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Hi!
>. I thought we had that but then I realized last weekend that with the weaves angling away from the line, it added another degree of difficulty to layering. Some day I will figure out all the ways it can go wrong & how to be prepared!>>
One common trend now in AKC, in particular, is the weaves going away from the course, directly into a corner. That is a good one to train because even if we handlers go with the dogs, it is still really hard for the dogs.
>>It helps when I can at least get as far away from Montana as SLC to watch other fast dogs & how people handle courses. There is only one other fast dog in the state.>>
Watching is great learning! I like to watch videos on Facebook, especially from the UKI Festivals/Cups/Classics, and the AKC Premier Cup videos were super fun to watch!
Tracy
Good morning!
She is definitely figuring out the layering here! Yay! Adding more distance went really nicely.
Two ideas for you:
Even in the sequence work, try to throw more rewards after the layering jump to keep building up massive value – that way you won’t have to stop and send at all. You will be able to keep moving up the line, trusting the commitment! If she stays on her line, the handling elements are super easy (as they were here) so tons of value for staing on the line will really help.
In a smaller space (whether it is at home or in a trial with less distance between the jumps), the other thing you can do is run in closer to the tunnel (when it is #2) so you are not as far ahead when she exits – that way as she exits the tunnel, she is seeing a lot of motion and no deceleration. She will fly up the line! Some of the variation in her speed on those lines was based on whether you were decelerating or not.
Since she did so well, you can definitely move to the next games which add layering the tunnel and sending her to a jump on the other side of it.
Great job here!
TracyGood morning! Thanks for the update!!!
Yes, the heat makes things challenging – both for trying not to overheat, and for brains to process heat AND doing agility. And I mean dog brains AND human brains LOL! So if it feels like it is harder in the heat… it is because it is indeed harder in the heat. Super short sessions can help, and heavy emphasis on connection like you mentioned.
For the wingless jumps, yes – those bars do tend to come down more because they are a ‘smaller’ visual for the dog. Try to keep them on simpler lines and not backsides, so the pups have an easier time with them.
And also yes – early cues are the way to go with all the dogs… because that is probably on time for them 🙂 So keep on pushing the boundaries of how early you can cue, while still getting commitment 🙂
Thanks for the update! Have fun and stay cool!
TracyGood morning!
I agree, it is always fun to listen to Anastasia!! And it is doubly impressive because she is so fabulous at 1am in her local time LOL!!!
Sounds like you are putting a LOT of great pieces in place!!! The more you practice, the easier it gets!
>>And then we freaking nailed the last run of the day!!!
That is a BIG win in many ways… usually our brains and bodies are tired and toast by the end of a trial day. And often, the biggest runs (for whatever reason – titles, wins, tournaments, etc) are at the end of the day. So being able to step into the ring and nail it?!?! HUZZAH! Well done!!!!!!!!!!!!
T
I posted my reply there, but I will put it here too – it is IMPORTANT!!!!
Ugh, I am so sorry you were on the receiving end of ANY of that! It is really terrible.A couple of ideas for you:
– you mentioned pulling off a brave front. One thing that is important is that you do NOT have to pull off a brave front! Comments like that are UNACCEPTABLE and you can set boundaries so you do not have to be on the receiving end, and so people do not feel like it is ever OK to say terrible things to you. More on boundaries in a moment 🙂
– if these people are repeat offenders and have said negative things that chip away at your confidence and happiness more than once… then it is perfectly fine to use a hard NO to hanging out with them or talking to them. That is part of boundary setting.
– yes, consider the source here – my guess is anyone who says things like that to you is NOT a source of good info for you. You can approach that with empathy, because it is highly likely that those comments come from their own insecurities and mental management issues… but that also means you do NOT have to take on their problems. We all have enough on our plates, brain-wise, no need to also take on the emotional baggage of others. This is especially true at a dog show, where we want to hang out, share laughs, play with dogs, and also eat snacks.
OK, back to boundaries. Comments like that, even if delivered with a smile and a laugh, are definitely outside the lines of your boundaries square. So – you have some options here to draw boundaries:
– first, you can simply stop hanging out or chatting with those people. This is a boundary for you and your behavior – if they approach or are chatting or want to talk to you, simply smile and walk away. You can say something like: gotta walk the puppy! Or even better: Gotta check in with my online class! And in your mind, as you smile and leave, you can give yourself a high five for boundary setting and nailing it, and saving yourself from having to get dumped on.
