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Hi there!
Good start on the Minny Pinny here!! She had no trouble going around all 3 barrels/wing. You can totally use 3 wings if you have access to them! She was also quite perfect about going over the bars/bumps, no problem at all. Super!
Only one suggestion for the next Minny Pinny session: hold her by the collar so you can say the left or right several times… then let her go (and stand still while she moves and keep saying the verbal). That will help “attach” the verbal even more, because she is hearing it as the cue and separately from your movement. If you move and say it all at once, it is harder to attach the verbal because the pups generally just process the motion.
Stays:
I love the line up you have and her stays looked really good! She is actually able to catch the cookie without moving – very impressive and you have good aim! LOL! She had no trouble staying even in higher arousal (tugging) and with the prop on the ground. Excellent! She looked very serious about it all 🙂 You can see she was pumped up (which is good) but did not move. SUPER!>>I think I messed up the barrels some. >>
I think the barrel games were overall super!
You were definitely working out your connections in the beginning of it:At 2:59 you looked forward before she got to you (a bit of broken connection), so she slowed down to process the cue and looked at you. Compare to 3:08 where you held your connection for longer by looking at her more and pointing ahead less – it was much clearer for her and she went fast the whole time 🙂
For the rotations and turns: at 3:13 you turned away and did a blind but then after that, you were doing great spins!
The spins starting on your left side seemed very comfy for you. It took a few reps for you to get comfy doing. the spin starting on your right but you nailed it at 3:50 and 4:06 and after that.
She especially loved it when you were running more like 4:18- 4:25 and after that as well! She really likes to open up and run run run, even with the tight turns thrown in there too.And WELL DONE with the race tracks at the end! Most of us either lose connection when starting them or end up getting dizzy LOL! But you nailed it right off the bat. And she had excellent commitments on the turn and burn exits you used too. Looking great!!!!
Great job here!!
TracyHi!
This is going well! Good job working both sides and he seemed to be pumped up to hold a stay and wait for cookies to be thrown at him!
You might notice that he was moving a little early on some reps (especially on your right side later in the video). He was moving when you hand started to move, predicting the cookie throw. So, to help him understand that it is NOT the hand and that it is the word:
Be sure to say ‘catch’ then move your hand. You were moving your hand before saying it, so he was starting to move when the hand was starting to move (because hand movement meant cookie throw). So remain perfectly stationary, say catch, wait a heartbeat…. Then throw the cookie. That will help solidify the word and the stay.
Nice work here! Stay warm!
Tracy
Hi!
>>I know Kashia can’t be the only dog like this so I’m sure your experience can help us turn things around!>>
Absolutely! We can find the key to motivation then it is all easier and fun 🙂
>>An Egg McMuffin!? Who would have thought!? I’ll try the cheeses or Egg McMuffin or chicken. >>
Yep! And my Papillon runs for a different handler – he has been more of a challenge to motivate especially when he runs for someone else, so she goes to Cracker Barrel and gets him chicken nuggets and fries. He is the most motivated dog in the house, at the moment LOL!!!
>>Side note, do you worry about your dog getting fat or overfed on not healthy things? I know I probably sound crazy when I ask that. >>
Definitely not a crazy question – I obsess on my dogs’ weight and fitness all the time 🙂 The insanely high quality treats are a small enough part of their intake that they don’t get fat. And if they are going to get great training treats, then I balance that by dialing back their meals to smaller portions. Two of the dogs are running in an agility league tonight, so they will get some cheese as rewards, and a smaller dinner 🙂 They are constantly monitored and definitely don’t get fat 🙂
>>I just worry about high-caloric treats or lots of preservatives. >>
That is why I lean towards things like grilled chicken or salmon or cheese or human-grade stuff. Even the Egg McMuffin isn’t too terrible, as compared to other stuff LOL!! And most of those foods are less processed than hot dogs to dog treats. The freeze dried dog treats are less processed too, but might not have the same value as a juicy piece of chicken.
