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Hi!
yes, you can take a serp break then come back and try it with more open angles on the jumps.
>>. I need to be careful about that “just one more time” thing, I sometimes have a hard time stopping, and since Georgie never looks like she wants to stop, I can see it would be easy to overdo.>>
I do 2 things to get myself to end a session:
– set a timer and when the timer goes off, I must stop.
– turn on a song and when the song ends, I must stop (songs are 2.5 – 3 minutes long :))Have fun!
TracyGood morning!
>>I haven’t posted much in here but the live Mental Management sessions have really been helpful and inspiring. Thanks for helping me realize that I was experiencing burnout. I have been working through this feeling of burnout and I thought putting it into words would help. But it feels like an embarrassing confession!>>
Thank you for your insightful, vulnerable, honest posts! And it is always great to see you in the live chats! You have nothing to be embarrassed about – you are in supportive company and we have all, at some point, felt exactly the same way. I had significant agility burnout after the covid lockdown and when one of my dog passed away. I am just now beginning to come out of it, a year later. And that is fine, because I recognized it and gave myself some grace. Agility trials will be there when I am ready for them 🙂
>>I acknowledged and embraced that I was having a burnout episode and that I needed to take a step back and just let myself rest and recharge. It was a really yucky feeling to just not want to do anything but simultaneously feel like I SHOULD be doing something. So I gave myself permission to literally do nothing – and it helped! I had to do a lot of nothing though. Hahaha.>>
If it helps… the burnout is not just emotional or intellectual! It is a physical manifestation of too might stress and HPA Axis stimulation, without enough decompression or completing the stress cycle. We see this in dogs and itis 1000% true for us. So that yucky feeling? It is too much cortisol flowing through your bloodstream. And I totally relate to that feeling that you *should* be doing something… that is our inner critic lambasting us wile our wise advocate voice is telling us to rest and refresh. Tell that inner critic voice to bug off! LOL!
>>This is a confession that feels both embarrassing & full of hubris to admit, but I had been campaigning really hard to try & make it to the top 5 Bostons for invitationals with Frankie. That was my inspiration goal for the year.>>
Again, nothing to be embarrassed about, and no hubris at all! You set a goal, and you went for it! WOW!!! I am proud of you!!! And you were oh-so-close. High five to you and Frankie!!!!!!!
I also recognize that, as a member of Generation X, I was raised to work really hard, to keep my emotions to myself (work harder!), set high goals (WORK HARDER hahahaha) and if I am disappointed? Don’t share it, just work harder. LOL!! But if we are successful? Don’t feel pride it in, that might make other people feel badly. I mean…. turns out that is not the best approach for mental health. HA!!! And the more I bring this up to other people in that age range, themore we are all like… YEAH!!! What the heck?!?!?! Ha!!
I admit that is can be somewhat shocking to Gen X me when people from the Millenial or Gen Z age groups can share their emotions so freely and be so openly vulnerable. Definitely something to be learned from that!!!
>> I am SO proud that we ended up as #7 (yay!) but it is hard not to be disappointed that I went as hard as I could and didn’t reach the goal. My trialing partners have made it every year for the last 3 years, and I am at the same number of trials that they attend, but we are not as consistent.>>
I am proud of you too! finishing as #7 in a competitive breed is impressive. Not quite in the top 5, but is this your first year trying for it? If so, that makes it even more impressive. Your trialing partners have more experienced with this goal, so finishing so high up as you get started with it is very impressive.
It is also an exhausting process, and I figure it contributed to that feeling of burnout. It is a year-long, high intensity process!
>> That being blurted out, I do understand that me & Frankie are on our own special journey and I have so much gratitude that she chooses to play with me in a trial setting every time. The ribbons are not the important part it, is the joy we both experience when we run happy & connected. She has so much courage & spirit to work through her stress to run with me.>>
YES!!!! And what you did (that others probably did not do) is to make her happiness and comfort level into your priority. That is a HUGE win and a big piece of why she was able to finish in the top 7. And you can take those strategies and learnings into the ring for any trial and for any high stakes goals!
