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Hi!
If she prefers to look for you and not drive straight, yes you can totally throw the toy before she exits. And, you can also place it out on the go line in advance so she doesn’t even need to wait for the throw. Keep me posted!
TracyHi!
This looks soooo good! She was on FIRE!!!
Yes, moving out the jump really helped and she needs them to stay angled for a little bit longer.Great connection here too ,and she jumped in really well when you were stationary!
>> did keep adjusting the jump angle if she failed. She was tugging but if she tried to hump me I just pushed her off and either would have her sit or tug if she was ok
Since this is going well, revisit this setup and oh-so-slowly tighten up the serp angles. Do it inch by inch so she barely notices it, but she can maintain her speed and turns.
With the humping – try tugging a little then taking the toy back and giving her a little boring cookie to keep her more thoughtful, but still keeping the tug drive.That can help!
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
We are not up to week 9 yet, I just posted the sections but not the games LOL!
This session went SUPER well! She is committing and turning so well!! When she exits the tunnel on your right, you were ealier starting the FCs and spins on these, so she is looking rally fabulous and fast. When she was exiting the tunnel on your left, you were later starting the FCs and spins so she had a few questions (especially on the spins where she had to wait to know which side to be on). So my only really suggestion is to start the FC and spins sooner, when she is on your left. Looking at her timing – when she is indoor right, she was maybe one stride past the tunnel exit and you were sending her past you and starting the cross. So try that timnig when she is on your left too. On your left, you were starting the crosses when she was arriving at the wing.
>>When I added verbals I think I went at half-speed, lol.
I think it was less comfortable for you, so your timing was delayed – but you were nailing it on the right, so make the connection sooner on your left and send her past you so you can start the cross sooner too.
Great job on these!
TracyHi!
Watching these, I think what he is doing is trying to respond on the very first moment of verbal and sometimes he is correct, sometimes not (meaning, he is guessing).
So 2 things to change (no need to move the chair around at all):
– make the verbals sound more different in terms of volume, length, etc. The jump and tunnel sound very similar here. You can make a bigger contrast by being super loud and long with the tunnel verbal: TUNNEL TUNNEL TUNNEL. And be quieter with the jump verbal, keeping it short: “jump.”
– place him between your knees and hold his collar (he will be facing the jump & tunnel setup) – while holding his collar, say the verbal a few times and watch where he is looking. If he is looking at the correct spot, let go and reward when he does it. If he is not looking in the correct spot or he has not decided yet, keep holding him til he finds the correct obstacle. You were starting to do this at the end of the 3rd video, and I think this will really help!
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>Here is video on the One & done skill set. Sequence one, I was able to find a better way to handle.
Did you video your full walk through process before the first run? That is important on these 🙂 I think we can add things to your walk throughs to get that first run looking really smooth 🙂 Definitely video and post them! It helps us figure out how to improve the runs (or how to maintain the brilliant pieces :))
On seq 1:
You can do less of a lateral send on jump 3 – the lateral send is a collection cue, so he was starting to turn then heard the tunnel cue and pulled the bar both times going back out to the tunnel. You can try to lead out less and run into the line more, so he accelerates to the tunnel and you don’t need to send and move laterally away.The middle section looked good – after the 8 tunnel, you can choose easier handling for the 9-10 turn 🙂 He turns well, so you don’t need as much rotation to work the tight turn, especially if it rotates your feet to the wrong 10 jump. Trying to get in for the extra rotation to do the throw back caused questions about which jump you wanted (at :26 and :38 you were pointing to the off course jump when he would have been coming out of the tunnel as you walked it). The throw back choice creates a SUPER tight turn for him (when you ran it at :50 and 1:10 so he almost didn’t take 10 because the turn was so tight) so you can go with a RC on 9 or BC the tunnel exit and do a send with a turn verbal on 9.
Seq 2: Thanks for the walk through here! Add in more connection for him, especially as you exit the crosses. You were looking ahead of him pretty quickly, which causes a disconnection and also can change the timing.
