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Hi!
> For the stays with the cookies on the table. Do I do my stay then the remote reenforcement of cookies and run to them with him? Or I just pick cookie up off table? We have been working on some impluse control with cookies on the ground. Spins and hand touches. I pick up cookie from pile on floor and use that as reward. So should I try similar with the stay?
>That is great about the impulse control game! The answer is… yes and also yes 😂
What I mean is that you can work both because they teach slightly different skills Leaving the treats on a table or in a different room teach the skill of leaving the treats, going to do something, then returning to the treats. This is what he has to do at trials!
And having the treats on the ground builds up the skill of ignoring the food nearby – sometimes it means distractions such as food dropped on the ground, or also it can be a placed reward that he moves to on course. Also a terrific skill to have! So doing both is great.
The Minny Pinny went really well – he was very happy to zip around it in both directions, without needing much help from handling when it was just wings and also when the bars were added. And being outside was no problem too.
It was a little hard to hear but it does sound like you were using directionals (left/right). Super!Since this went great, you can add more :). After lining him up at your side, gently hold his collar and say the verbal cue 4 or 5 times while still holding the collar. Then let go and let him start doing the minny pinny. And while he moves forward to the first jump bar, you are going to do a FC and move away the other direction. It is kind of like turn and burn, but it is on the minny pinny setup instead of just a barrel or wing. This will add commitment challenge!
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
For the mat targeting – he is hitting it well here and seems to be liking the game. You can elevate the mat so it is an inch or so higher – that will make his footwork even more accurate (as he rounds the line towards you, he is kinda swinging his hind end wide). So attaching the mat to a thick foam that lifts it will help define exactly where the feet should go.>Maybe I just have to keep the ground work going as well as on the DW? Maybe the slower pace and less enthusiasm is him just having to think more on the DW. >
If there is a significant different, it might be that it is too hard (is the dog walk high?) or it is not as exciting in terms of motion and reward. A toy on the ground and you moving might be the best reward – if he will bolt towards the toy regardless of whether he hits the mat or not, you can use a target on the ground that he runs to after he hits the mat. And if he had a good mat hit, yo throw the toy. If he didn’t hit the mat, just call him back and try again. That can also get you moving more which is super fun!
And make sure there is a high rate of success – that is where the speed comes from 🙂
The plankrobatics are an offshoot of the downhill track in the teeter class. He did a good job figuring out how to jump on it – super challenging for a small dog! Jumping off was harder – you can find a lower teeter or low dog walk and see if he jumps off more easily. I always teach confident jumping off because if they lose their balance, I want them to jump off rather than fall.
He was super happy walking back and forth across it. And even happier running across it for the treats! Super! So you can add a little more tip by lowering the tip it device a half inch.
He is really sorting out the weaves! Super! His rhythm and footwork are looking really good, and he is working hard to balance in the entry to stay in! Good boy 🙂
Before adding more: keep working the different angles of entry but you can also add more handling: drifting away laterally, rear crosses, having him drive ahead to the poles, serp the exit, blind the exit, etc. You can open the poles a little if any of these are hard but we want to make sure he sees the handling at every step.
Great job here!
Tracy
Good morning!
> Is “target” your word for see saw in competition? >
Yes – I saw ‘teeter’ to cue the line and ‘target’ just as they are getting on the board. The target cue helps most dogs really drive to the end.
>Do I need to put a verbal on the games when they are driving to the end of the board to get the reward?>
Almost all dogs propel into position faster and more accurately with the target cue, so I like to add it and see how the dog does.
>Can I start the downhill game while still training the mountain climber? I wouldn’t do it in the same session. >
Yes – you can work both tracks in different sessions.
>Feel like it’s going so slow but then I am only increasing tip in very small increments.>
Training great skills should go very slowly 🙂 May 1 is just a month – I take 6 months or more to train the teeter the way I want it 🙂
>can you tell me how long they are on your tip-it? >
I am on the road til mid-June, so I don’t have access to them. I am thinking they are half the length o the medium ones?
