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Hi!
The order of festivities is important!
>>f I bring him in the yard on leash and work my on leash engagement games, these are good. The second I let him off leash, he will run to the pool and slip through the fence. He WILL NOT swim without me. Although he does just enjoy obsessing over the pool.>>
Two leashes š That way you can condition the engagement when the leash comes off… while preventing him from leaving to seek reinforcement in the environment. And a zillion reps of off leash offered engagement in other places so it rally becomes like a reflex.
>>This sequence of events tends to really frustrate me.
Completely relatable! It would drive ne insane. And the answer to something that drives me insane is to control the environment more while I train what I want. In this case – 2 leashes will do it. Then eventually you won’t need them.
>>If I bring him in and work engagement and then go to the pool or just start directly with a swim, I have a much more attentive dog.>>
The problem is, as you have seen – if you don’t do that, you don’t have an attentive dog. And he rehearses leaving for the pool. Plus it takes out the opportunity to use the pool as reinforcement. So you are in a bit of a deficit with it because of the pool coming before the work, but it is such a great opportunity to work through a really challenging distraction while also using a great reinforcement!
>>How should I shape this better because itās obviously is our kryptonite.
Control the environment more and get work before pool, so the pool is both the distraction and reinforcement (and only reinforcement sometimes, so you are not relying on the pool as reward).
>>That being said, I can get him to work without the first swim, he may end up in the pool area but no swim.
Leaving to obsess on the pool and swimming in the pool or basically the same behavior š
>>It does just seem like more of a fight and I donāt like to get frustrated because then Iām a crap trainer >>
You are not a crap trainer at all! I think it will be a hard switcheroo because of the reinforcement history, but it will be your crowning achievement in training!!! Being able to use the pool as a distraction/reinforcement and NOT a starting point will make a significant difference in your training š
T
Good morning!
I thought she was GREAT yesterday!!!! She showed us a WHOLE LOT OF STUFF š
>> I will say that this is the worst I ever seen it.
Yes – and it was mainly about her avoiding being grabbed/picked up. So that is something to condition to a happy place separately from agility: reach for her (you don’t even need to touch her at first) then toss a cookie to her then walk away. Eventually you will condition her to LOVE being reached for and picked up. But for now she thinks it is gross, so don’t o it in the agility ring. Outside the ring as a way of bringing her into the ring? That might perhaps work as the last step before entering, because you can 100% of the time pair it with a cookie.
The other thing is value of reinforcement, relative to the environment. The dry stinky treats were good… but couldn’t really compete with the environment. Changing to wet stinky treats REALLY made a difference, so bring lots of gross wet stinky treats to new training environments.
>>I thought would ask your thoughts on the best ways to build offered engagement in other environments.>>
Off leash offered engagement is going to really help: if the environment is potentially dangerous if she takes off, use two leashes and use take one off. We can play this game to condition the engagement when the leash comes off so it is a reflex for her to engage and not something she even has to think about. Take her to lots of different places and practice that š And take out reaching for her in training, she really thinks it is icky – when you need to gather her up to talk to the instructor, either put her back on leash or have her stand on a cot or bed or something so she isn’t wandering around but also is not being reached for.
See you on Monday š
TracyI think you can see that once she starts doing agility ā which she loves ā her resilience is much hir
Good morning!
>>One discussion I started with Carrie and feel like I should bring here is whether taking him right out of the car snd expecting him to work right away is too much? >>
Going for the car directly into work is only for the instant focus game – so it is definitely not too much to ask for a simple foot target right as he steps out of the car š Going from the car into agility training? Yes, too much! But that is not the instant focus game š
>>He swam for a minute or two before being brought into work. >>
Before the permission to swimā¦ what game is he playing so the swimming is used as both a kryptonite-level distraction and high value reinforcement? I think if he comes in and gets free shimmies then you might be making it harder for him to learn to ignore the big kryptonite. And since swimming is such a high value thing for him, I donāt want to pair it into the agility (especially before the agility) because then it makes it a lot harder for the agility to be valuable. So, either it is something-to-be-ignored, or it is a reward for engagement and agility.
>> We are in Carrieās yard- which for whatever reason is our hardest training place.
