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Hi! Hope he is feeling better, he looked good here! Bummer about the rain but this was a clever setup. He seemed to do well finding the jumps and also, the treat huggers were easy for him to grab! Yay! And using 2 worked out really well. So hopefully you can get this going outside too but you can also do this on one jump indoors – using one jump can allow you to add more distance away from it, so you can work on the lazy game and also sends to the jump.
Nice work! Fingers crossed for nice weather!
TracyAlways great to see you here! Cabo is turning out to be a superstar š Post some video so we can see the little guy in action!
Tracy
Hi there!
Nice work on the mountain climbers, I love your setup! Clever!!! Question: to teach the down at the end, did you use a target or did you shape it/wait for her to offer it? She is doing it but I would like to see if we can get her to drive to it. She is doing a great job moving up the board, but knowing how fast she goes: if we make the down more of a āget there fastā destination, then you can get more drive across the board. There are a lot of ways to do that. For my 4on dogs, I use a target right at the very edge of the board and they run up to it and put their front feet up on it (then lie down for her :)) My target was an old mask taped to the end of the board LOL! If you are already working a target, let me know and we can play with getting her to drive even more to it šGreat job on the timing game!!! The fallout (in a really good way) is that you were soooooo connected, it was perfect š On the pinwheels at the beginning – lovely connection and timing. You can add challenge by spreading it out and that way you will have to run harder AND be connected AND have great timing š
I agree with your assessment of the wraps – a little question on the first one, then the others were great. You can start your wrap cue as you start to decelerate as she lands from the middle jump – you were decelerating at the right time, but started the verbal cue when you started to rotate (which is a little late). So start the verbal as you decelerate to make it perfect. This is also a game you can spread out to add more distance – she will enjoy seeing you run harder LOL! And that is a good challenge for the timing of your deceleration into the wraps. I am thrilled with your connection, though, keep it up!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! She did really well here. She definitely noticed the tip so keep it at this level fo a few more sessions til she is really driving to the end. You can keep moving with her: she did a lot better when you were ahead of her š The other thing I suggest is going to insanely high value treats – rather than ānormalā goodies, you can use a spoonful of peanut butter or cream cheese or something that will make her head explode from happiness LOL!!! Just a few reps a day, every day or every other day, and she will running to the end like a wild woman. And then… we add a little more tip, just a tiny bit, but not til she is really comfy here at this level of tip.
Great job! Let me know if that makes sense!
TracyGood morning!
Yes, there is always a safe place here to post video, even when it is not the best of sessions. We all are on the same adventure and being able to sort it through together makes the outcome better. I consider it a collaborative process. Based on what you said: I wonder if he is blowing himself out tugging with Sole? Meaning: the big party is with her and then he is over it as a reinforcement when you want to join the party. I let me dogs play with each other all the time, but not tug with each other: that is reserved to be my party with the dog š
His teeter looks GREAT!!! Yes, the down is slow to happen… just a worm in your ear: if he continues to say āthis down thing doesnāt really make senseā then you can shift to a nice weight shifted 4on at the very end that he is giving you š Collaborative process and all, right? I donāt want to fight with him in the trial ring about down or no down – if the teeter itself looks fabulous like that. Food for thought!
Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! Lots of great work here!!!
Loud barking BCs are a great distraction – very trial-like!
Opening line: I think you need less decel with her at 3 – she is very responsive so it slows her down. Try driving in and decelerating no sooner than when she is halfway between 2 and 3. Youāll be moving faster so you can accomplish this by leading out less and really accelerating.
The BC-BC on the 6-7-8 section looked great at :20-:22! My only suggestion there is to keep your arms in closer to you as you run, so you can do the blinds more quickly – arms out to your side slows you down in terms of getting reconnected after you do the BC, which made the BC 6-7 a little late even when it starts on time.
