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Good morning!
>> were you saying “Back” for the backside slice? I don’t think I should use that since I use that verbal for backing up. Is “Push” another verbal used for backside slice, or are there going to be any additional verbals I’ll need for backsides?
Yes, I was saying Back but lots of folks use Push – it is an effective verbal.
And yes, there is one more backside verbal (for the circle wraps) – I use dig dig dig for that.
>> We did Minny Pinny again last week and she did better with not knocking the bars. Wasn’t sure how to “lock” them in the jump cups.>>
It depends on the type of bars – most of my bars are hollow, so I can insert the jump cups into the bar. But some of my jumps have bars with caps on the end and they don’t have traditional jump cups- so I use bumps with those jumps instead of a bar.
Have fun!
TracyHi!
>>She SLEPT in the afternoon after that session. Haha
Perfect!!! A good sleep consolidates learning, so her big nap meant her brain was sorting out the lessons 🙂
>>A question on the Handling game 1:
I need help with the human mechanics. Is the Spin a Front Cross + Blind Cross? Or is it just a Blind Cross?>>Yes – the spin is the FC-BC move 🙂
Tracy
Good morning!
>> Then my phone storage filled up. I deleted the trash and somehow deleted all my good vidoes>>
Oh, I feel that pain! Accidental deletions and then realizing the camera was not on after a great session – those are the worst LOL!!!
This session went really well!!! She got everything correct when you were far ahead and when you were only a little ahead.
>> I screwed up on the connection when trying not to connect as well as looking at the wrong obstacle!!!>>
Right, that was an interesting moment to watch (at :45) – she didn’t take the jump but her response was still rewardable because you were saying jump but loking at the tunnel side – she went to the jump side (then when you connected more she came to the tunnel side, but didn’t take the tunnel. So totally a great response from her!!! Sometimes the rewardable behavior when we are saying jump is rewarding anything that is not the tunnel LOL!!
The disconnections are challenging, so you remember to just look ahead as much as possible and don’t add too much motion yet.
You can also add in starting very close to the wrap wing, so she is ahead of you going into the discriminations – rather than send to the wing and run away, you can start at the wing, let her finish her wrap, then move forward without a lot of speed while cuing one obstacle or the other (not sure if you already did this and it got deleted).
One other thing to consider: the pitch and rhythm of your wrap cue (sicsicsic) and your jump cue are very similar which makes it harder to discriminate. You might want to stretch the jump verbal so it is longer: juuuump juuuump versus sicsicsicsic.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
This is a super hard game and she had a lot of successes! She seemed to do best when you were standing, which is fine because it is really hard 🙂
>> The tunnel was her weakest in both exercises.
All dogs come to this game with a preference – and that is helpful to know because it also informs our handling choices and execution. So for tunnels, for now, you need to drive in more when you are moving and handling.
Because she was defintely not too interested in leaving you for the tunnel, you can take a couple of short sessions and just sit in a chair and send her to the tunnel (no jump involved)
I think the spin/bark moments are part of her processing during the tunnel sends (and some frustration because it is hard), so starting a shade closer to the tunnel, maybe 3 or 4 feet away) and NOT having the jump there for a session will help smooth that out. And then you can add the jump back in after a session or two – most of her sends to the jump were super smooth, and I don’t think she ever went to the tunnel when you said jump 🙂
And, separately, you can add in the handling games that will help her with the discriminations (and will build up even more value for the tunnel).
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
This is definitely a hard game and she had a lot of successes!
Good job having your verbals sound different at first – try not to let your jump verbal get too loud as you get excited 🙂
She seems to want to do whichever obstacle she just did, so there was steam coming out of her ears when it was the other obstacle. But that is normal – this game is really hard and she was figuring it out really nicely!
You were helping her a tiny bit by turning her to face the correct obstacle on some of the reps. That is fine for now, because there was no other motion that she would normally expect to see. So on the next sessions, you can gradually work her back to center where her line up position is exactly the same each time and you are not helping by pointing or leaning her the correct direction.
Because this game is so hard, there might be errors 🙂 If she is wrong, call her back immediately and happily, and give a reset cookie – when you get quiet, she gets confused so you can give more immediate feedback in the form of either the thrown reward or a “good girlie come here try again”.
Great start here! You can keep revisiting this game but definitely now add in the handling games where you get to move 🙂
>>Should have had a few cocktails trying this.
Highly recommended hahaha
Tracy
Good morning!
He did really well here! He was able to find the obstacles really well with minimal movement from you. I say minimal because you were moving 🙂 by leaning towards the obstacle you wanted as you said the word. This is still a really good start because many dogs would need a LOT more movement in order to move to the obstacles. So on the next session, you can make it a little more of a challenge for him by holding his collar with him at your side, saying th everbal a few times… then let go and do not move a muscle LOL!! You don’t need to go to the chair yet – you can remain standing as that is plenty challenging.
