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Hi!
She did well with all of these! Wow!!! You nailed them all in one session!
2 jumps :
Good job throwing the toy on the go, she was totally looking ahead even before you threw it! And SUPER gold star for nailing that left turn after both of the GO reps! Nice! You can decelerate and turn sooner on those, but that will be easier when you add the tunnel in.
The turn rear cross also looked good! She was a little wide but that was because of your motion and line (is ‘turn’ a general RC cue, or a wrap RC cue?)Well done on the backside too. Yay!
Adding the tunnel – also very nice!
After all the turning, throw the toy a lttle sooner and accelerate more up the line to remind her of the go 🙂 She did it but was almost waiting for a turn cue.
For the left wrap, you can be sooner starting the cues: you an start to decelerate and say the verbal as she is taking off for the jump after the tunnel (but keep moving forward as you decel) so she has more time to make the adjustment for the wrap. You nailed that perfect timing on the turn RC at 3:37 – you were starting the RC diagonal as she was lifting off for the red jump and her RC was awesome!
You also had the good timing (starting as she was lifting off for the jump after the tunnel) on the 2 backside cues at the end: your motion and verbal and itming was all good at 3:57 but you didn’t have connection so she took the front. On the last rep at 4:08, you had all the same great timing/motion/verbal and you also had connection, so she nailed it.Great job here!!! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Teaching the go go go is all about her knowing where the reward will be: out ahead, on the line.
You can re-visit those toy races that we did in puppy class, where you raced her to a toy on the ground.
Then, add in a jump (she goes over it, not you haha) as you race to the toy.Then build it up to more and more jumps – and you can have the toy placed out there on the ending line for now, or have someone throw it for you when she is looking ahead.
T
yay! I think he is ready for you to try the other sequences, either the ones from the live class or the new ones posted today 🙂
Tracy
Hi! It was interesting to watch these all in a row!
I think the he is a bit stressed about not knowing exactly the how/when/where of reinforcement in the trial environment. If he was moving and the jumps were clear and the line was smooth, he did well in the ‘real’ runs… but he didn’t really ‘see’ the weaves or contacts. When you kept him moving, he stayed in the game but if he had to stop (like on the DW) or the weaves came up on course (like when they were 2nd in FAST), he got stressed. But he was an entirely different dog when the toy was visible! Very confident, no worries at all…With that in mind:
>>I’m wondering if I should re-train the dog walk and teeter to running. The reason is that way he wouldn’t be stopping and then get worried. I remember you saying to not do St because of all the stopping.>>
He will enjoy the running dog walk and teeter, and it will certainly build value for those obstacles! It is not the full answer, though. I think he needs to you to work through all the FEO steps before he runs for real again: visible toy, hidden toy, short runs with toy outside the ring, then long runs with toy outside the ring. This will become especially important if there are things that worry him like strange people or dogs that growl at him. He does well with the toy in your hand, so the next runs should be toy in pocket, where you whip it out in the middle of the run (especially for the weaves) to help bring value into the ring. Then when he can do that with total focus for several runs in 2 or 3 different locations, then you can move to the next step. It is a gradual process but totally worthwhile! AKC allows it in T2B, FAST and ISC. UKI and USDAA allow it in all runs 🙂
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
I love the fireworks photo!>>Glad to be baaack doing the ‘gilties with Ronan! He was a bit naughty with his sit stays tonight (broke a few times and some elevator butts) and so we started to reward with a “catch” every 3 reps or so. He was very excited to play! I>>
He looked SOOOO happy! Yay! The sit questions were just small crimes of passion because he was so happy to play.
The lazy game is a good one to review to get back in the saddle. Great connection, both of you!!! And his commitment looked great, plus he was setting up his own collection, which is exactly what we want.
On the one step sends, you both can send and leave immediately, using the send leg to push off and move to the next line (as you throw the toy, 3rd arm needed maybe haha)
And he was in heaven to add the tunnel and even more speed. You don’t need an arm out parallel to you, as it will slow you down and blocks connection a little. You can keep the arm low, or just use it to run run run.
