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Hi!
>> I almost want to just let him be because it’s hard for me to watch him struggle.
That’s why I asked what he did when the dogs started running. If he was excited and interested but not at the end of the leash going barking/staring/etc in overarousal, then I lean towards a less-is-more approach. Maybe a little tugging, a little hand tap… but not much more needed and no prolonged moments right near the ring 🙂
>> But I’ll keep moving forward with what we’re doing and your suggestions. I do see improvement.
Building up the toolbox at home and teaching it all in high arousal definitely teaches arousal regulation and builds the neural pathways. And that can help with the self-regulation at trials, even if he is unable to produce operant behaviors in the moments before the ring. So he might be able to self-regulate just fine without our help outside the ring, or only a little bit of help. Maybe he needs his physical and mental warm ups outside, then just comes in closer to his run and sits on a cato plank or something. We will be able to tell by experimenting and observing what happens in the ring. And add in the remote reinforcement games too, so we don’t see any arousal shift when the toy is no longer in your hand or pocket.
And keep me posted!
TracyHi!
This is a really useful sequence of videos!
>> I’m exhausted mentally and physically. Trials are not fun with him for me. He did great though. >>
Maybe not fun… yet. But based on how well he did in his T2B run? Things are gong to start getting really a lot more fun! And yes, I agree that sorting out young dogs is exhausting mentally and physically for us humans (it is SOOOO much easier running the adults!) but it is totally worth it to do so, and I think his work in the T2B run was a look into the future 🙂
Looking at the T2B run: his jumping and drive on the line looked great! He needed earlier turn info on the tunnel exits and one more step to get commitment to the jump after the a-frame, after the 2nd aframe. But he didn’t get frustrated when you called him and re-sent him to it, he was great about coming back and trying again. He didn’t get the weaves at the end, but I think the buzzer and judge returning to the course distracted you and you were more on your way to the exit, and less really asking for the weaves. No worries.
Looking at the 2 outside the ring videos:
– this facility is very tight in the entry, even when there are no dogs running. With that in mind, he gave fantastic info (through body language and engagement) about what helps and what he likes, versus what helps and what he does not like.What helps and what he likes?
He seemed to like it any time the cookie or toy moved up or away from him, he engaged! Yes! He was eating cookies and playing with the toy in a pressure cooker of a situation. I was proud of him. The cookie/toy moving up or away allows him to move, and I think he needs to move more when waiting outside the ring (more on that below):A few things to try, with this in mind:
– when using food, you can feed him up high like you did or try a short toss to the side or have him chase your hand for the treat (curious to see if the hand chasing will engaging to him, because it incorporates movement)– because the environment is soooo much harder, his tap behavior is likely to be a little weaker. No worries – reward it anyway. At the beginning of the first video, he was able to immediately engage and do a nose turn towards your hand – close enough, reward it. Tap’ish’ is fine for now 🙂 A head turn towards the hand? Totally rewardable in such a hard environment. When he engages, responded, but didn’t get rewarded, I think he got confused and he was trying to leave.
– with the toy, tugging up high was totally something that got him engaged! You can also try a MUCH longer toy and swing it around on the ground – so he can jump up for it then you start swinging it on the ground. That alleviates the pressure of you bending over and using a tiny toy. And it gets him moving! I know there is not a lot of room, but there is room for a 4 foot long toy for now especially when no other dogs were around.
What didn’t seem to help, and he didn’t seem to like?
– he never really responded to his name other than the first moment of the first video. He was generally looking away in response to his name.
– he definitely did not like being pulled by the leash on his neck – lots of ears back and tight mouth and looking away and trying to go to the dog
– we also saw the ears back/tight mouth/lowered posture when you were doing body taps, rib-smacking… his body language read as not being comfortable with that, in that environment.
– he did not want to engage with the small toy when you were bending over towards himSo definitely keep going with what was working! And you can move to different spots (like further from the ring, or outside the door for a moment) to add some movement into it as well (I bet going outside for a moment will be a nice decompression for him too).