That might be related to the swimming kryptonite š So the agility section of the yard is PERFECT for the instant focus game, if he can do it in the simpler places like when he steps out of the car.
On the remote reinforcement section – you can break it down a bit more – I think he had a little too much failure in terms of stays, which line to take on the jumps, etc. Have the leash/toy in a spot that is not on the exit line of the jumps or exit of the RDW. Instead, place it somewhere that you can do a little bit of a sequence then run over to it rather than it being right there when he lands or exits the RDW. That will help him transfer the concept to the trial ring. And if you notice one failure (like a wide turn to the DW, or broken stay) – dal back the challenge so the failure doesnāt get repeated. That will also help you ping pong the duration and amount of behavior you ask for, rather than a lot of full sequences remember to mix in getting on little thing before the reinforcement.
And at 2:35, Carrie is correct – donāt mark the error because we want to just restart the game and carry on when that happens. I think he is breaking the stay when you lead out without connection then re-connect, that happened a couple of times here. He might have paired the reconnection with the release if that is what normally happens.
So keep going with the remote reinforcement games, and add in the NFC/FOE rehearsal of the empty hands but a toy or treats hidden on you as well for FEO runs at trials.
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! Great job on these!!
For the instant focus games – she really likes this prop, so do maybe one more shaping session like you did here so it is 10000% magnetic to her… then take it on the road for the next step.
Offered engagement with the ball looked superā¦ now make it more kryponitey by having the ball be more active before you take that leash off (you did that later in the video :))
She did grab the ball once, but I think she was reading an environmental cue: At 1:27 you walked her right to it, so she and I both thought it was time to get it LOL!! So if she is not supposed to get it, walk her past it further away, even if only a foot or two away from it.
The line up looked fabulous and we got a bit more arousal (barking!) but she was still perfect. Yay!
Krpytonite and remote reinforcement – she did well here! On the line ups, release her to you sometimes as well so she doesnāt pattern herself into releasing to the ball hahaha š I donāt think it will be an issue because she loves agility SO MUCH but I donāt want to be surprised if we overlook it š
She was such a perfect girlie here that you can now seek out crazier environments such as agility rings, watching other dogs work or swim or chase balls/frisbees. Simply holding the ball during the line up was harder, because you holding the ball (especially after throwing it a few times) predicts running forward to a thrown ball – so she had a little line up error there where she didnāt stay. She got it right on the next rep, so you can use a ball or frisbee in hand to simulate that arousal level: throw it a few times so she is in full-on GO GO GO modeā¦ then ask for a line up š That might simulate her on the start line, looking at a jump-tunnel or jump-dog walk start š
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>> Itās a little like the Remote Reinforcement set up,
Yes, because the cookies are available at some point but not already in your hands or pockets.
>>and Iām thinking I should be doing this on leash at this time (so she doesnāt completely wander into the environment):>>
Yes, plus it will be helpful because the leash will be involved at a trial.
I>>ām at my Reward Station. I give one last cookie then set down the dish, and without waiting for engagement I cue a spin as I start to walk away from the reinforcement. When she re-engages I cue a second spin and either reward from pocket or go back to the reward station and restart.
Yes – perfect! And donāt be dismayed if the spins are slower at first or she thinks you are nuts LOL
>>Over time ping pong the number of cued spins (while walking away from reinforcement) before going for primary reinforcement. And stick with the spins rather than trying different tricks because this is supposed to be a pattern.>>
Yes – assuming that spins are her most favorite trick/moving activity. And if the spins are not? We can find something else. It is a hard game but worthwhile to sort out.
>>Alternate Cookie Free Pattern Game: step away and offer my hand for a sllooowww chin scratch. But if this is used to get to the line then it would need to be followed by volume dial to bring her UP before running. (this is partly why I was playing with quick chin scratches to be more arousing not calming in a go to the line context)>>
Yes – I have met very few dogs that find the touching to be strong enough to be part of the cookie free pattern game (a couple of Goldens over the years and more recently, the whippets/whippet mixes). So Zippie might like it, or not š We are in the experimental phase now, so I am a big fan of try-it-and-see, because there are still cookies in the picture at the reward station.
