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Hi!
>>I added and jump and a tunnel to our toy races and she really liked that a lot. Should I be saying/cue something? I feel like the default is GO GO GO but I feel like I’d have to say that all the way around the course! Should I just keep quiet?
I am glad she likes it! Definitely add a verbal. I say GO GO GO at this point in the game, but you won’t need to say that everywhere on course: you have jump directionals, obstacle names, etc. So a regular send can be just a jump cue, for example. As soon as she feels the oy of leaving you in the dust, then you can use your GO cue for very straight extension lines and the other cues for sends/passing you moments when you don’t need big extension.
T
Hi!
You ran this brilliantly!Small suggestions: if you are going to stop when she stops on the teeter, try to do it in the next position (which would be where the wing meets the bar for the backside circle. That way she can have a positional ue on the release – you released forward and then showed the cue at :23 and she didn’t have quite enough time to get organized to keep the bar up.
I like the double crosses after the weaves – the first blind went well, but I vote for another blind instead of a FC there – it is just too hard to get all that rotation in with all of her speed in that moment at :30. You got it done but she had to wait for you to move out of her way 🙂 You did the first blind sooner on the 2nd run which helped get the FC sooner, so it was a lot smoother… but I still vote for the BC instead of the FC 🙂 It will be so quick for you and tight for her!
Yes, she was wide after the last tunnel but it sounds like the verbal was late there. (And the ending looked good even if it was not the same course ending :))
On the 2nd run, you nailed the timing of calling her before the last tunnel and hustled to the blind: it looked fabulous!! And that set up a great ending line too 🙂 Super!!!!
Keep running like this, you two looked great here!!!!
Tracy
Hi! Hope you had a great vacation!
>>– The Hints on the Standard Course #2 for Package 3: you mention lead changes away from you at 3-4 and 6-7, which I totally agree with. How would you adjust to set a better line?
Yep, those little lead changes are very fashionable in course design lately! I have trained a ‘get out’ cue which asks the dog to lead change to pick up the line and then carry on (not a rear cross) while I just run forward. I use a verbal, a very direct connection, and a
outside arm 🙂 works like a charm! Plenty of folks don’t use an outside arm though 🙂 Let me know if you want to see a video of it. Hi!
When one skill is getting added or getting harder (like adding the serps and speed), I like to make the other skill(s) easier (like the jump height). So I would start with 4″ bars locked in, so he only has to think about handling and the jumping is easy 🙂
T
Hi!
What a bummer about the AC!!! Fingers crossed it is fixed now.And yes, you can totally film yourself!!
>>Essentially I need to get my shoulders back or open more and the “new” dog side arm should be stuck to my rib cage and “old” dog side arm on the opposite hip with the toy. Correct?
Correct about the old arm with the toy – touching your stomach with the toy on your opposite hip (as best you can while running. The dog-side arm should not be stuck to your ribs as that might cause you to ‘close’ that shoulder forward. To open the new dog-side shoulder, the toy across the body will help but that arm should be all the way back, almost a 90 degree angle from your body, elbow locked, fingers pointing to her nose 🙂 That assumes you have a lot of time, which you don’t 🙂 So it will likely end up looking like your upper arm is back at the 90 degree angle but your elbow is bent – almost like your hand is in your back pocket (if you were wearing jeans :)) Thinking back, I have had handlers run with their hands in their back pockets to get the connection open to the dogs if yo want to try that 🙂
She did really well with the discrimination game, it is a REALLY hard game!! Eventually you can replace the Cato board or crate or cot with her contact plank if you are using one (or a weave base :)) My only suggestion is to make the cues sound different, they were both extremely exciting 🙂
You can try saying’place’ in a calmer way, more like what she would hear at home (unless you are that exciting with your place cue at home LOL). And the softer cue can simulate a jump verbal or directional. The tunnel cue can remain super exiting like it was here, because that is likely what you will say on course.Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
The serps are looking good!On the 2 jump serps and the tunnel-sera line, I think at this point you can place the reward out where you want her to end up after the last jump. She is moving really fast (yay!) and serping really well (double yay!) and it is all happening so fast that she is looking at you for the toy throw rather than looking at the line. So, either someone else drops the toy in, or you place it a ride or two past her intended landing spot. That is also a good challenge for her, for the serps! She looked at you less as she did more of the sequences, but I think we can smooth out the looking at you entirely by placing the toy on the line.
