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>>Honestly, we have been to the vet so infrequently, I’m not sure what would happen. He’s been for puppy stuff and just annuals. We switched vets about 6 months ago but that was our first visit.>>
I think he will do fine, then! Sounds like there is no pre-existing stress, and the vet crew will help him feel good about it.
>[I just remembered that I asked if you could post HSM’s slingshot and was supposed to remind you. Can you post?>>
You’ll find it here:
>Also is today the last day for submissions? I’m anxiously awaiting CAMP>
Yes, we are winding up here and the countdown to CAMP is one! My shirt has arrived, so I’m prepared. 🙂
TracyBig thanks right back to you! You are a fabulous student and Zippie is an amazing teacher – it was truly a valuable learning experience for me to watch her work and sort out what she was trying to tell us (thanks, Zip!)
I am glad she worked well in the private! Remember when quieter places used to be her Kryptonite? So maybe privates can be used for learning new agility skills and then a class can be used for fast lines with Kryptonite around?
The learning never stops – agility is relentless like that. So if you feel like you are continually working skills and figuring things out in agility, then you are on the right path! It is a game the challenges ALL of the skills on every level and can be wildly unpredictable. The complexity of the game makes for a wild ride, in terms of training – you are doing a great job and I am looking forward to seeing you in person, maybe in July??
Tracy
Good morning!
>> I had a hard time snapping him out of this. The first reaction was right as we were going into the ring- they were at the entrance and then followed us to the exit- what great luck.
For real! Such fabulous luck NOT.
>>but the space is so tight. There’s about 10 feet from the wall to the ring gating and people, dogs, chairs scattered throughout. Normally I’d park him in a corner away from the action, but the corners were taken by people trying to manage their own crazy dogs.>>
This is rapidly becoming the norm for indoor agility spaces – very tight outside the ring and people struggling to manage their dogs. You have a lot of tools so you don’t need those corners anymore 🙂 You still have a bit of Kryptonite to work on (as do we ALL!) but overall he is really able to handle the environment so much better.
Waiting outside is a short term solution but not a long term plan because it won’t allow him to acclimate, settle, focus, etc. You can add a trick to a a make BC staring at him moment, such as going into fast heeling which seems to be his favorite (and can also move him away from the trigger).
>>I didn’t anticipate the person to move from the entrance to the exit so that was just unfortunate. I had planned for someone to stand in front of the gate- which also didn’t happen and the gate was open so it made me clench a little.>>
This is all good, actually, because it reminds us that we can’t control the environment in that way: ring gates, where people stand, etc etc. You have tools for all of those situations, so you can keep reminding yourself about them when the worry creeps in.
>>I haven’t quite figured out if his trigger is the staring or just all intact males…
For training purposes, I would tackle both – separately. Find an intact male who will not stare at him. And separately, find a female or neutered male that will watch him from a distance. Get him happy with both separately then work on finding a staring intact male of any breed, especially large ones.
>>I really hadn’t considered any physical cause because his rear end awareness and strength seems good. He pivots well, we back up often. He does great with instability exercises. While not the same as agility jumping, I feel like he super powers off his rear on the dock because he’s popping up into the air at heights that are above my head.>>
The PT people and sports vets unanimously recommend we get X-rays and checks done at this age, regardless of whether we see an issue or not. I’d say they actually beg us to do it. Best case scenario: they are a baseline for the future so we can watch for changes as the dogs age or if a problem crops up. I’ve done it with all of my dogs, and the 2 youngest will go in this summer now that they are over 2.
Agility jumping is very different, indeed, and also the dock jumping has the advantage of the most amazing reinforcement on the planet: the pool. That will override any potential questions he might have, plus he only has to do one jump at a time rather than multiple in a row with no stopping.
>>I mostly blame my self for the lack of commitment because while working on other things and confidence, he got reinforced for missing jumps often as long as he got back on a line. I wouldn’t say it’s worsened, but it’s not gotten any better either.>>
Yes, there is a definite training element to commitment but you have been training, and it is not getting better – which is why I recommend baseline ortho checks just to be sure there is nothing hampering the training efforts. And then you can plan to help him organize for the jumping with training plans 🙂
>>I haven’t done hips on him because he’d have to be sedated and I didn’t want to traumatize him.
