Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Yes, it totally made me think of a warm sunny beach 🙂 Keep me posted on how he does with you ahead of him on the serps!
T
Hi!
>I think I sometimes forget to drop it because her drive for it isn’t super yet. In fact, in this whole session I basically just used the toy as a treat dispenser. >>
Yes – so far she seems to like it as a treat dispenser from your hand 🙂 Away from the training barn, you can play with putting something in it is delicious and kind of sticks out of it (like a long thin slice of cheese) – and close it only a little, so it is easy to get open. That way it is very easy for her to get it open and get a treat. She is very food-motivated so I bet a few sessions with letting her figure out the joys of opening it, and it will be a really effective reinforcement.
>>On the moving piece, I always get into a conundrum with myself. I want to run fast and ahead of her but I’m also trying to use sending skills to send her to the wing so I try to match her speed as well as run ahead. How do I balance that?>>
Good question! On easier lines, you can take off and run run run – any line where it is easy for her to follow your motion. On the countermotion lines, like sends where you send her one direction and you try to go the other direction… you can start close to the send wing and as she arrives at it, throw the reward to her as you start moving the other way. Then we will change it so as she heads to the wing, you start going the other way and then she can chase you (which she really seems to like).
>> I’m afraid if I run too far ahead, I won’t actually be sending her to the second wing because I’ll be right up at the wing waiting for her but if I don’t run, that slows her motion down too. >>
You can start really close to the first wing, wait for her to exit… then move forward to the 2nd wing and send her to it. Or, add another wing or have her go over the jump before the first wing, to give yourself an even bigger running start 🙂
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
I’m liking his toy play here!!!
I think he was actually very clever here: it was only one or two steps to get to the toy… but several to the barrel and then wrap it then several back to the toy. So… he was just finding the most efficient line to the reinforcement! Smart!OK then, we need to convince him to not be so smart LOL!!! Have the barrel and the toy further apart, and start right next to the barrel (close enough for his nose to touch it :)) That can make it more efficient and easier to go around the barrel first before going to the toy.
Also, do a bunch of right turns first – if my memory is correct, he is a righty? I scrolled back but couldn’t find it. The first rep was to the right and he did well! The others were to the left and that was when it was easier to go behind you for the toy. Let me know if my memory is correct that he is a righty.For the class schedule – the last games are posted on the 23rd, and the last day of video review is Feb 14. That should give plenty of time to get lots done!
Nice work! Stay warm!
TracyHi! I think he is pretty engaged here on these videos! The difference you are seeing is that since he is not a BC, he will react differently when the game is unclear or the rate of reinforcement is too low. My understanding is that in his breed, you can find ancestry with Corgi and Manchester Terrier – two really smart breeds that are also going to get careful if things aren’t clear.
So on the first video, there were 7 failures (no rewards for the skills) and 8 successes (rewards for the skills) so the overall rate of success was too low. That is why he wasn’t entirely sure of what to do. The start cookies get him engaged in the game, but sticking to the 2 failure rule (2 errors in the session means you have to clarify the info to avoid more errors).
When he was not getting to the backside, it was because there was not enough motion to support his line to the correct side of the jump, so you can move faster and not be as far ahead. And, for now, he needs you to be closer to the barrel so he has a clearer idea of what to go around.He definitely liked the toy! It was more stimulating than the food rewards:
>>Should I have just stopped when I saw how focused he was on the toy,>>
I think what was happening there was not too much focus on the toy, but rather that you were a little too stationary and your arm was too far back, so it looked like a natural cue to come in towards you.
He was happy to eat the food, but for food rewards you can be really active and run and let him chase you for them, to keep the energy really high there too 🙂
2nd video –
He had a lot of good wraps here! The first 2 wraps on the first rep were really strong!
Then you disconnected at :23 so he tried to get to the correct side (bounced off your leg) but then you moved away from the barrel too soon… that is a spot to reward him rather than re-send him. Any error in commitment or being on the wrong side is handler error, not puppy error 🙂On the 2nd and 3rd reps, you had a whole bunch in a row and I think it got a little repetitive for him. So try to do 2 or 3, maximum, then reward and have a big party. Resist the temptation in this game or the backside game to do a ton of reps, so he can be fresh and excited with short sessions.
So for something like the backside game, limit yourself to 5 high energy reps (and live by the 2 failure rule). Ad for the wrapping games, do 2 barrel wraps or 3 at the most, then big rewards. Do maybe 2 reps of those, then they can be the whole session. Leave him wanting more 🙂
I think the rest of his life is fine, it sounds like he is doing well! That is not likely to be affecting what happens in training, I think it is more about rate of success and short sessions.