On other small detail: when she exited the tunnel, you were pointing forward then pulling your arm back – I think you don’t need the point-the-pul you can be running to serp position with your arm already back – less handling for you to time, and she sees the serp cue immediately 🙂She has hit a new level of speed and coordination, so the earlier we show the serp, the better 🙂
Great job on these!!! She is ready to see the jumps a little flatter too!
TracyGood morning!
I think this is going well! You nailed the timing of getting the target into position nice and early, and that was very clarifying for her – she was able to then offer the 2o2o repeatedly and with confidence. Her only question was after 1:08 when the cookie toss release was close, so she got on the board a little sideways and ended up in a down. Toss that cookie further away and I bet she comes right back to her 2o2o.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHello and welcome back! He is looking great!
The lazy game looks like the easiest game ever for him: take a jump and get free cookies? Yes please LOL! He seemed to have no trouble finding the jumps. He was looking at you a little (or looking at the cookies LOL!) but that will go away when we add real handling. For now, on the lazy game, just keep moving and he will go find the next jump.
One step sends: HIs commitment from the tunnel to the wing looked good! You can move. The wing further from the tunnel, so you can add more of a step after he exits, to add more distance.
On the exits of the wing wraps, you were a little too quick to move away at :28 and 1:15 – he isn’t naughty, he just doesn’t know it yet with a lot of handler speed 🙂 You can move more slowly out of that countermotion like you did on the last 2 reps rather than run for now, that will help him. And if something goes wrong, give him a a reset reward when that happen sand definitely reward when he gets it right even when it was not super smooth yet like at :41 – that will help reduce the jumping up and barking when he gets mad 🙂
3rd video: All of the handling here and verbals are looking really strong! You can spread it all out more, so you both have more room to run run run 🙂
The timing and connection on the first few reps looked strong – give him a little more connection on the sends especially on the rights by looking at him more and not looking forward to the jump as much. That side seemed harder than the left turn side.
Wraps:
He needed a little more decel at 1:04 because you ran then rotated, so he stopped. But at 1:25 and 1:49, you had a smoother transition into the decel and those wraps looked strong! Just remember to stay on the takeoff side of the wrap jump to keep it nice and tight (spreading out the distances will help because you will have more room to run there too)Looking at the fluffy BCs and FCs 🙂
He is reading these blimdsreally well! When going to his left, your timing and his turns are better – the first BC looked great! You were a little later on the right turns, so be sure to start them as soon as he is landing from the previous jump so he can adjust even sooner.The FCs looked good too (same as with the blinds, the left turns are looking better at the moment. Might be an easier side for you both! ). So keep working the FCs in earlier too to he right so you both get more comfortable on the right turns.
Keep working the verbals in, they will get easier with the lefts & right. Great job using them throughout these sessions!!!
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
She did well here! It is hard to do this without a lot of motion!
On thing that will help her when motion is not as visible:
Even without motion, your verbals can still be super high energy and loud. Your motion got quiet and so did your verbals – which is harder for her to process. It will feel weird to be moving slowly but yelling the verbals 🙂 but it will totally help her discriminate.>At second :43, she turns away to the tunnel behind her that goes under the dogwalk. Did I do that, or was she just being Keiko?
It is possible that for a heartbeat you were facing the center of the jump which could indicate the rear cross to the tunnel under the DW, so she was listening, good girl!
Bearing in mind that the tunnel verbal is a ‘forward’ cue so she should drive forward to the tunnel ahead on the line she is looking at:
>>She definitely had more trouble turning into the tunnel when on my right than on my left.
I think it is because of the tunnel under the DW there. When you started your tunnel cues, you and she were both facing the tunnel under the DW, so she was not necessarily wrong. A directional to turn her on the jump before you said tunnel will help that, when motion does not. When you were further back and rotated, she knew exactly which tunnel to take 🙂
>>That last run was intended to “change the pattern” and see if she’d still listen and go into the tunnel.>>
Yes! That looked great 🙂 She definitely listens to her verbals!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
It is indeed CRAZY hot!!!! And he probably also relies on motion – that is normal and it is also why we are playing these strange games LOL!!
I like the idea of putting the MM inside the tunnel. Because he is brand new to this game, you can start with one obstacle at a time: just the tunnel, for example. And then on the next session, just the jump. This will get him happy to go do the thing, while you sit in your chair 🙂 You can also try to shorten up the tunnel, squish it to be as short as possible while still be upright enough that he can fit through happily.If he looks at you when you toss a treat, maybe try a lotus ball or a tennis ball? That might work to reward him without looking back at you.
Let me know how it works with one obstacle, and then we can go back to both obstacles in front of him.
Stay cool!
TracyGood morning! Great job with both dogs here!
