Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Hi! This also went really well!
At :04 on this video is exactly what I was talking about in terms of a good transfer of connection from hand to hand – that was great!
Same at :14 – nice and smooth, without too much rotation of your shoulders. Yay!
He had a little question at :33 – there was lots of countermotion on that rep (like we would want on a grown-up course) so he had to take a look, then he got it. Great!!!
Be sure to stay off his line and show him the wing as much as possible on these (not so easy to do LOL!!) At :27 you were in his way and blocking the wing a bit – definitely a little better at :36!
Good job with the blinds – the first couple of reps were really good! Towards the end, you were ending up getting on his line a bit and not connecting as well, maybe just too many blinds in a row LOL!!
Yes, you and he are totally ready for the next games. Great job!
TracyHi!
Using the 2 wings as the different ends of the tunnels was clever! You can even start on one wing and then the other as a racetrack before doing all the wraps – fast, fun, and much easier than dragging the tunnel and tunnel bags!The wraps are going well, great job getting him to understand to do the full circle! You had a lot of motion going and he was great!
Only one suggestion: as you are cuing him to go around, especially on the wraps with the front cross exits, try not to have your send arm go as far across your body. It ends up rotating your shoulders as lot as you do that and maintain commitment to the landing spot – not a problem here with the wings, but it might read as rear crosses when there is a jump there.
Instead, send him like you did then think of it as transferring him to to your other hand to point at landing side, so the dog-side arm doesn’t twist your shoulders too much.
You were really good about not over-twisting and transferring to the new hand on the reps where you exited on the blind cross, like at 1:03 – there is not enough time to stay connected on the dog-side arm for too long with a blind coming up!
Great job 🙂
Tracy
Hi!
A quick question for you:
Would you allow us to use the clip of Caper’s resilience during class, for the upcoming power patterns webinar?
It would be used as an example of how you were able to use your foundation to help her out 🙂
In return, you’d get a free webinar ticket.
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Very cool info about the kibble, thanks!! I will definitely go find that locally!She did well here! A bigger crate will be even easier (it is still a little small for her)
The delay of the click went well! Try to make it more variable rather than making it longer and longer – some delays are really short, some are long, and mix it up more like you did at the very end.>. JJ made a quick decision to get back in the crate. Interesting how her mind works. :-)>>
That was brilliant! Smart girlie!!!
>>Interestingly JJ almost always turned the same way when going inside.>>
it might have had something to do with your location (turning towards you) or side preference. One of my dogs always turned to his left when going into a crate and it did not matter where I was or where the reward was – he was a very strong lefty 🙂
She was very clever offering a sit in the crate n the 2nd video! really fun to see her work through that, figuring out what was going to get the magic cookie box to throw out cookies! She was happy to worm her way into the crate, didn’t matter if the door was mostly closed LOL!
>>Many times she seemed to need to keep her head out of the crate even though she was in, but when she sat, her head and body was all in the crate>>
Probably just a matter of the crate being a tiny bit too small. She fits in it, but the next size up will make it more comfy to offer behavior.
I am glad she loves Find My Face! The session went perfectly. This game becomes a huge coping skill for the dogs, for when we handlers mess up in agility and accidentally disconnect (because we definitely do that haha!) It helps the pups not get frustrated or stressed when we screw up, because they see disconnection as a fun thing! And some rally and obedience people have turned this into a “find front” game too!
Wing wraps – both videos are looking really strong! The FCs and the spins are both going really well! A couple of ideas for you:
>> I had a hard time getting the tuggy back from JJ. I started cracking up because I have never had a dog that would play tug before, and I could not get it back from her>>
Yes, her tug drive has come up really nicely! And now that there is a lot of action with the wraps, arousal comes up too so it is harder for her to give it back – feel free to tug for a few seconds, then trade for a boring cookie. This helps get the toy back quickly while keeping arousal centered. And using a boring cookie should help her stay interested in the toy and not get cookie-obsessed 🙂
You *can* use a 2nd toy, one in each hand, but I think one toy then a cookie trade will work more easily for you both.
