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Good morning!
He caught onto this game very quickly! Brilliant! He was able to wrap the barrel without trying to run back to the loaded lotus ball – no problem at all! There seems to be an understanding developing that the ‘work’ is what gets the reward, not just grabbing for the cookie. SUPER!
I don’t think you need to hold his collar anymore as you move away from the ball to the barrel – note how he was NOT trying to dive on the lotus ball when you put it down. So in the next session, you can put the lotus ball down then give him treats for walking with you back to the barrel, no collar holding. It can be a bit of heeling practice as long as you do it on both sides 🙂 Hopefully he won’t prove me wrong and dive on the lotus ball hahaha!!!
Also in the next session, you can add a front cross on the barrel, to challenge him to pay attention handling and change sides rather than go straight to the reward. And if that goes well – do a front cross then that decelerated pivot that we did in the very first decel/drive to handler game…. Then run to the lotus ball. We are putting the pieces all together now and he is doing great!
Nice job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>I didn’t want to use lineup cookies & take away from the excitement of the toy (which would give us a better approach) but I think this went pretty well.>
He is actually really good at going back and forth between food & toys, so it is worth it to see if he will do that here (even if it is not every rep).
Turn and burn went really well! When he had questions about starting, you were getting pointy with your hand and not looking at him/connected enough (like at :34 and :46) After that, you started each rep with connection and he got it really well!
You can start adding your verbal wrap cues!
>the new game because I felt like we didn’t really have a good “send” to the barrel.>
I think you are ready! The game starts with really deliberate sends and lots of connection, so I think he will do well. You can start it with food to work th mechanics & connection, then switch to toy again.
>I introduced him to the Manners Minder to get him ready for the tunnel game. He is starting to be interested in it. He doesn’t love the only treats that he likes that work in the machine, so I’ve been following him to it & tossing in some cheese bits to sweeten the deal.>
You can also start the tunnel with a toy! And for the MM – I have mixed in tiny stinky treats even if they don’t get dispensed by the MM, because the other treats will pick up the smells and make them more interesting (hopefully) to him.
>I took your advice one the 1 rep + a huge hamburger treat on the wobble board and I let him watch Frankie & Bazinga do it first. He was so amped up. After his rep, he ran back on it & slammed it & looked at me like “bring me my treat, woman!” hahaha>
PERFECT LOL!!!!!! And I can see him demanding his treat. LOL!!!!!! I am a big fan of the one rep sessions – the build value VERY quickly!
>Side question, can I do some private lessons with Bazinga for weaves? She is pulling out at weave 10 and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong or can do better to support her through it.>
Absolutely! The info is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDxgW08hhu0HXCSIVVkiQsNxW1VY0kzXUMYZ1cuscDePr1kQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=104182089305835532312Nice work here!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Today was more field retrieving practice. I need to bring a tripod out to record some. He did great. Very long retrieve of ball and multiple short retrieves of a quail. >
Wow, what a good boy!!!
>He brought it back and also dropped it multiple times for treats without trying to destroy it.>
Perfect – I have never done field work but I imagine that we really don’t want them destroying the quail LOL! 😂
> We ended the session with nice long exploring walk in the prairie.>
These types of walks are amazing for his puppy brain and body. I bet he loved it!
> I am not sure if you need to see retrieval homework for this week from him. He does well with the toys and the baby steps in the this weeks homework.>
You are welcome to post it even if we are just like “wow, he looks great!” You should definitely video it (at least some sessions) for two reasons:
– having baseline videos of success will help us if anything goes sideways in the future: we can look back at what worked to get it back if needed
– having videos of him doing this as a baby puppy are beyond valuable as keepsakes to look back at, when he is adult. Nothing better than watching baby puppy videos!!Keep me posted 🙂
Tracy
Keep me posted! It was fun to see him working with complete engagement in a big field with all those people around.
T
Good morning! Lovely session here! You sorted out the line she needs to see on the tandem turns because that is the strongest part of the cue.
