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Hi! I am loving her toy drive!
She is going back and forth between the two toys really well. She is a tugging beast 🙂
Next step here: in the middle of the tugging, give her a very low value cookie. After she swallows it, back to the tugging. I think she will be fine with this, but it is good to try because we definitely want her to be able to go back and forth from food to toy to food.Great job!
TracyHi!
>>First she started out being a leaping Tasmanian devil even though she had been tugging like a maniac upstairs and this was the first thing we tried to do this morning. >>
Could be residual arousal from tugging upstairs? You can decompress her after that with a little snuffle mat action. And then to start the session here, start with food element then go to the tugging. She did get on the toy but it would be cool to not have the jumping moments 🙂
>>She’s not sending ahead easily >>
I think that was a space limitation question – she was waiting for you to start moving forward, and you were waiting for her to start moving forward, so there was not a lot of moving forward 🙂
Kind of like this:
You were getting her to do the RC at the end, so I bet next time you are at Fusion you can use the big long space to get a lot of driving ahead of in you on the parallel path game, which will make it a lot easier to add the rear crosses before she gets to the prop.
>>so I have the checkbox checked but am not getting email notifications for your responses,>>
That is odd! Maybe it is ending up in spam?
Turn and burn is going well! I think on the first rep she hadn’t really locked onto seeing the barrel yet so you did a good job to just reset her and ask again. She did well with the left turns! She needed more patience on the right turns – if you are too fast or too early to move away, you can reward while you reset her. Also, because the right turns are hard at the moment (and you can see she was getting frustrated especially when you were playing with your hands) – you can add a bowl on the exit of the right turn line to help her out
At 1:55 she communicated the left turn preference by offering left but then after the break as able to do the right turns more smoothly too. On any of the reps, she is also saying that she doesn’t like as much like the hand play to get her going. So if she has a question, you can totally add the bowl to help her and I think that all be perfect! So for turn and burn, you can have just 1 bowl out on the exit line. Then you can fade it further and further around back to your feet so it is no longer really part of the reward (then get rid of it entirely). My guess is she will not need that for more than a session or two.
>>Keep forgetting to get video of it, but we are working on having her tug closer to me and up my leg a bit. >>
Super!!!
>>And she’s gotten so much better at working through Kaladin barking in protest from elsewhere in the house. When she first came home she was incapable about thinking about anything else when Kaladin barked.>>
That is good too! Her brain is learning to prioritize the ‘work’ and the play, not his protests 🙂
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyWow, she did super nicely on these videos!!! She is committing to her lines, following the handling, very focused. And FAST! Yay!!
The blind cross lead-out looked awesome!!!
And yes, keep working the germwn turn. The wrap looked good but you can also practice a rear cross slice on the backside.
You mentioned her not committing to some of the soft turn jumps… I think you meant the spot after the tunnel in the first video, for example (and a spot in the second video too?) On the jump after the tunnel, that was a connection blooper where you were running forward and pointing forward, which turns your shoulders away from the jump. So be sure to make connection to her eyes and keep moving to the jump (no pointing really needed) until you see her look at it. That should help get commitment 🙂
Nice work here!!
TracyHi! That sounds like a really hard environment! Yikes!!! I like your idea to keep her in the car more the next time you go there – we want her to be able to rest and relax 🙂
>>I was surprised how well she responded to the pattern games & the find my face game, but any delay in the game & she was back at it. >>
I’m glad she could respond during the pattern games!!! She was probably too close to the action/noise to be able to cope when they stopped, so keep playing but also add distance away from the massive distractions to help her out. It will get easier with more experience and a lower level of distraction 🙂
Tracy
Thanks for the update!! Hopefully her paw is all healed up and she can get back out on course! I’m glad the remote reinforcement games are going well 🙂
Tracy
Omg! This is such a great update about class!!!! You were supporting her and you can see the pieces coming together – SO EXCITING!!!!