>>I’ve done a lot of thinking and having such a high-stakes goal took a toll on my enjoyment and was very stressful. It didn’t allow me to celebrate the really “celebrate-able” moments that we did have, because in order to reach that goal, I needed “more” so it shadowed our accomplishments.>>
This is really an insightful self-reflection. It is hard to balance the high-stakes goals with shining a light on the celebration moments, even if they don’t take us closer to the goal. It is OK to simultaneously feel the disappointment with not getting into the top 5 while celebrating all of her success in the ring too. And I think verbalizing it REALLY helps:
“damn, finished 7, soooooo close, that is great but also disappointing. I am sooooo proud of how well she ran all year!”We humans can feel and process both of those emotions, they are both valid.
>> It is going to be a challenge trialing with my training & trialing partners who do have that goal, and not give in to “going for it” but I don’t want to campaign like that again. >>
You can support them but you can also not want that for yourself. You can go for it in other ways!
>>But, I don’t want to not have big goals either. I want to keep growing & improving. Instead, I want to concentrate on doing well at AKC Nationals and at our Boston Terrier Nationals this year.>>
Those are SUPER fun goals! They are outcome goals which give you a platform to develop those process goals and performance goals.
>> I am also excited to be working with Bazinga again and I want to concentrate on giving her the best foundation, supporting her resilience & confidence and having a smart debut plan when she is ready.>>>
Yes! Bazinga is sooooo talented, exciting times are ahead for sure! I am glad she is feeling better because those were a rough couple of months! Her health challenges were stressful, and that might have been a contributing factor to your feelings of burnout.
>> She is doing better & is healing! We are still working on balancing her biome and are transitioning her to a new food with the hope that we can back off her reflux medication. It is challenging to train with a special diet. I have learned that you can cut canned dog food into tiny pieces and freeze them to use for training!>>
Yay! And also, since she loves toys, you can train with a lot of toys too!
>>What were my accomplishments for this year?
Changing my timing to big dog timing like you suggested!
Changing my start-line routine!
1. I dropped the start-line stays that caused her to shut down & switched to slingshot releases that support her better & keep her engaged.
2. I started letting her walk into the ring on her own 4 legs instead of carrying her in & putting her down at the start jump.>>LOVE these!!!
>>3. I’m now carrying my leash during our runs which took the leash-runner anxiety out of the picture for her.>>
BRILLIANT! What a simple solution to a complex issue!! Thanks, AKC, for allowing that!
>>>4. Instead of waiting until the last second to take her leash off at the start jump, I have been taking it off right away as we come in the ring (I make sure the dog leaving the ring is under control & leashed first) and if she is connected with me, we do some of our hand touch & spin games! This is so new & she LOVED it!>>
Awww this makes me happy to hear!!!
>>This has really improved her confidence and she is so much happier in the ring. We lost some ground initially because I had to get our new timing down but we seem to have a groove going now. She is happy & that makes me happy & we do so much better when we are both happy!>>
This is a bigger victory, and a longer-lasting accomplishment, than qualifying for any event. This is HUGE!!!!
>> We do have to rely on rear crosses for those super popular AKC starts that force a side change on jump 3, but that seems to work ok for us.>>
That is fine – RCs are winning tools!
>>One of the last stress-blocks (or mental illness!) that I am working through that is interfering with me actually doing training is separating the dogs to take each one out to train. I have such a block about that!>>
In general, I have always had a hard time separating the dogs to take each one to practice. They love it so much & even giving them a stuffed kong doesn’t compare to getting to go out & play agility. Bazinga started throwing crate tantrums when she was not feeling well and that added to my anxiety about crating her to go train Frankie. I have been working hard to reward her in the crate & increase that duration and she is doing so much better. I am feeling better about it now but I feel like I need a better plan for the future.>>This is hard for sure! And it can be paralyzing… when there is no happy plan to train them both, then sometimes neither of them gets trained. Totally relate! I do alternating sessions – everyone comes to the field (I often put them in their car crates and bring the car to the edge of the field, even though it is next to my house LOL!!!!) I make sure the car is shaded and then each dog gets a turn. Yes, there is some complaining from inside the car 🙂 But they all get a turn, they know the routine, and we all end happy (and sweaty :)) I am sure you can figure out some type of training rotation for the girls so they can take turns. There are people out there who have their dogs trained to stay on stations or beds or tables while the others train… I am not one of those people LOL! Crates for the win! Plus I don’t mind a little complaining – each dog has something to chew so they are not freaking out.