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
He totally has the idea of the push cue here! Your motion and connection were really strong! You are moving towards the center of the bar and he seems to be having no problem. At about :46 you added in moving towards where the exit wing would be, and he was great there too. YAY! You can also do some balance reps where you call his name and cue the front (I would just say “Yuzu jump!”) to start helping him differentiate between the front side cues and backside cues.
The ball retrieve to the bowl is going great and so there is no grey area (with markers and voice and almost getting it into the bowl etc), I suggest adding a clicker to it. That way it is VERY clear that putting the ball in the bowl (and eventually your hand) is what makes the click happen. I did this with Voodoo:
I also do a ton of using the tenny as a reward for other things then after I toss it, I run away which encourages the pups to carry it towards me. And I tug on the ball when it is in the pup’s mouth, plus I tease the pup with it before I toss it – all to ramp up ball excitement. You can see the teasing and tugging here:
Sounds like he is having fun at all the trials too! Is he able to play with toys in that environment? I am sure he will eat cookies there 🙂
Great job!
TracyHi! Thanks for the update! I am glad to hear that she is feeling better and you are getting back into the swing of things! Looking forward to the videos 🙂 Have fun!
TracyHi!
I love the “Serps Up” video titles, it makes me think of sun and beaches instead of the snow and ice we have here LOL!The serpy skill is looking good! You are using the outside arm which brings him in over the bar AND shows good exit line connection, so the first video looked great (I don’t think he saw the wing tucked behind the pole on the first rep but the rest was really strong!)
2nd video – you can keep moving more through the sends and past the jump – when you stopped, he asked a question. On the 2nd rep, you can be showing the serp arm & calling him as he exits the wing wrap before the jump to see if he can find the jump when you are far ahead.
3rd video: Nice job moving through the serp jump! That was very smooth! You can give more connection when you send away to the wing before the jump – when it is just your arm and not enough eye contact, he checks in to see if he is correct.
You can see that clearly at the start of the 4th video – on the first send, your arm was really high so he didn’t go to the wing because the high arm turned your shoulders away from the wing. When you had a lower arm on the 2nd rep, he went to the wing right away. Super! And the Serp looked good.
When you switched sides, you were way ahead on the serp but he had trouble with you being way ahead and went past the jump. You turned your feet towards him on the last rep, which helped him come in. The other thing you can do s you don’t have to turn your feet is as you are doing the serp arm, look back to the landing spot as if you are pointing at it – and see if that helps him come in to the jump when you are way ahead.
On the last video, he came in for the serp jump perfectly, no foot turn needed. Yay! You were on the center of the bar there. So when you practice these, get a little further ahead so he gets used to finding the jump behind you for the serp rather than running parallel to it when you are ahead.
Great job here! He is looking super!
Tracy
Hi!
Really super session here! Yes, there was a blooper or two but the best part was that you recognized it and handled/connected differently on the very next rep, so she got it right.Ok, the other best part was that she was speedy and engaged the whole way through. You can start running as soon as you send her to the first wing, that will get even more speed right from the first step (she was not sure if she should go because you were not moving as much, but as soon as you started moving, she went fast 🙂 )
Just about all of the reps had really lovely drive around the wings and serpentines! It was very clear to see your arm & shoulder drop back, so she came right in.
On the first rep where she did not come in, I think she was just going fast and the serp cue was a little late. You fixed the timing on the next rep and she came right in. Super!!
One tiny little disconnection on the wing send at :38, but you fixed it on the next rep and she had clear info on all the other reps.
I loved the connection and timing when you switched sides starting at :54 – you were earlier with the connection shift, so both of you were moving faster while still being accurate.
38 wing send was needing more connectionAt 1:23, your line of motion was great (really adding some countermotion while passing the wing) and that is where the connection shifting to the landing spot (and toy thrown behind you to the landing spot) will help her commit as you move forward. You were looking at her, so she came with you, following your motion.
You immediately fixed it on the next rep by showing more of the connection to the landing spot, and got even better building up to the last rep which had the same line of motion as at 1:23 but also great connection: nailed it!
>>It took more mental focus from both of us than the last lesson did but I think we did alright for our first attempt! >>
You were both terrific! It is definitely harder than the other games which is why it took more mental focus, plus she was moving faster so you had to be spot on with your timing.