>Also, I am trialing at Level Up June 19-21, >
You are in my neck of the woods! And I am actually home that weekend, maybe I will stop by and by hello! Or you can swing by if you want a big field to let the dogs run run run (or a teeter to try).
Tracy
Hello!
This session went very well, especially if you were all tired from class!The push to backsides at the beginning – very nice with both dogs! They are committing to the bar really well, your connection was lovely.
The FC with Sammy was very strong – good timing and great connection!
Jazz also did well committing to the backside bar. The FC at 1:29 can be a step or two sooner but more importantly – you got a little too far across the bar, so he had to jump towards you facing him and went a little wide. You can stick a little closer to the wing of the jump and not travel across the bar, to set a slightly tighter turn.
The blind to threadle slice looked great with Sammy, he had no questions.
You can get to the BC before the tunnel sooner – at 1:52 you can send to the 5 jump and trust his commitment (your connection was strong!) so you are closer to 6 before he takes off for 5.
But connection is actually a bit more important than timing on blinds – at 1:56 you were a little late but your connection was really strong, so Sammy still made a tight, fast turn! You were earlier at 2:12 and he read it brilliantly.
With Jazz you were closer to the line 1-2-3-4 and he was fast! You got ahead at 2:30 on the way to 5, and that caused your arm to come up. That blocked connection and turned your shoulder away, so he slowed down. Nice job rewarding him!
Your hand stayed lower at 2:41 so he saw connection more as he exited the 4 jump, and he was definitely faster and committed better. He certainly loves clear connection 🙂 You can get even more speed by staying close to the bar on the backside threadle slice until he is landing… then you can be connected and move away to show the line to 5. That can help set the line with connection without getting you too far ahead or disconnected at all for Jazz.
And like with Sammy – the timing on the blind is less important than the connection. You had very strong connection on the blind to the tunnel so he was able to really drive through it. SUPER!!!
>The weather forecast is so bad for the next days, I am not sure whether we can try it again.>
Hopefully the weather will be good, even if you just try the part with staying closer to the threadle jump with Jazz til he lands then accelerating to the next line. I am interested to see what he thinks of that 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Good morning!
>Remember how I said one of my girls is typically the “sacrificial penguin” for me making mistakes? Well, that was Kastella on Friday in jumpers. Except, in that case, I’m only taking about 90% of the credit – handler error. Kastella was really off and checked out due to some thunderstorms that happened earlier in the day. She HATES thunderstorms and fireworks. >
Poor Kastella! That is so hard – thunderstorms are really scary.
>I was hesitant because I really like to play it safe in trials but I tried anyway >
Good for you! And in these early stages of “do all the blinds” 😂 it is more important to go for it than it is if they all work 🙂
>but I didn’t like how it felt “risky” knowing Kashia would run the course faster >
Yes, they will feel riskier because they are newer and not fully in your comfort zone yet. But if you did one or two, it is still something to be proud of!! You will get more and more comfy and then doing all of them will feel less risky.
> I just wanted to mention the blinds because it was fun to see 4 places where they fit really well depending on the speed of the dog. And in a practice setting, I would have stayed with the blinds. >
Love this!! Yay!
>But I didn’t want to mess Kashia up so I changed one blind to a front cross and one to a rear. >
So you still did 2 blinds! That is super!!! And you were rewarded with a very successful day in the ring 🙂
>Kashia ended up getting all 3 Qs that day with a double Q and Kastella got 2 Qs.>
That is great! Congrats!
>However, in standard, I again went against my better judgment and decided to take a risk. >
Even though it didn’t work out and ended up with a missed a-frame, it was still a worthwhile risk! And something good to train – Kashia was probably surprised but when she sees it more regularly in training, it will be much easier to get in trials. So even though it was not a Q, it is still something to be super proud of!!