And yo ucan also do the handling games where you get to move and handle too! We don’t want to make it all about this verbal-only game 🙂
Great job here!
TracyHi! Nice work here – standing still is SO HARD for us humans!
Good job getting her started with the jump with just the verbal! It was BIG HARD for her and she let you know all about it haha! She is spicy! And having to move away rom the toy was also hard – but she worked through it and she did really well! By the end of the video she had several really great reps. Super!!! You did really well to stay patient, reset her when she didn’t go, and then get the reward to her when she went to the jump. I bet if you try it again in the next day or so, she will be even better at it (latent learning).
The tunnel session was challenging but seemed easier for her than the jump session. I think the hardest part was moving away from the toy: you can keep saying the tunnel verbal after she starts moving – that seemed to be very helpful for her especially in the early reps. You can see the slight processing delays at the end when she was starting between your feet… but she got it!!!
So for these verbal only games… do one more session on the jump as a verbal only and if that goes pretty well (doesn’t have to be perfect), you can move to the discrimination with both obstacles.
And in the meantime, you can also start the handling 1 game where you are moving 🙂
Great job!!!
TracyHello and happy birthday to Promise! A lot of dogs turn 2 years old this week!!!!
>>We had an interesting opening sequence the other day and she actually pulled off the tunnel>>
yes, that was interesting! I think it was because you were on the rear cross side so the tunnel turned away from you – and you called and started moving away before she was in the tunnel, so she was confused.
Looks like the bar down was on the spread – she might not be able to navigate the jumping and turning on the spread yet (the rest of the run looked good!). It was interesting to see her run past the a-frame: probably a processing issue (right up against the fence). It all falls into the “more experience needed” category 🙂 I know it can be frustrating, but she is FAR less feral on course than any of my dogs when they are not yet 2 LOL!!!
>>Currently in a K9 conditioning course and doing Fanny gotts jumping class. Also auditing Nina gregyls class. I know the bars are going to take time! I’m being very mindful of how much jumping we do too! Lots of rest days.>>
All great! Yay!
>>Also I leave for Italy Friday! Going with the high school for 10 days! Super excited! >>
Wait what?!?!?!?! I need more details, I LOVE ITALY! Where in Italy will you be? I am so excited for you!!!!
Tracy
Hello! Great to see you here!!! I am sure you had a blast with Rachel!
Have fun with the games 🙂
TracyGood morning!
>>I felt like last time I tried that Tunnel Rocking horse that she did better to her right although this time to her left so I am still not sure if she is a lefty or righty.>>
The other pattern might be that she does better to whichever side she is seeing as the first and 2nd rep of the game – so you can warm up the game by showing both directions as wing-to-tunnel, then tunnel-to-wing, and then try putting it together.
<>>
Yes, that will end up being too early and cue the turn on the tunnel exit. If she hears it before or as she enters the tunnel, se is highly likely to turn on the exit which is what was happening.
>> I should give the wrap verbal for a jump just as she exits the tunnel. Since this is an early game and the wing is super close, is it okay to give the wrap verbal as she enters the tunnel or should I try to deliver it just before she exits the tunnel?>>
Even with the smaller distance, maintain the window of timing: so if you give her the wrap verbal as she enters the tunnel, she should not drive out straight to the wing. So give it to her as she exits the tunnel. If she doesn’t exit the tunnel straight, do some training of the tunnel-go-go-go reps and reward straight, so she is not exiting and trying to turn to you.
>>but I tried to do the pattern game when Julie was working Mitre. She couldn’t break her gaze from the other dog moving. I don’t know if we were at opposite ends of the arena if that might be enough distance but I am not sure it would be. She can get sort of stuck staring when she sees motion like that. I can see progress but it is very slow and I have to have a lot of distance.>>
Yes, increasing distance will be the first thing to try. And, changing to a different motivator will help too for most dogs. If food is not very motivating, she will stare at the movement of the other dogs because, well…. border collies. That is what they do! So try doing the pattern game with 2 tug toys replacing the food. The mechanics are different: you can have a toy in each hand and use a “bite” marker then engage her, rather than toss a ‘get it’ cookie.
I did this variation with Contraband using 2 frisbees, to help him NOT stare at or bark at or chase dogs running in flyball.
Keep me posted! Fingers crossed for good weather ahead!
TracyGood morning! I’m excited to see Frankie!
For the single obstacles – you don’t want the MM because we need to see what Frankie says about each obstacles. So thrown rewards are best for that.
You can use a manners minder when you go to the discriminations on the first game, as long as it sits out past the obstacles, in a spot kind of opposite you – so it can be used as a reward for both, but is basically a lure for neither lol!
Have fun!
TracyHave fun! And we can figure out ways to put the games indoors if the weather doesn’t cooperate 🙂
Tracy
