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Hi!
He looks great! And I like that you have a compromise on the start line! It is much better than fighting with him.
And bummer about the phone not saving the videos!!!! But he did great here and you were smart not to overdo things.Seq 3- really nice!
He looks at his lines really well. Your timing of your right verbal before the tunnel was spot on!I agree, it would be good to try without the spin: with his speed the spin is going to slow you down! It got the turn here on the tunnel exit, but made you a tiny bit late to show the turn on 4-5 – as he was taking off for 4 at :14, you were facing forward so he went wide then turned a stride after landing.
So, you can use your right verbal and turn before he enters the tunnel, then when he exits, cue 4 and keep turning so you are turned before takeoff.
The rest looked great! And sounded great, lovely timing of the verbals too.Sequence 4 also looked lovely
The timing of your physical cue at 4-5 (:30) was great – when he landed from 3, your were clearly turning before he took off for 4. The only thing to add there is your “here” verbal at the same time that you started to turn your shoulders. He turned well but I think he finds the verbals useful, so this will help even more!I thought his wrap at :39 was also really good! You started it when he landed from 8. I think we can see if it will be even tighter, if you start it while he was over the bar of 8, so the cue is in progress when he lands. I bet that he will be even tighter, and you will be further ahead because you can turn and leave even sooner š
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
I love that you timed these! So fun to obsess on it š
Seq 3:
I loved the blind on the tunnel exit!
First run, really good – but when you gave the right cue on the tunnel, he was wide for 2 reasons :
– the verbal was loud and energetic, which tends to propel dogs forward. š
– Your line turned and faced the last jump for a while before he went into the tunnel, so it looked like a go cue
Send and go looked good, but I bet you can do it even sooner2nd rep- MUCH better right cues on the tunnel entry! The verbal was calmer and you turned sooner, so his exit was great. That allowed an earlier send and go. The tunnel exit to the send is what made the difference in time!
Seq 4:
Both runs looked really terrific! The only spot to tighten is 4-5, he was wide on the left turn on 4. The verbal was perfectly on time, but the physical cue was late because you ran forward and didn’t turn til he took off, so he was wide there.For the timing of the physical cue for the left, I see 2 options:
– as he is over 3 and landing, you can be decelerating and turning, which would mean sending to 5 and layering because of that dang jump in the middle of everything.
– if you don’t want to layer, you can keep moving forward but add a brake arm (outside arm and dog side arm towards him a bit, palms down, as a bit of a whoa cue.
The turn there was tighter on the 2nd run, which is why it was faster. But I bet we can get him to collect before takeoff with one of the options above.
The wrap looked great on both reps, you nailed the WOO with your verbal and decel starting as he was over 3.
And your connection and verbal and motion on all the rest looked terrific!! You two are working so smoothly (and FAST too!!)
Great job! Let me know what you think š
TracyHi!
>>He wasnāt super great about taking his reinforcement- he kept wanting to run to to the fence for swimming. I know I need to battle this monster but it just feels so discouraging. Iām working on my motivation for that>>
Yes, it is hard, but worthwhile because I think back the trials he was doing and he was really good with reinforcement! So with the pool, use the frisbee and having him chase you for rewards!
>>I feel like our wraps at speed need work so Iām hopeful in improving them with you. He tends to be a bit wide.>>
Yes, but I am not worried – I prioritize it after we get all the commitments on all the jumps. It will be easy enough to add after we strengthen the commitment even more.
>>Thatās it. Iām framing this and putting it on a tshirt and wonāt take any further feedback. Iāll just bask in my early glory forever. Thank you>>
Heck yeah! Class is over now, letās get the t-shirts and go out for oysters and beverages š We definitely need more t-shirts š
>>I was surprised he did that turn so well. His lefts and rights just feel so much bette than I think I deserve. Heās a good buddy.>>
Well, last I checked you trained and rewarded them lots, so he is being a super good boy to show you the results of your training!