First up, Kaladin:
Kaladin did well here, those were some HARD entries and exits! He was really working it!
I think on the big miss after the entry, you sent and ran away with high energy and he had high energy… but couldn’t make the bend into the weaves. But he fixed it on the next reps and you were able to get back to the higher speed 🙂 Yay!Min is also doing well, she is really thinking hard about hitting and holding the entries – looks great!!!
Yes, you can fade off to the side but also, for both dogs, ew can start fading the big wing. Do you have a single upright or something similar? That is what I would switch to next, and keep revisiting the hard entries and rear crosses. Then we can downsize it and fade even more pretty quickly, they both looked great!
Nice work 🙂 Let me know who the fading goes!
Tracy
Hi again!
>>When she missed she got it the next time, but I also made it slightly easier holding my motion till I saw she was committed.
Yes, she did great with you holding motion but now let’s not hold motion til she is committed so we can train more independence 🙂 And you can put the wing in to help her, and then we can fade it out. In your next trial? Yes, you can hold motion til she is committed. But in training, treat the weaves like a straight tunnel: send and leave. The one difference, though, is you can do it all at a walk for now – the same exact motion you had when she missed but walking not running. That should help! You were doing that on the first rep, but then you went to more running and she missed.
For the rear crosses, go back to slightly open poles for now, because she had a lot of questions (and cursing, lots of cursing hahaha). I agree that there is a LOT to train with baby dogs! So on the really hard rears, open up the poles and start on easier angles for now (her rate of success was low on those, so we can help her out by making them easier).
>>Also, why I have I adopted airplane mode lately??!!! It’s come from the running contacts! I don’t need it there either lol. I need it to stop! Duct tape my arm Tracy!!!>>
Ha! When I get home later this week, I am going to film the arms-down, wings-in game. I wanted to do it last week but it pretty much rained all week.
I am excited about your upcoming trial! And doing it indoors in a/c is perfect. Keep me posted!
TracyGood morning!
The heat and humidity has been crazy everywhere! I don’t know who invented air conditioning, but I am certainly grateful for it!The layering is looking good! Try to tell her sooner which line you want: as she is approaching the purple jump before the layering, she should already know if it is the layering to the tunnel 0 you were tending to wait til she was over the bar or landing.
When you went the other direction – good job working out the timing of the wrap cues – you were a little late then a little early… then just right and it looked good! You can do a wrap on the front aide of the last layered jump, but then you can’t say “go” 🙂 The Go is a forward cue to whatever line she is looking at, which was the tunnel in this case 🙂 You would need a get out cue to get her back out to the jump. The sequence there is also a threadle to the backside of that jump, which might be easier to get her back on the layered line.
She did have a bit of trouble on the wrap to get started and NOT taking the tunnel that was right there! Good job helping and rewarding there 🙂
The discrimination drill also looked good – she seems to still be happy to run super fast even in the heat! Yay! As with the first part of the layering video: you can tell her sooner if it is a GO or a right turn into the tunnel. You can start that basically as soon as she is finishing the wing wrap, so she can approach the next jump in extension for the layering or in collection for the tunnel.
Great job! Onwards to the weaves!
TracyHi!
I was using a regular sized wing (it has flat feet) with the outer edge of the wing (not the jump cups) touching pole 2 on the entry side. It is a bigger visual to help guide the dog, then we fade it down to smaller things. If you have tall feet on your jump, you will want to find something smaller like a barrel or cone.Tracy
Good morning!
The layering on the first video is looking good, and he was also easily able to NOT layer when asked. Good boy!!! He only had one question, which was the bar down at :06 (on the first rep – the first reps always give us the best info :)) On the way to the 3 jump, he needs a directional after the blind on 2 there, because the a-frame off course is highly visible even though it is blocked off. So he was jumping long and when you said tunnel her the bar, he tried to adjust and knocked the bar. He was fine on the other reps but he also knew the sequence. So you can add a little quiet name call or ‘jump’ cue, both of which generally mean you’d like a very mild collection – and a BIG name call or a right verbal will set him up for the middle jump when you don’t want the layering.On the 2nd video, he looked very confident with the layering and then easily turned to the tunnel. NICE!
>>Hard to not handle
So true!! And he totally looked at you a few times as if to say, “shouldn’t you also be moving?” LOL! But he sorted it out nicely, so mission accomplished! The goal is that he can find the correct obstacle with you out of the picture a bit and not necessarily supporting with motion, and he did really well! This will be super useful when you get behind him on course, and when. The dog walk is smack dab in the middle of the course :) Great job here!!! Stay cool!
Tracy