And the stuff he told us he didn’t like? Easy – don’t do it 🙂 Keep the leash super loose, don’t try to use it to get his attention because it creates the exact opposite. And you can ask him to do things like tap or tug without calling his name. And, like many BCs that are trying to regulate arousal, he says “no touching, please” and that is fine too 🙂
>>Then they started running. He couldn’t play anymore outside the ring.>>
That is good info too. Was he able to just stand there? Or just stand outside the door?
And before his run – how long was he in and out of the building, doing this stuff? Were the sessions all in the wait before his run, or scattered throughout the day? It is possible that in these smaller enclosed environments, he waits outside the door for most of the wait, or in the other room, until the dog or two before at most. In a bigger more open environment, I bet you will find it much easier!
>> Worse upstairs. >>
Yes, most dogs agree about that upstairs being a weird place LOL!!!
>>I went outside a couple of times to walk and play on the practice jump. When I walked back in the last time it was our turn so we went straight into the ring. >>
So he was outside, being a good boy on the jump, walking into the building and pretty directly into the ring… and produced that lovely work? I like it!!! At this stage, you can do short blasts of tugging or taps or anything outside the ring. But no need to be in there for a long time. The other behaviors that you will eventually like to have ringside will get built up and you can start to add them in the run up to his turn in the ring, and then it will all be easier.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
I think the back and forth and find my face looked really strong, even with the distractions in the environment. The hardest part seemed to be having to put the treats in her molars to chew them LOL!! Other than that, she was great. Since it went so well, you can keep the session short – otherwise it ends up being a lot of the same, which can get boring for you both 🙂 If things are going great for about 90 seconds? You can move onto something else.
The sequence work is looking good – the best part was that your connection was 99% SPOT ON!! I think there is one spot you can connect better, but only one spot is fantastic. Yay! She was fast and fabulous on these.
You can also try to replace a lot of the FCs with BCs, like on seq 1 and 3. In both of those spots, you were starting the FCs as she was gathering for liftoff which meant she didn’t see the turn cue soon enough, and turned after landing. Since FCs take a lot of fancy footwork for us humans, you might find hat a BC in those spots (3-4 on both of those sequences) is easier to start on time when she is exiting the tunnel on Se 1 or landing from 2 on Seq 3, and the BC definitely easier to finish on time! And BCs can produce amazing turns, so totally worth a try to do more BCs than FCs at this stage. And that will help with the bars – at 2:20 and 2:46, the late FC was what caused the bar to drop (she didn’t have time to set up the turn before takeoff and tried to do it in the air)
Seq 2 – great job with your start position right on the line at jump 2, and great job moving to 3 on time with great connection. Her speed and line were amazeballs! Yay! You can add a little decel into 3 (as she lands from 3) as you start your collection cue to tighten that turn up over 3 a bit.
>>she is still uncomfortable with jumping the jump to the fence.>>
It is a hard line – more connection totally helps, and so does decelerating into it so she can add a collection. When you turned and said “tunnel” while she was in the air, she dropped the bar trying to turn. But on the last rep, you had the connection and some decel and an early verbal, and she did a great job!
Sequence 4:
For this FC on jump 3, you can also be trying it as a blind instead! At :10, you were facing her while she is jumping and ideally you should be finished and heading to 4. I bet you will love the blinds!
The rest looked great!Seq 5: On this opening, you can also line her up on a slice facing 2, rather than square to jump 1 where she has to turn after landing.
>>uring Sequence 4, the people across the street came home and had a crying child. That made Sequence 5 difficult on the start line for Syn.>>
I think this was at :40 – she couldn’t sit and then was looking away on the lead out. Big distraction for sure! When that happens, go to a pattern game of volume dial rather than try to continue the lead out. That will allow you to quickly get her engagement back, and then you can more easily run the sequence
The sequence is looking good! My only suggestion is to give her the tunnel exit turn info before she goes in, so she can exit turning to you. St 1:15 (BC) and 1:50 (FC), the last thing she saw/heard before entering the tunnel was you going straight, so she exited straight. If you start your verbal and cross when she is still approximately 6 feet before the tunnel entry, she will have a great turn on the exit!
Great job here! Have fun at the run thrus!
Tracy
Hi!