>>I wasn’t able to get ahead of her quite as much as you seemed to with your demo dog.>>
I think it was a combination of me running for my life, wearing less winter clothes, in sneakers and on grass (easier to run on that barn surfaces) with a more experienced and older dog. You were in deeper footing, in winter clothes, and boots, with an inexperienced dog. That all makes it harder to get way ahead but no worries, that will start happening really soon.
>> I also didn’t get that super tight turn around the jump but I realized timing is key in this one. My other dog did better with the tight turns. So maybe it’s just Kashia still learning and having that excitement to follow me with speed around the corner?>>
No worries about how tight the turn is, for two reasons:
– she is still learning it, so it will get easier for her when she has more experience with it
– in her height division, tightest turns are not necessarily the fastest or winning turns 🙂 A little wider in the medium sized dogs, as long as they know where they are going, is often faster! I have a 16″ dog that puts down incredible times on course without her turns looking as pretty as my big dogs – her times are faster then theirs 🙂Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
She’s got the idea of the bowls for sure!
The spins on the volume dial are looking good! To get the higher arousal of the volume dial on this clip and the next one, add more running around like a crazy person 🙂 You can get her chasing you for the treat and even tossing the treat (eventually it might be the toy instead of a treat). The change of energy in the treat delivery (get wild LOL!) will help change the arousal state.
Find My Face went really well – she was having no problem re-engaging and coming back to your sideThe head turn session looked really strong too – very nice tun of the head and bend of the body through the turns in both directions! She looked really balanced! You can try this with something taller and more narrow to see if she can bend even more 🙂
>>Not sure if she feels like toys are fine in “non max pup” sessions with no tripod and that are downstairs or if she just felt more settled at night. >>
It is possible that she associates “formal training session” with food and not toy. So you can do lots of informal, random-time-of-day, wild training sessions for the toy. You can have the tripod sitting out there so it can be part of using the toy too, but you can randomly start toy games throughout the day. There doesn’t need to be food involved – for example, you can do head turns on the cone and the toy is the reward 🙂 Or parallel path on a jump with a thrown toy, tossing it around a few times for each rep (or tossing multiple toys :)) til she chases it and grabs it 🙂
>>can I do this by tossing a treat back if I don’t have a 2nd person to restrain her at a place where I can safely run for a longer distance than inside my house?>>
Yes, that will still be fun!
Nice work here!
TracyHi!
Totally agree, I think he really liked turn and burn! Lots of speed and super tight turns! It was rally fun to watch 🙂He seems to have really strong commitment, so you can start running away into the FC even sooner. By about the 1:30 mark on the video, you were doing the FC as he was arriving at the cone (left turns – on problem at all!) At about 2:30 you did the same timing on the right turns – also no questions (except for when you tried to send and do the FC all at once).
So, on both sides, you can start the FC when he is one stride away from the cone – probably about a foot away. And if he can handle that with no questions, you can start a bit further back and start the FC when he is 2 strides away (probably 4 feet or so).
Separately, he is totally ready for the rocking horse games. Those will be super fun to see him do!
Great job here!
TracyThe sideways and backwards sending is looking good! He had no trouble with you being stationary, and he also had no trouble when you added the countermotion of you moving away. SUPER!!! He really had excellent commitment to the prop – well done building up all that value!
When you send backwards, you can be on step further to the side (it will feel like you are standing in a triangle), so he turns towards you and not away (he seems to want to turn right if you are too close when sending with your left arm because it reads a bit like a rear cross and he is a righty 🙂 So being a step further away (especially when he is on your left arm for the backwards sending) will help encourage the left turns.
>>This is a few seperate sessions in, I think we are on the right track but wanted to get imput before I keep going!>>
You are totally on the right track! For the sideways and backwards sending, you can do the concept transfers to the barrels/wings. It is here:
The video didn’t have the parallel path or rear cross, so if those are going well, you can add the parallel path concept transfer to a jump too!
Great job!
TracyGood morning! It looks like I never replied about this video – sorry!!!! Or maybe I typed the reply and never posted it. It popped up again with your other videos from yesterday!
