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Hi there!
Nice work on these too! One tweak to the setup: the straight tunnel should be turned so it is parallel to the jump and not perpendicular, so he can see that delicious tunnel opening facing him 🙂 That will add challenge on the serps and threadles 🙂 and take out the running into the body of the tunnel when he lands from the serp.>> I also could have used even more open shoulder on many of the serps..some don’t look to me much different than my tunnel arm/shoulder…something to work on.>>
Yes – in the first part of the session, the shoulder position was closed so they were post turns: he came in but did not go back out (like at :33). Having the the center of your chest facing the the center of the bar and your shoulders more open (I try to line up my shoulders with the wings) will totally get the ‘go out’ element of the serp cue as well. When you switched sides, it looked much better when you were more open at 1:25 and 1:32 and after that – and it looks like he was doing both the come in and go out really nicely!
> I think I was too far from the jump in several attempts especially on the threadles?
On the serps, you will want to be close enough to touch the wing of the jump. And threadles too – that helps produce the turns on each of them. Your position on the threadle at :40 looked good but then on the others after :48 looked like you were a bit too far away.
On the threadles, keep your shoulders open until *after* you see him turn his head away to take the jump. The body position and verbal cue mean “come in – go out” so you don’t need to cue the go out by turning your shoulders (otherwise, the dog comes to rely on that shoulder turn and that can cause all sorts of troubles :)) So keep your shoulders open and keep them open til he takes the jump. It will feel weird in this small setup but it will help him understand the complete behavior.
He did a great job with the tunnel sends!!!
>> I messed up my verbals without paying attention at the beginning, tried to be more consistent after the first few…
Yes, so many words LOL!!! Youtube is having audio issues this morning so all of the audio is off – I couldn’t actually hear your verbals lined up with the physical cues, the verbals were a few seconds ahead LOL!
>> prob can do more excited happy rewards?I thought I was at the time but watching the video in many cases I barely celebrated..he’s a trooper and kept going.>>
Yes to this too – you had some really nice big fun tug sessions mixed in, keep doing that to make him feel like each rep was a super effort (because it was :)) And you can also do some throwing of the toys mixed in, if he likes that. It becomes especially important on these proofing games where we are not really moving much and the brain work is hard for the dogs.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! This is going well!
In one of the other posts, you had asked about getting more speed into the wing wraps – a tweak of mechanics should help:
Looking at 1:04, for example, you go from tugging basically right into the send without a moment to connect or get ready, so he is slow and has questions there. Try it as more distinct elements: tug tug tug, get the toy back, engage with him, make eye contact, a little gentle restraint or a bit of ready ready… then a clear and specific physical and verbal cue to the cone. Each of these will be a distinct moment – that will give him the chance to prepare for the wrap and move into it with speed.I think your rear crosses are going well – you were a little late on the diagonal at :09 but then you got it really nicely at :14 and after that at :25 and :32.
Did he turn the wrong way at :36 and 1:14? The video edits didn’t show anything after he took off. At 1:14, it looks like you pulled your upper body to the right turn line. 1:18 was much better – you had your arm back and clearer connection on that diagonal, and he set up a really nice left turn.
You had 2 backside reps at :47 and 1:25 – be sure to connect as you exit the cone wrap. He slowed and drifted after the cone there because both shoulders were closed forward, so he was not sure where to be (that drifting wide happens when the dogs are not sure of where to be, so they slow down and drift to buy time before making a line decision.
He did well on the backside wraps! He seems to understand the commitment really nicely too, so as soon as he is past on you on the backside, keep moving forward with connection: you don’t need to turn your shoulders to the bar or use the outside arm to cue it – I think he will commit based on the cue and that way you can move forward and get way ahead. Yay! And you can also trust him more on those: don’t block the wing at :49 and especially 1:26, let him see it Line yourself up to where the wing meets the bar, so he sees the full wing – and you can then just move forward as he passes you. His turns looked really nice!!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyThanks for the update! Taking a little time to work out anything the dog needs is always great! Reinforcement protocols are top of the list, with play being such a key element. Kudos for seeing it and putting it at the top of the list! All of the other stuff gets trained at some point – no timeline, as you mentioned 🙂
Keep me posted and have fun!
