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Hi!
>>I sometimes (a lot of times) forget about the little things and just look at the big picture. If the big picture isn’t great, I’m usually not pleased with myself (initially). >>
The road to the big picture (achieving outcome goals, like clean runs, titles, wins, etc) is paved with the little things 🙂
>>It isn’t until way later in the night or the next day when I’m re-watching my video(s) a million times that I start to see the little victories inside of the run. >>
Watch your video after each run and you will find all the successes!
>>It’s so funny because I think I’m really great at helping other people see the little victories and celebrating the smallest of wins when they are discouraged about their performance. But I’m absolutely atrocious at doing it for myself. Pretty typical behavior, if I had to guess. lol>>
That makes sense! You need your inner voice to talk to you like you were a friend or student, rather than talking to yourself 🙂
>>You know, it’s so interesting you say this because it could not be more true. It wasn’t until last August that I’d ever gone or participated in an agility trial. I had NO CLUE how many NQs people got.>>
It is truly a high failure sport!!! A “good” Q rate is 30% in AKC. And in UKI, a good Q rate is more like 10% LOL!
>>Oh!! Great to know!! I did not know I could do my own course if I enter as training. >>
I can’t remember what the exact rule is for AKC – but in UKI, you can look at the course, walk it… then mark yourself as “NFC” on the gate sheet. And be sure to tell the judge as you walk into the ring (get her eye and say “NFC” and wave the toy if you have it).
>>I have my older dog in Speedstakes too and Saturday runs tall to small. So I’ll get the chance to run it with her before Kashia to get a feel for it. That should really help! But either way, we will just go in there and run, run, run, and have fun. The faster I run the more Kashia will stay engaged, hopefully!>>
Perfect! And for baby dogs – if she misses an obstacle, keep running, no fixing 🙂
>>I’m glad dog training sessions only take me a few minutes each night between each dog and other times I just want to keep practicing and wish their little brains could handle more! >>
Get another dog! LOL! Just kidding 🙂 Too bad you live so far away, I’d be like “here ya go, here are 5 dogs to train” LOL!!
>>Was it okay I added the bar on the last few reps? I thought that might help change it up a bit or challenge her a bit.>>
Yes that was fine 🙂 I think she just doesn’t love looking at the same setup over and over, so you can always add crazy things like a tunnel instead of a wing wrap start 🙂
T
Hi!
This is a really good session!>>For some reason mine doesn’t look like yours.
I think the only difference was that you were pretty connected and I was more dramatically disconnecting 🙂 Otherwise, super strong especially if this was the first try at it!
>>JJ didn’t always go for the ball. It looks like maybe I was dropping it late. >>
Your reward placement was really good – she was not necessarily expecting it there so you can move more slowly and yes, drop it sooner. Your motion will draw her across the bar so dropping it early and really dramatically will help 🙂 Your hand choice was good and your mechanics were good, so she probably just needs another session or two to get used to the reward placement. And you can disconnect more: as soon as her nose arrives at the entry edge of the backside wing, stop looking at her and drop the ball in behind you 🙂
Nice work!!
TracyHi!
>>I do put some pressure on myself to perform well for my dog.>>
A little pressure is a good thing! I have always found that setting goals for my performance with very specific things like “maintain connection on all tunnel exits” helps me put on a little pressure but also gives me very specific things to do, to achieve that goal (along with “don’t freak out” hahahaha)
>>But given all the new elements we are going to experience, I’m nervous. I’m pretty hard on myself when I know my capabilities.>>
That is why I recommend setting specific execution goals like connection, etc – those will give you ways to give yourself feedback without being hard on yourself. Agility is really hard and so giving yourself feedback is a great way to make improvements from run to run and bounce back when things go wrong (because things go wrong for all of us in agility ALL THE TIME LOL!!!)