His backing up is looking really strong!!! You were clicking each step back and he was taking some very BIG OBVIOUS steps back – awesome! That can build up really well into warm up and stretches!! The next step would be to click less, letting him get all the way to the plank before you click. Start close for that for a couple of reps, then you can add more and more distance. You can also start to add a verbal cue! You can say a word like “back” or use a silly cue like a truck beeping when they back up 🙂
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
>>I know I need to transition off it but I’m cold wet grass it is so useful.>>
I think it the cold wet grass is going to hamper her stay, then definitely keep using the plank! And you can do separate short sessions in the wet gras with highest value treats, to help her learn the joys of sitting in wet grass 🙂
The backside slice “twist” is going really well! She is really starting to get independent on these and you are further and further away. Yay! As you keep playing with these and adding more independence – you can over-exaggerate the reward placement to help her come around the entry barrel and look for the bar (and not at you). To do that, as you are moving away, toss the reward behind you to where the barrel and bar meet so she doesn’t look at you at all – she goes directly over the bar to grab the reward 🙂
On the wraps: keeping your arms low for the send to the wrap is the key, so she can see the connection and know exactly where to go. On the first one at :13, great connection until she was past you and locked onto the barrel.
Compare that to :21, where you pointed forward to the barrel right after she left the plank, so connection broke and she was looking up at you (:22) for more info. When you stepped backwards out of it, she was still pretty close to you and not near the barrel, so she came with you. Try not to mark that as incorrect at all – you can cue the plank, reward, try again, all in flow 🙂 The next rep at :26 had bette reconnection and she got it really well!For the backside wraps, you can be moving forward past the barrel now so she does a full 360 turn on it.
Minny Pinny is looking good! Adding the verbals is perfect – you were playing with making them sound different, which is important. Try to slow them down a bit and extend them, so it is more like riiiight riiiiight riiiight and less of a RITERITERITE – that will help her differentiate them from the wrap cues.
>>I could not video it but she offered circling the iPhone tripod base>>
That’s hilarious! Circle ALL the things LOL!!!!
Looking at the mat work:
>>She makes so few mistakes I am
Not sure she knows what I am clicking for.>>
She seems to definitely understand that it was about feet on the mat! I am not sure if she knew if it was front feet or back feet, so you can click back feet very specifically – some of the clicks were back feet but many were front feet. There are two ways to isolate the back feet (I do them both, simultaneously):
– attach the mat to a block or something that she steps up on to, to get to the mat. Duct tape is perfect for this 🙂 and the thing you attach the mat to can be about an inch or two high and as long as the mat. Anything relatively solid will work. Getting her to step up onto something as she travels across it will help her isolate the feet and it will help you see the back feet better
– as you are working it, stare at the mat rather than at her. That way you will see the back feet. If you are looking at her, it is harder to see the back feet plus we humans anticipate things and end up clicking front feet 🙂You can also have 3 or 4 treats in your hand – she was watching you take the next treat out, so you will get more of that back-and-forth feel if you have the treats in your hands already.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
The backside slices are going well! I think it went better when you didn’t use a stay because he was moving before the release on the stay. The cookie starts allowed you to be moving sooner and faster, so you were able to consistently get him to the backside. The cue looked really good (lots of connection as you moved up the line and no pointy arm :)) so remember to move straight forward and not towards the barrel.
He only had one question, at :12 – he was headed to the backside then you relaxed the cue a bit and you started to move the toy, so he turned to you. He sees everything 🙂
For the next steps, keep adding more distance to get further and further across the bar – and as you get further across, add in throwing the toy back to the landing spot closer to the barrel so he comes around the barrel looking for the bar and not at you.>>The thumbnail shows Mason in a weird position during one of his turns. >>
He was doing a normal turn, not falling 🙂 He was in a gait that was more of a fast canter and it is not a really tight turn required there, so it might look weird on a screenshot or thumbnail.
The rocking horse games are looking good and I agree – he loved the running part of it 🙂
The FCs at the beginning looked good! You can run with the toy scrunched up in your hand now so the reward can be presented more smoothly.
The spins looked good too – really nice connection on the exits of the spins!At :40 when you sent to the grey barrel, he was behind you and you turned and looks directly forward. That is a disconnection that looks exactly like the beginning of the blind cross cue, so he (correctly) crossed to the other side.
You can either keep going or reward when that happens because whenever the dog ends up on the other side of us, the connection was broken and they read it correctly as a blind cross. He got frustrated when you tried to go back and re-start.
Connection was much clearer on the other reps so he always knew where to be on the FCs (he like the turn and burn exit on one of the reps too!) and the race tracks! The only little connection blooper was at the very end at 1:29 – you were starting to look forward and point to the barrel, so if you freeze the video at 1:30 you can see that the pointing forward turned your shoulders and feet away from the line and blocked his view of your eyes (so he is looking up at you). Even though you could see him, probably, it was a disconnection because he could not see your eyes clearly and your physical cue turned away from the barrel. As he gets more experienced he will start to commit anyway, but those little bloopers are good reminders to stay connected on the sending.
Great job here! Stay warm!!!!
Tracy