TracyGood morning!
>> “fundamentals ,fundamentals, fundamentals, no sense doin’ that fancy crap if ya can’t do the fundamentals!>>
Truth! And in this case: mechanics, mechanics, mechanics. That will make all the difference
(although I give him bonus points for going through the barrel at the end LOL!!)
>>Does his lead preference or how he naturally positions his body have anything to do with this? Sometimes it just seems as if he almost has to make an extra move or weight shift to turn tight right. >>
I am sure it does. He has to think about his mechanics, just like we do: I am left-handed so I have to think hard when I put the clicker in my right hand 🙂
So on the videos – I think his questions on the laundry basket and also on the pool noodle had to do with your mechanics. The first wrap is a regular send then there is the turn away cue to get the head turn – then the click, the treat… and the reset back at you so you can cue the next one.
So if you are working specifically on right turns, he starts on your left and you send him around the object. As he is coming back to you, your left hand cues the head turn away (2nd wrap) and then you click and treat.But then don’t cue it again immediately and don’t let him keep offering – that is part of where the turn quality diminishes and then he gets unsure so he starts touching the object to offer other behaviors or he starts lifting his head more than we want.
He was getting the idea on the pool noodle but the turns were not what we can get with the resets for each rep. Basically, each rep is a loop of 2 wraps total, with each wrap being cued, then a click/treat then reset, not a loop where he gets the treat and comes back to do the turn again and so on. That reset to be able to cue the behavior is an important element and it also prevents us humans from getting greedy and doing several wraps in a row 🙂
>> still challenging to keep his body flowing thru the turns to his right. He’s understanding that the head turn generates clicks/treats but is still almost hesitant to keep moving forward which sometimes creates a tight turn-back in front of the obstacle not around it.>>
The mechanics will clear that up 🙂 because it will clarify what you want, and when. He was not entirely sure if he should go or not and the cues will help!
>> in the background of this video is Otis, my 15+ year old “Bullwhip” (whippet X pit bull). He was my first (and fastest) agility dog, now spectator.>>
Very cool!! Whippet mixes are so fun – amazingly fast and yet also happy to chill on a bed 🙂
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Yay for the teeter paint job, it looks GREAT!For the 2o2o:
This was a good intro session! As you train the new position, I recommend a target. Right now she is watching your hand movement entirely, which will make the behavior entirely dependent on your hand. When you ran forward she got into position based on where you stopped. So to get the full independence and clarify any confusion she might have about the down versus the 1RTO versus the 2o2o, use a target to help her. A round lid of some sort (I used a couple of white yogurt lids and some clear plexi squares) is easiest, as long as it looks different from anything you use for 1RTO (if you are using a target for that). The target will probably be placed about 6 inches or a little less from the end of the board, to give her just enough room to get her front feet off the board. That position produces the laid back (weight shifted 2o2o). The target will also produce the lowered head, which is a big part of the weight shift as well.And to teach it, take the progression through the steps from start to finish so she fully understands:
– on a plank to start, rather than the teeter so all questions are sorted out before she gets on the teeter itself
– to the bang game on the teeter
– to the elevator and downhills
and so on 🙂She will recognize the progression so it will be really quick & easy to add the 2o2o! But be totally vareful to let her offer/choose the position, resist temptation to use your hand to help her or to help with body cues.
>>I was very unsure what behaviors to click for
You will probably not want to click right now, because we want her to not look at you and clicking can accidentally build in looking up at you. The behavior to reward is her stepping into position: 2 front feet on the ground right near the end of the board, 2 back feet on the board and head looking at the target. So a quick marker and cookie toss to the target will help keep her looking forward and not at you.
