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Hi!
I am glad you tried the chair – this went great! He is SO FUNNY – everything he does is so fast LOL!! He literally exploded backwards on that first rep 😂
My only suggestion is to keep your hands low the whole time, so he keeps his head lower. You can do that in the chair by leaning forward and putting your elbows on your legs and letting your cookie hands dangle. That will get even more backing up because you can flick the cookies further back and faster (while he is still moving) – while also keeping his head down. When his head comes up to look up at you, he stops backing up o having the cookies tossed low and while he is still moving will help that.
Great job here!!
TracyGood morning!
>This is SO cool!! Thank you for sharing that tid bit! >
I mention it because a lot of people get worried when the dog sniffs during work… but working breeds sometimes need to sniff to clear their heads and solve the puzzle. My now-2-year-old is half Malinois, so he was definitely putting himself into problem solving mode like Sunnie did here.
Looking at the videos –
You did great on the harder side here! I would not have guessed it was your harder side. What made it challenging was that he had to chew the start cookie then she came FLYING back to you after the start cookie so it is possible you were surprised on the first rep! But you started to expect it and then your timing got really good! You can keep building up the distance with this game, adding in the advanced level and taking it to different places you might have access to.Looking t the turn and burn games:
She was VERY into the tug toy at the start of the first one here!
One thing to add is having her wear a collar because that will smooth out the beginning of each rep. By lining her up in a sit with a cookie at the beginning, she might have thought she was in a stay – and that made it harder to get thing going at first. Having a collar on her will take out any stay confusion because you can have a finger on the collar start your verbal wrap cue while looking at her – then let go so she can start wrapping the barrel.
>This tug has a lotus ball attached to the end (it came like that). I would like help with my logistics using this tug as a reward.>
Your logistics of presenting it were lovely! You have 2 options for this toy: you can use it as a moving lotus ball lie you did here, where she is getting the end of it and opening it up to get the treat.
Or, you can use it as a tug toy where she tugs on it – but having the treat in the lotus ball part of it will always lock her onto the cookie. So since she was interesting in tugging, you can do this game with a long fun tug toy without the lotus ball, and see if she will tug on it (and not be looking for food – I think she will!) Use a big crazy toy and let her chase it and grab it for tugging.
Looking at the left turn video – she totally wanted to turn right here so adding the bowl definitely helped. The next step to build it to the turn and burn game like the right turn side is to have the bowl be out there almost at the exit line, but the bowl is empty – it shifts into being a visual aid only. Then as she gets to the bowl which is almost at the exit line, you take off and present the fun wild toy. She might ask ‘where is the bowl cookie’ at first, but then she will sort it out immediately. And then we can fade the bowl out entirely by just having it keep moving around the barrel until it is hidden.
There was definitely something in the barrel – a Lab nose is never wrong LOL!! And since she was trying to figure out the left turns, her nose caught wind of *something* LOL!!
Great job here! Let me know how she does with those left turns on the barrel!
Tracy
Good morning!
>She has no interest in food or snuffle when she’s running amok with the toy. It’s like the Tasmanian devil. But, I can try to react less and see if it helps.>
You can still put it down, eventually it will become interesting.
Another option is to channel her right out the door into the yard with you – just says something like ‘let’s go’ and run for the door, then go let her run around with a ball or something. Lots of options!Backing up is going well! She only didn’t really back up when her feet were already on the mat – she was like “I have already arrived, human” hahaha
So be sure to step a little further away each time so she can find the mat and be somewhat straight to it as well. You had a lot of reps where her front feet came off but her back feet stayed on, so you can be a little furtherer away to get her back feet off as well.Nice work!
Tracy
Hi!
