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Hi!
>>I’ll admit, I just used the field guide and didn’t watch the video until after so it’s not fully done as prescribed and I missed a step or three but strong work here!>>
Well it is a good experiment to see if the field guides are clear or not LOL! In theory, as long as the handle understands the goals, the field guide should be all we need LOL!
He was good boy here! So many challenges: pool, barking friends, not a lot of handler motion (because this is a not a running game, you wee good!). He rocked it!
Sending to the tunnel was great with the layering. The blind to threadle looked strong. Blind to backside looked great too – you can be slower to the backside line so you don’t need to push back as much.You were late on the threadle slice cue but he was like “I got you” and did t he threadle. YAY!
The threadle wrap cue might be a little underdeveloped (it is a relatively low priority) so breaking it down was great and he nailed it at the end!!!!!
On both the threadle slice and the threadle wrap, I suggest adding a turn cue to the jump after the wing wrap part, so he is already turning when you cue the threadles. In this situation, a name call is probably all he needs, so that he can turn. That will tighten up the line of entry to the threadles (he was landing wide then coming back to get the threadle here).
And then ending with the super fun tunnel send on the mini sequence was perfect.
So I guess you don’t need to watch the videos LOL!! The only “error” was that you can be on the takeoff side of the backside to threadle on the last mini sequence, rather than move into between the jump and tunnel to push to it (but that worked well too, so it is not an error).
Did he get a well-earned swim swim after this fabulous session? Great job!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
>>Me films a working segment and thinks I’ll edit and post later… and then forgets>>
Relatable. You’ve been busying getting married and all! That is a pretty darned good excuse to not edit videos LOL!!!
>>I left some transition footage. We were having a lot of victory lapping and frustration over toy exchange. I’ve switched to using two frisbees to see if that helps some. Like your idea at the seminar, I may just let him hold it if he doesn’t want to drop but he did good here.>>
You know I love transition footage!!!!
After the seminar where we just let the dog carry his toy and all the frustration vanished, I was talking to the neuroscientist/dvm/goddess about it and she gave me the neurobiological reason why it worked (it has to do with object enhancement and how the brain prioritizes things). So it turns out my “F*ck it, let’s just let him carry the damn thing” was soundly based in science LOL! By letting the dog hold it, we immediately deprioritized the toy and got the dog (and handler) thinking about the obstacles rather than fighting with each other about a toy 🙂
So yes – if he can’t let go of the toy, fine, he can carry it (maybe use a smaller frisbee so it doesn’t smack the tunnel by accident) but definitely don’t fight about it or try too hard to get it back, because it shifts the attention to things that neither of you want to focus on.
On the video –
First rep looked strong, the side-step at :15 is what pulled him off of the wing (he had not yet really looked to it and you moved sideways) but his response to the blooper was great: what do you want here, mom? Rather than checking out or tooth hugs or launching for the frisbee.2nd rep – super nice – I think the a-frame behind the wing was a big visual and he considered it at one point!
3rd rep – super nice, he stayed connected and nailed it even when you looked like you had a momentary change of plans LOL! And he brought the frizzy right back.
4th rep was really good too – that jump angle is definitely a threadle (which is how you handled it) and I think he was getting hotter because he was going a little wider on the wing.
Last rep looked good too! He did a great job responding to all the cues and you were clear in the handling.
>>We were having a lot of victory lapping and frustration over toy exchange.>>
I guess I was expecting to see that in this video, and I didn’t see it here (or maybe I need more coffee??) He brought the frisbees back pretty quickly, let go pretty quickly and stuck around while you got ready for the next rep. Le the know if I missed something but the transitions here looked good!! And he ignored a frisbee on the ground and ignored the leash on the ground.
Great job here!!
TracyGood morning!
>>However, I find that my shoulders and or feet tell him more than my verbals are. Should I be more stationary in these exercises? >>
Definitely add motion, because he needs to process these verbals when you are moving. Standing still is cool as a trick 🙂 but not super useful when running a course LOL!!!
The key here is to be moving but not really handling, if that makes sense. What I mean by that is you are generally moving on the same line of motion on both of these (slowly at first) and using the different verbals.
So on the first video, you were meandering on a line parallel-ish to your deck, no real handling help on the first couple of reps and he did great! On the 3rd rep, I think the transition into the rep was too quick – you were playing and talking then suddenly you were giving cues. So like a good boy, he didn’t wait to process, he did THE FAST THING which was not correct lol
O after each reward, take a moment to reset, get quiet like you did on the next rep, then give the cues.You stopped moving on the next reps so he got out towards the tunnel but then second-guessed himself because there was no motion (which is indeed a turn cue, good boy). So keep meandering on the line you had on the first couple of reps. And you can put a line on the ground to help you stay super consistent in terns if your line of motion without actually handling.
