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Hi! He is doing really well here! Commitment is looking good and he is doing well with the tunnel exits too! I think the main thing is for you to not try to run as fast, but instead to connect to his eyes a lot more to show the lines. The bloopers/questions were mostly disconnections like at :18 or when he would end up on the wrong side of you at the wing. More eye contact will help as he learns to run these sequences.
2 other suggestions:
– to help the verbals sound different, you can stretch out the left and right verbals so they are softer and longer, to create more contrast between the long loud GO! and the short, quiet wraps.– as you cue the soft turn left/right exits of the tunnel, you can let him see you move away to the new line. That was when he got great turns (physical cue supporting the verbal). When you were running straight, like towards the end when you ‘left’ verbal timing was great but yo uwere running straight (like it was a go exit), he was not sure of where to go so ended up wide on the exit.
And definitely reward all the things, even if something has gone wrong π These are handling games, so errors are handler errors and not dog errors (so he can still have his toy and treat :))
Nice work!
Hi!
The around-the-back trick is awesome! She is a little better to her left than to her right, but that just might be the side you are more comfy with too. It is a great trick for physical and mental warm ups!!The tunnel exits looked great – she has excellent tunnel commitment here, and you had fabulous timing of your verbals and she had great turns on the exit! NICE!!! She is very happy to turn, so be sure to mix in plenty of loud GO GO GO and toy throws for the exit.
She had one commitment question on the wing after the right turn tunnel exit: it was just a little more connection needed there at :55. She could only see your back so she didn’t know where to be (it might have had something to do with the jacket, hood and hat – it looks like it was snowing!!) You had better position there on the next rep but you won’t need to be as far ahead if you have eye contact as she exits the tunnel.
>>PS I finally got a βget it!β out on the last clip!>>
Yay! Definitely keep using it, especially on the go go go tunnel exits π
Great job! Stay warm!
TracyGood morning!
>>The Shadow Handling is definitely hard!!!
It is a lot harder than the good ol’ days when we just walked in circles, but the dogs like it a lot more LOL!
>.You did a great job maintaining conncection and running!
I guess you didn’t see the parts where I crashed into the tunnels LOL!!! I tried to leave in some good bloopers.
>>Next time, I am going to run without so many hats and jackets on!
Yes, that will help! But at least all this running will keep you warm til the snow finishes melting!
I think what made this hard was that you were starting with the hardest stuff – inside turns where she is between you and the tunnel, and doing 2 tunnels. The outside turns (were you are between her and the tunnel) will help her understand the framework more, and then it will get easier to add the inside turns and blinds. She was not always sure of where to be relative to you and the tunnel, so let her see a session or two of the baby level outside turns on one tunnel – then you will see her recognize this more and the inside turns and blinds will feel a lot easier π
Nice work!!!
TracyHi!
She did great here!! She definitely was driving ahead beautifully and you can throw the reward even sooner: as soon as she looks at the jump, throw it to solidify the driving ahead. She is a speedy little spicy thing!!!She definitely liked it more when you moved more, and that is fine π So you can add in more of a toy-race flavor to it: move the wing a little further from the jump, place the toy out 15 feet past the jump, an the two of you start super close to the wrap wing, close enough to touch it. Cue the wrap, then start your go go go and race her to the toy π Whoever gets there first can have it… my guess is she is going to leave you in the dust but that is exactly what we want.
>>But, it has a long handle which is necessary. She also doesnβt seem to take off with this one. She likes to pluck at it while she waits for me to get to her. There were several times that she picked it up and brought it to me, which is super encouraging!>>
I think you will have more success with the retrieve if you don’t try to get the toy back as quickly π After you threw it, you were on the way to get it, which is not as conducive for retrieving or not running off π As soon as she got the toy on each rep here at the beginning, you were on your way in to get it to start the next rep…. making it more about work and less about play : )
Instead, you can cheer for her, let her pluck at it for about 5 seconds (a decompression thing that a lot of dogs do) or run off with it…. then whip out a 2nd toy, play, grab the first toy, play, etc. It will seem counterintuitive because it is non-operant π The running off or plucking is just the young dogs trying to manage their internal arousal which is MUCH APPRECIATED LOL!!! So, this is a great exercise for that and you can take more time in the transitions between reps to build in that arousal management. And then magically… the retrieve appears (I have actually trained a retrieve with my last 4 dogs by not trying to train a retrieve LOL!!)