>>Also for the toy- I had been trying to throw as you suggested in our other class to keep the comittment but he doesnāt digging it while thinking about the pool. I guess I should try a frizz and see but if those arenāt working and he prefers to take it from my hand, do you have other suggestions?>>
I think the first priority would be a thrown reward like a roller frisbee or a tennis ball or something. If that is a no-go, then chasing you for a reward can work too but it is less ideal for commitment.
>>Iām doing a seminar in 2 weeks and Iāll have Britney there. Her dog likes when I run on the line and she chases me down for the reward. I suppose thatās an option to try with him?>>
Yes! Dogs love that, it is really motivating. It tends to shift focus more to the handler and less to commitment, so the ideal would be the thrown reward – will he chase a friz if someone else throws it? If he is not into the thrown rewards at all, you can definitely go with the chasing rewards š
Tracy
Hi!
>> Not sure how to improve videoing.
I think the video angle was good! The only thing that was hard was the sound, because the camera was near the dogs who are angry š
>> Me I was not so pleased with I kept loosing my verbals and not moving smooth then she went in the wrong place. When I was right so was she.
Yes! The smoothness is the most important part that I see too. Try to keep moving and turning your shoulders, never stopping. And, before running her, try to practice this by walking the course a few times, using your verbals as well.
On the video, it was hard to hear the verbals because the dogs were barking – so I heard that *something* was happening but I didnāt know what, exactly š
It looks like she had a good stay on all the reps – well done with that!!!
So looking at the physical cues since it was harder to hear the verbals – on the opening line, you can start sending her to the 5 tunnel sooner: when she is at 3, you can be turning towards and moving towards 4, which will set the line to 5 sooner (and add the tunnel verbals too between 3 and 4.) The big arm cue did get her to go back out but it was a little late and she did a zigzag on 4-5.
On the turn from 6-7, you were definitely telling her to turn and using a low hand cue – nice! Now you can add more shoulder turn as well, to really smooth it out. As she is jumping 6, you can be turning to face 7 and that will help show the line nicely. Then trust her and keep moving – she was heading the right way but you stopped and stepped back, so she pulled off the jump. On the last rep, you were much smoother so she found it better, but you gave more rotation than she needs š Try it with just the verbal and shoulder turn and keep moving, and see what she does š
On the 9-10-11 line, this is another spot to trust her more and keep turning – that will set her nicely to the rear cross at 11. You were moving forward so she ended up on the backside there. O the 2nd rep, you got her to the front side but because you had stopped turning, she did not know it was a rear cross. In that moment, just reward her – she got frustrated and jumped up at your arm, which we want to convince her not to do š And reward will convince her not to! Even when you stopped on the next jump, she didnāt get an immediate reward, so be sure to be very fast with the rewards as she is learning these big courses.
I really liked the FC you did there at 1:15 and 1:24! The FC and even a BC will keep you moving AND show the line. Nice! The BC will be easier to keep moving to the backside.
On the backside jump, putting a wing there will help her see it. (And also on the 14 backside) She ended up on the off course, because after the FC you moved forward at 1:15 so she was correct. Yo got it better on the next reps and good jobgetting the backside at 14 as well!Nice work here! The big pieces are starting to come together really well. Remember to keep moving, no stopping, and it will keep getting better and better š
TracyHi! These are going really well! They are particularly challenging with young dogs, because the teamwork with our youngsters is still percolating. I think you and Nox are doing great!!!
Sequence 3 looked good! The verbal feedback she delivers might just be excitement!
Dropping a bar might have been fatigue, as you mentioned.
On sequence 4 –
ā500th tryā cracked me up! I feel that š Backchaining to get 4-5 was very smart!On the pull off moment at :39 and 1:16 that is a connection issue. Your lower body was pulling away and your upper body was pointing forward, ahead of her, so she never saw a cue for 4. Feet can pull away but upper body must be super connected like you did on the next rep after :40 and at 1:02.