>> I just had to get it all out! ☺
I have always found it helpful to get it out in supportive company, because then people chime in with “yeah! Me too!” and then it all feels so much more normal and fine!!
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
>> chaos coordinator>>
Hmmm, I think I am going to use this phrase as my new household title. Thanks!!! It belongs on a t-shirt LOL!!
>.. I ended up not being where I wanted to be quite a few times resulting in screams 😂>>
Totally relatable but it is very cool that he was running hard enough to make you fear for your life!!!
>>He was working hard here and my reinforcement was lacking.>>
Yes, he was great! Hard course, zillion degree temps, he worked hard. When he peed it was a legit “I gotta pee” – almost 10 seconds worth LOL! You might need to build potty breaks into the sequence work LOL!
I thought you did a good job rewarding him – I wish more people would reward after a blooper! You also did a great job of keeping him moving when you were carrying on. But if you want to reward more… feel free LOL! He won’t argue with more friz tosses.
On the video – take note of the convergence that caused him to take the backside of 2 (more on that later).
Since he now has a lovely happy start stay so you can do a big lead out – you can lead out to threadle position (across the bar at 2, on the opposite wing on the takeoff side) and don’t move, so he can easily get the threadle on 2 when you release the stay, open th earm, and give the verbal. On the first rep and 2nd rep, you were pretty far then moved towards the jump, so that overrode the threadle verbal and he took the backside.
Position at :58 was the truest threadle position, so you can lead out to that. Motion will not override the verbal if you are standing still in position!
>>That layer was much harder than I anticipated>>
Yes, it is a hard layer! You can set the layering from closer to the tunnel exit by moving to the tunnel exit on a parallel line to his so when he exitsyu are moving forward to the jump, sending him. There is no rush to get down the line there, if he gets on the line you have plenty of time to do the next part 🙂
What was happening was you were getting ahead and decleerating right next to the weaves, which have a ton of value so he ended up in the weaves.More serp needed to 7 before you flipped him away on the first run – it was beautiful at 4:00!!!! You can use a switch verbal before he enters the 6 tunnel to help him know how tight of a turn it was
It would be nice to layer and get the 13 backside while layering! When you ran along the line without the layering, he needed more of the convergence and push like you did at 2:11.
To get it as a layer, think back to the convergence you did on 1-2 at the very beginning and accidentally got the backside! You can do that here on the 13 jump, being laterally away and converging into his line (outside arm would help too here). You can start by doing it from a distance then eventually moving up to layering to get it.
He almost got the threadle wrap on 13 with the layering at the end!!! So close! it is probably easier to do it with a tunnel as the layered obstacle and not the weaves – because layering tunnels can often be a little easier for most dogs.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
I am glad you like the sequences 🙂 I had fun with them too! You should totally set them up outside so you can make them bigger and even faster – that is a great prep for running the big courses!On the video:
Seq 1 – yes, start the switch cue before he enters. As he gets more fluent with it, he will look at you less but for now, you can be at the tunnel exit to help him out.
For the threadle wrap at 5 (:11) now you can add in decel and a blind cross exit to tighten it and keep the bar up. You rotated forward so you were facing 4 as he was jumping, so he jumped long and then dropped the bar trying to adjust
You were way ahead at the tunnel exit for the backside send (:13) so be sure to look at him – he is looking at you for more info there because you were looking ahead.
At :18, call or use a directional (right verbal) and rotate before he enters the tunnel so he can exit turned
2nd run – your timing of starting the switch verbal was great! You left the position too early, though – as he was almost out of the tunnel at :31, you were already fully turned and moving the other way so he came with you. Remember to keep showing the cue until he gives you the cue to leave, but turning his head the new direction.
You were much clearer at :39 and he got it nicely!To get a better threadle line and help with the bar at :41 and also at 1:07 – when he lands from 4, you can be giving him a cue to turn left on 5 so he collects – then you can go to the threadle cue. He is jumping straight based on the cues, then you switch over the bar so he tries to adjust and the bar comes down (also, he was jumping towards a wall there, which does make things harder).