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! Great to see you here!!
>>Her toy retrieve is a work in progress still π©. But, Iβm seeing signs of progress>>
No worries, most of that is just a self-decompression thing and it goes away without training as long as we don’t add pressure. I do a lot of trading to help get the toy back π
The set point work is going well – this session and what you have already done is the framework for where we take this π I have an evolved version of it for these pups, compared to the more traditional Salo style of it π it might sound crazy but the results have been amazeballs π
>>Weβve been setting up about 1.5-2 feet away from the jump bump, but I think the spacing was closer to 4 feet.
I think the 5 foot spacing works for now, she might end up at 6 feet at some point. And, to get the dogs powering in off their hind end and no extra front foot step in before the first jump. I like to have the pups set up pretty close, more like where she was at :45 and 2:09 – note the push from her rear when you released her at 2;14 and also at 2:53!! That is what we want – no extra front foot steps before that π This is different than the Salo style, but it has been great for hind end organization and power – when there is front foot patter before jump 1, the dogs are reaching into the grip instead of pushing into the grid – a subtle but important difference.
You can totally use a cookie lure to line her up into a tucked sit about 6 inches from jump 1, rather than a rocked back sit or being further away, because when she is too far away (like at 1:25 and on the last 2 reps), she doesn’t power in using her hind end. Instead, she ‘patters’ before jump 1 with the one front foot touch then ends up pulling through the grid instead of the power push.
>>We did this exercise first thing in our training session and I initially got her a little too revved up between, >>
I have no problems with the dogs being a little revved up π As soon as the dogs understand the framework (which she totally does) we go to adding more excitement and arousal while maintaining the good jumping form.
So…. onwards to the moving target reward instead of the Manners Minder. This is the big departure from traditional Salo because with the reward target as close as the MM was here, the pups are preparing to *stop* and decelerating and lifting their heads – we don’t want any of that here. We want that powerful hind end, and it is the moving target that produces that and also introduces the handler motion that the dogs need to learn about as well. Start with the moving target pre-game so she has experienced the moving target on the flat and on one baby jump – and after a session or two, add the moving target to the set point (you can see the video of that posted in week 2).
Yes, people might think it is insane… but it is actually super helpful for the dogs because introduces organization with distraction sooner, and emphasizes better jump form with power and plyometrics all the way through. You will see the difference immediately π
Nice work! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! He is doing well here!!
>> I started off with a toy but quickly switched over to food, as he doesnβt have a good βoutβ and his retrieve is a work in progress (any suggestions to improve on both would be genuinely appreciated :)!>>
He definitely seemed less enthused for the food, so I think you should keep working with the toy rather than put it away (because it is possible that the food is neither a motivator nor a reinforcement). However, you can use the food to get the out of the toy (just trade – when he is tugging, show him a cookie and toss is on the ground). Or you can trade for a 2nd toy.
The retrieve is a separate skill – so if he won’t retrieve yet during these games, it will be easier to hold the toy in your hand as a reward and then trade for a cookie or another toy. Has he played the reverse retrieve games from MaxPup 1? That will totally help the retrieve!
On the video:
He was doing well with the wraps! 2 things to help make them even sharper:Use your wraps verbals here so you can start naming the wraps, rather than saying go or a release. Be meticulous with mechanics to add the verbal: Start with a gentle hold of his collar (instead of a stay). say the verbal 3 or 4 times… then let go and step to the wing. This will help him process the verbal before he starts moving.
And when working on just the wing wraps, use only one wing – you had 2 wings at the beginning which does imply the option of going straight or him asking which wing it is. That was why he was wide on some of those reps (not sure if it was a wrap or go straight, or which wing)/
You can also use your wrap verbals on the smiley face game! Rather than a stay at your side, you can begin the same way with a gentle collar hold, the verbal 3 or 4 times. then let go and start to move.