When doing the FC wraps or the spins, you might find it easier to put the toy in a pocket or in your wasitband so you don’t change it from hand to hand as you do the crosses – that delays the connection back to her and causes her to look at your hands more. For example, at 1:56 on the 2nd video, you switch the toy to the other hand and didn’t get the connection, so she ended up on the other side of you.
One other thought about connection: when you get connection on a side change, maintain it til she is passing you on the reps where you pointed forward before she passed you, connection broke and she switched sides like a blind cross (good girl!)
As you are sending her to each barrel, be sure to add your wrap verbals now and not go verbals (especially when starting each rep). We will want go to mean a big straight line, so the wraps are more useful here.
>> I want to do this activity next time in a greater space so that we can add some turn and burn at the end.>>
Definitely yes, it will be fun to move this to a bigger space! Be ready for her to find a new gear of speed!!
Serps – these are going well and your form is definitely looking better!
A couple of ideas for you:– She is having a little anticipation of the release coinciding with your hand coming up, so the easiest way to help her out there is to have your arm up in serp position as you move away from her and as you start moving through the serp, long before the release. That way you are showing good info and she is releasing on the verbal and not the hand movement.
Do that as well on the threadles (arm up as you are moving into position), so the arm up does not coincide with the release.
>>.When we switched sides at 1:14 I did not look at my hand and JJ didn’t either Same thing at 1:33 and then almost again at 1:50.>>
These were actually all moments when she thought the release was the hand motion, so she was moving before you were cuing. So it was not as much a matter of looking at your hand, it was more that she needed clarification on what the release was.
Looking at the threadle videos:
These are going well too!
>> Should we try this with the other hand, or continue with the same hand used for the serps?>>
That is handler’s preference (which arm to use :)) Personally, I teach the dog both: for the more intuitive, flowing threadles, it is very easy to use the same side hand like serps. For the harder threadles, like the ones in AKC Premier, the opposite hand helps a LOT. So, I show both styles to my dogs and use them as needed 🙂 depending on the course design.
>> When we switched sides, I had a hard time getting JJ to go over the jump. I tried a lot of different things on the end of this clip as you>>
On the first side, she had to turn to her right to go back out over the jump: easy peasy! On the second side, she had to turn to her left to go out over the jump: MUCH harder (and also, not surprising :))
So she was trying but couldn’t quite do it: you can keep rewarding the effort, and resist temptation to mark it with an oopsie – that is a negative punisher (along with withholding reinforcement) and can be stressful/frustrating for an adolescent dog who is trying hard (plus it is entirely possible the adolescent brain is telling them that they nailed it! LOL!)
If you see her asking a question or not fully getting the behavior especially on a left turn – keep rewarding, and keep making adjustments. I think angling the jump was a good adjustment, and angling her start position was a GREAT adjustment! The other suggestions are to get closer to the jump in your position, and change the angle of the MM so it is glaringly obvious to go over the bump to get to it (center of the bump might be the best spot).
Rewarding for the effort even if it is not the exact behavior is the same as shaping with successive approximations, and it will keep her in the game as you adjust things to get the exact behavior.
Great job here!!! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>I don’t consider our stay reliable enough to use it in a session yet. And I don’t want to ruin it or grey it, so I’m still tossing the cookie.>>
You were very methodical about showing it to her! The stay will be ready soon, if it fine to keep using the cookie toss 🙂
Looking at the first video:
OMG also a great song!!! Bridge Over Troubled Water, one of my all-time favorites!!!Nice work with the serp!
>>I find I still need to get my hand Really low, basically shin height.>>
Since she is so tiny, we can start to get you standing more (now that we have faded out the need to actually touch your hand). So you can be more upright and think of the serp arm as a little dipped towards her but now can be way above her nose level.