Good job lowering the bars too, it is a really hard high-speed jumping effort so learning it on lower bars is helpful! I think also when you lowered it, you got the line a little straighter? She did well there! So you can gradually raise them back up.
For the wrap at 2:28, it was a little wide but I wouldnāt stop š Keep going there, partially because it was just a late cue, and partially because it is good practice for trials where we are sometimes late and we want to keep going. And also, even if you are late, she will fight harder to turn tight if you drive back to the next line, so she will chase you into the turn. Plus, it made her really mad to stop LOL!!
So for the earlier cue there, try the decel starting as she is lifting off for 8 (the jump before the wrap). That way, as she lands, you are already decelerating and using your verbal – then as she is passing you and nearing the jump, rotate and leave for 10. She can do it really well, so now we add more speed and sort out how early to tell her. The timing at full height might be earlier than what you did here, so trying it really early on a low bar too will help give us a sense of the timing.
>> I think I am going to set the jumpers course and keep this sequence in my library of things to work on so I donāt spend the next 9 weeks on one sequence, lol.>>
Yes, you can totally move to the courses. The skills sequences are more about gathering information so we can apply it to course work. The skills donāt need to be perfect š You are looking good so definitely onwards to the courses.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! This is a helpful video to see what she needs!
I am not sure which of the verbals would be better on the turning but we can definitely work the physical cue timing to help! That will also help us know which of the verbals will be better.
When she was dropping the 4 and 5 bars, it was because you were turning too late so she was not able to adjust accordingly for the jumping effort.
So when she dropped the 4 jump, it was because as she was taking off, you were facing straight. Ideally, as she is exiting the #3 tunnel, you would be connecting and turning already. That way, as she approaches 4, you are already turned and she can also turn.And on the reps where she was dropping 5, the middle jump of the pinwheel – also a timing thing we can make earlier. So as she is jumping 4, you can be connected and do a one-step send (same as we do in MaxPup :)) to send to 5 then you run away to 6 and 7 (with connection, of course :)) That will cue the whole thing sooner (rather than you slowing down and rounding the line with her) and it will also keep you further ahead on course!
She did drop the #1 bar but that was mainly because you released without connection, so she rushed. Be sure to release or send to one with connection, like you did on the other reps š
Nice work here! Let me know how it goes with the earlier turn for 4, and the send-and-go for 5!
Tracy
Good morning!
>> She actually has a pretty tight tucked sit. But, I havenāt worked up from that position.
Awesome about the tight sit! That is the first step to having great jumping āorganizationā.
>>I agree sheās pulling off her front. Iām actually in a jumping class online that just started and that instructor thinks sheās not pushing equally off of her left rear.
It is entirely possible that she is just stronger/more coordinated on one side over the other – I see that in all of my dogs at some point and in myself (all the time LOL!) Which jumping class? Jumping instructors can often help with exercises to balance strength, and there are a lot of great conditioning classes too, I have a list of classes that are getting great reviews and producing amazing things š Also, core strength is a biggie for this – have you done āpostureā work with her?
>>Itās subtle. Vet couldnāt find anything, but she was spayed 3 1/2 weeks ago.
The spay is a big surgery – all of my girl dogs needed an adjustment and some trigger point work after their spays. If the vet didnāt find any issues orthopedically, then a bit of time and some soft tissue work will help.
>>Might just need more conditioning.
Always! Youngsters always need more conditioning, at a slow steady pace to help build up their growing bodies. And more organization games. At her age (approx 17 months old), I always get my dogs in to see a rehab vet or sports vet, for an assessment to see what is strong, what is weak, structure feedback, etc.
>>She did well with wings, but adding jumps is harder for her. She will jump 20 in, but Iām only at 16 in. Should I go lower?
I would go lower on anything that involves organization skills that she finds challenging, or turns to the harder direction.