– second, you can set the boundary in the moment: if anyone says something hurtful or undermining, you can say to them something like “wow, I feel that is both hurtful and untrue. I will not be a part of any conversation like this.” Then smile and go do something else that brings you joy, like hanging out with people that will lift you up.
Standing up for yourself in the form of setting boundaries is very straightforward, very unemotional, very clear. Use “I feel” and “I will” to start your statements. And you don’t have to allow the other person the opportunity to discuss – that person will probably need to take some time to think about it.
Now the thing with boundaries is that for people like you and me, they are VERY hard to set and maintain especially when we need to speak up on our behalf. I think you are like me – a people pleaser, who wants everyone to be happy and have fun. I HATE conflict or confrontation, and I sense that you might be like that too.
However, setting boundaries is not conflict or confrontation. It is straight talk that will bring you SO MUCH INNER PEACE and will allow you to really enjoy spending time with dogs and the people who will lift you up.
So how to do this? Practice, practice, practice. I literally practice these actions and conversations in my head over and over, so I feel more confident when I actually need to use them. When practicing, be sure to practice setting your boundaries and NOT practice getting dumped on by other people’s crap!
Now, you might need to set boundaries with people who are friends or in your friend circle – so extra rehearsal is very important.
It takes practice and is hard AF at first but it is sooooo empowering when you do it and also you will have so much more peace and joy in your world.
If you want, we can get everyone in this class together for a zoom session where we literally rehearse setting boundaries! That would be useful AND hilarious!
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
The moving threadles are hard because they need to see a tiny cue and have it override motion. So hard!!
I think this session went pretty well! The wings are a good visual to have added. One thing I see here that might be throwing a wrench into the works is that he is releasing on the arm movement – as soon as your arms move, he is moving. And if he moves before the arms are fully in place and you are also moving, he might end up on the other side of the jump. So I think the main thing will be to reward the stay more, move your hands into position but do not release (reward more stay) then start moving slowly with the threadle hands…. then release (eventually LOL!)Also, he might need a quick refresher of ignoring the MM or lotus ball so you can use it as a placed reward (it is very helpful to do that!) by standing still at the jump, with the MM on the ground. When he can do the stay and the MM on the ground, the movement will be much easier.
Rocking horses are looking great, outdoors with more distance! Yay! Nice job with your verbals and connections – he seemed to have no question about commitment on the FCs or the spins. Super! You can stay more on the center of the wings on the FCs – you were tending to run all the way to the entry line, which blocks the wing a bit and I don’t think he needs as much help to commit 🙂
You can definitely add the race tracks now! I think he will like all of that speed 🙂
Great job!
TracyHi!
Both of these sessions looked great! Her speed and commitment continue to be super strong, even in a new location and with more distance. YAY!!! That is great! And her tugging continues to blossom 🙂 And I totally agree that there was a lot of success trading the tug for a treat: she was tugging like a wild beast and then you offered a treat and she was like, “cool! thanks!”. That is a really nice, balanced arousal state.A couple of small details:
Yes, the verbals are the hardest part of it all if all of these verbals are new to you! You can run the sequence without her, to check your verbals (I am sure the videographer will give you feedback) 🙂
The left/right for the barrels are great! And you can call her name after the wrap, that is good too:
it can be sending on a left/right directional, then as she comes around, you call her, then send her with a directional, then call her. That is very much like what we would do on a course. Resist temptation to let a “go go go” slip in there 🙂And you can use a “ready” as part of your start, just be sure she is lined up at your side, you are connected, and neither of you are moving. If she is lined up, you say ‘ready’, then send with the directional, it will make for a nice smooth start to each rep!
The only other suggestion is about the toy – when it is under your arm, it inhibits connection on that side (because you can’t open up your arm back to her without the toy falling out LOL!) So you can try a smaller toy scrunched up into your waistband, so you can move your arms and shoulders more clearly.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Lots of good pieces here! We can definitely smooth things out in the sections that were hard.One important thing is to keep going after a bobble, no stopping to fix! He gets stickier when you stop (even when you reward, most dogs find stopping to be a bit punishing) which makes it harder to handle. Plus, carrying on gives you the chance to get things back on track quickly, like we would need to do at a trial.