>> I don’t really give myself leniency for mistakes. >>
Mistakes are opportunities to learn and make adjustments. Don’t be hard on yourself for a mistake – figure out what happened and make adjustments til you find the sweet spot. The only time to be hard on yourself is if you keep making the same mistakes without trying to make adjustments 🙂
>>I’m always pleased with their efforts.>>
Yay! They are mirrors of the information they receive, so their feedback is very valuable.
>>No doubt I’ll still be extremely embarrassed if she does something wild or crazy…but I’m going to try to just let it be and keep it fun for her. >>
Perfect! Fast, fun, keep moving… and if something goes sideways, keep moving LOL!!! Things often go sideways with young dogs. I started agility with Dalmtians and oh yes there were a ton of crazy moments early on LOL!
>>I totally agree. This is actually the only reason I entered her in speedstakes.>>
Speedstakes is really fun, and if you enter NFC you can make up your own course. You can decide that when you see the course – if it looks fast and flowy, try it as designed. If it looks Stooooopid? Or too hard for her? Make up your own course 🙂
> I just want her to have an experience in a trial environment. Our first AKC show is in April. I may enter her in FAST for the same experience. >
Time 2 Beat is also great because it is usually flowy, you can do FEO, and you can skip the weaves or contacts.
>>I always jump my dogs preferred/select anyway so Kashia will be at 12″.
I LOVE this and wish more people would do that.
>>The lotus ball has been great but only with food.>>
You can carry it in your hand (no food in it :)) as a focal point for her, to help ease the transition from training to the trial environment. And do a short fun blast in the ring then run out for the reward 🙂 Just remember in AKC to put her leash on before you exit the ring (UKI does not have leash rules like that).
>> Even if I don’t have a toy, I can do FEO and just give her lots of praise and pats, right?>>
100% yes 🙂
>>This is so hard. I kept it to 3-4 backside reps with a straight through running rep in the middle and the end. I really don’t feel like that should be too much but I know I’m also comparing her to a mature dog.>>
Yes – mature dogs are more predictable. You can start a session with good cookies then whip out the MINDBLOWING cookies for getting more reps.
>> It’s just hard quitting after 2 reps because it feels like hardly any training! Like it feels like it would take a century just to master something at that rate. lol>>
Quality to quantity! That is my mantra 🙂 The number of reps is not all that important. The quality of the reps in a session is really important – the number of reps is not important. So getting 2 or 3 great reps… then be done and let her sleep on it (because that is when the learning really happens: sleep!) Multiple short, quality sessions will go a long way to getting behavior. For example, with my young whippet: I do a session on a skill I want him to learn, just maybe 2 or 3 or 4 reps. Then I might do another session later that night? Then I put the skill away for at least a few days (sometimes a few weeks LOL!) and then when I come back to it, the behavior is great.
<<>>
Great! I will task my husband with making me something. >>Ha! Perfect!
Looking at the video: overall it went really well!!!
>>We had a few mess ups. I’m not really sure what I did to cause them. >>
On the very first rep, you were running to where the exit wing would be – that is eventually what the perfect line would be, but she wasn’t quite ready for it (especially as the first rep). The 2nd rep and the reps after it on that side (sending to a left turn around the backside wing) were all great – you had more motion to the center of the bar on the backside and it was exactly what she needed (like at :13, :21, :29, and again at the end of the video).
She also had a miss on the first rep on the other side. I thought your line of motion was good – she might have needed a bit more drama on the extreme connection but also – there was a horse distraction off in the distance and that might have caught her eye. I am sure she has plenty of experience being around horses but this might have just been enough of a visual distraction that while she didn’t leave her work, she also didn’t process the cue to go to the backside. No worries – she was great on the next reps and you were pretty far across the bar!!!
>>I kept it to 3-4 backside reps with a straight through running rep in the middle and the end. I really don’t feel like that should be too much>>
For skills like this, you can do one or two reps then do something that looks completely different (like a little combo game, or switching where the jump is (make the start wing into the jump, and the jump becomes the start wing, or add a tunnel) so it doesn’t look like doing the exact same setup/visual. That can help get more reps without her losing interest.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
>>He sends really nicely – i just need to remember to trust him.>>
Yes – trust your sends! They set up a lot of other good handling so definitely use them 🙂
The turn aways are looking really strong – very clear connection shifts!