2nd video added motion and went really well (also a great song LOL! Loving the soundtrack to your videos!) On this, start to stand up more too, and as you move, just kind of dip your shoulder down and look at your hand, but no need to bend over nearly as much anymore. This will really help you add more movement because it will be easier to move if you don’t have to bend over as much.
One detail – you can put the MM more on her exit line, which is on the landing side of the jump. It was more on the takeoff side here which made it harder to get to the reward.>>I may be a bit out of position in these, need to be farther down the exit wing?>>
I thought your were good! You can be closer to the exit wing if you want, but you do want her to see you between the uprights a bit.
>>Also I noticed myself following through with my arm to the MM. I think we’re not supposed to do that. But as I move down the line it just naturally happens as I would do a Serp in a sequence?>>
Correct, keep your arm back/shoulders open until she gets to the MM. On a sequence/course, you would actually hold the serp position that long as you move, because the MM signifies where the next jump would be – and if you close your shoulders too early, she won’t always find the next jump. So it is good human practice to keep your shoulders open.
>>She had a really good time in our sessions and in between the last few days. She’s been offering all sorts of stuff, even doing figure eights on the one jump wings as I reset the MM.>>
So cute! She is loving the game!
>>Now that I’m understanding more about Excitement Barking, we’re doing much better with it. I’m changing up the routine and using music. But even outside for swimming or ball we’re doing better. She’s still barking but we’ve started a little routine for it and it seems to be working for both of us, without curbing her enthusiasm.>>
Yay! Barking is communication – so we take note and carry on 🙂
>.I’m working with it instead of against it in training sessions, using your tips and suggestions. And you know what? She’s doing it less and less. We’re both happier, getting more done and, with better results. I now use the clicker, unless it bothers others, instead of the Yip which also is giving us better results.>>
I love this! You are listening to her communication, clarifying things, so she feels less need to talk about it LOL!
>>For the threadle, I don’t think she really knows the “name” yet. But she is coming in and going out like she should. So I can start moving on that too?>>
Yes, if you are getting success, you can totally add motion now.
>>It’s now in the 113 degree range here, next week 118 degrees.
WOW that is hot!
>>So around sundown I let her get in the pool then did some tunnel training in the only full shade in the yard. She did well and was so happy didn’t want to come in. >>
Yep, pre-dawn and post-sunset will be the outdoor training times. I am currently in the pre-dawn mode, because even though the temperatures are not terrible, the humidity makes it brutal to try to run. So, 5:30am training it is! Even the evenings can be too hot and humid lately. And, I can still film as the sun is coming up without baking the devices (the other class this summer, CAMP, requires course work demos so there is a lot of running and filming).
>>She now only wants her toy for the tunnel instead of the MM, that’s ok?>>
Yes, that is fine 🙂 And it sounds like she is ready for the advanced threadle stuff too!
>>And Most of All thank you for helping me to become a better trainer!>>
You are doing a wonderful job 🙂 Thank YOU for asking the questions, and approaching all of the training with honesty and clarity!!!!!!
Tracy
Good morning! Excellent music choice – love Billy Joel! I also use music to time my sessions, because each song is less than 3 minutes. So, I turn on a song, train, and be finished before the song is finished 🙂
I agree, the Minny Pinny went really well! She turned beautifully in both directions, you had great reward placement, she is using her body really well. You are totally doing it right! You can add a bit of countermotion now, in the form of a front cross – if she starts on your right, for example, you send her around to her left. And when she starts it, you do a FC to your right and move the opposite direction (it is on the demo video in case my words make no sense LOL!)
>>I tried to set it up like you had it in the video for your small dog. Bars slide onto the 4 inch slot so they don’t move.>>
She is a little younger than my small dog was at the time, and definitely smaller (that dog was about 14″ tall at the time). So the distance between the bars was good! The bars might be a little too high for her age – if you can get to a dollar store or walmart, you can grab some pool noodles and slice them in half, lengthwise – and those will be good bumps to use for now. She is a little over 6 months now, yes? So we do want to wait a few more months before jumping starts.
