of the BC element of the spin, running for a few steps more to really give her a few steps to see it too.
On the 2nd video, the rep at 1:01 was my favorite – clear ELC and you held it pretty long (a few steps) so it was SUPER obvious to her. Yay! That is spot on!!
Let me know if that makes sense! It is a subtle detail but can make a big difference as things get more complex.
Great job!
TracyHi!
>>To stay sane, I look at my 3 year old and remind myself she was just as much of a punk as Obi is>>
She is only 3 and already mature? That is impressive! Also, girls tend to mature a bit more quickly than the boys LOL!
The parallel path look terrific! He had no trouble finding the jump and was laying on the speed – which caused you to have to start running. PERFECT! You can add 2 things:
– more distance away from him laterally, bit by bit – be maybe 6 inches further away but still on the parallel line, then a foot further away, then 2 feet further away – still rewarding exactly how you did it here with the throws on the straight line.– you can start with him furhter from the jump and show him 2 more positions: you can be waaaay ahead, and you can also start right next to him (or go all the way to the start cookie when you throw it) so he drives way ahead of you 🙂
Strike a pose is looking great too. Only one suggestion: You can be closer to the jump so he turns before he arrives at the bar and not after he crosses it.
He looks ready for the reward target to be on the ground – you can put his toy on the ground or a food bowl or manners minder, so it is on the line he turns too after he goes over the bar.If that goes well (and I think it will!) you can totally tart the threadle games too!
He is doing great with his rocking horses too! He had a couple of little questions:
At :26 when you drew your send hand back and shifted your weight back before he was fully past you, he was not sure if he should go to the barrel. He was better with his commitment when you held the send arm & leg in position for one more heartbeat, until he could get to the barrel like you did at :35.
His other question was at :38, when he jumped up at you a bit and looked back and forth between you and the barrel. That was because at :37, when he was behind you, you pointed forward to the blue barrel. That broke connection so he didn’t know where to go as clearly – the jumping up is a common frustration behavior when connection gets broken. So remember to make eye contact as he comes around the other barrel until you see he is coming to the next side, them you can send him to the next barrel.
You can add more distance between the 2 barrels here – that will add more motion for you both you 🙂
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
His retrieving is going well Yay! You can definitely try the reverse retrieve games posted last week, to keep the retrieve strong as he approaches adolescence. I think he will like chasing you with the toy!>>We also had a chance to do some power patterns in the chaos of class set up last week. I thought it went pretty well!>>
Holy wow, he did GREAT and I am gad you did them. There was a LOT happening in the environment. Close your eyes and listen to all of the noises and banging on the video… so much for him to process! He did super well – and if class is normally like that, you can go to crazy high value treats like chicken or cheese to get him even more comfy with the visuals and the noises.Turn and burn is going well, his commitment is looking strong!
Two suggestions:
have your dog-side leg closer to the barrel or stepping forward when you let go of his collar. He had a legit question about whether he should go to the barrel or not when the leg was that far back (because the leg said “don’t go” but everything else said “go to the barrel” It is was a conflicting indicator so he had to really figure it out.The other suggestion is to have a line on the ground so you can see the exact moment to do the FC and away on a the L shaped line (parallel to where a jump bar would be if there was a jump bar). Your exit lines were not s predictable as they can be – and if they are predictable, we can get you leaving earlier and earlier, and also start to show him more countermotion 🙂
The sends to the props are looking good! The first rear was really good because you were moving up the line. Then you started sending to the RC and not moving, so it didn’t read as a rear cross and he was guessing 🙂 So remember that the RC is built off of parallel line motion to start so you are both moving, then your line of motion takes you behind his to create the rear cross. The rep that started at :17 was the one that had the most motion and looked the best.
