[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!

Hooray for being done with the school year!!!!! Onwards to a great summer 🙂

>>I am trying to watch her head more for commitment, but it’s hard when she’s so fast and we’re both running! I’m still leaving just a bit too early in places; I’m sure that will be the case for a while until I am able to read her cues for me to leave better.>>

I think this entire session was far more connected. Yay! Just a little spot or two we can emphasize it more (which is true for all of us on all courses LOL!) but overall, really nice!!!!!

And a main thing – let’s stop the rehearsal of the barking at you in the in-between moments. That is the same behavior as you get when she is unsure in other places, so we don’t want her to practice it elsewhere (practice makes perfect LOL!) And we aren’t going to tell her she is wrong, because that will just add more frustration…so just keep going and going and going 🙂 And if you can’t keep going, throw a reward then reset her quickly so she is not barking at you as you move to the next spot.

Super nice opening both times!!!!

About the weave pop out at :13 – yes probably thinking it was weird to have a rando with a camera out there. As strange as it sounds.. just keep going. Note what happened but starting over from the weaves just gets the rehearsal of barking and jumping around in front of you, which is the behavior we don’t want on the agility course. It is a similar behavior to the ones you get in front of a jump or tunnel. Continuing on won’t damage her weave skills, because this was not a weave skill issue – it was a “WTH is out there” issue 🙂 She got the weaves the 2nd time, yes, but you also got the barking rehearsal.

Nice line 7-8-9! Great driving to the tunnel!

Good support to 10 at :30 and good decel – now do the FC and leave before she takes off so she can collect and so you can stay further ahead. You were earlier at 1:57 and she was collecting, but you did the FC over the bar so the bar came down. Watch her head in that situation: when she is looking at the jump and collecting, you can be rotating and going the other way towards 11.

11-12-13 went well! To get the turn on 14 to see 15, try to decel sooner and use a left or her name, don’t say tunnel til she is pointing the correct direction. I don’t think it was a blind tunnel entry question as much of a wide turn on 14 then a bit of a disconnection on the tunnel cue:

At :39 and :50, to get a clearer tunnel entry line there, keep your arm back and down so she can get into the tunnel. You had your arm back and great connection at :56 and 1:13 and 2:19, she found it really well!
When she had questions, your arm came forward which rotated your shoulders to the center curve of the tunnel (not the entry) and she was confused and got barking. In that case, you can turn and run to a jump as if it was correct to skip the tunnel and try again – the main goal is to keep moving (or reward) so there is very limited (or zero) rehearsal of the barking in front of you. Barking while working? Sure! Barking in front of you are you walk place to place? We want to stop that from happening by staying in motion or, if that is not possible, rewarding and praising before re-starting.

And when she gets it, if you are going to be too far away from the next line, you can reward her so that she gets reinforcement for finding the tunnel and so you then can get a smoother ending line. The ending line looked lovely when you were just a little ahead to show it to her!!! I don’t think it was really wide – it was a fast line for her and if we tighten it up too much, it will be slow and that will piss her off 🙂

Great job here – let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!

>>I’m in glasses due to contact lens issues so that is definitely different and makes my peripheral vision even more challenging.>>

Yes, glasses totally make it different in terms of peripheral vision! I train in sunglasses a lot because I have trouble seeing in the sun – sunglasses and hats are important for trialing outdoors, but definitely cut down on peripheral vision.

Very cool replacing the tunnel with a cone! Clever!!!!

>>Is there something different I can do to help her?>>

I read this before watching the video and was expecting to see a lot of fails… but the plan you executed to help her here totally worked! Break it down, then build it back up. SUPER!!! And the balance reps of the ‘right’ and the ‘stay-on-the-line’ were great because doing 15 threadles in a row would just have put her on autopilot 🙂

Breaking it down to 2 jumps and releasing on the threadle verbal really really helped her! The first release on the “look look” really got her processing – she was like “wait, that is different” LOL! So things were going really well with the 2 jump element.

On the 3 jumps she did well too especially with al of the ‘either or’ reps.

One thing you can do to help her in a context with more speed is to take the threadle section and walk through it rather than run, so she can more easily process the upper body cues and verbals without motion muddying the waters.

Another thing I like to do with threadle training is angle the jump a little, so the threadle side is a little more obvious than the backside – that allows you to add your motion back in while she is still successful.

But besides that, you are totally on the right track of shaping the behavior in smaller bits then building it up.

>>I trained the threadle mostly with my arm back, but I’m wondering if a cross arm might be useful here?>>

You can try it and see what Sprite thinks! The dog-side arm can also be more exaggerated by swinging it back like you are opening a door 🙂 Serps arms are generally stationary and frozen in place, but threadle arms are generally swung back to open up the shoulders (as long as you don’t turn your feet). I use both the one arm and cross arm with my dogs, depending on how hard the context is, to help them out.

