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Hi! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving!
He had no questions wrapping the real wing – the only time he didn’t go around it was at :17 when you were switching the toy (he sees everything 😂🤣)
He is hitting the wing about half the time when you say your marker as he is finishing the wrap, so two suggestions to help him wrap without touching the wing:
– you can try doing the FC and moving away earlier, before he gets to the wing, so you are not near the wing as he exits (this may or may not help, but it is worth a try :))
– for now you can slide out of the FC quietly and without a lot of speed and with the toy hidden – and don’t say your ‘strike’ marker until he is almost caught up to you then whip out the toy. That way he can concentrate on moving around the wing cleanly without thinking about the toy 🙂
He is also doing a great job with his threadle wraps!! You were able to really quickly progress to getting him to turn away while you were moving. SUPER!!
The next step is to fade out the hand flip that turns him away, so he turns himself away. Yes, still have your outside arm as part of the cue, but move very slowly and let him see the cue (and hear the verbal)… but don’t flip him away and instead let him find the turn away and offer it 🙂 That is the next step to making this really independent and I think it will get him to stop doing any tooth hugs or jumping up at your hand. Those were happening when your hand flip away was a heartbeat late… but since we don’t want to rely on being perfect and we do want him to turn himself away, we can start emphasizing that now to take the skill to the next level and preserve your flesh 🙂
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving! Nice work on these games 🙂
Turn and burn on a wing: she did really well transferring the concept to the wing here! She was pushing the wing on the first couple of reps so to help her stay organized and not touch the wing, you can get her excited but when you send her around the wing: you walk through it rather than run for now. That will help her think about the turn and not as much about chasing you, which should lead to less pushing/touching the wing. And when she is not touching the wing, you can add more and more speed – and when adding more speed, hide the toy at first until after she gets to you so she is thinking about finishing the turn and not about grabbing the toy 🙂
The rocking horses with the FCs and the spins also look great! Keep emphasizing connection – when you show her the connection, she is perfect about getting to the correct side. If you are a little softer with connection like at :24, she might not end up where you want her to be (but she still gets rewarded because she was trying to figure it out :)) And using your connection, you can give her the wrap cues earlier: you were giving them as she caught up to you, but you can start the next wrap cue as soon as she exits the previous barrel.
> I thought I had filmed our work on stays with lateral lead outs– she is doing really well.>
I think you had one here at the end of this clip – but you went back up close to the barrel, then told her it defeated the purpose LOL! But based on what she did here with the stay, it looks like she is doing well with the lateral lead outs.
She also did a great job with the serps with the countermotion exits!! She held her stay brilliantly even though she was clearly excited 🙂 and then found the line when you released and shifted connection.
She had a question at :46 & :55 – I don’t think she really saw the connection shift so she just went to the toy. You weren’t really looking at her before the release so you will want to look at her more directly before the release.
After those 2 questions – you kept yourself on the landing side but the other thing that really helped was that you were looking at her then released and look at landing. So definitely look directly at her while you are moving through the serp line, then when you release you can let her see your eyes go from her eyes to the landing spot behind you.
She also did well with the tunnel threadles. She scooted away on the first rep where she was on your right side – I think maybe it was more that something caught her eye than a threadle question, because she was perfect on the next rep 🙂
Great job here! She is looking good!!!
Tracy
Hi! This went really well!
Great job with the loose leash when lining him up at the beginning, and also great job with all the stay rewards
He was a little surprised by the decel on the first release with you at the wing but he turned really well (and a little wide on one release on the other side towards the end of the session) but after that he turned SUPER wellwhen you showed him the decel position. And I think he preferred it when you rewarded with a toy by taking off and running when he collected at the bar rather than stopping for a cookie 🙂
The straight line reps were a nice balance: well done with your position/motion when you released and great job with the toy throw!
Nice work here!!
TracyHi!
>He is not entered in another trial. I wanted to see how things went yesterday. There is a JAG UKI trial next weekend. Sunday has 2 rounds of Speedstakes. I am on the fence whether to enter, 1) the cold, 2) me running in dirt and 3) the distractions of the barn. There is still time to enter, so I am thinking it over.>
Yeah, I hear you on the COLD and the distractions!! You can skip entering but still use the trial environment: take a ride to the barn and work him outside the building. That will be enough of a trial-like environment, but you can also pick the time of day to get better temps and also do a short burst then go home and get warm 🙂 You can work him on the warm up jump, or do leash off engagement on – but have 2 leashes, so he can’t take off when you take one leash off 🙂 but you can still reward engagement.
