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Hi!
I totally agree, this weather is GROSS! Fingers crossed for cooler weather ahead.He did well with the weave challenge, only one miss! You can now add your motion to it: as soon as you let him go, you start walking down the line of poles. I don’t know if he is ready for more than walking yet – if he is struggling, stay at a walk. If he is doing really well? You can add in more motion in the form of jogging then running 🙂
He also did really well with the jump-tunnel discrimination, it is one of the harder games we play! He definitely had trouble ‘finding’ the tunnel after the jump reps, then ‘finding’ the jump after the tunnel reps. One thing you can do is make the jump versus tunnel cues sound really different – the tunnel verbals can be high energy like you have them here, and the jump verbal can be quieter, and more conversational and less stimulating 🙂 I think the dogs discriminate our tone/pitch, not just the actual word 🙂
>>QUESTION – is this a good method to “teach” the word jump (although I do use it, I haven’t spent much time using it).>>
Yes! You can totally teach the word jump like this – try it first without the tunnel there, just sitting in a chair with a jump and a toy. That will be the easiest game ever LOL but will put the verbal to the behavior. Then you can add it back to the jump-tunnel discrimination.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>I think we are moving in the right direction but I am still slow in getting my verbals out.
One thing we will be working on in the next set of sequences is practicing the verbals, at speed, during the run… without the dog 🙂 That way you can work the timing and repetition of the verbals as a rehearsal so you are ready for her run.
I also think you are tending to wait for her to land from the previous jump or get into the tunnel before starting the next verbal. You can totally start the next verbal before takeoff from the previous jump and before she goes into the tunnel – early and often in that WOO window of opportunity 🙂
The whole opening went nicely! Yes, the verbals can come sooner but the physical cues all looked good.
On the jumps after the DW, with the teeter discrimination right there – you and a clear connection the first time and she read it really well! On the 2nd rep at :47, you looked forward and didn’t connect so she almost took the teeter.
She had some questions about the backside circle at :33 – I think you might have been blocking the wing a bit there so she kinda knew it was the backside but was also trying to read the pressure towards the tunnel. You also had 3 different verbals happening LOL! So that is a good place to rehearse the verbal at speed before running her.
She went to the backside better at :55 on the 2nd run but didn’t commit to the bar – this is a good one to practice and drop the reward for her on the landing side as you move through, so she commits as you keep moving.
>>Artie really seems to be asking a lot of questions on the aframe. I was thinking about setting up two tunnels with an aframe in the middle in my back yard to try to get her comfortable with just running straight and not looking back….plus I thought this might help my tunnels a bit. What do you think?>>
Yes, totally agree, she wants to look at you and curl in. You can do the tunnel game, she will like it – the key is going to be early reinforcement so it arrives before she even has a chance to look back at you… so throw it really early or just place it there so you don’t have to worry about throw timing 🙂
She also did it on the 2nd curse when you were further behind, so I like the placed reward as a good way to keep her looking forward (and on the ending line too).The 2nd run went well, juts a couple of little details to consider:
– she just needed one more step to the wrap jump after the weaves on the first rep – it was almost perfect, butt I think one more step will make it even smoother there. And if she feels sticky about it, you can throw a toy to the landing side as you turn and go the other way 🙂On the 2nd rep, you decelerated on the jump after the teeter but I don’t think you have time to excel then try to stay ahead – you can get a tighter turn there with a soft turn verbal and maybe a break arm (opposite arm) without slowing or stopping your motion.
And I think the placed rewards for the a-frame and the ending line will help – if you wait to throw them til she is lifting off for the last jump or exiting the frame, she will already be looking back at you. So either have them already on the line or throw them when she is landing from the previous jump (or before she gets on the frame).
>>how does one change the picture for my profile?
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Great job here!!
TracyHi!
I am. glad to hear it all went well – the best sessions are the ones that never make it onto the video LOL!!!
I use balls with a couple of my dogs, so I feel the pain of convincing them to retrieve LOL!! I have found tat bringing out 3 or 4 balls plus treats helps get it started: they drop the first ball, I bring them back by showing them the 2nd ball 🙂 and also lots of cookie rewards for the balls making it back near me 🙂
Stay cool! Have fun!
TracyHi! Nice shirt!!
She is doing that threadle rear nicely when you are next to her, it is harder with the layer but she will sort it out in a session or two – we have threadle wrap stuff as a skill this week anyway 🙂
For the weaves – yes, the handling is correct and you are leaving at the right time… but if you leave fast she can’t quite hold onto the poles. On the last few reps you left early and slowed down a bit – perfect! So for now, the challenge can either be leaving early from crazy angles, or going fast from easier angles… and then when she is happy with bot, we will begin to merge them.
Great job!!!
TracyHi!
She is getting the idea here! This will be fun for her!