>> However she did once offer a 1RTO which is what I have been teaching her for the DW and AFrame
I think it would be confusing to reinforce that, or to reinforce the down – too many different options. That is why I think a target will help, it gives her a specific cue to prompt the 2o2o.
>>should I allow this, or should I only click weight back 2o2os?
Yes, 2o2o. And she might not yet know what the weight shift part of it is, so that is why getting her head low with the target will really help.
Let me know what you think! Teaching her the 2o2o will be pretty quick 🙂
TracyGood morning! Great session here!
Nice structure to it – warm up looked good, crazy elevator looked good. He had a blooper moment at 1:05 (he was looking at your cookie hand and not down at the target, so you can withdraw the cookie hand sooner and then start the countdown). I think it was smart training to do a quick review of the normal elevator game before going back to the crazy elevator game, it really seemed to remind him to look down at his target and not at you hand.
He is beginning to shift his weight and slide a bit on the crazy elevator game reps!
The full teeter looked great 🙂 He was a little bit forward in his weight shift but he still stuck the landing 🙂 I think you will see the sliding/weight shifting happen more as he realizes that the full teeter is a thing! But mixing in one or two, here and there, is perfect.So basically at this point, the sessions should be similar to this. Over time, you will mix in more full teeter reps and fewer crazy elevator reps. As you do that, start to add more movement past the board. I think your motion here was perfect to get him on the full teeter: you were supporting but also staying out of the way LOL! You can keep adding more of the drive past him, just walkig for now, as you establish more experience on the full teeter.
Separately, keep working the target fading on the plank and on the easier games 🙂 But the target can stay in (I think it was there, right?) for the crazy elevator game and the full teeter for now.
>>MM/PT just has a delayed reward for the last thing you did in the ring and the beep is the bridge. I’m not sure my PT beep gets loud enough for that to work well if there are people talking by the exit. Can you do this for a UKI NFC run where the food reward box isn’t an option?>>
Yes, I would plan for the important thing to be the last thing I wanted to do, even if my entire NFC run was 15 seconds long. I don’t think the dog heard the beep but he saw the remote come out and I had a verbal cue also that sent him to it. And I gave everyone a heads-up that it was going to happen and that I was going to come running out and the dog would be ahead of me (had a friend open the gate as Nacho was running to it after I cued it). It was all fine, because… UKI. LOL! And those were trials without the food box. I did clear it with the judges and they all thought it was perfectly fine. Definitely do not try this at an AKC trial hahahaha
Tracy
Good morning!
I already got the sneak peek for this but it was fun to see the full session! The session had a really nice structure to it and I am glad the full teeter was the last rep. Yay! That is the end result we are going for, a really world-class teeter performance!!!! It looks like there was no target and the release was on the front feet hitting the ground. That is fine, just be sure that his front feet actually do hit the ground (they did not quite get there on the 2nd to last rep)The next thing to add is being able to continue moving past the teeter – you were not pushing it here and that was correct. And I don’t want to suddenly go to having you sprint past the teeter, because it could throw him off balance at the end. So split the difference: he is really strong with the elevator and bang games, so that is where you can do more driving ahead and also adding in praise before the release to the next obstacle or before the reward. The quiet praise will help build the duration as you move and before you release – but only add it on the games he is super comfy with and do it in tiny bits so he is incredibly successful. On the full teeter reps that get mixed in, you can add walking past as the first part of staying in motion – don’t get so far ahead so you can continue to move without getting miles ahead.
And if you accidentally pull him off the end position with too much motion (he drives across and sorta stops but is off the board, or self-releases) – I would still give him a ‘nice try’ cookie, something tasty but not exactly a big party. The teeter should only have 3 possible answers: good, better, BEST! and don’t let him think he is wrong, ever, at this stage.Great job! He looks awesome!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
Based on your description, I expected far more insanity on this video than there actually was LOL! She did really well for the most part. About the splats – she splats herself when she is coming onto the board with speed right after doing something else, so she isn’t really paying attention to her body as she tries to jump on. The ‘hop on’ element can be something you ask for only after she is back next to you, standing still, paying attention: then ask her to hop on.
