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Have fun! And we can figure out ways to put the games indoors if the weather doesn’t cooperate 🙂
TracyHi!
These games are going well!On the countermotion wraps:
His commitment looks great! Your connection on the exit looks great, that arm-across-the-body rewarding is soooooo clear, he was tight and correct every.single.time! Yay!He had one question and that was at :34 (first rep on the other side). It was handler error – you were looking at him very directly during countermotion instead of looking at landing spot. He didn’t commit because the motion into him on the countermotion was very strong and the lack of connection to the landing spot didn’t support the wrap enough. On the first part of the session, the right turns had more connection to landing on the first couple of reps (less on the next couple, but he had it by then) So on the new side, you need to use the same strong connection to the landing spot. When he didn’t go to the barrel, you did a punishment marker (big sad trombone noise) and didn’t use a reset reward – try to use a reset reward when there is a handling blooper and resist having a big reaction to an error – it is confusing to the pups!
You definitely had better connection to the landing spot on the next reps – nice adjustment!
One other thing to consider on this session:
At :07 you said to him “I didn’t release you” but actually….
in the category of “what we think we are training versus what the dogs are actually learning”, your releases are happening mostly on hand movement/reconnection in this session and not on verbal, so he was reflecting back what he was learning about the releases 🙂 Your verbals were sooooo quiet and not clear enough or distinct enough from the motion that I suspect he really believes it was a motion-based release. I couldn’t really hear a release on the first bunch of reps.I heard a release at :27 but it was super quiet and hard to tell if it was distinct from the motion.
:50 – I think you said a very quiet “break” then moved – that was the clearest rep of the release on this game. Compare that to :54 – you moved your arm (lifted the hand to prep for the send back) then said the release – so it is entirely possible he is releasing on the motion because that has )accidentally) been reinforced as correct multiple times. So be super careful – be totally stationary, say a loud clear release, then move to the send.
On releases that are not sends, like parallel path lines, you can be in motion the whole time and release without any change of motion. It is the motion-as-sudden-cue that can become the release if it happens before the verbal.
Since I am obsessing on the releases, look at the 1:15-1:17 rep of the lateral lead outs: you moved to position, stood still, released very clearly, then moved. Perfect!
Lateral lead outs are also going well – great connection on the exits and his commitment looked great! These should be ‘soft’ turn exits, more like 90 degree lines (not wraps) so be sure to send and step away laterally. And, as you move away, if there is any countermotion, look at the landing spot (1:42, you looked at him as you moved back towards him and he didn’t commit, same as what happened at :34) But you rewarded him and that was good!
>>I actually did the tunnel Threadle drill and feel like it went well, BUT my camera skills were off to the point that submitting exercises would have been a waste of your time. argh.>>
Just the camera position and no problems with the game? We will score it as a win 🙂
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Hi!
The recalls went really well!!! Nice job with the recall and letting her run through the toy (you can let go of the toy as soon as she touches it).
>>but not sure why she returns on my off side.
Partially it was a lakc of connection (1st time for sure, and a little on the 2nd rep too) and also the tunnel is *right there* – your FC at :40 actually cued her to take the tunnel 🙂
>> When the other dog was out she was just fixated on him (I don’t know if you can see that or not), but once I started running she focused on me.
A little looky, but not to bad. Did you do pattern games with her while one of the other pups was doing recalls, like Sandi was doing here? That will help.
>> This was short and I have all the reps shown.
That’s perfect, these are super high energy and too many reps will exhaust you both!
She also did well with the lateral lead outs. I think she will like it even more if you use toy rewards and not food now – so you can toss the toy to the appropriate sot (straight for the reps where you move forward, or on the turn line when you are stationary) rather than tossing treats.
Commitment is looking good! You can alter yur position slightly – instead o ffacing the jump an pointing/stepping to the jump, you can angle a little more so you are facing and stepping/pointing to the take off spot before the bump. That will add a little more connection.
On the rocking horses – getting the 2nd wrais super hard especially when the wing is far away. The wings were both too far away when you started.
Big thing, though – if something goes wrong, stay connected to her, reward her… *then* figure out how to be successful on the next rep. On the 2nd rep, you were late, she didn’t know where to be and then you disconnected, started talking to the people, movig the wing, ignoring her… she got frustrated and started leaping to grab the toy. Approach failures the opposite way – make engagement and reinforcement the highest priority, then you can figure out what you can do to help her out. You did give her the toy sooner on the other reps when things were wrong, but you didn’t really engage, Be sure to engage so she doesn’t default to grabbing the toy when you disconnect or stop.
You did move the wings closer which totally helps!
The 2 keys to getting the 2nd wrap are to be ahead of her when she exits the tunnel, and to have the correct line to the corect side of the wing very visible.
At :27, you were almost ahead of her but she would have had to lead change away to get the correct side of the wing. Moving it over more really helped too! and when the wings were closer, on the clear line, and you were ahead, she got it really well. Yay!!!
