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Great question! I love the Treat ‘n’ Train and I do use them a lot! For this game, you can use it for one direction, and treat throws the other direction to get the back-and-forth across the prop. Just be sure that Poppy is hitting the prop and not going directly to the TnT đ
And keep working the tossed treats too – it is a great opportunity to work those mechanics for places where the TnT doesn’t work, and it will help her to *not* become reliant on the visual of the TnT (they are hard to fade out).
To help Poppy find the tossed treat even if your throw is bad đ You can use a ‘get it’ type of marker, which tells her to look forward to track the treat which will make it easier to see. You can also use a towel or large mat on the line where you want to throw the treat – it will give you both a visual of where to get the treat so she looks forward even if your throw is not great đ
Keep me posted!
Tracy
Welcome back! It seemed like a super fun trip!!! And you got to stand on a podium with one of your CAMP classmates, Kathy and her BT, Frankie!!!
>10 hrs in the car and super long naps turned my puppy into a wild wildebeast that now is thinking of trying out for the wwf as me as his wrestling partner>
Ah yes, it makes sense that he might be a bit wild LOL đđ
The collection sandwich is a good game for burning off a 10 hour drive! On the first couple of reps, you needed an earlier blind so you can show him deceleration earlier too. The blind happened when he was more than halfway to you, and then the decel was late so he shot past you on those.
Compare to the rep at :49 – :52 where everything was earlier: the blind started pretty quickly after he started running to you, and that made the decel earlier too. So he was able to collect and drive nice and tight to your side: SUPER!!! That was my favorite rep đ The last rep was good too!
He did well driving forward to the toy after the pivot so you can now add your go go go verbal (instead of get it) to begin building up the GO skills đ
Great job!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
Backing up is going really well! I agree, she is catching up really quickly!!!!
>I realized that I should have followed up with more treats at her chest to encourage her to back up more rather than just rewarding once.>
I think your rewards were really good – throwing more treats might have been confusing for her in that she would have been standing still and not really sure why more treats were coming (but I am sure she would be happy to eat them haha) So resetting her at your feet for each rep worked well – and you can use more of a âping pongâ approach to begin getting more steps backwards. You can sometimes reward one or two steps and sometimes 3 or 4 or 5 steps – mix it up! As long as she is still moving when you toss the treat, you will be able to get more and more steps.
You can also add in having her move back to a big target – you will see that in demo video and in the âAdding Challengeâ section of the description.
>When do I add the verbal?\>
When you can reliably predict that she will back up several steps, you can add it – but no rush for now, because we donât want verbals to distract her as she is thinking about her hind end đ
>We also worked on the Turn and Burn â Jazz liked this one! >
I figured she would like it: action and toys!
One thing to remember is that the pups can go fast, but we donât have to đ I think you were trying to go fast and that was causing you to turn before she reached the line on the ground, which might be why your mechanics felt a little sideways? So stand perfectly still after you send her, til she gets to the line, then you can do a front cross and move away. The front cross adds a good element of countermotion – you did a post turn on most of these, which worked well but the FC will be a bit of extra challenge that she is ready for đ
As you are sending her to the barrel, be sure she can see the barrel – you were putting your leg past it which blocks the line. You can stand a tiny bit off to the side so the barrel is visible to her, and step towards it and not past it. That way she can see the direct line to the barrel and zip around it.
>I should have rewarded her when she offered the wrap even though I wasnât ready. Seemed to confuse her when she wasnât rewarded but she go back into it quick. >
You can use a reset cookie if she zips around it when you arenât ready! But I donât think she was confused after that – at :32 you moved away too early (she had just arrived at the barrel and hadnât starting wrapping yet) and that is what pulled her off the barrel. On the other reps you waited more til she got to where you put the line on the ground and that worked great!
We will be adding a discussion of verbals into the games this week, so you can use a wrap verbal here on the barrel instead of a go verbal. That will begin naming the wrap behavior that we can use on a jump!
>Also Iâm going to have to watch how much cheese I use as she was getting pretty loose poops. No fun!>
Poor Jazz! You can save the cheese for reps where she needs to early find the reward if it is thrown, or for really challenging environments because it is high value. And you can try treats that ight be easier on her GI tract in other situations.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
The double wide plank setup here was great – gives him more room to get on and turn around for sure!Turning away from you (to the left) was a little hard when you hand was moving fast, but then he was great with the slower hand. The slow hand help him control his movement because he is not yet as good about going fast and turning around in a small space LOL!! So keep the slow hand cue for now and then you can fade out the 2nd plank when he is looking really comfortable.
He left to investigate someone appearing and that was fine – he was appropriate and confident, just checking them out đ It seems like the person appeared while he was still working and he did great! If someone approaches that might be surprising, you can shift to a pattern game and see if that helps him process the person appearing without needing to go investigate them.