2 things to do for the next steps:
– Always start with her in front of you, standing and waiting (she can sit too, whatever she likes is fine :)) We want her to learn that she will need to engage with you and wait for the cue, she won’t be doing it from a moving position.
– as she is going around your back, you can start running forward into a sequence 🙂 That is when it gets REALLY fun! Be sure to angle yourself so that she can see the first jump and so that you will only have to run forward and not get stuck behind a jump when you want to run forward.Nice job here!
TracyHi!
>>I added and jump and a tunnel to our toy races and she really liked that a lot. Should I be saying/cue something? I feel like the default is GO GO GO but I feel like I’d have to say that all the way around the course! Should I just keep quiet?
I am glad she likes it! Definitely add a verbal. I say GO GO GO at this point in the game, but you won’t need to say that everywhere on course: you have jump directionals, obstacle names, etc. So a regular send can be just a jump cue, for example. As soon as she feels the oy of leaving you in the dust, then you can use your GO cue for very straight extension lines and the other cues for sends/passing you moments when you don’t need big extension.
T
Hi!
You ran this brilliantly!Small suggestions: if you are going to stop when she stops on the teeter, try to do it in the next position (which would be where the wing meets the bar for the backside circle. That way she can have a positional ue on the release – you released forward and then showed the cue at :23 and she didn’t have quite enough time to get organized to keep the bar up.
I like the double crosses after the weaves – the first blind went well, but I vote for another blind instead of a FC there – it is just too hard to get all that rotation in with all of her speed in that moment at :30. You got it done but she had to wait for you to move out of her way 🙂 You did the first blind sooner on the 2nd run which helped get the FC sooner, so it was a lot smoother… but I still vote for the BC instead of the FC 🙂 It will be so quick for you and tight for her!
Yes, she was wide after the last tunnel but it sounds like the verbal was late there. (And the ending looked good even if it was not the same course ending :))
On the 2nd run, you nailed the timing of calling her before the last tunnel and hustled to the blind: it looked fabulous!! And that set up a great ending line too 🙂 Super!!!!
Keep running like this, you two looked great here!!!!
Tracy
Hi! Hope you had a great vacation!
>>– The Hints on the Standard Course #2 for Package 3: you mention lead changes away from you at 3-4 and 6-7, which I totally agree with. How would you adjust to set a better line?
Yep, those little lead changes are very fashionable in course design lately! I have trained a ‘get out’ cue which asks the dog to lead change to pick up the line and then carry on (not a rear cross) while I just run forward. I use a verbal, a very direct connection, and a
outside arm 🙂 works like a charm! Plenty of folks don’t use an outside arm though 🙂 Let me know if you want to see a video of it. Hi!
When one skill is getting added or getting harder (like adding the serps and speed), I like to make the other skill(s) easier (like the jump height). So I would start with 4″ bars locked in, so he only has to think about handling and the jumping is easy 🙂
T
Hi!
What a bummer about the AC!!! Fingers crossed it is fixed now.And yes, you can totally film yourself!!
>>Essentially I need to get my shoulders back or open more and the “new” dog side arm should be stuck to my rib cage and “old” dog side arm on the opposite hip with the toy. Correct?
Correct about the old arm with the toy – touching your stomach with the toy on your opposite hip (as best you can while running. The dog-side arm should not be stuck to your ribs as that might cause you to ‘close’ that shoulder forward. To open the new dog-side shoulder, the toy across the body will help but that arm should be all the way back, almost a 90 degree angle from your body, elbow locked, fingers pointing to her nose 🙂 That assumes you have a lot of time, which you don’t 🙂 So it will likely end up looking like your upper arm is back at the 90 degree angle but your elbow is bent – almost like your hand is in your back pocket (if you were wearing jeans :)) Thinking back, I have had handlers run with their hands in their back pockets to get the connection open to the dogs if yo want to try that 🙂
She did really well with the discrimination game, it is a REALLY hard game!! Eventually you can replace the Cato board or crate or cot with her contact plank if you are using one (or a weave base :)) My only suggestion is to make the cues sound different, they were both extremely exciting 🙂
You can try saying’place’ in a calmer way, more like what she would hear at home (unless you are that exciting with your place cue at home LOL). And the softer cue can simulate a jump verbal or directional. The tunnel cue can remain super exiting like it was here, because that is likely what you will say on course.Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
The serps are looking good!On the 2 jump serps and the tunnel-sera line, I think at this point you can place the reward out where you want her to end up after the last jump. She is moving really fast (yay!) and serping really well (double yay!) and it is all happening so fast that she is looking at you for the toy throw rather than looking at the line. So, either someone else drops the toy in, or you place it a ride or two past her intended landing spot. That is also a good challenge for her, for the serps! She looked at you less as she did more of the sequences, but I think we can smooth out the looking at you entirely by placing the toy on the line.