Looking at the swimming:
At :14, it is what I call a āreverse transitionā. You were decelerated so she was decelerating as she landed from the middle jump. Then you exploded with motion and a forward cue, so she tried to adjust to extension at the takeoff point…. not successful. So you can help her organize that extension by accelerating right away as she commits to the middle jump. And yes, that bar can be lower because it is challenging! I only saw that one moment, were there more? I might need more caffeine š>> Then, the BC that Iām not getting timed right. Watching the video I agree the swinging toy isnāt helping>>
For the BC timing, you had a lot of great timing moments, but I think earlier re-connection will help. And, you can get earlier by being quicker: when you see her landing from the first jump, start the blind and get to the new connection (eye contact on the new side) as quickly as possible. Since I canāt run faster :), what I have found most helpful for being āquickā is keeping my arms in tight – biceps to rib cage! That way you donāt have to bring your wings in to make the connection, all you need to do is turn your head (wings were out at :44). So I always tell myself āwings INā for blinds, meaning, bring my arms in, biceps to rib cage, elbows bent (for me, some folks like their arms straight, it is a personal preference thing).
You were quicker at :56 but then moving away from the jump a bit and the toy was dangling in her face, creating confusion because sometimes that is the reward and sometimes not.
I liked your timing on the BC at 1:14! I still think arms should be in more because it will be quicker to show the new connection.
After the BC, though, you were running a bit sideways towards the right side of the screen and dangling the toy… so she thought it was the toy based on your motion and the style of delivery of the cues there. Try to run forward to the jump after the BC more, and the delivery of the right verbal can be slower & quieter and more elongated as compared to a toy marker (Strike! And Right! Might sound too much alike when the toy is dangling).The BC at 1:28 was definitely late – she was jumping the middle jump and you were still looking over your right side – by the time she saw the new connection, she was already passing you. Timing was much better at 1:42! The wings in tight arms will totally help her š At 1:48, good timing and good running line got the blind AND the jump after it!
Good timing at 2:04 and 2:11 of starting it but the quickness of connection will help (wings in!) get the turns better.
>>But, I need help with the turns. I canāt seem to get the decel correct. I understand what you are saying, but I struggle to execute it.>>
That will come with practice and probably make more sense in a different context or sequence. For this sequence, have her wrap a wing rather than a jump as you work it out. That way she can rehearse correct mechanics as you keep practicing the decel. We will keep working on it – it might make more sense to your feet if you think of it as get low in your running (acceleration) then stand up (decel) before you rotate. We will get it sorted out.
Nice work! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! Nice work here!
Seq 1 – lots of good stuff here even on such a simple-looking sequence!
Rep 1 looked great – you ran pretty directly towards the tunnel til he was for sure committed (sounds like he snarls a bit on the tunnel commitment LOL!). He did a tiny head check over #3.
At :23 on the 2nd rep, you were pulling away sooner (as he landed from 2) so he looked at you over the bar of 2 (I think I heard him cuss haha) then went to the tunnel. The same happened at :33. So pulling away is not helpful for him here on tunnel sends! And since he doesnāt love driving away to tunnels (based on the head checks) – you can add lots of throwing of rewards at the tunnel exit, to help convince him. It is strangely pretty normal for Shelties (and BCs) to not love tunnels!Seq 2 – on that first rep, he was definitely thinking about going straight after the tunnel, but did process the right verbal and make the turn. Your cue was timely and the verbal sounded really different which is a good thing!
I see the question he had about the layering – you can throw the rewards sooner to help him look straight as you layer. Some dogs also find it helpful when we ācloseā our shoulders forward during layering, which basically means connect less and run forward more š We will be adding more layering skills in coming weeks, to help him understand it better because it is such a useful skill!On the 2nd rep, you kept moving as you turned and said right, and he read it better! And on the 3rd rep, you were on time AND ran a more direct line away to 4 – this one was the best one yet! I donāt think the verbal cue was much earlier, but it didnāt need to be – it was well-timed on all 3 reps š The earlier motion away to 4 totally helped him on that last rep, though.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! Lots of good work here!