Mix it up! Do the hard stuff like the engagement and leash stuff. But also balance that with easy, fast, fun sequences. The main goals are play and having fun 🙂
>>I will stop putting any demands on her for a start line and just make it all a game.>>
I think turning the pressure off on the start line will help a lot, and then you can add back the start line when she is ready.
>>Do the webinars you have this weekend address any additional games?>>
We have Brain Camp this weekend – some of it will be familiar, and some will be different, plus all the science stuff is amazing! The Advanced Sporty Brains will have the most new stuff.
And the MYOB webinars that start Dec 18th will also have a lot of new stuff and higher levels of stuff she knows.
Keep me posted!
TracyGood morning!
Yes – a baby puppy at a busy time of year does lead to video hoarding but at least you are training and getting stuff on video!! YAY!!!! Click/treat to you. He is doing really well and right on track for his age.
Prop videos: – A hat is a great choice! And to get toy play, the bigger longer toy was definitely better and you can also get up and run around a bit. To get more hat hitting, a couple of shaping ideas for you:
– How to help more: Reward placement! Either toss the treat to reset his movement away from the hat so he then moves back to the hat, or put it right on the hat. Mixing in both is great! But the main thing is: no more feeding from hand or delivering to his mouth for this shaping because he then comes and stares at your hand. Even luring with your hand might not get the desired result because he is watching your hand more.
– How to help less (and get more success): be quiet when he is offering, verbally and physically. Talking or tapping or moving the hat draws his focus to your hands and face. So be super quiet and let the reward placement do the talking. Markers are good but everything else can be quiet til you break off to play tug.
– How to help more: jump start the session by bringing him into the environment and then put the hat down. That will get him to look at the hat immediately because it is novel in the environment. If the hat is already on the ground, he is more likely to look at you.
Toy races: Because he is so young, I think some of what you are seeing is puppy coordination struggles (moving all the legs and the mouth is HARD lol!) and also he is being polite (enjoy it while it lasts 🙂
Maybe there was a little too much throwing him back and running here LOL Try it with just walking for now – let him win more with you running less. I think when you are bending over, he is backing off the pressure and not grabbing the toy as much. He is definitely keen on the toy and the tugging, so a little less motion and quicker transitions to throwing it and letting him go, then letting him grab it before you reach in to take it will help too.
Blind crossy stuff:
>>FOOD IS LIFE FOOD IS LIFERetable! And blinds are not that hard for handler or pup, so getting him to go from food to toys is far more important! Don’t move the toy too fast when he gets to you, because he doesn’t know how to control his speed yet and goes flying ass-over-tea-kettle LOL! So you can treat the toy presentation as part of the decel game – slow it down really early so it is still moving a little but he has time to coordinate himself 🙂
>>Here he is with the cat donut, both on top and inside>>
That as SO CUTE!!! Love it!! He is brave and confident which is great – keep getting him on random moving objects regularly, continuing through adolescence, so he doesn’t lose this bravery 🙂
>And yeah, he was playing with a rock. No judgment.
Ha! It is an inexpensive, accessible, high value toy. I call it a win!
>>He has spooked and alarm barked at a person walking a dog across the street (after the dog made noise at us). This isn’t really a behavior I want to let him rehearse, so looking for some advice on that one?>>
Check out the resilience game in week 3 – the pattern game. Teach him that at home (it is food-based, so I think it will be EASY lol). When he can do it in the house, do it in the yard, then on walks when nothing weird is happening.
And bring treats on walks so if something weird does happen like random dogs barking at him – you can whip out the pattern game. It really helps reset the pups!
And since he is small, if he is surprised by something, you can totally pick him up, give him a hug to soothe him, then continue on your way.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
I am glad she likes the ready dance – engagement and having fun together is the most important part of any of these games 🙂
For the RCs:
Her parallel path understanding is looking great! When you add the rear crosses, the goal is to be moving close to her then cross behind her before she reaches the prop, all in a smooth fluid motion. On the first couple, you were moving forward then suddenly went fast to cut behind her. Compare that to the rep that started at :23 and the next reps – you were moving quickly but it was also a steady quickness, no sudden bursts and she was able to get it! On the last rep, you were a little early cutting behind her so she almost turned too soon, but she was clever and went back out to the prop. Super!So keep going with steady and fast movement up the line pretty close to her, sliding to the next side behind her as she passes you.