Does he get super worried at the vet? Does he have any tech girlfriends that he loves (sorry to the male techs, but my boy dogs seem to gravitate towards the female techs :)) I have not found hip xrays to be traumatic in terms of the sedation or brief vet stay, so hopefully there is a way to get him comfy with it.
>>I do think spending time with lower jumps and rewarding on the line will be helpful.>>
Yes! In terms of agility training, I would prioritize it as the top skill right now and put away any backside or threadle work, because those all take him off the front of the jump.
Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Thanks for asking, I am doing OK here.
>> We played UKI for 2 days. I have a couple of runs.
Yay for UKI! He definitely seemed to like the environment and the spacing.
>>Fever totally nailed it like he had zero questions and I tried to keep going. I even have the frisbee in my hand to reward
Remember that the reward in the ring goes a long, long way to making being in the ring a great place to be! I think for Fever, frisbee is a higher value reinforcement than more agility, so definitely don’t talk yourself out of throwing it. And in UKI, you can throw it. If you are afraid he won’t bring it back, go in with 2 frisbees (I got in with 2 frizzers or 2 balls all the time when training).
>>He was super for most of the day with some reactivity explosion at the end of the day.
Depletion plus a trigger = reactivity, is what I am guessing.
>>For his first 3 runs, I had a perfect engaged chill while I dropped treats waiting ringside, heeled right before going in the ring and even had some leash tugging.
Great! On the first video, he looked pretty happy going into the ring!
>>Our last run, idk what happened. He was convinced this other male border collie had a switch blade or something. He started growling and lunging before going in the ring, but settled when we got there- it’s this SS run.
The dog was parked at the exit glaring at him through the gating, you can see he sees him but looks back at me.>>Yes, that is a definite trigger (those BCs with them staring eyeballs and all) plus trials take a TON of mental energy, so he was depleted – and didn’t know how to handle it and the amygdala took over: DANGER! DANGER! That is where you can pull things out of the toolbox – moving away from the trigger, highest value tricks/toys, etc. And also with the dog parked at the exit gate, slap on a smile and ask the handler to move the dog. If someone parks a staring dog at the in or out gate when my baby dog is getting ready? I say “my dog is a youngster, can you move back a bit, thanks” with a big grin (to hide my annoyance haha) and I just stand there looking at them and smiling til they actually move LOL
And then the trigger gets added to the Kryptonite list because there is no way to avoid male BCs that stare near the ring in agility. I recommend seeking out less-stary boy BCs and do pattern games until he is happy and not reactive – then add more challenging dogs.
>>We did just one run today. It was a surprise FEO! I brought him in and he was tugging super well. He shot off like a bullet! We missed 1 jump and then made a loop back, our leash happened to still be waiting on the line because the leash runner disappeared so he joyously ran and grabbed his leash, brought it to me with full glee when I called him and then vigorously tugged all the way out! Overall I’d call that one a win. I was really happy he didn’t victory lap with the leash.
Paco said “that’s a nice leash” >>Ha! Yes! Paco is the best. And you can also add the leash to the Kryptonite list because he has to ignore it til cued.
For the pre-run stuff – did you jot down some notes about what worked, what didn’t work, what was most helpful? Notes are good because we forget the details so quickly 🙂
He does run past jumps that are ‘right there’ a lot, especially on sending, unless you are very close and perfectly connected. That leads to a relatively high rate of failure in the ring, where he either runs past or you stop and bring him back – which is also a failure and causes a stop in the action. In those moments, he is not engaging his hind end to actually take the jump, he is just moving off his front. So that jump commitment and hind end use now goes to the top of the agility training list, higher than anything else so you can get a higher rate of success in the ring and you don’t have to stop him. For him, I think that just carrying on is better than stopping and sending him back, because it is a ‘known’ issue (running past jumps) and stopping him pops that bubble of excitement and focus, so he slows down and engages from his rear less when you do that.