On other small detail: when she exited the tunnel, you were pointing forward then pulling your arm back – I think you don’t need the point-the-pul you can be running to serp position with your arm already back – less handling for you to time, and she sees the serp cue immediately 🙂She has hit a new level of speed and coordination, so the earlier we show the serp, the better 🙂
Great job on these!!! She is ready to see the jumps a little flatter too!
TracyGood morning!
I think this is going well! You nailed the timing of getting the target into position nice and early, and that was very clarifying for her – she was able to then offer the 2o2o repeatedly and with confidence. Her only question was after 1:08 when the cookie toss release was close, so she got on the board a little sideways and ended up in a down. Toss that cookie further away and I bet she comes right back to her 2o2o.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHello and welcome back! He is looking great!
The lazy game looks like the easiest game ever for him: take a jump and get free cookies? Yes please LOL! He seemed to have no trouble finding the jumps. He was looking at you a little (or looking at the cookies LOL!) but that will go away when we add real handling. For now, on the lazy game, just keep moving and he will go find the next jump.
One step sends: HIs commitment from the tunnel to the wing looked good! You can move. The wing further from the tunnel, so you can add more of a step after he exits, to add more distance.
On the exits of the wing wraps, you were a little too quick to move away at :28 and 1:15 – he isn’t naughty, he just doesn’t know it yet with a lot of handler speed 🙂 You can move more slowly out of that countermotion like you did on the last 2 reps rather than run for now, that will help him. And if something goes wrong, give him a a reset reward when that happen sand definitely reward when he gets it right even when it was not super smooth yet like at :41 – that will help reduce the jumping up and barking when he gets mad 🙂
3rd video: All of the handling here and verbals are looking really strong! You can spread it all out more, so you both have more room to run run run 🙂
The timing and connection on the first few reps looked strong – give him a little more connection on the sends especially on the rights by looking at him more and not looking forward to the jump as much. That side seemed harder than the left turn side.
Wraps:
He needed a little more decel at 1:04 because you ran then rotated, so he stopped. But at 1:25 and 1:49, you had a smoother transition into the decel and those wraps looked strong! Just remember to stay on the takeoff side of the wrap jump to keep it nice and tight (spreading out the distances will help because you will have more room to run there too)Looking at the fluffy BCs and FCs 🙂
He is reading these blimdsreally well! When going to his left, your timing and his turns are better – the first BC looked great! You were a little later on the right turns, so be sure to start them as soon as he is landing from the previous jump so he can adjust even sooner.The FCs looked good too (same as with the blinds, the left turns are looking better at the moment. Might be an easier side for you both! ). So keep working the FCs in earlier too to he right so you both get more comfortable on the right turns.
Keep working the verbals in, they will get easier with the lefts & right. Great job using them throughout these sessions!!!
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
She did well here! It is hard to do this without a lot of motion!
On thing that will help her when motion is not as visible:
Even without motion, your verbals can still be super high energy and loud. Your motion got quiet and so did your verbals – which is harder for her to process. It will feel weird to be moving slowly but yelling the verbals 🙂 but it will totally help her discriminate.>At second :43, she turns away to the tunnel behind her that goes under the dogwalk. Did I do that, or was she just being Keiko?
It is possible that for a heartbeat you were facing the center of the jump which could indicate the rear cross to the tunnel under the DW, so she was listening, good girl!
Bearing in mind that the tunnel verbal is a ‘forward’ cue so she should drive forward to the tunnel ahead on the line she is looking at:
>>She definitely had more trouble turning into the tunnel when on my right than on my left.
I think it is because of the tunnel under the DW there. When you started your tunnel cues, you and she were both facing the tunnel under the DW, so she was not necessarily wrong. A directional to turn her on the jump before you said tunnel will help that, when motion does not. When you were further back and rotated, she knew exactly which tunnel to take 🙂
>>That last run was intended to “change the pattern” and see if she’d still listen and go into the tunnel.>>
Yes! That looked great 🙂 She definitely listens to her verbals!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
It is indeed CRAZY hot!!!! And he probably also relies on motion – that is normal and it is also why we are playing these strange games LOL!!
I like the idea of putting the MM inside the tunnel. Because he is brand new to this game, you can start with one obstacle at a time: just the tunnel, for example. And then on the next session, just the jump. This will get him happy to go do the thing, while you sit in your chair 🙂 You can also try to shorten up the tunnel, squish it to be as short as possible while still be upright enough that he can fit through happily.If he looks at you when you toss a treat, maybe try a lotus ball or a tennis ball? That might work to reward him without looking back at you.
Let me know how it works with one obstacle, and then we can go back to both obstacles in front of him.
Stay cool!
Tracy