>>Backing up continues to be vexing, even with a destination. I ended up luring it with kind of a chute today, just so I could capture him backing up and not moving into a sit. I’ll keep playing with it in the next few days.>>
It is an incredibly hard skill and he is really young! You can use a chute (like 2 x-pens) to help him out but also, you can put it away until he is a little older and knows his hind end a little better. Try the perch work to see if that helps him use his back feet 🙂
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>>I think you are right, I need to place the toy first. He tugs so hard he is shredding my shoulder. >>
Yes! We want to protect your shoulder! And for the FCs here, you can let him grab the toy and keep running through it like you did on the 2nd rep. On the first rep, you presented the toy but didn’t really let him grab it, so he was jumping up at you. Running through it like on the 2nd rep was much better for you both. You can also use food or a lotus ball to help protect your shoulder.
For the FCs here, you will get better connection if the toy starts in your dog side hand and then you use that same hand to show it to him (across your stomach) as you exit the turn. Yo had it in the dog side arm which can be less visible to the dog in terms of connection when we add the bigger sequences.
Nice work!
TracyHi!
I am so glad you are enjoying the class! The goal is to be supportive and positive as we help you and your girlies get super connected 🙂
>>I was pretty frustrated at myself after round 1 of exit line connection. It just felt like a disaster. >>
Definitely NOT a disaster!!!! I will be honest and tell you if it was a disaster 🙂 Plus, most dogs get BIG MAD if it is going really poorly, and she did not. She was happy to keep playing!
>>But it sure helps encourage us that are hard on ourselves when your positivity outweighs the “critiques”. I’m open to critiques, of course, but thank you for reminding me to be more forgiving of myself. >>
This is all so true! And critiques are never personal or about OMG THIS WAS BAD 🤣🤣 They are more like: “look at her more directly” or “start your turn when she lands from 1” for example. It is a matter of translating what we see on the video into actionable steps.
>>We had one blooper that I knew immediately why it happened so I almost left it out but figured I better include it to make sure I’m learning>>
That is also a big class goal: if there is a blooper (because there are a lot of bloopers in agility LOL!) you immediately know why and make the adjustment. Yay!!
>>My husband was near her ball in the alleyway so she was concerned he’d kick it and she’d miss out on the fun. But I was able to bring her back to me and still good a good performance. She just didn’t have the same “pep in her step” that she had in some of the other reps.>>
No worries! The “Daddy Might Kick My Ball” distraction is a big distraction 🙂
The first video (right side reps) went great! The blooper was on rep 2 and you identified it and fixed it for rep 3 and all the reps after that: You had more motion and more connection to get her to commit to the jump. Perfect! Remember back on the first video that she had trouble taking that jump? Her commitment there is looking a lot stronger already and it has only been a few days!!
And your exit line connection looked terrific on these – the camera is in a perfect place so we can see most of what she sees. We could see your face a whole lot which meant she could see great connection. Yay!
The left side reps were lovely too. She had no questions about taking jump 2 (your connection was spot on!!) and the FCs, spins and blinds all looked terrific. She was so confident on her commitment that you were rotating earlier and earlier on the FCs and spins, and she was still committing and turning beautifully. Sending you a big cyber high five here!!
She is definitely ready for the combos if you want to try those next 🙂 I think the lotus ball will also be great for commitment because you won’t have to worry about losing treats in the footing, so you can throw the reward more.
Great job!
TracyHi!
>>re question she will switch from toy to food back to toy but I have to be careful re the assigned value of toy to food visa versa. >>
Good to know! And you can use the high value toy for motivation and the lower value food (just interesting enough that she drops the toy) to make the transitions between the reps.
>>We can do collar hold position but have to be careful re crowding. >>
If she is not comfortable with being held, you can do a cookie line up – another good place to alternate food and toys while making the transition between reps.
>>She notices very subtle changes.
This is true! She sees **everything** That is good though and it is part of what makes her such a terrific dog!
Have fun!
TracyGood morning!