If yo are going to stay on the landing side of 4, the lateral send is a good choice here! Add a turn cue on 3 like a right verbal and a brake arm (outside arm) to get him off the tunnel (which he just did a few times in seq 1). The FC worked really well 3-4!
On the walk through at :45, he landed from 5 and then you immediately turned forward, pointing ahead to 6 and 7. But with your invisible dog behind you, he is not going to stay on the 6-7 line, he would follow your shoulders and take the tunnel which is what happened at 1:00. So in the walk throughs, plan to make a connection on the landing of 5 to send him to 6, taking an extra step into the gap to help propel him out to it.
So overall as you walk it – you can slow yourself down to match him more and add a lot more connection. Try to ‘see’ the invisible dog in the walk through and that can really help with handling choices and execution!
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Yes, there was a lot of obsessing on this walk through LOL! The plan you had by the 2nd minute was a really good plan, so you might be second-guessing yourself. I’d say by 6:20 you were ready 🙂 and then you have to jump in and try it. Set a timer on your walk throughs – for these short sequences, set it for 5 minutes and then live with whatever you have planned and rehearsed 🙂 At 945 you changed your plan which is generally not something you want to do unless you have a really good reason (like realizing your walked the opening incorrectly)
>>I thought my motion to get from between jump 4 and 2 to between the tunnel and jump 4 would tend to cue the off course tunnel but I wasn’t sure we had the skill to layer 4. >>
That is a timing thing – if you cue 3 when he land from 2 and start the FC< he won’t go into the off course tunnel. On the run: There was not quite enough connection at :06 with the layer and with the layering, he did not really see the foot rotation which is the important element of the FC. Then you ran a little sideways and right next to the tunnel, so he assumed that it was correct to take the tunnel. You hd better connection on the 2nd rep at :14 but then ‘released’ it by looking forward before he made the turn, so he took the tunnel. You had a lot more connection at :26 and he got it. That connection had your shoulder open to him so he really saw your eyes and shoulders. Try this for the connection to really make it clear for him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFaVNaTphLY (I bet running into the FC without the layering per your original plan would have worked beautifully :) because he would see the rotation and connection very clearly) >>’m not sure the blind was the best choice,
I like the BC there! He just needs to see the new connection sooner, so you can start it sooner but more importantly:
Tuck your arms in to your sides when you do the blind there, which will make the blind very quick in terms of showing the connections. Your arms were up higher which takes longer to reel them in to change sides, so delays the new connection (and creates a wider turn).Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>Basically, make and keep connection – everywhere. I”m embarrassed since this is something I always talk about when I’m working with others – and then I blow it myself.>>
Don’t be embarrassed, connection is the hardest part of agility – it is so easy to all about it and so much harder to do it consistently 🙂 I obsess about connection but my #1 error on course? Yes, disconnection. LOL!
The walk & run here both looked great!!
On the walk through, I think your lines and connections looked really good! One thing to add is a different arm height on the big layering lines versus the come in lines. For example: 1-2-3 is layered so your arm can be higher. Then 9-10-11 I a tighter line but right near the layered line that she just did, so you can have your arms lower at 9 so she sees the difference even sooner. That is why she went a little wide at 9 on the run. So you can pick her up on the until exit with a lower arm to indicate 9 and he turn will be tighter.
The only big difference I saw on the walk versus the run was. That you were moving faster during the run than on the walk through. It is possible you were protecting your Achilles by not running the walk through and that is fine – so that means the added connection becomes really important and you nailed it here 🙂
Great job!
TracyHi!
The layering went well for her but the tight turns were really hard here!
On the first part of the video, it is notated as ‘wrap left’ for the first 2 reps. I think the physical cues looked more like a rear cross, because you were leaning in and stepping into her path (watch you feet) so to get the wrap to the left, run to the left wrap wing and be more upright, just decelerating and then doing the FC. This is more like what you did at the end of the video, and she did really well!