The rest looked greatI liked your experiment with the BC 3-4 but I donāt think it will ultimately be faster in this context: the 1-2-3-4 section will be very fast, but being on that side of the tunnel sets a wider line to the weave entry (turning her away on the flat). But it is an incredibly useful skill in other contexts!
Course 2:
Good start after a little naughty startline š
Nice line across the back – on the lala backside, it seemed like she looked at you at :22 – you can replace the yay with a go verbal and donāt turn your shoulders to face the backside, keep facing the line as you cue it and we will see if that helps her not look at you. It looks like you ran deeper there on the next rep at :55 and she did not look at you.Nice blind after the backside! A little decel on the next one can tighten up the line Next rep – you did a FC on the landing side and didnāt hav time to rotate your feet for the wrap to the inside. You got it at 1:23 really well there. I wonder if a faster option would be the blind to the wrap?
But it was good to time the difference: the slice line (to the left) did NOT look faster or prettier, the cross after the slice was perhaps a little late? But… extension is faster than collection so the timing difference was pretty significant!Good job fighting for the BC after the straight tunnel – keep working the verbals and the eye contact after the blind to get it maybe a stride tighter, but it was pretty darned good because she was flying!!! And it is a hard blind to get in there for!
And I have to say that I admire your running abilities to decelerate on the tunnel entry AND still get a FC after it at 1:27 – WOW! That was a nice line!At :43, the BC was too early, you started the side change as she was landing so she never saw a commitment cue for the jump. But gorgeous timing at 1:40! Tight and FAST!!!
Course 1: She looked a little tired here, not quite blasting off the start line like usual. Across the back line, it looks like you got a little too far ahead and quiet, so she was running but also lifting her head a little and not powering as much. On those big lines, you can run closer to the wings so you are in full on acceleration the whole time, and she will also be n full on extension. When you were too far ahead, you were decelerating a little and so was she.
the serp at :30 was a hard line for all the dogs, because the serp does not control the turn cue for 11 that well. You went in for a blind there at :53 – if you freeze the moment she landed from 11, you can see that your arm is high and your back is too her, so she is wide looking for the line – that si a spot you can decelerate into the BC (or do a FC) and make massive connection as you do it to tighten that line.
I totally like the crosses here over the serpentine: when you went for the serp at the end, you had to be lateral which caused a question and then the 11-12 turn was wide. So I think the best option might be a decelerated BC or a FC 11-12, then the BC 12-13. I really like the BC 12-13 at :57!!!And nice ending line – wheeee!
And yay for Kaladin being able to go to a new place with new people and dogs and get to play his transition games! How is he feeling, post-neuter?
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! No worries about the conversation in the background, they were having a great time and I could hear you pretty well š And he got to work near distractions! Yay!
Good reward at the beginning for his stay! I think that is what you did there.
Super connection on that first run! You really drove him to all the lines without breaking connection. There was one spot where yo could take one more step and give a clear commitment cue (:45) – you turned your shoulders, said GOOD! Then said jump (but it was too late, he was already turning, so you continued which was perfect). After watching the whole thing, I thought your connection was great throughout!
About that GOOD – it is a habit we all need to break. Hot Sauce nailed a line in a trial yesterday and I yelled YES! And so she immediately came off the line, looking for reward (it was an NFC run anyway but still… bad habit for me!)
Tunnel – tunnel – tell him what you want before he enters the straight tunnel
Speaking of habits we need to break: you got a great Pass cue and then said good boy… so you didnāt get the next backside at 1:16. I looked (listened) back to your first run when you did get it at :39… no good boy, just info. Next run at 1:38: no good boy, just the facts. I see a trend š Also, got it without the good boy at 2:16..
Our new hashtags:
#JustTheFacts
#NoGoodDogHaha
He went past the backside in that spot at 3:15 and then took the backside of the next one – my guess is that he was tired and also he had been through that section a bunch of times, so was starting to offer different behaviors. That is good to keep in mind: do fewer runs in the session so that you donāt end up with him second guessing things because he has been through a section a bunch of times. Things deteriorate as the dog gets fatigued physically or mentally, or when they have been through that section a bunch of times and are wondering why they are back there again: are they doing it wrong, should they offer something else?
