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Good morning!
>To be honest, I saw sits and panicked because Ingy is so high energy. >
That is understandable! Training stays with dogs that love to move can be hard if we are pressuring them to NOT move. But I love training high energy dogs to do sit stays because we can actually get wild about it š
>You can see that this week was also some training for me as I had to work on remembering which way to turn her, how to place my feet for poses, and remember to click the clicker!>
Puppy training seems to require 3 or 4 hands. Mechanics are hard but you are doing great!
The stays are gong really well! She took a moment to catch onto the ācatchā but then she was TOTALLY on board and seemed to be having fun NOT moving š
Another approach to adding steps away from her is to be moving away at all timesā¦ and what varies is the timing of click. You can click after 2 steps, 1 step, 3 steps, etc. By facing her and moving away slowly, you might have been more enticing and exciting than it you were just moving away.
You can totally try this with the toy too, I think she will love it š
Turn aways on the flat are also going really well! The best reps where when you had your feet toward and arm extended towards her until she was about 2 inches from your hand before you started to move. You can see that on the very first rep at 2:41, and also on the other side like at 3:12.
If you moved your hand when she was too far away or stepped back too early, the turn was not as smooth so remember to bring your feet together and let her almost get all the way to you hand, then start to move to cue the turn.
The same thing worked with the tandem turns: letting her get close to your hand then starting to turn her away worked great! The right turns were very easy as you mentioned but you also got some lovely left turns too by slowing own the hand movement so she could really follow your hands to turn away.
She had lovely hits to the hand target as you began the strike a pose game! Those quick warm up reps set up use success when you went into strike a pose mode! She was perfect driving to your left hand and your reward placement was spot on. She was also quite perfect when you changed sides! And rewarding with your left and throwing the treat with your left might have felt weird, but you did it smoothly and that set up a lovely loop back into the next rep. SUPER!
The retrieving looked wonderful! She brought it allllll the way to your hand and she was speedy about it. Super fun! She was happy to trade for treats and go right back to the toy. Yay! Since her retrieves are solid, it is a fun way to let her run around and you can also use the toy as a reward to throw back to her In the stay games.
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
At the beginning of the goat tricks video – I think there was food in your pocket so he was not interested in the toys. For now, keep the food out of the picture (different room :)) to get him interested in chasing the toy. And you can tie the toys to a long line to swoosh it around on the ground for him to chase. Having small toys in your hands with you low to the ground might be too much pressure to tug.
He did well interacting with the skateboard! Balancing on it was hard for sure but he was able to maintain his balance by the end. Having the red thing under it helped stabilize it for sure! You can set up small piles of objects for him to climb around on and balance on!
For the Stealth Self-Control game: Before adding the distraction, you can get him more engaged. For the recall elementā¦ run a bit! The room is pretty distracting so he was not fully engaged when you put the object down. But tossing a start cookie then running away and calling him will really pump up the engagement.
>He wanted to stand on the babywipe box and thought about peeing on the tripod.>
His interest in the novel objects were probably because they looked like something you wanted him to offer behavior on, based on how you placed them in the center of things and near you. The distraction is just something in the environment – it doesnāt have to be something that you interact with in any way, or something that you are actively trying to get him to go past.
So when you place the object down, put it off to the side and donāt stand near it or step towards it – that makes it look like a shaping game that you want him to offer behavior on so he doesnāt think it is something to offer behavior on.
You can also have it already in the room and then bring him in, immediately starting the game: that way he doesnāt watch you place it down and it doesnāt seem like anything you want him to interact with.
On the wing wrap video:
He got right into the wrapping! Super!!! And he had no questions about the upright getting further away or you getting further away for most of it.He had a couple of questions going to his right (from your left to your right) when the upright was further away – I think that the upright had gotten a bit too far away at that point, and he is a little stronger turning to his left than to his right. No worries, that all evens out with practice.