I am liking this lazy agility plan a whole lot! The two of you are a lot more connected, you can get the handling in, and she is finding jumps a zillion times better. Hooray! It seems less frustrating for you both, and really helps support the cheese industry LOL! So for now, tackle all sequences like this and over time, we will incorporate a little less laziness 🙂 Just keep turning your shoulders to the line you want and see if she finds the jump, then toss a treat. For when you want her to drive ahead on a line, you can place a toy or MM out ahead and drive her to it.>> I am not sure why she zoomed off to the tunnel after the blind. I wonder if she could have been feeling a bit too much pressure.>>
She was correctly reading the info as rear cross cues. This happened at 1:25 and 1:39, because you were on the center of the bar and turning towards the center of the bar (rather than moving away from it) – and that is 100% a rear cross cue, so she is correct to have read it as a rear cross. At 1:40, you also stepped backwards across the rear cross line, really (accidentally :)) solidifying the info as a rear cross. And since she is being well-paid to find lines and not run past things, she was a good girl to continue on the line to the tunnel (her head was up and her ears were oriented towards you and she was taking short strides, meaning she was still paying attention for more info).
Then at 1:44 you called her back to the jump and your cue to it was late, so it looked like a turn away on the flat which presented… you guessed it… the line to the tunnel. She even glanced at you as if saying “are you sure?” but your body language said “yes, tunnel” so off she went LOL! Good girl! At 1:49 you gave a much better cue for the right turn over the jump and she happily took it. And you rewarded. Super! Great job to just keep going, not marking her as being wrong, and rewarding when you got the jump.
And you went on to do good jogging and cookies for the last line, and that is also a good spot for the MM placed out on the line.
>> I don’t think this is on the video, but I did the pattern game and then we heard two big gun shots and she gave no indication of hearing them or any worry at all.>>
This is a huge moment is sports history!!! I remember over the summer that she was very upset by gunshots (I mean, I can relate!) so this is a big win!!!
>>What type of medications are you referring too? I want to be able to give my vet as much information as possible.>>
There are a lot of possibilities, so I can put you in touch with an expert if you like. The experts (Veterinary behaviorists and certified behavior consultants) prefer that we dog trainer types allow them to do more of the supplementation discussion. There is soooo much amazing stuff available!!
>>The book I am reading that talked about the dreaming rats is mainly about octopuses and is called The Soul of the Octopus.>>
Thank you!! I will definitely get it – I love hearing about Octopuses (Octopi? LOL!) because it turns out they are brilliant!!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyYes, seems like there was drama! That is a bummer but it leaves you more time for agility. And if a no-drama team starts up eventually, it is easy to go back to it 🙂
Have fun!
TracyGood morning!
All of these look great!Remote reinforcement – he did really well moving away from the cookies in the bowl on the first video!
The toy on the 2nd video was harder for him – it was at nose level so he was not as able to leave it on the chair. Rather than block him from it or use a leave it, you can put it on something higher up so it is harder to grab and easier to move away with you 🙂 That will help get more reinforcement into the behavior to make it easier for when the toy is lower or even on the ground.
What is your remote reinforcement marker specifically? It was changing (go get it, let’s get it, get it, let’ sgo when moving away from it, etc) I think you mainly used “let’s get it” later on in each session – it was only at the beginnings of the sessions where you were using some of the different markers, so remember to use the same marker throughout.
Empty hands is looking really good! He was very happy to run the sequences with your hands not holding a toy. YAY! I didn’t see any change in his focus or engagement or speed – still perfect! So, try this game the next time you run a sequence in a new place and see how he does!
End of run video 1 – at the beginning here, he seemed a little confused about why he was on leash and wanted to chew it or tug it. He did really well on the sequence and then we happy to tug the leash. I think he is still a little unsure about going to get it, but the more you practice it, the more he will recognize the cue to go get it as a way to start the game. I think it will be very useful!
End of run video 2 – this was lovely! He got lots of rewards for coming to you, getting the leash put on, and getting cookies and tugs. Perfect! He was happy with it. It seems like such a small detail to work on, but it is so important and he did great!!