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
He did really well with the forward games! Food was lovely, he says, but the toy was THE BEST. You are getting a direct look at the line and very little looking away and only a tiny bit of cursing from him at the very end hahahaha!
Since he is reliably and predictably looking forward to the line here, you can add a verbal cue if you want (something like âlookâ). Since it is a new cue, you can add it after the toy or treats are placed and before you do the hand cue. (And if you donât want a verbal on this behavior, feel free to ignore – plenty of people donât want more verbals LOL!!)
Toy races:
>It does seem to work better when I let him go and move later. He doesnât really want me to win but it still seems to be his goal to arrive at the same time when Iâm running faster to get there rather than really driving ahead. >
I agree – he is wanting to drive ahead really well and get the toy! And he is MAD when he doesnât get it. So why is his moving off the line rather than going directly to it?
I think what is happening is that when *you* are driving directly to the toy, your motion is pushing him off the line so he is a little wider and not as far ahead of you. Perhaps he is concerned about getting stepped on, which is a valid concern for a small dude!
When you are holding back on the release, he can drive the line directly to the toy and grab it.
And when you were parallel, he also drove directly to it and got there first, like at 1:25.
He was checking in a bit, possibly to be sure that he was not going to get stepped on đSo to help him be sure it is fine to get to the toy first, you can throw the toy as directly in front of him as you can (or even overcompensate a bit and throw it a bit to the other side of him, away from you) and then run parallel to his line to the toy, and less directly to the toy. You wonât win as much but that is fine – it can build up his trust that doesnât have to think about your line or motion, and he can just drive to the toy. Start by letting him go first, then when he is driving hard to the toy without checking in, you can work up to adding your motion as soon as you release him too.
Tippy board:
>I donât find him particularly noise sensitive so I donât think the noise itself should have been too much but I have noticed in other situations as well that he finds it difficult when the ârulesâ of something he has done before change. Should I have shown him the change before allowing him to interact with it?>
I think you might be seeing normal adolescent brain development đ He is right about the age where adolescence begins – and so you will see increased sensitivity to things like different reward values, changes in session setup or ârulesâ, noises, etc etc. And if he has always been a bit sensitive to changes in setup or adding things to things he has done before, you will see even more of that in adolescence. Totally normal! It doesnât mean he is noise sensitive, as you mentioned, but you might see bigger responses to noises or surprises – and that can change day to day. Early adolescence is definitely a crazy time LOL!
I think he did well in this session! And yes, it was challenging – he had a sitânâ scratch to think it over LOL!! Since he finds rule changes/criteria shifts challenging, a couple of ideas to help him out:
– you can split the behavior more by starting with where you left off in the previous session, then after a couple of rewards you can adjust one thing to add challenge. That way he doesnât come into entirely different things and can see the transition to the new level. It is a way of showing it to him so it is not surprising, and also with reinforcement available.
– You can also change his arousal state more in shaping, so he notices/thinks about the changes less. That can be done with adding more tugging before the session and after every couple of treats. And you can use higher value treats, anything that is novel and crazy that will amp him up more! Increasing arousal states in training can help the brain process the new challenges more easily because they are less prominent.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
>I also really appreciate your suggestion to review in slo-mo. Iâve been videoing my dog training sessions almost daily for 7 years, but Iâm not sure Iâve looked at them in slo-mo before this week. I was an athlete, and slo-mo was integral to reviewing video for my sport.>
Very cool!! What was your sport?
>Iâm not sure why I havenât used it in dog training yet>
I didnât really think of using slow motion when I was only training/running agility. Participating in flyball has really gotten the slow motion review into my soul đ There is simply NO WAY that I can see what is happening in real time with a dog running the whole pattern in 3.5 seconds⌠while I am 90 feet away and with 3 other dogs and handlers in the ring. There is no way LOL!!! And using slow motion and freeze frame has really helped tons in agility and general dog training too!
>Iâm also relieved to hear that Iâm mostly not super early moving my hands>
Yes! That is huge! I was inspired by your work to look back at some of my videos: early in sessions I am very precise, then that wanes and my precision is not nearly as good later in the session. Good to know so I can remember to maintain the good mechanics.
>We went camping in the Arizona desert â and had room to run. >
Wow! This was so fun and the area is gorgeous!!
He did really well with his engagement and enthusiasm in this new environment!!
His ability to go from food to toy to food to toy is looking great.>All of the reps started with releasing Skizzle to get the cookie from a dish â which gave me time to run away from him.>
Perfect! And that also added the challenge of food-to-toys, which he had no problem with. Yay! And the bowl was a clear visual because finding the treat on the ground might have been challenging.