T
Hi! I think this went really well! It is tricky but you did a great job of breaking it down if needed and working the cue timing too.
One thought – Be careful of using “go” before obstacle names because that might propel her on lines you don’t want 🙂 You only did it a couple of times – the reps where you used obstacle names or turn cues were better in terms of clearer info.
She is doing really well with her verbal discriminations (like at the very beginning) and also when you were working the cues in the sequences. She still incorporates your motion cues, such as at :58. That was where she found the jump really well but when really wide because you stepped in – that created a burst of forward motion and tunnel is a forward cue. So…. more layering! Yay! The left verbal on the next rep helped, but you can do it all from the landing side of the switch jump.
The same can be done when you are working the switch away on the tunnel exit: you can try it from the landing side of the jump, adding a layering component. She would not have been able to do that at first – you needed to sort the timing of beginning the switch cues on the tunnel exit (before the tunnel, like at 1:53 and after that) and also you needed to be visible to show her the physical cues right at the end of the tunnel (2:11). That really helped her have the lightbulb moment! After that, she had it really well so that is where you can add the layering challenge (like at 3:23 and 3:58).
The only other consideration would be adding a turn cue on the wing, when you were getting her to the backside instead of the tunnel (2:39 for example) – she was on the line to the tunnel, so a turn cue such as a ‘right’ before she gets to the wing can set her up to process the line to the backside more smoothly.
When you were putting together the bigger sequences at the end, your verbals were all coming earlier and that made a huge difference! Yay!
Great job on these!!!
Tracy
Good morning! He definitely liked chasing the treat ball here as the reward! Fun!
He seems to be completely understanding the concept of the minny pinny: soft turn bending to the left and right. Super!!! The bumps are big for his little self, so sometimes he is trotting into them (like a cavaletti) and sometimes he is bouncing. Do you have any smaller bumps or even pool noodles, so he can bounce more easily? We do replace bumps with bars eventually but it would be fun to get him bouncing on smaller stuff 🙂
He did a great job with the rocking horses! He seemed a little judgey about why you were walking and not running hahaha but he went and got his barrels really well. So since he found the lines really nicely… you can add running 🙂 You might want to move the barrels in closer to make it easier to stay ahead of him at this point, because staying ahead really helps show the line to the barrel. And if he is doing well, you can add more distance to get him driving ahead even more.
You were doing a great job with your connection (looking at him and not pointing ahead of him) which totally helps support the line, so keep that excellent connection as you add more and more running 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Hi! Happy Thanksgiving!
This is a great update – lots of success to celebrate and good info to incorporate in class or next time.
In UKI, if you think the ring crew or judge are too much in his line of sight at the first jump – you can start at a different jump and just ask them to manually start your time. That can help set him up for success in ignoring the people.
And yes – bring the treats for the waiting for measuring or outside the ring. Then for measuring, you can put the treats away to help him be still – then back to treats to cope with the crazy environment.
Try all this in class first (adding people in as ring crew distraction, getting measured, etc) then get him ready for his next trial! What does he have coming up?
Great job 🙂
Tracy
Hi!
Yes, I have added privates to the schedule! The link is here:
https://forms.gle/3kiEzMcyj5rfmSq9AWe can do it as live zoom sessions, or you can submit video and we discuss it in a zoom, or you can submit video to get written feedback. Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
>You ruined my illusion I was doing blinds to the tunnel by pointing out I was doing late fronts, lol.>
Ha! Sorry 😂 The video told the truth LOL!!
Hi!
Countermotion serp exits:
Aha! You used treats here and not the toy as the reward and it went great! Plus I think latent learning kicked in: he was driving around the cone so nicely!Since this went really well, you can start adding the next steps of slowly moving forward before he passes you (keep looking at the landing spot as you did here). Then you can go to the advanced level where you move all the way through the serp line on the landing side, then release while in motion.
The tunnel rocking horses actually went well in this indoor space! Yes – as you mentioned, connecting on the way to the tunnel really helped him find the tunnel. And you can connect more to him when he exits the tunnel: rather than have your hand at your side and looking ahead to the wing, have your hand back to his nose and look at him – that will help with commitment especially when you are not that far ahead of him.