The rehearsals were good to help get the exit line connection going! You can add more speed in your rehearsals, so that you are more prepared for her speed during the runs 🙂
>>I see on the video my start cues became pretty unclear, Fritzi was super good about it but I don’t think it was very smart training on my part.>>
Yes – she was super about holding the stay. But then on the real runs, you just exploded forward before you were in a good spot. You got all the connections going but you had to work a lot harder than you needed to 🙂 You practiced them all from ahead but then had to do them at warp speed with her from behind. So be sure to lead out again when you are ready to add her to the game 🙂
FC exit :18 versus FC at :42. At :18, you nailed the exit line connection all the way through and she knew exactly where to be. It was not as clear at :42 when you were looking forward to throw the toy, so she ended up changing sides and took the jump (it looked like a blind cross from behind you). Your adjustment on the next rep at :48 was great – you held the exit line connection until you saw her commit to the correct side of you. Super!
The spins were good! You will not have to be as fast with a longer lead out but you did a great job with the exit line connections on all of them – she seemed to have zero questions. Yay!
The regular blind also looked good – there was only one rep of it but again, the connection was clear and she had no questions.
For the FCs at the end – connection was great! One thing to note – your running path actually was more of a rear cross running path because you were moving to the center of the bar of jump 2 pretty early on as she landed from 1. You will want to run straight forward for longer, more until she has landed from 1 and taken a stride to 2, then decel for the wrap, then take off the new direction. That should keep the cues looking really different from rear crosses.
Great job here!!! She is definitely ready for the combos!
TracyGood morning!
This is true, which is why I still have an Android phone & Dell PC despite my love for my iPad and MAC – sometimes I need the tech to play nicely with all things google!
The threadle versus serp session looked great! The MM is a great tool for this.
She is finding the different entries correctly and from all sorts of different angles… even bypassing the entire front of the bump to get to the threadle. SUPER!! My only suggestion is to stand perfectly still until after she is arriving at the MM. What was happening here was that you were moving as you were clicking… and that movement is what was creating the turn to the jump (especially on the threadles). Ideally, she would not need any physical cue to take the jump so for now, there is no handler motion until after she goes over the bump for the threadles (or turns the correct direction for the serps). That way, when you are running on a course for real, you won’t need to stay near the threadle or serp jump to manage if she takes it or not.Looking at the backside circles:
Her commitment is fabulous so we can really get you on the most independent line to cue it 🙂 We are going to take part of what you did when she was on your right and part of what you did when she was on your left, combine them, and then it will be perfect!When she was on your right, you were blocking the barrel a bit so she had to go out wide to get to it. So, let her see the full barrel and then move forward directly behind her tail (like you did on that section).
When she was on your left, you showed her the whole barrel. YAY!!! Then you were stepping to your right before moving forward. When she was starting on your right, you were stepping directly behind her (like at :48), leading with your dog side leg: that was perfect! You did less of the step to your right before moving forward when you revisited the game later in the video.
So the best handling will be to show her the whole barrel like you did when she was on your left, and move up the line directly behind her tail after she passes you, like you did when she was on your right 🙂
For the backside slices – she is finding the backside slices really well too!
>>Not sure if I am cuing the backside slice correctly. Sometimes I felt like I was pushing the line too hard.>>
You were stepping to the entry barrel more than she needs. The most independent training will come if you walk a parallel path to her line (rather than step to the entry). So try putting a line on the ground (a leash is fine) and you will walk along the leash and not past it to the entry wing. The first position can with the line going perpendicular to the bump, starting where the bump meets the barrel. Your motion will be parallel to that line. Then you can gradually start moving the line over until your line of motion goes to the center of the bar.
And the other tweak to add is to place the reward behind you past the bump as you move away, closer to the entry barrel (on the landing side). That way she comes around to the backside looking for the bar, and not at you.
Great job here!!
TracyGood morning!