Looking at the opening 1-2-3-4 line: to get the turn to tunnel. I htink all you need to do is call him and turn your shoulders. On the first rep, you ran too much of a parallel line. On the other reps, you used a cross arm which almost pulled him off and caused the bar down on rep 3. He got it on the other reps but did look at you more than needed because of the cross arm.
Nice adjustment to keep connected and moving to 6 at :43 and 1:49! On the first rep, you were too far away and pulling away. The other 2 looked good!
The line after the DW was the hardest part, I think:
>>I think the back sides are hard on these wingless jumps with 4 ft bars, so I”m not really concerned about bars coming down that as much now that I’ve realized he doesn’t normally do back sides on wingless at my place or trials.>>
Yes, backsides without wings on short bars are harder but also you were in the way each time at 9 (:54, 1:14, 2:00) so he was jumping towards you on the hard slice line and had no place to land, so the bar came down. You can send him to the backside and head directly to 10, rather than hang out at 9.
At 10, as you send, watch his face: he will tell you when he is committed to 10 by looking at it. At 2:02 and 2:16, for example, you never connected so he never saw the line and came with you as you turned your shoulders. That same ‘watch his face’ rule holds true for the send to 8 after the DW at 1:06 and the othr times he didn’t take 8 – you would send with an arm and verbal, but there was no connection and motion turned away, so he came with you. It wa smuch better at 2:26 where you connected until he locked onto the jump.
He did well with the weave layer!!! The open poles really helped!!!
I liked the RC wrap to the frame, that was super nic and go you way ahead! To get the threadle after it, keep runing towards the 17 jump until you see his head turn to look at it 🙂 There is a theme of watching his head so he can tell you when he sees the line 🙂
And a much clearer push to the backside on the last rep worked nicely! Yay!!!
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>> I could not get the push out of the tunnel!!!
I think a bit of strategy on the opening line can help her! The 1st opening had a bonus backside on 2 because of your motion, but the 2nd rep there was lovely!
So to strategize getting the backside – she needs the physical cues to match the verbal. When you tried it, the cues didn’t match so she wen with the motion cues that she saw before the tunnel: At :05, she saw forward motion before entering and the push verbal started after she entered. On the 2nd rep, the timing of the verbal was definitely earlier but the forward motion was the same.
To match the physical cue to the verbal cue, you can send to 3 from a distance so you can be further ahead at the tunnel – be as close to the entry wing of 2 as possible so you basically have a straight line to the tunnel exit. She has that send to #3, no problem! That way she can see the convergence of motion to the backside and hear your push verbal all before she enters the tunnel. The convergence will happen as she is exiting 3, and the verbal should happen no later than 6 feet before she goes into the tunnel.
And by sending to 3, you will be able to show the convergence before she exits because you will be down there.
The other thing to consider is using the outside arm there: the left arm points to the entry wing of the backside while you make a super intense connection to her eyeballs 🙂
>>Also tried the agility popout where you had to threadle a jump behind the tunnel. Wanted to layer the tunnel but was not successful.>>
Yes, that was hard! She was totally reading the in in cues as a tunnel cue – do you have a separate verbal for the tunnel threadle? She was also following the motion a lot there too – some dogs are very keyed in to our motion! I believe the key is to get her to go past the tunnel with you moving away, and understanding the difference between a jump cue and a tunnel cue.
You broke it down nicely and one more step you can add: setting aside the threadle, you can turn the jump so she sees the front of it and you can practice getting her to take the jump behind he tunnel with you moving away as quickly as you did here (and show her the difference in cues between staying out fo the jump, versus coming in for the tunnel).
Then when she can stay out past the tunnel to take the jump with you running away, you can add different angles to get the threadle or backside.
You did the outside arm at the end here! Yay! You can have the arm no higher than your shoulder and pointing to the entry wing – and that massive eye contact is important with that, at least in the early stage of using it.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
It is totally within the rules to post Casper 🙂 We don’t have many rules here LOL!!! But yes, you can post videos of him, 2nd dog videos are totally allowed 🙂 Plus he is cute and that makes it impossible to ignore him 🙂
His weaves are looking great 🙂
He is sometimes a bit ass-over-teakettle in his jumping, which means his but comes up higher than his shoulders as he is processing cues. This is normal with youngster, so be sure to keep working jump grids separately so he can get the jumping form into his muscle memory.