He needed one more forward step before rotating at 1:41 (you gave it to him at 2:20 so he committed – be sure to also use your collection verbal to help keep him tight (you might have but I couldnāt hear it) but then you gave him good info on the line at 1:45 to get the jump before the straight tunnel.
About that straight tunnel, yes, totally a timing lesson and you did a great job working through it! As you found, all that in info has to come before the tunnel entry (6 feet before he is in) like you did at 1:56, otherwise he wonāt turn). You almost had it at 2:26 but you never actually told him to take the tunnel on that rep š So when he lands from the jump before it, use your tunnel verbal and then when he is halfway between the jump and tunnel, start the next cue si he will process it by about the 6 foot spot before he enters. Tat is basically what you did and it worked nicely at 2:43! He turned the wrong way on the exit of the 2nd tunnel because you had stopped a little to make sure he got the turn.
About deflating him: Yes, he was done at the end when he offered a different behavior on the backside (5th time or so through that section), you stopped,he called an Uber. So the bigger question on how to avoid deflating him – did you set a timer on the session? The video was 3:35 long but it was edited, so total time was longer. That, plus a storm rolling in… set the timer to 3 minutes of total training time and no matter where you are in the session when that timer goes off: reward and leave. You can take a break in the a/c and come back in 10 or 20 or 30 minutes or a couple of hours or juts leave it be for the day – but shorten your sessions so that you end long before he does.
Nice work on this course – the only thing I would add is a timer š
Tracy
Good morning! Thanks for all this info!
>> Focus: I can lose it during a run when she is heading straight toward the people and crated dogs, so try to do some calling and treat tossing to get her re-focused and going forward on the set.
This is a good place to do the pattern game with cookies – right in front of the people and crated dogs. I will chalk it up to the pandemic puppy thing – she simply needs to acclimate to that crazy environment that we would have normally been able to exposure her to earlier in life.
>> I almost always lose it during the time the instructor is talking because she (instructor) says ājust let her wander I want to show you thisā. >>
I tend to NOT want baby dogs to wander because then they wander LOL! And then, as you see, they disengage. She isnāt being naughty but I vote against wandering because I think she doesnāt know what to do with herself and it deflates her. When I work my baby dogs in a seminar, I either do the pattern game while the instructor shows me something, or I just put my hand on their collar so the 2 of us just stand there together. The other option is to stuff a light leash in your pocket so that you can leash her up if you are going to be moving with the instructor, so Keiko sticks with you. I do let Masters dogs wander if they have no trouble re-engaging, but not the baby dogs.
>>She is also really relieved to be able to run back to her crate.
Ah, that reminds me of something we do with other dogs (dogs that get frantic in between turns) – we have a mat or cot or Klimt or Cato board out in the ring, and when talking to the instructor we have the dog hang out for cookies on the cot. It is like a home base for the dogs and they love it.
>> I think she has a lot of stress sheās trying to deal with.
Yes, because it is a hard situation and totally new distractions.
>>The extra fun I brought into it today caused her to really focus and use her energy up (!) then she was ready for her crate. She was very tired and somewhat subdued at home in the afternoon. Again, Iām not surprised.
Exactly – the work she did at that level of intensity is exhausting and might take her 48 hours to recover from laying out it1
>>I have just learning I can try her in a class in another location with a different instructor. Itās a barn/horse arena so everything is totally new and different. Iām inclined to hold off on that for just a bit longer while we work out a happy system with the class & Saturday sessions first.>>
Will the new instructor let you just come watch, so you can get Keiko introduced to the environment?
>>These are in the same indoor location with the same instructor, and in a building owned by Keikoās breeder. Keiko played in this building with her litter mates as a baby, and one of her litter mates is in her Monday class. She often indicates to me that she thinks she and Java should be able to play!>>
Ah, so cute! You can use play with her sister as a reward š
Let me know what you think!