>>I may be over emphasizing the āwhile going to the lineā aspect because we may decide that I carry her to the line and set her down in position. But I still need cookie free pattern games in my toolbox.>>
Agreed! And the more games she can learn without cookies, the easier all of the games will be š
āØ>>Zippieās most powerful Kryptonite, that can pull her completely out of whatever she was doing, is a single cookie left on the floor that she catches a whiff of mid-run. >>
Poor starving Basenji hahahahaha
>>She will do a 180 midair to go back and find what she just smelled, and will be working really hard to find it, high energy sorting the scent puzzle until she gets it. By contrast she can run with me while there is an open dish of food in a chair that we placed there as her remote reinforcement, no problem. Itās the *discovery whiff* of a crumb midcourse that is kryptonite.>>>
So it is the surprise pool of odor more than anything else. I see this a lot in dirt barns in particular – I just spent 3 days in one and a lot of dogs had the same struggle.
You can put some crumbs on the ground before she enters the environment (not a reward station, just a distraction) and start some pattern games on leash for when she approaches the pool of odor š
The fact that she can ignore the reward station bodes well for this – as soon as she understands the reinforcement value of ignoring the distracting odor, she will have an easier time of it.
āØ>>#2 ā 4 is People she likes; an open, low energy room; poorly timed cues>>Good ones š And easy enough to add to the games. People she likes can be tackled with the pattern games or remote reinforcement and even offered engagement when the leash comes off. Same with low energy room. Poor timed cues are harder because there is less control of the – you are already doing Find MY Face and in a training session, the best thing is to pretend that the poorly timed cue or handling error was intentional, the best thing ever, and either reward right away or keep running to the next line š
āØ>>1) chasing tossed food
Using this as a reinforcement is great but also challenging because she then has to ignore the crumbs or scents left over. Working the pattern games a whole lot will help, because there is a lot of āignore the crumbs and smellsā built in. And in environments where the smells are big struggles, reward from your hands exclusively for now so you donāt add in more challenges before she has mastered existing challenges.
āØ>>2) Lefts and Rights (except when sheās not ready, then these are slow)āØ3) āPopā up on back legs (except when sheās not ready, then she might give just a weight shift which I do reward anyway)āØ4) āhey ladyā tricks she initiates to get my attention, like tugging on her leash or moving into āfind heelā>>
Perfect! You can use these for volume dial game in the face of the kryptonites š
So the next kryptonite step is to chose her favorite game and a low level easily controlled kryptonite – then present the kryptonite and start the game. Have fun! Let me know how it goes!
TracyGood morning!
>> The video is a series of short clips from this past Wednesdayā¦..first clip is about 5 minutes after he went in the crate for the first time, last clip is about an hour later.>>
Ah, I love how he looks so much more relaxed as time went on! The panting at the beginning really dissipated into a much more relaxed dog – which will carry over into the ring too. Super!!!!
>>I have a ānew planā for next week. During this time of year AK9C leaves the doors to the arena open with a baby gate in front so dogs canāt get out. Thereās a door in the corner of the arena not very far at all from where we are crated. Assuming itās not raining, Iām going to set his crate up just outside the door. A step between crating upstairs (where he really is quite comfortable now) and ringside. We also get to sort of simulate the whole stand outside the gate, come through the gate when itās our turn, vs. come out of your crate and go to the line (which is a LOT harder for him). Iām thinking this is a good interim step for us in class. And if it is raining, weāll crate inside and continue with what we did this week. Thoughts?>>
I think it is a great idea! And maybe a classmate can video that transition from the crate to the ring, reality-TV style? LOL!!! I mean, you think it i sa great plan, I think it is a great planā¦ but Sly gets a say in it too so the video will tell us what he thinks š
>>Weāre also doing lots and lots of leash on, leash off and quick sits and quick releases, mixing in remote rewards and having fun weaving between my legsā¦.just not a lot of video. But weāre here!!!