On the 1st sequence: Because he is young, he needs all the words and all the obvious cues, early and often. Don’t be subtle LOL! For example, he definitely needs a verbal before the tunnel at :16 You were quiet and running forward so he exited wide and didn’t see 4. A name cue is likely all he needs, but a verbal will definitely help!
You had a nice decel into the threadle so his turn there looked good! You were closer to the wing of the 6 backside so his line was good there too – you can do the FC sooner (starting it as he is passing you on the way to the wing) so he sees the exit line sooner.
And definitely be big and loud and accelerate before he goes into the tunnel at the end, so he doesn’t ask questions after exiting.seq 3:
Super nice opening! You decelerated before the tunnel, so he turned better on the exit. Nice! A verbal will help too.You can give the same connection and collection cues at :37 as you gave Enzo – more eye contact, less arm ‘swoosh’ to the bar. With Casper, you did not rotate to face the jump nearly as much, you generally moved forward, so he had a really nice turn overall! Yay!
The rear cross on the tunnel is hard with youngsters: At :43, you can get on the RC line sooner by going closer to the 8 jump before it and driving right up behind his tail on the way to 9 to set the line. That will show him the RC sooner so he can adjust before the entry. I also find that placed toys help young dogs sort out the RC on a tunnel.
Great job here, he is doing really well!!!
Tracy
Hi!
I hope your husband is feeling better!!!! Sounds like a painful fall.
And yes, somehow the summer gets busier than any other time of year! But hopefully you are having plenty of fun times.
>.So, I decided to concede that I will not finish this course and just jumped right into package 3. Here is Enzo doing the Raise Your Game challenges.>>
That is great – you can always go back to the other games if you want to at a later date.
Seq 1A and 1B videos:
Very nice! I loved the bonus weave entry at the end of each – SUPER loved the fancy weave threadle at the end of the 2nd video!!! Yay!!!
The distance elements looked great – the send to the #3 tunnel and the big GO GO GO at the end with the layering – very strong skills!!! Super!
A couple of small details to tighten the 4-5-6 line up:
– use his name or a directional sooner for tunnel 3: the name call happened as his head was in entering the tunnel (:12 on video 1, :01 and :12 on video 2) . That, plus him seeing you turn to 5, will tighten the exit – you can do the blind before he exits on this line, because the jump should be on his line with the blind and he won’t go around it. You had an earlier blind at :13 on the 2nd video and it worked like a charm!
– the earlier blind will give you tons of time to decel or use a brake arm to tighten up 5 (:14)
You added a turn cue (verbal and spin, yay!) at :03 of the second video but he was already gathering for takeoff: ideally he would hear and see it starting as soon as he looked at 5, which would be shortly after landing.>> That should have resulted in a MUCH tighter turn but only helped a little. (Homework needed).>>
I think it will work, timed to be starting as he is landing from 4.
Because there are so many things happening, you can also consider a brake arm, timed to be after he lands from 4 but as soon as he turns his head to the jump
– looking at the #6 backside at ;17 of the first video, and :07 and :17 of the 2nd video – drive to where the wing and bar meet, rather than moving across it or get to the center of the bar. Moving to the center of the bar cues the slice he did there. Plus you can leave sooner from a better position, closer to the wing 🙂
When you added the backside of 5 instead of the threadle, your early blind really helped you show clear handling to the backside. Very nice!!! He jumped BIG on that slice, hmmm….. I think a deceleration into it will help him put in a stride to turn and it is worth playing with to see what he needs there:
As he is taking off for 4, you can be slowing down a lot as you show the backside cue. That might mean showing more acceleration to the blind, so he can see the transition into the deceleration there. If you are moving at a steady pace, it is harder to show decel so accelerating before the turn can help make he decel cue visible. There are other things we can do (like a brake hand as a whoa!) but it will be good to see if decel can work by itself.
Very nice opening to sequence 2, he had no trouble with the 4-5 line in particular on the first run. On the 2nd run at :27 you were quieter so he curled into you before 4.