He is ready for the drills, so you can spread the jumps out a little more (more room to run and easier for timing) and that might help answer the verbals question:
>> we are still deciding what we want to call a pinwheel versus a 180. I like the idea of doing “left left left” for a 180 and then we just say a single left for when we want him to turn left. Is that too confusing? My current border collie was only taught a single left or right verbal and I do say it multiple times if I want her to do the 180 versus the pinwheel (I now say nothing or “over” for jumps in a pinwheel). But honestly it did take her a few years to really understand that because I never taught it. Any suggestions?>>
It depends on how the dog moves, but in general – if the line from the pinwheel jump to the next one is not really tight, just a more gradual turn, you can send on a general “over” cue and not need the left or right. I would consider a left or right if the dog is a wide turner – but he is not a wide turner. If the pinwheel jump to the next jump is tighter, more of that “L” shaped turn, you can use the left or right.
I think the timing of the verbals and the physical cues will help the dogs understand which jump we need them to turn on and how tightly: a more forceful left verbal said a few times with maybe some decel and a brake arm will get a tighter “L” shaped turn than a quieter left verbal with no decel and no brake arm. Agility is challenging in that way, because there is more than one potential “L” shaped turn (as opposed to flyball, for example, where we always want the same turn).
Based on how well The Pony is already setting up his turns independently, I bet a general “take the thing” cue like your existing over will be great, saving the directionals for amazing turns on the tighter 180s.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>.I have just watched the training from the other day- it looked so much better than it felt.
I think it looked great!
>>Was there a 4th bonus sequence that we didnt get to
Yes – Seq 1 B with the backside circle wrap.
>>Fusion did well on the second jumpers- I just struggled with no tunnels remembering wjhich way I was sending her to give her the right directional. Fusion says handler needs to get her act into gear…>>
Yes, doing it without tunnels is definitely more challenging because she can see you the whole time and you don’t have an extra moment to get where you need to be!
>>Looking forward to the second package sounds like what we need.
It is posted! Have fun!
Hi!
>.With 3 tunnels setup right now I’m tunnel bag poor! I just bought another set of 4 bags. But I could probably use another 4. Or even 8 since I only have 4 on the puppy’s setup. $$$$$$$$>>
TOTALLY relatable!!! I have used tote bags or cheapo backpacks that I buy a t Walmart and show bags of baby sand or water jugs into them 🙂 I use straps to hold them down and BOOM! Lots of cheap tunnel bags 😉
Lots of great work on this video! Your connection was so clean throughout!!!
She did really well on the threadle opening 1-2-3! Remember to keep your shoulders open to the bar as you move away, until you see her basically taking off for 2 – you kept ‘closing’ your shoulders forward earlier and earlier, and then very early on the last rep (which is where she hit the bar). Closing your shoulders changes the cue, so be sure to keep them open in the same position as you released her, as you begin to move up the line.
And nice blind 6-7 each and every time! Also nice blind 10-11 🙂 especially the 3rd time at 1:45 – perfect! Also really nice backside at 12 – she did a lot of backside slices in this session, and did really well with her bars when your shoulders were facing the bar as they were here.
The backside at 14 is going much better! I like the opposite arm for it but you definitely had too much OOMPH at :25, so she sure did go out 🙂 That arm was high and it turned your running line, so she turned away entirely.
The next rep at 1:11 was PERFECT handling! Perfect send, perfect moving through to the tunnel. Just the right about of arm and connection, and great running line. The perfect handling requires a default understanding of taking the jump on the backside so you can run through like that. The Seq 2 game from the live class is the answer for training it, so she understands how to take the jump even when you run through like that,
The handling was good at 1:52 (not as great as t he previous rep because you were pulling away laterally instead of running forward, but still good) and then you helped her with a cross arm to get the bar. You got it by adding that little extra help on the last line, which is fine for now as you work on building up her independence so you can handle like you did at 1:11 🙂
Ending line was great each time too! Yay!
>>I do like the line from doing a threadle slice on 14. I just don’t know if I’ve worked on those with her in a setup like this. Are there any other courses that I should go back to and review the skill?>>
You can isolate that section and work the threadle, starting with the same angle you did 1-2-3 and adding motion, then gradually work her back to be coming in from 13.
>>Should I move on to the next Jumpers course?
Yes, this one looks great 🙂
Nice job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>is the main difference (to the dog) between the rear cross and that of the backside push really just the verbal? Because now that I think about it, the motion, line and body position seem to be the same between rear cross and back side or what is the difference?