Great job here!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Good morning!

The head turns went much better!
Yes, on the 2nd rep you clicked too soon (you mentioned it in the video) but the other reps all looked really good and your mechanics were very clear! He was successful and it looks like he was really figuring this out. Be sure to keep you hand motion super precise so that he still gets the cue. The last 2 reps were not quite as crisp of a head turn because your hand cue was not quite as crisp as the earlier reps.

Threadle Strike A Pose
The trick to this without a stay is a really clean start, throwing the treat far enough away that you can be stationary and showing the cue when he looks up, and so he has enough time to process the threadle cue. The first couple of reps were a little too close in terms of the treat throw but then you tossed it a lot further and that really helped!

At the beginning you were trying for a sit but he couldn’t do it… it looks like he is getting really excited about the jumps and uprights (yay!) so you can work on sit stays separately from the other skills (just rewarding stays) and doing it near the jumps and tunnels 🙂 That can help the stay happen when you are doing other games too.

>>I feel at this point I need to prioritize his Stay training to avoid having to manage all that, particularly when taking it outside a treat toss in the grass won’t work well.>>

Ha! I typed the above paragraph about the stay then went back to read your post – great minds think alike 🙂 You were smart to not pressure the stay in this game and work on it separately.

Perch work – He definitely does his perch! Yay! And he is moving his hind end back and forth, so he is definitely associating the perch with hind end work. With the pole here, he is tending to “hop” his back feet together over the pole more than moving each leg separately.
On the next session, do a couple of clicks/treats without the pole, then watch the video: is he stepping with each leg individually, or hopping them together?

If he is stepping with each leg, great! Add the pole back and move very slowly so he can use his feet to step instead of hop.

If is he hopping on the flat, let’s keep this without the pole for now, and try the ‘return to center’ concept where you toss the treat to the angles behind you so he gets on and pivots back to center. That should help get the feet moving individually.

Backside slice: This is going very well and he worked for the toy the whole time. Super yay!!! And had a really good stay!!! On the release, be sure to be moving slowly up the line for a few steps before the release, so the release and your motion do not come at the same time (we don’t want him to think the motion is the release). Keep adding the distance to this one with you getting gradually further and further across the bar!

Yes, you were a tiny bit angled but it was not all that obvious. It was really a strong session.

I guess the weirdness gauntlet was not all that weird. Even when Dad was wearing the thing on his head, Reacher was trying to figure out how to play. Yay! They were both confident little dudes 🙂 (the dogs, not your husband hahaha) Fun!

>>Ronin being loose for one of the runs was unintentional. I realized that some of this was not exactly in line with your instruction, but it happened.>>

The weirdness gauntlet is basically a prep for strange things that will randomly happen, so it was all good! And having Ronin see Reacher have no reaction to the weird thing probably help Ronin to have no reaction to it too 🙂 

Great job on these! Let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!

>>I also ran it with Lizzie & compared to Hoke. Much easier to stay connected with her because I feel like she needs it & Hoke doesn’t?>>

That is an interesting insight! She needs it, yes, and so does Hoke – so you can try to handle them exactly the same way with intense connection and see how it goes.

The pop out went well! Yes, even more connection will help too. Your running lines and verbals were good on this one, so you can now add watching his head the entire time 🙂 You were looking slightly ahead of him and I don’t think that will really help him see the connection as well. At the very end, you had great connection to the last jump – it looked like you were looking directly and him, and he picked up the line perfectly!

The jumpers course went well too! On the first run, you did an awesome jump of staying in motion – that is sooooo important on these crazy courses 🙂

The opening looked good – nice blind 3-4 on both runs!! On the 7-8-9 line at :18, you can tell him tunnel before he takes off for 8 – you used a jump verbal then the tunnel verbal when he landed, which set up a bit of a zig zag line. You can eliminate the jump verbal and just use your tunnel verbal to smooth it out. You were definitely earlier on the tunnel verbal on the 2nd run at :52 and it was already smoother.

At 1- (:21) you started the turns cues while he was in the air over 10, so he was in extension and dropped the bar., and then couldn’t quite see 11 while he was looking to get back on the line and dropped that one too. You were late at :55 too there but stationary so the bars stayed up. Ideally, you would decelerate into a FC there started when he exits the tunnel, so he can collect and you can be moving the whole time.
On the 12-13-14 line, you got a LOT further ahead at 1:01 for the 13-14 line and that worked like a charm! Nice!

You helped him get into the tunnel at 1:03 by rotating towards him, but that put you behind for the turn at 16 and he turned the other direction… you can try it without the help and see if he can find the tunnel entry independently so you can move to the ending line there.
On. The last rep when you stained in motion better, he already was much more independent so I bet he will read it really well!