>>My rough slate floor is pretty non-slip.>>
Since it is so hot there, either late night training on grass can work, or you can get a big cheap rug with decent length to put under the minny pinny – she was not slipping here but she might if she starts wanting to go faster.
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
Great job here – all of the sessions look good and he is ready for the next level of all the things 🙂 Here are some specifics:
Video 1:
Very very nice work here with the verbals! And his commitment is looking really strong – you had FCs going and also spins too – he read them both really well. You can add on the race tracks, where he is goin around the outside (no crosses) to get even more speed going.Depending on the weather, take him outside to work this on the grass – he was slipping a little on the carpet because he wants to go faster!
He really only had one question here and on the left/right minny pinny – it was at the start of each rep. You can line him up with connection before the first send, those were the only parts where he was not as sure about where to be.
He also understands “ready” and wants to start without you LOL!! You can line him up at your side with a cookie so he gives you a heartbeat to be ready LOL!! I love his enthusiasm!!
The left/right minny pinny looked great on the 2nd video – again, his commitment is super strong and he seems to really enjoy it LOL!!! You did a great job with your placement of reinforcement.
With this game, you can repeat the verbals (“riiight riiight riiight” fr example) because he is doing the turn 3 times, so you can name it 3 times.
He also looks to be ready for you to add a little countermotion by doing a FC and moving the other way as he is finshnig the left or right – so if he starts on your left, he is going to his right and you will be doing a FC and be moving to your left.Nice job getting him to turn his head away on the head turns/360s! You will both have an easier time of it if you use the dog side hand to start – for example look at 1:34 to 1:39: he was on your left side, so you sent him around using your left hand, then you turned his head away uring your left hand too. Perfect! It was very easy for him to get that head turn. YAY!!! It was harder to get it when you were using the opposite hand, so definitely keep using the same side hand.
He is ready for you to go to the advanced level here, with you moving forward as he does the circle wrap/360.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>You are doing a fabulous job of pushing me out of my comfort zone this summer😂😂😂!>>
You’re welcome hahahahahaha
The training courses are designed to throw all of the crazy stuff into one course at high speed – then when you see a lot less crazy at a trial, it will feel soooo much easier 🙂Looking at the videos:
>>1-4 Never got this right. When I was running it, I wasn’t sure why she was coming in for the off course pink jump. Because pink is her color?!?! When I reviewed my video, I realized that it did look like a serpentine to her and that maybe she was reading it as that? She did that on a sequence in the last trial too>>I think part of it is handling, part it training:
from the handling side, you were rotating your shoulders to the tunnel too soon – so she was seeing the rotation before passing the off course jump, so she seemed to be reading it as a blind cross to come in and take it.Also, you were saying jump and tunnel a lot there, and so she was heading to the closest jump and tunnel : )
So to get it more with handling – leading out less so there is more forward motion (less turning or decelerating), try connecting less, arm high and forward like you had it here, and say GO GO while running on a parallel line to her line, no shoulder turn and no jump cue.
From the training side of things, you can putting her MM out past the 3 jump – and reward her for the layering, and sometimes turn her so she is NOT layering. We don’t want her using the MM as a target to run to, only a a placed reward when cued to go to that line.
>>5-11 the layered jump was tough but got it when I was in right spot!>>
Yes! That was so cool!!!!!
>>Weave entry you can see me breaking down. And WOW she got it at the end!!! Amazing!!!
That was so great excellent job breaking it down and she had a big lightbulb moment. I wrote AMAZING! in my notes on that section at least 3 times LOL!!! Really nice!
I had a brain fart during all this on 8-9-10 and somehow got it in my head I was sending her to wrong side of 10 and it was the threadle. It was not lol! So ignore all that wrong side stuff. I was indeed doing it on purpose lol! Apparently not enough coffee on previous break!>>
Maybe you needed cappuccino ice cream and not regular coffee? LOL! It went well, and she needs more threadle practice anyway 🙂 More threadle ideas below.