For the hind end engagement – there are a lot of reasons why he might not be using it: conditioning, understanding/coordination, physical issue. So for the summer project, from the training/conditioning side of things: no more full height jumping so it is easier for him to commit to the jumps, coordinate the jumping effort, and conditioning/hind end power work (do you already have these in your toolbox?) I will be adding a hind end coordination game to the CAMP class because it is needed in general. And, have you had him x-rayed and also a PT/soft tissue person check him? That will rule out any physical reasons why he doesn’t want to use his rear and avoids jumps that are right there.
Glad you had a fun weekend! I am excited for what the future holds! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! Sounds like a really good day at the NADAC trial!!
>He runs here often so he was relaxed and had no trouble with any action tricks. He had better focus during his runs and never got distracted during the run. My mother only came to parking lot when we arrived to pick up things for new puppies so he was not distracted by her brief presence.>
Great! This is all good – and being relaxed and happy here will help transfer his skills to different locations because it is great rehearsal.
>>This was the longest he’s been at a trial from 9:30-4:30. It took a long time before his 1st run as it was after 12:30. And he had another long wait 2.5hrs between regular and touch n go so I grabbed lunch. He was calm in his crate watching me leave and come back. He didn’t even get upset when I left him in the crate to walk the course.
This is so great! Being able to rest and relax is so useful, in and out of the ring for you both!
>>I followed the gate steward directions so I was lined up waiting with him and we entered while the dog was still on the dog walk. He knew the dog from class and reacted to the handler calling out the obstacles. So I never had his focus at the start and he was over excited watching the dog leave. When I took off his leash, he was not engaged and he did his usual quick sprint back and then returned to me so I just started.
Well, it is good to know that waiting further back (or any place where food is allowed) is more effective, because the other runs did not have that mini-zoomie before the run. 🙂
>>We sprinted out of the gate to his reward station. Unfortunately the pet tutor turned off so I couldn’t reward from it. I just gave him treats by hand, dropped some on the tray and then dropped some in his clam.>
It sounds like you got your cardio workout in sprinting to the Pet Tutor! LOL!!! But I am sure he appreciated it even when you simply dropped cookies onto the tray.
>>I told the gate steward I was going to wait before entering as he reacted to dog and she said ok, but the judge might get mad. >>
I know a lot of gate stewards who have been yelled at by judges, so I understand why she would say that – but as long as you take the responsibility (or blame haha) then it is fine 🙂
I think the opening of the 2nd run (1st video) was great! He was engaged, you got a lead out, and a really fast focused run. It makes me do a happy dance when he offers engagement when the leash comes off.
>> 3rd Touch n Go Run 1
>>I jogged to the line but didn’t do anything so when I took off his leash he stayed but got distracted sniffing so once I got his attention I just started.Yes, that was smart to just get going. He had trouble here for some reason – do you remember which games you did outside the ring, anything different? Or, he might have just been lower arousal due to time of day – it is pretty common for arousal shift like after a long break, or mid-afternoon, for example. So you can try 2 things the next time you see he wants to sniff (you’ll see it when he doesn’t engage like a pro when the leash comes off):
– you can try the ‘all business’ release and just start the run, kinda like you did here
Or
– you can try to engage him by moving away from him, standing up, calling him to you. You were moving towards him and bending over him, which wasn’t as engaging as moving away might be.>> 4th Touch n Go Run 2
It was 30 mins between the two rounds and after 4pm so little warmer 81. >>So even though it was a little hotter, it sounds like he was still mentally stimulated from the previous run. That is good! And it might be something to note: he is going to need ‘extra’ when he has had a long break between runs – extra engagement, or all business.
>>We waited in the dirt area with his reward station so he just dug him a small hole in the dirt to lay down.
Clever! A smart way for him to chill himself out, literally and figuratively.
