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Good morning!
Hopefully the cold weather goes away!
It appears that Teagan thought this was the easiest game *ever*. He was perfect! You can add a ‘get it’ marker if you like: say it when he looks back up at you and then toss the treat. You can also start to add your movement back and forth.When the weather clears up a bit, take this outside. You can also. take this to new places, as a way to help him engage in new places too.
Great job!!!
TracyHi!
>>she was super excited thinking people would be inside lol. Then she was a bit confused that it was just us>>
Ha! That cracks me up! LOL!!! She is a social girl!
>>She was a bit hesitant to eat food at first after playing with the toy, but was able to switch with just a little more time.>>
What type of food were you using? You might have to go up in value š or go to a human-food moist treat of some sort.
She did really well with her toy play and her tunneling!!! It looked super high energy and a lot of fun. She did well with the high energy cookie patterns and was great about going back to the toy after that and chasing you (nice blind in there too!) It sounds like the whole trip was a bit win and it was a great exposure to the environment for her. YAY!!
>>I brought her in on leash in the ring and let her sniff around for about 2 min. >>
Next time, you can bring her in with a pattern game and see how she does without the sniffing first!
>>After, we went for a trail walk with Lazlo and she had a great time!>>
Perfect! Sounds like a nice decompression. And hopefully now she is sleeping LOL!
Great job :)āØTracy
Hi! These all look great!!!
Starting with the barrels: super nice commitment! She only had one question, at the beginning:
If she gets stuck on a send, you can draw your hand and foot back in, then re-send in that moment. She did best when you were decelerating a little later so you ended up closer to the barrel. And, she probably needs a bit of a warm up – do a rep or two with you facing pretty straight to the barrels to get things rolling, then you can start to add in the early rotation. I think her question at the very beginning had to do with her needing a quick refresher on the barrels before adding the hard stuff š And remember to add your wrap verbals, she is ready for them.
>>Re the target mat. I definitely had no ability to send her ahead even when I introduced a pre-loaded bowl. Time to break out the manners minder? >>
Yes, it is Manners Minder time! She doesnāt have a lot of focus to the bowl yet, even with the dish marker – so you can work that separately (just say dish then send her to a dish with a cookie in it, easiest game ever haha!) But the MM should be an easier visual for her, so definitely introduce it separately and see how she feels about it.
>> She randomly through this session (3 times) ran off to kiss her mom on the nose outside the fence and then raced back to work. So maybe a bit too much distraction.>>
Is it normal for her mom to be present/visible during the session? If not, then it was probably too much distraction (but she worked through it). If she is normally there, and Taq left the session – was it after a couple of failures? If so, it could have been a frustration behavior so keep the success rate higher. And her re-engagement did look great!!
>>Conquered our rear cross demons. Of course the answer was I am lateā¦ 100% on rears today with more space to cross>>
Yes! The RCs looked terrific, no questions! And your timing was šlovely!! The more she sees the rear crosses, the easier the timing will be because she will be able to process the cue even sooner.
Great job with the stays! She was rock solid with NO foot movement. YAY! She looked so serious too LOL!
>>. I was not sure how to handle the mistake. I made it easier but ā¦>>
That was at 2:39, which was also the only rep where you did not stay connected to her as you moved away. On that rep, you walked away with no connection, then looked back at herā¦ and she anticipated it as the release. You were fine to reset her, and then you were connected on the rest of the reps as well. So, keep reminding yourself to stay connected as you lead out. The ācatchā and the ābreakā release both looked lovely!!
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>> Iām realizing Iāve lapsed on re-visiting other basic behaviors like collar grabs and sitā¦.
I thought you were great about recognizing it and immediately adjusting to make it more rewarding for her. Click/treat for you!
>>I know you said the prop is getting phased out in a bit. Is it still serving its purpose if she targets it and goes over (without touching) or near it for what we need?>>
Yes- over it and near it are still good and rewardable! The games have morphed a bit in that the deliberate foot smack is only needed for the tight turn games. The games where she is moving more (like parallel path, rear crosses, get out) will have her generally striding over or near the prop. We transfer it all to the barrels, then wings, then a jump bar š
Tracy
Hi!