>On the blind cross coming towards the camera â I start out with the toy in the correct hand, but then transfer it to the same side heâs coming to.>
On the first rep moving away from the camera, the mechanics were spot on. You can take a moment to plan mechanics before each rep, and remind yourself to not switch the toy around đ We often reward from the dog-side hand so it probably feels more natural to switch and you might need to remind your hands to not switch the toy đ
>For the toy chase â really toy race â maybe he looks caught off guard by my presence close? I think this is the point, right, to get them used to running adjacent to the handler (for agility)?>
Yes – he was a little surprised by your proximity and/or speed, and then he was being polite when you reached for the toy even when he got there first. And also yes – the goal is that he is comfortable with running a line and you running hard too and nearby. So to get him to be *less* polite đ and grab the toy, 2 ideas for you:
– throw it like you did and then let him go to run to it⌠and if you get there first, you play with it without him by lifting it up higher and teasing him (but donât let him tug on it :))
– then after a few seconds of that, immediately go into your next rep by holding him, throwing the toy⌠and when you let him go, you can move forward but with less speed and proximity so he wins and grabs the toy. Then you can play tug with him, or cheer him on if he takes a victory lap with the toy. Victory laps are acceptable in this game because the winner gets to party without the loser for a moment LOL!!! Let me know how he does with that!Great job!
Tracy
This is looking super strong too! As with the self-control game, you can use a ‘get it’ marker to indicate the thrown treat (the ‘yes’ often gets the pups looking at us instead of at the line). You can add more distance here too, as well as starting with her to see if she will move ahead of you to it (which sets up the rear crosses nicely).
>I tried the counter movement after this one but my timing was way off. Will try again maybe tomorrow.>
She might have been tired – she did a lot! And when you try it again, be sure to send with an empty hand and look bak at the prop to help support her commitment.
Great job these!!
Tracy
Hi!
Novel-neutral went really well – you donât need to say âyesâ and âget itâ. Your âget itâ marker will tell her both that she was correct and that the treat is tossed, so you can stick with âget itâ only.
In the novel-exciting video – it is in those initial moments when a distraction is present that we want the pups to ignore them – the cookie bag was too close for a very food-driven pup đ We want her ideally to not go investigate it all (especially in the first moments), so you can add the novel-exciting object a lot further away, or higher up on something. She was able to work through it, but ideally she doesnât go to it on the first few reps.
The open bag was really hard but she did well! As with the previous video, have it a little further away at the beginning (like up against a wall in this setup, or on a chair). That way she doesnât investigate it in the initial moments. When she is able to fully ignore it, you can move it a little closer đ
Nice work!
Tracy
Hi!
Sitting down was ideal here and you got some solid rewards in! It is a strong start! You can leave your hands down in front of you so she doesnât lift her head up as much to look at the cookies.And since you got this started, you can move to adding the target to the backing up – that will give her a destination and should help get even more steps backwards. You can see it on the demo video and the description is in the âAdding Challengeâ section here:
Nice work!
TracyGood morning!
She was great with the pattern game! Super! On the patio? NO problem, easiest game ever. In the grass? Also the easiest game ever. PERFECT! Your timing was really good and she was engaging beautifully.>No problem with this one as if I have good she wonât leave me lol>
That is great! Having this game in her âtoolboxâ will help when you take her to new places that might be challenging – especially as she moves through her adolescent stages đ
And you can use the pattern game with to work through the stealth self-control games too!
Nice work đ â¨Tracy
Good morning!
>Like what do I do about the fly bys on the prop? Does she need more value on it?>
I think she has good value on the prop! What was happening here was she was trying to look at you, and was moving a little bit away to the other side of the prop in order to do so.
She was probably looking at you because you were using a âyesâ marker, which gets the pups looking up at us and watching our hands toss the treat. So to get her looking at the line and not at you, switch to a âget itâ marker: when she hits the prop, say âget itâ and toss the treat. That should keep her eyes on the line and reduce the fly-bys đ
Turn and burn:
Yay for the line on the ground with turn and burn! It provides a really useful visual for the timing of the turn. She is showing good commitment so we can add 2 things to adjust in the mechanics of this game, to really maximize the countermotion commitment element:
– Keep your starting point exactly the same on each rep, facing the barrel from the exact same spot, so you can move the line to adjust the timing. You were moving your starting point which made the timing different and caused you to leave too early. Then when you changed sides, the line on the ground was not on her exit point so it was hard to know when to leave and when to make it harder đ
– you were running away from the barrel on a perpendicular line to it, so now you can change your running line to show more countermotion – run on a line parallel where she exits the barrel but in the other direction. That way she will go all the way around the barrel The perpendicular line doesnât have the full circle here.
As you add more countermotion, you can delay your âyesâ (or toy reward marker) til she is all the way around. You were saying it as she was arriving at the line, which was pulling her to the toy. She was not incorrect to do that, because the markers do mean âgo to the rewardâ. So since the line is for you and not for her đđ you can move when she gets to the line but donât mark her as correct until she exits the barrel.
