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Hi! I am glad she came home from the trial feeling pumped up!!!
>>For me, it is not about the ease on the knees when doing a BC, but the stiffness in the hips. My exercise now is to do variations on the grapevine exercise. The good things that will result from your webinar are infinite!!!>>
That is great! And it will help all aspects of agility. I find that human ladder work and yoga are also really helpful for our crazy agility dance moves 🙂
The 2 videos here were really interesting! The handling went well, but the most interesting part of it was the marked difference in her engagement when you had empty hands, versus when there was cheese in your hand or mouth, or when you pulled the toy out of your pocket.
Having her come into the training on leash then putting the leash on the ground adding a tiny bit of pressure/distraction and that really showed us her questions about empty hands.
When your hands were empty (like at :28-:45 on the first video, when you gave the last cookie for a trick then tried to line her up for the jump with empty hands, or at :25-:36 and 38-:48 on the 2nd run where she had to go past the leash and your hands were empty) – she was tended to freeze, or go really slowly like moving through molasses 🙂 This is a stress response and can manifest as freezing (this is pretty common especially in breeds that tend towards being pointing breeds).
But when you put a cookie in your hand, or reached for the ball… back to full speed! That is great info on how the visibility of the motivator can break through the arousal or stress of the situation.
So when working on harder handling? You can have the motivator in your hand for now.Separately, let’s build up the remote reinforcement so she can be just as fast without anything in your hand! Start with the reward station and leaving the treats on it, taking one step away, then going back for rewards. As she gets happier to leave the cookies on the reward station, you can add in more steps, or a trick, or one jump or one tunnel. We can really pump up this skill over time (and add some distractions, like a leash on the ground :))
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>.Yes, I mean the leash as a toy.She will run away with it.
Got it! You’ll want to work the retrieve of the leash separately in order to eb able to send her to it in the ring. That is a low priority for now, though – you can use it as the gateway to the cookies or toys! Leash on, cookies/toys are coming!
>>Okay, I need to praise first and then go for chips or toy – got it.
Yes, mix that in sometimes so she doesn’t anticipate the marker and run to the reward station.
>>>I have a friend who wanted to join the class but hasn’t heard back from you. Is it still possible to join for working?>>
Sorry! I must have missed this. We are almost halfway through, so I am not sure she will be able to get the same value from it in a working spot – might be better to audit so she doesn’t feel rushed?
>> would there be any value for us to sign up for Max Pup 1? Is it the only way to continue with you or are you planning some other class?>>
I think MaxPup 1 will be too fundamental for the agility skills (although the resilience element is definitely something worthwhile!) I will be posting other classes for the winter – smaller space stuff until the weather gets good again 🙂
Ttracy
Hi!
>>We’d been here once before. I got the same type of behavior.
>>This pattern game attempt was a good bit after he was all done and we were basically packing up and on our way out.>>It is possible he was relaxed, tired, and not hungry 🙂 Try it next time when you arrive and see what he does!
>>I know you have previously said this should be done at home with few distractions so we don’t poison the pattern. With that being said, should I also try to bring him out to quiet different locations and try to do this so he gets accustomed to doing it outside of home? Your thoughts on this?>>
Yes – doing it at home with no distractions will balance out adding the real world distractions, to keep the game neutral. But you can also add simple distractions at home and yes, you can take it to different places outside of home.
>>I did the second half of the mid-course sequences this morning. Little guy was on fire! So fun!
I love it! It is fun to see him driving his lines! He also seemed to get fired up by the leaf-removal – he was SO FAST after you did that!
>> He continues to go check out the leash when I throw it aside like he did the first rep but is becoming more accustomed to it.>>
You can incorporate this into the volume dial game: toss the leash behind you and then move away from it or past it, doing tricks for treats or the tug toy. And try to throw it to a location that is not quite as challenging to run past.
>He is just a little weirdo LOL (said with love). Today he refused the cheese that he would eat the other day and decided kibble was the go to treat >>
He is like a Border Collie – picky eater especially when working. I think a rotation of the different treats will work best: whatever he ate yesterday as a reward should be put away and tried again in a week LOL!
1:03 good FC wrap but might be faster going to the outside 0 definitely more of an extension line.
Remember to add in a GO before he enters the tunnel, so he doesn’t look at you on the exit (2:28)
>> I so did not set him up for the second rep rear cross and he was so good to listen to his right wrap verbal. What a good boy.>>
Yes, he was great! I think you were waiting for him to get past you and then showing the RC, but that was too late – he was already committed to the jump and read the right turn after landing.
>> Third rep rear cross again I was a bad handler – pulled him off the jump because I decelled too much and should have gone deeper at least one more step.>>
it wasn’t the decel that pushed him off, it was the early rotation of your feet – he hadn’t gotten past you yet and you turned to the fence, which pushed him off the line. So yes, go forward to the center of the bar for another step or two so he can get past you.
>> In the moment I just circled him and repeated it. >>
That is fine, but do it with a poker face: don’t mark it or discuss it, because he will wonder what happened and it draws his focus away from the line 🙂 Just pretend you meant for it to happen and keep going like it was the numbered course.
>>Last rep was to steal your phrase, the Goldilocks rep :).
Yes, it was just right 🙂 Yay! Remember to say “right” and not go for the RC and it will be perfect!