He did really well with the turn aways at the beginning! And adding more distance was easy for him. It looks like you were pretty far across the bar and not using a lot of RC motion, really emphasizing the connection/hands. Yay! The further away, the better, especially when using one of these turn aways to set up layering.
You can start the cues even sooner – as he exits the wrap before the jump, you can begin the connection shift and hand cues, so he get the info sooner – this will mean you can leave even sooner for the next line!
At :29 & :34, the cues were starting when he was halfway between the wing and jump which was a little late and the turns were a little wider.Compare to :38 & :51 which were starting a lot sooner (as he exited the wing) which gave him the info sooner (better turns!), especially when there was a possibility of going straight versus turning away. At :51, your position and line of motion did indicate the backside, so remember to be moving to the jump more for the tandems.
The threadle wraps are going well too! Great job continuing to move forward through them and not rotate to the jump. On most of them, your connection shift and position (facing the threadle line) made it really clear for him (1:09, 1:23, 1:30, and then later in the sequence like at 1:50 and after that). There was one blooper (1:16) where you faced the jump instead of the line and got the tandem. But the rest were great! And great job balancing with straight line and some tandems at the end.
As you continue working the threadle wraps, he might not even need as much turn away cue with the hands – you might be able to start the cue with the connection shift/hand position then let him do the rest by turning himself away instead of waiting for the hand cue – that can allow for even more independence and have you moving forward to the next line even sooner.
Great job here!!!
TracyHi!
>>(Oh- and hope you get a chuckle at the beginning that I didn’t crop out)>>
OMG THAT WAS HILARIOUS!!!! And actually, that is what Lift would sound like if she could speak English. Absolutely priceless!
“That’s what she says, though” hahahahahahaha
I will watch that EVERY TIME I need a laugh LOL!! I think Lift & Dean need their own TikTok channel where he provides the voice to her thoughts.
The session went really well! I did watch it after I watched the beginning 3 times LOL! She was fantastic about moving away from the treats without any drama or questions or worry. And she did all the things you asked (the down was a little harder because there was a little distraction, and she was excited so going all the way into the down was a little harder, but she did it!)
>>She’s waiting for me to move back to the treats before coming along with me. Not sure if that is an issue at this early stage or not.>>
Not a problem at all. The main goal is the impulse control of being able to move away from the reinforcement (and when you moved it to the lower table, it was harder but she was still excellent about ignoring it). And the secondary goal is to be able to respond to cues without diving onto the reinforcement that is pretty accessible – and she was great with that too. So the marker to go back is more of a “we are done and going to head back together” and not as “go dive on the cookies” marker LOL!! And that is great – I prefer that they don’t run away from us (or, eventually, out of the ring) to get to the rewards.
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
>>I do worry a bit that we’re behind on working out in public more but I couldn’t find a good in person puppy class for her and then she hit adolescence and I figured it would be super frustrating to try one then.>It is funny because yesterday morning I was considering asking you about in-person puppy classes for her, then I decided against it because I was not sure it would be a great experience for her. And, after what we learned during covid lockdown – we don’t actually need our youngsters in a class environment and we can get them happy in trial environments without it. The vast majority of the Covid MaxPup crew had no trouble transitioning into the trial environment, even with zero access to class exposure (or trial exposure) during a theoretically “critical” time.
I have put my two young dogs in classes that start this week, but they are 13 months and 18 months old so they have had more history and exposure. And if there is anything in the class environment that I think is not great for them… I will either change it up or pull them from the class. One instructor is a friend of mine and the other is an acquaintance – plus I put the 13 month old in a lower level class just to get environmental exposure without over-facing skills. So I am sure eventually Lift will be in a class somewhere but you can shape the class to make it what you want 🙂
So, I don’t think you are behind at all, in that respect – I think you are using other environments as exposure opportunities and doing it within the framework of the experience you want her to have (and without frustration for either of you).
