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Sorry about the weather but THANK YOU for the Ripley TV!!!! He looks great! Yes, the Masters Series was hard but he did a ton of great stuff. The other runs looked amazing – he has found a new gear of speed!! And I am loving the balance of distance skills and tight handling skills. And sorry about the drop-and-roll blooper but you both recovered well š He looked like he has come a long way with the arousal management at the end of the run too!!!!
Fingers crossed for good weather ahead – all of those UKI courses had a ton of jump-tunnel discrims š
TracyAre you FB friends with Lisa Frick? The most recent video she posted has a nice threadle wrap and you can see the decel.
T
Hi!
>>We also had a discussion about my codependency tendencies-i.e., wanting to help too much.
Bwahahaha we need a support group for “Codependent No More: Agility Edition”
>>>>had decel and clear upper body cues, and she nailed it. You also had good decel at 1:40 and on the last rep (good coaching, Jamie!
>>>I would like to work toward her performing a threadle wrap with less help from me so I can keep moving forward and not so much decel.>>
They all require decel to some extent, even the super fancy Europeans. I will find videos to show you what I mean.
>>haha, Jamie called me on that too and as soon as she started to say something, it hit me that I used the wrong verbal.
Ha! The dogs are so good at figuring us out š
TracyHi!
>>Here is the repost of A Quick Opposite Side >>
These looked good too! He definitely still needed the one step to help commit to the proper jump but that is fine: you can get him moving around the wing, start the verbal, then give the one step of handling he needs for now all while staying in motion – no problem LOL!!! If he can hear the verbal before he sees the one step to help, it will be easier to fade the step – so start the verbal super early like you did here.
>> I agree that I DEFINITELY need to throw quicker. I know I am holding back because I am waiting for that commitment, which turns into completion because I am SO LATE.>>
Or, you can re-define commitment in the skills games: as soon as he answers the question by taking a step to the correct obstacle – reward š
The handling challenges looked good!
>> in these combos posted today, I moved a bit moreā but really still not as much as I probably should be.>>
On these, yes, moving a lot is good because the motion makes the side changes harder so the motion is more of a distraction. The handling games are less about the verbals and more about the handling in the discriminations. So you can run run run on these š The skills games are more about the verbals with less handling help.
The blind crosses looked great and so did the threadle slice! And so did the little mini sequence at the end! I think the hardest part for him was going back to the tunnel after a few reps of the jump.
>>. I believe the wing was too close/bad angle to the first jump, so I think that is why it kept coming down. I probably should have just moved the bar to 4ā³ after the first bar drop.>>
I think the setup worked well! He had a bar down at :52 – I think it was because of your position – you stepped back towards the tunnel then moved forward to the backside jump, so he couldn’t quite make the adjustment in time.
On the threadle wrap (lap turn because your feet were facing him) – you can decel more to turn him away before you indicate the jump. Try to decel then turn so you don’t end up runnig backwards (that is why he dropped the bar – running backwards presents a different line of motion). You can rotate your feet to face him like you did here (like a lap turn) or you can keep your feet facing forward and decel and use upper body only to turn him away. But decel is the key š
Great job here! Fingers crossed for good weather!
TracyGood morning!
Wheeee! Fun! These looked great.
The layering to the tunnel was easy peasy! I think she liked it LOL!You entered The Death Zone on that first blind by moving between the uprights of jump 1 rather than running to jump 2. We were all concerned for your personal safety, including Roulez!
You were better on the next reps (earlier) but you mentioned feeling late – it was not that you were late with the actual blind, it was just that you were over-helping by running to the first jump then you felt the her hot breath on your heels LOL!! So send to the wing and let her find that first jump all by herself while you run to the 2nd jump.
Then the video froze on a really acrobatic leaping catch – eek! LOL!
You gave yourself more of a head start on the blind at :35, but it still looks like you were moving across jump 1 rather than just leaving her on the line to head to jump 2 (to where you can be close enough to touch jump 2 with minimal effort).
The threadle slice worked at :41 and :45 but you were actually too early with it š and that might muddy. The waters elsewhere. I think a turn cue on jump 1 will be more effective to tighten up the line – you started the threadle cue as soon as she exited the wing wrap start so theoretically it should have applied to jump 1. To keep things clear, you can use a verbal turn cue on jump 1 (a name call here because it is not a big turn) then the threadle as she is approaching/taking off for 1, so she knows the threadle applies to jump 2.
Very nice job with the go tunnel and the blind to the backside!