>>I didnβt do much of the βsmileyβ sequencing because he would dart behind me or go wide so I wanted to hear your thoughts before I continued.>>
These were all handling questions from him – because of his age and inexperience, the handling needs to be insanely clear so any errors were handler induced π
One thing that will help is to work on sending to the tunnel so he accelerates away from you to it (and throw a reward at the exit) and also have the wings closer for now – that way you can get ahead and show the line with the next wing easy to find. For example, at 1:08 you had gone in deep to the tunnel and were not that far ahead when he exited, so he didn’t see the wing. Being further ahead and having the wing a lot closer will really help – the wing was pretty far away here, so it can be more like 10 feet to start and then when he learns to look for it, you can start moving it further away. Don’t worry about any wideness, that will clear itself up as he gets more experienced with wrap games. I am not sure if he has done all of the MaxPup 1 games. If not, you can definitely revisit those!
And, maintain a huge connection to his eyes at all times, because that is what really helps the young dogs find the lines (and when he goes behind you, it is 99.9999% of the time caused by disconnection).
For example, at 1:14 you disconnected and looked forward as he exited the wing wrap, so he read that as a blind cross (which is a natural thing the dogs read when we do that). He switched sides and then got into the tunnel as you moved towards it and said “tunnel” – GOOD BOY!
Totally reward that because even though he did not know which side to be on, he still tried super hard AND got in the tunnel.
When something goes wrong in these games, assume it was handler error and reward him like he as totally correct (because he probably was π ) It is confusing to him when he doesn’t get rewarded, because he thought he was correct based on the info. So reward him as if it was exactly what you wanted – then watch the video before the next rep and play it in slow motion: did he see your eye contact? And with young dogs in particular – if they go behind us, it is a disconnection thing so reward then amp up the connection on the next rep.
Nice work! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
The snow has been insane for your area this winter!!! Hopefully it is all done now and will melt so you can add in bigger pieces at home.Tracy
It sounds like you all had a GREAT time!!! A mere 30 hour drive to the West Coast Open, no problem…. LOL!!
Good morning!
He is doing really well with his switches!!! Your timing got earlier, which really helps: he can be hearing and seeing the switch cues when he is still at least a stride from takeoff.
He was able to find the jump after the switch really nicely. When you do the switch to the tunnel, he was finding the tunnel but it was a little delayed because you were running the same line as to the jump as you got around the switch jump. When switching over the jump to the tunnel, you can set it up as a layering moment so you can stay on the landing side of the switch jump the whole time, which sets up a great turn to the tunnel and gives you amazing position for whatever is after the tunnel exit.>> this is a good demo of what happens when I donβt plan my words!!!!>>
Ha! So many words – I do mini walk throughs before each sequence so I can spit out the correct words LOL!!
When you added the left turn on the jump then to the tunnel:
the switch verbal will work, and supporting it with handling will work nicely too. I think the switch verbal will work best if you are not driving in and instead setting up a layer on the tunnel. If you are doing more of a traditional rear cross on the jump (which is what you were doing here in terms of line of motion), then a left verbal works really well too.The “jump” verbal was confusing to him at first because jump implies a gentle turn towards you, never away – so you had to override it with body language. The physical cues TOTALLY helped and using the switch or left verbals (depending on where you want to be on the line) will seal the deal π
He was doing well on the tunnel exit switches too! Your timing of beginning the verbal and using a little convergence into the line was great (before he entered the tunnel). He was looking at you when he exited – I think more upper body handling will help, using your hand cues to turn him away. He didn’t see upper body so he was waiting for your feet to turn. You can begin the upper body cues at the same time as the verbal (before he gets into the tunnel) and then finish the ‘swoosh away’ motion as he is exiting.
>.we both had fun and I think we made some huge progress with our verbals in this class, >>
I am glad you had fun and agree that you and Sly made tremendous verbals progress!!!! These jump-tunnel discrims are popping up everywhere at all levels, so I think you will be really prepared for whatever you see on course!
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
This is the other side of the set point: also looking good! The first rep was really strong – I think you had the perfect line up spot at :20, nice and close, so he powered in and was nicely centered over the bar/bump and between the jumps. Yay!!
He was further from jump 1 on the other reps – he did use his hind end, but he had to βreachβ more so he was not as centered and landed closer to the bar and bump. I think the toy was further away on this session which helped, so having the toy further past jump 2 like here and setting him up closer to jump 1 will be perfect π
Great job! Enjoy your weekend!
TracyGood morning!
This setup is definitely getting the power and organization we are going for! Watch it in slow motion – very cool!!! He is pushing form his rear into the first jump then doing a power stride to get the 2nd jump. Super!