>>I need to do more where he’s the distraction lying in a bed nearby instead of being a barking distraction in another room.>>
Absolutely! But I don’t think it will be a problem for her 🙂>>she’s still not convinced especially if a tunnel or other bit of equipment is out there in front of her.>>
You did lineups during the countermotion game – they were fast, snappy, highly reinforced, and it looks like she was very happy to do them! If the game then starts with a collar hold, you can add it in at the end of the line up.
The countermotion exits game went great! And the 2nd barrel (hedgehog?) is so cute!
Since she did we all with everything including letting you go all the way around the jump to the takeoff side before releasing, you can be releasing a little later, as you are further ahead so there is even more countermotion. As you add that, you can throw the rewards back sooner so they land more on the landing side and not near you at all (on the takeoff side). That will get her looking at the bar and not at you as you add more countermotion (and eventually more speed too 🙂 ) The placement might cause her to jump a little wider over the bump for now, but that will no be an issue when it becomes a ‘real’ jump because the line of motion will be so powerful that she will still have a really tight turn.>>Now here’s something you don’t usually see -restrained recalls in MN outside in early February without a danger of slipping.>>
Yeah that is completely insane!
The restrained recalls looked great! She did best when you ran away about as soon as Dean had her, so there was high energy from the very first moment. She got to really open up and even brought the toy back! Bringing the toy back when she has the entire yard to run around in is a big win for sure! The reverse retrieve was good at the end, but the full retrieve was not as strong – she might have been toast by then. Even though it was not that long of a session, it was a lot of running/sprinting and she is not used to that!
If the weather holds up and you can train outside, you can add in blind crosses to the recalls. And you can add in distractions like different random things in the yard.
>>I was just thinking about doing the rocking horses with wings and/or barrels outside>>
Perfect!! Start with barrels and if those are easy, go to wings. And tell your work colleagues that lunch time is for puppy training LOL!!
Great job!!
TracyGood morning! It is so fun to see him figuring all of this out!!
Strike a pose is going well!
>>should have spent some more time refreshing the nose target, because he kept forgetting about it, but I suppose that’s part of the challenge, with a toy?>>
Yes and no – initially yes, we do want him to do the target then go to the toy. The touch doesn’t have to be direct though – he can do a bit of a drive by 🙂 as he develops the in and out behavior for serps and threadles. So if he goes towards the hand and side-swipes the target? Perfectly fine! And when we add the jump in for him to go over (a jump bump), we will move to him not needing to touch the hand target (because in serps and threadles, we want the in and out but not the hand touching, especially as you start moving).
I think he is ready for you to add in the picture of a jump between you and him for this game. My only suggestion is to clarify toy markers – I think you were saying “get it” for the toy in your hand and “chase it” for a thrown toy, which is great! Now you can take out the ‘yes’ before those, otherwise yes becomes the marker for all of it 🙂
For turn and burn – try not to have the toy as the lure to go around the barrel, because that draws his focus to the toy and not the barrel. And if the toy moves too early… he won’t go to the barrel (second rep here). On the 3rd and 4th reps, he went to the barrel really well because the barrel was the focal point (not the toy :))
So to get hm to really drive to the barrel, keep it as the focal point and also stand still facing it rather than be in the crouched and ready to run position (which also draw his focus off the barrel). Put a line on the ground as a cue for you as to when you can do the FC and move away – start the line right as he exits the barrel, then gradually moving the line further and further around the barrel so you are doing the FC sooner and sooner 🙂
The rocking horses went really well – barrels as focal point are definitely key for him! His questions here (when he didn’t smoothly go to the barrel were about the “yes” marker (because it often means the reward is coming immediately) and also connection.