For the next session, keep the upright in a little closer so you can change from kneeling to sitting on something. And if he does well, change to you standing up! That will lead nicely into the next set of games š
Looking at the parallel path video: He did well hitting the hat! You can use a āget itā marker for the tossed rewards instead of the clicker, to get him looking forward more and at you less. And that will also allow you to add more lateral distance away from the prop, or starting close to him so he can drive ahead of you for it.
Decelerating to the handler and the pivots also looked strong! You can also start this with a get it verbal before you throw the cookie. It looks like he sometimes loses the cookie so it takes longer to re-engage. If that is the case, you can toss it into a big bowl so that it is easy and fast to find.
āØHe decelerated and pivoted really well! You a move to the next steps where we add more handling combos and he drives forward to a thrown reward after the pivot.Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning! She was really interested in the plank, hanging out near it and waiting for you to come play š Good girl!
She was 100% happy to get her front feet on immediately. You had good reward placement which encouraged her to her get back feet on too. Then you made a big happy fuss each time she got all 4 feet on: click/treat to you! That helped her get all 4 feet on multiple times by the end of the session. Super!
You can get her a bit wilder with tugging before playing – that challenges her think about her feet even when she is more aroused. Do you have access to a longer plank? That will give you more room to add in turning around and sitting on the plank too.
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning! He was a tugging beast here!!!
Was he feeling a bit jealous when watching Sadie? There is an element of social learning when you let him watch her play with the toy, then give him a turn to play.
>Thereās not much room to run at all..>
You didnāt need a lot of room, he was blasting forward. Yay! When the weather improves, you can take it outside for more room but for now, stay warm and indoors š
>I had no treats in the garage at all.>
To keep going with great toy play, do a few more little sessions like this without food anywhere in the picture.
Then we can slowly add it back in:
Do a toy game in the garage, maybe 2 or 3 reps. Then go back into the house, give him one of the most boring cookies you can find š then go back out to the garage to do more toy play. You can 100% enlist Sadie to help you out here by tugging first with him watching. Social learning is really helpful.Great job!!
Tracy
Good morning!
He did a great job with the impulse control to go around the cone before going to the cookie bowl! SUPER! The timing was your bowl maker was spot on: you waited until he was most definitely committing to the wing before saying it.
He was able to do it on both sides – maybe doing it to his right (starting on your left) was easier? But he was super successful to his left (starting on your right) was very successful too.
One thing you can add to this is getting him to look at the line/cone before you release him: hold him at your side, use your other hand to point to where you want him to go, and watch his eyes: when he looks at where you want him to go, let go of the collar so he can start moving. This will build up to the ālookā cue where you can have him focus forward on his āworkā. Useful for obedience too!
>Not so sure that the best send word in this situation is āGoā but it worked for now>
You can replace the Go verbal with your wrap verbal, because it is a wrap and we can name it since he is doing it so well.
Great job!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
>I need to figure out how far it is from my house, but I cannot find the address on their FB page.
It is 2676 Saturn Road in Brooksville FL.
>Also, are you teaching any other seminars/courses while you are here? Would love to join one if so.>
Probably not, because I have to go home at some point š – but that might change if the weather continues to be terrible up north!
He wa such a good boy working with complete focus and engagement outside. He seemed very happy to offer behavior and eat treats. SO FUN! And he definitely loves the tunnel too š Did he play with toys too?
You can keep playing around with these mini obstacle courses by changing the configuration – instead of a line, you can set them up in a circle or a bit of a pile or make it completely random. It all helps him build more proprioception in different environments.
The seat was perfect for the barrel wraps – canāt go under it and it looked comfy too! And the giant barrel is also a table LOL He did great – going around it and not behind your chair. Any hesitation was because he was watching you take the treats out of the bag, so you can have multiple treats in your hand rather than reloading a lot.