2nd video had a little more movement which is great! You were giving him a little step towards the tunnel when you wanted it and a little more shoulder turn when you wanted the jump, which definitely falls into the ‘help as much as needed and as little as possible” realm 🙂 So on the next session(s) you can fade the little help steps and then you can add more of the same motion of you walking on a parallel line.
3rd position video also looked really good!! You stayed on the outside wing of the jump the whole time – so now you can add moving past the jump on both the jump and tunnel cue. The difference in physical cues you can use to help him would be to maybe take one step and keep your shoulders open to him for the tunnel til he definitely commits, and turn your shoulders a little more for the jump – but your line of motion can be the same for both, passing the outer wing of the jump.
>>A Quick Opposite Side
I am getting an error message on this video, can you repost? Thanks!
The Wing near tunnel video is going well too – you can use the same motion concepts here too in terms of keep gin your shoulders more open to the outer obstacle but staying in (slow) motion on both cues. Your verbals sounded nicely different too! And great job with the reset reward when something went wrong.
And since finding the jump is harder than the tunnel here, you can reward sooner. The instant he looks at the jump or take a half step towards it… you can affirm his choice by throwing the reward (no need to wait til he takes the jump, because affirming the early decisions will help get more commitment). For example on the last rep, you were really far away (yay!) so he started to go but then had a question – you can throw as soon as you see him starting to go to the jump.
>>o really try to get my OWN verbals down pat! It’s so hard and I’m just standing there!>>
Yes! Totally agree that it is hard! People ask em all the time how to get good with verbals and my answer is to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, just like you did here 🙂
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! You have had some crazy weather!!!
>>Would it work equally well to use left and right coming out of the tunnel for these exercises?
Good question! I suppose it would… but I use switch as a compound line cue to indicate that there will be a complete change of direction for both of us (usually heading back the way we came) followed by layering. I guess it indicates super independence on the next line with more detail than left/right would (those don’t indicate more than just a turn).
Kind if like “Go Tunnel” means ‘stay on the line to find the tunnel at the end’, ‘switch’ can name an entire line too.
Here are a couple of videos to look at. One is taken from MaxPup, which is basically tandem turn foundations 🙂 And the 2nd one is putting it into context. Let me know what you think!
Good morning!
It sounds like you and Helen had a great day with the pups!! So fun!!!!! What a great experience for both of them 🙂 Happy dance!
The session went well and gave us good info!
Moving the barrel to an easier location was a smart move because it allowed him to see the jump and your line of motion
He is learning the verbals for sure, and for now he needs the motion to match them so he doesn’t have to choose verbal or motion. What I mean by that is:
He was very successful finding the jump when you were at a distance and on a parallel line (good example of this are at :32 and :38). He was not yet successful when you were moving away from the line, towards the tunnel exit (a good example of this is at :40 where he ends up in the tunnel). But then when you were parallel on the next rep – he nailed the jump cue).In terms of processing as you move and give the verbal – he is definitely prioritizing motion for now (choosing motion over the verbal) as you can see when he kept going to the jump when you cued the tunnel. Slowing down is good!
And also, seeing him prioritize motion is good for two reasons:
– it is a motion-based sport 🙂
– it informs out training decisions 🙂 Ideally, we can pump up the verbals even more so he canSo for the next session, you can try to keep your motion exactly the same (putting a line on the ground to move along so you are not varying depending on the cue) – and slowly move along all the line while giving him the verbals. That can help pump up the verbals even more, which will help when you do the BIG layering (like with a dog walk in the middle of the ring).
Great job here!!! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>Whew! I’m so glad that I don’t have to do boring crate games! LOL Yeah, I like some basic manners in and out of the crate, but beyond that, I don’t really care. >>
Perfect! I have definitely moved into the ‘crate manners’ over crate games in the last few years – both the dogs and I are happier 🙂
>>Casper is so awesome crated at a trial. He’s quiet and relaxes, chews his bone, or sleeps. Doesn’t cry at all.
This is perfect, because as he starts trialing as an adult, he is going to need to relax and sleep between runs as well as sleep if you are gone overnight. Being able to relax already is fabulous!!
>>He reserves the crying for the mornings at home when he wants to get up and I do not.
I can relate – I wanted to stay in bed this morning and a certain 7 month old puppy insisted that it was time to get up (he had to pee LOL!)