I agree with Jamie that you were in her landing space at :55 when she took the bar, with your shoulders closed forward and throwing the toy. The same thing happened at 1:24. So you can be in that space as long as you have āserpā shoulders facing the bar (strike a pose, grown up dog edition :)) to cue the turns and donāt throw the toy til she lands.The first threadle wrap had a little too much forward motion so she read it as a threadle slice. On the 2nd threadle wrap, you called her name at jump 1 (note how well she turned!) and then you had decel and clear upper body cues, and she nailed it. You also had good decel at 1:40 and on the last rep (good coaching, Jamie!) so she read it great! She back-jumped on the last rep but that was presented by your line of motion and you said go, so she was being a good girl. The exit of the threadle wrap would be more towards the start wing.
The mini sequence looked great too! I think you were using your backside push verbal, but you were standing in the threadle position so the threadle slice cue might make more sense (unless I am mis-hearing your verbals).
Great job here! Excellent connection and hustle throughout!!!!!
Tracy
Hi!
>>Iāll admit, I just used the field guide and didnāt watch the video until after so itās not fully done as prescribed and I missed a step or three but strong work here!>>
Well it is a good experiment to see if the field guides are clear or not LOL! In theory, as long as the handle understands the goals, the field guide should be all we need LOL!
He was good boy here! So many challenges: pool, barking friends, not a lot of handler motion (because this is a not a running game, you wee good!). He rocked it!
Sending to the tunnel was great with the layering. The blind to threadle looked strong. Blind to backside looked great too – you can be slower to the backside line so you donāt need to push back as much.You were late on the threadle slice cue but he was like āI got youā and did t he threadle. YAY!
The threadle wrap cue might be a little underdeveloped (it is a relatively low priority) so breaking it down was great and he nailed it at the end!!!!!
On both the threadle slice and the threadle wrap, I suggest adding a turn cue to the jump after the wing wrap part, so he is already turning when you cue the threadles. In this situation, a name call is probably all he needs, so that he can turn. That will tighten up the line of entry to the threadles (he was landing wide then coming back to get the threadle here).
And then ending with the super fun tunnel send on the mini sequence was perfect.
So I guess you donāt need to watch the videos LOL!! The only āerrorā was that you can be on the takeoff side of the backside to threadle on the last mini sequence, rather than move into between the jump and tunnel to push to it (but that worked well too, so it is not an error).
Did he get a well-earned swim swim after this fabulous session? Great job!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
>>Me films a working segment and thinks Iāll edit and post laterā¦ and then forgets>>
Relatable. Youāve been busying getting married and all! That is a pretty darned good excuse to not edit videos LOL!!!
>>I left some transition footage. We were having a lot of victory lapping and frustration over toy exchange. Iāve switched to using two frisbees to see if that helps some. Like your idea at the seminar, I may just let him hold it if he doesnāt want to drop but he did good here.>>
You know I love transition footage!!!!
After the seminar where we just let the dog carry his toy and all the frustration vanished, I was talking to the neuroscientist/dvm/goddess about it and she gave me the neurobiological reason why it worked (it has to do with object enhancement and how the brain prioritizes things). So it turns out my āF*ck it, letās just let him carry the damn thingā was soundly based in science LOL! By letting the dog hold it, we immediately deprioritized the toy and got the dog (and handler) thinking about the obstacles rather than fighting with each other about a toy š
So yes – if he canāt let go of the toy, fine, he can carry it (maybe use a smaller frisbee so it doesnāt smack the tunnel by accident) but definitely donāt fight about it or try too hard to get it back, because it shifts the attention to things that neither of you want to focus on.
On the video –
First rep looked strong, the side-step at :15 is what pulled him off of the wing (he had not yet really looked to it and you moved sideways) but his response to the blooper was great: what do you want here, mom? Rather than checking out or tooth hugs or launching for the frisbee.2nd rep – super nice – I think the a-frame behind the wing was a big visual and he considered it at one point!
3rd rep – super nice, he stayed connected and nailed it even when you looked like you had a momentary change of plans LOL! And he brought the frizzy right back.
4th rep was really good too – that jump angle is definitely a threadle (which is how you handled it) and I think he was getting hotter because he was going a little wider on the wing.
Last rep looked good too! He did a great job responding to all the cues and you were clear in the handling.
>>We were having a lot of victory lapping and frustration over toy exchange.>>
I guess I was expecting to see that in this video, and I didnāt see it here (or maybe I need more coffee??) He brought the frisbees back pretty quickly, let go pretty quickly and stuck around while you got ready for the next rep. Le the know if I missed something but the transitions here looked good!! And he ignored a frisbee on the ground and ignored the leash on the ground.
Great job here!!
TracyGood morning!
>>However, I find that my shoulders and or feet tell him more than my verbals are. Should I be more stationary in these exercises? >>
Definitely add motion, because he needs to process these verbals when you are moving. Standing still is cool as a trick š but not super useful when running a course LOL!!!