To start each rep of the turn and burn game, she is now ready for you to cue it with an arm and leg step, like you did at :22 and after – that gave her to clear indication to start. Yay! She seems like a lefty here, with the left turns being smoother/easier than the right turns. This is good to know as the skills get harder.
Tonight we add some verbal cues and more games with the barrel 🙂
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
I am glad you have already started the pattern games. They are so useful! And adding the airport noises was really smart: distracting, yes, but not scary or overwhelming, and also probably not totally new. He was super!
>>I hope you’ve got a big cup of coffee to relax and enjoy the cronches of each half of a Fromm>>
Yes, giant coffee and happy cronch cronch noises LOL! Love it! He is a definite chewer and that might be part of his processing: extra long chewing as his brain assesses the environment. Very cool! The scientist folks tell us that there is a decompression element when we can get repeated mouth movement as well as olfaction – both of which are happening here. Plus, it is really cute 🙂
His tail is quite the barometer! When he is assessing the environment and chewing, check out how his tail is a bit bent. Then when things are all good and chewing over: high tail. Love it! We are always trying to figure out the body language of each individual pup, so it will will be really interesting to watch his tail position as he goes into different environments.
Great job here! See you in class tonight!
TracyGood morning!
OMG runaway barrel at the beginning! LOL!! I toss a lot of random stuff in the bottom of them to weigh them down.
She rocked this! YAY! And so did you – there are a LOT of handler mechanics and you were smooth as a fresh jar of Skippy.
>>She legit read my mind!!!>>
Well yes, she is brilliant and BorderWhippets are brilliant. But also you built up to this by training the layers of foundation before it, so she was well prepared for this level 🙂
>>And don’t mind me running the wrong way on the last set. And I didn’t change the angle even though I’m confident she would have been successful >>
No worries! The next step would be to start turning and moving the other way earlier and earlier. You can aim for the moment when she is just past halfway around, and see if she can continue to finish the turn. The goal is, over time, tobe able to do the front cross and run the other way before she even arrives to the barrel 🙂 but we have plenty of time to build to that.
>>I took my win and wrapped it up!>>
Heck yeah! Great job getting a few excellent reps then being done. That is the HARDEST part of puppy training, to end a session when things are going so well! Click/treat to you 🙂
I don’t really see a side preference, she seems pretty balanced in both directions. Maybe she is slightly more fluid to her left? Have you seen a side preference in your disc training?
I think I saw you mention on Facebook that she is not biting hard discs yet – since she likes this game and likes chasing the big toy, you can tie a soft disc to the end of the toy for her to grab. And if she likes that? Tie a harder disc to the end and see if she likes that! Just food for thought because I know she is going to be an amazeballs disc dog too 🙂
Awesome job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! I am so glad she did so well with the kids. She is just a lovely dog <3 Whippets rule!
>>the weather is terrible to try at the park>>
Winter has arrived way too early and I am not happy with it at all!! Brrrr!
The blind to decel game is looking good! Even in a smaller space, be sure to start the blind as soon as she begins moving towards you. When you did that, the side changes were very smooth 🙂 If you waited longer like until she was halfway to you, she had a more zigzag line. She read the decels really well and had lovely turns. You can move to the advanced level by adding in the toy throw and go go go at the end, she will really like that!
Countermotion: The food reps looked really good! She was going just about to the edge of the prop and that is all she needs to do in the first session. My guess is in the next session, she will be perfect with the food rewards
The toy was SO MUCH HARDER LOL! And that is why we use it – because it allows us to work through any questions about where to look or what to do when the toy is present. She definitely had to take a moment to figure out that yes, she CAN move to the prop when the toy was present (freezing and staring at the toy does not get the toy to move LOL!)