On the FC 5-6 at :10 and :30 – note how you never went past the wing of 5 and your timing was spot on (fully rotated and moving to 7 as he was taking off for 6) – really nice!!!!! He turned really well there.
Leave sooner for the blind at :12, he had the tunnel and you didn’t start hustling to the blind til he was exiting. You got the blind, but it will be easier to leave sooner to get it. I don’t think you even really need to look at him at the tunnel exit there – just tell him to jump so you can get to the BC an be finished with it before he takes off for 9. You were closer to that timing on the 2nd rep, making the blind even earlier and that is great!
The wrap at :16 and :37 looked great! Coming out of all that massive extension, you whipped out decel, break arm (nose level!), verbal, eye contact – great collection!
You rotated towards him and then opened back up to a post turn – watch his eyes there at :17. Because you opened up to a post turn, he looked to the blue tunnel on the edge of the screen. You showed that line for a heartbeat with the post turn.
It was more obvious on the 2nd rep because you didn’t drive out of it, so he really thought the line was to the blue tunnel. Since you are already rotating towards him, finishing the cue as a spin/Jaakko will be both more efficient for you (fewer steps and earlier departure for the next line) and clearer for him.Seq 3:
>>Enzo had pretty much had it by this time. I went in and got the good food and he decided he could manage one more effort.
Ha! Good boy Enzo 🙂 He did well!
Very nice use of distance in the opening so you were *right there* for the turn at 6! At :09 and :27, you had excellent rotation, connection, low hands – super nice collection cues and very timely, so he responded beautifully.
He ended up going wide on 6 and 7 though, because you opened up and did a full post turn so he legit thought he was going back to the 3 (pink) jump based on motion there. That meant you had to wait longer to get him to 7 (:13) and the poles were out there, so some wideness.On the 2nd run he went less wide on 6 at :28 and had a better turn on 7… but both can be tighter if you move forward on the FC out of 6 rather than do a post turn to face 6 then FC. What I mean by that is as soon as he is passing you to the takeoff spot of 6, move directly forward to 7 and do not turn to 6 – just look back at it so he knows to come to your right side on landing. That will get a super turn on 6 and you will be even further ahead to show the turn on 7 (and have HOURS to get the BC before the tunnel :))
Great job here! Let me know what you think! Onwards to Casper 🙂
TracyHi!
Good work on these – some ideas on the handling and then weave ideas below.On the first course: Nice distance in the opening! Nice layering!! One suggestion: Tell him to GO and start the jump cues before he gets into the #4 tunnel, so he exits straight and doesn’t look at you (you were quiet so he exited looking at you)
He had trouble on the 8-9 bars after the DW on the first rep – he did better when you moved less on the next reps. You can split the difference: keep moving, but do the turns sooner (like you can be starting the FC rotation at 9 as he is passing you, so he has more time to set up the turn).
Picking up from the 12 tunnel, the 12-13-14-15-16 line looked really good! He had trouble with the threadle to 17 when you were moving fast and ahead (1:22). Remember to give a turn cue for 16 to help get him to process the threadle cue: when he exits the frame, you can call him no later than when he is halfway between the frame and 16, to help him go turn a bit and go into handler focus for the threadle cue. He got it nicely on the 2nd run when you were not as far ahead, and then the ending line looked lovely!!!
On course 2:
You can line him up on a slice for 1-2 (instead of straight over 1 then turn to 2). That can help with the bar there. And, as he lands from 2 – give him a turn cue for 3 (a name call is probably all he needed) so he turns and knows which tunnel it is: at :04, he took out the wing because you were saying “tunnel” but the other tunnel was more on his line – then he saw your position and tried to adjust in the air.You were a little in his way on the blind at 5 – this is a good spot for a rear cross on 6, so you can send him away to 7 and 8, then leave him on the frame to get to a side change 9-10 or get a clear RC – you did a spin from a distance and the RC info started after he was in the tunnel, so he turned to his right based on your position before he entered.
He ha trouble with the weaves at a distance, with the layering. It is really hard! To train the skill, you should use ‘open’ poles (like open channels, or 2x2s set up like channels) so weaving is easy and you can do lots of reps without a lot of impact on his body (because the distance is sooooo hard).
And the placed reward really helped him out – so, using a placed reward and open poles, you can start with just doing distance work: sending to the poles and running away.