The next step for all of these games is to take them on the road – keep playing them in small pieces like you did here, but go to new places and play them to help him understand them everywhere.
Great job!
TracyHi! This was fun to watch – those race tracks are hard, right?!? Makes me laugh too when I do them because they are so much harder than they look LOL!
The success of the lap turns here depends on your footwork. She is driving into the lap turn hand perfectly! And, your feet need to stay relatively together & stationary until you start to move your hand back – that is when your foot can step back too (same side as the hand that is moving). For example, you moved your hand and foo tat pretty much at the same time at :08 and 1:22 – very nice lap turns from her and no questions. It was just right!
When you don’t move the foot at all, she has legit questions. This is what happened at :18, :31 :38 1:14, and 1:39 – the dog-side foot never stepped back which is more of a cue to go to the other side of the wing which is what she was doing (or sometimes she would kind of jump over your leg LOL!!) So definitely remember to move your foot back when you start moving your hand back (which begins as she is arriving at your hand)
On the flip side, being too early can cause her to ask questions – if your dog side foo moves back while she is still several feet away from your hand, that can read as pressure into the line (especially if you lean forward into her) and that can cause her to stop in front of you for a heartbeat (:24) or pushes her to the other side of the wing (like at :46 and 1:32).
So keep working the footwork of keeping your feet together and stationary until your hand starts to move – that should help her get it perfectly!
Nice work here!
TracyHi! These are going well – it is hard for sure, but she is sorting out her slicing and lead changes. I think some of the placed toy reps might have been too hard (she was not sure if she should go directly to the toy or no t:)) so better to hold the toy on this for a few more sessions than it is to place it for now (eventually it will be placed out past the end).
When you are out at the far wing of jump 2, she needs a bit more handling especially when she has to slice to her right – you were doing it as a serp on your left arm and she had more failures than successes (missing jumps, bar down, broken stay) so you can do it as a FC for now (release on your right side and then FC to rotate to your left side). That will help her have the light bulb moment of taking the first jump and after that, you can go back to the serp 🙂
If the next session goes well, you can totally move the first wing of jump 2 closer to the bar, so it is touching it – that adds more challenge with a shorter distance!
Nice work!
TracyHi!
>>But, they do cause alarm on xrays! Ask me how I know. >>
OK, now I need to know LOL!!!>>She is getting the hang of it, but it’s hard
You are correct – it is really hard! I have a ton of empathy for the pups… I mean, I get nervous at the start line and I am an adult (theoretically haha) human who has seen the course map, walked the course, AND taken mental prep classes for all of this crazy stuff. So I imagine that the dogs can get butterflies and arousal shifts too! And in thinking back to all the dogs I have had over the 25 years of dog sports, there has been exactly 1 dog that naturally shifts into the optimized state and always seems perfectly fine in every environment. Only 1, and that is the whippet and he is only 15 months old, so there is still time for real adolescence to kick in LOL!!!!
Keeping mind it is hard and that we have tools to help really makes things go much more easily.
>>It’s a little hard for her to release the toy and there was some definite grass grabbing.>>
A little hard and only some grass grabbing is good! There will still be some arousal behaviors because nothing is black & white, so we are going to watch for a gradual diminishing of those behaviors.
On the sequences: Looks like she was moving into the sit pretty well at the start and you were quick to get started, which is great! You can mix in some instant releases as the arousal comes up later int he session – as soon as her butt is on the ground, you can release and go as a way to keep the sit line up motivating 🙂 And you can do some hodl-collar-and-go reps too, so the sit is not always something she has to think about. We want to keep the sits in a low latency state, so it is fine to NOT as for it (by waiting for it) when there is a high latency possibility.
Seq 1 looked great! The blind was really strong!!!
The Rear cross on rep 2 was good – you don’t have to call her as much (it got too much turn towards you after the tunnel) and you can start moving up the RC line sooner (just as she is exiting, you can be already moving to the center of the bar for the RC). She read it well and found the last jump with no questions.