She had a LOT of good reps with the toy, and she was quite fast too! So 2 ideas for you with the toy:
– using pre-game 2 (the hand target game) you can work the concept of doing a ‘thing’ in the presence of a toy. The hand target should be really simple but it does require her to take her eyes off the toy to do it.
– let what she learned in this session percolate a bit so latent learning can kick in. Then do the exact same session (food first, then toy) and see what her brain remembers. It will be interesting to see if she has a much easier time next time!
Wow, she is a superstar rear crosser! The strong side was still strong and the harder side looked strong too! YAY! I agree, she is a rear crossing genius puppy. SUPER!! We add more rear crossy stuff tonight and that will help even more.
The backing up looks great. One thing I admire about all of your sessions here is how you set the tone and energy of each session to match what is needed for the behavior you are working on. The more action-packed/less precise games were more energetic and cuckoo 🙂 and this backing up session was more precise and calm, which totally helped her work the skill and process her mechanics. Love it! You can keep gradually adding distance between you and her mat. And you can also take a look at the next set of backing up games from last week where we adding backing up to something that moves a little.
>>She still hardly pulls back at all on the tug toys – is this something I should try to work on?>>
Yes, just as silly play though. She still has her puppy play style of wanting to be dragged around like a swiffer LOL!! It is adorable and she is attached to the toy when she does it! You can get more pulling back with something that she wants to run around with, like a cow milker maybe? Just play a little and when she gives a little pull, you can let her win it and run around 🙂
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Rear crosses are hard indeed and we do often see a side preference (takes longer to process info and coordinate mechanics on the non-preferred side, for humans and dogs :))
2 ideas for you:
– from the handling perspective to make sure she gets the info in time, give yourself more distance by starting further from the prop. That way she can drive ahead sooner and you can cut behind her to the new side sooner, so you are fully on the new side before she arrives at the prop. And if she turns correctly but does not hit the prop? Perfectly fine, big rewards! And have a video running – freeze the video the moment she is at the prop (or very close to it) and look at your line: where you already on the other side, or were you just starting the cues? If you were just starting the cues, try to be a lot sooner by getting to the other side of her earlier.
Be sure to warm her up with the bigger distance by doing some of the parallel path game so she leaves you in the dust moving to the prop.
– you can also give her a bigger visual reward to turn towards by putting an empty food bowl out on on the left turn side. That way when you cut behind her to cue the left turn, you can then put the reward in the food bowl. That makes the placement more obvious in advance of each rep, which can help her have a big ‘aha!’ moment and start coordinating the left turns.
Let me know what you think and how she does!
Tracy
Hi!
I was totally laughing too when he pushed himself between the barrel and you to get to the other cookie bowl, as well as some of his other freestyle moves to speed up the game. He gets a gold star for trying to be the MOST efficient in getting the treats LOL!!! And he was just trying to be helpful by shoving his nose in your pocket LOL!!! He is so funny and smart.You were very clever to put the barrel (is it a soft crate?) in your lap and get him going from there. Perfect! That is a good starting point. And since he is SO HUNGRY ALL THE TIME (I can relate LOL!) you might want to try this with you in a chair or even standing (or sitting on a couch) – that will move the cookies a little further away which might actually make it easier for him to think about the barrel and empty bowls. Let me know what he thinks about that!
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
The backing up session looked great! YAY!! You can start to delay the timing of your clicks a little now, so you are marking more steps backwards and not clicking as immediately.
I think the hardest part of each rep was having the next cookies ready because he starting going really fast! Since you start each rep by placing the cookie between your feet, you can give yourself an extra moment to get the next couple of cookies ready. That should help you feel less rushed now that he is getting the idea so nicely!
The hand target game is looking good – totally ready for the new game tonight! Your mouth click is pretty impressive, I would have thought it was a real clicker if I hadn’t read your comments first LOL!! My only suggestion for the hand target is to fully extend your target hand away, locking your elbow, and looking at the hand target and not at his cute face. Stay tuned for the game that uses this tonight!
Nice work 🙂
Tracy