>> I became so amazed that she did the weaves and found the tunnel, I temporarily forgot the pretty much the rest of the course which made me not as driven for the rear. I got a refusal😂😂😂 >>
No worries – I like that you decided to go for the big layer of the 3/13 jump and that got you a LOT closer to the threadle at 16-17!!
She had a hard time finding 17. She was coming in really well to the correct side, but did not go back out to the jump like at 2:47 and 3:12. In both of those spots, you were really far from 17 and moving parallel towards it. It will help her if you are running more to the center of the bar of 17, pressing into it as you are threadling – then when you see her head turn and look at the bar, you can let go of the threadle and move to the weaves. She missed the weave entry on the very last rep, but she had done a bunch of brilliant weaves so I am glad you did not stop her there.
>>we got a drive by on the backside.>>
That was at 3:27. In your walk throughs, remind yourself to look at landing on those as you run through, to help her commit: be looking at her til she gets to the backside wing, then let her see your eyes and hand shift to the landing spot. That will help her take the bar. As she gets more experienced, you won’t have to do that but it will really help her for now.
On the second video, she found the jump after the tunnel really well at the beginning! YAY!! She had trouble on the bar there (you can see her head up with a WHAT THE HECK expression) – part of it was the big distance, part of it was the verbal and handling over the bar. She will sort it out with more experience.
So why did she get it so nicely at the beginning (:05 and :20) and did not get it at the end (:36 and :48)? It had to do with your running line:
on the first 2 reps you were wider from the wing and as she was exiting the wrap, you were running directly straight to the tunnel, which cued the straight line exit.On the last 2 reps, you were tight to the wing so you were more on her line then pulled away to your right as she was going to the tunnel, which set a hard right turn.
So be sure to strategize to set up the straight line – and it might mean being further from the wing so you can run a very straight line forward to the tunnel and still be able to get the line past the end of the DW there.
I am not sure why she came off the DW – it looks like she decided to bail, maybe she lost her balance on the up ramp and decided to safely jump off? It looks like she landed safely but hard to see. She did well on the DWs after it!
Great job here! Have BLAST on vacation!!!!!
Tracy
Hi!
The gates method totally works! the only drawback is there is no “easy” thing to go back to when you want to add a skill.>>I do not have currently have access to 2x2s or channels.
We can try to find some to borrow if you want? I bet we can put the word out and find some.
>>It is something I would like to invest in for my next dog, though. Would it make sense to look into buying them now and training Nox how to do them on “easy mode” so I can use them as you suggested, or would that likely be really confusing to her at this point?>>
Yes, it is totally worth it! She won’t be confused because it is so obvious in the beginning and then you can immediately be adding the skills you want to work on. I can totally give you those steps (I need to start training the whippet soon anyway LOL!)
>> Regardless of the answer to that question, which method is your preference to start a dog on?
I think that channels are the easiest/best way for now. I have trained a lot of dogs with 2x2s and I do like them for some of the very beginning stuff and you can easily borrow a set of 4 (2 bases) for that. But ultimately, channels will give the dogs better footwork and better indepedence, so from now on, I will be using channels with all of my dogs.
T
Good morning!
>> It’s funny how a schedule change like travel can disrupt new habits.
I can totally relate!!!
>> I must say that smile and laugh thing really works. Thanks to you and George Carlin. I am working on an updated list and will share in the near future LOL. >>
I have found it to be very useful. And spewing out some curse words is really helpful too!
>>Thanks again for your help when I panicked a bit in the lanes. I am not quite able to self-regulate that on my own, but I am getting better.>>
You are totally getting better!! That is why we practice and practice, and surround ourselves with people who can help.
>> I am a work in Progmess.
That is one of my favorite Ted Lasso lines LOL!!!
>> So, my goal of running in the pack didn’t quite pan out the way I hoped.
Wait a minute… you ran in the pack the whole tournament, so I check it off as a goal accomplished! Yay! It is hard as f*ck to run in a pack with a bunch of sub-4 dogs and you were right in there! You are still sorting out the handling at that speed, but you are well on your way.