And if cookies in the grass become a distraction, you can try a lotus ball or treat hugger so she only has to look at one spot for the cookies 🙂
The rest is looking strong: it looks like you used plank games to bookend the session – really nice! The target fading from the elevator game is something that you can take more time to do – she might need to see it more and also she might just need more experience doing the full teeter with a big target then a small target. She is doing MUCH better with the plank work with you moving, so feel free to add more arousal to that – get her barking and wild 🙂 Wheeee!
And with the teeters – the various levels of the elevator game are looking really good, so you can mix in more and more full teeters – for now, give your ‘tee’ cue pretty early (before she gets on, as she is looking at it) so she knows it is the full thing – and then if that works well, you can use that timing. Some dogs prefer the target cue after they are on the board, which might mean an obstacle name is needed. But she will tell us!Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
I agree – the RDW work can have more work because it is easier on the dog’s body, compared to jumping, weaving, teeters and a-frames.
he did well here in the sequences! A couple of ideas for you as you keep putting the teeter into sequences:
– try to work fast, straight approaches, rather than 180 or turned entries. You’ll see mostly straight on approaches at trials, so he will need to practicing controlling his speed on the teeter from straight approaches 🙂 He did well here but he was in collection from the turns. Plus, the straight approaches make the rear crosses easier 🙂– when you do the crazy elevator game at home, keep rewarding him for arriving at the top of the board to maintain running all the way to the end. I know we can’t do that in trials, but we can keep doing it for now in practice.
– and one other thing – I think you were not using your ‘paw’ cue. It seems like he drives to the end better when he hears it, so keep adding the paw cue as he is going up the teeter 🙂
Everything else looks really strong – it was hard to see, was there a target on the teeter here? I think there was not – but if there was, you can totally fade it out. If not – great job 🙂
Nice work! Let me know how the next session goes 🙂
TracyHi! Lots of really nice work here on this game: he had great confidence driving up the board, his weight shift looked good, he was focusing down to his target and ready for the drop, and he seemed perfectly happy to let that board slam around LOL! Yay!
Two details that will help put the finishing touches on this game:
At this stage, continue to reward the driving up the board by giving him a cookie when he arrives at the top as you catch it. Yes, a 3rd arm might be useful 🙂 But yo can have the cookie in your outside arm and after you catch it, deliver it before the countdown. That helps maintain the drive up the board and also keeps the rate of success really high in the session, in case he doesn’t get rewarded in target position.Now about target position: he is dropping into it really really nicely!!! I think the duration question has to do with him marking off your motion: whenever he got it right, you cued the target and then stepped next to it and stopped. Whenever he got it wrong, you stepped past it and he moved with you. It might have to do with all of the moving parts of the crazy elevator game.
So train it separately: on the crazy elevator game, for the next session or two, don’t move at all. When you drop the board, don’t step forward at all, just stay back at the edge of the board. This will require him to actually step forward past you to get into position! And it builds a super high rate of success into the crazy elevator game too.When you do add motion, you will want to keep moving for 2 or 3 more steps after he is definitely stopped, so I don’t want to add that to crazy elevatoring until after he can do it first on the plank, then on the bang game and then on the regular elevator game. He was doing well with that, so for the next couple of sessions, keep the skills separate. Then we will merge them together after that and see what he thinks 🙂
Great job here!!! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! She did really well here! Those first couple of reps where so funny: she was like, “wait, how do I run fast AND do these weaves?” LOL!!! The answer is: she needed to slow down and get more on her rear because weaves are more of a collection obstacle than an extension obstacle LOL!!! You were helpful by moving that #2 pole out a little and then she figured it out. Yay! She was doing ‘thoughtful’ weaving which is great: really focusing on how to get herself low and proper in the striding, without rushing. YES! Good girl. She is likely going to put that into her muscle memory and with a bit of practice as you straighten the poles, she will be able to do it without thinking – and then her weaving will get even faster. Fun!