To tighten up the wrap on 7 – as he exits the wing of 6, start to decelerate into the turn so he can collect before takeoff at :45 and 1:12
At :48, stay connected on the send, try not to look at the jump. Much better on the resend there and on the full sequence at 1:17!
The full run at the end was lovely!
Jumpers course –
>>All my usual mistakes are in here. Too much decel at 3 >>
I didn’t think you had too much decel at 3! It was a really nice threadle opening 1-2-3 on the first video. He read it correctly as a slice because your feet turned to the center of the bar a bit (can turn more to the bar to make it really clear). On the 2nd run, he read it as a circle wrap – I am not sure if that is what you were intended (hard to hear the verbal) but your feet were facing forward to the weaves and not the bar, so he was correct to read it as a circle not a slice.
If the dog walk is a big distraction and on his line, block it off, I think that is what you did on the 2nd video 🙂 otherwise you need to handle the weaves like a discrimination.
>. Then that jump after the tunnel, I had the same problem as I had in last week’s course. I also saw this on some video of my last trial. Before a rear cross, I am pulling him the other way before starting the rear so he commits to the opposite direction or straight ahead.>>
Yes, I think the RC on jump 6 was the hardest part here.
At :16-:17 and at :26-:27 on the first video, and :11-:12 on the 2nd video, you were pointing forward with your upper but moving laterally to your left, pushing into his line which pushed him off the line to the jump. I thought you ran forward for longer at :22 on the 2nd video, but pushed in before he was committed so he did not take the jump.So here is a different way to think about RCs so you can get commitment and the correct turn:
Run forward to the center of the bar, connected to him but NOT pointing at the bar, until you see his feet take off to jump it. That should get him committed and turning correctly, without pushing him off the line and also without accidentally pulling him the wrong direction.
Don’t worry about timing, just lock into connection and run to the center of the bar til you see liftoff 🙂
>>Then on my second go, the layer falls completely apart. uugggly. I still have this set up. Should I break down part of it? Take one tunnel out & just simplify the layer?>>
For the layering – the first video looked good! You can use more verbals and also start the turn cues for 9 when he has landed from 8, but overall he was able to get the layering.
On the 2nd video, you tried layering both tunnels and he didn’t really understand it (plus there was a less momentum coming into it because you started right at the 6 jump)- then at :34 you did not connect on the send and you were moving near the blue tunnel, so that is where he went.
Getting him onto the line for the layering involves a lot of connection and motion, so try to use less arm and more eyes and verbals 🙂
I don’t think you need to remove one of the tunnels, you can run between the 2 tunnels once or twice then keep getting further and further away to see if you can layer both tunnels (this is a hard skill!!)
One thing to remember though:
If you stop, you must reward him rather try to restart – he is responding really well so stopping for handler error and be really frustrating to the dog if reinforcement is withheld.After the tunnel layering section – Good blind on 11! You can start the turn cues when he exits 10, with decel and verbal before the blind (you started it as he took off for 11 so he was wide at :35)
For th e13-14-15 section: remember to look at him on sends and keep moving that direction until he looks at the jump (that is your cue to go to the next spot 🙂 He never quite looked at 14 at :39 so when you turned to 15, he came with you.
So I think the main theme for sending is to be connected and keep the cue going until you see him say “I see it!” but looking at and moving towards the jump. That will help get commitment without sacrificing your position on course.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyPerfect! yes, breaking it down will help, and opening up the angles of the jumps too. keep me posted!
TracyGood morning!
>> I used to like serps, I thought I was good at them, in retrospect, it was obviously my Terv girl who was good at serps, it appears I’m hopeless.>>
I am 1000% sure you are NOT hopeless!!!!! Tervs are VERY different than BCs, in that a Terv is happy to come right at you and a BC is happy to stay way out on a line. Serps are HARD with BCs, don’t take it personally!
>>Georgie is so fast, I can’t get ahead, and I think I lose connection on the third jump.
Yes, her speed is a factor that makes it harder. 2 ideas for you:
– Open up the angles of the jumps, so she is having an easier time seeing the line and making the jumping effort
– Cheat to get ahead, so you can focus on your connection and upper body rather than trying to outrun her. By ‘cheat’, I mean you can change the sequence to send her away as much as needed so you can get ahead.>>I just need to bleep out the 4 letter words. Don’t worry, I say them in a happy voice.