>>I was taught my praise should be the number 1 reward, treats or toys second. That doesn’t work for agility so I’ve had to adapt.>>
It would be really nice if they all work for praise as the number 1 reinforcement or motivator… but that is simply not the case for 99.99% of dogs. The dogs work for whatever intrinsically and naturally motivates them – this can be food or toys or the work itself (like my whippet needs no food or toys to be motivated to chase the lure in whippet racing LOL!). So most breeds are not intrinsically motivated by sports like agility or obedience or flyball, the most effective learning and training comes when we effectively use motivators and reinforcement. Yes, praise can be involved but it is lower on the list for most dogs.
>> I’m really not a big training treat person because of these reasons. I get so worried about them getting fat and only working for food. Hopefully, I can get Kashia locked into the lotus ball so I can phase out treats as the number 1 reward.>>
Keep in mind: you might not be able to phase out treats as the number 1 reward. After all, I am sure most employers would love to phase out paychecks as the number 1 reward for humans but most humans would not tolerate that 😁🤣. There is no need to phased out treats as the #1… but it is part of the training progression for trialing to teach the dogs how to work in the ring with full motivation and speed and focus without treats, and then get the treats at the end of the run after they exit the ring with you. That way they still get their #1 paycheck and everyone is happy.
If you like to google things, you can see the science of it all by googling “reward prediction error” and “dopamine as motivator” and you can see some of the neuroscience behind why it all works so well. VERY cool stuff!!
Have fun!
TracyGood morning!
>>one of my Canadian winter Texan students said his trainer passed on to him for me to ask you if you’ve tried ketchup on bacon yet. (???) He said you’d know who that was from.>>
HA!!! NEVER!!! NEVER KETCHUP ON BACON!!!! (It goes back to an old joke from a USDAA regional probably almost 10 years ago LOL!! I mean, ketchup on bacon is simply un-American (they are Canadian, so….. LOL!)
Super excellent job on the connection here! You nailed it from all the different positions. It was also easy for you to get out timely verbals because you could see where he was.
>>Ignore the girl toss on one of the reps. LOL!>>
Wonky toy throws are usually symptoms of great connection 😁 because we don’t throw well when we are not looking at where we are throwing. And you were looking at him! If your throws are perfect… chances are you are not connected enough. You can also use a placed toy here, so you don’t have to worry about the throw and so he doesn’t look at you when he is arriving at the last jump 🙂
Great job here! Onwards to the exit line connection and combos!
Tracy
Hi!
The ELC on the front crosses looked AWESOME! Look how nice and tight her turns are! Lovely!>>I had trouble with where to place the reward with the spin. I should have brought my dog to the other side of my body.>>
I think you were starting to work the spins at 1:15 or so (when the toy was in the other hand) The first part of each rep was great, then yes – remember to do the blind and show the exit line connection. Try it without her a few times to make sure you are starting and ending on the same arm (as opposed to the FC, which is tarting and ending on different arms 🙂
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
Super nice session here!The FC sets a different line but you were connected and she got it!
Great job keeping your arm down and back – on straight lines like this, it might be even easier to pump your arms as you run (like a sprinter). The arms will still be out of the way but you can move even faster up the line.She did really well with all the different handling positions here, because your connection was so clear. Yay! It is easier when you are ahead, but she was just as strong on the line when you were behind her. Super! To keep working that, you can stretch out the distance between the 2 jumps and start with a post turn on the wing… that will put her WAY ahead and will be a good connection challenge for you.
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
>>Here’s the good (not sure about that), bad, and the ugly.>>
Nothing bad or ugly here! Both of you ran really well!!! I would say there exit line connection was strong throughout here. The best ones were at :05, :27, :49, :55, and the last rep. That is a lot of successful reps! Yes, there was one that was not as good (:19, where you turned your back on her after the FC rather than connected back to her) but then you adjusted and the rest were great.
>>My favourite is when I sent her to wrap the wing the wrong way which lined her up perfectly for jump two.
Yes! That was at :35 when sending her to her left on the start wing set a gorgeous line to the backside. Good girl!! And good reward from you.
>>I tried to vary our distance to the wing, but I wasn’t very successful.>>.
You totally did, especially at :53 and after that.
>>I’m not keeping my arm and face turned back towards her enough.>>
This is my only suggestion for you: as you are moving up the line, use more ‘regular’ connection (looking at her after the wing and over 1 and towards 2. I think you were trying to get all the way up to the wrap wing, but you don’t need too – you can use your connection to work the timing so as she lands from 1, you can be moving forward but slowing down so when she is approaching 2, you can decelerate and rotate before she takes off. The regular connection will help with that.