>I’m getting a 3 foot tunnel shortly so maybe I can set this up outside on a nice day for more room to run, connect and send to tunnel.>
Yes! The 3 foot tunnel will totally make it easier to haul the tunnel around 🙂 And it will make it fast & fun to take it outside and to bigger spaces.
The ‘stacks’ with your husband went really well! Brioche was 100% aware that he was there but was also able to ignore him. Since this went so well: what are the scenarios where Brioche might go nutty when your husband is around? Do I remember correctly that it might happen when your husband enters the room? You can totally now use these games in those scenarios, I think Brioche is ready.
>I would put Benni on a cot for distraction but he barks like a wild man so I think that would be a bit much.>
About it being too much…Maybe, maybe not! You can try Barking Benni 😂 as long as you can ignore Benni too. If the barking annoys you and you interrupt Brioche’s training to tell Benni to shut up, then don’t use Benni. We don’t want Brioche to think you are mad at him! So you can use a Benni distraction as long as you completely ignore him.
Great job on these!
Tracy
Hi! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving!
He did really well with the stays and with finding the line to the cone! I think the next step here is to incorporate having your hand and foot indicating the jump before the release -when you were releasing then stepping to the cone, he was stepping towards you then back out. So we can update that to be you getting into position, then slowly moving your arm and leg to pointing at the line, then releasing him. That will also build nicely into getting him to look at the line (and eventually the jump) before the release too, just be sure that your arm and leg movement to point to the line before the release is calm and slow so he doesn’t think it is the release 🙂
Great job incorporating the leash here – just remember to keep the leash loose as you line so he doesn’t feel like you are pulling him into position or pulling up on his neck to get him to sit.
Looking at the countermotion serp exits:
Great job rewarding all the stays! He seemed to understand to go to the bar/cone when you indicated it, but was not as sure about finishing the wrap. Your reward placement at 2:01 and on the last rep really helped (you dropped the reward all the way around the wing. That will help build up the commitment we want so you can start moving forward. He liked the toy but I bet he will dive on a cookie if you drop a cookie there instead of a toy!Great job here!
Tracy
Hi! Hope you had a great time with the guests and a fun Thanksgiving!
Great job getting her engaged with the toy here – she looked very focused for the whole video! Stays are looking great and she is driving to the wing really well!
>I had a few broken stays (edited out) but just laughed at her and told her that was funny. >
To help her hold the stay, you can move away with a more relaxed movement, and a slightly faster pace. If you move away with a bit of a crouch or slowly, it might make her more tempted to break the stay 🙂 because it almost looks like your body is saying readdyyyyyy settttttt GO! LOL!! So walking away a little faster can actually help her hold the stay better.
The next step on this game is to lead out further so you are parallel to the wing (on the same plane as it) so you are not sending her past you to it. Then we can get you further and further away, laterally.
>I’m really challenged by how willful she is. I’ve never had a pup like this – and with the bitey behavior she can get pretty unmanageable. My approach has been to always have treats so that she is willing to do what I’m asking, but there are times, like when I’m putting on a rain or fleece jacket that she is a real monster. Any suggestions for how to handle that would be appreciated. >
It sounds like she is not willful, necessarily, but communicating that she is uncomfortable with certain things (like getting coats on, for example). A lot of dogs have the same sensitivities about collars going over their heads, for example.
The best thing to do is shape her to do the things you want her to do, rather than argue with her about it. For example, the rain jacket: shape her to put her head into it and then reward her for standing still while you put the rest of it on. It is kind of like holding the head hole open so she shoves her head into it 🙂 You can totally start with a lure for this, then let her start offering. That will feel a lot more sane and you won’t feel like you are wrestling with a beast trying to get it on. And for when you don’t have the time to shape her to put it on? She can be naked on the street LOL 😂😝 and not wear a coat.
And with anything where you and she are fighting with each other, we a tackle it with a shaping approach. You will both be happier! Let me know what she else she struggles with so we can break it down.
Nice work here!
Tracy
Hi!
Nice play at the beginning, leading to lots of engagement and a lovely stay!The ‘Find it’ with the treat in the grass was hard – he didn’t exactly find it LOL! So that was distracting. You can show him the treat right before you toss it – that might help him find it so he doesn’t spend extra time looking for the treat in the grass 🙂
For the lateral lead out release to the barrel: He drove to the barrel better when you let him see you do the big step to it. So you can connect before the release then release the stay – then step to the barrel. The step to the barrel was generally coming before the release here, so you can try flipping it and releasing then stepping to the barrel. That is what you did at 4:51, for example (release then step) then he did it. As you do that, keep your hand nice and low so he can still see the connection – that will help him drive to the barrel too!