Good question!
Yes, the verbal is different, but the running line is also different:
on the rear cross, you are running to the center of the bar til the dog passes you.
On the backside wraps, you are running to where the wing meets the bar on the entry wing.Subtle differences for us humans, big differences for the dogs 🙂
TracyHi! This is also looking good!
I think the target is at the right level now! And he is driving up nicely! No need to say go on the teeter because you really don’t want him to go, you want him to stop 🙂 You can add the teeter verbal now because he is definitely locking onto it as an distinct obstacle, and it is moving (so it is different from the dog walk).
I think there is a little bit too much tip right now – he is slowing down where the blue meets the yellow. To keep him confidently driving to the end of the board, you can maybe cut the amount of tip in half so he drives all the way to the end of the yellow before slowing down. Then you can start to inch it back down gradually provided he still drives all the way to the end.Great job!
TracyHi!
The backing up looks good! The only thing to add is to be sure to start nice and close so that he offers backing up with his front feet right away too. I think you were a tiny bit too far from the board here, so he was not stepping all the way back onto the board.>> I moved the treat holder to the top as you requested and he’s kind of sliding on it at first but trying to back up with all four.
If the target is taped on, you can remove it for the backing up and put it back on for the mountain climber game. This can also help if it was getting in the way of the backing up. I’d prefer not to go to the travel plank because it doesn’t move or sound like the teeter 🙂
Nice work!
TracyHi!
>.We had a trial this weekend and had fun.
Yay! Such a fun weekend!
>>I still have handling mistakes lol. Dreamer did awesome. He loves the game so much.>>
We ALL have handling mistakes, that is one of the joys of agility LOL!!! As long as Dreamer is happy and you are happy, that is all that matters! He is FAST so it takes a little longer to lock into the handling needs of such a speedy dog 🙂
>>I actually do not have a threadle arm. I wonder if he would really pay attention to it if he’s committed to a tunnel entrance. I do want to train a threadle arm on him for sure and I’d love help!>>
Yes, we can TOTALLY get threadle training started!!
here are a couple of videos to watch:
Jumps:
Tunnels:
>>I have to admit I have a lot of anxiety and should reply here more but sometimes I get overwhelmed!
Jump in any time even if it is just to ask a question! If you are feeling overwhelmed, pick the small set ups and let’s get those smooth – even without doing the bigger courses at first, you can make a lot of progress getting the connection and timing going on the smaller games 🙂
have fun!
TracyHi! Nice work here!!!
>>Jumps at 16″, food and a toy in my pocked/palm to keep it less visually stimulating. I left more video in so you could see how it’s working.
I think it went well, and she was only distracted by it when you were reaching for it when she was on the dog walk (see below).
>>For the send at 1, I gave her verbal wrap, but she felt wide. I reacted by adding her name (not planned/helpful :). I figure I should change something.
Yes, she was wide there but the send angle set that up – it was very forward with a lot of motion, so she didn’t time to accelerate to it then decelerate and process the wrap cue and set up the turn entirely in the other direction. To get a good wrap from that angle, you would have to send her back behind you like a throwback, with you already rotated. It is doable, but not the best line for her.
She has a good stay, right? So a smoother opening will be to put her in a stay on a slice on the takeoff side of 1, so she can be facing 1-2 on a relatively straight line. That way all you need to do is release her on your left and move up the line.
Rewarding at 3 – having the toy in your hand there did not seem to cause any distraction issue, she just didn’t see you throw it 🙂 so throw it a little more on the center of the landing line and you can use a ‘get it’ marker too. You can also have someone else throw it, when you train in a group! Yes, she would prefer to just keep running… but therein lies the problem! She would prefer to run past the backside so you need to handle it to get her to take the jump by decelerating and using arm rotation to help her see it at 1:00. The training with the toy play will help build the skill and balance the value of it.
The 4-5-6-7-8 line looked strong, well done using verbals and motion to support the line so you could layer and get to where you needed to be!
>>She had a question out of tunnel 2 but redirected. >>
That second tunnel is a bit offset from the line and is not entirely straight – a ‘get out’ verbal to shift her away to it as she is approaching the jump before it will probably smooth that out and answer her question.