Rep 3 – yes, the blind was late 🙂 but good turn after it! When you came back to it on the last rep at 2:27, it was earlier but still late because she turned after landing and slipped. Based on her speed and length of stride, you can be more lateral as she exits the tunnel (heading into the gap 4-5) and start the blind when she is over jump 3! That will feel early but will be on time, because your motion will support 4 and that way she can see the blind starting when she lands from 3, so she can adjust before takeoff for 4 for the side change.
Rep 4 – the rear was really good! As she lands from 3, you can decelerate and rotate towards 4-5, so you get a little more collection on 4 to land her facing 5 (the rear cross jump). That can make the RC even easier. Her turn on the RC jump was great!
>>P.S. I need some AU tshirts and ideally a crew neck sweatshirt. I’m not a big hoodie fan. Where do I find the merch?>>
Stay tuned! We have a new vendor that can do all sorts of stuff!!! I hope to get it done after the US Open.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
>>Yes, thinking bout it, this is what I do now. I always shave a food bowl waiting outside the exit gate for some immediate reward and then the celebration when we do get back to the crate
I am sure he won’t be sad about more cookies at his crate, but the cookies right outside the ring will make the most impact in relation to the run.
>>Volume dial – Yes, I’m always thinking about turning down the volume.>>>
Think of it more as centering the volume – just the right amount of volume. Too high is obviously going to create struggles, but so will too low 🙂 Being a bit high on the arousal bell curve is actually an optimal state. Totally counterintuitive but very effective 🙂
>>Friday class – much tighter facility – no room for the routine I described above. >>
What you describer about the difference in facilities is why it is more of a toolbox to pull from, rather than a routine. You are making adjustments and that is great!!
>>Also, crating issues are specific to agility / obedience – he does crate like an angel at home. I think the boy has FOMO issues – he thinks every turn should be his. >>
Yes, I bet he is feeling some barrier frustration, seeing & hearing the game and being in a crate. That is pretty normal so having the door open when Coal works is great, or crating as far from the action as possible is great too!
>>he sound of another dog running a tunnel is a huge trigger for Coal.
Good point! One thing you can do at home is get recordings/videos of agility trials and someone yelling TUNNEL TUNNEL TUNNEL and play them in the background while you do your pattern and volume dial games! Start at a low volume and then over the course of several sessions you can get it nice and loud or even use some flyball videos if you want extra noise LOL!
>>Working on building strength for his jackpot cue – working at home – leaving the food bowl, move about 5 to 10 feet, ask for a simple behavior such as a sit or down – mark with a jackpot cue and then go back to the bowl with him for reward.
Will get started with NFC Part 2 at our classes – no lotus ball, food in my pocket
Also working on end of run put your leash on – shaping his putting his head thru the leash loop.>>All of this sounds really good!!!
>>I assume it’s OK remote reward, NFC Part 2 and leash routine concurrent;y – yes?>>
Absolutely yes! Working all of the pieces separately will make it easier to put it all together.
Sounds like you are totally on the right track! Thanks for the update and keep me posted!
Tracy
Hi!
>>Thanks for the info on using a Cato in UKI. It’s highly rewarding to her so she gravitates to it whenever she sees it.>>
there are all sorts of ways you can use the Cato in practice and UKI, such as getting two of them: start on one, do a short sequence to the 2nd one, reward, do a sequence back to the first one, reward, and so on 🙂
>>I started talking to my imaginary dog when she dropped her head to eat dandelions. She popped right back up.
I must have missed that, I was distracted by the wind just like a dog LOL!!!
>>YES she found my face for real. We had worked on it on it with a couple of jumps the day before. That’s so cool. I will work on it in the ring.>>
yes- that was so cool to see!
>>I’m going to make up a flash card with my game plan on it so I can review my plan before I take her out of her crate.>>
Love it! I like to text things to myself or take a photo of my plan – short and sweet, and memorable!