Backing up:
Strong start to the backing up here! She was figuring out that stepping back was the way to get the treats! Super! To add more distance to it, you can play with adding the target as a destination. You can see it in the âAdding challengeâ section here:Great job!!!
TracyHi1
>Treats: that was the chunky dog roll â freshly cut â as it âmaturesâ it gets a bit crustier! >
We have treats like that here – a popular one is called Freshpet and one of my dogs is WILD for it. It gets crusty when left out but it is better than how hot and gross it gets when it is in my pocket hahaha GROSS!
>>He was also probably hungry and now has more adult teeths for ease of chomping (currently no canines cos theyâve all fallen out).>
Adult teeth certainly help!!
>I did a pattern game in the kitchen at the factory and he had super low latency.>
Perfect!!
>Arousal: It doesnât help that FRANK is also hyped after training so they bounce off each other â and earned themselves some quality crate time hehe.>
Do they play together to burn off some of that excitement?
>Yesterday was baby Barryâs 5-month birthday! Where did the time go!?>
Awwwww 5 months already! He is such a fun puppy!
Tracy
Hi!
Nice job looking at different ways to get the behavior!On the first part of the video –
You might have been too far from the target at the beginning, so it was not really on his radar and he was not sure where to go as he backed up. You can start each session with his back feet on the target to help him orient towards it (you did some of this on the 2nd part of the video and it really seemed to help him!)To get him backing up more and looking up/sitting less, you can keep your hands really low by either remaining bent over so your hands can be at or below your knee level – or sitting on something so it is easier to keep your hands low without potentially making your back painful đ The goal is that he can focus on your hands and keep his head in a more neutral position, with his lower jaw approximately parallel to the ground. When his head was higher, it was harder to back up and easier to sit đ
In the 2nd part of the video – having the narrow space definitely helped him offer a more precise backing up!
And when adding the target, you had him start on it before asking him to step back to it and that made a big difference for him. Super!To help get the back feet stepping up onto it more, you can start each rep by asking him to put back feet on it, then the lure off so he steps one foot off or maybe 2 feet off – and then he can immediately step back onto it. By doing it with each rep, I think you will make that association that it is about getting feet onto the target.
You can also split the behavior even more with a bigger target and having him start with all 4 feet on it: then lure him forward just enough that a front foot comes off⌠then reward when the front food steps back onto it. Pups seems to have a bit more awareness of their front feet, so getting the front feet to step backwards as the first order of business might give him the âa-haâ moment that helps him back up with rear feet too. So when he can step both front feet back onto a big target, you can lure all four feet off and then begin isolating stepping back with back feet too!
Great job on all of these!!
â¨TracyHi!
>Mine are a little different, but he actually knows them all pretty well >
Perfect! It is a system of communication so having a set of markers/meanings that you both understand is great!
>except catch with food, which is hard >
Tracking bits of food is HARD – the visual system of the puppy doesnât have the same experience as an adult to be able to track food even when it is hard to see. And yes, balls are much easier and probably more fun haha!
To help with food tracking with puppies: before adding the marker, I show them my hand movement of tossing it with a couple of movements before the actual throw, so the pups can lock onto it before I throw. You did something similar before your âgoodâ marker on the video – letting him see the treat before delivering it.
>as long as I get the markers out of my mouth right.>
Yes, this is relatable!! That is why we are adding them early in life and practicing them⌠for us humans to be able to get them out haha!
On the video: you have a really nice toolbox of markers for several situations! Yay!! Keep adding them into your training sessions, planning in advance which one(s) to use so it is easier to say them đ And try and say the marker before moving your cookie hand or toy – having the movement before the marker will dilute understanding, so I check that all the time by watching the video in slow motion to see which comes first: the verbal or the hand movement?
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
Wing wrap standing up went really well!!! He is doing a really lovely job of letting go of the toy and offering to do the wrap, without a lot of attempts at re-gripping the toy.
He was sometimes needing a 2nd âausâ cue, but that was when you were still actively tugging. He released the toy pretty immediately when you let the tugging hand get passive for a second or two, so you can continue to use that passive moment before the verbal to solidify the toy release in this context. And separately, you play with getting him to respond to the aus cue even when the toy is still moving.
>I used ring gating, but, now, watching video, I hope it was not too similar to a wing.>
It was a little similar, but in a good way! That similarity will help us bridge the gap into add the real wing (which is coming soon, I promise LOL!!).
He is ready for you to play the turn and burn game – for that one, a soft barrel or cone is good to start with because in his excitement he might touch the barrel or cone, which is fine. But with the ring gating, it might fall over and startle him which we donât want of course.
Great job!
Tracy