And then you can add the distractions – like the barrier we used in the sequences, and then eventually a tunnel appearing that you run past, then eventually the dog walk. But all of this should be introduced with open poles so he has an easier time being successful.
Nice work here! Let me now what you think!
TracyHi!
>.I don’t know if this was the “right” thing to do, but I set up 3 wings in a row, like live class, this morning but spaced pretty close together. I was hoping it would be easier to convince Audie to approach the backside wraps at a walk rather than trying to blast through.>>
Yes! It looked really good and he is definitely figuring it out. Yay! Walking through it helped him see the cues better: he did best when you looked behind you (and pointed behind you) to the landing spot on the other side of the wing. He had the most trouble when were looking more directly at him, or you pointed your arm forward (especially on the left turns) – that is when he would jump up at your hand. So definitely keep looking/pointing behind yo, and use a smaller/lower send arm that travels with his nose – in other words, not getting pointing ahead when he is behind you, so he can see the connection.
>> Threw cheese balls as he started to wrap and then again when he completed the wrap.
Keep throwing the cheese balls behind you. On this video, all of the reward was coming from your hand and mostly at your side: try to have all reward thrown behind you for multiple sessions in a row, to create independence 🙂
>>Also started work on straight lines. He is turning toward me as he is going over the first jump. Can I place a toy after the 2nd jump? or maybe use the Manners Minder til he gets the idea?>>
Yes, you can have a placed toy for the go-straight lines. That definitely helps! I think his questions were connection questions because when you were connected and threw the toy early, he did not look at you. When you were not connected or late on the toy throw, he looked. The stay was probably what was making it harder, so it might be best to go to the next step where you send him into the tunnel. That way you can be fully connected when he exits, and then the timing of the cues will be easier. And that will help get the wraps and rears and backside too. The first wrap here was just a little too early, but the second one at the end was lovely! Yay!
Great job!!
TracyHi!
So frustrating to have a good session and then find out it is not on camera! Argh!!!! I hate when that happens.
>>Ultimately I figured out to set her further to the right one the start jump so she us jumping closer to the left wing. I did not see the backside on her line. Sprite did!>>
Yes – there are backsides that they see everywhere 🙂 And in Europe, the course would take them to a backside in that flow but here in the US, it is the front side of the jump we need most of the time.
>>Then we did the RC wrap. First rep blind 2-3 to a Jaakko turn. Then, we worked the tandem RC wrap. She did some decent turns.>>
Nice! She is coming along really well with her turns!!!!!
Let me know if you can get to the park today.
Tracy
Hi!
Looking at the video:
I liked the throwback starts too – he was tight and then really powered out of them more than the regular starts.
On pop out 3:
The opening looked really good!At the threadle wrap – after threading 4, you can send more to 5 (tunnel) and get the blind to the threadle wrap (you did a FC) so you can be there sooner and further up the line, a little past 6. That will help (handling it from further ahead!)
I think one thing that will help get the threadle wrap consistently is to use your shoulders to pull him away then the upper body can flip him back. At :12, you were facing him and the line, so he went back to the jump. On the next rep, he got it but you had stopped moving. Your position at 1:08 (after the flip away to the tunnel) was great!! So that position and maybe a little pull away might be super clear for him.
The circle wrap looked great!
The blind to the threadle on the opening looked great.
The flip away to the tunnel is a good skill too – I bet you can start it even sooner so he doesn’t look at you. As soon as he is getting to the backside wing you can trust his commitment and start the flip way cues.>>The threadle slice 9-10 was more challenging because a root on the oak pushed my line closer to the jump but he got it.>>
That looked great each time!! You are doing a great job dodging the tree LOL!!
Pop out 4: This also went well! He was a little wide on the turn at 3, which added a stride or two extra before the threadle. So as he lands from 2, you an give him a name call or two to get more of a right turn before 3 (I don’t think he needs a right verbal, that would be too much collection there).
The rest looked great! Layering the oak was GREAT! And great practice for when an a-frame is in your way 🙂
On the exit of the threadle wrap at 6, you can do a blind exit instead of a post turn – he might respond the same way he does to the throwbacks (very tight and powering out of it). That can also get you around the oak even sooner 🙂
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