>All-in-all, it was a great trial and I was soooooo proud of my girls. I was also super happy to see some courses where I could practice my blinds, some with risk and some without. >
It sounds like a fantastic trial – a combination of big success and trying new things too! And the courses sounded like they had good challenges where you had to decide on which cross to use 🙂
>But in a trial setting, I tend to pick what’s safe and I’m slowly trying to get away from that.>
You can use T2B for that – take all the risks in T2B because that class is all about going fast fast fast 🙂 And it is fun to Q in T2B but there are no double Qs on the line or anything, so it is a fun class to try all the crazy handling too 🙂
Thank you for the update!!
Tracy
Good morning!
> I didn’t feel that in the moment but I appreciate you pointing it out so maybe I won’t get so discouraged next time. >
Yes, sometimes sessions are discouraging or frustrating, which is why it is good to always have video. That way we can look at it and see if there was actually something good? Or if it was really bad haha! Most of the time it was actually decent session even if it didn’t exactly meet our goals 🙂
>I don’t know why it didn’t even dawn on me to throw a treat or the treat toy over the jump. I’m such a dumb dumb. I get so caught up in rewards only being after completion of the exercise. >
First of all, you are NOT a dumb dumb!!!! You are a smart trainer and in this moment, we see afterwards something to tweak for the next session. No worries! When training, if the girls are missing something or asking questions or failing at something, you can switch gears and find ways to reward the spot they are struggling with.
> My girls actually get massages and chiropractor adjustments quite often! I’m a big believer in that stuff too!>
Fantastic!!! And warm up is important, along with cool down. The sports vet people tell me that cool down is actually more important than warm up.
>For summer camp, is it like these courses, where I can do both dogs under one working spot as long as I fit both of them into the allotted video time segment? >
Yes, 2 dogs can share a spot and a lot of the CAMPers do exactly that 🙂 And the pace of the class is different – a lot of content to choose from, but it is spread out very 2 weeks all summer so you won’t feel rushed to get it all in.
Tracy
Good morning!
>I need to learn me some more Pattern Games
The foundation games come from Control Unleashed (Leslie McDevitt) and we have added our own twists 🙂
Looking at the video:
She has a lot of value for the jump which is good! That is why it was harder to get the threadles at the beginning. You did a great job slowing things down to show it to her – and then I agree, it was super fun to see her put it all together 🙂The serps with motion were very easy – so to let her see the difference when you want the threadle, it really helped her when you slowed down. Your motion on the first couple of reps can can be soooooo slow, barely moving, even marching in place 🙂 that way she can process the cues that say “not the jump!” to get her to the correct side. Then after a success or two, you can add more and more motion.
I think you were also looking at your hand on some of the threadle reps (or dipping your shoulder down, it was harder to see on video) – that really helped! So you can also look at your hand instead of her cute face to help cue the threadle.
Great job here! I am looking forward to the rocking horse video!
Tracy
Good morning!
These sessions went really well!On the German turns on the first video: he seems to really understand them so I agree, you didn’t need to stay at the exit wing. You got to the takeoff side at the same time he did – that is ideal! So you can keep moving through it. If he needs extra commitment support with all that countermotion you can look behind you or point to the landing spot.
>maybe because I didn’t have anywhere to go?>
This is possible! The sequences will provide more stuff to do after it 🙂
For the blind to threadle wrap:
The blind was late at :23 & :32 (starting at jump 3 when it should be finished) so he was a little wide there. He did read the threadle cue really well! You can get that blind going earlier with 2 things:– When he is committing to the tunnel, you can take off to the landing side of 3, rather than rounding the line with him
– Start the blind when he exits the tunnelLooking at the sequences: I love that you timed these 🙂 There is a LOT to geek out about! And on bigger courses, if there is a challenge heading up ahead on the course, the threadle options are almost always faster overall because it puts us further ahead. But on sequences where we go back to where we came from, the German/pushes to the backside can be faster (which me be the case here: more below 🙂 )
Run 1: one suggestion is to call him before he enters the tunnel. He was surprised by the turn and skittered after exiting the tunnel. You did add calling him on the later runs so he had better turns there.