Going behind you on the left turn side was his only question when you stood up. You moved the bowls to a slightly easier position which was a smart training decision, and you were very patient from 1:43 to 1:55 when he sat next to you and was thinking it over. I think the next reps were a breakthrough moment – he got it beautifully and was perfect to the end! Yay! We build on this game on Monday, so maybe try to squeeze in one more session where you are standing?
Happy 12 week birthday, Bandit! He is doing brilliantly!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
The Find A Jump game went GREAT! She seemed to have no questions about finding the jump even with some variations in your position relative to it (a little ahead of the jump, parallel to it, not quite past it). And the added lateral distance was easy and fun too.
She definitely liked the GO verbal getting added – she seemed to kick into a new gear of speed!
One thing to add to this for the next session is you running all the way down to the tunnel exit then running forward, so she drives ahead of you (sorry about the extra running LOL)
Her stay looked good on the zig zags! You did get all the motions to help her out so she was able to find the lines> I think she was also figuring it out and didnāt need as much help at the end, so you can fade some of the bigger movements to see if she can still do it.
The send and serp reps on the video looked really strong too!
>Again, looking back at it I need to be faster to be more ahead.>
You were moving pretty fast here! So to get more ahead of her, you can move the start wing further away. And your start position will still be next to the wing of the jump – the longer send to the start jump will give you more time to be ahead of her on the serpentine.
One thing to add here is your position being closer to the jump – ideally you are an armās length away from it and not further away. That will help her learn to jump in towards handler pressure which is HARD for Border Collies! When getting closer to the jump, you can dial back your motion so you are walking at first, in order to help her run towards the handler pressure.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
She did great finding the jump here! Easy peasy!!!You can add more challenge by staying on a parallel line and not moving towards the jump more. You might have to lay a line on the ground to keep yourself from moving towards the jump š
You can add more distance on the parallel line by sending to the start wing from a little further away, then wherever you are when she exits the wing: stay on that line and move forward rather than towards the jump.You can also throw the reward sooner – as soon as you see her looking at the jump when she exits the tunnel, you can throw it. That will help keep her looking ahead and not at you š
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
>I never did any threadle work (that is when you are saying ācloseā right?). I have a word for it with Benni āin-inā but I havenāt done any games to introduce this for Brioche.>
Yes, that is my ‘close’ and many folks use ‘in in’.
The good news is that you have actually done the foundation for this. It is here:
Strike A Pose Part 3: Concept Transfer For Threadles (Slices)
and then here:
I don’t think you did a TON of these (they were a lower priority) but you did do the serpentine work which makes for an easy transfer to the threadle slice.
> I think the game for this week trying to do that may be too complicated for him. He can probably get the serp and the tunnel part of it.
Yes, the serp versus tunnel is definitely the way to start. Separately, you can show him threadle position on one jump (near the gap at the entry wing) and see what he remembers. I bet he will be able to do the threadle with the tunnel there too!
Keep me posted!
Tracy
Welcome back! I bet it was a BLAST!!!
Bokeh did really well with these games! The Minny Pinny game was a good refresher of getting her into the groove with the left & right soft turns. Easy peasy!
I think the distances here with the large bumps might have been had for here – they were kind of an awkward in-between distance. To get the bouncing, you can move the outer bumps about 6 inches closer to the middle bumps to see if that is a more comfortable distance.
For the next session, you can add in the turn away elements too! To do this, be sure to hold her collar so you can start the verbal – letting her hear the verbal 4 or 5 times before letting her move will help her process and be able to get it right.
Your handling position on the SendsānāSerps game was SPOT ON on your left side so she was easily able to nail the serps. You were clearly visible in serp position between the uprights and had your serp arm back/shoulders rotated to the line (strike a pose!) Yay!!!
She had a harder time at the beginning of the serps on your right side, but that might have been mainly because it is her harder side. You helped her out by giving bigger and more obvious cues, then she got it.
Since this went well, you can move the start wing further away (but your send position should still be at the middle wing/first wing of the jump). This will add more motion from you! If she struggles with more motion from you, you can angle the jump to face her a bit so it is easier to see. You can also add in the FC wraps on the start wing to show her the balance of when you donāt want the serp.