At :12 and :16, for example, your connection as he exited the barrel and came to the new FC side was strong, so he had no trouble going to the next barrel. At :19 (and a little bit at :34), your connection was not as strong (you were looking forward/pointing forward instead of looking at him) so he offered a behavior that is probably cued/rewarded when he sees that position: the between-your-feet behavior LOL!!
>>He knocked our makeshift barrel over and then climbed on the peanut which was the cutest ever.>>
That was SO FUNNY and CUTE!!! He just went with it: “I know what we are doing now, mom, goat games!” So adorable!!!!!!
>>also worked on some rears to the prop, For the rears, getting him to turn left is… challenging.>>
Yes, the right turns were definitely easier and your timing was good on those (a little late on the first rep but good on the rest!)
For the left turns – do them first in the next session, so he doesn’t have right turns on his brain 🙂 and warm up with a couple of cookie lure turns to the left, on the flat. Then add in the left turns on the prop – and try the alternate way of doing it:The alternate game will help isolate the left-turn-only (just be sure you are up by his head/neck on the side change really early, that will get it done.
He did really well with the parallel path game! Yay! If you use bars instead of a bump, use a strip of duct tape to attach them to the floor so they don’t roll if he steps on them.
>>this was literally the first time he’s seen this mat and I thought he was great!>>
Wow, what a good boy! That went really well!!! Because he is young, he will be on the mat work level for a long time so break up the sessions with tugging after every 3 or 4 treats (keeps him feeling spicy about it :)). The other thing you can do is attach the mat to something a little taller, about an inch high, so he has to step up onto it and over it. That will allow you to shift the marker/reinforcement to back foot #4 – the slight elevation makes it easier to see the 1-2-3-4 pattern of feet at this stage, so we can mark back foot 4 (which means he has done the split rear feet criteria, because 3 should come before 4 LOL!)
Great job here!! He is really putting all the pieces together!!
Tracy
Good morning! Looking at all 3 videos posted here (1345 was posted twice):
>>I hadn’t realized how much my pushing in was a cue for him>>
Yes – at this point, he is relying on your really pushing in/rotating your feet to him to get the line, which is more than we want you to have to do.
If you are far enough ahead and able to do it, he finds the backside (but you can see he is still working out the mechanics and not 100% sure about it). But if you were not far enough ahead and/or you try to keep moving forward and not rotating your feet towards him (like at :33 and 2:07 and 2:21 in the first video, or when he took the front of the jump on videos 1348 and 1350), he would take the front side of the jump.
You will want to be moving forward not have this much foot rotation, because it is causing you to run a bit sideways. That will make other exits (like serp exits or German turns) really hard.
So, it is not about adding more handling 🙂 What will help is getting more understanding from him on the backsides, so try these (in this order, to really build understanding over the course of several sessions):
– put a line on the ground that you will move forward on, to approximately the center of the bar on the backside jump (or where the bar would be, see below 😁). Don’t let yourself go past the line, and don’t rotate your feet. Use verbal and upper body/connection, not motion pressure.
– take the bar out of the backside jump, so there is less draw to the front side of a jump, which has a lot of value.
– using the line on the ground, lead out at least 2 or 3 steps after the landing of jump 1. Then either do a psh to the outside of the backside wing (staying on your line) or have him go straight between the uprights as a balance rep.If this goes well, you will be able to add the bar back within a session or two but when you do that, angle the jump almost 90 degrees so the backside entry is very easy to see and the front side is harder to see.
If he struggles on the wings – use only one wing (where the backside entry wing would be) so he gets used to pushing away from you.
Nice work! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
>we stayed up late watching the Super Bowl >>
No worries! I was up late watching it too – fun game!!!! Way past my bedtime though LOL!
The get out games are going well. Working out the line of motion on videos 1 and 2 was really helpful, so you could keep moving up the line (like in video 2) and still cue the get out behavior). The first video had a little too much moving towards the get out jump, but you fixed that on video 2 with the lines on the ground, so the get outs had a lot of good independence!