>> Then the gate steward made us enter while the other dog was running so i just headed to the corner to get his focus with some tricks and clam. As I was unleashing him, the judge told me to take my time as I had 60 secs. >>
Funny that you got rushed in, then told you had a full 60 seconds LOL! The tricks looked good! And I think the run looked strong too. Very exciting because that is a position he had not yet been asked to be in (waiting in the ring without treats) and he was a star ⭐️
>>He seemed to really enjoy the runs to the reward station, not so much for the food but liked running. He did stand in front of the Pet tutor and I would drop it on the tray.>>
Interesting! He does like action a lot, so I can see why he would also like the running – sorry for you though for all the extra running LOL! But it is worth it because I really like what he is doing in the ring 🙂
>> These runs felt much easier. Even after a long day his last run was really good.
Yes! The goal is that the engagement feels easy so you only need to concentrate on the handling.
It was a long way to go but nothing blocking the path. Not sure how to get the Pet tutor to stay on long enough to use it. I will be getting the mini version Tuesday so will see how it goes as I somehow got selected for beta testing. It’s also going to have a better clicker with motion sensor.>>
If the mini version doesn’t stay on longer, you can maybe ask a friend to keep it on during the run, or let it turn off and just plop treats into the tray as he seemed happy with that.
So now he has a number of great runs under his belt as training runs – if I remember correctly, almost all of them had the clam visible even if you didn’t throw it in the ring? I think he is ready for the next steps – clam-in-pocket so he sees the empty hands, then you whip out the clam to reward. And then – clam-free runs! Those would be short in-and-out runs so you can set up a short, fast, successful experience in the ring.
I would mix them all up – in a new place, perhaps, start with the visible clam, then go to empty hands, then if he is doing well – clam-free-in-and-outs. Start in class then bring it all to trials (class will be harder because he has his friends there 🙂 but you can ‘hide’ rewards around the ring or ask the instructor to hold the clam with treats, so you can reward out on course while training on the class course).
Soon enough, you’ll be able to fade the clam and do real runs! Bear in mind, that I like to do training runs a lot even with my super experienced dogs – they enjoy it and it keeps the value of engagement in the ring very high 🙂
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
What a super nice run!!!! You two both looked great!
>>t any suggestions in the beginning pinwheel to not take that extra jump is this just a more reward and practice moment?
That is all a handling thing – he was correctly reading the handling cues. Even though you were saying “here” at about :23-:24, you were moving forward and facing the off course so the physical cue very strongly said to drive to that jump… so he did. Good boy! Watch the physical cue when you did want him to take it later in the course at about :33-:34 – it is almost exactly the same as the physical cue you showed when you didn’t want him to take it.
So, to get him to see hat there is a turn: when he landed from 3 and was looking at 4, at :23 ish, you should be decelerating and turning your shoulders to face 5. It all happened really fast, he was on FIRE!!!
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
Great session, this is exactly what we want him to do with the Find My Face game: he was re-engaging immediately even when you were disconnected, and he was patient 🙂 He continued to offer engagement without needing anything else. PerfectAnd it is fine for him to come to your side, in fact it is better than him swinging all the way to the front of you because engaging at your side will be much easier for continuing an agility run.
So the next step is to take this to the agility field where there are no distractions other than the great outdoors 🙂
And when he does well there… add in the people distractions so he learns to stay engaged even when there are people to meet and greet.Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi-
>>this is still a security blanket that makes me nervous to let go. I’m never around new dogs to practice with a thrown toy to make sure he would bring it back. If he comes immediately back to me like he does in practice, it would be fine but I’m worried he will work the perimeter and find a reason to leave if he has the toy. I do throw the toy in the yard or in Carrie’s yard.>>
The trick is to train and rehearse the mechanics so you have everything set up before you bring the behavior to new places or around new dogs. He may not find the thrown toy exciting, or he might not retrieve it – but you can work that separately and also reinforce him bringing it back by immediately offering a treat or another toy.
And since the toy might be questionable – get a lotus ball or two and set up a reward loop using it:
first, show him how to operate it by just loading it and dropping it for him to open. He probably needs to see how to open it first.
Then –
load it with great food reinforcement
when he commits to a jump, especially after a turn, throw it
As soon as he eats the treat from it, call him back and offer him a cookie for coming right back (or tug toy) so he begins to understand the loop of get the reward, come right back, more reward, reset or next rep.When this is something that happen regularly in comfortable settings, you can bring it to less comfortable settings as well.