When you stepped to the wrap side of the wing (very first rep and first tinme you did both wings at :40) your feet & shoulders were facing the wrap side so that is where she wanted to go. But when you turned more and were facing parallel to the line to the turn away side of the wing: perfection!! She got it every time on both sides. And it was easy for me to see where should would go, based on you turning to move parallel to the turn away line. Yay!
I grabbed screenshots so you can see what I mean:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1v6JQEktSFTBhIw_94evzZJt3Za2pn-lTAgB29WeKnHk/edit?usp=sharing
That line you set will be key for the tandem turns and also for the threadle wraps when we add them.
Great job!!
TracyGood morning!
>She was so cute and I loved her jump to try and catch it.
It was really adorable!!
>I have used the word switch for rears with all my other dogs. Sometimes I have combined it with left/right, but not often because I screw it up, and thankfully they’ve learned switch is only for rears and sometimes changing lead leg.>
If switch is only a turn away/rear cross, then you don’t need left or right because she will already know that based on your location. One less thing to have to remember LOL!
>I see what you mean about using Go. I don’t think I’m that great with verbals in general. What word do you use to indicate take a Jump? I’ve used Jump and Go.>
I have a lot of words 😂 mainly because there is no way I can outrun my dogs, and I like UKI which has bigger distances. So the directionals all imply commitment to the jump:
* Go means go straight, full extension, looking ahead
* Jump means take the jump straight-ish on a gentle curve towards me, no real collection. Relative extension. It is for that middle ground between full extension and turns with collection, probably what you think of when you ay ‘regular jumping’
* Wrap cues for tight wraps, coming back around the wing (I have one for each direction – noises, not words – and many folks use ‘wrap towards me’ and ‘wrap away from me/rear cross’)
* Soft turn cues for collected turns to create 90 degree lines that are collections but not wraps. I use left and right for that.I have more verbals than these, but I don’t want to scare you off hahahaha and you might not need all of them unless you decide you want to do UKI or international stuff.
>Do you think it’s necessary to use a cue word for regular jumping? >
I don’t think you need one for every single jump (I mean, you will have to breathe at some point too haha) but it is good to name the obstacle. I added the ‘jump’ cue because it helps when the dog is working at a distance and it REALLY helps when faced with the popular jump versus tunnel discriminations. Currently popular course design challenges in every organization is to have a jump and a tunnel next to each other so the verbal cues REALLY help.
>I’m actually thinking of changing my release word from OK to maybe Break. I say Ok all the time in regular life and have realized that might be confusing for the dogs.>
Dogs are brilliant at context so they might have it figured out, but also being ultra-clear is always better!
>Once I think I said it as I was getting Gromit’s leash at the end of a run and he was right in front of the gate and thought I was telling him to jump. So he jumped it, and then jumped right back into the ring. Luckily we hadn’t Qd.>
OMG Gromit!!!! You must have had a small heart attack in that moment LOL!!! These dogs are SO athletic and honestly, incredibly verbal. I think my hounds/lurchers are better are learning verbals than my herding dogs.
Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
This was really good in 2 ways:
– he was organizing his jumping nicely with more speed, super useful for the future!
– he was very pumped up and excited, just like he will be at the start line for a trial run 🙂 so he got to practice his stay and his jumping when he was more stimulated. Perfect!The hardest part was holding the stay when you picked up the big toy but you mixed in a ton of reinforcement so he had a lot of success.
The only suggestion is to lead out a further before the release, so the toy is 2 or 3 strides past the last jump. That way he will maintain form over jump 3 instead of immediately reaching for the toy.
Remind me how old he is? I want to start thinking about raising bars.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
This went well! He is committing nicely on the get outs in general and I am very excited about how he had ZERO mistakes on the go!
When you really started to trust his commitment and turn as soon as his head turned (like at :21, :44, 1:14, 1:26) his turns were amazing! When you were a little later, the turns were wider but no worries, it will be easier when things are not nearly as close 🙂 and you have more time to start the turn.
> He only had one time to miss the get out
Yes, that was at 1:45 and it was actually really funny: he jumped *next* to the jump LOL!! I think he was on his way then saw you turn away from the blind and said WAIT WHAT?!?!