TracyAha! Footage of the outside the ring games! Was it raining?
First run – looks like you took him from his cookie pile directly into the start of. The course, he did great.
Second run came in on leash – a longer transition away from cookies – looks like he also did great, blasting off the line and running hard. Good boy!A little chop chop massage during pairs (it is hard to be dog #2 in pairs and have to wait!) he did great! That was a significant delay between cookies and the course run, and he was great AND he did his leaping up!
I was hearing your verbals and they were great – I am so happy with those but even HAPPIER with his attitude in the ring here!! YAY!!!
So keep filling me in on the details of what happened before the good runs and what happened before the run he struggled with and we will keep planning for success š Great job here!!!!!!
Tracy
Good morning! The NFC runs looked good and gave us great info!
So on the 1st and 2nd and 4th runs (which looked great) you did the routine of in and out at the start gate of tricks then cookies? And on run 3, you did not do that? Did you still ask for his tricks? When he was looking away, you can ask for his leaping up trick or over your legs to see if you can break through the frozen moment. Just trying to find patterns. On that 3rd run, he was looking at something: bird? Person? Wind? Maybe his brain was tired?
Is that something you have seen before when he is feeling stressed? He knew something had changed (either that or there was a big distraction in the environment – or both). So the next step of the routine will need to be changing things a little so he canāt tell the difference between real runs and NFC runs. It will probably mean fading the cookies til after a jump or two… then 4 or 5 obstacles… then build up to 20 obstacles or so š I LOVED what he did on his runs here, so we can sort out what was happening on that 3rd run and work through it.Tracy
Good morning! I think you did a great job here – it is a meatball of a training course, so it is more about finding out what the dog needs than it is about running clean LOL!
Opening 1-2-3 – I liked your good departure at 3 with the send, you consistently got a really lovely turn there.
He just had a little trouble bending back after the weave entry, it is a hard one, it was smart dog training to reward it! On the last run you shaped his line into the entry and that helped – a good summer project will be revisiting the bend back into the entry here so he doesnāt need you to be up there at the entry.A BC 6-7 will get you up the line faster (it is a good spot for a blind there because it keeps you moving forward then you can slice 8 wither with a RC or even get up there for another blind (it would be really hard to decel into the rotation of a FC after coming flying up the line unless he lets you leave for it the very instant he gets into the weaves). I think you could have gotten the RC, you just needed another step or two pressuring into the RC line to convince him to turn away to the outside of the course.
When you re-ran it at 1:23, you gave yourself a lead out for the FC and easily got the FC 7-8 which created a really nice line! The BC will keep you ahead in that position because you donāt have to rotate like you did in the FC, which takes too much time with Takenās speed. He started to collect really well on the 2nd FC at 1:22 but you were a little late getting rotated so he pulled the bar. The BC makes it faster to rotate because all you have to do is turn your head and shoulders a little bit. And he is so responsive that it will be fun to see him turn tight on blinds!
Watching the last run – you nailed the blind up the line there! That helped get the FC to 9 but you had to back up to do it – if you play with that again, try the BC there and see how he does!He took the front of 10 instead of the back, 2 thoughts for you:
– start the cue while he is in the air over 9. He was in the air, landed and changed his line towards you (he was probably thinking 10 was front) so he didnāt have time to process the cue and change line ot the outside.
– cue with your dog side arm locked back behind you and your eyes very directly on his eyes (I know, sounds counterintuitive) – that will point your chest and shoulders directly to the backside. A higher arm that is moving ahead of your body like at 1:00 will turn your your shoulders forward to the front side of the jump.
Did you say āholy mother of godā there? LOL!!!!!