She had a question on the last get out at :38 (video 2) was a little late and also didn’t have the extreme connection (as you noted in the video). But the other reps all looked great!
Video 3 is the same as the 2nd video, let e know if it was supposed to be a different one
Looking at the combos:
On video 4, the get out elements looked really good! She was definitely responding to the cues (and not just going to the jump without being cued). Super!
You can use more exit line connection on FC exit after the backside. For example at :06 – :07 you were looking ahead so she was not sure where to be and she looked at you rather than go to the jump. Adding more exit line connection would also let you see if she is committed to the jump or not before you turned away from it.The exit line connection was better at :21 but it can be even clearer, with your dog-side arm back and eyes on her. Your dig-side arm was a little forward so she looks up at your hand as she passes you (it is blocking connection and turning your shoulder forward). And exit line connection will let her know if it is a ‘stay on the line’ moment or a ‘get out’ moment or a ‘blind cross to the other side’ moment 🙂
Video 5 combo is also looking good! Remember to cue the backside after the get out jump (you rotated a little too soon, so it looked like you wanted her to come through the gap there).
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>I have a lot going against me, I hope the courses aren’t also hard!>>
The beginning courses *should* be relatively straightforward. But since there are so many new elements for you and Kashia, it is better to run FEO/NFC so you can focus on all of the other elements and not the Q. Make it fun for you both!
>>1. When do you start trialing your dogs? Do you have a minimum age you wait until or does it depend on their skill level?>>
I have both a minimum age AND a minimum skill level. If the dog and I have a strong history of teamwork/engagement in similar environments to trials (like classes or outside the ring at a trial), and the dog is a little closer to 2 years old… then I will enter a trial at a lower jump height and run NFC/FEO. I only ask for simple behaviors and make it really fun for the dog, with no attempts to actually Q. I just do jumps and tunnels at first – no stays, no contacts, no weaves because those are highly likely to go wrong and I don’t want the dog to be wrong in the early trial experiences. All of that gets added back in over the course of NFC runs – I usually spend the first few months of the dog’s career doing NFC to build confidence and happiness in the environment.
>>2. I’m nervous about the lotus ball because Kashia only likes it if there is food in it. I’m afraid the first time she goes to get it and there’s no food, she’ll just be disappointed and disengage with me.>>
In UKI, you are allowed to throw rewards in NFC runs so you can try a ball or toy she might like?
>>She sure loses interest quickly. The beginning reps she had bouncy excited sends and by the last couple she was quite slow. >>
Might be too many reps of the same thing, so if you get two or three correct reps, change it up to do something different.
>> I feel like there is so much pressure to use the fancy name brand stuff or the competition style stuff.>>
Agree! There is heavy marketing out there, especially for fitness stuff and foundation stuff for the dogs… sooooo expensive in a sport that is already expensive. I prefer to save my $$ for the important stuff, is I have invested in some really nicely jumps (along with my crapy homemade ones haha) but I use a lot of homemade stuff for foundation work, or anything I can get at Walmart or a dollar store (like those barrels of wing wrapping are 99 cent laundry baskets :))
For example, I pulled out my foundation plank yesterday – it was built in 2003 by a friend and still usable! I think I bought it for $25 from him to cover materials, and it has been used by at least 7 of my dogs since then. Quite the bargain!!!Tracy
Good morning!
>>will work thru max 2 and see you for the ext round of max 3>>
We do have a MaxPup 2 coming up in March!
The training session went well! You are getting really strong with keeping your arms down and letting her see the connection. That created a ton of smooth reps, like on the first rep, :20-:24, :38-:39. There was only one disconnection (:13) and she jumped up at you (she didn’t know where to be so she was frustrated) but that was the only time.
So definitely keep going with the low arms and great connection!!