First sequence looked good, connected, smooth and fast!But he didnāt want the reinforcement. More on that below.
Sequence 2 looked good as well – the right verbal might even have been a shade early (you were saying it as he was over jump 2), so try to let him land and you can add the tunnel exit directional when he is maybe halfway to the tunnel between 2 and 3. Then trust him and keep handling, you looked surprised by his brilliance LOL!
On t he next rep, your convergence to the tunnel at 1:13 pushed him around the 2 jump then he got a little concerned (sniffed on the other side of the tunnel) – next rep at 2:05 was better, you ran straight.
So with the sniffing there and the questions he had on the next run – The theme of first run, best run will be helpful for him because it will require you to make clean starts, clean transitions, and breaks between reps! What I mean by that is, donāt work each sequence as a session in flow. Work it one time, reward…. then take a moment to figure out what went well or went wrong, then work it again, from the start. I think it will also help crack the code of the reinforcement puzzle, because it is really hard to predict what reinforcement will work best. More specifics here:
Sequence 3:
The turn cues from 4-5 was 2:09 was late, so he went past 5 – just keep going there and get him back on a line rather than āgood tryā which serves as an error marker. And, then you can finish strong on a line, reward, and figure out how to change it to get it correctly the next time (there is not enough time to sort out how to make a change when you do a quick reward and then cue the tunnel again). You were late again at 2:21 but stood still when he landed, so he got it. Ideally, the timing of the turn from 4 to 5 begins at the tunnel exit: see him exit the tunnel, then start your left verbal and turn your shoulders, so he sees/hears all of that before he makes a takeoff decision. He was hearing the left verbal but you were moving straight til after he took off for 4, so he did not see the turn to 5.One other thing to consider: Always go for clean starts in between reps and to start a sequence – sending to a backside at 2:44 to restart set up a line straight past 2, then he got no reward for what was actually human error. You owe him a frizzer! He then slowed down and put his nose down between 1 and 2… definitely subtle Uber signs to watch for! And he powered down for the rest of the rep.
Sequence 4:
The DW there is on his straight line for the tunnel exit…. so he was correct because there was a forward cue (tunnel) and a go cue and the jump cue was after he was almost to the DW. So in that case…. good boy, go with the off course, reward as if he was correct and then re-start š I think that is a good mantra for all of us, when we get an off course: go with it as if it was 100% correct š Because it probably was LOL! Putting the wing in front of it and also calling him definitely helps, he got the jump nicely the 2nd time.He was SO CLOSE to getting the 4 jump with the layering challenge at 3:58! And at 4:28! SO CLOSE!! He was thinking of doing it but then at the last moment pulled off, when you looked ahead on the first rep and then at the end, you were just too far ahead for his current understanding of the skill. For now, donāt layer – We will be working more layering soon to help him feel more confident about that. And you can stay more connected back to him there, exaggerate it even more. But – continuing like that instead of marking it as incorrect? That is perfect. And for now, go in closer to 5 so that he can find it more easily, taking out the layering element. We teach it specifically in the next set of games because it is really useful.
On the wrap at 9 – with him coming in on a slight angle after the 7 tunnel, more connection as he is approaching 8 will help him know to stay on your right side. You are doing this connection nicely on the 2-3-4 line! That will happen as he is jumping 8, at the same time as a deceleration. As he was jumping/landing there at 4:04, you were rotating and looking forward so he came off the line to 9 and considered the 270 jump. You were great with the connection on the last rep there, he got that line really nicely! He was a little wide on the wrap turn but that is fine for now – as you add more connection, you can add it sooner and decel sooner, with the wrap verbal repeated a bit more. However, I prefer that he gets more line support for now to take all the jumps – and then we will gradually tighten up the turns.