>>Or when I pull Dreamer out at training and Casper knows he’s training, then there is also lots of screaming. 😀
Awwww Casper is going to love training the more exciting stuff!
>>I love the resilience games for trials. I don’t think or train well at trials, but I do want to do something with Casper while we are there.
Yay! And honestly, there is not much to do at trials with puppies – exposure to the environment and resilience games. I have found it to be a great way to learn about what the pups need so then when it is time to start competing, the pups have all made a pretty easy transition to the trial ring because they were better prepared.
>>So this will be perfect. Yeah looking at my video, I should have just let him look at The Thing right at the start. It looked like a wrap someone had been wearing around their wrist, so I’m sure it had some weird smells. And yup, third day, really tired puppy. I do want to bring him, though, because if I leave him home with the boring spouse he is so energetic when I get home, and I want to sleeeeeeep. >>
Totally keep bringing him! Good things were happening here even when he was needing to explore weird things. He might not have been as perfect with the game, but he was still learning and he had an incredibly positive experience. You are always so fabulous about setting him up for positive experiences, that has been so awesome to watch over the course of this class.
Tracy
>>>
I agree! By allowing him to feel happy around bar setters, etc – he will have MORE focus in the ring. The dogs that are stressed or uncomfortable are the ones that tend to “visit”.
<<< That sounds so awesome! Yeah, I don’t want him stressed or uncomfortable. And I love that he’s happy and friendly and wants to say hi to people and friendly dogsFound it!
I use this when the starts are relatively simple and I don’t need a complicated lead out. The dog in the video (Hot Sauce) loves it!
Tracy
Hi! Things are going really well!!
On the first video:
The first rep to the tunnel looked great!
On the blind to the jump – he needs to know more specifically which side on that line so the threadle you added at :13 worked great! The sound on the video stopped but you had a threadle arm, so I assume you used the threadle verbal too (it is a threadle because he had to know if it was front of back of the jump)
The blind to the backside and then the tunnel cue on the last 2 reps both looked great!!On the 2nd video – you did a good job getting it flipped!
Here is a theory thing that might help you decide when you need to do a threadle or a backside verbal (or not :))
– on the FC at :11 and the BCs, he lands from the first jump and he can see both sides of the next jump. So he needs specific cues (threadle or backside) to know which side, which is why he dropped the bar on the first rep on that challenge on both videos. The threadle arm helps him get the side next to you (I couldn’t tell if you were using the threadle verbal), and a backside verbal and step gets the other side. A general jump cue is not specific enough, because he has a choice (he did get it with the jump verbal later in the session, but he was patterning by then :))
Now, when he doesn’t have a choice to make about which side, a jump cue works great like at :27 when it was a jump versus tunnel moment with no side change – he nailed it. When you said “back” at :34, back is generally a “forward” cue where the dog moves away from us, which is part of why I think he ended up in the tunnel (the other part of it was that I think the cue was later than the other cues had been). At :48 you just said “jump jump” and it worked well (you said back too, but it was late so he didn’t have a jump to look for to get to a backside).
So he is overall responding really well! Let me know if the ideas about when to use the different jump cues make sense.
Great job!!
TracyHi!
>>I’m starting to think a quieter “jump” with a louder “tunnel” verbal helps her.
Yes! It helps the dogs differentiate because they are getting more info than just a word – they are getting different pitch and value info as well.
On the video:
>>Also I was waaaaayyyyy to pointy.>>
Yes LOL! You would have totally spilled your water 🙂
When you point high and ahead of her, it changes your body language and she has to choose physical or verbal cue, because they don’t match up.For example, at :13, th really high arm turned your shoulders to the backside line of the jump and that is where she went. So she was prioritizing motion over verbals (motion won, she was correct) in this case.
On the next rep at :15, your arm was lower and raised later, so your shoulders supported the tunnel verbal and she got the tunnel. Yay!
So another way to look at it is to think of saying the verbals to her, rather than to the obstacle. That will keep your hands lower and also help turn your shoulders to the line you want.
When you were not looking at her, she had big questions about going to the jump or tunnel. But on the last 2 reps, you had more direct connection and lower arms – she nailed it!
I think telling the verbals directly will her will also help solve the extra-pointy moments LOL!! And you can keep moving on these too, no need to be as stationary when you add the next positions.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracySounds like a great trial weekend! The bar was probably just an anomaly. Fast dogs will sometimes jut drop a bar, no worries. I am glad Audie had a great time too!!
T
Hi!