Yay! It is hard to get a to of video because so much of this is designed to get a conditioned response, which means it happens zillions on times in short bursts, rather than in a specific training session. If you get a change to look at the NFC step 2, that is a good thing to rehearse for him too because ti can also help with the start line with early fun reinforcements š
>>And thanks for the comment on the run I posted on Facebook from last week š It really is fun when all the pieces start to come together š Heās such a fun little dog. Have a great weekend.>>
My pleasure – he looked AMAZING!!!! The future is so bright!!! Enjoy your weekend š
TracyGood morning! Lots of lovely work here!!!
The 2 barn videos are looking really strong.
>>I didnāt feel like it was a dog and pony show to keep her with me. >>
YES!!! I no longer feel like you need to stage an entire Broadway musical extravaganza to keep her engagement LOL!! I think she has shifted to offering it more and definitely recovering from the little bloopers very quickly.
Barn 1 – she is getting the idea of he pattern games for sure!
Great action tricks, lovely focus on the handling and super ignoring the videographer on the way back to the weaves š And great toy play too.Barn 2 – pattern, tricks, off leash engagement – it is all started to look reflexive and that is terrific.
The handling was a little unclear at the beginning and plus dropping the toy down next to her and then taking off might have been an unclear start – in those moments, you can reset the whole game: after gathering her up, she can go back on leash, restart with patterns, and smooth out the transition off the line into the handling so that you can get rid of the unwanted behaviors.
Barn work is ready for more NFC-style challenges like super simple short sequences with remote reinforcement and also empty hands with toy (or cookies) in your pocket.
NFC rehearsals video – this is great because it really helps form the toolbox.
Good job with working outside the ring to get the engagement!
>>did 3 reps of this should I reward during session some from chair and some from hidden or just hidden?>>
Both! The empty hands/hidden toy is the middle ground, where she sees ānothingā but still gets reinforcement in the ring. So yes, keep rehearsing this because I think she did really well (and it was definitely hard!). And the nothing in hands, nothing in pockets, reward outside the ring is the end stage – so rehearse this too š You were rewarding in the ring then running to the reward station which is fine, and you can add in having nothing in hands or pockets and using your marker to only reward from the reward station chair. (And of course in handling and skills training, you can totally run with āstuffā in your hands too so life is not ONLY about NFC and remote reinforcement :))
The first rep of āempty handsā looked great – short, sweet, fast, focused.
She had more trouble coming in with empty hands at 3:32 – then she was fine because the toy was in play and it was not hard. The difficulty of coming in with empty hands was interesting and gives us some good info – you can try different engagement tricks (or a bark on cue :)) as you move to the line, or just get to the line as fast as possible and get the leash off to see what she offers (more on that below). Then be sure to be connected on the start releases.
Compare the start at 3:30ish to the start at 6:20 where you were heading to the jump after a reinforcement: both of you were nice and relaxed, off leash, nothing in handsā¦.and she was engaged!!!! Something to consider is more of the āall businessā start where you are getting her into the right state outside the ring but then moving directly to the start line and getting the leash off to let her offer the engagement at the start. We will be discussing this in the next games package, but it was interesting to see her do that here.
Empty hands at the end looked good too š She is doing a great job – I think you can do little bits of empty hands in different locations like this one with distractions, and just a little in the barn (because the barn has so many distractions).
I think she liked the line up games and was able to stay engaged as someone came in. These line up games have an element of āall businessā: you lined her up and walked away and she was perfection even when someone started talking to you. YESSSS LANNA!!! She was really great with all of the things happening behind her and it was very trial-like š So as you experiment with different start line tools, play around with more of the getting right into the position and you leaving, without too many things happening between the ring gate and the start line – run in, take the leash off, let her offer engagement, then line her up and lead out. Try it with the empty hands too and see how she does (bearing in mind that the pattern games, volume dial, etc are still being done outside the ring).
On the last video – yes, this is a good game for her as her highest distractions happen – people and dogs moving around! Pattern games with food and toys while she offers engagement are great, because it allows her to happily ignore those massive distractions without an internal conflict or concerns.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
This is looking really good!! The concept transferred nicely! It is a good game for indoors because it sounds like your weather is just not cooperating.