The left turns are easier for her on these, so you might want to flip the setup so the right wrap (the harder one) is the first one, and hte left wrap (easier wrap) is the 2nd one. And you can warm up the 2nd wrap first to back chain it a bit, before building it back up to the full thing 🙂Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Good job adding the leash to the game – it really helps the dogs learn the leash off part of the line up routines! Tugging on the leash is good too, but a separate tug toy should still be involved so you reward the skill with a toy not food. Try to use toy rewards with these little sequences as much as possible (with some food mixed in for resets or letting go of the toy) rather than all food.He was holding his sit beautifully – my only suggestion is to line him up facing the barrel 🙂 He was sideways to it on several reps which makes it harder to find 🙂
He is doing really well on the tunnel rocking horses! Sure, he might run past the tunnel if you are both going really fast (like at 3:19), but that is not a big deal – give a reset cookie and dial back your speed a tiny bit.
When he is driving to the tunnel before the reward – try to be more consistent with the marker and placement. On the 2nd rep, you did a ‘get it’ and tossed the reward – that was great! The first rep had a big YESSSS when he entered the tunnel (so he came back out), and the 3rd rep had you calling his name to come to you (but it was a late call) so for now, using the get it and throwing the reward will be most consistent.
And if he does something great and a big YESSSSS slips out (because we all do that LOL!) and he comes out of the tunnel – just give him the toy. It can be confusing to him when you whip the toy away after telling him is correct and presenting it. So, he can have the toy and then it will be a good reminder not to yell YESSS haha 🙂
Going from the tunnel to the wing is a little harder for the pups – nice work adding your verbal at the end, and getting good connection to help him out. He commits better when your dog-side leg steps forward to the barrel as he is passing you, so keep that going for sure.
Great job!
TracyThat is correct! The course officially begins tomorrow – the Zoom is at 7pm Eastern and then the games are published 🙂
Tracy
Good morning!
>>Thank you! I had to look up HPA to know what that was and it totally makes sense. She shakes off things a lot and doesn’t generally have an overt reaction to something, but will notice something and then shake it off. I am happy to know about that and that there is science to back this up.>>
It is really cool stuff! Definitely a form of learning that goes beyond what we normally think about it terms of reinforcement, etc.
>> There is a lot of novelty and arousal here and the pattern game really helps her to calm herself. I also noticed a couple of times of shaking it off.>>
This is great! It is a great use of the pattern games!!
>> I am having a lot of trouble looking at other team’s videos on the Forum. The videos just won’t load or take a very long time to load (I have talked to some others who have also had this issue). >>
What type of device are you using? I’ve noticed that Apple devices are a lot slower at the moment, but my PC and Android are fine.
My “smartest” device is a MAC and generally what happens is that whenever Apple does an update or changes something, it stops talking to YouTube for a bit. That means the AU site loads, the text is fine… but the videos are delayed.Then after a day or two, Apple and YouTube make amends and it is fine 🙂 so hopefully they will work it out before the end of today. I will send an email to the tech people and see if they have any tweaks.
Android and PC usually do well, because they are linked to Google which owns YouTube… so they always seems to work nicely together lol!
>>I used to be able to easily look at other team’s videos so not sure what might be happening or if it is operator error = HA!>>
Depending on what type of device, it probably isn’t operator error – you can try restarting/rebooting your devices and see if they catches things up. Sometimes the devices just get caught in a load and the restart helps.
>>If I watch one of the game videos that you post to show us how to do it, should I ask questions I may have about what I am seeing in the comment section below the video or would you rather have me ask on my on thread?>>
It is better to ask the question in the thread right below the comment or video, so I can see what you’re commenting on or asking about.
Keep me posted on your devices!
TracyHi! For some reason, my reply to your email is bouncing so I figured I’d post it here 🙂
Hi!
The upcoming class is entirely different than the past classes – totally new demos were filmed, so I don’t think anything is repeated 🙂And the video submission are up to 5 minutes per game, so that ends up being 15 minutes of video a week (which is a lot LOL!)
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Weirdness gauntlet – this was good! The umbrella on the dog bed? WEIRD! LOL!!! And the shaking it off is quite possibly a sign of the resilience flex we are going for. As far as we can tell about the neurobiology:
– she has a ‘what the what?’ moment which stimulates the HPA axis
– she investigates, smells, shakes it off, all of which help regulate her her HPA Axis back to baseline.It is this rehearsal of stimulation – regulation and “bounce back’ which is exactly what we want. Yay!
Find my face is also looking really good, she has the pattern down really well! My only suggestion is to replace “yes” with a get it marker so she knows the reward will be tossed (I know, I know, the ‘yes’ comes out of all of us hahaha!)