>> I know enough now to start learning the skills I will need to be successful. It’s OK to learn at your own pace. That’s my mantra for now.>>
Absolutely! Learning and honing the skills is part of the fun, especially with such a willing canine partner.
>>I practiced setting boundaries tonight. It was hard to say no when I know Levy would be able to run for someone else, but this is our journey and I want to run my dog>>
Having been there to witness it…. that was one of the ABSOLUTE BEST BOUNDARY SETTING MOMENTS EVER. It still gives me goosebumps! I wanted to put the ‘applause’ emoji on the screen but I felt it would be inappropriate LOL!!
You set a boundary clearly, unemotionally, and in a “No is a complete sentence” way. Then you moved on. It was really exceptional and inspiring to me.
I was thinking about it later, and was thinking that I may not have been strong enough in the moment to have set that boundary, if the question was asked of me. So I will remember how YOU handled it as my inspiration, for when might end up in the same situation.
>>I’ve put in the time and training.
BOOM! Another great mantra!!!!
>>> It’s hard to learn sitting on the sidelines.
OK here is ANOTHER great mantra: “Learning happens in the ring, not on the sidelines.” YES!
>> Now I see why you said to practice first. 🙂 I hope I did it nicely.
It is hard – you were (and continue to be) amazing. High five to you! I will raise a nice glass of port to salue you 🙂
>> PS Great news about CB… I see more puppies in your future. 🙂>>
Thanks! I am glad it is over. Now we just need OFA to confirm my vet’s opinion, finish the ears/eyes/heart…. soooooo much to do. But the breeding plans are very exciting, if they end up happening!
Tracy
Hi!
I think part of what was contributing to you stopping more than needed was on jump 3 you were trying to threadle to the inside, but she should have been on the backside (jumping towards the tunnel not away from it). The backside would make for a better line and would be easier to keep moving.
With the threadles –
She reads the threadles when you turned your feet as well as your shoulders – and also when you stand still 🙂 but we want to eliminate all standing still So you can keep rotating on the threadles, but try to cue really early and rotate less so that you can stay in motion a whole lot more – standing still to get the threadle will put you far behind on other lines and bigger courses.The threadle line was making it harder to get the true number 4 – you can get it with a big decel and wrap cue because accelerating out of it was what was pushing her off course.
You can also use the decel and wrap cue after the FC on the 2nd part of the sequence, so she knows to come through the gap.
Continue to keep rewarding when things go a little sideways- when you stopped rewarding, she didn’t know what you wanted and she checked out. When you kept rewarding, she was happy to stay in the game! Yay!
Yes, layering the tunnel really helped because positionally it drew her more to the line you wanted on the treadle of 3 for sure! So you can do some outside the box decision-making of deciding to layer rather than stay close to her! That can be especially useful on the bigger courses because it can get you to the next line sooner!
Now, I might be lacking in caffeine, but I don’t think the 2nd video is a sequence from this year LOL! Is it from last year’s CAMP? I will go take a look to see where it is from 🙂
Nice work! Have fun this weekend!
TracyHi!
>>Question about the Countermotion exercises from Week 3. When you are doing the rear cross, are you using the wrap command or just a rear command. For example, my rear cross/turn away from me cue is “Switch” if it is over a jump (as here) or “Flip” if it is a rear on the flat. Is that what I should be using for this exercise or should I be using my wrap cue (whichever it is) for the wrap away from me?>>
Now that there is a lot of layering on courses, I have a 2-part answer for you:
If it is a regular rear cross, I will use the verbal that matches the turn (like a left/right or wrap verbal).
If it is a turn away that is then followed by layering or a turn away that I cannot show rear cross handling (I can’t cue across behind the dog like a normal RC) – then I use my switch verbal which means “turn away and get on a big line, and listen but don’t watch”
This has been VERY helpful to my dogs so they know when to stay in handler focus or when to get on a big line and be ready for distance 🙂
T