The turning to the right all looked good in terms of getting the turn to the right, but convincing her to NOT layer was really hard as you mentioned. The tunnel is a forward cue, which gives the dog permission to drive forward on the line. So even though there was no tunnel on the line, saying tunnel was part of why she was accelerating away. So, since she does like the tunnel, let’s take a different approach:
Decelerate into the right rear cross – then stand still and call her name. When she comes to you and doesn’t do the layering line… then you can reward her with the tunnel cue. But don’t cue it til you know for sure that she is on her way to you. I believe we did this with some of the dogs in the live class and it really helped!>>I had gone back and just practised wrapping a wing to help her a bit.
That was a smart training strategy!
>>It was better when I hid jump 4 in the bushes but I don’t see this as a long term strategy. >>
This was smart too – but I agree, it is not a long term strategy. So try the ‘no permission to keep going til you make the turn’ approach and let me know how she does! You can start with the jump 4 hidden in the bushes at first to get it started, then add it back and see how she does 🙂
Keep me posted! You are making good training/handling choices and we use need to convince her to listen 🙂
TracyHi! These are looking good! Little suggestions on both:
For Min – I like your original choice of blinds and on a bigger course, that can get you further ahead if needed (no positional advantage on this course for FC or BC because it is small :)) So in your walk through, plan the timing of the tight blinds very specifically and then you will nail them in the run.
At :5 and :12 in the first walk through, InvisiMin was one stride from takeoff for the BC 3-4 and in the air at 9-10, which means the BCs were late. That is approximately the timing you used at :26 and :36 (she was just taking off) so she was a bit wide. If you can bump up the timing sooner, I bet the BCs can be definitely as tight as the FCs.
Because of the decel required for the FCs, you walked them to be earlier and ran them DEFINITELY earlier at 1:06 and 1:16, so her turns were better. So if you can tie the blinds to match your FC timing, then you can have the same fast tight turns and better positional advantage because you don’t need to rotate. It is a subtle detail but can totally help!Kaladin’s video is the reason why I love working walk throughs because we can really plan what/how to rehearse for the run 🙂
Your initial walk through matched your actual run, which helps us know what to improve and what you nailed.
Looking at the walk through:
He is great with reading tight blinds, so you can be sooner with the tight blind 3-4 (:07 on the walk through, matching :46 on the run when you started it about a stride from takeoff which is a bit later than he needs). You were a stride earlier on the re-run and he was definitely tighter!At 7 (:12 on the walk through and :52 on the run) your arm went really high and you turned your shoulders, breaking connection to InvisiKal. Your execution was almost identical from walk through to run, so those big sends are something to rehearse in the walk through as a low arm, big connection moment. That is what you rehearsed at the re-walk at 1:09 and handled beautifully at 1:39.
Your timing of your tight blind at :14 on the walk thought matched your great timing on the tight blind at :56 (which was even harder because you had the little blooper on 7 before it) You were even earlier at the very end, and he was fabulous on that tight blind!!!!
So in the next walk throughs, find the timing spots for the blinds and also get the big connection and low arm for the sends, and then the run will be perfect!
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyNot yet – the verbals are embedded in each lesson, because the full list really gets overwhelming when adding the verbals systematically 🙂
T
Good morning!
Interesting results from the x-rays, I am glad you had them done. The irregularities in the sacrum and the arthritis could definitely contribute to ouch moments we can see (like limping) as well as ones we cannot see (where he doesn’t want to engage). The chiro and PT people can definitely help with ideas, maybe some supplements, conditioning, etc: knowledge is power!
Definitely stay off the contacts (especially the teeter and a-frame) and no weaves til cleared by the chiro & PT vets. A 4 or 6 inch bar is probably fine but not every day – every 2 or 3 days at most. Bear in mind that pain will change performance, and dogs hide pain a lot. So limiting performance work as you sort out what is happening and build up strength will definitely help!
The behind the back starts look great here, he seemed very happy to do them at the beginning of the course! To keep strengthening them, reward pretty early and often so they are associated with the start of the course (which is a good place to build value in general).
I don’t think you need to move earlier for now – he is still learning the skill and moving earlier might cause him to not finish going around you.