You waited a shade longer on the other reps, and then he had it 🙂 You can start to do the blind earlier again now that he is not so surprised about it 🙂Great job!
Tracy
Hi! YouTube got itself together LOL The Diamond is the hardest wing-tunnel game! You were doing a great jb of making handling adjustments to get the line you wanted. Yay!
On the blind crosses – at the beginning, you were working the connection on the exit of the blinds, but he is still wide because the connection is late 🙂 (I know, I am a pain in the *ss)
Two things that will get tighter turns:
You will quicker on the blinds if you keep your arms in tighter to your body, rather than fully extended.
And show exit line connection with the toy across the body, not in the new dog-side arm. So start with the toy in the dog-side arm for the previous line (left hand for when he exits the tunnel at :10 for example. Keep the toy in that hand, no switching! Then as you finish the blind, put that hand across your body so he can see the toy. That will get your new dog-side arm back and out of the way so he can clearly see connection.
The toy is more of an aid to get you to connect – he is not targeting the toy, he is looking for connection. We can see that he is not targeting the toy towards the end of the session:
You were trying to ‘catch’ him with the new dog side arm (even dropping the toy in at 3:56 and 4:27 & 4:49) but they don’t read that and went wide- he didn’t really come to the new side til you stopped moving. They read the eye contact on the new side for the blinds, and the toy hand across the body makes it super clear.
Note how low and tight your arms are on for the FC at 1:18 and how you made direct eye contact back to him… and how gorgeous that turn was!!!
The race tracks are hard on this game!
Face the line to the middle wing longer at 1:22 – you were saying right and turned right so he didn’t take it. Much better at 1:40 so you got htemiddle wing but you decelerated which pulled him off the next line. Less decel and more hustle got it on the next rep – good job throwing the reward on the line so he learns to look at it more and you don’t have to be as perfect 🙂At little rushing at 2:40, so he didn’t take the tunnel (I feel this pain). You connected more at 3:05 but your body was still turned away from the entry. Nailed it at 3:30 & 3:50 with motion showing the line to the tunnel. He keeps you honest 🤣😂
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
She is committing to the wings really well here!
SHe was a little wide on the blind cross exits, mainly because she didn’t see connection that clearly. As you finish the blind, use exit line connection to get a tight turn to the new side. This is when the original dog side arm (left at :04 and right at :22) is holding the toy all scrunched up, so when you do the blind that arm comes across your body to really open up connection. That way she sees the new line really easily.
You were holding the new dog side arm out with the toy, but she didn’t see connection – so even with the toy visible, she was not sure where to be and drifted wide. It is proof that they look for connection rather than target our hands or toys 🙂
The race track is looking good! You can decelerate into the wrap at :50 – she was wide because you were a little late telling her about the turn. Gorgeous connection with your eyes on her eyes at :54! Then maintain that connection and stay closer to the line at :55 – you peeled away a bit and said tunnel before she got to the wing, causing her to skip the wing.
She had a question about which side of the wing to go to a 1:22 – I think it was because you were decelerated and also looking ahead of her instead of connecting directly to her, so that changed your line and she picked up the inside of the wing.
Compare to the next rep at 1:26 where you were connected beautifully as she exited the tunnel, so she went directly to the wing. Yay! She didn’t finish the wrap there but that might have been how you turned on the FC – you stepped back towards the line she came in on, rather than out towards the next line (tunnel) which is what you did on the other reps.
I grabbed some screenshots of the connection moments, so you can see the visuals:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qF1LeSBUyj_1auW0Ni2ci2IQHlf5yuY3LNtv4qAtaCQ/edit?usp=sharingGreat job here!
Tracy
Hi! YouTube says it is still processing… can you check that YouTube is not trying to eat it?
Thanks 🙂
Hi!
It was fun to see her get the very first RC, right at the start! That is great because usually young dogs are NOT expecting a rear cross at all! The 2nd rep went great (RC to the other side)
You got a little laet on the 3rd rep but then you were back on track after that. Super!!