When you ran it the2nd time, you were MUCH more connected and had a lower arm! You started the cue after he landed and he barked his opinion (and turned into you a little) so definitely try starting the cue before he lands. And I think with the earlier cue and the upper body/eye contact more open to him, you ownāt need to be as close to 10 which makes the next line easier too.The ending line looked great! Just remember to call him before he enters the last tunnel so he knows where you went (you called while he was in the tunnel and he looked for you for a heartbeat when he exited).
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyThe Go Verbal looks good, the MM helps! When you went back to it at the end he wanted to look at you, soyou can throw the reward sooner to help him continue to look straight.
On the wraps – you can repeat the cue (check check check etc) because the repeated cue matched the deceleration footwork. You can also start the rotation sooner, all before he takes off while he is still a stride or so form the jump, so he can shift into collection – in the early part of the video, your cue was starting as he as jumping. So he was wide on the landing (late info).
When you went back to it later in the video, you were earlier and that really helped it! Looked great!Switch looked good – he was a little distracted by the MM s you can give him a cookie for coming back to you to line up. And later in the video, it looked just as good without the MM there – YAY!!!!
Backside push cues looked great! I like there you put the MM to help with those and it was also lovely to see how well he did without the MM there š
Great job here! So there is not a ton of things to change on the one jump (throw sooner for the GO when the MM is not there, and remember to rotate and give your wrap cue sooner :)) so you can move on to the sequences! Great job here!
Tracy
Hi! I am glad to see she is back!
I think she liked the lazy game: easiest game EVER lol!!! And she was great when you added speed. She is very honest about taking the line you are cuing – when you physical cues support something, she takes it. If not – she follows your line. That is what happened at 1:50 hen you said ātunnelā but turned and faced the other end of the tunnel – she was spaying attention to the line of your body and she was being a good girl š Compare it to 2:19 and 2:33 (on the other side) and 3:01 on the original side where you faced the tunnel entry you wanted, and she was perfect there.
You can totally add in more of the sequences using this setup (from the line seminar). She looks ready!About the teeter – you can keep going with the game you have on the video, and also add the new games. They all work together to get a great teeter. The Mountain Climber game works on the running up the board to build more speed, which will totally help the game you have here too š
Nice work!! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
On the opening line, you were a little past the line on jump 2 so he was a little wide at :03 – this was the same as with Emmie, so running a line more towards 3 will tighten them both up.
On the 5-6 tunnel entry – pulling your shoulder forward closed connection, so he just read motion to the off course tunnel. Arm back/more connection might help him – or he might need a ābrakeā hand, which is your outside arm come up as a bit of a stop sign to get his attention and get him to turn. I suggest the brake hand because on the 2nd try, you were more connected and he still considered the off course tunnel – kept going to it til you stood still.
But also, this is good info from him: he stays out wide when you close your shoulder forward – he reads it as a cue to stay on a parallel path. That is what happened at :23 on the 9 jump – he collected on the jump before it – and then you closed your shoulder so he ran around the outside. Try locking your arm back behind you so your fingers point to his nose. You had your right arm much further back and your eyes on is a lot more at :35 and it really helped! You also decelerated there and I think you might be able to keep moving through the line with your upper body open line that.
You were pretty quick with your FC at :37, so i think you had time to do one more FC (or a tight BC) on the jump after it as well, to tighten u the turn to the tunnel and get yo in better position for the closing.
Nice job on the closing line!Great job on these! Let me know what you think!
TracyFC timing in the opening was good! To tighten her turn, be closer to and moving towards 3, and not between the uprights of 2 The line you ran in the 2nd rep was much better!
She was probably just tired with the weaves
The rest looked good! Super connected and you were really driving her. You serped the 11-12-13 line – it would be fun to try a FC 11-12 to a BC 12-13, or a BC to a BC and see how it compares to the serp. It was a hard line on 11-12 for the serp, so getting in for a cross would control that line really well and then you can keep moving through it rather than having to kind of wait for her on the serpentine. We can try all 3 options (serp, FC to BC, BC to BC) and time them!
Tracy