Ha! No need to bleep them out! As long as you say them happily then give her a toy, she will think they are reward markers LOL!
>>Georgie also goes out of her mind when I play the videos of our training or your videos, without muting, every time anyone says tunnel tunnel. So I was thinking of working on the pattern games while running the video un-muted. Might not translate to a different environment, but I’m thinking it couldn’t hurt to try???>>
Absolutely BRILLIANT!! Yes!!! And you can start at a low volume, so she barely hears it. That will set up success, then you can gradually turn up the volume, kind of like fading in the distraction. Definitely try it and keep me posted!
TracyHi!
She is reading the forced front cross really nicely! I think the hardest part was the stay – lots of nice stay rewards here! It is really important that the hand movement is NOT the release, so be sure that you don’t put the hand in position and say the release simultaneously. She definitely thought that the hand movement was part of the release, so to change that:
get to position, put your hand in position, smile at her, praise her… then release. If you look back at the video, you’ll see that when you were not planning to reward, you were putting the hand in position and releasing at the same time. Same with the serp arm – have that hand in position hours (in dog years :)) before the release 🙂Great job here, and I am glad she is returning to her normal, post-fake-puppy self 🙂
Tracy
Good morning!
I agree! I felt she was responding brilliantly!>. But meant my treats were off to side so need to manage mechanics here better>>
Definitely put treats in your pocket for each sequence, so you can always reward in the moment without having to get them from off to the side.
If I remember correctly, she also likes toys, so you can carry a toy in your pocket too. Yes, this will bring more arousal but that will be more like how she is at a trial, which can make for very useful training 🙂
See you soon!
TracyHi – These are more forced fronts:
At :09 you released him but didn’t have your arm in position outside the wing, so all he could see was you between the uprights and that is where he went. Reward him anyway – remember that he is mirroring the info he sees, so errors are human errors and not canine errors 🙂 Your hand went into position as he was taking off for 2 at :11At :29, you put your hand in position more clearly outside the wing and just after the release, so he got it right of course 🙂 and then the rest looked lovely!
Nice work on these! Let me know what you think!
TracyThese last 2 videos are the Lead outs to the forced front crosses:
good job rewarding him for your blooper on the first rep! You were much clearer on the 2nd rep so he got it really nicely! Nice serp on 3 to the tunnel!It will also help him if, after the release, you shift your connection and look down to the cue hand – that will direct his focus to the hand as well, which helps him find the correct side of the jump.
T
This is the wrap to the right – At :07 be sure to make strong direct eye contact as you are cuing the wrap jump. if you look forward while he is behind you, he might not commit. So connect strongly until you see him taking off, then you can finish the rotation. It gets easier as he gets more experienced, but for now he needs a lot of connection to support commitment. You were closer to that at :25, so he committed so much better! That set up a nice ending line as well.
Hi –
These jumps are further apart, which is great!
First rep, he needed more connection (very direct eye contact) at :14 as you cued the wrap. That will really help get commitment. Compare to :38 where you looked at him for longer and he committed really nicely! So definitely remember to look at his eyes and not ahead at the jump.T
Hi –
This rep was adding the tunnel before the 2 jump wrap exercise – very nice! When you set this at bigger distances, you can accelerate more as he exits the tunnel, so you can get closer to the wrap jump and so he can see the transition into the decel.T
Hi –
He turned right on this one and I think you wanted a left turn. Be sure to reward him even when things are not what you expected, because he is mirroring the handling info he is seeing. Your position was on the center of the bar of the wrap jump so you released and stepped forward to the center of the bar… that is a rear cross cue. Good boy!Your position at :25 was MUCH better so he was turning left, but you never really connected so he never go ta clear commitment cue (at :27, you are pointing forward and looking forward but he is behind you and not sure where to be) He got a cookie 10 seconds later for the sit, but you can still reward him in the moment for his attempts to read the handling.
Compare those two reps to :45 where you were in the correct position near the left turn wing and connected, so he knew exactly what to do 🙂
T