T
Good morning!
I think your NADAC plan sounds good! And remember to take as much time as you need to get to the line especially with the 10 foot rule, and also don’t feel pressured to get in there too early 🙂
He is running well in class!
>>He’s usually a bit more distracted in class after Sun trial.>>
He is probably mentally depleted, that is normal. I get mentally depleted on Mondays after trials too 🙂
I also like how he is sticking with things when you stop & discuss with the instructor! And offering engagement when after he eats from his clam, and moving with you at the end to the leash. All of these might look like small details but they are such HUGE great things in the ring 🙂 plus your connection looks good and that helps too.
>>. You can also see he had a little trouble with circle trick which is similar to the trial when he couldn’t do that one until more pattern. His tire sniffing might have been real smell distraction as the well-trained border collie sniffed same area and trainer said female dogs in heat attended class.
Yes, that would be a big distraction – add in mental depletion and you got a little sniffing. I like it when dogs in heat attend class, because it gives my boy dogs the chance to work through a tremendous distraction 🙂
>> The first run he kept tripping me up and trainer insisted my clam in my hand was distracting him and I should keep in my pocket.
I haven’t really seen him get too locked onto the clam that he was tripping you – usually it is a connection thing. If he doesn’t see connection, then he struggles to see the line and comes into you (but not to the clam, it happens with or without it hahaha) Now that he is such an engaged hard-working dude in class, the next area of focus you can do in the classes will be to sort out what he needs from you in terms of connection, and also building up more commitment for when you are not perfect in your connection (SO HARD to be perfect!) You can ask your classmates or instructor to throw the reward out on the line, so he looks for lines more (and especially for tunnels and tires!)
On the first run, looks like he was having a little trouble with driving forward off contacts (like off the a-frame at 4:09), so being a bit further ahead and pointing ahead of him less (more connection to him) will help that.
The tire at class is hard for him especially on the start line, so you can totally help him by isolating the tire hole: have the tire resting on the ground (so he can’t go under) and jump wings blocking the gap between the frame and the tire (so he can’t go through it)
The offered engagement when you took the leash off was fabulous 🙂 And a good place to keep rewarding for sure!!! He seemed very strong about staying engaged even with the ’empty hands’ on the way to the line.
He got the tire nicely here especially the first time and you were brilliant to reward it. The pumping arms running style works well and pointing ahead doesn’t work as well for him – at 2:07, for example, when you pointed ahead he totally thought it was the pink jump (set at 20″ LOL!) so as strong as it sounds… looking at him more directly as you run forward will keep him on the line (seems so counterintuitive but works so well :))
He looked really good on the 3rd run too!
>>He followed me as I placed his leash off course but I was able to reset and lead out.
He is probably not used to you moving away to put the leash off course, no worries 🙂
>>He had a little trouble with few jumps
One of those spots might have been at :50 – teeter to jump – it looked like a blind cross as you pointed ahead, he could only see your back and your shoulders were turning, so he guessed a bit. He stayed engaged, though! Good boy!
>> but he took the tire first time after jump sequences but not for the end.
It is good to see him taking the tire in sequence when he has momentum! Helping him locate the tire hole more consistently will help make that more of a 100% thing so you can trust him and run through it 🙂
Great job! Keep me posted about the NADAC trial!
TracyHi!
>>We can use food in the Fun Run but since I really don’t train with food at home, I’m not sure I should use it in the ring.
If she likes food in the training context, it might be a worthwhile reinforcement because it will be particularly amazing for her 🙂 if food is not going to be reinforcing in that context, stick with the toy. I am not sure the home routine will make a difference for the fun run, because the home routine is as much about context as anything else: see breakfast, train for breakfast LOL!