>>Oh ā so we tried a little impromptu session of the sit catch with a toyā¦. Much harder! But i didnāt have the camera >>
Yes, let him sleep on it for a day or two – sits are HARD in higher arousal! If he has a good sit verbal, you can help him out by using the sit verbal. And reward fast and early, to hope solidify the game.
ļæ¼
>> we went way back to week 1 to practice blind cross foundations ā I have been procrastinating on this one because it is challenging for me>>You were great!!!! You were really emphasizing connection and that it why the session went so well.
The blinds are looking good!! You can decel sooner before the pivot but he is speedy, so you will need more room to be able to have time to get the blind in AND do the decel into the pivot š
>>Iām not sure about my bc timing but to me he looks like he was doing his best
Your timing was generally really good – you were starting the blind as soon as he starting moving towards you, and that gave him plenty of time to see the new connection. On the last rep, you were running away from him as he was getting the start cookie – that was terrific in terms of timing and being way ahead š
>>tugging -and jumping ā I have been trying to give him a target or getting him moving lower or intercept the toy before he jumps?>>
Do you mean when he jumped up on your arm/back at :45 and 1:01?
At :45, I think you were trying to transition into the next part of the session and walked away – that is a spot where you can give him a transition into the next spot to bridge the arousal: you can send him to his mat or bed, or do a snuffle mat. That bridge moment can really help.
At 1:01, that was the only late connection on the blind (the rest of the session was great) . You can see that your left shoulder was late getting out of the way, so he jumped up on your. Just a bit of frustration regulation needed. No worries, we have a game coming specifically for that! To prep him for it, you can practice the resilience pattern game. That pattern game is also a great bridge from the high arousal tugging into ending the session.
The other jumping up moments looked like he was trying to put the toy in your hand, and hat is great!! Is that what you meant by trying to give him a target or intercept the toy?
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>>I think weāre getting the behind game going ā how does that become a slingshot start?>>
To use it at the start, you will be facing the first jump and she will be facing you š You send her around your back and then as he is going behind you, you cue the first jump and take off running. So if you would want to handle th first jump with her on your left, you would send her around you on your right and then she goes behind you to your left side – and that way you are bth in motion and into the course š
I will see if I can find video of it!Tracy
Good morning!
>>She is quite good at doing easier behaviors with her and Kaladin taking turns. (I taught her scratch board mostly by her watching him). But we havenāt done as much when she thinks itās āThe Thingā.>>
Taking turns burns a lot of brain juice (<āā scientific term hahaha) so I can see that easy behaviors would be, well, easy :) And harder behaviors like using all 4 legs would be harder :) She did well with the wobble board! She was surprised by the sensation of it dropping out from under her when she got on the high end of it at the beginning, so to help really pump up her confidence, 2 ideas: - start by only having her get on the part of the board that touches the ground, so she can control the movement of the board. - put towels or something under the high end, so when she does get on that end, there is a lot less drop of the board. That way she can build her love of it incrementally without being surprised at how much it moves. Really good tunnel session!!! Nice job jump starting it then she was happy to run back and forth. Good job adding in feeding her for the collar grab, she was giving some feedback that she didnāt love it but then when she got a cookie for itā¦ All good with cookies! She did well with the toy as the reward too - I think she is getting into the mode of loving the toy as a reward for a moving behavior (it doesnāt prevent her from doing The Thing :)) but also, it was a long-ish session so maybe try the toy earlier in the session to see if you can get even more interaction with it. >>Did weirdness gauntlet with a big bucket and a basket with my Noxgear vest in the family room. Gave a quick sniff and moved on to play tug in other part of room. Didnāt even break stride on the way back.>>
Perfect! We donāt often see a lot of behavior changes in the weirdness gauntlet, but we can be sure that her HPA Axis is rehearsing resilience: stimulation then bounce back to baseline š
Looking at the hallway rear crosses:
>>This one got better when I kept moving as she was eating so she turned the correct way (really I just have a hard time estimating how long it will take her to eat the cheese.>>
Yes, it was cheese-eating time-management LOL! The first couple were late so she didnāt read the rear cross. You needed to be clearly visible on the new side (at her shoulder or past it) sooner to get it:
At :23 and :43 she was lifted her head, you were still on the FC side so she did a FC on those.