Remember that you can reward approximations of the correct behavior – if she changes her lead towards the jump you can reward her even if she doesnāt quite get all the way to the jump. This will help you move straight along the line so the upper body cues are making the difference, not your line of motion. The most important thing is to keep the footwork/line of motion basically the same for both cues, and the verbal/upper body cue the line. When she was not going all the way to to the jump, you were changing your footwork and stepping in to the jump. Rewarding approximations will help, because you did get her to change the lead a bit and move towards the jump on some of the reps where your line of motion/footwork was correct (yay!) and then after rewarding the approximation, she will start looking more for the jump.
And on the opposite behavior of going straight:
Delay the tug it cue for longer – it was coming before she really made a decision about where to be, so now you can move along the line and wait to see what she does: if she follows you line for a couple of strides, you can cue the tug it.Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! This is looking really good too! Yay!
The baby level looked great as you said – and yes, the advanced level was harder at first but then you sorted out the handling and she sorted out the game š So for the baby level – go back to 2 or 3 jumps, but move them closer together so she has to make the lead changes after š Your goal is to get the wings to be 5 feet apart then 4 feet apart. Then when she can be super quick with that… onwards to moving all the wings of the advanced level closer together to get them to be 4 feet apart for super quick lead changes. That will not happen in one session, you will probably take 2 or 3 sessions to eventually get them really close like that – so you can move the wings in closer a couple of inches at a time.
Great job on all of these!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
Yes, the beginning of these verbals are all based on position, so we can get the behavior and name the behavior like you did here (then we fade the handling out).
The first couple of reps where good then the verbals were backwards for a couple of reps, then back to correct – so remember to do a mental check of the verbals before sending her into the little Minny Pinny š
She needed a bit of help getting the turn aways started (you gave a little hand cue) and that really helped, so keep giving her that little hand cue. I am not sure if the hand cue was needed because she needed the help turning, or if she needed āpermissionā to move out of the stay. Either way – you were great about saying the verbal and THEN giving her the hand cue help, so keep doing that.
She seems to be a lefty, those turns looked easier for her. So for the right turns, keep things easy for now – but on the left turns, you can move a little more towards the center where all the wings meet š
Great job!
TracyHi! Yay for good weather but booooo for the cold!!!!!
She did look great here š Super!!! How far apart were the 2 jumps? I think her perfect sweet spot with the bar and the toy dragging might end up being with the 2 jumps 6 inches closer (for now :)) as that can help her push off her hind end as the bar gets higher. So when you get back to this, try them 6 inches closer and see how it goes. Great job!
TracyGood morning!
Omg I canāt believe that you are also having that terrible weather!!!! Spring seems to be arriving late this year. Sigh.
>>I totally forgot to pay attention to keeping my feet going straight ahead for the Go Outs, so weāll have to do this one again, but here are our first attempts.>>
Yes, you had some really good reps where your feet were moving straight up the line and some reps where you stepped in towards the jump.
On the reps where your feet were moving up the line and not towards the jumps, you can reward the approximation of the correct behavior. At :12, :40, :46, :59, your line was strong and he did lead change away but did not quite take the jump. You can totally reward that lead change with the thrown toy (thrown towards the jump :)) and then he will start to look for the jump more. On the reps where he did take the jump, you were stepping in towards it – that helped him see the jump, so to smooth out your line, you can be closer to the jump and rewarding approximations, without stepping in towards it.I like the OUT verbal for him – it is very distinct and definitely different than āget itā.
All of the balance reps where perfect and that is FABULOUS because there is ānothingā out there in terms of obstacles on those – but he still followed the cued lines and ignored the jump. SUPER!!!
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Lots of great stuff on this video – examples of great connection and impulse control on the toy, and also examples of disconnection and how that changes the info for her. Overall – really nice session! I LOVE her speed and she is also a great turning dog!!!!!!!
>>Iām really wrestling with connection when Iām carrying the toy in my opposite hand. She always goes to the toy hand regardless of my āconnectionā side.>>
Yes! Big hooray for the toy drive! Now we can put a little more control on it š But there were 2 things happening here that caused her to end up going for the toy when you didnāt want it:
Yes, she loves the toy š But she only went for it when connection broke, and when connection broke the toy hand becomes the most prominent info.So looking at the video: The opening was really strong and you had gorgeous, strong eye contact with the arm pointing back to her especially on that first sequence starting at 1:04 with the FCs, all the way til 1:18. At 1:18, she was behind you and point looked forward and pointed forward, which broke connection so she went to the toy side.
