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Good morning!
The find my face and the wraps on wings all went really well. And he was able to do lots of wrapping different wings and mini sequences too! Super!!! As the little sequences get more complex, be sure to make big connection back to him as you finish a cross. His only questions were when he couldn’t see the connection (like at 4:47 the he ended up on the wrong side of you). On some of the other reps, he was watching you instead of blasting to the next wing because he couldn’t quite see the connection.
>We also had the distraction in the corner of the ring.>
Yes, that was some interesting stuff right there and it was also 7 minutes into the session so he was probably tired also. But he worked through it and finished strong. Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
Looking at the RDW mat work from the perspective of him not loving it on the plank yet:
The first video with the mat on the lower platform looks good – he was having a great time! When you added more speed, he had a few leap moments so you dialed back the speed a little which was the right thing to do. Overall, though, it looks like he thought it was super fun and that is what we want!
And yes, he might have a slight side preference. That would influence his lead leg which would make it harder or easier, depending on which side you were on. But that will even out with practice – he is off to a strong start.
The cone before the mat was probably a new enough concept that there was too much speed so he didn’t quite have his foot work. The cone after the mat went well! You can have the reward on the ground after the cone to keep him from looking at you as he is exiting the mat.
And you can create a cone-mat-cone sequence where he does he cone, goes over the mat, then goes to the next cone for the reward. Start that with you walking because it might be very challenging at first!But on this video also, he was a very happy pup to do the mat work. When he is on the plank and not as happy: what is the setup? Do you have a video? He is ready to work the plank with this but I want to see if we can figure out how to get him as drivey for it as he is here in these videos.
Plankrobatics also going really well. He is turning into a really brave teeter dog, to make the big leap onto the moving board like that! And now the board has more sound and more ‘whip’ (especially heading to the low end) and he seems perfectly fine with it. Happy dance!!! I remember when he didn’t like that, so it is a huge improvement in a short time.
Since he was also able to run the board independently here, you can add two things:
– the first one is to leave him in a stay on one end of the board as you get to the other end of the board, then release him to drive to the end. I think that will be easy. The reward should be on the target like it is here.
– when he is happy with that, you can leave him in a stay on one end of the board. You will lead out maybe halfway up the length of the board, then release him to run to the target. You will keep moving forward, though, past the target – just walking slowly for now so he doesn’t leap off. He should remain at the end of the board even after he has eaten his treats 🙂 This begins to teach the super independence of him riding the board down to the ground while you sprint past it 🙂On the tunnel game video: this session went really ell, especially because it introduces 2 new concepts: going past the tunnel (HARD!) and finding the tunnel entry from the backside of it (he said that was easy, good boy!)
He is an expert on the wing-to-tunnel part of the game 🙂 All of those sections looked awesome!
>In the beginning, I had my arm across my body with the toy and he was coming to the toy but then cut behind me to take the tunnel so either it looked like I wanted him to take the tunnel or he just saw it and went to it.>
Going past the tunnel was HARD for sure! I am pretty sure he didn’t see the wing on the other side of it and the concept of NOT taking the tunnel that is *right there* probably made him think extra hard and you had to be extra perfect at first.
At :33 you were connected really well but he got ahead of you, so the tunnel was the only obvious option. Good boy!
At :43, you adjusted to be further ahead and definitely had better position but looked forward right as you were passing the tunnel so he thought it was a blind to the tunnel. It was a TINY movement on your part but the concept of passing the tunnel was really new to him so I bet he was thinking something along the lines of “I’d better pay attention because she is definitely going to cue the tunnel!”You locked it in after that and he was starting to figure it out beautifully: the reps at 1:05 and 1:58 and 3:49, and 2:42 on the other side were really good – you were ahead and SUPER connected so he got it. Big lightbulb moment for Brioche!
Finding the tunnel entrance from the backside went really well – he made it look easy. It is actually a really hard collection and bend for most dogs… but not for Brioche. YAY!
>One time when I said go, he ran straight and grabbed a leaf. Sigh.>
That was at 4:22 – you had really good connection even without the exaggerated opposite arm. And the leaf grabbing moment was just a puppy thing: you were saying go and facing straight… so his teenage brain probably thought you were cueing the leaf 😂 😝 He got the line of obstacles really well on the next reps!!
>On the final rep of combining it all, he cut between the wing and the tunnel but I just let it go. He was getting tired by then.>
Yes, it was probably a combination of brain-tired and maybe a tiny bit of you turning your shoulders a bit early. No worries, he really did a great job on a challenging setup!
Great job here! Safe travels and have fun at the trial, grabbing lots of points!!!!
Tracy
Wow, that is really impressive about your marathon running!!! I admire both the athleticism AND the mental focus needed to run marathons. Really amazing!!!!!!!!!!
And good for you for using T2B and FAST runs to train. It sounds like it has helped both the girls a lot 🙂
T
Hi!