Compare to 1:00 where you were arriving at her left shoulder, so she did the left turn RC. Yay! On the last rep, you were miles past the RC shoulder so she had a very easy time with it.
So to get the hallway RCs going, you can send to the cookie and then get past her shoulder on the new side as fast as possible (you might need to toss 2 cookies to buy yourself time there!)Prop RCs – nice tugging at the beginning! And I agree with what you said on the video: there was no obvious THING to do, so the tugging was easy š
She loves her prop so much that you probably have to give her more cookies for staying with you (at your side) until you are ready to start LOL!
The RCs here were really good! When I freeze the video at her decision point of which way to turn, the RC info was evident on all of the reps. Yay! She is definitely beginning to show understanding of the RC pressure line and using her peripheral vision (aka eyes in the back of her head haha) to pick up the RC in BOTH directions. SUPER HAPPY DANCE!!
>>I offered the toy after and she started sniffing around for cheese so I put the mat down, released her off of it and started dragging a long fleece tug and she pounces on it instead of me.>>
Perfect! The sniffing might have been her way of saying āI am not ready for toys yet more cheese pleaseā and the mat provided a great bridge.
Great job here!!!
TracyGood morning!
>>Naturally, I started on my good side and my dogās weaker side. Next time Iāll try to remember to start with him turning to his right. >>
He turned really well to his left here!!!
>>I noticed that when turning to his left, it seems like I might be luring his head too high and he ends up looking up as heās making the turn.>>
I agree – your hand is moving fast and going high so his head comes up. Your mantra should be ālow and slowā so that your hand stays low until he just about arrives at it, then the motion of the cue should be slow while your hand stays low. And when you are too fast (like at :16) you end up stepping towards him too soon so he has trouble having space to finish the turn.
When he was on your left side (his right turns) – your hand was lower and slower at :27 for example, and the turn looked great!
When the magic cookie hand was higher and faster (like at :36) he turned towards you. You corrected it on the last rep here – slow and low, which got a great turn š>>The dogās path is the same for the lap turn and the tandem turn, right?>>
Basically, yes! The context is different for when we use them on course but the path can be pretty similar.
The tandems are looking good! Things went better when you adding walking forward on a parallel line past the prop – that got your feet straighter while your upper body handled the turn cues, and he did really well!!Using the prop, you can turn him away on the tandem and the lap turns, then let him find the prop and then you can reward him (that simulates finding the jump after the turn). The reward was coming for the turn, so now you can add in finding the prop.
>>Let me know if you see anything Iām doing differently for the better reps.>>
Low and slow holds as the mantra here too š But overall I thought all the reps were good on the tandems!
>>I noticed that on one I might have pulled him in too close to me and I ended up crowding him. How far away from the dog will we be when we do these turns on a course?>>
There were a couple where you pulled him almost all the way to you, but that is fine! He will see this in a variety of contexts in terms of distance: it can be used up close and really tight to youā¦ or it can be used when he is 30 feet away in a layering situation. So as long as he understands the cue and to find an obstacle after it, he will be able to execute from any distance.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>I was of course worried sheād be nervous, but she was totally fine! >>
SUPER!!!!!
>>sniffing (and eating) sheep poop>>
I hear this is a delicacy LOL!
>>Inside the building, she did really well. >>
She seems to b at her best indoors and in the presence of other dogs. It adds security! So sometimes take her by herself to the outdoor environments, sometimes bring Lazlo to help out. It is great to have a helper dog!
>>So Iām relieved that she doesnāt seem to have suddenly transformed into a nervous puppy lol!>>
I donāt think she is a nervous puppy š I think the great outdoors might be a little overwhelming at first when she is without the company of another dog, so we can totally help her.