And great connection on the very last rep to show him the line to the last jump. Yay!

Great job here! Let me know what you think!

Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi! This went really well!
The first part with the cat was so funny: Caper didn’t know if she should do the plank or stalk the cat LOL!!!

The post-cat section looked great! She seemed very confident, so you can add speed in the fork if you walking back and forth, then jogging back and forth 🙂

>>Several times she didn’t go all the way to the end but that might be due to my timing or aim on the cookie toss.>

No worries! I think it was the cookie toss and you beyond stationary.

Great job!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!
Wow, Sprite did some impressive grown-up work here!!!!!! I am proud of her and your handling looked really lovely too – connected and good transitions in and out of the turns, and fabulous blinds!

My only real suggestion is to work these skills on a 16” bar the first time she sees them, because the visual processing of the off course tunnel right there was making it hard for her to process the jumping at full height.

Seq 1:
Sprite found jump 1 on the really well, especially because you were behind her! She was definitely letting us know that it was hard with t he bar down on the first rep, and her jumping mechanics were not as smooth or fluid as they have been lately (see above about the distraction of the off course tunnel nearby).

The bar down at :27 was not a processing challenge – it was the sudden decel and toy throw that caused it.

Everything else was lovely! Nice turns and lines and she did not consider the off course tunnel.

Seq 2 with the blind – very nice!!!! Lovely blind timing, lovely connection, lovely line of motion. Click treat for you!!!

She had a big bar hit (wing hit?) on the 5 jump (the backside). It was definitely an “omg this is hard” moment because the course turned towards the tunnel and you took off with big acceleration and softened connection. So the jumping mechanics got lost.

Compare to the 2nd rep at 1:28 you were more connected and didn’t sprint away as much – really nice! And then you still got up to the 8-9-10 line with the serp and spin! So that really helped her sort out handling cues and the jumping mechanics (that is why start at 16 will help, so she can learn the skill without needing a lot of jumping mechanics yet.

Seq 3 was almost perfect on that first run! The brake arm at 1:53 just need to be a little more back to her nose, like
a big “WHOA!” Then turn to. The tunnel. This is what you did at 2:05 and it worked nicely!

At 2:24 you had a little too much rotation towards her, she collected and stopped like it was aFC wrap cue LOL! Good girl!! So the way you did it at 2:05 is the best answer for her there.

Great job!!!!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!

>>I was a bit bummed that the house we fell in love with had a big oak tree in the back yard but it does provide such marvelous shade for much of the yard and our deck and I can squeeze 40×40 to the left of it if I need to. Plus – it’s a great added obstacle/distraction!>>

I agree, the house and yard are lovely! The tree is an added bonus 🙂

The tighter turn on 5 looked great on both reps! He was tight but also powered out hard and fast – that is critical to maximize course speed! And yes, he did well too when you did know where you were going – that turn to the tunnel was lovely too 🙂

And the threadle line looked great on seq 3 too! Super!!

I am looking forward to seeing you both live and in person tomorrow!!!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!
I liked the way you set up the first session – a few serps/threadles on one side, then moved the MM and did did it on the other side. That way she always ends up at the MM.
You can have the MM a little closer to the wing, so she can see it easily over the bar for the threadle and all she needs to do is go around the wing a little for the serp 🙂

One thing that happened at the end of the first video and beginning of the 2nd video was that sometimes she would one in for the threadle but then not go over the bar (she would go past it) on the way to the MM

2nd video
This was also a really strong session! You were alternating sides here, so sometimes she went towards the MM and sometimes away from it. When t he MM no longer helps predict the line, having you look at the target will really help her:

At 2:01, she went to the wrong side of the wing (did a threadle when you wanted a serp). The hand target was in the serp spot, but the rest of the physical cue read as threadle: you were looking at her which looked more like a cue to come to the threadle side, and you leaned towards the threadle side. So when that happens, you can toss a treat to start the next rep, no stay or oopsie marker needed. Compare to 2:18 when you looked at the target hand and she was perfect 🙂

The third video went well too! I think you were most consistent about looking at the target hand, so she seemed to have no questions. Super!!

>>I also see that I did not always strike a good “POSE”.and needed to be reminded to do so.>>

Keep reminding yourself to keep your arm extended out away and then don’t move a muscle til she reaches the reward 🙂

>>I liked using the mat for JJ to start on. She has a better more consistent sit then.>>

I loved the mat! Clever!!! And you can use the mat to help change her angles of entry by moving the mat to the new spot 🙂

Great job here!!!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi! This went really well! I could see the prop well enough and her behavior was super clear!