I forgot how much energy conformation takes for the dogs. We had a show Friday through Sunday and she was in the ring 6 times.>
I believe it! Even though the dogs are not sprinting around, there is still a lot of activity and long days, plus travel. I bet dogs and humans were tired 🙂
Sounds like you both had a super time at the seminar! Jen has a lot of fun things for puppies 🙂 And I am really glad that you were able to put pieces together and use the resilience games. This is great!
>We did some jump ladder work and it was interesting that she drove to a food bowl much better than the treat n train.>
I am guessing that she has a long history of great things happening from food bowls 😂 and a lot of dogs really don’t love the treat n train. We can totally use a food bowl as the love for the TnT continues to build up.
Looking at the video:
I totally agree, she is driving to the tunnel really well!
Using a bit of deceleration a you cue the wing wrap helps her set up the turns – without a change in motion, she slipped a bit at :04. But compare to :43 where you decelerated a bit and she collects really well!
It looks like the left turns were her harder side – you needed to exaggerate the connection a lot of support that line as the wing got further away. At :48 & :58, the connection was probably about the same as it was on the other side, but she needed a little more support. You adjusted and on the last rep, gave her a BIG connection and got a little closer: perfect!
You can keep moving the wings away to add more speed, and practice deceleration transitions into the turns.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
> I say right right right and do front cross. Am I moving to my left as I face the wings? >
I figured a picture would make more sense, hopefully. Let me know if this makes sense:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Yo7Mcevbb6jxVgNnLIUOC3UR8VUaVreaLc_1V-dGPkQ/edit?usp=sharing
Tracy
Hi!
Looks like he had a growth spurt in the last couple of weeks!
He was working through the threadles well 0 you can move his start position to show him that threadles require coming around the wing. That means he will be on the same side of the jump as the manners minder. Your position will be on at the wing (with your arm and have of your torso visible outside the edge of the wing) on the takeoff side of the jump. That way he has to go around the wing to get to you, then back out over the bar to get to the reward. That adds more challenge for sure!
The serps went really well! Your position was clear and he seemed to have no questions. You can be a little closer to the jumping the MM can be closer to, so he can turn a little tighter on the jump.
>You will see he is very focused on checking out new smells, so is not as focused as he normally is>
Yes, but I figure the little guy is probably working through the stress of it all: first the momma was gone for a while (unless he went to Switzerland too 😂) then the big drive to Colorado… it can take a couple of weeks for an adolescent dog to really settle in after all that. In the meantime, you can get him playing more – tugging, chasing balls, etc – and using the toys/balls in the training. That will help him tune out all the new Colorado smells 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Hi! He did really well here!
>I see all the failure as my inability to connect properly. >
Yes, at :08 and :59 all he could see was your back so he was following you rather than guessing an obstacle. He was not looking at the toy, even if he ended up there. Compare that to the reps where he took the jump – very clear connection. Super!
Nice progression building it up into the layering. He was able to stay on a parallel line really well even when you were on the other side of the tunnel. He had one miss of the jump and one little question – both when your hand was a little high. When you were more connected, even from far away, he had no questions.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
This second video gives us a good angle on the line of motion and how it changes his line to the wing:
On rep 1 (:05) watch your feet: they were going to the wing, so he went to the normal wrap side of the wing.Compare that to rep 2 at :17 where your feet were pointing to the back fence, on a line clearly parallel to his desired line. That pulls him in to the threadle side. PERFECT!
You can see that again at :54 and 2:09. Yay! A little more decel there before moving forward again will help him complete the wrap – you had a little of the decel on that last rep and he nailed it. You won’t always need it but it helps in these early learning stages.
The circle wrap to the other side of the wing looked great too!
Lovely work!
TracyHi!
He is doing really well with the threadle wraps here! The part of the session with the food looked good! I am glad you picked up the toy – he seemed to be looking for it because it was more fun than treats 🙂
When you added the toy, he had some trouble finding the correct side of the wing. I think the release was coming at the same time as the hands were moving into position, so he was locked onto the other side of the wing. You can clarify it for him by showing him your hands in position for a c couple of seconds… then releasing him. Then reward him for coming to your hands. You can also turn slightly away from the wing (pulling your shoulders, feet, and hands away from the wing) to show him more of the line you want him to take. And do that before the release, so he sees if before he moves.
The circle wraps at the end went really well! You can add the tunnel before those to see if he can get it with more speed 🙂
Nice work here!
Tracy
Hi!
>chasing a chipmunk in the barn.>
OMG!! I know there are critters there but I have never actually seen one inside that barn! I am glad he got back to work.
He definitely found a new gear of speed on the sequence!
>Also, when I blind cross for Benni, I tell him to jump and then say his name. So I need to establish something like that for Brioche. But also, my connection wasn’t great.>
You can use the same jump-name cues, or any of his directionals (left, right, etc).