And yes, eventually try it without the treats in your hand but no rush on tat because it is a very new skill.
>>I can stay ahead of him if the course curves quickly but if it’s a straight run he beats me every time.
That is why we are adding the layering and verbals 🙂
Looking at Keltie’s standard course:
The whole opening looked good! After the DW, it as hard to see exactly what happened there – it looks like on the first run you were a little too close and pushed her line, so she took the wrong side then stopped? The 2nd time through you gave her more room, but almost too much so she almost went past it. Try to split the difference, running on her line a bit more so she can find the lines to the jump.
On the 12 jump:
On thing to think about is whether the slice or the wrap is better. In this case, turning the dog to the slice entry (from 11-12) sets up a really hard line that doesn’t have any flow: you would need to get a pretty tight turn on 11 then some fancy handling like a threadle or a Blind to a backside push to a blind. All of that is not intuitive to the line… even when she got it as the threadle at 2:18 or the push at 2:29, she had to slow way down to get it. So wrapping the other side of the backside would work a lot better there because she can jump 11 in extension, do a wrap on 12, then be back in extension to the tunnel.Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
This is looking really good, the angled jumps make it easier for you both! As you run up the line with the angles, keep your dog-side arm a little further back so your shoulders are facing the jump and back to him more (but keep your feet straight like they were here). Keep the name call after the tunnel and the jump verbals, those helped him too! Yay!
He only had one little question, at :38 – you set him up facing a jump but you were on his line so when you moved forward fast, it pushed him off his line to the jump so he went to the backside (small dogs are not likely to get caught in our feet if we are in the way LOL!) So, let him have the entire bar there and you can be past the outer wing.
I the next few sessions, keep your speed up like this and gradually, oh-so-gradually, straight then jumps. Do it inch by inch so he barely notices 🙂 It might take a few sessions, but that is great because we want him to be successful.
Great job!
TracyHi –
One of the things about toy play is that the toy simulates prey – which means for most dogs, the prey would be moving away and not moving towards the dog. So in the case of the frisbee, move it away from him by throwing it, or sliding it across the ground, or running away so he can chase you for it. All of that is engaging. If you bend over him and tap the toy in front of him, it is less engaging as the prey is ‘dead’ at that point, plus most dogs don’t like the bending over. Since the frisbee is small, tie it to something longer so you can drag it around for him to chase (this is a theme with all of your toys and the lotus ball – make them longer by attaching them to something so you can swing them or drag them for him to chase.)Tracy
Good morning!
Excellent session in terms of adding more speed and obstacles! He did well on the flat line with 2 jumps but I am glad you started with the big angles on the jumps after the tunnel because he could get all the speeeeeed going and you didn’t need to handle all that much: you could just run with some connection, arm back and a jump verbal. Yay!So for the next sessions, leave the jumps ever-so-slightly angled as they were here and add more of your speed. At first, you can run in closer to the tunnel then run up the line, so you are moving faster but still visible through the uprights of the serp jump. If that goes well, you can work your way up to getting ahead, past the serp jump, to challenge him to still take it even if it is tempting to run past it 🙂
If all that goes well with slightly open jumps, then you can start to tighten them back to the flat line (but no rush on that because adding the speed challenge is more important).
Great job! Let me know how he does with the next steps!
TracyGood morning!
>>We did a bit of bang game work but no vid – she is tending to let her rear end go off the side of the teeter away from where I am – can I put something in to prevent that so she doesn’t rehearse that?
>>Generally the pups do this when they are watching the reinforcement. Rather than use a prop that we then have to fade, take a look at the lazy contacts games first on a plank then on the teeter. Refresh those both to remind her on her hind end placement (both limit the speed so the dog can think about hind end). And then, before adding the speed of the bang game, move yourself off to the side of the plank and do the lazy game from the side, so she herself can think about her hind end and where to put all her feet. Then you can take it to the teeter (without movement of you or the board at first) and it will be an easier progression because she will have her hind end all sorted out.
Let me know how it goes!
Tracy