>I geeked out with getting the FC from 6 to 7……I really don’t like fronts – definitely not my strong suit! Once again Connection for the Win! >
At :12 he was a little wide on the FC – you mentioned something about backing up but you didn’t back up there. Two things contributed to the slight wideness: You had lots of motion through the FC, where a bit of decel can help him add a collection stride.
As you exited the FC, your dog-side (right) shoulder was closed forward, so it took him a stride to find the new line. Having exit line connection on the exit of the FC like you would with a blind will help him see the line sooner.2nd run at :30 you went pat the mouse line (bar down). :48 & 1:05 had the decel on the FC and a really nice collection! Yay! You had good connection in those spots as he was over the bar which also helped get a nice line. Be sure to maintain that connection through the landing and resist temptation to look ahead at all 🙂
1:25 also had the decel on the FC, connection over the bar, and continued connection as he landed. That was the fastest run so far! You set the line on the Fc better with the decel & connection, plus also being a little closer to the jump helped too.
The German turn reps went well and were just as fast, which makes sense because you were heading back to where you came from. That similarity in speed might partially be because the info before going into tunnel #3 he saw you pulling away, so there was a slight turn cue on the tunnel.
I bet the Germans can be even faster with one small tweak to your running line:
At 1:37 and 1:54, when he as exiting the tunnel, you were at the entry wing of the backside jump. Then there was motion parallel to the bar like a serp. Two things happened there:
– It showed a wider line, so there was not a lot of collection on the exit
– It put you on his line as he landed and needed to find the line to 5.So the tweak would be to handle 2-3 from further from the tunnel. Send to the tunnel and run directly to the exit wing of the 4 backside. So as he exits the tunnel and is committing to 4, he sees the countermotion for the exit of the German. That will get a tighter turn and get you off his line there, eliminating a stride or two! That should take off a couple of clicks on the time 🙂
Great job here!!
Tracy
Good morning!
I love the giant rug for the training area: functional AND pretty!! I hear it is really hot in FL so it is lovely that you have this indoor space!He figured out the minny pinny really quickly – he looked kind of shocked that it was so easy 🙂 He turned really well in both directions. And great job with your reward placement!
>I started with treats and did some with a toy. >
The toy brought a whole new level of excitement to it! But he still turned really well. Super!
Since this went pretty perfectly, you can add in the left and right verbals when you revisit this. I am sure that will be easy, so you after a couple of reps you can bars to it as well. That might be the trickiest part (figuring out what to use as bars). Regular jump bars might be too thick for this game? So maybe weave poles if they are slimmer than the bars.
Great job here!
TracyHi!
Oh yes, I think she really liked the added distance with the rocking horses! You both got to go a lot faster – and you maintained your connection so she knew where to go each time. Super!
Every now and then you would tap your leg – you don’t need to do it, she knew where to be thanks to your connection. Plus, she speedy so you won’t be able to give timely cues and tap your leg ,so better to just focus on timely cues 🙂
She had a couple of questions on the right turn on the barrel – it looks like it was mainly because you needed to take one more step to the wing. You were pulling away just a shade too early, so she was pulled off with you. On the reps where you took the one extra step, she committed beautifully.
Looking at the stay video: she did great! I love that she happily held the stay while you ran away or waved your arms/toy. Super! Be sure to add in connection back to her before you release – you will need that when she is front of a jump, and we don’t want her to think that you looking at her is the release. So you can move away, look at her, praise… then release.
Minny pinny: She read the setup really well! I think was a horse distraction in the background which is why she was barking.
Now that she understands the turns really well, we can get the verbals more independent (you can use a toy also). Was the video image mirrored? It sounded like you were saying left when she was turning right (and vice versa).To get the verbals more independent, start with her at your side and you are holding her collar. While holding her, you can say the verbal 3 or 4 times -then let her go but you remain perfectly still 🙂 You can keep saying the verbal, but she should zip around the minny pinny without you moving at all. That might be harder so you can throw the reward out between the bars when she does it.