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving!
>Got back from FL early this morning and Beat insisted on having some fun this afternoon.>
I don’t blame her, it was a boring week for the dogs that didn’t compete 🙂
She did really well with remote reinforcement! I think ‘work’ (playing and doing stuff with you without food/toys) has a lot of value on its own that she was happy to mov away from the reward station.
Yes, the toy being involved definitely made it even more fun for her. She might have been wondering why it was a food-only game (which is why she was potentially looking for it), and using the toy was both more fun and more like what she will see at a trial.
The game is a little mentally hard, so you can cue her to take the toy on victory lap before she starts taking them on her own like at 3:00.
>she wouldn’t kill herself grabbing the toy off the chair so put it on the ground. Didn’t see any issues with that with her and honestly with UKI allowing the toy to be placed with the leash this is probably more realistic. >
Totally agree – I don’t think I have ever put my stuff on a chair in the ring for UKI.
>I used her “you can grab the toy” cue since it was accessible to her. I did practice step 1 with this with it up on the dog walk and used the “prize” cue. Since she clearly has a preference, should I use separate toy and food cues for this if the toy is up out of reach?>
You can use a separate cue for food versus toys… but I think that the end of the run, the marker should indicate more of a ‘you’re done, let’s go get your reward’ because it is more context-specific and won’t muddy any of the other markers. It is entirely possible that you might use some food leading up to her run, then the toy heading into the ring and as the reward at the end. She will let you know which she prefers as she starts to trial, of course, but it looks like that might end up being what works best for you both.
Since this went well, you can add more:
– have her come into the session on leash and build up to moving away from the reward station on leash, doing some tricks, taking the leash off, lining up, etc.
– if that goes well, add an obstacle or two!Tunnel threadles –
>And then we worked the tunnel threadle sequence and added in doing it “empty handed”. >
She seemed perfectly happy to do this with empty hands! Super!
>I had to move forwards more than I thought I would to get her to take the tunnel once it was in sequence, but we got it eventually.>
Yes – ideally, you can turn and face the new tunnel entry and drive to it directly more instead of rotating towards her and then trying to flip her back out. When you were rotating towards her and pulling her towards you, she thought you were cueing a throwback/countermotion on the jump. Good girl!
At 1:06 and 1:33 you moved more directly to the correct tunnel entry and she found it really well!!
You can also work on sending her miles away to the pinwheel jump and doing the blind cross between the jump and tunnel 🙂
>In case you didn’t guess, Pick did go to his new home in Savannah GA on Saturday afternoon. >
I had no idea! What a crazy emotional roller coaster. I wish him all the best doing nosework and living his best life. You always worked to do what was best for him!
>There’s all of ONE Speedstakes course, which is all Beat is eligible for. >
Hmmmm she isn’t even 18 months yet, right? Maybe the club will allow mulligans on the Speedstakes course so you can play twice?
>Try running the course with empty hands? Can always pull out the toy and run with it if her brain is exploding. >
Yes – since empty hands at home was soooo easy for her, definitely try the first part with empty hands.
I personally have found that the sighthounds and sighthound mixes actually did better with the empty hands – they were better able to focus on the line. This was only for dogs who were already confident in the environment (they didn’t need the support of the context cue of the toy) and she seems super confident, so I think empty hands will be easy 🙂
>She’s doing 14” at home mostly now, but I’ll stay at 12” for this trial again. >
Perfect!
>There was NO WAY I was running her in the practice ring at the Open as her eyeballs flew out of her head seeing and hearing dogs in tunnels. >
Ha! Yes! I was parked right in front of the practice rings. My young dogs who knew what agility was were VERY interested in running over there. My puppy, who doesn’t know a tunnel yet, had no idea what they were so intrigued by hahaha
>We tried to work on some things ringside, but my brain was a bit distracted with the Pick scenario and was way too tired to lug the tripod along to the ring to video any of it. It didn’t really seem to go all that well, but again, I was tired and distracted.>
100% understandable. The US Open is an exhausting event even without the emotional load of the Pick scenario. And there was a LOT of chaos in those practice rings anyway: people doing 100 reps, yelling at their dogs, fun times! So it is perfectly fine to have skipped working her in their or near the other rings.
Great job here! Keep me posted and happy Thanksgiving!
Tracy