>>I need to develop something fun for after the run other than inviting her to jump up on me. I have a remote reinforcement word (chips) which means we’re running to a container outside the ring for cookies. In my dreams, she would tug with the leash. In my nightmares, she would grab the leash and play keep away with it. She does not bring things back.>>
Maybe have her run to the leash, then you pick it up, put it on her, then run to the cookies? The leash can be the gateway for the cookies. That is what I was teaching my merle dog in the video, because he was TOTALLY the type who would have grabbed the leash and gone feral with it LOL!!! The video was when he was a teenager (he is 4 now) so I sent quality time teaching him the end of run routine to ward off the possibility of going feral. His end of run game now is running to the leash, I hold it open (it is a martingale), he shoves his head into it, then we run out to cookies. Works nicely and was easy to teach.
Let me now what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
>>You were right on about using higher value treats for the “Get It!” Pattern Game.>>
Terrific! High value treats can be very motivating for her 🙂
>> I juxtaposed our class room “Get It!” with our yard in the following video. There is still a difference.>>
Yes, there was a definite difference. So you can keep going with the super high value treats in the class ring or new locations, and eventually it all evens out. The difference you are seeing is good feedback from her about how she is still a little uncomfortable in the class environment. So, along with the pattern games, keep the class sequences simple, highly reinforcing, and using very motivating food or toys 🙂
>>With the trying to begin a Sequence and C’s taking off, I should have acted sooner in getting a pattern game going, because she wan’t just taking a moment. It seemed to degenerate into comfortable sniffing.>>She was engaged until you reached for her leash. Interesting! That was when she left to sniff. So you can try different ways to get the leash off – I think as part of the pattern game will be most effective: pattern game holding the leash so you don’t have to reach for it on the ground, when she is engaged the take the leash off, more pattern game, then volume dial, then sequence.
>>Am taking Changtse to a trial tomorrow just to be in the trial atmosphere and to practice pattern games, tricks, and Find My Face.
Fun! YEs, try to get video. No need to practice Find My Face, it is context-specific for sequencing. Instead, replace it with some decompression and snuffle mat time!
Have fun and keep me posted!
TracyHi Annalise and Team Prytania!
Yes, she was a little rusty on the tunnel threadle cue, we haven’t worked it in a long time! No worries 🙂
One small detail: if “here” is the verbal for the tunnel threadle, you don’t need to also say “tunnel”. If “tunnel” means ‘go to the tunnel entry in front of you’ then ‘here’ can easily mean “come in and take the other side of the tunnel.
For now, since she didn’t really remember it, the next session can start with the refresher you did here, working on just the tunnel. Then you can do a wing to the tunnel threadle. As you are adding more and more jumps, you can run more info the pinwheel before it, then you can decelerate and turn on the jump before the tunnel to set up the tunnel threadle. That decel and turn will help her collect on the jump, then you can run to the tunnel entry you want her to go into.
I was also doing the decel & turn and using my ‘brake’ arm in the demo to help my dog turn, because he didn’t really remember it either and needed the help LOL!!
The mid course video is also the tunnel threadle video – can you repost the mid course sequences? I am looking forward to seeing them!
Great job here 🙂
TracyGood morning!
>>Pattern games. YESSSS! Very successful. At the trial on grass and dirt and concrete. >>
Terrific! Keep working these games at home and at new places, with high value food, so she has very quick responses and re-engages easily.
>>We’re continuing pattern games but we haven’t done much remote reinforcement. I plan to add that soon. >>
I vote that you start it now! (Do I get a vote? LOL!!). It is the biggest piece of the puzzle for Pizzazz – learning to run agility in new places without food and toys in your hands. This is really important for her, more important than the sequencing work at this point, so move it up the list. Yes, sequencing is more exciting but the remote reinforcement is what bridges the gap from training to trialing.
>>When we worked this week’s courses at Amy’s this evening she did so well with cookies on my person, not in my hands, I hated bring on the remote reinforcement yet.>>
At this stage, the remote reinforcement is entirely separate from agility. We teach it in tiny slices so we don’t get stress behaviors. Stress comes on when we go from all cookies & toys visible or in a pocket while running courses, to suddenly all cookies/toys outside the ring AND in a trial environment. So keep the remote reinforcement totally separate from any sequencing and get it started asap 🙂
>>another trial at the end of December but I have no intention of entering her now. >>
That is a good choice. She is telling us that she is not ready for the trial environment yet so skipping it for now is perfect!
Tracy