The key here is to be moving but not really handling, if that makes sense. What I mean by that is you are generally moving on the same line of motion on both of these (slowly at first) and using the different verbals.
So on the first video, you were meandering on a line parallel-ish to your deck, no real handling help on the first couple of reps and he did great! On the 3rd rep, I think the transition into the rep was too quick – you were playing and talking then suddenly you were giving cues. So like a good boy, he didnāt wait to process, he did THE FAST THING which was not correct lol
O after each reward, take a moment to reset, get quiet like you did on the next rep, then give the cues.You stopped moving on the next reps so he got out towards the tunnel but then second-guessed himself because there was no motion (which is indeed a turn cue, good boy). So keep meandering on the line you had on the first couple of reps. And you can put a line on the ground to help you stay super consistent in terns if your line of motion without actually handling.
2nd video had a little more movement which is great! You were giving him a little step towards the tunnel when you wanted it and a little more shoulder turn when you wanted the jump, which definitely falls into the āhelp as much as needed and as little as possibleā realm š So on the next session(s) you can fade the little help steps and then you can add more of the same motion of you walking on a parallel line.
3rd position video also looked really good!! You stayed on the outside wing of the jump the whole time – so now you can add moving past the jump on both the jump and tunnel cue. The difference in physical cues you can use to help him would be to maybe take one step and keep your shoulders open to him for the tunnel til he definitely commits, and turn your shoulders a little more for the jump – but your line of motion can be the same for both, passing the outer wing of the jump.
>>A Quick Opposite Side
I am getting an error message on this video, can you repost? Thanks!
The Wing near tunnel video is going well too – you can use the same motion concepts here too in terms of keep gin your shoulders more open to the outer obstacle but staying in (slow) motion on both cues. Your verbals sounded nicely different too! And great job with the reset reward when something went wrong.
And since finding the jump is harder than the tunnel here, you can reward sooner. The instant he looks at the jump or take a half step towards itā¦ you can affirm his choice by throwing the reward (no need to wait til he takes the jump, because affirming the early decisions will help get more commitment). For example on the last rep, you were really far away (yay!) so he started to go but then had a question – you can throw as soon as you see him starting to go to the jump.
>>o really try to get my OWN verbals down pat! Itās so hard and Iām just standing there!>>
Yes! Totally agree that it is hard! People ask em all the time how to get good with verbals and my answer is to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, just like you did here š
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! You have had some crazy weather!!!
>>Would it work equally well to use left and right coming out of the tunnel for these exercises?
Good question! I suppose it would… but I use switch as a compound line cue to indicate that there will be a complete change of direction for both of us (usually heading back the way we came) followed by layering. I guess it indicates super independence on the next line with more detail than left/right would (those don’t indicate more than just a turn).
Kind if like “Go Tunnel” means ‘stay on the line to find the tunnel at the end’, ‘switch’ can name an entire line too.
Here are a couple of videos to look at. One is taken from MaxPup, which is basically tandem turn foundations š And the 2nd one is putting it into context. Let me know what you think!
Good morning!
It sounds like you and Helen had a great day with the pups!! So fun!!!!! What a great experience for both of them š Happy dance!
The session went well and gave us good info!
Moving the barrel to an easier location was a smart move because it allowed him to see the jump and your line of motion
He is learning the verbals for sure, and for now he needs the motion to match them so he doesnāt have to choose verbal or motion. What I mean by that is:
He was very successful finding the jump when you were at a distance and on a parallel line (good example of this are at :32 and :38). He was not yet successful when you were moving away from the line, towards the tunnel exit (a good example of this is at :40 where he ends up in the tunnel). But then when you were parallel on the next rep – he nailed the jump cue).In terms of processing as you move and give the verbal – he is definitely prioritizing motion for now (choosing motion over the verbal) as you can see when he kept going to the jump when you cued the tunnel. Slowing down is good!
And also, seeing him prioritize motion is good for two reasons:
– it is a motion-based sport š
– it informs out training decisions š Ideally, we can pump up the verbals even more so he canSo for the next session, you can try to keep your motion exactly the same (putting a line on the ground to move along so you are not varying depending on the cue) – and slowly move along all the line while giving him the verbals. That can help pump up the verbals even more, which will help when you do the BIG layering (like with a dog walk in the middle of the ring).
Great job here!!! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>Whew! Iām so glad that I donāt have to do boring crate games! LOL Yeah, I like some basic manners in and out of the crate, but beyond that, I donāt really care. >>
Perfect! I have definitely moved into the ‘crate manners’ over crate games in the last few years – both the dogs and I are happier š
>>Casper is so awesome crated at a trial. Heās quiet and relaxes, chews his bone, or sleeps. Doesnāt cry at all.