The one suggestion here is to not say ‘go’, because that implies going straight instead of turning away on the RC. You can use a general jump cue, but it might be better to use a directional. This can be left or right (whichever one matches the direction of the turn) or a rear cross cue (some folks use ‘switch’). I use left/right because it is very specific for the dog 🙂
Layering: This is a skill I bet you will use a lot, thanks to her big stride! Great job breaking it down for her so she could see that yes, it is good to go find the jump on the other side of the tunnel! Moving the jump in closer was a smart training move – it limited the opportunity to go past it (without making it impossible) and made it easier to find the bar. As you move the jump back out away from the tunnel, you can put another wing on the side closer to the tunnel (2 wings next to each other to make a giant wing). That way the bar is still the main focus and it is still a little harder to skip between the jump and the tunnel.
One more thought: the left verbal on the start wing might have actually turned her too tight! So this is a place where I think using ‘go go go’ will be very effective for her.
She was a little tired by the end but you got her back for one more good rep by making the toy super fun.
> I have a hard time remember all the set up and practice directions when I get out there so things seem rough. I’m sure it doesn’t help that it’s after work and my brain is tired. >
I feel this pain! I have hit the age where I forget things in 30 seconds LOL!! You can take a screenshot of the field guide on your phone (or have it on your phone already) and that way you don’t have to remember things – the field guide and maybe a screenshot of the setup will make it easier 🙂
What did she catch at 3:02 when she jumped up? So funny!
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
>We tried some right rear crosses again. This time she took the jump but is doing an extra spin. I think I’m pushing off into her too early?>
What was happening in those moments were you were still behind the tunnel exit so she couldn’t really see the info – so she looked back at you, then it was too late for her to adjust fully into the RC. Here are visuals of those moments:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TX9cmc5uj2ztNzLVjrZ_JuGwmmSGSIVc-ZD2IDgadjM/edit?usp=sharing
The last 2 reps had you moving forward more to get her to commit to the jump, but that caused the RC info to be late (so she turned left).
So to help her see the RC line, you can get ahead of her before she exits the tunnel so she sees you a bit ahead. You can send to the start wing from even further away to make that easier 🙂 That way as she is exiting the tunnel, you are visible on the RC line to the center of the bar of the jump. You can put a little more space between the tunnel exit and the jump so she can get past you, but I think having you a little ahead of her at the tunnel exit will help a lot.
Turn Aways:
>She is not too fond of this one. She was able to do it a few times for one wing but not wrapping to one.>
She was actually so funny here! On the one wing reps at the beginning, things went well mainly because there was no toy in the picture. The food is fine, she says, but things changed the more the toy came into the picture – she stopped wanting to lock onto the cookie hand and very politely asked if she could just have the toy thanks LOL! Ok then 🙂 You can either stick to cookies only and have the toy in your pocket, or you can scrunch up a toy and have it in your hand rather than a cookie – that way there is no conflict as she is learning this between following the cookie hand (which she thinks is 🥱😴 when a toy is visible) and following the toy hand (which she thinks is 🥰👌🎉)
Wind in your hair went really well! You can start decelerating even sooner: as she exits the start wing, you can start your verbal and begin decelerating as long as you continue to face forward until she takes off. On the left turn reps, you were decelerating as she was about halfway to the jump so the turns were tight! On the right turn side, the decel was a little later, coming as she got close to the jump, so she was a little wider on that side. Starting the decel sooner will tight that up as well as teach her to commit in collection, which is hard for you dogs.
Smiley face threadles:
These were lovely but either I need more coffee (always a possibility) or these were front crosses not threadles 🙂 An example would be at 1:08 where you sent her to the wing on your left side, then did a FC to your right side to show the line to the tunnel. And at 1:35 when you sent her to the red wing on your right side then did a FC to get her on your left. That kept her on your outside of the line on the way to the tunnel, turning to you. The threadle arm opened up lovely connection so she had no questions!To turn it into a threadle, you will want to send her to the wing before the tunnel and keep her on the same side, with the threadle arm cueing her to come in while you turn to the tunnel entry you want. That will put her on the inside of the line, turning away from you to get to the tunnel entry.
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