>>I have a question about start lines & I’d love your opinion on this. Do I need to use a sit? Do you have a verbal like “Wait”? Excellent question! My main goal is that you and Bazinga start as a team and are not stressed or fighting with each other 🙂
The position does NOT have to be a sit, in fact it is fine to let the dog choose the position. For my Contraband, I go to the line, take the leash off, say stay, and he chooses either a sit or a stand, and I lead out. For my others, I cue a sit (it is there preferred position) and say stay (although I think that is more for me than for them haha!).
>>Frankie has some fears (I think she is afraid of big dogs) that we have been working on and they really manifest at the start line. When it gets bad, she shuts down, so I recently stopped putting her in a sit (I gave up on the start line stay all together for a while until she got some confidence back). It really seemed to help to let her stand at the start. I’m not releasing from far away with F (just a few steps) but it is working for her. >>
I think you are making good choices for Frankie! You are recognizing that the situation is really hard and she is worried, so you are setting her up for success! You can also teach her a behind-the-back start where she slingshots behind you at a run – SUPER FUN! I have video of that somewhere if you want to see it.
>>Bazinga is a different personality, but I want to create a routine that works for her. I’m looking for good ideas on how to give her a great start-line experience. Some routine just for her. >>
Think of it as more of a toolbox than a routine. Routines can be too “locked in” which creates stress when things don’t go according to plan or something unexpected happens. But a toolbox can give you all sorts of fun thing you can use.
>I know some people play with their dogs, some people set the dogs up between their legs… just looking for ideas! >>
I suggest playing with all of these, trying different things and teaching her all of these tools… then you and Bazinga will find what fits comfortably as a team and use that. There is no way to know at this stage what will work best, so for now the goal is to make it all super fun 🙂
Some dogs love the play on the way to the start line, some HATE it. Some love to line up between the legs, some hate it LOL! The dogs tell us 🙂 I am running 4 dogs right now: 2 are very serious on the line and don’t want any play or tricks. And 2 do want the tricks to help them focus. The dogs “told” me when I tried different thinks and noted their responses.
>>I’m afraid my hyper-focus on supporting Frankie is making me blind to the possibilities.>>
That is relatable, and it is great that you are thinking about how to support your girlies on the start line!
The decel is going well! She is doing the parallel path extension with no problem 🙂 On the decals, you were moving into position so the decel ws a little late on some (like 1:15) so be stationary in position when you release for now, so she can really get her collection going.
It was fun to see the get out game! We build this up in MaxPup 2 so it is good to refresh it. She was a very good girl!! On the ‘break’ reps where you didn’t cue the get out, she kinda thought about going to the prop on the first one but was pretty darned perfect on the rest. She started watching you more towards the end on the get out, because the she could see the cookie throws. You can throw sooner on the get out reps (mark with a get it or find it and throw before she arrives at the prop, so she looks at you less :))
Great job here!!!
TracyHi! Mother Nature is being a pain!!
We have til March 14th, unless the weather goes wild then we can always extend it 🙂
Thanks for joining the chat today!!
T
Hi!
>>My timing has gotten worse, so is my handling. Ughhhh
Disagree!!! I think there are 2 small details otherwise it looked really good!!
On the first game – keep moving more for now ,slowly facing the direction you want her to go. You were stopping with rotated feet and the rotation when you stopped was confusing her (a little zig zag at :12 and the jump instead of the tunnel at :23) The verbals are not quite overriding rotation yet, but that is fine for now – she was great when you didn’t turn your feet.
On the 2nd part – the first 2 reps looked great, just remember to use your verbals when doing the blind too, don’t go silent 🙂
She didn’t get the first threadle at 1:00 – she didn’t know she was turning on the first jump til way late. You were earlier at 1:07 but being too early will tart to confuse her about whether or not the threadle is on that first jump or on the 2nd jump. So you can put a turn cue on the first jump – when she exits the wing wrap, you can cue the next jump with a collection cue or a name call to get her to start turning, then add the threadle. The timing at 1:00 would have been fine is she knew she was turning on that first jump.
The tunnel to jump threadle was great at the end!!
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! This looked really good and I see what you mean about not being able to get between. the obstacles – he has a huge stride!!!
You can release sooner on these for sure to add the motion he would be seeing if you started from the wing. Also, use position cues to help him out: if you want the jump, lead out or run to within an arm’s length of it (and nowhere near the tunnel :)) On the jump cues here, you were standing right next to the tunnel which makes showing the line to the jump a little harder (and draws his focus to the tunnel). Since you are ahead of him, you don’t need to give him any extra room because you are moving and won’t be in his way at all – that will give him a better visual to find the jump.
Great job!!
Tracy