At :55, she is ahead of you and you are looking forward (arm up) probably trying to get to the wrap jump – because you were looking forward, note how she looked at you when she landed from 1. More connection to her there will help her drive ahead so you can then do the FC. You had really nice exit line connection there at :57!
Her only other question was at 1:05 – as you passed jump 1, you had pressure towards the center of the bar of 2 for just a step or two and she read it as a rear cross (great job rewarding her, she was reading you correctly)
You adjusted perfectly on the next rep by running straight and also had very clear ELC there too! Nice!Great job here! Let me know what you think! I think she is ready for you to do the combos 🙂 And I am glad you liked the MYOB webinar 🙂
Tracy
Hi!
>>Video- was in my head in the beginning that I forgot to look at her most the time. Was late a few times, then got it! Throwing the toy with the arm across my body was strange.>>
This looks like the same video as the 9th – let me know if I am missing something?
>>Anyway you can tell me where I would use this on a course? So we do jump 1, jump 2, spin- then where does the course go after that?>>
Spins are used whenever we need a relatively collected turn (or a collected turn) and when the spin move will turn your feet to the next line sooner then a post turn would. Sometimes post turns show the wrong line for just long enough for the dog to lock onto it, and sometimes a spins gets us moving up the line sooner/faster than a post turn or send without a spin would.
Here is a visual: I do a spin on the tunnel at 2:55 and a spin on the jump at 2:58, both of which turn the dog and get my slow self way up the next line 🙂
Tracy
Good morning!
>>I was just today talking about the importance of connection with my students. And they are supposed to be Masters/Premier students.>>
This is a conversation we all need to have and hear, at every level. I teach about connection all the time and still mess it up LOL!! Connection is so simple, right? But yet, it is so hard to maintain.
Super job on the video! Because he is young, he will be very “honest” about the clarity of connection. Adult dogs aren’t “dishonest” but they can sort out the line without as much help from us while youngsters don’t save us if we aren’t good LOL!! He said it was all very clear. When he was on your right side (first half of the video) he was looking straight the whole time. He was jumping to his left a little (towards you) but I think that wa more of a product of the angle coming around the wing and you were ever-so-slightly stepping to your left to avoid running into the wing of jump 1.
Interestingly, he was looking at you more when he was on your left in the second half of the video. I don’t think it was a connection question, I think it was more that he needed the toy to be visible sooner. So a placed toy out past jump 2 can really help keep him looking straight on that side.
You can add verbals to this (saying them to him directly) as that will also help maintain connection. And you can start parallel to the start wing and hesitate a little before running forward… so he drives ahead. You were ahead of him on these so using connection to support staying ahead is a useful skill.
Great job here!!
TracyHi!
I can totally relate about the icky weather! And more is on the way – ewwww!!!
>> Took him fewer reps to focus on the jumps than in the first video, but they still aren’t the first thing he looks for……yet.>>
On that first rep, you can help him look for the jump immediately by moving even more slowly and having a placed reward halfway between the wing and the first jump so in that high arousal moment, he finds the line to the jump and you get immediate success. Then the next rep can have the placed reward between the 2 jumps. And if that all goes well, the reward can move to after jump 2 and you can start to add more motion too!
Once he was looking for the jumps, the line and connection looked great! This was especially true when he was on your left side in the 2nd half of the video – so nice!!! We have regular connection in just about everything, so you can ‘warm up’ the line-finding with the placed reinforcement for each game where he has to immediately find a line. Then you will be able to move into more handling and connection because the line finding is easier 🙂
Great job!
TracyGood morning! This was SUPER! You had excellent attention to the details of the mechanics. Exit line connection was super clear! The only moment that looked less-than-comfy was the first blind (2nd to last rep) but then you added motion to it on the last rep and nailed it. And, his turn was fabulous!
I think you will definitely find this easier with more practice lime you mentioned and also more movement into the crosses (it probably feels weird to do this without a lot of movement LOL!!) But you are nailing it! Keep it up!