You can see his toy engagement is better when you just keep going in flow, so part of the handling decision-making can be that you help him get all the jumps in flow, even if you are a little late, then stay in flow and reward. He also is more engaged with the reinforcement when there is no barking š So you can use these tug toys for non-barking moments, and bring out the GREAT stuff like thrown frizzers when there is barking? Reinforcement is a puzzle for him sometimes, so we will keep working to crack that code.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyReally nice run with Kaladin here too! He commits to wings & barrels a little better than Min does, those spots spots seemed a little easier for you. But he is less experienced so needed more help in other places.
Yes, as you mentioned, you can be a little earlier on the 2-3 wing to jump in the beginning – he commits really well to wings, so you can trust that and turn before he even arrives at the wing. You can also trust his tunnel commitment more at :05 and send to the tunnel more while leaving for the next line as well. Basically, skimming the tree (donāt hit it LOL!) rather than going in a couple of steps close to the tunnel like you did here.
It sounds like you started your left cue pretty early here, right after the tunnel exit, and before the blind – this is great! That way he can get info even if you canāt start the blind at the same time as the verbal starts. That line looked good!
He has great barrel commitment even if you were pointing forward a bit. A little strategy to get to the blind down the next line: after the BC, hang out by the exit of 7 instead of leaving. Then, send him to the barrel (8) so you are now miles ahead for the BC 10-11. Running to 8 adds more yardage for you and that is harder without the extra time a tunnel would give you. Sending to 8 more will give you the one extra step you need to get the BC 10-11.
Also, you can keep your arms tucked in at your side more instead of extended back on the BCs, because it will make you quicker with the reconnections – all you need to do is a head turn, no arm changes, which is much quicker when you are flying down a big line.
Nice timing on the backside push at 14! He is less experienced so he needed one extra step of motion, which you gave him to help support the line. Yay!
As with Min, he had a moment of hesitation on landing at :23 – there was not a lot of connection, so he hesitated until he heard the tunnel verbal. So start that verbal sooner and add more eye contact as he is jumping & exiting the backside, and that will tighten up that line too!
And for both dogs, something to consider is slicing the other way on 14: enter on the tree side, exit on the outside. That has a better exit line to the tunnel, and a relatively easy entry line on the tree side, so might end up being faster and easier!
On the ending line – at :27, I think you were helping his barrel commitment more than he needed there which made the BC harder on the exit. You can treat it like a tunnel, in terms of send timing and connection, but instead of a tunnel cue you would say left or his wrap cue. And start the BC befoer he gets to it. This is another good āwings inā spot, meaning bring your arms in to your side. The BC could have started sooner, yes, but he was not able to read it because your left arm was high and a bit forward so he didnāt see the new connection. Arms tucked in reveal the connection better, so the dogs read it better.
On the redo, you had a much better barrel send! And also note the difference in arm position – your dog-side arm was lower and back more, so he could totally see the connection and found the new side with no questions. Yay!
Great job with both dogs! Enjoy your gamblers classes and your fun day ahead!
Tracy
Good morning! I like he creativity to make this fit, I think it still had all the challenges!
Opening – even without jump 1, you can be sooner on the blind for the wing of 2 – she was looking up at you waiting for the cue to 2. So try to push her limits of wing commitment to show her 3 before she even arrives at 2.
3-4-5 was great!
The tree in the yard is like a pole in a training facility – forced your line around it. It made the blind a tiny bit late. Yo can start the verbal left sooner so she knows it is coming, even if you have to get to the blind a bit late due to tree interference. She did read it nicely! The barrel reapplying the tunnel takes out the discrimination element, but I think she would have read it anyway.She has a little trouble committing to the fox barrel at :13. It could have been that her barrel commitment is simply not that strong (she has not seen a lot of barrels lately), or that your arm/shoulder was forward (so she was unsure of the line) or she doesnāt like foxes LOL! Probably more of the arm too far forward and lower value for barrels š causing you to have to go all the way to it. That made the line to the BC 10-11 a lot harder – partially because you had to go to the barrel, partially because you had no tunnel time that would have made the BC easier to get to on time. You were able to get her to see the new connection even though it was a little late, which is great! You can also practice a rear cross here – you wonāt need a ton of RCs with Min, but they will come in handy when you do need them!