>> He loved his toy today and was all about tugging and chewing.>>
It is great tugging weather – not too hot where tugging can be exhausting.
>>If you ever go to Rising Star or Quicksilver Canine for agility let me know. I may be able to enter something and meet up with you there. It would be fun.>>
I will probably end at Rising Star at some point, I need to check the UKI calendar 🙂 I go to Quicksilver for flyball but I don’t think I have any agility coming up there.
Great job here!
TracyFor the measuring, make sure he is good and tired out before you measure him, so he can relax. And make sure he has peed and pooped right before, because this can make a difference!!
And practice to see what helps him stand square – where do you need to be, does he need treats, etc and would it help if a friend helped him stand quietly?
Hello and welcome!!! I am excited to have TWO baby whippets in the class!!
Lovely sessions here with the foot targeting – you had really good timing with the clicks and adding the tossed rewards got her really driving back and forth nicely! The value is looking strong for the next steps that we will be adding tonight. You might need to find a reward that she doesn’t need to chew as much LOL!! And it sounds like she was able to tug between the cookie sessions? Terrific!
Did she clack at you at 1:00? LOL!!!! LOVE IT!! HA! Spicy 🙂
Great job here! I am excited to see more!
Tracy
Hello and welcome! Maui sounds so fun, devil horns and all! I like ’em spicy like that LOL!!
>> I was also at that seminar in Colorado Springs. You may remember I had a 3 week old cocker baby that I was tube feeding. The hosting club was very gracious and let me have a spot for him in the break room since it was so cold. 🙂 That seems like a million years ago and these puppies are distant relatives of that one.>>
OMG! I do remember that!!! Wow, seems so long ago!
>>I also have two more litter mates, Carley and Quill, and I will try to keep them following along as well, but Maui will be my focus.>>
You have 3 pups? I like your style! Fun times ahead!!!!!
Tracy
>>I don’t mind victory laps when training by myself but we are doing more advanced classes and I need him back a little quicker. I have been trying two tug game and rewarding with food. Any other suggestions?>>
They throwing the reward then just as he arrives at it – call him, run the other way, and offer a very exciting reward like a treat or cookie 🙂 That can help him drive back pretty immediately.
T
On this last video, you made two terrific adjustments:
-More active tricks, to get him into a higher state of arousal (which can give more focus when working with distractions)
-Using a bag of treats (great minds think alike LOL!!)
He was very successful! So definitely keep the higher action tricks when using food, and the cookie bag instead of naked cookies. And adding the leash should make it all even easier.
Great job on these! Let me know what you think!
TracyThis is volume dial and remote reinforcement with obedience behaviors. I would say he likes his obedience behaviors, but they might not be enough crazy ‘action’ like the tricks 🙂
“Around” near the reward station: very hard! You told him he knows this… but he doesn’t know it with a stool of cookies right there! LOL! For obedience, that is a GREAT little proofing challenge to add because it will help him learn to ignore ‘easier’ distractions like the judge or stewards.
And he definitely has trouble with the cookies on the reward station because he didn’t move away here and ended up eating the cookies. So, using the leash will help cue him to move away, and also having the treats in a bag or container will help too. That way there is still some excitement and distraction, but it is easier than naked treats sitting there 🙂
This is Volume dial with toy – he was clearer that he should move away with you, probably because you were talking to him on the first rep. And possibly because the toy is more stimulating? Or because the food was more interesting than the toy was in this session :). On the 2nd rep of moving away, he was not as certain, maybe because you were quieter.
Since we don’t want your verbals to have to be the cue here, you can definitely add the leash in when you move away because the leash will always be part of the picture at a trial.
I definitely like this setup for the box work! It will help him look forward more and at you less. One adjustment: Carry the remote for the MM rather than have it on your neck, so the timing is better and your hand can be in a more natural position. The timing of the clicks were a little inconsistent here because you had to reach for the remote after he was through the box, or reached for it before sending to the cone and ended up being too soon. So the remote in your hand will allow you to run and click as soon as you see his feet in the box, making it really consistent.
For this behavior, limit each session to 5 reps (about a minute) then give him a break while you look at the video. Then a few minutes later, you can do another 5 reps and either switch sides, or adjust what was happening. Definitely add in starting closer to the cone so he drives ahead of you – your comfort zone is to send to the cone and be parallel to the box, but we need you to be in all sorts of different locations 🙂
Hi!
This is a bit of volume dial tricks before remote reinforcement. The tricks were good! He had no idea that you wanted him to come with you when you walked away. My guess is that it is a combination of lack of context (you put the treats down and walked away, so he was offering an impulse control behavior) and he had a big weekend, so he is probably mentally tired from that.If you see him freeze like that, you can help him by making the context clearer – add a leash! That is an inherent cue to move with you 🙂 and can set up success.
When he was offering behavior and you were moving back to it and talking to him, it was a little less clear so he did a frustration leap. So rather than let him percolate that long, you can help him sooner so he doesn’t go too long without success.
The other thing to consider is that, after a big busy weekend – he needs recovery of a couple of days before you do any training. Sure, he didn’t do a zillion runs over the weekend but being in that environment AND all of the focus and mental energy required for the FEO runs is exhausting. Monday training after a trial weekend is not likely to be as good (even with adult dogs) so it is better to plan decompression and rest 🙂