>> Maybe I should change my routine in the am at home and try feeding her breakfast first thing and then going out to practice and see if she is more into tugging/running?
because the train-for-breakfast scenario is really embedded, I think she might get confused or frustrated, so it doesn’t seem worth it. We don’t want to add any questions to a context where there are already a set of ‘rules’ 🙂
>>Also, do you think I should try just doing a push back and run at the start-line? I know that stationary starts are demotivating for her.>>
I think it can be a tool in the toolbox, but not the only tool because it only works in specific situations (like super easy starts, tunnel starts, etc). If it is a longer line on a start or a more complicated start, a push back and run puts you behind immediately which can be confusing to her and set up errors. So yes, use it here and there where it will totally work in that situation so she can chase your motion on the opening line. I also recommend the cartoon lead out (she really liked it in practice!) or even running to your lead out then releasing while you run, as this can get you to a better position – it is very motivating for the opening line to be clear and fast where she can chase your line of motion 🙂
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi –
>>Well fuck, I wasn’t getting the vibe that he wasn’t into the toy… Is this for all sessions or just the first one where he was extra shut down?
Definitely the first one, and here & there when you did not run Callie first.
>>He gets really excited when I run without a dog. I noticed that in your seminar when you had me run without him and you held him.
yes – so you can narrow that do little things like dance moves or crouchy cartoon lead outs or jumping jacks, stuff you can do in small spaces outside the ring when you can’t run a lot and Callie is not around 🙂
>>I think this is partially my doing. I always assume it’s my fault and reward anyway because I don’t want him to melt so we are in a vicious cycle. We do a good bit of drive lines and those go well, it’s mostly turns that I lose him.>>
Which is why going back to low bars (so it is easy to commit and organize the jumping), and ramping up reinforcement for commitment will help. And also, I don’t think you tossed a reward on any of these – all reinforcement came from your hands. Getting reinforcement thrown on the landing side of the jump and not coming from your hands will make a massive difference. A toy would be great but if that is not going to work as a reinforcement, you can also do a lotus ball because he does like treats!
T
Hi! Definite improvement, she did really well!!! And she held her stays even with you walking out (she is at her best when you run away, but running away on ALL leads outs for a camp? Yeah, that is a LOT haha).
What I noticed on the video was that she was pretty good lining up with a toy visible, SUPER good lining up with treats in your hand… and a barky back-talker when your hands were empty (like on rep 4). This empty hand thing is just like trials – so this line up behavior can be worked through the 4 training in the ring steps too: visible toy, empty hands (toy/treats in pocket but rewards still delivered), remote reinforcement of in-and-out (quick rewards) then full remote reinforcement – that should help her be quicker to get into position!!
Sounds like the camp was fun!!!! Loved the photos of her in the video too 🙂
TracyHi!
I loved her standard run! The refusal on the tunnel and missing the jump on the way to the a-frame were little handling errors – she was fast, focused and engaged!
>> She was not interested in tugging before the JWW run so I kind of knew she was going to be slow.>>
JWW went pretty well, part of the problem was that it was a tight, slamm spaced course with a lot o fturns so there was no place for her to open up and no fun contacts to lock onto.If she won’t tug beore a run, you can whip out the fast moving tricks, barking outside the ring (more on that below), better treats, Cartoon lead outs, etc.
>>I just can’t figure her out. She needs so much amping up and some days it can be really difficult to do
I think it is a matter of being ready to change “tools” in the toolbox in the moment: no tugging outside the ring? Ok, how about barking for meatballs? It will have a similar effect 🙂 And if she is not tugging outside and youthink she might be slow, try a short, cartoon lead out!
I see a MASSIVE improvement in her runs, though – yes, the JWW was not quiet as fast as the standard but it was still really strong, and she will continue to pick up speed!
>>She did not want to speak on the line this morning.>>
I don’t recommend the speak while she is already in the stay and you have done the lead out, most dogs (Char included) think that is weird and don’t do it – in that moment, the release should be next. In the order of events, the speak belongs outside the ring or right before you set her up in the stay, but not while she is in the stay.
>>. I also really can’t use it as we enter the ring because I think it will distract the dog running. >>
That really should not be a problem at the excellent/masters level, but you can go to the line, wait for the other dog to be leashed, then get her to speak or do a trick, then line up.