>>Even though it’s not a NRM to ME, it is to the DOG. And that’s all that matters haha.>>
Yep! And I think we trainers do, subconsiously, intend it a a NRM marker because we are intended to tell the dog that no reward is coming. We don’t intend any negative things happening, but alas…. Stay tuned for a Brain Camp webinar on this topic in 2024 🙂 We are going to tackle some of these questions.
>>I keep forgetting to ask, were you able to find any flyball in my area?
Are any of these locations near you:
http://www.flyball.org/getstarted/illinois.shtmlLet me know and I will make inquiries!
The tunnel threadling is looking good!
>>I think I used the wrong arm on the 2nd side of the first clip, >>
Yes – I think you were still using the inside arm so keep reminding yourself to use the outside arm. And for the arm cue, you don’t need to have your arm point to the tunnel – it can be pointing more back to her . The will be very helpful for when you are not anywhere near the tunnel entry.
She is ready for the double whammy game, which adds more movement and excitement to all of this 🙂
>>In the past, she has needed the preplaced reward to understand the turn away from me, so I was happy to see her get it with a toy!>>
Yes! That was great! Latent learning is magic sometimes!
>>I included the toy play at the end because she brought the toy back to me! At the end when she looked up at me, I’m not sure if she was asking me to animate the toy or if she was done.>>
That was fun to see! My pointy dogs (all or part whippets) LOVE the toy shredding part of the game. It is an expensive habit LOL! It might be a decompression for them. Or might just be super fun 🙂
When she looked up at you at the end? Could be that she wanted you to animate the toy (‘look ma, it is dead’ LOL!) or she was done – or that she was so into the toy shredding that she was surprised to see you there LOL! Either way, it is all good and it was fine to end the session there.
Great job!!
TracyGood morning!
The tandems are going really well!!!! Yay! He did really well to both directions – just needed a quick warm up on the left turns with a slower hand movement, then he was able to do both directions with quick hand cues. Super! You can add the advanced level with the prop now!
The threadles are also going well! Yo can be closer to the jump (close enough to touch it with a relaxed arm & bent elbow). And he looks ready for you to start him on harder angles with with the initial cookie throw, so he can see the other side of the jump and has to threadle to the correct side.
>>There is not enough room for wing jumps in the training room.
When you add the harder angles, you can add just one wing and a jump bump? Hopefully that will fit in the training room. The wing will be an important visual for him.
>> I had cheese in my non-prop hand, so on a few attempts he was more focused on the non-prop hand with the cheese.>>
That is not a bad thing, though – he was getting into the groove of the threadle in-then-out! So the next step is a reward target on the ground on the landing side of the jump. It can be a bowl that you toss the treat into, or a MM, or anything that he can drive to for a reward after he comes in to the correct side of the jump. This also means he might not be as good about touching your hand target but that is also fine – we are getting to the point where we can fade the hand touch element of it 🙂
Great job on these!
TracyGood morning!
>>Should we be entering our adolescent (or easily over-excited) dogs in Show & Go’s?>>
Great question! Easy answer: Nope. His maybe 9 months old now, and he is too young for a show and go environment especially when you can’t use food (which is perhaps his primary motivator). So…. Nope! He is reaching the age where the mantra is “Patience Not Push” because adolescent brains can take 3 times longer than baby pups and adult dogs to bounce back to baseline in terms of the body chemistry when we stress them.
>> Should we stay ringside or do something in the ring? >>
You can go visit the environment and play some games well away from the ring with toys and treats. But I do *not* recommend in the ring – too many things will happen that he has not been alive long enough to be prepared to handle.
>>There seems to be a million places to get information on what we should be doing with our performance puppies, but I haven’t come across much (other than this class) about what specifically to do with our adolescents.>>
My guess is that most info out there ignores the science and pushes adolescents to do things that their minds and bodies are not ready for – the fallout is tremendous and we don’t want to set him up for that. MaxPup 4 delivers all of that information 🙂 and so do the Brain Camp webinars. But mainly you’ll want to get toy play going and pattern games from the resilience track pretty fluent – and try them in different environments. And then in a group class setting.