He is definitely getting the idea of the RCs, reading the pressure of the line as the turn cue the new direction. YAY!!And I love that you were using a toy as the RC reward – he was joyful with it and I am super excited to see him playing with the toy even though cookies were also used in the session. Good boy!!! It was so fun to see him scampering about with his ‘prize’ after each successful rep ❤️
Since he is doing so well, you can keep adding distance – and as you get further back, start right next to him like you did on the very last rep here (1:29). That allows you to show the cue sooner (because he gets ahead of you sooner) and you were also able to go faster! Yay! And be sure to throw in a couple of balance reps where you go straight and do NOT do the RC, just to be sure he is watching the cues and not guessing that it will be a RC 🙂
Lovely work on all of these!!!
Tracy
He is paying really great attention to the hand cues on the tandem turns here! And your mechanics looked strong too 🙂 He read it well with both the dog-side arm at the beginning, and with the outside arm during the rest of the session. I think the outside arm got him a little closer to you and also got a tighter turn, but that could have also been because he was figuring out the game 🙂
He also read this really well in both directions – that is unusual in a good way! Usually pups have a strong side and a weak side on this game, but he was great on bth sides. Yay!
Like the lap turn, this game is ready for the advanced level where you add the prop.
Great job!!!
TracyHi!
He was so funny at the beginning when you put the cookie in the bowl, circling it – it was HARD to ignore but he did a great job!He didn’t want to line up at first, so what you can do in that moment is reward him with even better cookies for walking away with you (rather than circling the bowl or heading to the barrel without you). Then when he can walk with you, you can ask him to line up at your side (more cookies!) or even do the between-the-feet lineup (even MORE cookies LOL!!) That will help him ignore the distraction of the cookies in the bowl while also lining up, which will transfer really nicely to start lines on course!
He did really nicely wrapping the barrel, so the line up will make it easier for you to cue the start of it. It was cool to see him understanding that it is the ‘work’ that indicates the cookie in the bowl is available rather than just grabbing the cookie in the bowl. So adding the line up will also become fun work for him, which is what I saw when you were practicing the stays. When he lines up closer to you, you can also add in front crosses on the barrel as well as the wrap verbal.Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
He is also doing well with these! You were actually early on a couple of these 🙂 If you move your arm and leg back too early, he might not come in fast to your or might not turn away (like at :44). But if you keep your feet together and your hand extended to him until he is just a few inches away then move them back to cue the turn, he gets it really nicely 🙂 :38 was a good example of the timing with your hand cues.
He looks ready for the advance levels – adding the prop to the lap turns! I see you have started the tandem turns in video here too.
Nice work!
TracyGood morning!
The stays are coming along really nicely!!! He likes the line up between your feet for sure and that allows you to walk directly forward like a lead out. He had one little blooper when you went further but the rest were lovely. You can add a little bit of quiet praise before you release, and keep adding distance.
I was not quite sure what the marker word for the reward being thrown back was (you used a couple of different one), so that is really the only spot to clarify for him. The rest looked strong! You can also add in stays in front of something, like an empty food bowl or anything that is mildly enticing 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
I am sorry to hear about the hamstring/adductor! OUCH!!!
>I do not use “get out”, I use just “out” with Benni. But Brioche gets the concept.>
Using ‘out’ is perfect!
The session went really well! I was super proud of him for NOT grabbing the jump when you were indicating the straight line. That jump has value and he followed your line perfectly.And he also did great finding it when you indicated the out. Be sure you are using the outside arm more directly to the jump wing (like at :14 on the first side and 1:13 on the 2nd side). Yo can have that arm even lower and more direct to the jump wing (the exit wing) so that he sees it very clearly.
At 2:02 you did not point the arm at the jump at all, so he was confused: once said out but the body cue did not support it. The arm clarity will help him to get it as you add more distance.
He is ready for the advanced level where you add a cross!
Looking at the turn aways: this also went well. He did best when you stepped straight back (like at :48) and rather than step to the wing at all.