>>should I work on this in increasingly arousing environments?>>
The pattern games without disconnection – yes! The find my face disconnected pattern game – nope, we will apply that differently, later on. The regular pattern game is for different environments and different levels of stimulation. Find My Face is a frustration reducer and also provides an alternate behavior for when we mess us handling 🙂
She did well on the stays and commitment of the lateral lead out! Very nice!! Positionally, you should be more on a parallel plane to the jump (the pole was in your way here until 1:08 when you did move to a better position)
>>Should I let her wrap some of these or should the be moving straight forward (which is what I did this time)?>>
Because the handler (you :)) is stationary, these are all turn cues and the placement of reinforcement will depend on exactly where you are standing. Throwing the reward straight out for one session is fine for commitment to get started, but we also want her to ‘read’ your position as a turn cue and not propel forward in extension when you are cuing a turn.
For example, on the early reps where you were on the takeoff side of the jump and then alter at 1:30 – yes, those would all be wraps where you can toss the treat towards the wrap exit of the wing rather than straight.
When you were parallel to the jump like at 1:08 that would be more of a soft turn position (like a right turn) so you can toss the treat on that right turn line.
My general rule of thumb is that on these turn cues when I am stationary, the reward can be placed backs towards me – so placing it back towards me at 1:30, for example, would create the wrap. And placing it back towards me at 108, for example, would create the soft right turn.
Simple decel:
The stay and parallel path looked good! Her first response to the first decel position on each was a little wide (she was surprised LOL!) but then she made a fabulous adjustment and set up the turns really well. This was especially true on the left turns in the 2nd half of the video – those were SUPER nice when she realized that you NOT moving meant she should turn.Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>I want to make sure I understand what you mean on this – should I keep moving forward but slower so that I am not stopped but I am moving slower? Do I do the decel before she goes into the tunnel or do I try to get to the tunnel exit so she can see the decel?>>
Yes – basically when she is driving to and through the tunnel, you are hustling – run fast (but with connection of course LOL!) as she exits the tunnel and you start the wrap verbal, you continue running forward but you are slowing down for at least several steps. Then after you slow down for a few steps and you see her looking at the wing… you can finish the send and then rotate through the FC. It is 3 distinct elements: fast, slow, rotate. You’ll find that the decel makes the FCs and spins easier too! We work on this specifically in one of the first MaxPup 2 games 🙂
Tracy
Hi!
The play before the stay, the stay, and the lead out all looking great. He is showing a lot of maturity and understanding (hard to remember how young he is!) He was also a super good boy when the toy was involved – he seems like such a level-headed boy, even when he is stimulated. Drivey, smart, and level-headed. I love it!
Great job rewarding the stay! Great job leading out laterally and sending to the barrel!
Try to step laterally away from him as you leave him in the stay, so you can walk straight up the line to your lead out position. When you were backing away from the barrel to your position, he was looking at you like you were nuts haha!
It was harder to see your cue on the other side at the end, but it looks like a bigger more obvious foot step will help give a stronger cue. But overall, he looked fabulous! Keep adding distance and excitement. And if you haven’t done the concept transfers to the wings, you can totally start this too (it won’t be a problem for him :))
Great job!
TracyHi!
Tunnel rocking horses are looking great! He did really well ignoring the toy behind him (except when you didn’t support the wing wrap enough, like on the 2nd rep)
On that 2nd rep, you stopped short/rotated too soon, so he didn’t commit to the wing and instead went back to the tunnel and the toy 🙂 You almost stopped too soon at 2:29 but you didn’t rotate til you saw him commit.
You get a big click/treat for your connection to him on the tunnel exit on the way to the wing – that REALLY helped support his line to the wing!! The only time he needed more connection was at 2:47 – you were looking too far forward, so he didn’t see the connection and jumped up on you.
Compare the next rep’s connection (3:12) – you had a VERY direct eye contact when he exited the tunnel and he went directly to the wing. So be sure to keep that big connection! And if he jumps up on you, take it as a sign that your connection is not strong enough.And it sounds like your wraps verbals were there too – super!
You can move to the next levels on this game – and you can also try moving him away from the toy on the ground without holding his collar (but using food rewards to help him understand how to ignore the toy as you walk away :))
Great job!
TracyHi!
What a bummer that she can’t go to the trial this weekend 🙁
The training session looked good! I thought the right turns went pretty well – but I totally saw a difference in how the left turns were easier for her.
I think the right turns were a bit harder because the floor is slippery, so you will see better turns in both directions if you have a yoga mat or something underneath the upright so she can dig in. I am a crazy person who has a roll of turf (a small one haha) to cover my wood floors in my living room LOL!!
She definitely turned by leading with her head and you had really good clicks. My guess when she went all the way around you was that she was tired (physically and/or mentally) so it was good that you changed directions shortly after that.
Because she is small, you can try this seated – that will keep her head lower especially on t he right turns, where she wanted to look up at you a bit more.
Great job here! Have a great weekend at the trial!
Tracy