At home, you were asking her if she was ready, and she was totally ready, then she got stressed when almost a minute went by and you were asking for the speak. So if you ask for a behavior twice, and she can’t do it for whatever reason – don’t ask again, move on to the next thing and figure out what happened later on 🙂 In this case, the speak trick was jus in the wrong spot in the order of events.
>.So the second run i just did the Pink Panther lead out.
You said at the end of the video that you were not sure which one felt better – the pink panther lead out made the sequence faster, I timed it 🙂
>.This Friday I’m doing a Fun Run and then sat. and sunday I entered a CPE trial where we can train in the ring. Thoughts???
Will the fun run allow you to use food in the ring? Either way – do the fun run with all sorts of reinforcement in the ring, to make a lot of deposits into the reinforcement bank account, just make it really fun and super reinforcing.
For the CPE trial, for courses with contacts – try doing some ‘for real’ runs mixed in with some empty hands/hidden toys runs. For runs that are jumps & tunnels only, build up her love for jumping courses with ‘just like home’ runs with visible toys.
Let me know how it goes!!
TracyHi!
Hi!>.Areas of disconnect happened with a mistake
Those mistake moments are great for either rewarding immediately, as if it was correct, or a Find My Face moment then reward
>> I really tried to keep him tugging but man I pull it out of his mouth a lot my accident. He also doesn’t grab it as well as I’m expecting when I run with it.>>
You can let him grab it on the fly, trade for a cookie, then when discussing with the instructor – do engaged chill or hold his collar or have him lie down. At 7:33 of the first video you were trying to tug and listen to feedback and you pulled it out of his mouth then he went to look at the fence. Or in the 2nd video at about 1:00 you were listening to Annette but feeding him the whole time – that can diminish the food value, so the engaged chill or just a down or collar hold is something to definitely add in.
I skimmed the videos without sound, to look for any details to pull out – I think the first choice of reinforcement was not actually reinforcement, so he was kinda meh. You can have 2 or 3 types of rewards with you and if he is meh about one… switch! John worked him for treats and he was great! You worked him for the toy dangling and he was not as into it. There is nothing wrong with using high value, stinky gross food rewards instead of a tug toy 🙂
And you running Callie first DEFINITELY helps him – it is something to play with and then try to get him stimulated like that when she is not present so you don’t rely on her being there.
>> He nahh get him he’s been fine>>
Ha! I am glad he did that LOL!
A good summer project is going to be commitment, commitment, commitment! He runs past things a lot, for no particular reason 🙂 So I recommend working on 12″ bars and doing a lot of simple lines with thrown rewards for taking the simple lines, to help bring his commitment to the next level. His commitment is better when is was super aroused after watching Callie run – which is why we can’t rely on it, we need to train it independently. Also, be careful when running with a dangling toy past jumps that you make it really clear that he should ignore the jump and take the toy – I think there is not a lot of clarity there (verbal is late, or not always there) so he chooses to watch your hand over taking the jump. Food for thought!
Overall, it looks like it was a really great experience!!! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
OMG! I can see your foot action to cover thecheese LOL!>>I sent her off course before the first jump
Yes, you were like ‘let’s get outta here’ but didn’t quite set the line to the 1st jump – she was a good girl
>> instead sent her to visit the ring crew>>
I think that was more of an indication that she needs more ring crew randos in class, where you are running towards/past them, and you have food in your hands/pockets so you can reward her very specifically and in-the-moment for ignoring them. She struggles with people aroind and the judge, so that is definitely something to tackle in group settings with reinforcement right there (not remote reinforcement until she is great with reinforcement right there).
>>She is learning to be resilient to my screw ups.>>
yes! One recovery pattern tha works well with her is if you go towards her to kind of re-connect, then run away again. That seems to help!
>>they are not designed for fast dogs.
Correct! They are designed for medium speed 20″ dogs – literally! I beliee their guidelines discuss this specifically. For most AKC courses, dogs will work in moderate collection, which is why it is such a problem for 24″ jumping fast dogs, for example.
>>I was very proud of her dogwalk to the table.
Yes -you did a great job making sure she knew about the turn and she had a great DW!! And she ignored the judge! Happy dance!
Tracy