>>Should we be zoomy-free and very predictably in the sweet spot of the Y-D curve in practice with friends before entering a Show & Go? >>
The thing with adolescents is that you cannot be predictably anything LOL!! It is an unpredictable time 🙂 The next step would be small group classes or seminars. Show and Go activities are still many months away.
>>What about visiting trials where our pup can see dogs running in the ring?
Is it important that the pups get used to watching other dogs run while they are young or can that wait?>>It is only a good idea if he has the tools on board (such as pattern games) and he’s gotten to practice them in controlled class and seminar environments. Until he is comfy there, there is no reason to test the water in an unpredictable trial environment, so it can totally wait.
On the video:
>> I was using a higher value treat in my hand to set up the sit stays, so he wasn’t about to go away from me for kibble.>>
Great info from him about value! Going to the MM was an excellent choice and worked like a charm. He was finding the line really well! You can start to click the MM one step sooner, just before he arrives at your hand. That is so we can fade the hand touch and get him sliding in and out without stopping at your hand.
>> Am I supposed to give the verbal cue before showing the target? I noticed that Mason would tend to release his stay as soon as he saw the pose.>>
Ideally, he holds the stay while you set up the position – and then the in in verbal is what releases the stay. He totally seemed to think it was the hand movement here, so you can work the stay part of it by getting into position, praising… and then throwing a reward to him for holding the stay (set it up separately from a jump so breaking the stay is less tempting). And then when you do use the in in release, be sure you are totally in position, hand out, praise… then use the in in without moving. That should help him understand exactly what the release is.
>>We might not quite be ready for balance reps anyway though. >
Balance reps will probably be really easy for him when he gets the clarification that the release is the verbal, not the hand moving into position. So you can definitely try them!
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>>When should I switch to using the threadle tunnel cue and arm?
You can put the verbal on it as soon as she will do it very consistently when she is starting between you and the tunnel (especially on the easier angles). You can add the arm after it (much easier to do that if she will hold a sit while you do the arm cue then verbal). And you can also add the arm in the double whammy game.
>>I think Lift is tired (but cranky) on day 3. She’s still doing some great volume dial and pattern games but got leapy about the toy when she transitioned nicely on Friday and yesterday. However she thinks the cookie toss to chase me (with and without BC) into the decel and turn for cheese is fun.>>
That makes sense, when we take into account what is ‘expensive’ to her brain. Volume dial and patterns (arousal management in general) and just being in the trial environment are mentally expensive in terms of the brain energy and glucose & oxygen devoted to dealing with them. Chasing cheese and chasing you? Not expensive at all LOL! so it makes sense that she would find that very easy to do 🙂
T
Good morning!
These went really well! You hit the goal of nailing the exit line connection on each rep of all 3 crosses. Yay!The smaller space and the processing of the mechanics made the timing a little harder, but no worries at all: it will all come together when the connection on the exit feels more natural.
Nice ELC connection on the FCs! You were turning correctly – just a little late 🙂 She was already gathering for takeoff when you started, so the turns were a tiny bit wider. No worries, this will all get easier to time when the ELC feels more comfy.
The spins also had really good ELC!
Leading out less should make them feel even more comfortable. By leading out a lot, you had to do the spin really fast 🙂 leading out less will allow you to move into it and commit her while you decel to start it. That way the first part of it will be finished before she takes off so she will then see the ELC as she lands.Blinds are looking good too! I think you will find the timing even easier with less lead out here too – you were a little too early on the first rep but had better timing on the next reps.
Try not to stop after the blind – keep moving on the new line until she catches up (then throw the reward). She’s coming in HOT (which is great!) but could hit you if you stop.
Great job here!!!! Let me know how it goes at the club (and you can do the combos, which have more movement and might make the timing feel easier).
Tracy