She did a great job responding to the 2 different cues – the only errors were when you did it early and she didn’t really see it. Bear in mind that it is OK to reward her if she goes towards the prop and doesn’t 100% hit it – you can mark the decision to go to it and throw the reward past it 🙂 And she was also great about NOT going to the prop when you did not cue it. Super!!
So now you can add more motion as you move parallel to it, as well as a toy (because it might be harder for her to move away from the toy!)

>>I also never added a verbal to it.>>

Yes, she is ready for the verbal too!

Great job!!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!

It is possible that part of the question at the beginning of the side of the barrel and the visual of he bar (which has some value now too). Try the smaller barrel for now and see how she does!

And on the 2nd video, she di a lot better with the toy behind you. So a good plan moving forward is to use the smaller barrel and have the toy behind you for the first few reps to jump start the behavior, then after several successes you can try it with the toy in your hand )and if she struggles, the toy can go back behind your back :))

No need to add more distance til she is totally happy with this first step.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!
The threadle mechanics are hard indeed! You can practice the games without the pup – do all of the mechanics while she is in a different room 🙂 I think you will find it easier if you do the cookie toss with the hand that is *not* holding the target – that should help wit h the toss.

In the first video, she was coming in very nicely but going back to the other side of the jump to the MM. 2 things ill help that: place the MM in a stop where she can very clearly see it toss the bar, and give her more room between you and the jump (and dropping he F bomb at the end of the session is perfectly fine LOL! Just make sure she gets a cookie when you say it LOL!
On the second video, it loos like she had more room and did a MICH better jump of finding the line. Super! Maybe when you reset you added a little more room.

The harder angles created a couple of questions for her – so if you get a failure, go back to the easier angles for a couple of reps before gradually adding the harder angles back.

>>I ditched the wings and that seemed clearer for her.>>

Yes! It is entirely possible this really helped too. On the next session, start without wings and if that goes well, add a wing back and see how she does.

>>Someone during class recommended Buddy Bites for us and the MM. They came today, bacon flavor, and Mochi loves them. AND, they work well in the MM.>>

Terrific! I think the hot dogs will work better too if they are microwaved to a crisp or frozen.

And it sounds like today’s session went well!! Great job!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!

This is off to a good start! It is all about mechanics: The reps where you kept your hand low and slow were lovely! The reps where you hand was high and fast – she was not as sure. That is when you got some barking (especially on the right hand side) because the info was not really clear in those moments. But notice how quiet she was when it was clear. So your head turn mantra should be “hand low and slow”, letting her lock onto the turn hand and follow it to turn her head away.

>>Today I realized, that in class when you told everyone to hold their hand at their knee, for Mochi that meant my hand needed to be at my shin.

. So I got my hand at my shin and she did better. I gotta think short and small>>

Yes! Low and slow for that hand 🙂

Also – you can be quieter during the session. If you are talking a lot, she won’t necessarily know where to focus her attention. So you can praise during the reward moments, then be quiet during the head turn moments.

I thought the clicker was just fine, she seemed confident with it and not worried at all!

Nice work 🙂
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!
Nice start with the lazy game here! Having the jumps really close together worked perfectly – they were nice and easy to find and get a treat toss for 🙂 He got better and better as the session went along, and he also stared to are more speed – SUPER!!! So on the next session, start the way you ended here to make sure he remembers the game, then add a bit of distance – maybe just 6 more inches between jump.s

Great job on the one step sends! The little dude is really starting to find his lines!! That makes is an easy game when you use the clear connection you had here – it looked like he could see your eyes the whole time. Happy dance!!
On this game you can add a little more distance now between the tunnel and wings – that will challenge the distance on the sends and also the connection.

Ah yes, there was too much movement of the teeter. When you set it up, you can press on the top and if it moves at all, you need to add more to stabilize it. He did seem confident and happy to do it, but we want to proceed carefully so he doesn’t scare himself.

Lovely work here!
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi!
Yes, you can lower the teeter and play this with a lower board. It is a long way off the ground for a little dog! Either way, I think he needs moe reward each step of the way, something super high value (cream cheese, for example, if he likes that?) And all he needs to do is get on it, get a really high value reward then hop off before you tries more (leave him wanting more LOL!) And then you can build up even more over time – both getting him across the full board, and also gradually raising the board.

When you went to treats for each step of the way, he got immediately better at going up the board. Yay!!!

At about the 2 minute mark he was very brave and got most of the way up! You can end the session there. No need to repeat a really challenging rep 🙂

This is a good start! You will see his confidence continue to blossom 🙂
Tracy

[Tracy Sklenar]

Hi! I am looking forward to seeing the videos! I think the reason that would not load the other way is that they are marked private, so they aren’t opening up. If you relist them as Unlisted, they will be visible and easier to load 🙂
Thanks!
Tracy

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