Keep me posted on your session today – sleeping on it might have cemented it into her learning and you might find she has totally got it this morning. With the poles almost totally closed now, you can also add some fun by putting those 6 poles into the handling sequences I posted! That keeps things lively 🙂Great job here!
TracyWow, you two are on a roll lately!
When you say missteps, do you mean slight variations in his striding or missed entries/poles? The session here looked super high in success and I thought he was pretty darned awesome with his striding and forward focus in the poles. I really like how he is both driving to the entry and using his body to get in: you can really see it as he is weaving away from the camera: really nice!!!!!!It looks like the first set of 6 poles (coming towards the camera) are all straight and the 2nd set is almost straight. So in a perfect world: next session starts the same way with that little warm up, but poles 7-12 are straight now. Then a couple of reps with the boxcars straight.
All good? Then the next session would have you bring the 2 sets closer together. On that first session where they are closer, the easiest way to do that is takes poles 11-12 and plop them in front of poles 7-8 🙂If he has any questions on the poles as they get straighter and closer, you can tweak open that one little spot. Otherwise, keep getting them closer to being 12 straight poles. And as you do that, add n the various angles of entry and handling challenges (rear crosses, getting miles ahead, running away laterally, etc.). Because of all the entries and handling variables, it will take multiple sessions to get the poles straight and fully in line as one set of 12 but that is fine, time is on our side.
To break up the boxcars game, you can also take 6 poles and do the handling game I posted!
Great job here!! He is 99% done with the learning phase so now we are moving into putting them into 12 poles and into sequences. YAY!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
Sometimes the training sessions go totally to plan and sometimes… not. LOL! But the ‘not to plan’ sessions help us figure out what variables were difficult for him and so that makes the O-fer session valuable: motion plus toy in a moment where you needed him to be thoughtful to find a precision behavior. Nope. LOL! It was a no go. You got more success when you went to the food-based rewards and you got the most success when you were hanging back and with a food-associated target out ahead.
However, the arousal/excitement/speed is what we want in the ring, so we are not going to try to calm him. We are going to try to teach him how to find the precision details while he is ‘high’. (Also important for the RDW)
So that provides us with a valuable detour opportunity – rather than close the poles up, let’s detour into a few arousal sessions. Teaching him to find the precision behaviors when really aroused and you moving fast will serve you MUCH better in the future than tightening the weaves up without that knowledge will. It is a short detour:
Keep the weaves a half inch more open than where you had them when you ended yesterday (I think that puts them at 1.5”). Make him completely cuckoo for coco puffs: barking, frothing, tugging: then do a session where he finds the weaves while you run. What is his highest arousal toy? For example, I did a lot of weave work with Contraband with the frisbee (same with the RDW) because it added the arousal work in.Because this is specifically looking at arousal and motion – if he struggles (that 2 failure rule comes in VERY handy :)), open the poles rather than change your motion. Keep him crazy, you still run fast, but the variable of the poles will be easier.
This detour into arousal will make things MUCH easier when you go back to straighten the poles, because he will have a much better understanding of how to find them through the glaze of excitement 🙂
A couple of sessions with that on 4 or 6 poles is great to start – do at least 2 sessions and let his success rate tell us if he is ready for more (these will be exhausting sessions, physically, for you both):
Super high rate of success? Yay! You can move to 8 poles.
Struggle? Open the poles more. They will get tighten again very quickly.Since there is no timeline on straight poles, I think this is a great detour to take for now: kind of like stopping for ice cream on the way home from a trial. No rush to get home, and ice cream makes things really yummy 🙂
Looking back, he makes fast progress through the progress and any his questions/struggles have all been in moments where arousal was high. If we help him out here with easier poles and higher arousal, his long term success will be even higher and it will transfer into the ring more easily because he will have experienced the internal environment already 🙂
Let me know if this makes sense! These arousal sessions are FUN too LOL!
Tracy