Delaying the cookie throw helps him finish the turn!The only bloopers were related to timing and visibility of the cues:
At 1:43 you were early 🙂 And when you moved your hand/leg it looked like a ‘throwback’ indication to the other side of the wing. Much better at 1:55 – you waited til he almost arrived at the hand, then arm and leg moved back to indicate the turn. Nice!!! You can also have your cookie hand extended directly to him rather than next you, as that will make it even easier to see.Using the toy went great! I think that made the cookie hand more obvious and he turned really well when you let him get almost to the cue hand before starting to move.
He is ready for the advanced level of this game (tandem turns).
About the eating – keep me posted on how he is doing. Avoiding the raw might indeed be a bit of GI upset or pain (mouth pain?) and the freeze dried food might be easier to eat especially in a training context.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>He isn’t driving ahead totally yet so makes the timing so tough when rears are harder for me anyways lol!!!>
At this stage of training, you can do a lot more reps of driving ahead and just a couple of RCs thrown in here and there.
>Took a break and rewatched the video and realized I had it set pretty advanced lol! >
Click/treat to you for watching the video!!! Most people don’t watch the video when it is the most helpful thing for figuring out why something isn’t working.
>Retried with wing further in to tunnel and he was 100 percent!!! >
Yes, that was really cool. He rocked it! You can also mix in a couple of tight wraps on the start wing and then cue the tunnel 🙂
>The last are my own lol
No worries! You still kept a high rate of reinforcement. But let’s talk about arms for a moment:
I think part of his question was arm position. It was high and slightly above your shoulder level, and in the spots where he did not get the jump (like at :49 and 1:09), I think the arm position blocked connection and turned your shoulders off the line. When you had a little more connection, peeking under your arm – he got it.
Arm position is handler’s choice on these! You will still want to be connected and also want to be able to run fast, so with that in mind:
– you can keep your hand/arm lower so there is more connection and so you can run faster– You can keep your arm even higher, so you can connect from below your arm and still have your shoulders pointing to the line. It would be a ‘feeding giraffes’ position 🙂 but that is relatively common in Europe, where arms are high and handlers are connected below the arm.
– You can also sometimes use the opposite arm to send him out!So I think the only arm position you do not want is the one perpendicular to your shoulders, as it turns your shoulders away and blocks connection.
Let me know what you think about the arm options!
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
I hope you enjoyed your snow day 🙂 And I also hope it melts fast!!
> I would love to train Carmen from the start with a running/moving contact. Do you think that’s reasonable given her size and stride? Are there any methods you recommend for that?>
I think that a running a-frame is very reasonable! The running dog walk… that is harder to decide about. The plank is smaller than her width and she is massively fast, so a true running dog walk might be less comfy/safe than a running DW. Smaller breeds like Border Collies can ‘fit’ on the plank and even then, there are problems with the RDW.
As far as methods: because of how sighthounds are built and move, I think there needs to be more flexibility in terms of what you use as criteria. Almost every method uses the split-rear-feet criteria for running contacts but that doesn’t fit natural sighthound movement when running. I used front foot targeting for my lurcher and whippet, which made so much more sense to them 🙂 Also, there is a lot of repetition in most running contact training, which sighthounds really don’t enjoy doing.
There are a lot of online options out there, so I can help find someone who also has breeds that are not herding breeds 🙂 That way you can have a great progression built for her needs and not a general method that doesn’t fit her body. I will look around!
Tracy
Hi! This went well too!
>I’m sure the baby will get it when his human is a little more coordinated>
And you will have a much easier time when obstacles are involved, because you will have more time. It is harder on the flat because he is just running fast without having to jump or do a tunnel.
And if you feel like this game needs 6 arms, you are correct LOL!!
It was mostly perfect and he got rewarded for everything, which is ideal.
Only one suggestion: during the pivot, decelerate a lot more before he gets to you and stay decelerated as you turn. That will help you show connection on the side you want. The only real bloopers were you turning too fast, so connection broke and he wasn’t sure where to be. Decel will solve that and we actually use decel with these cues on course, so it helps with everything.