But the main thing will be timing and connection. For the timing: the blind cross jump here was jump 3. That means the blind starts as he is jumping jump 2! You were starting the BC at takeoff of 3 here, so it was a little late.You can start it at landing of 2 for now but when he is full height and going even faster, it will be before landing. To get it done on a sequence like this, sending him to 1 from further away will help get you up past the 3 jump sooner.
And yes, about the connection: as you finish the BC (and the FC later on the sequence) be sure to look back at him. Catch him with your eyes, not your hand, and that will set up nice turns! At :19 on the 2nd video and then :33, you showed much better connection and he nailed it! The connection at :33 was super!If he goes wide, assume it was your connection or timing (or both :)) and reward rather than stop. We don’t want him to think it is his fault 🙂
>It’s only our second group lesson with bigger spacing and course work so I am not expecting either of us to be perfect. I know it will get better. I am unsure of his commitment so I think that is part of why I am late with my cues.
>I honestly think it is pretty fantastic work for a young dog that is new to working in a barn, in a much bigger ring (with contacts over the tunnels) and you are adjusting to his speed and timing needs. There is a LOT to be happy about here!!!!!
Tracy
Welcome back! I hope you had a fabulous trip! The Colorado scenery looks amazing!
The runs here went great – he is happy to be back doing agility! The FCs to go back to the tunnel were really clear but then the connection to get him to go *past* the tunnel was SUPER clear. No questions from Copper! He never seemed to consider going into the tunnel when you didn’t want him to. Yay! You can move to the next games.
Well done!
Tracy
Hi!
Very cool that you got to work in the training facility! He did great even with all the different distractions!
For the lap turns: I gotta say that I am super impressed with how beautifully you are moving with fairly recent knee surgery! Well done to you for all the PT and strengthening – you were quick and nimble and I am loving how quickly you were able to get into position facing him for the lap turns! Wow!
The whole session went well – he was fast and stimulated but still paid fabulous attention to the cues. Your timing was spot on. My only suggestion is to call him sooner so he turns a little tighter on the tunnel exit. You can start calling him just before he enters the tunnel. The lap turns all went well. The tandem turn later in the video went better because your arm was lower. When your arm was higher early in the session, it was a little harder for him to respond to.
He did really well with the zig zags too! He was sitting so solidly that his head being up made getting into the first jump a little harder – if he was looking at you, he ticked the bar. No worries, he will work that out as we show him more of this.
Since this went so well, you can add challenge. The 2 things to do to up the challenge are:
– move the MM further away so he can power out of the setup… but he still has to stay balanced when jumping. That is a good young dog challenge!
– flatten the angle of the jumps so he has a bit more side-to-side to do. You might have to get creative with distances to keep the bounce and make sure he doesn’t add a stride. You can overlap the wings to keep the bounce distance, or use the shortest possible bars, or both! It looks like these were weave poles as bars, so that leaves overlapping as the the main option. If they were 4 foot bars, you can try weave as bars.Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
The go line at the beginning looked great!
He is one of the very, very few dogs that collected and turned really well on the first rep of the decel game! Most dogs (including all of mine) fling themselves over the bar then realize that it was a turn cue haha! But he turned beautifully! So proud of him!
And he carried his lovely turns into the rest of the game. Your timing was great of course, that really helps – and it is very cool to see him set up such nice turns with very little effort from you. And then he went right back to the straight line, no problem. SUPER!!!!
When revisit this, you can add n moving into the decel, so he sees the transition of you going from fast to slow.
>He thought that sitting in front of the tunnel instead of going into the tunnel at the beginning was a bit weird, lol.>
Ha but he did great and absolutely nailed the whole session. Well done to you both!
Tracy
Hi!
>tried start line stays in a new place, and they fell apart somewhat, so I’m trying to reinforce them more, as well as working on stays apart from agility to improve understanding. >
It is pretty normal to see a drop-off like that in a new place. The plan to reinforce them more plus working them in general is great! And asking for very short stays in new & harder places can work too.
>I should throw a wing in my car and practice some start line stays at hiking trailheads (they are my easy away-from-home locations to work on things).>
Yes! That would be great! And you can even ask for a stay in front of an empty food bowl or something mildly distracting 🙂
Speaking of a stay – getting that first white wingless jump on the layering setup will be easier if you use one step of a stay. That way you can more clearly show him the line by being ahead. Starting next to him was harder because he was moving before he really saw the cue (like at :49). When he was a shade behind you (like at :37 & :46) he got it really well! Yay!
Once he was on the line, he got the whole line though, and that is great!
>Getting him to turn after that jump was more than we could work out today; the tight setup doesn’t help us (though if it was farther apart, the layering would probably be more challenging :)).>
I agree that the tight setup made that harder. When you revisit it, you can try using 2 hands (like 2 hands on the steering wheel of a car :)) as he lands from 1: show him 2 hands and turn your shoulders away to get the jump. He might skip the 2nd jump at first as you sort out the timing but it should definitely get the turn!
Great job here 🙂
Tracy