Great job!!
Tracy
Hi!
>Worked on lining up between my feet with collar touches. Took her a bit to feel comfortable with this. >
The lineups are going well! She seemed happy to lineup and be held! I was excited to see that she held her position as you stepped off to do a bit of a stay – that will be a helpful skill for sure. She actually got comfortable pretty quickly here.
>I donāt think it helped that I had treats in both hands. >
I always have treats in both hands to start this, because it helps the dogs follow my hands. She was definitely getting the hang of it.
>Am I rushing things too much? >
Nope! I think you are on the right track.
>We will be doing a puppy workshop with Loretta Muller tomorrow. >
Fun! Loretta is a gem! I think Ginger with her pup Dot will be there too.
>It will be interesting to see how she does working around other pups. >
It will be madness of course, puppy seminars always are LOL!! But she will be good! Bring your best treats and toys, and make breaking things down and getting success be your highest priorities. Loretta is great at setting up success and keeping it fun.
>Any input as to how best to manage? >
Great treats, great toys, maybe have a line for the toy in case you need to throw it, break things down, and communicate with Loretta if you have any questions or concerns.
>Also, JFYI Iām entered in a UKI Festival Friday through Sunday so videos may be limited. Thank you!>
Fun! Keep me posted on how everything goes!
Tracy
Good morning!
I am sure you saw the Dobe that won Westminster! Congrats to the Dobe folks! I donāt know a lot about Dobes but I thought that dogās head and expression were simply gorgeous š¤©
>Our verbals for the stay game:āØOk ā release and GO.āØFree ā treat/toy thrown behind themāØTug ā break to a toy I am holdingāØGet it ā go to a tossed piece of foodāØX ā come get the food.>
Lovely! She did well here!
Yes, the platform was a little too narrow but she did a great job organizing a super tight sit and holding it. You might not even need a platform – if she might offer a stack instead of a sit, it is perfectly fine to cue the sit to avoid any confusion.
For the next steps:
You donāt need the clicker anymore, you can use your markers. And you can start adding more of you moving away, facing the direction you want her to go when you release her.>I kept forgetting my word for throwing behind me. Human C+, dog A.>
Ha! But she had a grand time, so she raises your grade to an A as well.
On the 2nd video:
>Since I had a baggie of chicken with me I took her inside after doing back up work against the Kennel behind me.āØIt took her a bit to figure out which game we were playing.>
She was totally thinking about more backing up LOL!! You can start the game sooner and also reward sooner at first: as soon as she looks towards you. You were near the magical backing up spot and waiting a bit long, so she was being an A++ Honors Student and offering more backing up. Clever!! But once she realized what the game was, she was spot on. This game can go on the road and you can also add in more distraction challenges at home. Can she be with you on one side of a fence while your other dogs are on the other side? Also, add in wearing a leash while playing, because she will be on leash a lot of the time when you play this game.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>I have been able to get her to pee on the neighbors lawn twice in the past few days and my front lawn once! Iām calling that a win.>
HUGE WINS!!!! Yay!!!
Strike a pose is looking strong! Your mechanics were generally lovely across the whole game.
>sheās definitely not ready for toy on the ground just yet.
She is almost ready! One thing to remember is to keep your target hand stationary (you can even shake it).
There was a rep (:36-:39) where she looked like she was bypassing the target to go to the toy, but when you watch it in slow motion – the target hand was moving towards the toy just as you released her (maybe just before the release?)She might have been looking at the toy in that moment which caused you to move the hand, but let her make a decision after the release otherwise the target hand movement muddies the waters.
To prep her for the toy being in the ground you can have it dangling more and more out away from you (it is a nice long toy) until eventually you are placing it on the ground. By the end here, you were dangling it next to you and she did great! So you can dangle it more obviously with a little more visible each time.
Great job here!!
Tracy