He was touching the 2nd bump a little – my guess is that the toy was a little too close to jump 2 when he started so it was not quite far enough away when he was between 1 and 2. The was causing him to shorten up a bit. And also, it looks like you released and ran – I think we will get the best results when you split the difference: lead out more so the toy is 10 feet past the first jump when you release him, and when you release try to walk forward instead of run.
Nice work!!
TracyHi!
He did REALLY well with his tunnel sending here! He is a fast learner π After you showed it to him in the previous videos, he found the tunnel beautifully here. Yay! And he also did well with his wraps. So the only thing to add here is holding him for longer so he can hear the verbals before you let go – and definitely add in the mini sequences and Advanced level, he looks ready πGreat job!
TracyGood morning! Nice work on these, he is so cute!!!
First video: the wraps look good! Try to hold him for a few seconds while he hears the verbal, then let go of him. That will help him process the verbal before you both start to move.
He had a little trouble finding the tunnel on these with just the verbal – you can step to it more directly to help support his line as you teach him the concept that he can drive to the tunnel even when there is a wing there π
One more suggestion – he didnβt seem to love it when you moved him around by his collar, so you can line him up with a cookie at your side, then take his collar to hold him as you start the verbals. This can also help him learn to love his line ups!
Nice work :)β¨
Tracy
Good morning!
Hooray for the sun being out! Finally!!The stay looked good on this video – maybe she was struggling with a stay in front of the MM? She was definitely a good girl here with the stay!!! You can try getting her to stay a few inches closer to the first jump so she powers right over it and doesnβt put her front feet down again in front of it.
She was a little leapy over the 2nd jump, but that is something that the MM does with dogs (I have a video somewhere of one of my youngsters leaping straight up in the air in front of the MM LOL!!!). To help her, you can move the MM about 10 feet further away so she can jump the 2nd jump then stride to the MM. And you can trigger the MM as soon as you release her, so she focuses on it directly.
One other thing will help her look at the line – when you lead out, stand right next to the MM. You were lateral and in different positions, so she was trying to figure out if it was a turn cue or if she should go straight (good girl for watching where you were placing yourself on the lead out!!!)
The other option is to use a toy instead of the MM – but that might make the stay harder? So if that is the case, you can work the stay in front of the toy away from the jumps with the moving target pre-game π
Great job! Fingers crossed for more good weather!!
TracyHi!
The proofing game looks great too! Nice job making the verbals sound very different in pitch and energy, it really helped her. She was a great with the wraps and the check, and also found the tunnel easily without a lot of handling helped needed. Super! The only thing to add here is holding her harness while you say the verbal 2 or 3 times, then let go and donβt move (but keep saying the verbal π This will challenge her to do the wrap or tunnel on a verbal alone! If it is hard, you can help with handling of course π But she seems to be a very verbal dog so we can try it with just verbals.
The smiley face game also looked great, and I think she really liked getting to go fast π
At 1:29 – there was no connection so she ended up on the wrong side of you. The video edit makes it hard to see what happened before that, by usually this happens when you were looking st her on your left side, then you disconnect to point to the wing – so the dog reads it like the beginning of a blind and changes sides (good girl). Always reward these things, because it is a handler error 99.9999% of the time, even if you donβt feel it in the moment (the video always shows it as handler error :))
Nice adjustment at 1:32 to get great connection!
There was a handler disconnection error at 1:40 as well – on t he way to the tunnel, your shoulder closed forward, your left arm pointed ahead to the tunnel, and your feet turned towards the other end of the tunnel (play 1:39 – 1:41 in slow motion and you will see why she thought she should blind cross to the other end, she was correct :)) Good job rewarding it! It was one of those moments where you could probably see her, but you were not connected so she was correct.
To smooth out that line to the tunnel – point your fingers back to her nose when she is behind you, look at her eyes, and say tunnel tunnel tunnel right to her (while you run directly to the tunnel). It gets easier as the pups grow up but for now the youngsters all require exaggerated cues π
>>I am going nuts now
In a good way, hopefully! She looks GREAT! She reminds me of my dog Contraband at this age (the blue merle in the demo videos) – thoughtful and balanced in these early trainings, and he has grown up to be wicked fast while retaining the thoughtfulness and accuracy. Mitre is on her way to that: fun times ahead for sure!!!!!
Great job :)β¨
Tracy
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