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi! His understanding of commitment and lines looks good, and I think your blind cross connection also looked really good! So now we can focus on convincing him to go faster 🙂
One thing I notice is that he cues off of your acceleration or deceleration. For example, looking at :10-:19 there was not a lot of acceleration from you, so he ran in collection. Compare to the same line from :40-:48 where you ran closer to the line of obstacles, so you were showing more extension cue and he ran in extension 🙂 Yay!
You can also see more acceleration from you equaling more extension from him at :20- :25, then :28-:30, for example.
So keep planning on running closer to the lines so he sees lots of acceleration cues 🙂
>Then I thought what if instead of stopping to throw the toy after tunnels if I ran with it flyball style then threw it. He liked that. And then I did one with a reward in the middle>
Yes! Getting the rewards moving totally helps, he likes that a lot! Try to mix it in over jumps a lot more frequently – that way he will really drive to the jumps because a toy can be thrown at any moment 🙂
One thing you can add is throw the toy and then race him to it – if you get there first, you win and tease him but don’t give it to him. It is the grown up version of toy races 🙂 and will really get him driving along the lines because he will want to win the toy 🙂
>He started out well and I think he just gets tired and hot from the ball throws.>
There is a lot of explosiveness when throwing the toy, so he might need longer breaks between runs. But it will be well worth it! And as he builds up his heat acclimation, you will be able to extend the working time.
Great job here!
Tracy
Hi!
OMG! He did so well here! He was 100% with finding the jump! Only 1 little blooper where he did not take the tunnel because you took off too early. But then he was perfect!
When he did the sit at 1:01 – it might have been because you were leaning towards him and not moving to the wing, so he was unsure and offered a sit. When you were moving, he did great!
Nice work here 🙂
Tracy
Hi! You did a great job with your arms! The connection was really clear on both videos here!
On the first session and part of the 2nd session – yes, it took a moment to convince your feet to turn away for the blind instead of towards him for the FC or spin 🙂 it definitely feels unnatural in this context but will feel easier to turn away for the normal blind when you are more used to it and don’t have to think about it as much.
But then at 1:52 and after it on video 2: nice blinds! You were definitely getting into the groove and had really nice blinds! And the connection was super strong on those too. So it is mainly a question of convincing yourself to turn away from him. He also did well with the race track – it was a little harder to the left but I think that might have been because he was expecting a turn on the first wing? But the 2nd one went really well 🙂
Great job!
Tracy
Hi!
>He needed to poop! haha. All of a sudden he was much less distracted after that.>
Haha yes, that makes sense!
>> even though it might have been accidental
It completely was. I’d forgotten about it until it fell out of my waistband bahaha. I took that as serendipity telling me to reward my dog.>It was the agility gods rewarding him for you LOL 😂 😝
Hi!
I am glad you liked the sandwich concept 🙂 I am food-motivated so I like food analogies 😂Lots of good work here! He was able to go out to the mat but also had a lot of really good reps of going straight when you want him too! Yay!
>However, Tribute would occasionally spin (similar to what he does when working on the rear cross). I wonder if the timing of my treat toss / movement is causing it.>
For the out, it is not really a RC – it is more of a shift away as you move straight up the line. So the RC element was a little late which is why he sometimes had a question.
When you do the out, if he is on your right, use your left arm – and you are going to keep moving straight up the line. He will shift away to his the mat or go to the wings, then continue forward on a line parallel to where he started.
I drew a sketch of what the lines would look like for that! It is not fancy but it might give a clearer visual 🙂
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yD2gC5uBxpjkAs6gJW3RJXVvHv0543xDacvNws0r4mQ/edit?usp=sharing
Let me know what you think! Nice work here!
Tracy