Great job 🙂
TracyYay! Thank you for the update! Being able to practice it with all the dogs really solidifies it for us humans too 🙂 Enjoy!
Tracy
Good morning! Thanks for all the info!
I am just in the process of getting to know Kashia 🙂 so the training history info is really useful! It is pretty normal for dogs to find certain treats or toys or games to be super exciting at home or outside the training environment… but then far less exciting in the training environment. There are a LOT of reasons for that and plenty of science behind it too!
But in a nutshell – we need to flip the script and make being in the ring *incredibly* fun and reinforcing 🙂 so she is wild with motivation to do agility 🙂 Here are some ideas for you:
– since the ring environment is hard for her (for a variety of reasons – I don’t think it is boredom causing her to check out, I think it has more to do with how the HPA Axis works in arousal and when stressors are added, so what are you seeing is more of a stress response than boredom) we need to fight fire with fire 🙂
>>Having that said, my dogs think cat kibble is absolutely delightful and they are always trying to steal it from the barn cats. When I put the cat kibble in my pocket, Kashia was jumping up and down and very excited to get some. As soon as we walked into the arena to start practice using the cat kibble as a reward, she immediately lost interest.>>
This is not that unusual when the dogs feel the pressure of the training environment. But we can change that!
The treats you describe are good… but I recommend going up to GREAT MIND-BLOWING treats for training, to really flip the script. My favorite training treat for hard environments? An Egg McMuffin 🙂 Not kidding! I don’t use the bread but the rest of it is incredibly motivating 🙂 Insanely high value stuff like that, or grilled chicken, or meatballs, or string cheese or the turkey franks you mentioned… that is going to be key to flipping the script in training so she start to get super excited in the training environment. (Same thing for obedience if you want more motivation there).
When the lotus ball toy arrives, introduce it with gross cheese in it 🙂 And short sessions will be good so she doesn’t have any GI upset when getting started. And take out anything that is less-than-great, so keep things simple and take out the e-collar – set her up for tremendous success in all of these environments so it is the best thing ever 🙂 A couple of weeks ago, a training colleague was telling me about a Brittany on her flyball team that worked for smoked gouda early in her training and is now the fastest Brittany in the history of the sport (bonus, the humans could snack on the cheese as well LOL!!)
In each training session, use good-sized bits of the mind-blowing food and relatively simple skills at first, and set a timer for 1 minute. Do as much as you can in that 1 minute, then you are finished and the other dogs get a turn. Kashia will likely to be like “wait, WHAT??!!?” And that is what we want: leave her wanting more and all the delightful things happen in the training. Very few reps at first, then it will be really easy to build things up.
>>They get so much activity that it gets harder and harder to entertain them and stimulate their little brains! I’ve done this to myself! >>
She is an athletic teenager 🙂 So before training sessions, you can have her chill out for a few hours, to see if that helps bring more brain and body energy to the session (but this is less important than the mind-blowing rewards).
>>this is normal for her! >>
It doesn’t have to be 🙂 We can turn things sideways and get her to love love love training and go really fast, even with multiple reps 🙂
Let me know what you think!
TracyThanks for putting the runs in! Jumping is all about mechanics and processing to produce those mechanics. If something interrupts the processing or distracts her brain… the mechanics slip as she tries to process the change. Here is what I mean:
Premier – SUCH A NICE RUN!!! SUPER! 99% fully connected.
The video is a little hard to see because it is far away, but put it on the biggest screen you have and watch the section from :23- :26 in slow motion. You can see you were connected on the previous jump and then you looked ahead (broke connection). That was enough of a distraction to her processing that she lost her mechanics and took off early landing on the bar.On the JWW run – these were all processing bars too.
Bar on 4 – you were looking ahead while she was jumping towards the judge. So much to process there, so the jumping mechanics slipped away a little.
Bar on blind at :29 – you were late starting the blind, so she was trying to process the mechanics of the cue changing and jumping.
:33 – The connection here and you looking ahead (not enough connection) and further ahead, so she took off early (processing).
If I recall correctly, you are doing jump grid classes, yes? You can add connection changes to the simpler more successful grids to help her maintain her mechanics! She still gets rewarded for trying hard, but adding in some of the distractions to processing in a controlled way can help.
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