Then comparing some of the other moments when she grabbed the toy versus when she was perfect on the sequence:
On the race track at 1:41, she was behind you and you pointed forward, so she went to your other side and grabbed the toy. Compare that to 3:18, where you help your connection longer on a race track line, didnāt point ahead, and she was perfection even with the toy in your hand.
She ended up on the toy side on a couple of the tunnel exits, like at 2:52 and 3:09 and 4:05 – you had connection as her head exited the tunnel and then while she was still behind you, you turned and pointed forward. That moment of turning a bit forward looks like a blind cross to the dog, and the info changes – so she goes to the other side and says āoh, here is my toyā š
Compare that to 3:44 where you got great connection to her eyes as she exited the tunnel, and maintained that great connection til she was part you. She didnāt not grab the toy there and stayed on her line.You can see those little moments of disconnection/pointing forward at 1:53, 3:48, 3:57 too – when she is behind you and point ahead of her, the info changes so loses the line.
But on all of the reps where she went where you wanted her to go? Fabulous connection back to her as she was behind you, and you maintained it til she was past you.Admittedly, it is subtle – watch the video in slow motion and watch your headā¦ when your head turns to look forward: Boom! That is when we get the errors.
The other thing happening is that we can definitely increase the whole āignore the toy til I say the wordā thing š I use a specific marker which means that the toy in my hand is available for grabbing (ābite!ā) and it helps the dogs understand to ignore it (even if I disconnect :)) til I say ābiteā. I did hear you ay āget it sometimes – if get it is specific to the toy in your hand, say it every time she is allowed to get it. If get it is more general, meaning you also use it for thrown toys, then you can add another marker that is specific to the toy in your hand. That can be really clarifying for the dogs, because it helps them maintain this great toy drive while also knowing when to grab the toy and when to ignore it.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning! I am glad you are feeling better – this covid thing is NO JOKE.
>>Plus I hate serpsš
Ha! I like serps because I donāt have to rotate, so maybe you will like them too for that reason?
>>Before I try again- am I on the right track? Iām so old school with my arms and training those.>>
You are doing it right, nothing weird with your body LOL!!! And she is doing really well. Serps are hard for the dogs – so you can angle the serp jump a bit to make it easier: leave the wing where it is, and leave the MM where it is. Your running line will be the same as it was here (or, walking line for now haha) – but take the wing of the jump that is closer to the MM and angle it towards the camera so that when she exits the wing wrap, she sees more of the jump bar. Make it as easy as she needs it to be, so she can be correct, then you can gradually angle the jump back to the position it is here.
Her barking is fine, because she might be a dog that barks while running. These games will teach her how to bark AND listen, which is a great skill š
So keep doing what you did here, with the jump more angled to start so she sees the bar more. One other suggestion for the next session: Take the directional verbal off for now til you are sure she will come in (because then it becomes a left for the jump, the right is only for the wing). For now, you can call her name after the wing and then when she is very happy with her serps, you can go back to the lefts and rights.
Great job!! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
I agree – puppies are hard!!! And they are great about telling us what we donāt know and what we need to learn LOL!!! She is doing really well, I am thrilled to hear about the big win with the engagement when the other dogs came in!!!! YAY!!!!
Her tugging looked really strong here and I liked the action of feeding on the run after the hand touch. It is a bit sweaty to do this for now, lots of energy – but in terms of the session being ācleanā (without unwanted behaviors), you are nailing it!! And by doing the hand touch-run-reward, you are turning all of her engagement to youā¦ and that is terrific!! You can see it in the tradition from tug to cookies, like at :54 for exampleā¦ you had an actual couple of seconds of offered engagement while you got ready, she didnāt take off for distractions š
She was not slow on the wing behavior, she did really well – you can add in a little more distance away from it, a step or two, so you can send her more. That will get more momentum to and from the wing in this game. She will also continue to get faster and faster when she spends less energy ignoring the environment.Thatāll come as she gets more experienced in new places, and one of these days youāll get good weather to be able to train outside š
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