This is perfect, because as he starts trialing as an adult, he is going to need to relax and sleep between runs as well as sleep if you are gone overnight. Being able to relax already is fabulous!!
>>He reserves the crying for the mornings at home when he wants to get up and I do not.
I can relate – I wanted to stay in bed this morning and a certain 7 month old puppy insisted that it was time to get up (he had to pee LOL!)
>>Or when I pull Dreamer out at training and Casper knows heās training, then there is also lots of screaming. š
Awwww Casper is going to love training the more exciting stuff!
>>I love the resilience games for trials. I donāt think or train well at trials, but I do want to do something with Casper while we are there.
Yay! And honestly, there is not much to do at trials with puppies – exposure to the environment and resilience games. I have found it to be a great way to learn about what the pups need so then when it is time to start competing, the pups have all made a pretty easy transition to the trial ring because they were better prepared.
>>So this will be perfect. Yeah looking at my video, I should have just let him look at The Thing right at the start. It looked like a wrap someone had been wearing around their wrist, so Iām sure it had some weird smells. And yup, third day, really tired puppy. I do want to bring him, though, because if I leave him home with the boring spouse he is so energetic when I get home, and I want to sleeeeeeep. >>
Totally keep bringing him! Good things were happening here even when he was needing to explore weird things. He might not have been as perfect with the game, but he was still learning and he had an incredibly positive experience. You are always so fabulous about setting him up for positive experiences, that has been so awesome to watch over the course of this class.
Tracy
>>>
I agree! By allowing him to feel happy around bar setters, etc ā he will have MORE focus in the ring. The dogs that are stressed or uncomfortable are the ones that tend to āvisitā.
<<< That sounds so awesome! Yeah, I donāt want him stressed or uncomfortable. And I love that heās happy and friendly and wants to say hi to people and friendly dogsFound it!
I use this when the starts are relatively simple and I don’t need a complicated lead out. The dog in the video (Hot Sauce) loves it!
Tracy
Hi! Things are going really well!!
On the first video:
The first rep to the tunnel looked great!
On the blind to the jump – he needs to know more specifically which side on that line so the threadle you added at :13 worked great! The sound on the video stopped but you had a threadle arm, so I assume you used the threadle verbal too (it is a threadle because he had to know if it was front of back of the jump)
The blind to the backside and then the tunnel cue on the last 2 reps both looked great!!On the 2nd video – you did a good job getting it flipped!
Here is a theory thing that might help you decide when you need to do a threadle or a backside verbal (or not :))
– on the FC at :11 and the BCs, he lands from the first jump and he can see both sides of the next jump. So he needs specific cues (threadle or backside) to know which side, which is why he dropped the bar on the first rep on that challenge on both videos. The threadle arm helps him get the side next to you (I couldnāt tell if you were using the threadle verbal), and a backside verbal and step gets the other side. A general jump cue is not specific enough, because he has a choice (he did get it with the jump verbal later in the session, but he was patterning by then :))
Now, when he doesnāt have a choice to make about which side, a jump cue works great like at :27 when it was a jump versus tunnel moment with no side change – he nailed it. When you said ābackā at :34, back is generally a āforwardā cue where the dog moves away from us, which is part of why I think he ended up in the tunnel (the other part of it was that I think the cue was later than the other cues had been). At :48 you just said ājump jumpā and it worked well (you said back too, but it was late so he didnāt have a jump to look for to get to a backside).
So he is overall responding really well! Let me know if the ideas about when to use the different jump cues make sense.
Great job!!
TracyHi!
>>Iām starting to think a quieter ājumpā with a louder ātunnelā verbal helps her.
Yes! It helps the dogs differentiate because they are getting more info than just a word – they are getting different pitch and value info as well.
On the video:
>>Also I was waaaaayyyyy to pointy.>>
Yes LOL! You would have totally spilled your water š
When you point high and ahead of her, it changes your body language and she has to choose physical or verbal cue, because they donāt match up.For example, at :13, th really high arm turned your shoulders to the backside line of the jump and that is where she went. So she was prioritizing motion over verbals (motion won, she was correct) in this case.
On the next rep at :15, your arm was lower and raised later, so your shoulders supported the tunnel verbal and she got the tunnel. Yay!
So another way to look at it is to think of saying the verbals to her, rather than to the obstacle. That will keep your hands lower and also help turn your shoulders to the line you want.
When you were not looking at her, she had big questions about going to the jump or tunnel. But on the last 2 reps, you had more direct connection and lower arms – she nailed it!
I think telling the verbals directly will her will also help solve the extra-pointy moments LOL!! And you can keep moving on these too, no need to be as stationary when you add the next positions.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