At the end you did some backside/serp work – the sending to the backside looked really good! Rather than use a physical cue to bring her back between the uprights, keep moving but drop the reward in on the landing side. The timing of the reward is as soon as she is at the entry wing and before there is any decision needed about coming back over where the bar would be. Dropping the reward as soon as she gets to the entry wing will help develop the default for coming back over the bar without needing any help from you 🙂
Great job!!
Tracy
Good morning!
I agree that your assessment of the extra room with the tunnels adds to the fun of running through the tunnel (toy or no toy). She is really accelerating to the tunnel now and that is also bubbling over to toy play being really fun in this moment too. She is not loving the line up to get to where you want her to be for the next rep (“I’ll be over here, just send me to the tunnel thanks!” – Lift, probably) which makes some of the starts to the reps a bit of a question for her, so a few ideas for you:
– you can tug her back into position next to you and very close, then gently hold her collar (if she doesn’t find it icky)
– you can line up with a cookie – lowest value pocket-lint level cookie when using a toy in a new environment LOL or high value food if that is the reinforcement in the session. If can be something like: line up for a cookie, stick with me (stay close) for another cookie, then send to the tunnel (or gently hold her collar before the send).
– you can work line up stuff at your side or between your feet so that is a comfortable position for starting reps, even when a yummy tunnel is right there.Backsides – these are going really well!! One suggestion:
as you get further and further across the bar, toss the reward back behind you to where the wing and bump meet (try to get it to land on the landing spot as if it was a backside wrap :)) . This is an exaggerated placement to help her come around the wing and look at the bump and not at you – the rewards were near you and a little ahead, so throwing them back away from you to the landing spot near the wing will help her get independence. And even though the reward is where the backside wrap landing spot will be, we won’t accidentally create too much turn there because when we fade that, she will be reading the position/motion and the verbal.>>she took one forwards even with 1 wing.>>
That was a good moment for her to see the difference between the cues. No worries! I think that you might have been moving slowly so she slipped in front of you – you can add more motion so she gets more of an extension cue coming up the line. It seemed a lot easier to start from a sit because it allows you to set the line sooner – she was super confident on those and really driving to the backside! Yay!
Sounds like there were some distractions in the environment during the rocking horses game and she did really well – great exposure to things she will encounter while playing a fast and fun game.
She was REALLY opening up into extension here and I love it! And still turning really well on the wings too. On the first rep or two you can see her processing things (trot for a step or two then run). Putting the wing wrap into a sequence after the tunnel surprised her on the first rep and then doing the wing to the tunnel surprised her. But after seeing the each the first time, she was all about the running and was terrific! Very fun 🙂 You can start adding even more distance between the tunnel and wings, even if it is only once every couple of weeks (depending on when you can get into Fusion and how the weather is to train outside).Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
>>He didn’t have to pee, wasn’t too full or too hungry AND I didn’t touch his collar.>>
These are all pretty important! I mean, I am not so good at training if I have to pee, or I am stuffed or hangry, or someone is holding my neck LOL!!!
Basically, not using the collar grabs when the toy is involved greatly reduces the pressure and really helped here!
The tunnel-wing rocking horse looked really strong! He was fast through the tunnel and to the wing, and line focused. Super!!! You can add the 2nd wing to the game now (which also means adding more running :))
The decel game went great – he was really strong about finding the jump on the acceleration line. And for the turn, he was great about turning when you were decelerated. Being sideways to the jump was too much turn cue for him and he slowed way down (based on his size, it is likely that you won’t need to use super rotated turn cues because we won’t need a ton of collection from him).
Great job!!
TracyGood morning! It was such a nice weather weekend!
Good spin on the first rep! Then some toy retrieve issues – one thing to work on in a small indoor room at first (then ring it outside) is doing a wrap on a wing, letting go of the toy, then getting him to come back to another toy (or a low value cookie). He doesn’t have to bring the toy 🙂 he gets rewarded for coming back to you rather than long toy victory laps where you have to go get him. The laps with the toy are fine if you cue it, and ideally he comes back pretty quickly (especially if you have; t cued a ‘go for a run’ with the toy).