>>I have a question about the dog walk reward. I messed up with a late cue. Should I have put her back on the dog walk to reward with the toy? I wanted to reward since I messed up, but also not encourage self-releasing. Should I reward off the dog walk or on or ??????>>
I don’t know enough about her training history on the DW to give you a definitive answer here, but a couple of thoughts:
Keep driving past the end of the dog walk and make sure she hits & holds position before you decel or reach for a reward – she saw the decel and toy hand, so she turn and looked at you at the bottom. This is another place you can have someone else deliver it, and you can use a target if she has trouble hitting & holding position when you are behind her.
You can also have someone else reward here, so she is not looking at you in anticipation of getting the reward. I would have given her some type of reward there particularly if there is a handler error element – if it is highly unusual that she didn’t stop fully, then no worries. If it is not unusual? Then I would add a target or something to help her out with these high speed dog walks when you are behind her.
>>I tried later to get the blind but didn’t get there, so I’m wondering about treadle timing vs the “frantic” approach. LOL>>
Do you mean the 9-10-11-12 section to the tunnel? I don’t think the BC is at all a possibility with her speed, unless she will do the dog walk and get the backside with you hanging out by 11. I thought you did well here – it was not frantic, it was lots of HUSTLE and forceful cues! She seemed to have no questions on that line. You had a great send to the backside followed by LOTS of verbals because there is not a lot of handling help to give there (besides running fast, which you were doing :))
Because this is a rear cross on that 12 tunnel, start your go go go jump cues before she even enters it – you got quiet and didn’t say anything til after she exited, so she was looking at you. I don’t think that had anything to do with the toy in your hand, it was all about the cue timing and position. The video ended there, let me know if there was more.
Great job!
TracyHi! These games are quite a workout! You two looked great.
Countermotion step 3
This is going well! And it is helpful to begin sorting out what cues she needs to see. More transition into the decel before you rotate helps her, you can see it in the difference between the first and 2nd reps. If you slam on the brakes or run forward too soon, she doesn’t know where to go (same on the start at :37) but with a little bit of decel into the rotation? Perfect! And grea job maintaining connection and spitting out all the verbals!!Step 4: Also going really well! Great connection and you got all the words out! Sure, you might be holding onto the words for too long, but I am not going to worry about this right now at all – you have all the other pieces in place (connection, transition, verbals, quickness, toy marker,commitment) and she is reading it all super well! YAY! So don’t worry about fine tuning the length of the verbals, that will come with the bigger courses.
Steps 5 and 6 – I think she likes the race tracks haha! Very nice! And the wraps also looked great (and so did the connection and commitment). Only one thing to remember: As you go from the wraps to the race tracks. remember to make the verbals sound different – the wrap verbals can be choppy like you had them, but then make the left/right verbals more elongated like they were at the very beginning – rii riii riii and leeeleeee leeee. Yes, take a breath in there sometimes, but the differences in how ou deliver the verbals will be helpful on bigger courses.
>>Question about Week 3 Concept Transfer Straight Lines Four Ways. For the Rear Cross wrap the verbal would be the wrap command but I don’t recall any game in MP2 where we did those verbals with the dog on the ‘wrong’ side of us for the verbal. EG/ DOL and do the wrap turn to the left. >>
We did early on with the turn away games on wings/cones, so the pups will be fine. Make sure your physical cue is clear first, then add the verbal back on.
>>Oh, one other q – are there no pdfs for Week 4??
Yes – they are all posted. There was a glitch in the original publishing but should be all good now!
Have fun! Nice work here!
TracyHi!
This is looking really strong with the wing for the wraps and backside!! She is better able to commit to it while you work out the cue timing – nicely done! You can add in having her chase you out of the wrap or backside, by driving back down the line to the tunnel rather than rewarding there. Give this another session or two, then you can add the rest of the jump back to the wing 🙂At the beginning (when she is most stimulated), she is a little confused about the start procedure – a little mouthy, a little jumping at your reward pouches. You mentioned she was frustrated – were there failures before this, or was this the start of the session? Either way, let’s help her out: line her up at your side (use a cookie to help get her into position), then connect with her and send her to the first obstacle. That can smooth things out and get rid of the mouthy behavior.
Nice work! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