She was a little sticky going to the barrel at 12 as well – I think the cues were happening at arrival to it, so as she lands from 11 , you can already be starting the lala cue and sending to it.
Nice push to the backside at 14! Great send, great running line, and she totally understood her job! The only little thing to add here is a bit more connection to her eyes as you pass the exit wing, to tighten that turn. As you passed the wing at :24, you were looking ahead. So when she landed, she drifted a little because she was not sure which side of you to be on until you gave the tunnel cue. So more connection (and an earlier tunnel cue, even as early as her feet touching down) will help tighten up that line.
Really nice ending line! She definitely is sticky on the barrels so that makes you work harder for commitment, but you got the blind in nicely! Great job! I figure if you can get this course done with wings or barrels in the important places, then it will be easy with jump and tunnel instead š āØNice work!
TracyGood morning and welcome! Great to see you here, I am glad he is feeling good again!!!
>> QUESTION: When you refer to submitting a āRound 1ā video, do you mean all the sequences in a lesson or just the first one.
It is all the sequences – it doesnāt mean you have to post them all at once, you can do as many or as few as time allows š
See you soon!
TracyGood morning! He is looking good here!
It was hard to tell on the video about the timing of the verbals – some where indeed a little late but I think most were fine. And his response seemed to match when I think you were giving the verbals š
Opening – This looked strong! You can add a verbal wrap cue (but not a decel, no time for that :)) on exit of 3 to tighten the turn to the teeter. The back line of the tunnel-jump-tunnel looked smooth and fast!
Yes, he was wide to the backside off the RDW as you mentioned at :32. You were giving a lot of go go go cue, so he went straight. If possible, give less go (maybe one?) and while he is on the DW, no later than the top of the down ramp, switch to the backside cue. That is trickier to maintain the RDW criteria with but a good training opportunity so he can hit it and make the turn too.
Good turn to the 12 tunnel in flow! It was harder on the re-start because you were not able to show him the low of the flow of the line when starting that close, but you go it in flow off that fast line.
MIdcourse: An earlier turn cue on 13 to turn to the a-frame will help him – you were saying something (I couldnāt hear exactly what) but it did not override the physical cue of running straight, so he landed straight and looked straight at the tunnel ahead at :41 before turning to get the a-frame. You turned sooner at 1:52 (when he was approx halfway between the tunnel exit and jump) but I think it needs to be even sooner: ideally when he exits the tunnel, you are giving a soft turn verbal and beginning to turn to the a-frame, so he can adjust before takeoff.
The threadle was the hardest part for him. On the first run at :43 you started it late (when he exited the frame, ideally it should start while he is still on the frame) but also he likes more lateral distance on those, almost pulling away from it. And when you tried to move towards the threadle jump, he took that as a cue to the front side. So it is not really a timing question, it is more of a training question to get him happy to let you stay closer on those. More below š
Ending line – he was really good with that weave entry! For the wrap at 19, he was really good reading the deceleration and outside arm which started as he was exiting 18! Nice! You can trust his commitment more and then rotate and turn sooner. You were facing forward as he was lifting off for 19, so he was a little delayed in driving back around the jump (waiting for you to finishing your turn)
The family participation at the teeter was the cutest thing ever!!!! Is that a double decker stroller? So fun! And the teeter looked good too š
And having the kiddos on the field during threadle practice is good because you had to keep a happy reaction to the threadles hahahaha!So about the threadles – I think he would like for you to use a line of motion that involves you pulling away then pushing him back. That requires, however, a level of perfection in timing that borders on insanity š Plus the threadles should be trained to override motion, so you can pretty much run straight. He was having trouble letting you do that, which means we can train the skill more. You can do it at a walk, but with the proper line of motion (which is pretty directly towards the wing, not moving away from it, giving him enough room to get past you) – and then showing him. That even when you converge a little, we still would like him to threadle (it was on the convergence that he was taking the wrong side of the jump). Start it at a walk so he can process the cue with motion, especially off a running a-frame. Then if that goes well, add more and more motion. If it is hard for him, you can take out the bar and just do it on a wing, so show him the line that you want without the distraction of the bar.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! Your timing is definitely improving, I see lots of good things here! Yes, please send the video of her swimming the jumps, I wanna see what happened š Generally, swimming jumps is an organization issue (more on that below)
Looking at the wraps first –
The wrap at :09 looked MUCH clearer in terms of transition into decel and rotation, and she nailed it! You can finish the rotation and leave even sooner now šThe wrap at :32 did not have the same transition from fast to decel, it was only decel so she didnāt read it. It is normal that they donāt read decel-only at this stage, the need to see the transition into it in order to read it
:57 – she was about to do the wrap but she was not yet ready for you to move forward before she was committed. The toy might have been too big of a distraction there, so try with empty hands and see how she does.