As you add more speed to the spins, remember to use your eyes more (connection) and arms less 🙂 When you are looking ahead/pointing ahead, he is not as sure of where to go and e ends up looking at the you and the toy (like at 1:43). And when you are more connected and looking at him more? Very smooth and fast!!
Serps – he is getting the idea for sure! Good job to you for keeping your shoulders facing the jump on there serp!
Try not to release him from his stay until you are at the exit wing (which is more like serp position and less like threadle position). What was happening here was he was doing the serp when you released him at the entry wing, because he could come in front of you. When you were closer to the exit wing later in the session, he went around the jump because jumping towards you is much harder – but it is a main element of a serp. So, move very slowly but don’t release until you are at the exit wing so he can learn to serp directly toward you.On the threadle video:
He did well coming to the correct side of the jump (good job mixing in stay rewards here and on the serp video too)>>He comes to the threadle side but goes around the entire jump.>>
It looks like motion is overriding the understanding of finding the bar (then he got a little locked onto the MM), so you can take out the motion for a session or two: stand perfectly still in threadle position so as soon as he gets. To the threadle side, you click the MM. Then when he figures that out, you can stay in threadle position but delay the click ever so slightly until he looks at the bar.
When he is zipping in for the threadle and back out to the bar with no questions (and no additional handling help) then you can start to add back very slow moving through the threadle.
The turn and burn went really well! His value for wings is really blossoming!
When sending, be sure you are connected. So even on the easier turns for him, he would sometimes hesitate if you pointed ahead or didn’t connect fully.A general puppy training thing is if you send to a wing and they look at you instead… you need to connect more and lower your hands (like you did 1:10 – 1:15, which was gorgeous!!!)
Great job here!!
Tracy
Good morning! Good job with these games!! What was happening here was you were mainly doing lap turn cues so when you were showing the info for a lap turn, she got it really well!
The lap turn is a threadley move where we face the dog and use an extended hand (usually one hand, the one closer to the jump) to draw the dog to us (and a connection shift to the hand too :)) but a main part of the lap turn cue is the footwork: as the dog is almost arriving at the hand, the leg next to the jump steps back as the hand draws the dog through – then hand and leg turn the dog away to the jump to get the commitment.
It looks like this (slightly different angle but same arm/footwork):
When you were facing her but backing up on the first video, it was hard to get her past the front side of the jump (motion there made it unclear as to fit she should take the front or come to the back).
On the 2nd video (breaking it down) you were stationary and using the hand more (more shifting connection for sure! Yay!) but your feet stayed together so she didn’t always have the cue or room to get past you to the backside of the jump. (This video was posted twice).
On the 4th video where you were breaking it down too – it was hard for her on the first couple of reps. Then your leg started to step back (:22) and that allowed her to get it. Yay!! On every rep after than on this video and the next 2, she got it if your inside leg stepped back. But if the leg didn’t move or didn’t let her get past you to the backside, she (correctly) ended up on the front side or flipping away
On the 5th video, you had the connection and footwork starting to come together: at the beginning, your turn hand is hidden by being close to you (it should be fully extended towards her, practically locking your elbow straight) and you were looking at her.
But then at :20 you had a clear connection shift, more visible hand, more leg step back – she got it. Yay! The mechanics were good too at :47 but you stepped forward with the other leg before she could pass you, which pushed her to the front of the jump
Last video: good shift at the start and your position gave her more room so she was able to get it on both reps – yay! So that is going to be your most successful way of doing the lap turns. You don’t need to be as far from the jump, as long as you do the exaggerated arm & leg movement.
You might find the threadle wraps where you are moving forward are actually easier and, depending on the sequnece on course, will keep you further ahead. This is where your feet are moving forward on the line the whole time, not facing her at all, so there is no real footwork needed. It is more similar to a tandem turn than to a lap turn, and it looks like this:
You still have the connection shift to your hands but your line of motion is forward the whole time.
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