>>āWas she bananas for the salmon treats at the baseball field too? The feta cheese sounds yummy LOL! How did she react to it?ā
No, she was eating the cheese and salmon treats, but not like super into it. >>Try moist treats – like canned salmon (EWWWW but worth it LOL!) That can be even more enticing and higher in value. I have seen dogs be āmehā about freeze dried stuff or dryer cheese, then go wild for a moist treat.
>>I think I could have had freshly cooked bacon and she would have been meh about it. >>
Maybe a TINY bit mixed in, we donāt want pancreatitis! LOL!
>>Sheās usually a very good treat eater. She readily eats when she exits the van in all sorts of locations. Sheās not picky either.>>
That is great – so many whippets can be picky. I like piggie dogs!
>>I will absolutely be advocating for her! Iām introverted, but not when it comes to my dogsā emotional well-being lol!>>
Perfect! And as I have found out, most agility instructors have no idea how to train whippets and hound brains, so advocating is a MUST. Another bit of baby whippet advice: lots of baby pup games involve restrained recalls to blind crosses (sometimes through a tunnel) – tell the instructor to hold twice as long as expected so you can get the blind cross done. Releasing her at the same timing as a Border Collie release can result in your getting run over by your baby whippet (I say this from first-hand experience LOL!)
Thanks for the baseball field video! She did looked concerned about the environment – could be any number of reasons but she was definitely seeking social support (which is probably also what she gets when Lazlo is there). If you see her feeling uncomfortable, you can change the situation within the first minute. You can reset by going back to the car and coming out with a toy for her to chase or better food, or even a short drive somewhere else.
On the Rocking horses video:
>>Maybe Iām not giving enough connection?>>
I think that was it – your arm was forward and she couldnāt really see your eyes, so she was not really sure. Using the toy worked better (it was harder to pass the cookies in your hand). Try to keep you arm back a little longer and also make a more direct & deliberate eye contact with her. The other thing you will probably need to add at this stage is to tie your hair back š When you are handling, your hair covers your face (like at 47 and :52) so she canāt see the eye contact.
>>Tonight we tried doing the back and forth thing with toys.>>
You did really well!!! This game is actually harder than it looks (I always feel like I need 3 hands for it) and she did well! Her āoutā cue seems strong and that really helped! You can add in a āgo for a runā cue at the end, when you want her to take the toy and play independently. You can try this in new environments as a pattern game and see how she does!
Great job here! Let me know how she does today!!
Tracy
Wow, you rock!!! This is all so important, for life and sport š Next up, airplane ride somewhere!!!!
>>I patted myself on the back for being a brilliant dog trainer!>>
I am sending a cyber high five to you for doing a fabulous job!!!!!!
T
Good morning!
She is liking her running contacts games!! For small dogs, I use the mat on the a-frame and the dog walk, so you can shift to only using that and not the box anymore (one less thing to train LOL!)
>>I have never used a dish before and again my mechanics are horrible. I should have been saying dish not get it.>>
Your mechanics were definitely NOT horrible! You got into the groove of adding the markers when you went to the mat. Yes, you can be saying ādishā but āget itā worked fine for her (she understood the context and the treat was tossed, so it was fine :))
Next step for the mat training:
– on the back and forth like you did here, vary your position when she starts each rep so that sometimes she is way behind you (you can be heading to the 2nd bowl when she is eating from the first bowl, like you did on the very last rep). And sometimes you can go to the bowl she is eating from and wait for her – then let her drive ahead through the mat to the next bowl. Both will create more independence and she wonāt need you to be parallel to her at the mat.
Her barrel game is looking good! She was not as wild , true, but if it was the 2nd or 3rd game in the day then she might have burned off some steam. But also, it means that the games are getting more complex so you will want to stick to one game maybe 2 games per session/per day, so she can process them and cement them rather than work any of them tired.