When you had the decel and connection at 3:30 – gorgeous! More of that will make it all easier.
And like i mentioned above, you are getting the toy back while keeping it all joyful… click/treat to you!!
Well done!
TracyHi!
This went great! He did really well with very few questions. Nice job with your timing of letting him get to the line before you did the FC and run!
His two questions were both involved with getting started, so two ideas for you:
– You can be more centered on the barrel so he sees it more directly for a smoother start (you were a little angled)
– You can use a treat to line him up since he is so good at going from cookies to toys!He seemed to be asking to do left turns – was it because he is more of a lefty? Or because he has value on the little bump and wanted to go over it? Either way, start the next session with him on your right (turning left) so we see if he indeed has a preference.
>I’m hoping with consistency and I’m separately working on retrieve to hand … I might be able to trust him with a toy at club (one day).>
The toy play and retrieve is coming along! You are doing a good job of balancing getting the toy back AND keeping his joy during the play. The joy is the most important!!
Nice work!
Tracy
Good morning!
He totally liked turn and burn! He remembered the barrel even in a new place and did a great job!
Remember to use a line on the ground as a way for you to know when to do the FC and run. You were leaving at different times without it, so some reps were too early and he came off the barrel. At the beginning, you can have the line on his exit line for the first couple of reps then move it a couple of inches towards the entry point, so you leave a little sooner for the FC but not a lot sooner 🙂
He loved to chase the toy and leaving it to wrap the barrel was hard – I think that might have been because it was to the left. You can see towards the end (1:19 ish) he was actually trying to do it to his right! Good boy! So for the next session with the toy, start him on your left side so he turns to his right and we will see if it is easier to leave the toy 🙂
>He had some good hits and good drive to the prop. He faked me out a few times! I feel like it was still hard for me to leave before he turned around.>
The countermotion was great! He had a TON of good hits and you were moving away pretty quickly. NO worries about the fake outs – it was probably a combination of him knowing you were going the other way, and a little bit of fatigue because it was later in the session. But overall, he was fabulous driving away from you to get to it! This will be easy to transfer to barrel/wings/jumps as we keep building up the skill.
>We tried the parallel path game outside but I must not have pressed record. He did ok. I wasn’t very far from him.>
For taking it outside, I wonder if a lotus ball or something will be better than a thrown treat? It will be easier for him to see the reward out on the line that way. You will get fewer reps because you’ll have to get the lotus ball, reload, etc – but the reps might be higher in quality so you can add more distance more easily. And you can also throw a toy or ball!
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Here’s backing up with me squatting- I couldn’t find a chair or stool in the garage that would work.>
The squatting worked well! And he is beginning to get the idea – super! The only suggestion to get more steps backwards is to keep your hands down by your knees to keep his head low. If he can keep his head low, in a natural/straight position, it will be easier to move backwards. Low hands will provide that focal point. When your hands were high, he was looking up at them which makes it harder to to keep moving backwards.
For the rear crosses: I think you need more room to be able to show him the side change sooner. He was hitting his prop really well and you were hustling to get to the new side – but he has quick feet so by the time he arrived at the prop, you were still very visible on the original side. That is why he didn’t turn the new direction right away. So if you have a long hallway you can give him another 10 feet or so to drive ahead, which gives you more time to get to the new side 🙂 And you can also play with the alternate version which gives you more time to be fully visible on the new side before he decides on the turn.
>We tried exciting novel- but he treated it like a prop then I got confused on how to do it.. so left that out>
Ha! Clever pup 🙂 He probably thought something new and prominent in the space was something to interact with. You can add something up on a table in the smaller space. Or in a wider space, you can put it off to the side more so it is less visible as something to try to offer behavior on.
Also, gold star to your other pups being such good supervisors in the xpen! Watchful but quiet! Yay!
Great job here!
Tracy