You had a good transition at 1:21 so she had a good turn there too!
And, when you were rotated at the wing on the last rep, you had better patience to not move forward towards her too soon – one thing to try is to put your hand on the takeoff side of the bar, a little lower, to ask for more collection rather than on the landing side.Soft turns – she is totally sorting them out! Note the soft left turn she did at :23! And another good one at :31! She also was getting herself organized for the right soft turn at :49. A good left soft turn at 1:01 and 1:12. Was she swimming on the right soft turns? I am happy with what I see with the soft turns here so far – there is a lot to organize! But what I think might be happening on the swimming moments, and on the wraps, is that she is not āsittingā into her hind end enough – she is trying to get it all done on her front end. So we will work to help her organize for sure!
First up: super tight sits. Have you worked her on getting. Tight sit, on a platform and on the flat?
Second – the motion override game we are starting tomorrow š
Then I might add a few more hind end games that I have used for running contacts and for box turns, which work beautifully to help with turning! And I have a game that I need to film that helps this too. But first: the tight sits and the motion override game.Let me know what you think! She is doing well so we can totally help her with any of her questions.
āØTracyHi!
>> was not in love with this session. Usually sheās happy to work toys or food but I think I needed her toy.
Her get it game led to more sniffing then usual. Environment was changed with the doors open but not sure that had anything to do with it.>>Any possibility she is coming into season? Also, the doors being open is a massive environment change for a dog bred to work in the outdoor environment. It is entirely possible that there was scent drifting in from the outdoors that was messing her up a bit. I think you might find a good balance of tossing a cookie then having her drive back for a toy.
>> Once she starts jumping sits are hard. And yes I got creepy and weird on the one rep since I didnāt think she was going to stay.>>
I think maybe the stays were the hardest part here as you mentioned (she was feeling SPICY) so you can always mix in stay rewards like you did at :54 and also do different positions (sit, stand, down) as her stay positions. That way the sit doesnāt lose value and you can totally reward all the variations of stay. When the dog gets spicy and the sit is hard, a stand stay is often VERY easy to ask for instead! And you can get all the reps in with no arguments about the stay š
>> I did more reps then I wanted because when I sent- she would not turn but go straight so I thought to throw more as a lure to help.
So Iād like to clean this all up. I wonder if she was just bored?>>Yes the session was harder but also I think you did too much repetition of the same thing: 3 minutes and 45 seconds of one step send on your left with cookies only might be a snooze fest LOL! So doing cookie toss then toy will help. It is also possible you were working to her harder side – is she a righty or a lefty? I canāt remember LOL I think switching sides more frequently will totally help too!
She wasnāt turning because your were pretty stationary and not moving away. So, send and as she is heading to jump 2, you can move to jump 3 and reward on the line to 3. That will help her understand that this send predicts a turn, so she will set herself up to turn.
I think this was overall a pretty decent session, so try adding the toy in a bit and moving away after the send more and switching sides more – and see how she does! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