>>I am definitely having trouble working with a toy in my hand. Advice? For now the bra is working! >>
I call it āputting it in the vaultā when I stuff the toy in my bra haha!!! And yes, that is a great place for it (or a pocket). And for the rocking horses, you might need to put it in the vault because switching it from hand to hand is delaying the cue and getting her looking up at you a tiny bit. Ideally, you would leave it in one hand the whole time (which is also great for impulse control because she has to pass it when it is in the send hand). But most folks donāt realize they are switching it around, so putting it in the pocket is fine too š
Having it in the vault for the rotated sending at the end of the video worked really well! The rotation can be counterintuitive for pups at first, so when the toy was in your hand she didnāt quite know where to look. As soon as it was out of the picture – she nailed it. YAY! The rocking horses with the earlier rotation is a HARD game but she did really well. Your mechanics were good – you were clearly rotated but also you didnāt slam on the brakes so she had very few questions. Your rotation was earlier on the very last rep so she had a āwait, what?ā moment but there but that is fine, because we do want the earlier rotation and she figured it out š
Her commitment to the barrels is looking really good, so remember to add your wrap verbals!
She has a lot of value for the prop o the get out was easy! Super! For the start of each rep (get out, or staying on the line with you), you can start with a cookie toss (or toss into a bowl) so you can be several steps ahead when she begins to move. This can help you add more distance away from the prop laterally, which I think she is ready for : )
>>Still working on this rear crosses. >>
My only suggestion for the RCs is to give yourself more distance between the starting point and the prop. She is a FAST pup who makes her commitment decisions before she gets to the prop so if you havenāt shown the RC by thenā¦ she turns the FC direction. I like to watch these in slow motion to see how the pups process them, and you can see that the reps where she turned the FC direction were about a stride or two late (she needs to see you on the new side when she is still a stride or two away from the prop)
Compare to the reps at 1:50, 1:52 and 1:58 where you were on the new side when she was still pretty far from the prop and she got it! Yay!
So add in more distance so you can get to the new side really early š then keep moving forward to the prop.
We can also add a visual target of a food bowl on the new side, but I think earlier info is all she needs. As she gets more experienced, she will begin to read the āpressureā of the RC and adjust to it, rather than needing to see the whole thing.
>>Looks like I have an 8ā girl here.>
Perfect! That is a great height class and she is heavy enough that the teeter will drop fast. She is going to be SO FUN on course!!!
And great job with the markers! To make life easier, I use catch for both food and toys. One less word to worry about, and the dogs have zero trouble understanding it. I donāt ātestā markers because I would never thrown a toy and treat to the dog at the same time (at least, not on purpose LOL!) so there is no confusion.
Great job here!!
TracyHi! This is a great question!
>>I know nearly everyone uses go to mean go on straight. I am thinking I should make a new release word for Sky. And save āgoā to mean āgo onā. What are your thoughts on this? I think ābreakā is better than āfreeā because it is a sharper sound.>>
I personally think “go” should mean straight line as in go on and not be a release… but it has to feel natural to you. So you can use ‘break’ a the release or, on a start line, the name of the first obstacle (or first directional). Or, you can keep “go” as your release and use a different word for the straight line extension cue: a lot of folks use “run run run!”
Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
The sequence itself looked good – she just needed a little more of a ājumpā cue at 2:01, and more connection after the blind at 2:03 (timing might have been a little off because she didnāt take the jump after the tunnel). Good job praising and rewarding even though it wasnāt perfect. So letās look at the other stuff happening here!The warm up on one jump at the beginning looked good – very controlled and easy, with lots of reinforcement immediately available.
When you were getting into the bigger sequence: note how there was a disconnection (from both of you :)) when you went to the start jump. It was great to use the leash! So after the one jump warm up, reward when the leash goes back on. And then when you move to the new jump and take it off: reward her for staying engaged (and you can just toss the leash away). When you take it off at :50 and walk away from her to put the leash away, she gets up and starts sniffing and engaging with the environment. It was a double disconnection – you walked away, she was looking at the environment, so she was not ready to run the sequence.
Instead, stay engaged as the leash comes off. Think of that moment as the Leash Off, Engagement On! game. Reward her for staying engaged. And then do some volume dial tricks before lining her up for the sequence (the higher state of arousal can help her remain engaged).
She took off barking at the fence line, partially because of the engagement disconnection and also possibly because the is a well-rehearsed behavior. Question – when not training, does she spend time in the yard where she might run the fence like that? It is possible that the rehearsal of that behavior is impacting the agility at home AND in class (it is an environmental scanning behavior that, even though it might not be āfunā, it can create neural pathways that will carry over into other behaviors and other environments.
Doing more volume dial game before each training moment will help, plus not allowing any more rehearsal of running the fence to bark at distractions. That might mean she is on leash and with you outside rather than free for now, so we can tilt the learning in the direction you want.
>>How to train a start line stay? I think that Changtse has mental difficulties with the stay at the jump at the start of a seq.>>
So I am not sure it is entirely a stay issue. I think it is more of an engagement/arousal issue, where the environment is very arousing and we need to move that engagement/arousal into the agility and start line. The volume dial game will totally help as will not having opportunity to rehearse other behaviors. And tons of reinforcement for leash off, engagement on plus reinforcement for the stay behavior. If the stay is good in a variety of other places (except in the agility context), addressing the arousal/engagement will help bring the stay into the agility environment
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyAh, the joys of hormones! That can definitely contribute to the 2nd day struggles – brain tired, harder content, hormonal. I can TOTALLY relate LOL!!!!!
Keep me posted!
TracyGood morning!
>>The only thing I could think of is if there was a weird smell or maybe the smell of a coyote? It does border a forest and Iāve seen deer and coyotes there in the past. Iām guessing she has smelled wildlife on the trails, but who knows.>>
It is possible she smelled something weird. And She might have a bit of riding-in-the-car anxiety that bubbles over into the first moments in a new hard place. Hard to know exactly what it is. She might be feeling a bit hormonal and there adolescence might be kicking in, so these behaviors are commonly seen in this time period.
>>āWhat type of treats were you using?ā
I had some freeze dried salmon treats that I opened last night for Lazloās nail trim and she was going bananas over them. I gave her a couple and she was very into them, so I brought those to the baseball field. And some chunks of feta cheese.>>Was she bananas for the salmon treats at the baseball field too? The feta cheese sounds yummy LOL! How did she react to it?
>>For example, yesterday I took her to a book store where she had never been. It was just her, and she was super happy and wiggly. We played the back and forth game in a few aisles, then left. Not nervous at all. More often than not, sheās very confident when alone.>>
Keep track of how she does indoors versus outdoors. She might be more comfy indoors for now.
>>I do have the time at the park on video, if you wanted to see it, but no worries if not. >>
I am interested in seeing it! It is always good to get multiple sets of eyes on pups when they are asking a question.
>>I had planned to bring her with me to Lazloās ring rental on Friday. I thought Iād bring her in the ring for a couple short sessions. Do back and forth, maybe play with the baby tunnel (since she loves that and itās easy for her). >>
Perfect! That is several days past when she was concerned, so her physiology is likely to have reset. Yes, do some pattern games with mind-blowing food, and also bring a long crazy furry toy that you can swing around for her to chase. She doesnāt have to earn it in training, it can jut be play play play. If we can get her whippeting around after a toy, she is likely going to be a very happy pup!
>>The main goal is just to practice engaging and working in a location away from home (sheās been to this facility every week since she came home for Lazloās class). >>
Prioritize the engagement and donāt worry about the work š Toy chasing (not necessarily tugging) and pattern games! And if she is completely engaged and happy to be there, you can add a simple game. But no worries if you donāt add a training game.
>>I also signed her up for a drop in session on Sunday at a facility she hasnāt been to. Now Iām wondering if I should just scrap all of that. Iām worried sheāll be nervous. Thoughts?>>
If she is happy on Friday, I would take her to the facility on Sunday! Is it a class or something? If it is a class, make it super clear to the instructor that she is a baby dog that is learning to have a grand time in new places, so the priority is on the party. And then do whatever is needed to get the party going (amazing treats like rotisserie chicken and fur toys swung around on a long line so she can chase). And then if training happens? Cool! If not? Also cool! And end each session way before you think she is ready to be done. 5 reps or less!
And advocate for her – if you are asked to do something uncomfortable or plain wrong for her, or if she seems uncomfortable, advocate so that she only has happy experiences and no pressure.
And keep me posted š
Tracy
